EWU Receives $8.5 Million in Engineering Technology Software, Largest Single Gift Ever
EWU Named One of Best Colleges for Real World
Alumni Reunion Held in Tokyo
Eastern Hosts Associated Press' Western Regional Election Center
Fall Enrollment Reaches All-Time High
Spokane Attorney Michael Ormsby Elected Chair of EWU Trustees
Wind Ensemble CD on Sale Now
Eastern Hockey Club Gains Regional Ranking in First Year

EWU Receives $8.5 Million in Engineering Technology Software, Largest Single Gift Ever

Eastern Washington University has received a gift of engineering technology software for its Technology Department, enabling the university to provide state-of-the-art computer engineering design experience for students. Structural Dynamics Research Corporation (SDRC), Milford, Ohio, has given sufficient software for 25 workstations of the commercial release of I-DEAS software, with a retail value of $8.5 million, the largest single gift-in-kind ever received by Eastern.

"This gift means we now have a second-to-none environment we can expose our students to," said Donald C. Richter, assistant professor of technology at Eastern and the faculty member who secured the gift for the university. "This is the kind of software used in design, analysis and computer-aided manufacturing studies at MIT, Cornell, Stanford and other large research universities."

"Some of the companies using this software include Boeing, Ford, Siemens, Lockheed Martin and Sony."

"The gift underscores Eastern's role as a critical component in leveraging high technology development in the eastern region of the state," says EWU President Stephen Jordan.

The software will be used in Eastern's programs in mechanical engineering technology, manufacturing technology, computer engineering technology, design technology and to some degree in graphics communications.

In the real work world, it increases the speed and efficiency of the design cycle for the engineering and manufacturing industries Æ the exact industries employing Eastern's technology graduates.

"We are beginning to integrate the software into the curriculum right away," Richter said, "which will give our students truly world class design experience and make them even more marketable and job-ready."

Eastern's technology students already have a nearly 100 percent job placement rate when they graduate.

EWU Named One of the Best Colleges for Real World

Eastern Washington University has been included in the new publication, The Best 201 Colleges for the Real World for 2001-2002, the only public college or university in the state selected for this national roster.

This publication commends colleges for their success in career preparation, for focusing on the real-world issues of access to education and employability after college – and ranks how and why they were chosen for inclusion.

"These are colleges that are within your reach (financially), with programs that match your needs and that can be completed in a reasonable time frame," said Michael Viollt, president of Robert Morris College in Chicago and author of The Best 201 Colleges for the Real World.

"They feature programs that offer a tangible return on your investment in the form of a job or career path."

"Eastern is a university with a known and demonstrated commitment to career preparation with a strong underpinning in the liberal arts," said Dr. Stephen M. Jordan, Eastern's president.

"While we were surprised at the announcement that we were included in this publication, we are very pleased to receive this recognition for our achievement in meeting the needs of those of our students who seek a professional career as the outcome of their educational investment."

The criteria used by Viollt in selecting the top 201 colleges for career preparation were: proximity to a major city, admission standards, college costs, financial aid availability, retention to graduation, program strengths, enrollment growth, undergraduate enrollment and average class size.

Eastern received an exceptional rating for accessibility for students and an above average rating for market response and students' chances to earn a degree.

Alumni Reunion held in Tokyo

On October 15, 2000 Dr. Ed Yarwood, Executive Director of English Language Programs and Mary Brooks, Director, English Language Institute (ELI) joined 40 ELI and EWU alumni and representatives from sister universities and colleges in Japan. Mr. Kenji Kitaguchi, Assistant Manager in Marketing and PR at Hotel Laforet Tokyo organized the first official Alumni Reception in Japan along with Yarwood and Brooks. Representatives from Asia University Tokyo, Mukogawa Women's University, Hamamatsu College, and Iwate Prefectural University all joined the celebration. The students each introduced themselves and gave a short description of their lives and jobs since leaving Eastern.

Eastern Hosts Associated Press' Western Regional Election Center

In this year's close race for the presidency of the United States, the phones were ringing by the thousands election night at Eastern Washington University, where results were being processed for news media outlets around the nation.

Eastern was home on November 7 to The Associated Press' Western Election Center for the 2000 Presidential Election. It is a first for both the University and AP, which serves 5,000 radio and television stations and 1,700 newspapers.

