A generous grant will help Eastern help Parkinson’s patients.

The World Health Organization estimates that some 8.5 million people across the globe live with Parkinson’s disease, a brain disorder that causes unintended or uncontrollable movements, such as shaking, stiffness and difficulty with balance and coordination. As the illness progresses, verbal communications and swallowing are often adversely affected. 

Helping patients overcome speech and swallowing issues has long been a priority for clinicians and researchers with EWU’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. Now, thanks in part to a $280,000 grant from the Parkinson Voice Project, a Texas-based nonprofit that provides speech therapy for Parkinson’s patients, those efforts will continue well into the future.

EWU was among 16 universities in 16 states to receive a share of the more than $4.5 million in services and funding from the Parkinson Voice Project. The grants were announced on April 11, World Parkinson’s Day.

The five-year grant will provide the training, supplies and research equipment necessary for EWU’s Speech and Language Clinic to expand its use of the SPEAK OUT! program, a therapy that helps people with Parkinson’s and related disorders retain and regain speech and communication abilities while reducing swallowing complications.

EWU was among 16 universities in 16 states to receive a share of the more than $4.5 million in services and funding from the Parkinson Voice Project. The grants were announced on April 11, World Parkinson’s Day.

At EWU, the grant will expand access to both in-person programs and telehealth therapies. It will also allow some 25 graduate students to take the SPEAK OUT! online therapy course each year. The course typically costs $475 — putting it out of reach for many students.

“The really neat thing is that the students get to do the training — and it’s about 10 hours — at no charge,” says Doreen Nicholas, senior lecturer and director of the EWU Speech and Language Clinic.

The grant is just the latest instance of a larger, decade-long collaboration between the EWU Speech and Language Clinic and the Parkinson Voice Project. During that time, the EWU clinic has helped close to 100 Parkinson’s patients from the greater Spokane area learn exercises that strengthen muscles that support speaking and swallowing.

“I think it’s so great that this is something that Eastern can stand out for providing,” says Nicholas.

Italy

Egypt

Vietnam

Antarctica

Thailand

Mexico

United States of America

John Cogley, a professor who left an indelible mark on students’ lives and careers, died on Dec. 31.

With his “vivid smile” and “infectious laugh,” John Cogley never failed to lift spirits and light up classrooms during his long tenure as a professor and department chair of therapeutic recreation at EWU. With his support and guidance, Cogley also fired up the career prospects of his students: Today hundreds are making their mark in what we now refer to as “wellness and movement sciences,” a professional field he was instrumental in advancing.

Cogley arrived at Eastern in 1978, and immediately set about making the therapeutic recreation program at EWU among the nation’s best. From 2005 until his retirement in 2011 he served as chair of the Department of Physical Education, Health and Recreation, which was renamed the Department of Wellness and Movement Sciences in 2019. “He made our department what it is today,” says Alan Coelho, a former colleague and professor of exercise science at EWU. “He had high standards, and held his students and faculty to those standards.”

Throughout his 33 years of service, those standards were evident both in the esteem Cogley earned from both colleagues — Cogley, for example, was tasked with contributing questions for the national certification exam used by colleges nationwide — and students, many of whom recently shared memories with Coelho.

Pam Young is one of those students. Young credits Cogley with providing incredible support after she, when pregnant, transferred to EWU as a junior. “Because of the kindness, grace, encouragement and support given by Dr. Cogley, I graduated on time,” Young said, adding that even after graduation Cogley’s assistance meant the world to her. “It catapulted my professional experience and confidence,” she says.

Alongside his academic and professional contributions, Cogley, a lover of all things outdoors, also assisted with programming for the adapted ski program on Mt. Spokane. In addition, he and his wife, Patty, were instrumental in creating the reading garden located outside EWU’s One Room School House.

Professor John Philip Cogley was 77 years old.

In Memoriam

Faculty and Staff

Jack Benson, died Dec. 29, 2022. Benson ’62 coached EWU men’s gymnastics team while serving as a faculty member in health and physical education. He retired in 1999 after 34 years of service, and was inducted into the EWU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008.

