Eastern Magazine | Spring/Summer 2021

PANDEMIC. BUDGET.

ENROLLMENT. ATHLETICS. FOR

DAVID MAY,

EASTERN’S INTERIM PRESIDENT, IT’S ALL IN A

DAY’S WORK .

Innovation Central

When it opens for research and instruction this fall, Eastern’s new $68 million Interdisciplinary Science Center will advance EWU scientific exploration and discovery with state-of-the-art laboratories, classrooms and spaces for collaboration. The stunning brick, glass and steel building, according to its designers at Seattle’s LMN Architects, aims to visually and functionally integrate itself into existing campus facilities — particularly the legacy Science Building it conjoins. Look for more images, along with full coverage of the Interdisciplinary Science Center’s grand opening, in our upcoming Fall/Winter issue.

TAKING FLIGHT

Coming Home Brian Levin-Stankevich returns to EWU as provost and VP for Academic Affairs.

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wa k e n i n g fr o m a n i c e afternoon retiree nap last fall, I checked my email and found an entry from two old friends at Eastern.

They told me they wanted to talk. Then interim President David May reached out. He, too, said he wanted a word with me.

Three weeks later, I was back in my former office in Showalter, once again as Provost at EWU. Perhaps better remembered as founder and coach of the university’s club hockey team, I have nonetheless completed stints in enrollment management, student affairs, as provost and even a brief interim presidency at EWU. You can be sure that Eastern is the only university I might have come out of retirement to serve. My years here, like yours as alumni, were among the most formative of my career.

Much has remained the same in the 14 years since I left Eastern, using the “chops” I gained here to serve in other roles and other universities.

Many of my former colleagues are still current colleagues. The classic campus buildings still stand proudly. Our students are still, more often than not, the first in their family to seek a college degree, as was I. And our mission, the most important of the values that brought me back, is still to make those students successful. Here at Eastern, we help change family histories.

Much has also changed over these years. Aside from the fact that those former colleagues and I are a bit older, we have a host of new and renovated facilities both in Cheney and at the Catalyst building in Spokane. Aside

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“

Our students are still, more often than not, the first in their families to seek a college degree, as was I. And our mission, the most important of the values that brought me back, is still first and foremost to make those students successful. Here at Eastern, we help change family histories.

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from the enforced online impact of Covid-19, we reached many more students, particularly in our master’s programs, through entirely online education.

Perhaps the most notable change, though, is that those students we serve, from all across eastern Washington and beyond face far greater obstacles than in the past. The years after the 2008 recession have not been kind to our working families, and Covid-19 was for many a doubling of their troubles.

Financial challenges have grown, even though we have worked hard to keep the cost of education affordable.

Families are more dependent on all of their members, and our students —who have always carried jobs along with school — are having to work even more to contribute.

The socioeconomic and racial disparities of our society have become ever more prominent over this past

year. Now, the students who will come to us this fall and beyond, have experienced at least some interruption in their educations and will certainly need additional attention and help.

For all that, we are so eager to see them again in person. Our campus will awaken from this obligatory slumber soon. We are planning for classes to be as fully in person as safety allows in the fall. More importantly, we are following President May’s lead in making sure that we are a truly 21st Century university; one that serves as the formative experience allowing our students and graduates to reach their full potentials, as well as helping them to become outstanding contributors to their communities.

It’s great to be back and “all in” in the service of the noble work we do at Eastern.

— Brian Levin-Stankevich

+HONOR

YO U R LOVED ONES AND THE UNIVERSITY

YO U LOV E SPRING/SUMMER 2021 EDITOR Charles E. Reineke

/// / // /// // ///// YOU CAN CREATE A LEGACY THAT EXPRESSES YOUR VALUES, LOVE AND GRATITUDE. Isn’t it time for a plan? We can help you get started.

Whether your goals include transferring assets with minimal tax burdens for your heirs or establishing a named scholarship in the program that changed your life, our team can help.

Longtime donor Barbara Shields makes a lasting impact on students like Hannah Seagrave, who is now a lecturer at Eastern! “I got motivated to help others because there’s so much need and there’s so many wonderful young people who just need a hand up,” Barbara says.

ART DIRECTOR Ryan Gaard ’02 CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Dave Meany Leilah Langley PHOTOGRAPHY Eric Galey ’84 Chris Thompson ’19 VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT Barb Richey ’92, ’99 MAGAZINE ADVISORY BOARD Karene Garlich-Loman ’03, ’98 Joseph Haeger ’10 Kory Kelly ’98 Nick Lawhead ’07 Lisa Leinberger ’98 Brian Lynn ’98 Kelly Naumann ’10 Robin Pickering ’03, ’97

Read Barbara’s story at ewulegacy.org/donorstories.

LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!

EWU FOUNDATION, OFFICE OF GIFT PLANNING Laura Thayer, Senior Director of Gift Planning & Stewardship lthayer3@ewu.edu | Office: 509.359.6901 | Cell: 509.844.5916 Courtney Susemiehl, Director of Gift Planning csusemie@ewu.edu | Office: 509.359.6703 | Cell: 509.559.2082

EMAIL easternmagazine@ewu.edu PHONE 509.359.6422 WRITE Eastern Magazine,

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Cheney, WA 99004-2413 Eastern magazine is published spring/ summer and fall/winter by EWU University Advancement and is mailed free to alumni of record in the United States. View this and previous issues of Eastern online at ewu.edu/easternmagazine.

CONTENTS

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CONTENTS Features 18 Hard Work, Rewarded

A transformative gift helps go-getter students make the most of their time at EWU.

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24 Man of the Moment

Even as an interim president, David May has been called upon to tackle a daunting array of challenges.

32 Amazing Eagles

This year’s Alumni Award winners exemplify the very best of Eastern.

36 Infectious Winning

During a virus-plagued season, Eastern men’s basketball makes a run to remember.

Departments 04 Taking Flight 08 Eastern Etc. 38 Class Notes 41 In Memoriam 43 Back Story On the Cover: David May, EWU’s interim president.

Photo by Chris Thompson.

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Photo by Chris Thompson

Prairie’s Progress

A snowy seed-sowing session ushers in a prairie’s revival.

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WU’s Prairie Restoration Project, a multi-year effort aimed at transforming a plot of now fallow Eastern-owned farmland back into its original native Palouse prairie state, got a big boost earlier this winter after a team of faculty, staff and students braved the elements to complete a critical early step in site development — planting native seeds.

Spreading seed in the middle of an Inland Northwest winter sounds a little crazy. But, according to Erik Budsberg, sustainability coordinator at EWU and prairie project manager, snow is a prairie plant’s best friend.

Native-plant seeds, he says, need to be “broadcast” on top of a fresh layer of snow so that they can gradually seep into the ground as the snow melts. If all goes well, more snow falls after the seed distribution is complete, shielding the vulnerable seeds from hungry birds and other small animals.

“We’re out here today doing a bunch of hand broadcasting, which is basically taking the seeds in our hands and throwing them out,” Budsberg says.

“We’re setting up research plots to look at aspects of the different seed mixes we plant, which will help us determine how we manage those in the future.”

The on-site work started with a small pilot plot located just southwest of Roos Field. Budsberg says project organizers originally hoped to create a 15-acre pilot site last fall, but the weather didn’t cooperate: Too much rain saturated the soil, which meant crews couldn’t bring

in the heavy machinery needed to seed large sections. To avoid having to wait a full growing season to get started, the prairie restoration team decided instead to seed a smaller one-and-a-half acre section by hand.

The seed mixes include a biodiverse array of grasses and forbs that once grew in the area. The seeding team spread different mixes in separate, well-marked areas so that they could later determine which seed groupings most successfully produced healthy, mature plants.

The full restoration will take years.

Researchers must monitor plants’ growth — often over more than one growing season — to take stock of which species are best suited to Eastern’s restoration site. In addition, scholars and student researchers from other disciplines, such as geology and environmental science, will study the soil and the groundwater.

“It will be a living laboratory where we can use our facilities to allow faculty and students to do a lot of great research,” says Budsberg. “The project will also provide some new opportunities that mimic more realworld situations, as students and faculty connect with different departments and programs that they might not have connected with before.”

Want to learn more? Visit a new immersive website dedicated t o h e l p i n g v i s i t o r s v i s u a l i z e, and support, the ongoing work: ewu.edu/prairie

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A Kick-Start for Scholars A 10-year, $500,000 gift aims to encourage ‘experiential learning’ at the Catalyst.

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WU research to be conducted at Spokane’s new Catalyst building — the zero-energy engineering marvel featured in the Fall/Winter edition of Eastern magazine — got a big boost earlier this year.

The McKinstry Charitable Foundation, headquartered in Seattle, announced in February a gift of $50,000 each year for 10 years to establish the Catalyst Faculty and Student Research Fund. The $500,000 fund, to be managed by the EWU Foundation, will support Catalyst-based experiential learning.

“We are proud to be connecting research passions of EWU faculty and students with realworld applications at the Catalyst building,” says Dean Allen, chief executive officer at McKinstry.

“The South Landing Eco-District is a living laboratory fueled by public-private partnerships, and we’re excited that this grant program will allow more EWU faculty members and students to engage with that vision in a deeper way.”

