October 2023

Dear Eagle Family and Friends,

October has been a month of celebration at Eastern Washington University. As the fall leaves provided a burst of color across campus, we continued our recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month, kicked off EWU’s Pride month, and held a full slate of campus and community Eagle Family Homecoming activities.

Members of EWU Mariachi Band playing during the Multicultural Festival

Our students are the reason we’re here, and celebrating their diverse cultures, heritages, experiences and voices are an instrumental part of creating a positive Eagle experience. We’re proud of all the campus community and partners who joined with us during our Multicultural Festival, Hispanic Business Pop-Up Shopping, National Coming Out Day gathering, and those who’ve contributed to our Diá de los Muertos ofrenda (altar) display at the JFK Library honoring EWU faculty and staff who have passed away. Together, we’re creating a strong sense of belonging for all at EWU.

Additionally, over the past week, we had an amazing time celebrating our 100th year of Homecoming! All week long, our students, faculty, staff, alumni and EWU supporters were busy at high-energy, laughter-filled events, some new and a few long-standing. The activities, which kicked off on Monday, Oct. 16, included over 30 events throughout the week that involved alumni, student clubs and organizations, athletics, Greek Life, and all four EWU colleges. A true celebration of the Eagle family! And of course, no homecoming would be complete without the traditional bonfire and bed races in downtown Cheney. For the first time, we also welcomed community organizations and businesses to compete as well. Safe to say, everyone had a great time.

Among this year’s new events was our first-ever Eagle MadNest, a fun, energetic night with our men’s, women’s and wheelchair basketball teams. Players participated in three point contests (congrats to WBB player Jacinta Buckley!) and an exciting dunk contest (congrats to MBB player Casey Jones!). Attendees played on-court games, competed in basketball skills relay races with players, received autographs and took home lots of EWU swag. I’m already looking forward to next year!

EWU football team celebrates win over Weber State University

Finally, a great week was capped off with the EWU football game versus Weber State. Thousands of fans crowded the tailgating areas, shopped at the Team Store, and cheered loudly — and we came away with the win! In celebration of an amazing 100 Years of Homecoming, and thanks to an anonymous donor, we ended the night with a dazzling fireworks display. We are incredibly grateful for all the alumni and Eagle supporters who joined students, faculty and staff for this amazing Homecoming week.

President McMahan leads processional of faculty and guests to Showalter Hall for Investiture ceremony

On the heels of a packed Homecoming week, the Presidential Investiture was held on Monday. I am so proud to be an Eagle, and it was an honor to receive the oath of office and speak to the vision of EWU in front of my family, colleagues, community supporters and EWU faculty and staff. As I said during my remarks, “We are the region’s comprehensive university. We make a difference, and we must share our story proudly — loudly: the countless stories of student achievement; the stories that inspire others, and inspire us, to keep going; the stories that demonstrate our excellence and perseverance; the stories that show we care. We are Eastern Eagles.”

We have 44,000 alumni in Spokane County, over 122,000 across the world, and countless Eagle supporters — I’d love to hear your EWU story. Go Eags!

Shari McMahan, PhD
President
Eastern Washington University