John Cogley, died Dec. 31, 2022. During his long tenure at EWU, Cogley served as a professor and department chair of therapeutic recreation. (See story Page 33.)

Michael Dietrich, died Dec. 19, 2022. Dietrich, a talented drummer who left his mark on the Spokane music scene, retired from EWU Dining Services in August 2007 after 27 years of service.

Michael Green, died Feb. 23, 2023. Green ’60 served as a professor and department chair  of history before retiring in 2001. Over the course of his 33-year career at Eastern, Green specialized in U.S. diplomatic history as well as that of the Pacific Northwest.

Bill Greene, died Jan 1, 2023. Greene served for 34 years as an EWU professor of psychology. Green, a widely published researcher, helped to advance forms of biofeedback therapies that are widely practiced today. He retired in 1998. 

Frank Ide, died April 23, 2023. A U.S. Air Force veteran who served in Vietnam, Ide worked in various communications and technology-support services at EWU for 15 years. He retired in 1997.

Jerry Krause, died May 24, 2023. Krause was EWU’s men’s basketball head coach for 17 seasons from 1967-85, compiling a 262-195 record. He was inducted into the EWU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005.

Jamie Manson, died June 7, 2023. Malone ’94, a nationally prominent researcher and fellow of the American Physical Society, was a professor of chemistry. (Story to follow in Fall/Winter.) 

Robert Salsbury, died Feb. 5, 2023. Salsbury ’58, ’61 served as a professor of education at EWU for 31 years. As both an educator and researcher, Salsbury worked to ensure that remote learning became accepted as part of the university experience. He was named Alumnus of the Year in 2002.

Beverly Siegel, died Dec. 26, 2022. An avid reader, Siegel assisted students and university community members at the University Bookstore (now the Eagle Store) for 17 years before retiring in 2009.

Carrie Yerty, died January 24, 2023. Yerty served as an assistant women’s volleyball coach at EWU in the early 1990s.

2010s

’18 Joel Teats, age 31, died May 5, 2023.

’14 Rick Dandurand, age 65, died Dec. 19, 2022.

’10 Ellen Holland, age 51, died March 12, 2023.

2000s

’07 Amanda Ward, age 38, died Jan. 7, 2023.

1990s

’92 Terri Quinlivan, age 63, died April 30, 2023.

1980s

’87 Kerry Rodeen, age 57, died March 8, 2023.

’84 Kevin Carson, age 62, died Feb. 12, 2023.

’84 Christa Richardson, age 79, died Feb. 23, 2023.

’84 Betty Sansom, age 88, died Feb. 25, 2023.

’83 Jeanne Tomlin, age 91, died April 3, 2023.

’82 Gary W. Pierce, age 72, died March 1, 2023.

’81 Dorothy Pierce, age 90, died March 22, 2023.

’81 David Sullivan, age 66, died March 3, 2023.

’80 Nicholas Fenno, age 67, died April 11, 2023.

1970s

’77 Hosey Ray Horton, age 86, died Aug. 22, 2022.

’74 John Clark, age 81, died Feb. 22, 2023.

’74 Jocelyn Moore, age 73, died Feb. 8, 2023.

’72 James Nimnicht, age 74, died Dec. 7, 2022.

’71 Michael Angelo, age 74, died April 22, 2023.

’71 Richard Martin, age 75, died April 2, 2023.

’70 Raymond Fox, age 76, died March 17, 2023.

’70 Reese Hinthorne, age 76, died March 23, 2023.

1960s

’69 Jean Huber, age 84, died April 6, 2023.

’67 Don Harwood, age 82, died Feb. 27, 2023.

’67 William Hachman, age 84, died March 6, 2023.

’66 Richard Bretthauer, age 86, died April 4, 2023.

’68 Albert Kissler, age 78, died Jan 21, 2023.

’66, ’74 Larry Peterson, age 78, died Jan. 21, 2023.

