President - Leadership - About EWU - EWU - The Region's Polytechnic

2024 Convocation

In her 2024 Convocation address, President Shari McMahan provided the EWU community with key updates on the university’s direction and initiatives. McMahan emphasized the university’s commitment to student success, urging faculty and staff to embrace the role of a “student-ready” institution, focusing on closing equity gaps, improving retention, and providing applied learning opportunities.

President McMahan also discussed the progress of the Strategic Resource Allocation (SRA) process, assuring the community that no staff layoffs would occur and celebrating $3.5 million in budget savings. She highlighted achievements, such as the Phase I completion of the Science Building and opening of the SIERR Building, and recent grants for cybersecurity and STEM faculty recruitment, which contribute to EWU’s evolving identity as the region’s polytechnic institution. The address also covered upcoming initiatives like the university’s fundraising campaign, new commencement plans, and leadership training programs.

About

President McMahan, a first-generation college student, has both a bachelor’s degree and a doctoral degree in social ecology from UC Irvine and a master’s degree in health science from Cal State Northridge. She came to EWU in 2022 after serving as the provost and vice president for academic affairs at California State University, San Bernardino, the first woman provost in CSUSB’s history. She has been awarded more than $5 million in external grant funding, authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications, delivered dozens of scientific and community presentations, and served on numerous professional task forces.

President McMahan is honored to lead Eastern and looks forward to continuing to fulfill the institution’s mission to expand opportunities for personal transformation through excellence in learning.

Full Bio