Press release

Western Oregon named NCAA Division II 2023 Award of Excellence finalist

Posted on January 11, 2023 343 views
Press Release
MONMOUTH, Ore. – Western Oregon University (WOU) is one of 22 universities named finalists for the 2023 NCAA Division II Award of Excellence, an award that recognizes events which promote student-athletes giving back and serving as leaders within their communities and on their campuses. WOU was nominated for the award in recognition of the partnership [more…]
Press release

Katie Wojke named Vice President of Advancement at WOU

Posted on January 5, 2023 374 views
Katie Wojke
MONMOUTH, Ore. – Western Oregon University President, Jesse Peters, recently named Katie Wojke as the university’s Vice President of Advancement, effective January 30. “She is a productive fundraiser, partnering with donors to support students, faculty, and programs. Katie is driven by the compelling mission of access to higher education and the development of outstanding future [more…]
Press release

Western Oregon Wins Prestigious NWCCU Beacon Award

Posted on October 12, 2022 1395 views 3 comments
Press Release
MONMOUTH, OREGON — Western Oregon University’s recent comprehensive review and revision of undergraduate degree requirements has been selected as the winner for the 2022 Northwest Commission of Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) Beacon Award for Excellence in Student Achievement and Success.  Beginning in 2017, WOU faculty investigated alternatives to its existing general education and university degree [more…]
Press release

New Trustees Join Western Oregon University’s Board of Trustees

Posted on September 29, 2022 295 views
Press Release
MONMOUTH, Ore. – Cristian Mendez-Garcia and Guadalupe “Lupe” Diaz were confirmed by the Oregon Senate to serve on the Western Oregon University Board of Trustees, succeeding former trustees Zellee Allen and Linda Herrera.  Mendez-Garcia and Diaz join new trustees Kari Nelsestuen, Angela Fasana, and Michael Reis, who were all confirmed during the June Legislative Days [more…]
Press release

SEIU and Western Oregon Announce SEIU Local 503 Members Tuition Discount

Posted on September 26, 2022 142 views
Press Release
MONMOUTH, OREGON— In an historic move, Western Oregon University is offering SEIU Local 503 members discounted tuition for up to 12 credits per term. This partnership will enable SEIU students the ability to access over 200 programs of their choice.  SEIU students will be able to work towards or finish a bachelor’s or master’s degree, or [more…]
Press release

Western Oregon University Offers In-State Tuition Rate to all Enrolled Members of Federally Recognized Indigenous Nations

Posted on August 31, 2022 721 views
Press Release
MONMOUTH, OREGON—Starting fall 2022, Western Oregon is offering in-state tuition to any enrolled member of federally recognized tribes within the US. The Native American Tuition-Western Oregon University (NAT-WOU) initiative allows incoming indigenous students to pay the equivalent of WOU resident tuition regardless of their state or country of residence. Oregon’s oldest public university, Western Oregon was established [more…]
Press release

Supreme Court Ruling on Roe v. Wade

Posted on June 27, 2022 695 views
Press Release
MONMOUTH, OREGON — Western Oregon acknowledges the momentous impact on many of our faculty, staff and students, with the US Supreme Court’s recent decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Our university remains committed to the power of liberty in the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and observes that any threat to the liberty of our community and its members is a detriment [more…]
Press release

WOU’s Board of Trustees Slated to Appoint Dr. Jesse Peters as University President

Posted on May 31, 2022 3900 views 3 comments
 MONMOUTH, Ore.—The Western Oregon University Board of Trustees plans to appoint Dr. Jesse Peters as the university’s next president at its June 8, 2022 meeting. Dr. Peters will succeed retired president Dr. Rex Fuller and interim president Dr. Jay Kenton.  Dr. Jesse Peters is the current Dean of Arts & Sciences at Ft. Lewis College [more…]
Press release

Valley Shakespeare Company at Western Oregon University to receive National Endowment for the Arts grant

Posted on May 30, 2022 648 views
MONMOUTH, OREGON —Valley Shakespeare Company at Western Oregon University has been awarded a $10.000 Grant for Arts Projects from the National Endowment for the Arts to support El Bardo en el Valle: with Milagro at Valley Shakespeare Company. This project will bring a Spanish-language production to the stage of Valley Shakespeare Company in the summer of [more…]
Press release