More than 100 EWU students manned telephones, checked Internet sites and input election results from counties around the West. Those numbers were then sent to all of the AP's media members to show up on television screens, websites and newspapers all over the country.

"This was a wonderful opportunity for our students to participate in the election process in such an exciting way," said EWU President Stephen M. Jordan. "Eastern was the focus of the election results being reported by AP from the western states. We are pleased that our students from journalism, government, technology, computer science and a variety of disciplines had this educational experience and were employed by a premiere news reporting organization to work on this important event."

Fall Enrollment Reaches All-Time High

Fall quarter enrollment at Eastern Washington University has reached an all-time high of 8,597 (headcount) students, compared with 8,261 students in fall 1999, an increase of 336 students.

This is an increase of 1,060 students from fall quarter 1997, when enrollment at the university slipped to 7,537 students, the lowest fall quarter enrollment of the 1990s.

The full-time equivalent student (FTE) number this fall is 8,419 (up from 8,050 FTEs a year ago), which is also an all-time high at Eastern. Students are taking an average of 14.07 credit hours per quarter, up from 13.97 credits in fall 1999, which is indicative of more full-time students enrolling than in years past.

"We are very pleased with our fall enrollment numbers," said Brian Levin-Stankevich, vice president for Student Affairs. "We think they point to a very healthy university."

Spokane Attorney Michael Ormsby Elected Chair of EWU Trustees

Spokane attorney Michael Ormsby has been elected chair of the Eastern Washington University Board of Trustees, the third time he has held that position. Spokane psychologist Mark Mays has been elected vice chair.

Ormsby, first appointed to the board in 1985, also served as chair in 1986-87 and 1994-95. He is an attorney with Preston, Gates & Ellis and has served as a member of the firm's Executive Committee and as managing partner of its Spokane and Coeur d'Alene offices. He was a member of Spokane School District 81's Board of Directors 1983-1997.

His B.A. degrees are in political science and law, both from Gonzaga University.

Mays, a psychologist in practice in Spokane, also holds a law degree from Gonzaga University. Appointed to the EWU Board of Trustees in 1997, he was president of the Washington State Psychological Association and the Spokane Community Mental Health Center and chair of the Spokane County Residential Treatment Task Force.

Wind Ensemble CD on Sale Now

A new CD recording called Celebrations has been released by the Eastern Washington University Wind Ensemble. A collection of 11 works recorded in live performances from their 1999-2000 concert seasons.

Director of Bands, Patrick Winters, conducts the music of Jack Stamp, Morton Gould, Eric Whiticre, Percy Grainger, and others.

The CD is currently available at the EWU Bookstore. Or, to order the 66-minute CD by mail, send a check for $12 (payable to EWU Bands) to:

EWU Bands Office
Music Department
119 Music Building
Cheney WA 99004-2434

Or, you can call (509)359-6129 to order by phone, or email: Patrick.Winters@mail.ewu.edu

Eastern Hockey Club Gains Regional Ranking in First Year Hockey

Eastern Hockey Club Gains Regional Ranking in First Year Hockey at Eastern? Absolutely! EWU is in the middle of its first season in the American Collegiate Hockey Association, a national conference for club level hockey that provides regional ranking and a national championship.

EWU plays in Division II of the ACHA. This year's team built on an exhibition season last year (7-10) and added a number of new recruits. EWU plays its games at Planet Ice, a new facility in the Spokane Valley. This year's team rostered 26 players, five of whom are new students who transferred to Eastern primarily because of the opportunity to play hockey. The team includes two women players who played NCAA Division I women's hockey in Minnesota before transferring to EWU this fall. Six players bring junior level hockey experience to EWU, having played for teams in Alaska, British Columbia, Washington and Utah. The Eagles are coached by Brian Levin-Stankevich, Vice President for Student Affairs, and EWU Alumnus, George Talotti, BA-Marketing '73.

This record led to Eastern ranking 12th in the western region (out of 36 teams) in the November ACHA ranking. EWU alums from Utah and Colorado are welcome to attend games in Salt Lake City, Ogden, and Boulder. Check the EWU hockey web site at: www.asisna.com/easternhockey (or go to club sports through the EWU home page: www.ewu.edu).