Eastern is the primary tenant in the Catalyst building, located on the South Landing of the University District. Catalyst is Spokane’s first zero-energy building and the first office building in the state constructed out of environmentally friendly cross-laminated timber, or CLT. The innovative new space is the result of a unique collaboration among cross-industry partners McKinstry, Avista and Katerra. It will allow Eastern to easily connect students to the regional business community.

“We are very grateful for this significant gift from our partners at McKinstry,” says EWU interim President David May. “Catalyst is a game-changer for Eastern and the region, and by supporting research efforts this fund will allow our students and faculty to flourish in their work and provide more opportunities to connect with business and industry.”

Funding from McKinstry’s first gift installment was used to support student projects related to the building’s grand opening.

Two groups of Eastern students and their

faculty advisors worked with representatives from McKinstry to develop an interactive installation with an accompanying digital information piece.

“We created a visual data feed of the energy the building and occupants consume and how much energy the building produces to offset that value,” says student team leader Danielle Flinn. “We also created an illustrated animation to show the importance of how the [South Landing] buildings work together and benefit the greater community and construction industry in general.”

Additional work by Eastern students produced other “deliverables” to promote the grand opening. Under the direction of EWU faculty, students collaborated with marketing professionals from Catalyst partner firms to develop copy and videos for a website dedicated to promoting the building: catalystspokane.com.

Mindy Breen, professor and chair of Eastern’s Department of Design, says the project has been a tremendously rewarding experience for both the students and the faculty members who worked with them.

“Real world student projects, like this one, are effective learning experiences, and they help connect students with industry partners,” Breen says.

Return Flight With cautious optimism, Eastern plans for resuming in-person instruction this fall.

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ore than a year has passed since the onslaught of Covid-19, a year that has brought unprecedented heartbreak and hardship to people across the globe. From the beginning of the pandemic, Eastern has worked diligently to protect the health of its students, faculty and staff.

Among the most high-profile, and painful, of the safety protocols adapted has involved temporarily suspending most forms of in-person learning, a measure that has fundamentally altered students’ collegiate experience in ways great and small. Thankfully, a return to some form of normalcy appears near.

Earlier this spring, David May, Eastern’s interim president, announced EWU has begun planning for a return to mostly in-person instruction this fall.

There remains a great deal of uncertainty surrounding the future course of the pandemic, but with the progress of vaccinations — and continued diligence in masking and social distancing — May says he is optimistic that campus life will

“Getting to

[our] goal will depend on how things progress with the pandemic, and the rollout of vaccines...

I pledge to everyone we are not going to be fully back on campus until it is safe to do so.”

— David May

soon be making a comeback.

“I’m excited to announce the university is planning for the possibility of returning to mostly in-person instruction this fall,” his statement read. “Using our Max-Flex approach, we are developing a comprehensive plan to prepare us for the goal of normal or near-normal operations.

This plan will include checkpoints along the way and ongoing assessments of state guidelines and public health measures.”

Max-Flex, as detailed in the last issue

of this magazine, provides EWU students with the choice of living on- or offcampus, while taking classes online or in person when it is safe to do so.

May cautioned that unexpected twists and turns could still derail the homecoming. “Getting to [our] goal will depend on how things progress with the pandemic, and the rollout of vaccines in the coming months. I pledge to everyone we are not going to be fully back on campus until it is safe to do so.”

Art Ballers Eastern students and alumni are used to attacking rims at Spokane Hoopfest. Now they’re bringing the backboards.

H ARTWORK BY EWU Design student DELANEY UMEMOTO

oopfest, the massive three-onthree basketball gathering that modestly bills itself as the “Best Basketball Experience on Earth,” now counts EWU as a major sponsor. To celebrate, three university design students, Matthew Barden, Tannor Glumbick and Delaney Umemoto, created special backboards meant

to show their Eagle pride. Though last year’s cancelation meant nobody was banking balls off their creations, Hoopfest organizers say they’ll for sure be hanging rims from them this September.

Interested in attending or, even better, participating in Spokane Hoopfest? Visit spokanehoopfest.net.

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Pandemic notwithstanding, the hoodies must go on Since 2016, Eastern admissions staff members have partnered with Spokane Public Schools and local-business donors to bring red and black Eagle sweatshirts — and big, beautiful smiles — to local fifth graders. This year they were determined not to let Covid-related lockdowns and school closures interrupt the fun.

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he hoodie project, started five years ago by an anonymous EWU alumnus, involves Eastern staff and students visiting regional elementary schools, handing out hooded sweatshirts and talking about the possibilities of college. This year, of course, the events had to be reimagined.

“Instead of us visiting the schools and being a part of an assembly, we did a virtual visit on Microsoft Teams with the classes and teachers, myself, Mandy Lee — our Spokane admissions advisor — and a few current EWU students,” says Crystal Medina, Eastern’s admissions events manager.

At the virtual event, Medina says she and her team talked to kids about college and fielded questions. The reward came later, during an outdoor sweatshirtdistribution event. At the pick-up, the fifth graders were not only able to claim their personal hoodie, but also pose for a photo against an EWU backdrop while standing on a patch of the university’s iconic red turf.

While the hoodies are the star attraction, project organizers say the real payoff is getting elementary students excited about the possibility of attending college. Of the lucky students selected to receive a sweatshirt, many don’t know that higher education might be an option for them.

Some admit they have never heard of EWU. “Most students are so excited about receiving their hoodies,” says Medina.

“This year it was a little harder to tell, since everyone was wearing masks and social distancing. But you can still notice a smile when their eyes slightly squint.”

Alex Simchuk, a fifth grader at Westview Elementary in Spokane.

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SCHOOLS

550

HOODIES

Assistance and Experience An EWU program pairs mathematics-education students with the children of health workers.

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astern students studying to be teachers have had a unique perspective on the upheavals wrought by the coronavirus. They’ve experienced pandemic disruptions both as students and as educators.

This double whammy is an unfortunate but potentially profitable experience, says Carlos Castillo-Garsow, an associate professor of mathematics education at Eastern. Especially when it comes to the instruction part.

“Teaching online can be very challenging, but it’s something I would recommend for everyone,” Castillo-Garsow says. “You don’t really get a sense of how important feedback is from students, and knowing how students are performing in the classroom, until it’s hard to get that information.”

To help his students gain such insights, Castillo-Garsow partnered with local healthcare providers to pair EWU students with the

children of their frontline workers.

Eastern students started hosting virtual math tutoring sessions last spring, with many continuing through the current academic term.

“There are a lot of doctors, nurses and psychiatrists who are working in hospitals right now who can’t be home to help their children with home schooling,” says Castillo-Garsow. “And we have a lot of math education students here at Eastern who need some practical experience spending time with students.”

The student teachers have received high praise from employees at St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Institute, who say they are thankful they’ve had the extra help during this challenging time.

“Teaching my son has been so hard; math is the only thing that is going well,” wrote

Services, Extended EWU announces protracted perks for students who missed out.

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hen Madison Flint, a senior English major at EWU, sat down to fill out the Winter 2021 Student Satisfaction Survey, it occurred to her that Eastern’s anticipated post-pandemic reopening would likely not come soon enough for her to benefit. “I wish that students who have been enrolled at EWU for the past year could continue to use the university services we have paid for — at least for a year after we graduate,”

Flint wrote. Eastern administrators not only heard Flint’s suggestion, they acted on it. EWU students enrolled during pandemic-affected quarters —and not enrolled during terms in the 2021-2022 academic year —will be allowed to continue to access to the University Recreation Center, athletic events and musical and theatrical performances through the end of the Spring 2022 term. In addition, the university will also extend these students’

one parent. “His tutor explains things in an understandable way and works so well with him. I don’t understand math. I wouldn’t have known what to do.”

Earlier this fall, Castillo-Garsow also got additional campus groups involved, such as the Women in Science at EWU (WiSE) club.

He hopes to continue matching kids with math tutors as long as it’s helpful to those who need them. “It really is a perfect opportunity for us to help out and provide support for the community in this time,” he says.

access and borrowing privileges at university libraries, as well as special student pricing for equipment rentals through EPIC. Flint is scheduled to graduate this spring.

She says she was pleased to learn that university officials not only read her comment, but were implementing her suggestion. She plans to take advantage of the services after she graduates.

“I’m especially excited about the proposed access to the library for post-graduates, since I have some topics I would like to continue studying and the EWU databases allow access to a lot of research material,” Flint says. “I have unfortunately not been able to visit the URC since I started attending EWU in January 2020, but once I get my vaccine I would like to try out the climbing wall and the other equipment there.”

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Professor, Mentor, Friend For more than 50 years, Bill Youngs has put students first.

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We were both first-generation college students who, walking into Eastern’s doors, didn’t know what it meant to do research. We both benefitted from faculty members like Bill, who provided mentoring.

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uring his more than 50 years at EWU, Bill Youngs, author, mentor and professor of history, has used his uniquely successful brand of teaching and scholarship to positively influence the intellectual and personal growth of hundreds of Eastern students.

Along the way he has also struck up dozens of lifelong connections with his former undergraduates, including some who never set foot in his classroom.

Count among them Mike Clawson ’07 and Alicia Kinne-Clawson ’07, a couple who met at Eastern and later married.

They first encountered Youngs while serving in student government. Youngs, who at the time was president of Eastern’s Faculty Council, became an instant ally.

“There had been some student leaders before us who didn’t work all that well with the faculty organization,” Kinne-Clawson recalls.

