One of Eastern Washington University’s most beloved past presidents was honored with a rare designation at the Jan. 30 meeting of the school’s Board of Trustees.
Dr. Rodolfo Arévalo, who retired this past July after having served as president for eight years between 2006-14, was unanimously voted the title, “EWU President Emeritus.”
Arévalo joins H. George Frederickson as the only Eastern leaders to be given president emeritus status, a title typically awarded upon retirement to recognize honorable service to a university.
During his time at EWU, he brought the university to new heights in enrollment, academic success, facility enhancement and athletics, including a national championship in football in 2010.
His time as president was also marked by tremendous growth in facilities, including a new student recreation center, the first new residence hall in decades, the state-of-the-art renovation of the school’s largest academic building, Patterson Hall and the installation of the red turf at Roos Field.
Arévalo came to Eastern in April 2006 from the University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA), where he served as provost and vice president for academic affairs. He is the first Latino president at any public four-year college or university in the state of Washington.
He and his wife Nadine, who were deeply invested in the local community as volunteers at the Cheney Food Bank, retired to the Kansas City, Kan. area.
Paul Delaney can be reached at pdelaney@cheneyfreepress.com.
Reader Comments(0)