Features

Peace Corps Offers Life Skills, First Job After Graduation

Posted on September 17, 2018 2877 views
Amy Watkins
Many Western Oregon University graduates have jobs lined up before they even leave campus. Others plan to go on to grad school or otherwise further their educations. A small group, however, chooses a different route; they enroll in the Peace Corps. The Peace Corps was created in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy, and the [more…]
Features

Baumgartner Relinquishes Board Chair but Continues to Serve WOU

Posted on August 29, 2018 2865 views
Rex Fuller and Jim Baumgartner toast donors at the President's Club dinner.
Jim Baumgartner ‘81, an attorney and Western Oregon University alum, just finished up a four-year stint as chairman of the Board of Trustees. His time on the board is not over, though, as he was also appointed to another four-year term as an at-large trustee. Baumgartner is proud of what the board has accomplished in [more…]
Features

Supporting Students through Leadership Training and Advising

Posted on August 15, 2018 2800 views
Megan Habermann-Guthrie
Associate Director of Student Engagement Megan Habermann was honored to win the 2018 Frank Harris Outstanding Student Government Advisor Award earlier this year from the National Association Campus Activities, and the kind words shared by her nominators went straight to her heart, she said. Former ASWOU Presidents Cynthia Olivares and Jessica Freeman wrote warm recommendations [more…]
Features

Spanish Professor Supports WOU Near and Far

Posted on May 26, 2018 2948 views
Western Oregon University Professor Patricia Giménez-Eguíbar
Associate Professor of Spanish Linguistics Patricia Giménez-Eguíbar does a decent amount of traveling for work and pleasure, and two of her trips in the past year have been to conferences where she was representing Western Oregon University as keynote speaker. Giménez-Eguíbar teaches Introduction to Spanish Linguistics, Spanish Pronunciation and Phonetics, Spanish for Heritage Speakers and [more…]
Features

Sustainable Building Practices a Priority on WOU Campus

Posted on April 26, 2018 2852 views
Peter Courtney Health and Wellness Center.
Among the priorities listed in the Western Oregon University strategic plan is a section on sustainability and stewardship. Not only does the university carefully manage its natural resources on a daily basis, it also ensures that buildings on campus meet high standards for eco-friendly construction and operation. When Ackerman Hall was built on campus in [more…]
Alumni | Features

WOU Alum Travels the World but Comes Full Circle

Posted on February 17, 2018 2882 views
Dwight and Maggie Triplett
Oregon College of Education (OCE) alum Dwight Triplett ’66 is the embodiment of what can happen when you take life’s opportunities as they come. Even today, Triplett embraces the idea that taking chances and saying “yes” can lead you to places you never imagined. For him, that place was Asia, which was a long way [more…]
Arts & culture | Features

iLumiDance Tour Melds Dance, Computer Science to Benefit Children

Posted on January 17, 2018 3100 views
Western Oregon University Dance Professor Darryl Thomas’ latest touring project, in addition to his well-known Rainbow Dance Theatre, has an innovative and ambitious mission: inspiring young children to explore computer coding. Since 2013, Thomas and a troupe have been presenting iLumiDance to schoolchildren visiting WOU. The program focuses on dancers who are wearing black suits [more…]
Features | Student life

Feature: WOU Students Explore Globe with Study Abroad Program

Posted on December 27, 2017 2808 views
When Study Abroad Advisor Akaanchya Pradhan first meets with a student to discuss options for studying in another country, she usually doesn’t know what to expect. Some students have used the program’s online tool to narrow down their options, while others don’t know anything about studying abroad and all its ramifications. Pradhan said she generally [more…]
Alumni | Education | Features

WOU Master’s Degree from Home? Yes, Please!