“One of his goals was to really build that relationship with the students.”

She recalls Youngs hosting joint faculty-student governance retreats; scheduling meetings with university leadership; encouraging student representatives to articulate their own ideas about moving the university forward. He did all this with a contagious enthusiasm that the couple never forgot.

“You can’t spend much time with Bill without hearing about all the different stuff he’s doing. He’s just genuinely excited,” says Mike Clawson. “He really cares about students in the classroom, but it doesn’t stop at the end of class. You hear about the stuff he does for the community and outside of history; I don’t know that we encountered anyone at Eastern who is more committed to general student success, and helping in any way, than Bill is.”

After later earning master’s and doctoral degrees at the University of Washington, Clawson and Kinne-Clawson today work in careers they love — Clawson designing wildlife research studies and Kinne-Clawson drafting higher education laws for the state of Washington. But they’ve continued to stay in touch with Youngs.

When the couple recently began exploring ways to give

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back to the EWU, they knew right away they wanted to honor Bill’s legacy. “And we wanted to do it while he was still around Cheney and still engaged with the university,” says Clawson.

Thus was born the Bill Youngs Endowment, a fund that will help students cover expenses related to research, publishing and tuition. It’s a way, Clawson and KinneClawson say, to support students who are as excited about learning as they were at Eastern.

“We were both first-generation college students who, walking into Eastern’s doors, didn’t know what it meant to do research. We both benefitted from faculty members like Bill who provided mentoring,” says Kinne-Clawson. “A lot of students do research at the cost of not having a paying job. We hope this award makes it possible for a student who might be making that trade-off… to pursue an intellectual opportunity.”

For his part, Youngs says he was honored and spurred to action by the establishment of his namesake endowment.

“They had recently had twins,” Youngs says of Clawson and Kinne-Clawson. “And it hit me: If this young couple can dig deep to contribute to the university, so should I. I did then, and am giving now, and will keep giving during the years ahead.”

Reorganization Takes Shape EWU’s provost announces a new look for Eastern academics.

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ust over a year ago, senior university administrators and the Board of Trustees approved a blueprint for reducing the number of EWU colleges from seven to four as part of a cost-saving reorganization of colleges and academic departments at the university.

In January, Brian Levin-Stankevich, provost and vice president for academic affairs, announced the names of the four new colleges and the leadership of each of the newly reorganized units.

They are: The College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, which will

continue to be led by David Bowman, a professor of geology.

The College of Professional Studies will be led by Jonathan Anderson, a professor of psychology who is currently dean of social sciences and the acting dean of the College of Business.

The College of Health Science and Public Health, which will continue under the leadership Donna Mann, an associate professor and interim dean, who is continuing her interim appointment.

The College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences will include programs from the current College of Arts, Letters

and Education, College of Social Sciences and the University College. As of press time, the university had yet to name a dean for the college.

In a statement, Provost Levin-Stankevich said discussions related to the status of academic programs and departments within the new college structure are ongoing.

“I want to thank all of our deans, associate deans, their offices and department chairs for the dedication to fulfilling their responsibilities, both ongoing and interim, during this transitional period,” LevinStankevich says. “These are all challenging roles within the university.”

Bench Player Eastern music majors take to the airwaves on KPBX’s ‘Piano Bench.’

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EWU student pianist Christian Skok performs at KPBX in Spokane. Photo courtesy of KPBX.

ne of the most popular daytime programs on KPBX, the Spokane affiliate of National Public Radio, is Jim Tevenan’s Piano Bench, a show dedicated to revealing the instrument’s “great beauty and scope” via a mix of live performances and recordings. Eastern student players are frequently among the guests featured on the program. During an appropriately masked, live studio appearance on Feb. 9, several Eastern students — not all of them pianists — teamed up with EWU music faculty members Jody Graves, professor of piano studies, and John Marshall, a professor of strings and cello studies, to show how Eagle musicians have not missed a beat during the long months of socially-distanced music making. Stream their stellar performances by visiting: spokanepublicradio.org

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Spring Contenders An ‘odd’ but successful spring season comes to an end in Fargo.

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fter an unprecedented spring season and an impressive 5-1 record, EWU football found itself in a familiar place on April 24 — back in the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoff. Their first-

round opponent in the 16-team bracket was also well-known to Eagles players and fans — FCS national powerhouse North Dakota State University.

Unlike in previous years, the NDSU Bison seemed ripe for an

upset, having lost two games during the spring campaign and failing, for the first time in a decade, to win at least a share of the Missouri Valley Conference title. But it was not to be. Playing on the road in the 19,000-seat FargoDome, a venue notoriously difficult for visiting teams, the Eagles struggled to contain the Bison running game and fell 42-20.

It was a dispiriting end to an otherwise exemplary short season, one that saw standout

performances from several players.

Chief among them was Walter Payton Award finalist and the Big Sky Conference Offensive MVP Eric Barriere, who finished the season with 2,579 yards of total offense and 19 passing touchdowns. In Fargo, Barriere completed 17 of 28 passes for 246 yards, a touchdown and interception. He has not yet announced whether he intends to return to Eastern as a sixth-year senior in the fall.

After the game, coach Aaron Best

told reporters his team has earned a breather, but will be ready when FCS football returns to something approaching normal this fall. “ We need some time off physically and mentally,” Best said.

“This has been such an abnormal season in a lot of different ways — in a lot of good ways but a lot of weird, odd and challenging ways, too.”

The Eagles will open the fall season on Thursday, Sept. 2 against UNLV at Allegiant Stadium, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

A Familiar Eagle Takes the Helm David Riley spent almost a decade as an EWU assistant.

Now it’s his turn to lead.

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avid Riley ’13, a longtime EWU assistant, on March 25 was named to succeed his former boss, Shantay Legans, as the new head coach of the Eagles men’s basketball team. The upcoming 2021-22 season will be Riley’s 11th in Eastern’s program, and his eighth as a coach.

“My former coaches a n d b o s s e s, S h a n t a y Legans, Jim Hayford, a n d Cra i g Fo r t i e r have taught me so much, along with all the other assistants who have helped me throughout my time here,” says Riley. “I’m so grateful to Dr. [David] May and Lynn Hickey for giving me this opportunity to build upon the success our program has had.”

He will have big shoes to fill. In Big Sky Conference games under Legans, Eastern’s 53 victories represented the Eagles’ best stretch of success in its 34 seasons in the league. Eastern has won at least 10 conference games in eight-straight seasons, something that has only happened six times before.

Legans has no doubt his former associate head coach will keep the momentum going.

“It makes me feel good that Dave is going to take over,” says Legans. “He’ll do a great job.”

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HARD WORK, REWARDED BY LEILAH LANGLEY PHOTOS BY CHRIS THOMPSON

A foundation’s benevolence means Jessica Scognamiglio, and dozens of other Hard-Working Eagle students, face a less burdensome path to graduation.

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or decades, students have come to Eastern Washington University because it offers a uniquely attractive combination of access and affordability. But for many who matriculate at EWU, particularly first-generation and nontraditional students, staying in school is a quarter-by-quarter proposition, and the path to graduation is fraught with pitfalls.

Financial obstacles are among the most typical. Though Eastern consistently ranks as among the most economical universities in Washington, a sizable portion of EWU students must earn wages to stay in school.

Most labor in part-time jobs, but many attend Eastern while working full-time, sometimes in more than one job. Why do they do it? Because overcoming such obstacles means securing a better future

for themselves and their families.

For one pair of Eastern donors, these hard-working Eagles deserve a break.

Late last year the Krumble Foundation, a Spokane charitable organization founded

by Burke and Muriel Blevins, pledged $1.35 million in scholarship support to ensure that more Eastern students are able to persist in their studies.

The gift’s largest allocation will support the Soaring Eagle Scholarship, a new fund aimed at assisting financially challenged students who demonstrate the grit and perseverance to “take flight” at EWU. As part of the program, as many as 45 juniors and seniors will each be awarded $6,000 every academic year.

Jessica Scognamiglio is one of the first beneficiaries. Currently an EWU junior majoring in dental hygiene, she has been working since she was in high school.

Jessica Scognamiglio, on the job at Spokane's Milk Bottle.

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How the Krumble Foundation’s Gift Provides Direct Aid to Students SOARING EAGLE SCHOLARSHIP

$6,000

FIRST AWARDED 2020-21

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Because her family isn’t able to contribute to her college expenses, Scognamiglio is on her own when it comes to tuition and fees each quarter — as well as the rest of her modest living costs.

“I saved up quite a bit of money in high school from my job, and was able to pay for my first-year tuition with that savings,” she says. “Most of my funding for everything else was through me working, and I got a few scholarships and grants throughout the first couple of years.”

Before becoming a Soaring Eagle recipient, it was an EWU Grant — funding awarded to new students who are Washington state residents and demonstrate financial need — that got Scognamiglio in the door at Eastern.

To save on tuition costs, she had originally planned to attend Spokane Falls Community College. But the grant, she says, pretty much erased the price difference between SFCC and Eastern. Excited to start at a four-year

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university, and eager to purse a career that would allow her to help people in a personto-person way, she enrolled at EWU in 2017.

“I was kind of in between nursing and dental hygiene, but I really enjoy the amount of time you get with the patient as a hygienist,” says Scognamiglio, a self-confessed people person. “You have a patient who comes in usually every six months and you get a whole hour with them. I thought that was awesome, to be able to connect like that.”

