EOU Board of Trustees meets Feb. 18-19, 2026 on access, advocacy, investment

The Eastern Oregon University Board of Trustees met Feb. 18–19, 2026, in La Grande, advancing governance improvements, reviewing state funding issues and discussing digital accessibility compliance as part of a push to reinforce EOU’s role as “Oregon’s Rural University.” The meeting was announced from LA GRANDE, Ore., in an EOU press release titled “EOU Board of Trustees Focuses on Access, Advocacy and Long-Term Investment.”

EOU’s release lists access and advocacy as central themes and notes trustees discussed digital accessibility compliance; the institution also framed the meeting as part of long-term investment in the university’s rural mission. The university’s web archive shows related items on recent board work, including a Nov. 12–13, 2025 meeting where trustees elected a new chair and emphasized student success and fiscal resilience, and a separate announcement titled “EOU Launches Advocacy Platform to Strengthen Oregon’s Rural Voice in Higher Education.”

State oversight documents and an internal commission draft situate the Feb. 18–19 meeting within statutory obligations. ORS 352.076(7) requires the board to meet at least four times per year and ORS 352.025(1)(a) requires public notice of agenda and meetings; the oversight draft records archived public notices and agenda materials and cites Board Statement No. 1, Conduct of Public Meetings, as guiding transparency and compliance. The draft also records that the board met five times in FY2020-21 and six times in FY2019-20.

Financial commentary in the oversight draft praised an improved overall liquidity position while warning that EOU’s finances remain “potentially precarious and sensitive to enrollment changes as well as the balance between state formula revenues and other sources of revenue.” The draft references a FY17–FY21 chart comparing unadjusted, adjusted and benchmark values but the excerpted materials do not include numeric figures; the board’s review of state funding issues at the February meeting reflects that ongoing fiscal context.

Board composition and appointment materials accompanying legislative summaries show active appointment and roster changes. The Governor appointed Scott Davidson of Portland to a term July 1, 2025–June 30, 2029, under ORS 352.054 and ORS 352.076, and OLIS records list Dr Hofmann, Charles E MD, FACP with a term of 7/1/2023–6/30/2026. The Legislative Policy & Research Office memo excerpt also shows a graduate-student seat marked VACANT and includes position tokens KIKUO, STANDLEY, GEAGON and THOMPSON; those materials are truncated and should be checked for the full roster.

A discrepancy in source materials remains on authorized board size: one OLIS agency summary field lists “Min Members: 11 Max Members: 16,” while an LPRO memo text says “the board consists of 14 to 18 members.” Reporters should verify current statutory language in ORS 352.076 and confirm EOU’s bylaws and current roster via the Office of the President to reconcile the conflict.

Procedural recommendations in the oversight draft urged attention to meeting timing and access, for example, avoiding exams or times when classes are not in session, and encouraged allowing non-board members to weigh in early rather than after extended meetings. The draft also notes that committee materials for Academic and Student Affairs, Finance and Administration, and Governance are archived on the board’s document pages.

For records and follow-up, EOU lists its main address as Eastern Oregon University, One University Boulevard, La Grande, OR 97850-2807, with phones 800-452-8639 and 541-962-3672. Board administration contact is Chris Burford, Office of the President, Inlow Hall 216, 1 University Boulevard, La Grande; phone 541-962-4101; email cburford@eou.edu. Journalists seeking agenda packets, minutes or the finance committee materials referenced in the oversight draft should request the Feb. 18–19, 2026 board packet and the full oversight report to confirm any motions, timelines for digital accessibility compliance, and specific governance actions that could affect state funding and digital access for students across Union County and rural Oregon.