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The magic of the holiday season takes belief and at times, a little faith. I imagine there were times during the 2010 National Championship season that reflected that. Other times we can see the magic, like last winter when our women’s basketball team made a trip to the NCAA tournament.
While we reflect on the fall and look ahead to the remainder of our winter and spring sports, I want to thank everyone who continues to generously donate and support our student-athletes, campus, and community at Eastern Washington University this year. With your generosity, there were a few “gifts” that we didn’t have to wait until the morning of the 25th to open!
We started the academic year off with a bang as the Board of Trustees, in conjunction with the President, committed to positioning our university for success as the Region’s Polytechnic and announced our new Strategic Plan followed by a $100 million capital campaign - to which we have already raised over $68 million toward that goal.
One of the prongs of the Strategic Plan is to invest in our people and places and, with that in mind, we’ve reaffirmed the athletic department's commitment to level-up Roos Field with over $6 million raised thanks to philanthropy toward our $13 million goal to begin construction.
This fall, our football ticketing revenue increased by over 40% due to new outbound sales efforts, new fan amenities like the Bud Light Endzone Suites and food trucks, and new giveaways and promotions at Roos Field throughout the season.
As we conclude the first term of our academic year, our student-athletes continue to excel both on the field and in the classroom, exemplifying the true spirit of our 4 G’s - Grit. Grace. Gratitude. And Greatness. For the 52nd consecutive quarter, our student-athletes have achieved a departmental GPA over 3.0 - a streak that began in 2007.
2024 saw us bring back some well-established traditions. After a five-year hiatus, we honored six former student-athletes this fall as a part of the 20th class of the Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame. Additionally, after nearly 20 years, we announced this fall that Eastern Athletics will reinstate men’s golf as a varsity sport. This reconnects our department to a proud tradition as well as reaffirms a strong connection to our region.
The momentum Eag Nation has helped us generate is as unstoppable as Santa’s sleigh. I cannot tell you enough how excited I am for the future of our university and athletics programs.
The Eagle Athletic Fund has new leadership at the helm and as the Eastern Eagles are Spokane County’s team, our staff is getting ready to launch a new membership campaign to add 509 new donors to support scholarships, operations, and opportunities to benefit student-athletes.
And last, but not least, mark your calendars for Saturday, May 10, 2025, for the second annual Night of Champions event at The Davenport Grand in Spokane. Last year, we raised over $150,000 to support EWU student-athletes and we have even bigger aspirations for our marquee spring event in 2025.
Renee, Kennedy, James, and I will spend our second Christmas at Eastern in the state of Washington. And as we embrace what makes the holiday season special, the blessings of family and friends, we are filled with joy to be in RED and WHITE, with our student-athletes, our campus, and our community.
Wishing you a happy holiday season and a prosperous New Year!
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