The Spokane native has never had a job where she wasn’t connecting with people.

Scognamiglio got her first paid gig at age 16, working as an associate at a clothing store in Northtown Mall. Her hard work impressed her supervisors, and the day Scognamiglio turned 18 she was promoted to assistant manager.

When she started classes at Eastern in the fall of her freshman year, Scognamiglio was working nearly full time. She says she quickly learned it was too much to juggle 40-hour

AWARDS TO DATE

KRUMBLE FOUNDATION MICRO-GRANT

$200-$3,600

FIRST AWARDED 2020

14

AWARDS TO DATE

KRUMBLE FOUNDATION INTERNSHIP STIPEND PROGRAM

$3,000

FIRST AWARDED 2020

9

AWARDS TO DATE

workweeks with college courses.

“It was a big awakening. I realized I couldn’t do that anymore,” she remembers. “So, I went on to work as an associate at a different clothing store, then as a hostess at Downriver Grill — that was really fun —and I currently work at the Milk Bottle as a server. It’s the most fun job ever.”

A Spokane icon, tucked neatly away in the artsy Garland District, the Milk Bottle has become an integral part of Scognamiglio’s story. Her dedication — always showing up for shifts and working extra hours when needed — has earned her the respect of coworkers and bosses.

Scognamiglio says she’s been lucky: She was able to coordinate with her manager to make sure

her schedule not only benefited the diner, but also her education.

But still, as has been the case for so many students currently employed in the restaurant and hospitality industry, she says Covid-19 upended her already precariously balanced means of making ends meet. The pandemic lock-down, for instance, forced the Milk Bottle to close its doors for months.

At first, she thought of the closure as little more than a temporary setback. But as the weeks dragged on, and various stages of reopening came and went, Scognamiglio realized she would only be able to work, at most, one or two days a week.

“Right around the time [the pandemic] hit, I found out that

Even with the money she earned over the summer, Scognamiglio admits she had no idea how she was going to pay for tuition in the fall.

I got into the dental hygiene program. My goal was to work full time during the summer and save up as much money as I could,” she says. “So, that was very stressful. Thankfully, I was able to work a little bit throughout the summer, and I did save some money.”

But even with the money she earned over the summer, Scognamiglio admits she had no idea how she was going to pay for tuition in the fall. And the dental hygiene program, like many professional programs, comes with additional student fees. Hygienists in training are required, for example, to purchase specialized gear like loupes — magnifying instruments that can run as much as $2,000.

But on a warm summer day last year — Scognamiglio recalls she was working a shift at the Milk Bottle when it happened — she received email notice that she was a Soaring Eagle recipient. “I was overjoyed!” she says.

The financial award covers most of Scognamiglio’s tuition for the year, leaving her to cover only fees, supplies, books and living expenses. She says she will likely resort to student loans to cover some of these costs, but that debt burden will be much smaller thanks to the generosity of her scholarship.

Scognamiglio is exactly the type of student the Krumble Foundation wants to help succeed. And she is proud that her determination caught their eye and earned for her one of the scholarships.

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“

Without scholarships,” she adds simply, “I would not be in college.

“I feel like I’ve demonstrated grit through my hard work in the dental hygiene program and my being able to hold a job while going to school,” she says. “A lot of my friends decided not to work and to take out more loans, just so that school is a little bit easier for them.”

The multi-tiered gift from the Krumble Foundation is not only helping undergraduates like Scognamiglio avoid potentially burdensome debt, it is also providing funds

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”

aimed at improving retention rates and encouraging job-creating internships.

Especially during the Covid-19 crisis, many EWU students have faced enrollmentthreatening financial struggles related to unemployment and housing changes. Such pandemic-related problems don't just hurt in the short term; they can also create issues down the road. Any student who owes more than $1,000 or more in unpaid tuition and

fees, for example, cannot register for the next quarter.

To help, the Krumble Foundation stepped up to provide “micro-grants,” small-dollar supplements to students who are in good academic standing and likely to graduate.

As long-time local business owners, the Blevins also know the importance of internships. Often, however, internship opportunities come with their own financial burdens. Interns typically have to pay for housing in a new city, and they must often forego, at least temporarily, wages they would have earned at their current place of employment. (As is the norm these days, most interns will not be paid for their contributions.)

Cash considerations shouldn’t derail opportunities for interns, the Blevins say. So, in addition to the scholarships and grants, the foundation is also backing a program that allows Eagles interning at nonprofit or governmental agencies to apply for a one-time stipend of up to $3,000.

Such programs underscore the passion the Blevins’ feel for helping striving students get the push they need to succeed. Theirs is a philanthropic vision that resonates beyond the university campus, benefiting the entire community by ensuring that a greater number of well-trained and ambitious employees will be available in the regional workforce.

The Blevins also hope they can inspire additional alumni, parents and friends of EWU to consider a gift to help support additional students like Scognamiglio who personify the grit and perseverance so common among Eastern Eagles.

“The scholarship money,” Scognamiglio says, “goes so much further than just giving me money to go to school. I’m thankful that the donors of this scholarship care about me and want me to succeed.”

“Without scholarships,” she adds simply, “I would not be in college.”

Eagle On:

The Krumble Foundation:

Soaring to Completion

To provide hard-working Eagles the backing they need to keep flying, EWU has developed a signature student support plan called Eagle On. Direct aid to students will help them maneuver around the barriers that often block the path to degree completion. Gifts from dedicated alumni and supporters will help build Eagle Retention Grants, the Soaring Eagle Scholarship fund and provide more opportunities for students to gain valuable experiential learning through research and internships.

Making a Difference in the Lives of Students

“

The scholarships I received made coming to EWU possible. Without them I probably would not be finishing up my last year right now. More than anything, these scholarships have significantly reduced the financial strain on me and my family.

Visit ewu.edu/EagleOn to learn more.

The Foundation

Thanks You for Joining Them

Over the past year, the Krumble Foundation challenged alumni and friends of Eastern to give to the Eagle Strong Scholarship Campaign.

more than 450

alumni and friends gave

$ 250,000 + … which was matched by the foundation. You can still do your part to help: Visit ewu.edu/EagleStrong to pledge your support.

“

”

Elsa Chávez, a first-generation college student, earned a Soaring Eagle Scholarship. She is a senior working toward a double major in political science and Spanish, with a minor in Chicana/o/x studies.

Scholarships have helped me remain focused on my studies and not on the finances of my education. Thank you for your confidence in me! I’ll work hard to achieve my academic goals, and I will make you proud.

”

Lorren Morgan, a senior in the EWU Biology Department’s Pre-Medical/Pre-Dental Program, is another Soaring Eagle Scholarship recipient. After graduation, he plans to go on to medical school and become an ophthalmologist.

EWU Donors Rise to the Challenge Last spring’s Krumble Foundation challenge asked donors to give to Eastern’s Eagle Strong Scholarship Campaign, an effort aimed at assisting students who were struggling with pandemic-related financial and personal challenges.

If donors pledged up to $250,000 to Eagle Strong Scholarships, foundation officials said, Krumble would double the impact by providing $250,000 to its own scholarship fund, the Soaring Eagle Scholarship.

Eagle Nation stepped up in a big way, meeting the goal more than three months before the deadline. The result was $500,000 in additional funding for deserving Eastern students.

“We are truly humbled to see how many Eastern supporters share our passion for helping students who show the hard work and dedication it takes to earn a degree,” say Krumble Foundation founders Burke and Muriel Blevins.

“Because you joined our challenge, even more students will have the funding they need to stay in school, the encouragement they need to stay inspired, and the real-world experiences necessary to be successful in the future.”

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I

t’s March 10, 2021. David May is sitting in the president’s office, his office, on the second floor of Showalter Hall. It’s been exactly 365 days since then-Provost May made what would be one of the most consequential recommendations of his professional life. We must take “immediate action” against this frighteningly contagious new virus, he told fellow administrators: Move finals up, extend spring break and start planning like crazy for an uncertain future.

As he recalls the moment, May holds up of these hurdles involved implementing an that week’s issue of The Easterner, EWU’s early, and at the time controversial, decision student newspaper. Its cover is dominated by a to move nearly all instruction, and most other giant rendering of the coronavirus “spike ball.” operations, to the virtual realm.

Inside, the copy reflects the bewilderment and There were also tough calls involving anxiety of a student body that had yet to fully twists and turns in campus governance, as absorb the extent of the crisis. circumstances unrelated to the pandemic led Across the nation, higher education to Cullinan’s departure from the university’s leaders were themselves struggling. Just how leadership team. In this, too, May was ready serious is this thing? Can we conduct classes to step up. On August 4 he was selected by safely? If not, then what? For David May, the Eastern’s Board of Trustees to serve as EWU’s choice was clear: Student safety first. We act interim president for a period of no less than now, and then figure out the rest. His boss, two years.

President Mary Cullinan, agreed.

“David May’s vision and leadership during “Boy, did we get beat up,” May says. “But this historical stretch gives the board the it was the right thing to do.” utmost confidence he will keep the university May’s decision last spring was just the on the path to success,” Vicki Wilson, the first of many improbable challenges he — board’s chair, said at the time. and faculty and administrators across the For his part, May says he was “eager and university — would be forced to confront over excited” to lead, though he admits now it was a year like no other. Among the more difficult all something of a whirlwind. Especially for SPRING/SUMMER 2021

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someone who, until recently, had never really imagined himself as an administrator, much less a university president.

