As fall quarter 2001 begins, Perspective takes a look at the Chang- ing Face of Eastern over the past 120 years. Thumbing through the following pages, you will quickly see that our campus, students and academic programs have changed dramatically over the years. Yet some things, surprisingly, remain very much the same.

A century ago, students came to Cheney Normal School to prepare for the career of teaching. The school offered a professional program which emphasized writing, speaking, and communicating. And despite the growth in academic programs to more than 100 fields of study at EWU, much the same can still be said of today's students. They may come here to pursue a wide variety of career paths, but today's academic programs still concentrate largely on improving our students' skills in communication through writing, speaking and interpersonal relationships.

I often use the phrase "student-centered" to describe the way a successful university can 'liberate the personality' of its students by encouraging them to become more knowledgeable about and more open-minded to new questions, ideas, experiences and diversity. All of us who are part of the Eastern community must accept responsibility for helping our students develop life skills outside the classroom which can help them to be more successful in their chosen career. Every interaction between students and their teachers, counselors and administrators is an opportunity for a teaching/learning experience.

I see other strong similarities between students 100 years ago and those on campus today. Despite changes in dress and hair styles and the slang of choice, students still come to Eastern looking for guidance and appreciating the advice and direction they receive. They also want to be treated as adults who are learning to be out on their own.

As Eastern grows in the decades to come, we will offer courses of study to students across our region and beyond. We will intensify our relationships with communities in our region. We will offer degrees beyond traditional four-year undergraduate programs. But the Cheney campus will remain the heart of the university, just as it was when the first students walked up a hill and entered those schoolhouse doors in 1882.

Stephen Jordan
EWU President