Embracing Change

CHANGE AND OPTIMISM are two powerful forces that move us forward. As I write this letter, the winds of change are picking up and I’m feeling excited about where we’re headed.

Some of that change starts with Krisann Hatch ’88, the EWU Foundation chair, and Stacey Rasmussen ’03, our EWU Alumni Association president, celebrating their many years of service and fulfilling their volunteer terms. They’ve been an invaluable asset, will be sorely missed, and we owe them a tremendous debt of gratitude. Building upon their successes, Alexis Alexander ’08, ’14 and Nate Peters ’16 have already begun their roles as leaders, respectively, of the EWU Foundation and the Alumni Association. Both are committed to maintaining our spirit of collaboration, innovation and excellence.

Change has impacted our institution throughout its long history—from academy to normal school, from state college to university. We began by focusing mostly on training teachers. We now help to drive the entirety of the region’s professional workforce, with an impressive variety of programs tailored to meet today’s workplace needs. As alumni, you’ve seen it all throughout the generations. And I hope you’ll come relive some of those memories this fall when we celebrate begun their new leadership roles. Both are committed to maintaining our spirit of collaboration, innovation and excellence. our 100th year of Homecoming. Still, change can be daunting. When I speak with our students today, many of them face regular barriers and obstacles, from financial to cultural. It is during these times that we must hold onto optimism and the unwavering belief in our ability to overcome.

That is where your stories of success and triumph over challenges as alumni serve as a beacon of hope and inspiration for today’s Eagle students. By sharing with us your achievements, experiences and life lessons, we’re able to light a path for our students, and provide them with the tools to navigate the challenges that lie ahead.

Over the past few years, we have invested in a significant opportunity for sharing your insights: the Eagle

Career Network. This is one of your best opportunities to participate in the lives of our students, by mentoring, coaching and advising them. Not only can you provide them with the tools they need, but you can also form longlasting relationships, share your stories of inspiration and empower the next generation of Eagles.

Thank you for your ongoing support and dedication to Eastern. We are immensely proud of your accomplishments and look forward to the great things we can achieve together.

Go Eags!

Kelsey Hatch-Brecek ’21

EASTERN MAGAZINE SPRING/SUMMER 2023

EDITOR

Charles E. Reineke

ART DIRECTOR Ryan Gaard ’02

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Dave Meany

Melodie Little ’91

PHOTOGRAPHY

Eric Galey ’84

Luke Kenneally

VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT

Barb Richey ’92, ’99

DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI RELATIONS

Kelsey Hatch-Brecek ’21

MAGAZINE ADVISORY BOARD

Joseph Haeger ’10

Nick Lawhead ’07

Lisa Leinberger ’98

Brian Lynn ’98

Kelly Naumann ’10

Robin Pickering ’97, ’03

LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!

EMAIL easternmagazine@ewu.edu

WRITE Eastern Magazine 102 Hargreaves Hall Cheney, WA 99004-2413

Eastern magazine is published twice each year by 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/magazine

Enduring Bequest

A campus ministry closes its doors, but ensures its legacy.

After more than 70 years of service to Cheney and the university community, Emmanuel Lutheran Church announced this spring that it is closing its doors.

This unhappy outcome was the result of a shrinking congregation, financial pressures and the loss, earlier this year, of Emmanuel Lutheran’s half-time pastor. Nevertheless, church officials say, the congregation is determined to ensure that its long legacy of involvement with EWU will continue.

As part of this year’s Giving Joy Day events, Emmanuel Lutheran pledged to Eastern a portion of the proceeds from the sale of its campus-adjacent church building. The gift, totaling more than $130,000, will create a named nursing scholarship endowment, bolster general scholarship funding and help EWU’s new Emergency Medical Services certificate program purchase equipment.

Jake Rehm, president of Emmanuel Lutheran’s church council, acknowledged the situation is bittersweet.

“Emmanuel Lutheran, much like EWU, has served the Cheney community, as well as the entire region, for many decades,” Rehm says. “While it was painful to close our doors, we are thankful to be able to continue to bless Cheney and EWU through our gifts.”

Rehm, a senior lecturer and director of the Fitness Center for the Department of Wellness and Movement Sciences at EWU, is one of many university faculty and staff members who’ve belonged to the church over the years. Charlie Mutschler, for example, a beloved archivist and historian, was among the church’s congregants. Mutschler died suddenly in 2019, and Emmanuel Lutheran’s leadership is working with the university to create a memorial on campus.

Since the early 1970s, the church has also helped support a Lutheran Campus Ministry at EWU with the goal of providing a welcoming and inclusive community for students, faculty and staff. That ministry will continue.

“Many of the members witnessed, firsthand, the positive impact Eastern Washington University has had on the students and people in our community and in our region,” the church council said in a statement. “We hope that this gift will allow EWU and Emmanuel to continue to help serve the community for years to come.”