Western Oregon University collaboration involves the public in conserving Oregon’s freshwater turtles

Posted on May 25, 2022 572 views
MONMOUTH, OREGON —Western Oregon University in collaboration with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) are proud to announce the launch of a bilingual website and ‘community science’ app to help monitor Oregon’s freshwater turtle populations. This collaborative project was developed over a period of years, with The Oregon Native Turtle Working Group, the [more…]
Press release

Academic publication shows new details of Hispanic origins of Oregon

Posted on May 19, 2022 681 views
MONMOUTH, OREGON —Western Oregon University and the Instituto de Cultura Oregoniana proudly announce the launching of “Hispanic Origins of Oregon,” a collaborative work that tells of the time of commerce between Native Americans, Hispanics, British and Russians along the Pacific coast of North America. The launch will take place at Western Oregon University’s Hamersly Library [more…]
Press release

Western Oregon University chosen as newest Amazon Career Choice Partner

Posted on May 9, 2022 228 views
MONMOUTH, OREGON —Western Oregon University is partnering with Amazon to offer Amazon employees in the Salem area a new option for pursuing a college degree. Eligible local employees will be able to enroll in one of Western Oregon’s over 200 unique majors, minors, certificates, and concentrations with annual tuition assistance covered by Amazon. Amazon’s Career [more…]
Press release

Western Oregon University receives $8.4 million to assist Oregon Early Learning

Posted on April 26, 2022 713 views
MONMOUTH, OREGON —Western Oregon University’s The Research Institute, led by Robyn Lopez Melton, has been awarded $8.4 million from the Oregon Early Learning Division to build capacity within Oregon’s early learning system. This funding will allow Western Oregon’s The Research Institute’s Center on Early Learning and Youth Development to design, implement, and manage Oregon’s first [more…]
Class of 2019

Grad Profile: Caitlyn Nakatsukasa

Posted on June 11, 2019 2245 views
Caitlyn Nakatsukasa is a graduating student from Honolulu, Hawaii and will obtain a degree in Business with a minor in Organizational Leadership. After her graduation, she is wasting no time and going straight to grad school! Why did you choose WOU? WOU made it very affordable for me to attend and receive a great education [more…]
Class of 2019

Grad Profile: Matthew Ciraulo

Posted on June 11, 2019 1803 views
Matthew Ciraulo is a graduating student from Murrieta, California and will earn a degree in Sociology with a minor in History. Why did you choose WOU? Originally I planned to teach high school history. WOU was brought to my attention as a progressive and reputable education program. Once I got the opportunity to tour the school, [more…]
Class of 2019

Grad Profile: Martha Lucia

Posted on June 11, 2019 1797 views
Martha Lucia is a student originally from Colombia, South America and she’s been living in the United States for the last 19 years. Married, her husband Greg has been her great support, along with her children, Avalon and Ethan, and her brother and family in Colombia. She will receive a B.S. in  Early Childhood Elementary [more…]
Class of 2019

Grad Profile: Jocelyn Garcia

Posted on June 11, 2019 1787 views
Jocelyn Garcia is a first-generation student graduating with a degree in Visual Communication Design and a minor in The Arts.  She has also been recognized on the Honor Roll and the President’s list multiple times. Why did you choose WOU? I chose WOU because of its great art program and community. Since it was very [more…]
Class of 2019

Grad Profile: Daisy Chavez Guzman

Posted on June 11, 2019 1695 views
Daisy Chavez Guzman is a first-generation student graduating with a double major degree in Psychology and Spanish.  Why did you choose WOU? I decided to attend WOU because of the size of the campus, I wanted to attend a university that was small enough for me to but big enough to meet diverse students. I also loved [more…]
Class of 2019

Grad Profile: Janie Ramirez Manzo

Posted on June 11, 2019 1745 views
Janie Ramirez Manzo is a first-generation college student who will be obtaining a degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Sociology. Why did you choose WOU? The small class sizes and campus was really important to me; it was my most affordable option  What do you love most about WOU? I love all the [more…]
Class of 2019

Grad Profile: Mandy Abel

Posted on June 11, 2019 1717 views
Mandy Abel from Sherwood, Oregon, will be graduating from WOU with a degree in Earth Science and a minor in Public Policy and Administration Why did you choose WOU? It was close to home, which was very important to me, had a small average class size, and is a public university so I knew it [more…]
Class of 2019