’64 Leroy Faling, age 87, died Jan. 15, 2023.

’64 Leslie Francis, age 85, died Feb. 3, 2023.

’63 Mary Ritchie, age 82, died March 19, 2023.

’60 Leroy Lowdon, age 91, died March 6, 2023.

1950s

’59 Duane Colvin, age 88, died April 10, 2023.

’55 Jeannine Sigler, age 90, died April 5, 2023.

]]> https://www.ewu.edu/magazine/news/taking-flight/ Tue, 11 Jul 2023 18:10:27 +0000 https://www.ewu.edu/magazine/?post_type=stories&p=1888 At EWU, change and optimism are two powerful forces that move us forward.]]>

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 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.

 

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 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 long-lasting 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 

]]> https://www.ewu.edu/magazine/news/exceptional-eagles/ Tue, 11 Jul 2023 17:46:42 +0000 https://www.ewu.edu/magazine/?post_type=stories&p=1846 A newly envisioned awards event shines a spotlight on accomplished alumni and EWU benefactors.]]> ]]> https://www.ewu.edu/magazine/news/making-history-2/ Tue, 11 Jul 2023 17:34:33 +0000 https://www.ewu.edu/magazine/?post_type=stories&p=1972 Eastern’s men's basketball wins a regular-season Big Sky championship.]]>

While the end to Eastern’s greater ambitions came too soon — a heartbreaking final-second loss in the 2023 Big Sky Basketball Championship tournament — EWU’s men’s basketball team walked off the court in Boise knowing they’d already cemented a season for the history books.  

Head coach David Riley’s squad, a group just a year removed from a big rebuild, came into the season with three returning starters, a core of experienced role players and high expectations. In preseason polling, however, coaches and sportswriters expressed their doubts, with both groups picking Eastern to finish no higher than fifth.

The Eagles answered the doubters with a remarkable regular season that included a Big Sky record 16-0 start to conference play. That streak, part of a record-tying 18-game stretch of victories, earned them the regular season Big Sky Championship. 

Following a heartbreaking, last-second conference tournament exit, the team got a nod from the National Invitation Tournament, where, in the first round, they avenged an early-season defeat to Washington State with a gritty road win in Pullman. It was just the second postseason game win in program history.

“The talk in the locker room after the game was very, very brief about this game in particular. We played a good team and lost,” Riley said. “But what these guys have done throughout the season, I can’t tell them enough how much our coaching staff appreciates them.”

A second-round loss to Oklahoma State brought the 2022-23 season to a close. Then the accolades began pouring in. 

In March, Eagle’s guard Steele Venters was named the Big Sky’s Most Valuable Player, the conference’s most coveted individual honor. It was the fifth time in seven years —and seventh time overall — that the Big Sky’s top accolade had been awarded to an Eastern player. In addition, Venters’ teammate Angelo Allegri was named to the All-Conference First Team, while forward Ethan Price earned an All-Conference Honorable Mention.

Coach Riley, meanwhile, was named Big Sky Coach of the Year, joining a distinguished list of seven previous EWU head coaches who have been awarded the conference’s highest coaching honor. 

Not surprisingly, it was Riley who, after the season ended in Stillwater, shifted the focus back to where it belongs — on the student athletes.  

“The talk in the locker room after the game was very, very brief about this game in particular. We played a good team and lost,” Riley said. “But what these guys have done throughout the season, I can’t tell them enough how much our coaching staff appreciates them.”

Christine Johnson, chancellor emeritus of the Community Colleges of Spokane, is the newest member of Eastern’s Board of Trustees, the university’s governing body.

Johnson, who served as CCS chancellor from 2010-22, was appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee this spring to serve in the seat vacated by Michael Finley, who stepped down last fall. She brings to the board years of collaborative management and mentoring experience, as well as a long history of advocating for sustained improvement in the quality and delivery of higher education.

