Polk County News
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • November 23, 2016 5A
Western invites community input
University works to gather perspectives from on, off campus for new strategic plan
By Emily Mentzer
The Itemizer-Observer
MONMOUTH — When
Rex Fuller was first hired as
Western Oregon University’s
president in April 2015, he
anticipated having conver-
sations with the campus
community and residents of
the surrounding area.
This year, those conversa-
tions took a more formal ap-
proach. In April 2016, a
committee of 25 people rep-
resenting a cross-section of
campus started working in
earnest on a new strategic
plan for the university.
The old plan was found
on a shelf and was five years
old, Fuller said.
All the goals with the new
plan point to student suc-
cess.
At a town hall on Nov. 16,
about a dozen members of
the community mingled
with strategic plan commit-
tee members to discuss
WOU’s mission and goals.
Dave Foster, professor of
psychology, has a back-
ground in industrial organi-
zation psychology and has
experience helping govern-
mental entites through the
strategic planning process.
He sits on WOU’s plan-
ning committee and said
one of the things they hope
to address is how to keep
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EMILY MENTzER/ Itemizer-Observer
Cec Koontz, middle, speaks with Marshall Guthrie, left, and Paul Sieber, right, about WOU’s goals. Koontz and Guthrie
are both on the Western Oregon University board of trustees, as well as on the strategic planning committee.
WOU relevant in a changing
world.
“We and all public univer-
sities find ourselves in a
time of tremendous
change,” he said. “With the
dissolution of the Oregon
State University System, we
now have our own board.”
With uncertainty sur-
rounding the future of
higher education — specifi-
cally the funding — the
goal of strategic planning is
to help point the university
in a direction that’s sustain-
able and successful, Foster
said.
Fuller said once the plan
is adopted by the board in
January, it will not sit on a
shelf and collect dust, but
rather be put to use right
away in the budgeting
process for 2017-18, which
has been revised to include
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donation drive will start on Monday, November 7 and go until Friday,
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a university-wide budgeting
committee.
“They’ll consider that (the
strategic plan) as we make
final decisions,” Fuller said.
“That alone will open up the
dialogue. Right now, the
budget’s a little bit of a black
box.”
The new plan is more spe-
cific than the old one was,
said Laurie Burton, faculty
member on the strategic
planning committee.
“I think this time we’re a
little more encompassing of
our campus in the process,”
she said. The old plan wasn’t
integrated into university
life the way the new one will
be, she added.
Monmouth Mayor John
Oberst said he has noticed
the upward trend in com-
munity engagement be-
tween the city and WOU.
Students and professors
help with workshops at the
Monmouth Senior Center,
and Monmouth City Manag-
er Scott McClure helps teach
a public policy course using
real challenges faced by the
city of Monmouth.
“People don’t realize the
opportunities that are pres-
ent because this university is
here,” Oberst said. “Or
there’s an attitude that I’ve
heard expressed — and I’ve
West Valley Housing Authority will hold their Work
Session Meeting on Wednesday, November 30,
2016 beginning at 11:30 a.m. at 204 SW Walnut
in Dallas, Oregon. The Regular Meeting will be
held on Wednesday, November 30, 2016 at 1:00
p.m. at 204 SW Walnut in Dallas, Oregon. An
Executive Session pursuant to ORS 192.660
will be held immediately following the Regular
Meeting, if required.
Agenda for the meeting is posted on the Housing
Authority website at www.wvpha.org. The location
for the meeting is handicapped accessible. Please
advise the West Valley Housing Authority if you need
any special accommodations to attend the meeting.
For information, please call 503-623-8387, TDD
1-800-735-2900.
Visit our website, www.polkio.com
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Ben Meyer, AAMS ®
Bob Timmerman
Financial Advisor
Financial Advisor
503-606-3048
503-623-5584
193 E. Main Street
Monmouth, OR 97361
159 SW Court Street
Dallas, OR 97338
Kelly K. Denney
Financial Advisor
503-623-2146
244 E. Ellendale, Suite 2
Dallas, OR 97338
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WEATHER
RECORDED
HIGH LOW
Nov. 15............. 59
Nov. 16............. 50
Nov. 17............. 54
Nov. 18............. 50
Nov. 19............. 59
Nov. 20............. 57
Nov. 21............. 56
RAIN
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43
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.03
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Rainfall during Nov. — 2.86 in.
Rain through Nov. 21 — 37.81 in.
heard it here tonight — that
all I get for going to Western
is a parking ticket.”
Western Oregon and its
facilities contribute enor-
mously to Monmouth and
the surrounding communi-
ties, Oberst said.
“Just for the stuff that’s
available on WIMPEG chan-
nel 17,” he said. “If you
watched that for an hour a
night for a month, you’d be
so much smarter. It’s amaz-
ing.”
The strategic plan is still
coming together. The com-
mittee is still taking commu-
nity input. To participate in
the process and to learn
more: wou.edu/planning.
Dallas chamber
hosts PB drive
DALLAS — The Dallas Cham-
ber of Commerce is hosting a
peanut butter drive to benefit
Dallas Christmas Cheer. Food
and gift boxes are delivered to
familes in need on Christmas
Eve. This year, organizers hope
to collect 350 jars of peanut
butter to make sure every fami-
ly gets at least one jar.
Deliver jars or cash to pur-
chase jars to the Dallas cham-
ber office, 168 SW Court St., by
Dec. 21.
For more information: dalla-
soregon.org.