For an ‘Introverted’ Scholar, a Rapid Rise “I was really happy in faculty,” May says.

As a political scientist who relishes teaching subjects such as philosophy of law and the finer points of Constitutional interpretation, May had been perfectly contented as a professor for most of his 20-year career at Eastern. A selfdescribed introvert — “I’m very introverted on any scale that exists in the world” — he taught his classes, mentored his students and counted

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himself fortunate to see how he was making a difference in their lives.

“The privilege of being in the classroom is that you see that transformation. It’s so much fun when you’re in that moment and the students are fully engaged. It’s just magical to watch.”

But as we’ve all learned over the last year, even the most stable-seeming situations can change quickly. For May, change meant recognizing that what was best for Eastern and its students was his acceptance of a series of administrative posts, each with more responsibility, as Eastern reeled from turnover in top positions. In a whirlwind 11-month

stretch starting in March 2020, May served as vice provost for academic affairs, interim provost and then provost — this before being named interim president. When the Board of Trustees asked if he would step up to the president’s position, May says he was honored but somewhat ambivalent.

“I had never seen myself as a provost: not that I didn’t think myself capable of doing it, but it wasn’t my career objective,” May says. “So when Dr. Cullinan resigned and the board asked me to serve as the interim president, there were a lot of conversations with my wife and family.

It was obviously going to be a big change, not just for me but for my wife especially, her being

part of the public life of the university.”

May and his wife, Monica, a primary care p hys i c i a n , h av e b e e n m a rr i e d f o r 2 6 y e a r s.

Their daughter, Emily, is an undergraduate at Western Washington University in Bellingham. (“Currently going to Western in my dining room,” May joked to the InsideEWU digital newsletter earlier this year.)

After a lot of soul searching and discussion, May says, he and his family got to “yes.”

“It wasn’t something that I was aiming for in my life,” May says of becoming Eastern’s interim president. “It is something that I feel very proud and privileged to be able to do, but I’m doing it because — as I have for the past 22 years — I want to be of service to the university and, more particularly, to its students.”

Once situated in his new Showalter digs, Eastern’s new leader quickly came to realize the full scale and scope of what he had taken on: enough challenges and potential land mines to make even the most seasoned

administrator want to head for the hills.

Funny thing, heading to the hills is exactly what May loves to do. He enjoys year-around outdoor activities like biking, hiking or backcountry skiing. It’s where an introvert can really find his groove. But like many of us, finding the groove didn’t come easy.

A Winding Road to Academe “Very late” is how May describes his non-traditional route to college. The son of a college professor, he didn’t follow his father’s footsteps so much as chart a meandering path back to the paternal trade.

“I grew up farming and ranching and sort of transitioned into construction work. I went to Whitman College because it was in Walla Walla, and my dad was teaching there. But I was not prepared to do it,” he says.

May recalls going to class exhausted — or just skipping it altogether — after a day of pouring concrete. He once woke up to his father sitting at the edge of his fraternity house bed, staring him down, after another professor had told him that his son had not been in class for a week.

Once situated in his new Showalter digs, Eastern’s new leader quickly came to realize the full scale and scope of what he had taken on…

“I think that made it clear that I couldn’t keep doing things exactly the way I had done them,” May says with a smile.

Doing things differently meant transferring to WSU in Pullman, but he spent more time in Walla Walla courting his future wife, Monica. So it was back to Whitman to get that bachelor’s degree in political science. Marriage followed. So did master’s and doctoral degrees at WSU. After landing a faculty-inresidence position in Eastern’s Department of Government and International Affairs, May’s young family welcomed daughter Emily, and he settled in for a nice, steady career at EWU. Ironically, this proud professor almost didn’t make the move into administration.

When he first had an inkling he’d be offered a position, his first thought was “no way, it’s not worth it.” But after a conversation with then-Provost Scott Gordon, and some reflection, May decided to give it a go. And his

commitment to Eastern made it even easier to say yes when asked to take over the presidency on an interim role.

“People wonder why I did it,” says May. He knew the university couldn’t really pull off a search in the middle of a pandemic, so he thought it would be in the best interest of campus to hold down the fort. “People know me, and there’s at least that level of trust. I hope that people can believe the decisions I’m making are not in my best interest, they’re in the best interest of Eastern.”

Those who worked alongside him agree.

“I would argue that no one knows Eastern as well as he does and his loyalty is, and always has been, to constantly improving the university,” says longtime colleague, Kevin Pirch, a professor of political science.

“Perhaps more important than [his] experience, Dave has the character, intellect, patience, and creativity to lead at every level,” adds Jim Headley, professor and political science department chair. “His considered even-keel approach to everything is particularly helpful in these trying times.”

Oh yes, about those trying times.

Calm in a Crisis Even before the virus shifted everything into crisis mode, higher education nationwide was already facing many challenges, and May began his tenure in the middle of the storm.

Declining enrollments; looming state budget cuts; the loss of campus revenue-generating services; a sudden administrative overhaul; layoffs and furloughs; a deep-dive review of academic programs that would lead to resized and reduced offerings; and a contentious review of athletics. And all of this magnified by the devastating economic and mental health issues created by the pandemic, a crisis that pushed much of the campus community into a mostly uncharted virtual world of teaching, learning, meetings and events.

So what does an interim president do in the

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middle of six major crises, any one of which might exasperate even the most experienced administrator? Fortunately, those days of farm work and pouring concrete left May with some pertinent life lessons.

“I go back to where I started with farming and ranching, construction work. You get up in the morning, you put on your pants and you do what you can,” May says. “Maybe you start cutting that huge field of wheat with your combine, and you think it'll never get done. And then you remember two things: It doesn’t have to get done today, and there are three other combines helping you.”

But May isn’t dwelling on all the storms swirling around him. Instead, he knows the university must remain focused on the best way to serve students in the future – a road Eastern was already traveling down before Covid-19. That future includes ‘right-sizing’ the university and the Academic Program energy building — is now the centerpiece of Review is an essential component. The some of EWU’s high-demand offerings such review, which includes stakeholders from as computer science, design and electrical across campus, is designed to evaluate all engineering. “Because in that reshaping, academic offerings to ensure that they align with student demand and the regional need resizing, refocusing, we can move toward for graduates, while also addressing budget things like the programs in Catalyst. Catalyst is shortfalls. what the new university looks like,” May says.

The bottom line, May points out, The new university also looks like the is that Eastern can’t simply resort to Interdisciplinary Science Center (ISC), business as usual. “We will continue another key addition to the rejuvenated to teach art, we will continue to teach Cheney campus. Both point to brighter days music, we will continue to teach ahead, he adds. philosophy, we will continue to But the university is not out of the woods teach political science, but we yet. May believes the remaining barriers have to rethink how those things to better times, chief among them issues fit into the overall education of involving enrollment, can only be overcome the student.” with redoubled efforts toward greater May says this rethinking, inclusivity. while challenging, also Such efforts, he argues, must center on presents an opportunity to resolving “access issues” that stand in the evolve. For instance, the way of educational opportunities for our Catalyst in downtown state’s and region’s lower-income families — Spokane — a state-ofparticularly lower-income families of color. the-art, smart, zero This is why, among other initiatives, Eastern

Because in that reshaping, resizing, refocusing, we can move toward things like the programs in the Catalyst. Catalyst is what the new university looks like.

”

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is working toward earning a Hispanic Serving Institution designation – a step that will not only help attract and retain Latino students, but also provide federal resources to help students from all walks of life.

Extended To-Do List But there’s work to do. Despite a slight recent increase in the number of Washington’s high school graduates, the state’s number of potential enrollees out of high school will start to head downward. This means more competition for fewer students, a recruiting challenge that doesn’t appear to be easing.

At Eastern, enrollment and retention issues have been especially concerning in recent years, a trend exacerbated by the pandemic.

This year’s calculation of what administrators call the “average annualized headcount” — a

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A reduction in the budget of a place like Eastern — because of our student demographic; because of who we serve — disproportionately measure of turnover in enrollment — has shown a roughly 14 percent decline. impacts minority Lower enrollment stresses the budget in a normal year. But in 2020, of course, students, low-income the early impacts of the pandemic rocked state revenues, resulting students, first-generation in an appropriations hit for all of students, exactly the higher education in Washington, including Eastern. State-projected people that, at this reductions of 15 percent meant Eastern had to cut $10 million moment in time, we from its bottom line over the summer — part of a projected need to be lifting up. $22 million in pandemicrelated losses that the university was forced to absorb during the previous and current fiscal years.

”

“A reduction in the budget of a place like Eastern — because of our student demographic; because of who we serve — disproportionately impacts minority students, low-income students, first-generation students, exactly the people that, at this moment in time, we need to be lifting up,” May says.

Fiscal hurdles are not limited to enrollment concerns. Perhaps the most highly fraught issue on May’s plate involves an oftenpassionate debate concerning the future of Eastern athletics.

As Eastern’s athletic programs have struggled with their own budget deficits, some faculty members have wondered aloud whether Eastern’s NCAA Division I status is sustainable in its current form. Others have questioned whether intercollegiate sports should be dropped entirely.