Grad Profile: Jaide Wa’a

Posted on June 11, 2019 1769 views
Jaide Wa’a, originally from Nanakuli, Hawaii is a first-year student who will be graduating from WOU with a degree in Biology with a concentration on Pre-Medicine and a minor in Chemistry. Why did you choose WOU? I chose WOU because I liked its location in Oregon, the size of the campus, the community, and its sizable [more…]
Class of 2019

Grad Profile: Demeter Finch

Posted on June 11, 2019 1668 views
Demeter is a first-generation honors student here at WOU who will be obtaining a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus in Special Education and Humanities with a minor in Spanish.  Why did you choose WOU? The American Sign Language/English Interpreting program. What do you love most about WOU? The professors and overall elevated level [more…]
Class of 2019

Grad Profile: Tristan Aldous

Posted on June 11, 2019 1875 views
Tristan Aldous, from Drain, Oregon, will earn a degree in Communication Studies with a minor in Organizational Leadership from WOU. Why did you choose WOU? The reason I chose WOU isn’t the reason I stayed. I originally came to WOU because I was a Theatre Arts major and the program here. I chose WOU because of [more…]
Class of 2019

Grad Profile: Susana Venegas

Posted on June 11, 2019 1755 views
Susana Vergas will be leaving WOU with a degree in Social Science with a focus in Criminal Justice and two minors in Forensic Psychology and Spanish. Originally from Salem, Oregon, Susana is a proud first-generation student who attended all her four years at WOU. Why did you choose WOU? Western was my first college choice [more…]
Class of 2019

Grad Profile: Ethan Novak

Posted on June 11, 2019 1772 views
Ethan Novak is a student from Imperial, California who will be graduating with an Elementary Master of Arts in Teaching.  Why did you choose WOU? I chose WOU after listening to a presentation they gave to the Corvallis School District on their brand new eMAT program. It was truly everything I was looking for in a [more…]
Class of 2019

Grad Profile: Tiffany Lewis

Posted on June 11, 2019 1920 views
Tiffany Lewis is a graduating student from Tacoma, Washington. She will be obtaining a degree in Early Childhood/Elementary Education with an ESOL endorsement and a minor in French. Why did you choose WOU? I chose WOU because I knew that I wanted to be a teacher and their education program is nationally recognized! I also [more…]
Class of 2019

Grad Profile: Alexis Klatt

Posted on June 11, 2019 1571 views
Alexis Klatt is a first generation student from Philomath, Oregon who will be graduating with a degree in Early Childhood Studies; Therapeutic care and trauma-informed practices. Why did you choose WOU? I chose WOU because of its small class sizes, student-teacher relationships, beautiful campus, and opportunities within the Education Program. What do you love most [more…]
Class of 2019

Grad Profile: Daniel Sampson

Posted on June 11, 2019 1598 views
Daniel Sampson, after maintaining academic honor roll from spring 2016 to spring 2018, will be graduating with a degree in Contemporary Music with a Jazz and Popular Music Emphasis. He is originally from Newport, Oregon and transferred to Western Oregon University from the Oregon Coast Community College located there. Why did you choose WOU? I [more…]
Class of 2019

Grad Profile: Sarah Hughes

Posted on June 11, 2019 1870 views
Sarah Hughes is a graduating honors student from Salem Oregon who will earn a degree in psychology with a minor in writing. Why did you choose WOU? For the small and welcoming campus. What do you love most about WOU? The small classes sizes are great for learning, but they’re even better for building connections [more…]
Class of 2019

Grad Profile: Rachelle Austin

Posted on June 11, 2019 1621 views
Rachelle Austin, from Keizer, is graduating this June after four years studying Chemistry with a minor in physics. She transferred from University of Oregon. Why did you choose WOU? I chose WOU because I was looking for a smaller town and smaller, more close-knit university.  I didn’t really enjoy having classes of 500+ students and [more…]
Class of 2019

Grad Profile: Tyler Jones

Posted on June 10, 2019 1712 views
Tyler Jones, from Bend, is finishing degrees in Mathematics and Business with a concentration in accounting. Why did you choose WOU? I chose WOU to fulfill my dream of collegiate running as part of the cross country and track team. What do you love most about WOU? I think the campus and class size is [more…]
Class of 2019