Posted on December 20, 2017 3012 views
Amber Deets
If the idea of attending grad school classes at home while wearing pajamas is appealing, read on. Western Oregon University offers several online master’s degree programs that can completed on students’ own timeline and in the comfort of their own home. The dress code is up to them. One of WOU’s most popular online grad [more…]
Features | Student life

Feature: WUE Program a Boon for WOU Student Population

Posted on December 13, 2017 1199 views
WUE map
Western Oregon University has been an active member of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) for more than a decade, but Director of Admissions Rob Findtner still meets students who are unfamiliar with WICHE’s most popular program, the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE). “You can never assume that people know,” said Findtner, who, like [more…]
Features | Social & behavioral sciences

Feature: Student Projects Demonstrate Change Is Possible

Posted on November 29, 2017 1011 views
Politics, Policy and Administration Professor Mary Pettenger wants students to know they can make a difference in their worlds. That’s why she considers her Political Science 355 course to be one of her favorites. The class, Civic Literacy and Engagement, has several components, from proposal writing and project management to media literacy and effective communication. [more…]
Features

Feature: Board Member a Staunch Advocate for University

Posted on November 22, 2017 1068 views
Jaime and Aracely Arredondo
Western Oregon University Board of Trustees member Jaime Arredondo is not a WOU alumnus, but you’d never know that from talking to him. His advocacy for the university is strong enough to qualify him as an honorary Wolf, and besides, he’s surrounded by family members who walked across the stage at McArthur Field. Arredondo actually [more…]
Campus & community | Features

Feature: Focus on Transfer Students a Reflection of Goals

Posted on November 15, 2017 971 views
Kristin Mauro
We are currently highlighting services that are tailored to three specific audiences: nontraditional students (Nov. 4), veterans (Nov. 9) and transfer students (today). There is a lot of overlap within these three groups, of course, so readers may qualify for multiple resources. In cooperation with several area community colleges and in accordance with the new [more…]
Campus & community | Features

Feature: WOU Services for Veterans Indicate University Support

Posted on November 9, 2017 1002 views
We are currently highlighting services that are tailored to three specific audiences: nontraditional students (Nov. 1), veterans (today) and transfer students (Nov. 15). There is a lot of overlap within these three groups, of course, so readers may qualify for multiple resources. According to Veterans Services Coordinator Andrew Holbert, student-veterans constitute about 4 percent of [more…]
Campus & community | Features

Feature: WOU Services Provide Support for Non-Traditional Students

Posted on November 4, 2017 1042 views
non-traditional student peer adviser Jami Collar
For the next three weeks, we will be highlighting services that are tailored to three specific audiences: nontraditional students (today), veterans (Nov. 9) and transfer students (Nov. 15). There is a lot of overlap within these three groups, of course, so readers may qualify for multiple resources. The official Western Oregon University definition of a [more…]
Business & global affairs | Features

Feature: Entrepreneurship Minor a Popular Resource for Innovative Students

Posted on October 19, 2017 1000 views
Marty Schulz quote
As the work force moves farther way from the traditional format—think employees who spend 10+ years at a company—to the modern affinity for a new job every few years, Western Oregon University’s Business program is ready for the change. Case in point: the entrepreneurship minor, which allows students, both current and incoming, to chart a [more…]
Campus & community | Features

Feature: Academic Advising and Learning Center Tutors Poised for Fall Term

Posted on October 13, 2017 1029 views
Academic Advising and Learning Center
Western Oregon University is highly invested in student success, and as such, it offers a wide variety of free tutoring assistance for enrollees. However, many students aren’t familiar with the full breadth of options for getting help with different subjects, and that’s something the Academic Advising and Learning Center (soon to be Student Success and [more…]
Features | Student life

Feature: ASWOU President Believes It’s Never too Late to Get Involved

Posted on October 5, 2017 944 views
ASWOU President Jessica Freeman
A student’s first few terms at a four-year university can get a little hectic. Jessica Freeman ’18 gets it. But the Associated Students of Western Oregon University (ASWOU) president said that getting involved in a club or organization can make a world of difference for students acclimating to their new environment. While students may worry [more…]
Features | Student life