In late February, a consultant’s report commissioned by the university outlined multiple options for May to consider before offering a recommendation to the Board of Trustees. A period of public comment followed, and May has since been actively seeking input from a broad range of concerned individuals and groups.

As of press time, he had yet to make public where he stands. He acknowledged, however, that nothing he can recommend is likely to please everyone.

“Absolutely, we will come to a decision about athletics,” May says. “And it will be a decision that not everyone will be happy with, because there is no answer that will make everyone happy.”

A New, and Better, Normal Acknowledging that this and other decisions will almost certainly disappoint, even anger, many of those whom he would very much like to win over, is, his colleagues say, key to May’s appeal. Even in disagreement, he wants to engage, to convince, to take seriously the alternative point of view.

This is evident even on Zoom. May is frank but never condescending, authoritative but not intimidating. He often leans slightly into an exchange, a posture that conveys an earnestness rare among wizened administrators.

It’s a demeanor that seems right for this moment, these challenges. His old politicalscience peers agree. “I really couldn’t imagine a better person to lead Eastern through this environment, he’s thoughtful, creative and respected,” says Pirch.

“He has a great leadership quality of listening to a variety of different perspectives and then making a decision, but once he makes that decision, everyone knows why he did it and what his justifications were.”

Just as important, adds Headley, will be May’s sturdy hand at the helm. “We haven’t seen storms like this before, and Dave’s steady demeanor is helping us navigate the storms and get us through to a better place.”

May says he can’t wait for Eastern to be in a better place. He wants to walk the grounds and visit with students, say “Hi” again to staff and faculty, and make the rounds with enthusiastic alumni. Most of all he wants to feel that electric, youthful vibe that grips the Cheney campus each fall and spring.

So does this mean he also wants that interim tag removed?

“I do not,” May says emphatically. “I do not want to assume the presidency by default.”

If he is to be Eastern’s long-term leader, in other words, May believes he must earn it. He thus welcomes a national search for a new president. “I believe I have a vision for Eastern; I believe it's a vision that is shared by a large number of people on this campus, but I don't know if I'm the best person, and I think that the only way to know that is to go through this process.”

In late April, just as Eastern magazine was going to press, the EWU Board of Trustees voted to begin that process, announcing the

formation of a Presidential Search Advisory Committee to head the hunt. As part of this effort, the board also announced it would hire a consultant to conduct a nationwide search for qualified candidates.

“One of the most important responsibilities of the Board of Trustees is to select the university’s president,” says chair Vicki Wilson.

“We encourage the campus community to fully engage in this process.”

May says he has not yet decided whether he will declare himself a candidate for the permanent position. When pressed on the question, he adopts a mock-stern scowl, stares into the Zoom camera and says nothing.

Eventually, he laughs and says, “I've learned how to not react by years of serving in the Faculty Senate. But the honest answer to your question is that it’s a conversation that my wife and I are having, along with our daughter."

In the meantime, May adds, his singular focus remains on the task at hand — or, rather, the tangle of tasks at hand.

And there is good news on that front.

Like the wider world, the university is finally inching closer to a return to pre-pandemic normalcy. More campus buildings will reopen in July, and plans are taking shape for a return to in-person instruction this fall. New federal relief appropriations — albeit in the form of one-time funding — are meanwhile helping EWU to extend its support for students facing their own financial challenges, while improving state revenues are providing hope that Olympia will do its part to sustain and expand our state’s investment in public universities like Eastern.

In short, better times appear to be on the horizon.

“We’ll get there, but the better we can do today, the sooner we’ll get there,” May says. “We also have to continue to give each other as much grace as possible. We’re all in a pressure cooker together.”

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THIS SPRING, EAGLE NATION COURSE — TO HONOR THE OF FIVE AWESOME ALUMNI.

GATHERED — VIRTUALLY, OF REMARKABLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT RICK ROMERO ’78, ’93, a former associated vice president of business services at EWU and director of strategic planning for the city of Spokane, was the EWU Alumni Association’s 2020 Lifetime Achievement honoree. During his tenure with the city, Romero, who retired in 2019, was credited for his “innovative, transformational” leadership, including his development of Spokane’s Integrated Clean Water Plan, a visionary approach to storm and wastewater management. Throughout his 28 years at Eastern, Romero was a passionate advocate for students, playing a leading role in advancing projects, such as the construction of the new University Recreation Center, that greatly improved the quality and desirability of campus life. Perhaps most consequentially, Romero’s leadership helped Eastern develop new enrollment and retention strategies that helped the university assert its continued viability at a time when some state and local leaders were floating the idea of a merger with Washington State University.

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ALUM OF SERVICE SCOTT GLABB ’85, is an educator, mentor, wrestling coach and author. His long service in the Santa Ana (California) Unified School District has demonstrated his “110 percent commitment to changing lives and making a difference” for his most vulnerable pupils. Glabb, a former varsity wrestler at EWU, joined Santa Ana High School as the head wrestling coach and an English teacher in 1990. From the beginning, he recognized that, both on the mat and in the classroom, many of his students faced daunting obstacles to academic and personal success: poverty, homelessness, unplanned pregnancy, lack of documentation and mental-health challenges. An early proponent for girls wrestling, Glabb was among the first coaches in Southern California to start a girlsonly wrestling program. His 2010 book, A Saint in the City: True Stories of Champions Living in the Barrio, chronicles inspiring stories of achievement among his students. It is now in its second edition.

“ ” ”

I cannot think of another citizen who demonstrates the mission, vision and values of EWU every day better than Rick Romero… He has made a profound and significant contribution to the economic and social vitality of not only our region but to every person he has worked with along the way.

— Stephanie Curran CEO, Spokane Public Facilities District

With unwavering courage, personal sacrifice and determination, Scott can reach seemingly unreachable kids. Using wrestling as his vehicle for change, he provides tough love to teach these kids that they not only matter, they can also find their place in the world and achieve their dreams.

— Frank Jasper, actor. Jasper's credits include the role of wrestler Brian Shute in the 1985 film Vision Quest.

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INSPIRATIONAL YOUNG ALUM AUDRA STILLIONS ’13, ’16, a marriage and family readjustment counselor for the Spokane Vet Center, has been described as a “shining star” for veterans, their families and the entire community of former service members. Though she has served at the Vet Center for less than five years, this year’s Inspirational Young Alum winner has had an enormous impact.

In addition to assisting combat veterans, military sexual trauma survivors, and veteran family members through her often dauntingly hefty counseling caseload, Stillions has built a robust counseling internship program, worked with federal and state agencies to expand marriage and family counseling options, and helped bring both equine therapy and Native American spiritual sweat therapeutics to veterans in need. In addition, outside of work, Stillions volunteers her time and expertise to organizations that train service animals. Stillions efforts were recognized by former secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Robert Wilkie, who in 2018 awarded her an outstanding employee citation and a coveted VA challenge coin.

“

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Her influence and reach has extended beyond the Spokane area and across state lines to include 34 counties in four states.

— Eliseo Dumlao U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

EXCEPTIONAL MILITARY SERVICE SCOTT WEST ’76 a former standout EWU ROTC cadet and varsity wrestler who rose to the rank of major general in the U.S. Army, is the 2020 honoree for Exceptional Military Service. West, who retired in 2010 after more than 30 years of service, held key leadership positions throughout his career. Among the most notable of these included terms as 48th Quartermaster General of the Army and Commanding General of the 21st Theater Support Command, the Army’s lead organization for “operational sustainment” in Europe. An expert logistician, West received numerous awards and citations for managing materials and leading soldiers in what is often called the “most critical field in the military.” Among his honors are the Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit and a Bronze Star. West has also distinguished himself in humanitarian causes closer to home, including his leadership in providing desperately needed disaster relief to Central American families devastated by the destruction of Hurricane Mitch in 1998.

“”

Not only is Major General West’s military career noteworthy, but his time at Eastern and in ROTC assisted all of us who continued in the program our junior and senior year.

[His] leadership, integrity, responsibility and duty made us better officers being prepared for active duty.

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— Albert J. Watson, Colonel (Ret.) United States Army Reserve

EAGLE4LIFE SPIRIT During the workweek, RANDY CASTO ’91 , the 2020 Eagle4Life Spirit award winner, serves as a private banking relationship manager with Washington Trust Bank in Spokane. But on football gamedays — both at home in Cheney and at most Big Sky Conference venues — Casto is celebrated for an entirely different form of labor: operator of the Game Day Bus. That vehicle, an 80s era school bus rebranded in Eagle red and white, has over the years become a fixture for fans. “It’s now an Eagle institution,” Casto told The Spokesman-Review a few years back. “People have so many great memories of it over the years.”

“”

Randy’s Game Day Bus can be found at every EWU football game within a 500-mile radius. His open invitation to fans and foes alike is reflective of the wonderful EWU spirit that we as alumni should all strive to follow.

— Callen Young Washington Trust Bank SPRING/SUMMER 2021

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INFECTIOUS WINNING L

ast March, after EWU’s men’s basketball team won the Big Sky Conference regular season title, it seemed only a matter of time until the Eagles punched their ticket to their third NCAA Tournament berth. Then came the coronavirus, the Big Sky and NCAA tournament cancellations and a new reality for us all: social distancing, masks, lock-downs, sadness.