Grad Profile: Ailyn Angel

Posted on June 10, 2019 1596 views
Ailyn Angel is a graduating student from Hillsboro and will be obtaining a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus in Humanities and Social Science. She is a first-generation student who transferred from Portland Community College in fall 2017. Why did you choose WOU? I chose WOU because I was initially interested in the Education [more…]
Class of 2019

Grad Profile: Jacoby “Coby” Cid

Posted on June 10, 2019 1860 views
Jacoby “Coby” Cid is a transfer student from Leeward Community College graduating this year with a degree in Visual Communication Design and a full-time position as a digital communication specialist at Maps Credit Union.  Why did you choose WOU? I chose WOU because I came to play football and heard great things about the VCD [more…]
Class of 2019

Grad Profile: Libbie Hoene

Posted on May 7, 2019 1817 views
Libbie Hoene is a graduating student from Lebanon, Oregon and is completing a bachelor’s in Communications with a minor in Organizational Leadership. Why did you choose WOU? I originally picked to come to WOU because I was playing volleyball at here at the D2 level. What do you love most about WOU? I love the [more…]
Class of 2019

Grad Profile: Alison Nelke

Posted on May 1, 2019 1973 views
Alison Nelke is from Albany, Oregon and will be graduating with a bachelor’s in Business with an Accounting concentration, as well as a minor in History. Why did you choose WOU? I was recruited to play basketball for the women’s basketball team, and then I fell in love with the campus. WOU’s Business major with [more…]
Spring/Summer 2019

CLASS NOTES

Posted on April 11, 2019 1821 views
Wolfie holding stuffed aninals
1960s Cori Frauendiener ’67 retired in March from Maps Credit Union, where she’d worked for 35 years, most recently as director of education partnerships. The credit union has established a $5,000 scholarship in her honor for education students attending WOU.   1970s Steve Lamb ’75 has published the book Engaging Collective Will for Student Success.Steve has retired [more…]
Spring/Summer 2019

In memoriam

Posted on April 11, 2019 1769 views
1940s Lenora J. Bond   1950s Irene (Gerold) Hake Lafona Jensen Mardene G. Keveren Eugene O. Owens Betty A. Reeves Helen Richard Arlene Jensen Ross Raymond A. Scofield LaVerne A. Streight Harry F. Sievers Ella M. Swanson   1960s Elizabeth Bachman Jack L. Gorman Ronald G. Miller Rudy H. Sonnen   1970s James R. Ammon [more…]
Spring/Summer 2019

WESTERN OREGON UNIVERSITY SALEM

Posted on April 10, 2019 1951 views
Western Oregon University has been located in Monmouth since 1856, but in 2019, the university also planted its flag in the nearby capital of Salem. WOU’s second location is in the south part of the city, conveniently located and designed for students seeking to start or finish their degrees. WOU classes started in Salem in [more…]
Spring/Summer 2019

Athletic training team builds on foundation

Posted on April 10, 2019 1775 views
From left: Bo Johnson, Chris Thew, Alyssa Asay and Brandon Walcott-Ayers   Long-time Head Athletic Trainer Kurtis Kidd retired in 2018 after 30 years at WOU; that kind of longevity could be intimidating for athletic trainers who follow in his footsteps. The current team doesn’t look worried. They appreciate the processes Kidd created and plan [more…]
Spring/Summer 2019

Honoring Tina Fuchs

Posted on April 10, 2019 2133 views
Tina Fuchs
In February, Tina Fuchs, associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students, received the Kay Rich Lifetime Achievement award from the Northwest Association of College and University Housing Officers (NWACUHO). The award recognizes the contributions that individual housing professionals make as leaders and mentors throughout the course of their careers. Fuchs has served [more…]
Spring/Summer 2019

Dyed in the wool Wolves: The Hamors

Posted on April 10, 2019 1733 views
Donna and Clark Hamor recently became Sustainers with the WOU Foundation, but their support for the university goes back for decades, a fact borne out by Clark’s collection of time-hopping WOU clothing. Donna, a WOU grad from the OCE era who earned a bachelor’s in 1970 and a master’s in 1976, and Clark, who graduated [more…]