Eagle 1 News: January 2026

January 22, 2026

Eagle Family and Friends,

Happy New Year, Eagle Family! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and are as excited as I am to take on 2026 with renewed energy and joy.

On Monday, I celebrated the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by joining fellow Eagles and thousands of community members at the annual rally and march in downtown Spokane. Across our region, it’s important to share moments of unity and to continue reinforcing a sense of belonging. I’m grateful to the faculty and staff who helped organize EWU’s presence at the event, and to the many students who showed up and made it “A Day On, Not a Day Off.”

Women's basketball athletes jump and celebrate on side after scoring

This past Thursday, I traveled with the men’s basketball team to Weber State University while the women took on the Wildcats at Reese Court, then rounded out the busy weekend watching our club hockey team and our women’s basketball team battle hard at home. During the many games I attend, I continue to be impressed with the grit and determination our student-athletes show whether at home or on the road (congrats to the men for a win against Idaho St!). I was especially proud to celebrate the continuation of The Streak: Our 318 student-athletes earned a combined 3.5 GPA for fall quarter, marking 55 straight quarters above a 3.0. Go Eags!

The new issue of Eastern magazine will be arriving in mailboxes soon, but you can read it early online here. We’re excited to be featuring best selling author and EWU alumnus, Jess Walter as our cover story. I’m half-way through The Cold Millions in anticipation of Jess Walter Week at EWU February 9-13. While I typically only read health-related non-fiction, this one has me hooked!

As always, it’s a great day to be an Eagle!

Shari McMahan, PhD
President
Eastern Washington University