But out of the Covid-19 chaos, the Eagles emerged with renewed resiliency in 2020-21, creating moments and memories that will last a lifetime. “Flying out of there going to the NCAA tournament for the first time in my head coaching career — but for the third time in Eastern

A BIG SKY TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP, AND A THIRD MARCH MADNESS APPEARANCE, CAP A COVID-PLAGUED SEASON TO REMEMBER.

history — it was an amazing feeling,” head coach Shantay Legans said in an interview shortly before he announced his departure for the University of Portland.

The Covid-year campaign began with an original schedule offering potentially electrifying match-ups against powerhouses like the University of Southern California and Notre Dame, games intended to provide both much needed revenue guarantees for the program and once-in-a-lifetime experiences for the players.

Unfortunately, the pandemic had other ideas, and these games never materialized. Replacement contests were promptly added at Oregon, Arizona, Nevada-Las Vegas and St. Mary’s, but the virus wasn’t finished. A

“

Flying out of there going to the NCAA tournament for the first time in my head coaching career — but for the third time in Eastern history — it was an amazing feeling.

”

Tanner Groves, Big Sky Conference MVP.

rescheduled match up against the WSU Cougars — relocated from Cheney to Pullman — was on, then off, then on again. Games with Montana Tech and UNLV were canceled. The Arizona and St. Mary’s games did go on as scheduled, however, with EWU providing a tantalizing preview of its potential.

In both games, the Eagles pushed their opponents to the brink but came away with losses. Still, while there may be no moral victories in basketball, there are certainly losses that put your opponents on notice.

With Covid-19 case counts exploding

Shantay Legans celebrates a tourney championship.

nationwide, conference competition got off to a rocky start in January. Five of the Eagles first six league games were canceled. When finally allowed to take the floor, the Eagles struggled to find their bearings. On January 23, as they prepared to take on Northern Colorado, they were a lackluster 3-2 in Big Sky play.

But things were about to change. EWU’s sixpoint road win that night seemed to transform the momentum of an uncertain season. The Eagles reeled off nine consecutive wins, including dominating victories over Montana in both home and away games.

As conference play wound down, Eastern split a pair of Reese Court contests against Idaho State that ultimately cost them a second consecutive regularseason title. But Eastern made good by putting together another four game winning streak to take the Big Sky tournament title.

As tourney champs, the Eagles earned a 14 seed in the NCAA Tournament and a match-up against the storied University of Kansas Jayhawks. That game, a spirited, gritty performance that garnered Eastern accolades from across the nation, ended in defeat. But in a year so fraught with heartbreak, it was a moment that will long be remembered as a triumph.

“We went toe-to-toe with them,” Legans told The Spokesman-Review after the game. “I tell my guys we don’t believe in moral victories, but at the end of the season this was a moral victory for our program.”

— By Paul Delaney ’82, ’84. Delaney is a reporter with the Cheney Free Press. His third book, on EWU football, Taking Flight, is available now.

Legans Ends an Enviable Run Eastern’s head basketball coach accepts the top job at the University of Portland.

F

ollowing Eastern’s Big Sky Conference Tournament championship — and a spirited near-miss against the University of Kansas in the first round of March Madness — men’s basketball head coach Shantay Legans announced he was leaving EWU for the top job at the University of Portland.

Legans served at Eastern for 12 years, eight as an assistant and four as head coach. In addition to his 2021 successes, Legans last year led his Eagles team to a 23-8 record and a Big Sky regular-season championship, accomplishments that earned him conference Coach of the Year honors. In each of his four seasons at the helm, EWU men’s basketball boasted a winning conference record.

“This was my first job. I had two children here, I met my wife here,” Legans told KREM 2 television after going public with his departure. “It’s the best place I’ve ever lived in my life. Eastern is a special place, it will always have a special place in my heart and I’m going to miss this place dearly.”

Legans will lead a Portland Pilots program that has struggled in recent years, and last made the NCAA Tournament in 1996.

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CLASS NOTES 1980s ’81 Mike Cobb, BA education, stepped down as police captain of the Richland (Washington) Police Department late last year. Cobb, a former Eagle football player, served on the Richland force for 38 years, during which time he worked with multiple agencies on crisis and disaster response, as well as mental health support. ’87 Jess Walter, BA journalism, in late 2020 published his seventh novel, The Cold Millions.

The book, set during Spokane’s tumultuous 1909 “free-speech fight,” has been called a “beautiful, lyric hymn to the power of social unrest,” and hailed by critics around the nation as one of the best books of the previous year. ’89 Spencer Grigg, BA recreation management, retired after 15 years as director of Moses Lake Parks and Recreation. Grigg,

whose service to the Moses Lake community began in 1990, told the Columbia Basin Herald newspaper that he and his wife had recently purchased a recreational vehicle: “Our plan is to hitch up to that RV, find some great music, and some great places to explore,” he says.

1990s ’93 Julie Sherwood, BA business administration, late last year was appointed senior vice president, treasury and risks, for American Electric Power, one of the nation’s largest electric energy providers. Sherwood, a certified public accountant and member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, previously served as senior vice president for commercial operations for the Columbus, Ohio-based company. ’94 Maria Cullooyah, BA Native American studies, late last year was a recipient of the

Life During Covid-19 Have you been preserving your pandemic experience?

Eastern Libraries want to hear from you.

D

uring a particularly lethal outbreak of bubonic plague in 17th Century London, the great English diarist Samuel Pepys left behind a handful of vivid images of a city under siege (though Pepys himself confessed to getting along just fine).

Today’s period of pandemic has likewise caused many of us to record our own thoughts and reflections — recollections that, like our historic predecessors’ personal journals, may one day help later generations better understand and appreciate what life was like during Covid-19. If you are one of those bearing witness, archivists at EWU Libraries would love to hear from you.

Earlier this spring, the university announced a project to create a new digital archive, one

38 EASTERN MAGAZINE

YWCA Spokane Women of Achievement Award for Government and Public Service.

Cullooyah has worked for the Spokane Tribe since 2008, and currently serves as its assistant director of planning and economic development and director of real estate development.

detailing how Covid-19 has affected, and continues to impact, the EWU community. The idea is to encourage students, staff, faculty and alumni to share submissions detailing how your life may have changed as a result of the pandemic.

Topics might include the effects of remote learning, of being isolated or quarantined, of changes in how you connect with friends and family, ways you’ve seen the pandemic expose inequalities, or how you have helped — or been helped — by others.

Submissions can come in any form: written memories from journals; including poetry, fiction, artwork, or other creative expressions; photographs; or audiovisual media. Interested in participating? Please contact Eastern Washington University Libraries at archives@ewu.edu.

’99 Nicole Shea, MBA business administration, was promoted to vice president and real estate sales manager of the Spokane Valley Financial Center of Mountain West Bank. Shea joined Mountain West in 2008 as a mortgage loan originator and sales manager.

2000s ’03 Lisa Cargill, BS journalism, in April was named corporate communications program manager for internal communications at (Continued next page, below.)

CLASS NOTES

The Gift of Joy To celebrate Eastern’s 139th birthday, donors stepped up to share their love for EWU and its students.

G

iving Joy Day is Eastern’s annual event dedicated to showing and spreading the love we share for Eastern Washington University, its students and our community.

This year, Giving Joy Day was held on Friday, April 2, the day before Eastern’s 139th birthday. While the ongoing Covid-19 crisis prevented the usual sharing of joy via hands-on charitable projects in Cheney, Spokane and across the Inland Northwest, the day’s other joyful component — encouraging donations in support of

student scholarships, internships and other areas of critical need at EWU — went on as planned.

Not surprisingly, Eagle Nation responded with incredible generosity.

In spite of the myriad challenges posed by more than a year of pandemic lock-downs and other virus-related disruptions, this year’s Giving Joy Day donation total surpassed the $165,000 mark.

Miss out on the festivities? It’s not too late to show your Giving Joy spirit.

Visit us at givingjoyday.org to learn how you can help.

Itron, Inc., a Liberty Lake, Washington-based technology and services company dedicated to the resourceful use of the world’s energy and water. Cargill accepted the position after serving for almost three years as director of alumni relations at EWU. ’06 Keva Sonderen, BA business administration, is co-president of Sonderen Packaging, a Spokane firm founded by her grandparents that manufactures custom folding cartons. In March, she was selected to serve on the Independent Carton Group Board.

Sonderen, a former EWU volleyball player who was recently inducted into the Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame, is the first woman to serve on the board in its 39-year history. ’08, ’09 Vicki Leifer, BS biology, BA education, MS physical education, in July 2020 was named assistant superintendent of the West Valley (Spokane) School District.

Leifer, who previously served as a high school science teacher in the district, has worked for West Valley Schools since 2008. ’08 Buck Marshall, BA communications, was recently named president and chief executive officer of Mission Ready Solutions Inc., a Vancouver, Canada-based company specializing in providing comprehensive government contracting solutions to several defense-related federal agencies in Canada and the United States. ’08 Adam Walser, BS computer information and design, was named the Lincoln County (Washington) prosecutor after his predecessor in the position was elected Superior Court Judge in the November general election.

Walser’s previous experience includes serving as a judge advocate in the United States Marine Corps.

udent The St und!