Feature: Financial Aid Counselors Help Students Understand Assistance

Posted on September 28, 2017 927 views
Financial aid office staff
Financial Aid is the most popular office in the Western Oregon University Lieuallen Administration building this week, with students lining up to talk with counselors about their aid packets and to hammer out lingering details. The office staff is primed to help students as efficiently as possible. On Monday alone, the group served 104 students [more…]
Campus & community | Features

Feature: New Dean Brings Vision of Collaboration to College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Posted on September 20, 2017 929 views
Kathy Cassity
The new dean of the Western Oregon University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Kathleen Cassity, arrived on campus Aug. 15, and while the move into her office in Bellamy Hall went pretty smoothly, the same cannot be said for the transition into her new home in south Salem. Cassity most recently was the assistant [more…]
Campus & community | Features

Feature: Service Learning and Career Development Helps Students Prepare for Future

Posted on September 13, 2017 939 views
For Western Oregon University students looking for an on-campus job, a work study position, a spring break adventure or a professional mentor, all the answers can be found in a single place: The Service Learning and Career Development (SLCD) office in the Werner University Center. The office, led by Director Adry Clark along with Assistant [more…]
Campus & community | Features

Feature: New Director Wrangles Data in Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness

Posted on September 6, 2017 1009 views
Abdus Shahid
The concept of institutional research (IR) is by no means a new one. But the creation of the Institutional Research and Effectiveness office is a first for Western Oregon University, which until independence in 2015 had relied on the Oregon University System (OUS) for help with statistical reporting. Abdus Shahid was the OUS analyst who [more…]
Campus & community | Features

Feature: Eclipse Brings Hundreds of Visitors to Campus

Posted on August 23, 2017 884 views
Last weekend, Western Oregon University hosted well more than 1,500 visitors to campus, a mix of alumni, community members, first-time visitors and groups from around the Pacific Northwest. They were all here to observe the total solar eclipse on Monday morning, but weekend organizers also embraced the opportunity to highlight WOU’s outstanding features. Judging from [more…]
Campus & community | Features

Feature: WOU’s Digital Production Services Focuses on Training, Outreach

Posted on August 16, 2017 1155 views
Deborah Rezell
The corner of the University Computing Services department in the Instructional Technology Center where digital media producer/director Deborah Rezell has her office is windowless, dark and awash in a constant background buzz. She’s got no complaints, though. The office, studio and control room are tidy and efficient—cozy even. It’s a much different scene than the [more…]
Alumni | Business & global affairs | Features

Feature: Alum Turns Hobby into Career, then Cruises into International Market

Posted on August 9, 2017 965 views
Longboard Larry
Larry Peterson ’05 doesn’t seem like a celebrity from the outset. The Western Oregon University alum is in his mid-40s, works in Independence and has a wife and four sons. But if you ask anyone who’s a fan of longboards—skateboards with extra length and interesting shapes—“Longboard Larry” is a well-known figure. He’s not convinced, though. [more…]
Education | Features

Feature: Silent Weekend’s Success a Testament to WOU Reputation in ASL Community

Posted on August 4, 2017 1020 views
Silent Weekend group 2016
The ninth annual Silent Weekend event took place July 28-30 on campus, and a record number of participants were on hand for the American Sign Language-immersive experience. “(We had) 275 folks signed up from 18 states,” said event director CM Hall. “It’s our biggest year ever.” Hall, who in her regular duties is co-director of [more…]
Campus & community | Features

Feature: Public Safety Officers Go Above and Beyond for Campus Community

Posted on July 12, 2017 1003 views
Public Sfety office Mike Hanson
On some college campuses, the public safety officers just cover the basics; they patrol campus, lock buildings and file reports. Western Oregon University is not one of those campuses. The department’s six officers plus Director Rebecca Chiles are not content to do just the minimum. Their particular brand of flair is specialty training, and they [more…]