“EWU plays a vital role in the higher education ecosystem in eastern Washington and throughout the state,” Johnson said following her appointment. “Eastern serves a key role as a transfer partner for the 40 percent of Community Colleges of Spokane students who choose to transfer. I am honored to have an opportunity to support student success as job No. 1, so that we can ensure the region’s economic and workforce development is strengthened as a result of EWU’s priorities and actions.”

Johnson also previously served as the president of the Washington Association of Community and Technical Colleges (WACTC) and was named Washington CEO of the Year in 2022. While working with Eastern’s board, she will also fulfill the three years remaining on her term as a member of the Gonzaga University Board of Trustees.

This year’s Giving Joy Day, the eighth installment of Eastern’s annual service and philanthropy event, saw Eagles from 23 different states make more than 500 gifts to support 110 different university funds.

By events’ end, the university had raised more than $450,000 to support student scholarships and aid programs, according to Linda Safford, senior director for annual giving.

Safford said there were many “generous and happy surprises” during the 2023 event, which is scheduled each year to coincide with EWU’s birthday on April 3. The local office of Gemini Corp., for example, gave $10,000 to benefit EWU design students, while an anonymous donor kicked in $10,000 toward the student-athlete nutrition station (which joins a $70,000 gift from Gatorade | PepsiCo Partners).

The event isn’t just about fundraising, however. As part of what is now a Giving Joy Day tradition, a team of Eastern staff and alumni volunteers spread Eagle affection in the days prior to the event by bringing balloons, chocolates and swag to alumni-owned businesses in Cheney and Spokane. 

Back on campus, meanwhile, students showed their gratitude by providing poignant stories about the life-changing impact of scholarships in interviews posted on the Giving Joy Day website and social-media channels. Students also braved chilly temperatures to manage a booth where currently enrolled Eagles wrote thank you notes to those whose support made their scholarships possible.

“Personally, as a scholarship student, I am so incredibly amazed at so much generosity towards our scholarship programs – and we are very, very thankful,” said Lucas Fyre, president of the Associated Students of EWU.

Lucas Fyre, president of the Associated Students of EWU, later offered up his own message of thanks. “Personally, as a scholarship student, I am so incredibly amazed at so much generosity towards our scholarship programs – and we are very, very thankful,” said Fyre, a 21-year-old psychology major from Spokane Valley. “Thank you so much to everybody.”

EWU President Shari McMahan also weighed in with her appreciation: “Thank you all for providing and sustaining scholarships that will help our students persist in their education. Your support is very, very important,” she said.

Miss your chance to join in the joy? Visit us at ewu.edu/give to learn how you can help.

A mentoring program connects Eagle undergrads with high school students. 

For many high schoolers, particularly those from families who’ve never sent a kid off to college, attending a university like Eastern can seem like the impossible dream. Completing the right classes, preparing for aptitude tests, touring campuses, completing federal financial aid forms and admission applications: for the uninitiated, it’s a lot to ask.

Guidance counselors can, and do, provide help. But what if there was someone else to talk to? Someone who might be closer in age, maybe with similar life experiences?

Eastern’s new Aspire Program aims to provide those voices. The program, funded with grant support from Innovia and the Washington Student Achievement Council, puts Eagle undergraduates in local high schools to support, advise and mentor college contenders who might not otherwise make it to matriculation.
 

Eastern’s new Aspire Program puts Eagle undergraduates in local high schools to support, advise and mentor college contenders who might not otherwise make it to matriculation.

Along the way they are also there to provide guidance for those students whose best move might be military service or vocational training.

Mentoring is an excellent way for college students to give back to their communities while enhancing their resumes, says EWU’s Jasmin Davis, an MBA student who serves as Aspire’s manager. Students earn a stipend while working six hours per week, helping to make participation more manageable while not interfering with their academic pursuits.

 “The Aspire Program is about connecting college students with high schoolers to help them figure out what they want to do after high school, whether that be a two-year or a four-year college, a vocational school or the military,” says Davis. “We want to help them navigate that pathway.”

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.”