Eastern Washington University president visits Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE - Ensuring students can get to college, and ensuring they get the education they need for success, are among the goals of new Eastern Washington University president Mary Cullinan.

Cullinan, who started her new job in August, visited Big Bend Community College and Moses Lake as part of her effort to learn more about the region, she said. Cullinan is a native of Washington, D.C., who worked in California and was president of Southern Oregon University before taking the EWU job.

Cullinan said her goal is to make it easier for people to get to college, to complete a degree, and to ensure that degree is useful. Part of that, she said, is advisors who pay attention to circumstances outside the classroom that could impact a student's ability to stay in school. "Good advice, not just about what class you're to take next term," she said.

Colleges also need to show students how curriculum works and how classes that don't seem relevant actually contribute to their education. Students spend the first two years of school taking a lot of general classes. "To what end?" she said. College officials and professors need to show students how those classes help them reach their goals, both in earning a degree and getting a job, she said.

Cullinan cited her own experience as an example. She was an English major, with a focus on 19th Century novels. After graduation the skills she learned were crucial when she started working in the private sector and eventually teaching business communication classes, she said.

The average age of EWU's student body is 26, she said, and college officials must find ways to help those non-traditional students complete their educations.  

It's "extremely helpful" for students to see how their skills transfer to the off-campus world, she said. As a result it's important for every department at the university to consider how its graduates will fit into a fluid economy with global competition, she said.

Students should be encouraged to test their skills before graduation, she said, working as interns, volunteering, getting into the workforce. The experience teaches important skills that may not get much attention in a classroom, including practical application of theory, work ethic and workplace etiquette.

Student populations at eastern Washington community colleges are similar to EWU's student body, she said. It will be important to work with those colleges to encourage students to pursue the four-year degree, she said. The next step will be for BBCC president Terry Leas to visit EWU, she said.