F y c n e Emerg

’09 Aaron Boyce, BA communications, in October 2020 was named Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority Firefighter of the Year. “Firefighter Boyce is acknowledged as an individual who embodies those characteristics and skills which exemplify excellence in fire fighting and emergency medical services, as well as promoting and nurturing excellence within his team and department,” his citation read in part. During his years at Eastern, Boyce was a record-setting wide receiver and two-time All-Big Sky selection as part of the Eagle football team.

2010s ’12 Neil Verberne, BS exercise science, was recently named therapy manager at East Adams Rural Hospital, where he will supervise the physical therapy and occupational therapy departments.

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CLASS NOTES

ALUMNI LEGACY SCHOLARSHIPS SHOW YOUR EAGLE PRIDE AND SUPPORT STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS AT THE SAME TIME!

SWOOP JOIN THE EAGLE FLIGHTS WINE CLUB

ADD PRIDE TO YOUR RIDE

Award-winning Washington wines made by Eagles for Eagles, delivered right to your door.

Personalize the Washington state plates on your car, truck or motorcycle.

Eagleflightswineclub.com

ewu.edu/Plates

LEAVE YOUR MARK AT EWU Make it permanent with a brick in Showalter's historic walkway to support student success. ewu.edu/brick

40 EASTERN MAGAZINE

IN MEMORIAM

Scholar, Athlete, Advocate Raphael Guillory ’94, an EWU professor of psychology who made notable contributions as an Eastern scholar, athlete and advocate for Native rights, died on Nov. 29.

G

uillory, who grew up on the Nez Perce Indian Reservation in Lapwai, Idaho, was a standout free safety for the Eagles’ 1993 Big Sky Conference championship team. After earning his bachelor’s degree in sociology in 1994, Guillory went on to earn both a master’s degree in counseling psychology and a doctorate in education at Washington State University. He joined Eastern’s faculty in 2002, and over the course of his career taught coursework in advanced educational psychology, psychology of

human relations, developmental theories and applications, and grant-writing. He was widely published in his primary research area of American Indian education, and he delivered numerous scholarly presentations at national conferences.

A dedicated husband and father, he and his wife, Gloria, had five children. He was 49 years old. “There are no words to express the passing and loss of my dear, beloved husband and the kids’ father,” his wife wrote. “He fought the good fight, he finished the race, and he kept the faith.”

2000s

’85 Ina Wicks, age 80, died Nov. 9, 2020.

’71 Fern Halle, age 71, died Dec. 7, 2020.

’04 Nick Reynolds, age 40, died Sept. 26, 2020.

’82 John Dacey, age 90, died Feb. 17, 2021.

’71 Mary Jo Smallwood, age 75, died Feb. 28, 2021.

’81 Laurel Nett, age 79, died Dec. 30, 2020.

1990s ’92 Douglas Wolfe, age 51, died April 1, 2021. ’91 Shelli Greenland, age 53, died Jan. 13, 2021. ’91 Patricia Ann Tresko, age 61, died Dec. 30, 2020. ’91 Richard Trombley, age 52, died Dec. 17, 2020.

’80 Vincent Bozzi, age 63, died Jan. 6, 2021. ’80 Stan LePard, age 64, died Feb. 11, 2021. ’80 Lynn Malsam, age 62, died Feb. 19, 2021.

’87 Linda Bluhm, age 77, died Nov. 24, 2020.

’86 Eric Lunden, age 62, died Dec. 25, 2020. ’86 Diana Schreindl, age 77, died Jan. 7, 2021.

’68 Larry Kahl Miller, age 83, died Jan. 6, 2021. ’63 Twila Johnson, age 79, died Oct. 19, 2020. ’63 Bruce F. Lawhead, age 80, died Nov. 12, 2020.

1970s ’78 Carl Diana, age 65, died Jan. 3, 2021. ’78 David Vorpahl, age 88, died Dec. 23, 2020.

1980s

1960s

’75 Anne Sumiko Uyehara, age 80, died Dec. 17, 2020. ’74 Bob Maplestone, age 74, died Jan. 2, 2021. ’73 Ronald Miller, age 88, died Dec. 26, 2020.

’62 Janice Anderson, age 81, died Dec. 9, 2020.

1950s ’52 Ellis Frazier, age 90, died Feb. 1, 2021.

1940s ’41, ’67 June Nilson, age 101, died Dec. 10, 2020. ’44 Malinda Zilliox, age 99, died Feb. 14, 2021.

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IN MEMORIAM Faculty and Staff Forrest “Skip” Amsden, died March 5, 2021. During his 29 years of service at EWU, Amsden taught courses in business and served as director of the Office of Career Planning & Placement.

Richard Christenson, died Jan. 4, 2021. He served for 28 years developing, and eventually directing, EWU’s Continuing Education program.

Vance Cooney, died Jan. 31, 2021. A professor of management information systems, Cooney co-created Eastern’s Health Information Technology Management program.

Raphael Guillory, died Nov. 29, 2020. A former standout defensive back for EWU football, he was a professor of counseling, educational and developmental psychology.

See story, Page 41.

Charlie Hansen, died Feb. 28, 2021. He served for 22 years as an HVAC technician.

them positions with the campus police and in administration of the Pence Union Building.

June Hopkins, died Feb. 7, 2021. She served for 15 years as a horticulturist and lead groundskeeper for EWU’s Cheney campus.

Gary Ocheltree, died Jan. 5, 2021. He served for 29 years in EWU’s paint shop.

Sarah Keller, died Dec. 24, 2020. Keller, a recipient of EWU’s Trustees’ Medal, founded the university’s anthropology program in 1966.

See story, below.

James Kirschbaum, died Oct. 23, 2020. An EWU Board of Trustees member for 12 years, Kirschbaum provided crucial support during Eastern’s bid to join NCAA Division I athletics.

Jennifer Love, died Feb. 4, 2021. Love was serving as EWU’s assistant director of student financial services. She had been employed by the university for just under 20 years.

Ed McIntire, died Jan. 1, 2021. He served for 29 years in many different roles, among

Founding Anthropologist Sarah Keller, founder of the university’s anthropology program and one of Eastern’s longest serving faculty members, died on Dec. 24.

A

s a child growing up in Boston, Keller told this magazine in a 2017 interview, she caught the anthropology bug from Digging in Yucatan by Ann Axtell Morris, an account of excavations of Mayan temples. After earning a doctorate from nearby Harvard University in 1966, Keller traveled across the nation to join the faculty of what was then Eastern Washington State College.

She began Eastern’s anthropology program shortly thereafter, and remained at EWU until her retirement in 2017.

Over the course of her 51-year career, Keller’s teaching and research positively

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EASTERN MAGAZINE

impacted the lives of hundreds of students.

She also found time to work with law enforcement agencies and local tribes to identify the bones of potential crime victims. For these and other contributions, in 2009 Keller received EWU’s Trustees’ Medal, the university’s highest form of recognition for faculty achievement.

“I do this because I love it,” she told this magazine at the time. “You’re a lucky person if you get up every morning and you want to go to work.”

Keller was 82 years old. To contribute to a scholarship in her honor, visit: ewu.edu/kellerfund.

Frank “Fritz” Rosekrans, died Dec. 12, 2020.

A professor of psychology who twice served as department chair, Rosekrans retired in 1999 after 30 years of service.

Robert Stirling, died Jan. 1, 2021. A noted advocate for families and children, Stirling served for 13 years as a lecturer in the School of Social Work.

Philip Weller, died Feb. 1, 2021. Weller, a scholar of Shakespearean and English Renaissance literature, served as a professor of English for 49 years.

Phyllis Wilkerson, died Feb. 16, 2021. She served for 18 years as an administrative assistant in the English department.

BACK STORY

Centenarian Senior As the twin crises of the First World War and the Spanish Flu pandemic finally loosened their grip on a weary America, the nation's college campuses saw a surge in interest and enrollment. Eastern, then the Cheney Normal School, was no exception.

In the years before the war, a first dormitory, Monroe Hall, had been constructed to provide a campus home for the (mostly) women who attended the school. By 1919, it was clear another dorm was needed. A still unfinished Senior Hall, pictured below several years after its completion, was dedicated in July 1920 (despite it lacking a planned third floor). “May your new home be such as to cause you to ever hold memories of it in fond remembrance,” wrote Normal School President Noah David Showalter in a celebratory telegram. Over the past century, Senior Hall has seen several renovations, ensuring that it will never cease to create fond memories. It is today listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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Eastern Washington University University Advancement 102 Hargreaves Hall 616 Study Lane Cheney, WA 99004-2413

Nonprofit Org. U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

Eastern Washington University

CONNECTING EAGLES NEAR AND FAR What a year it has been, reimagining Eagle gatherings and creating new ways to connect with one another. We look forward to connecting in person again soon, there is so much to look forward to and so many memories to be made. Visit ewu.edu/alumni for the latest event information and to register for events.

5.27 EAG-CUTERIE BOARD Virtual Masterclass

6.3 EASTERN EDGE EXP with Dr. David May 7.25 EWU DAY at the Seattle Mariners

8.13 EWU DAY at Silverwood 9.2 EWU vs UNLV Red Zone on the Road (Las Vegas, NV) 10.14 EASTERN EDGE Tri-Cities 10.20-24 EAGLE FAMILY HOMECOMING

50-YEAR REUNION WEEKEND 11.20 EWU vs PSU Red Zone on the Road (Portland, OR)