Welcome from the Vice President for Student Affairs Office

Dear WOU Parents and Families,

On behalf of all of the Western Oregon University faculty and staff, I would like to welcome you to the WOU community. I think you will quickly find Western to be a special place.

Within the Division of Student Affairs, our mission is for our students to become responsible, intelligent and engaged citizens of the world. We accomplish this by providing a diverse learning environment where students are challenged to think critically. We teach our students self-advocacy and problem-solving skills so they can apply these in their everyday lives. We also support the learning and development of our students both inside and outside of the classroom.

All of the WOU faculty and staff are committed to helping your student succeed. However, students often call home for assistance rather than meeting with a faculty member or other staff on-campus. We want to assist you in this process by providing you this Parent Guide to help inform you about all of the resources and services we offer your student.

By providing you the information in this Parent Guide, it is our hope you can then redirect your student back to campus to meet with faculty and staff who can assist your student with any need he or she may have. We value families as partners in the education of our students and know you have a tremendous influence on your student’s success at WOU.

If you ever have any questions, or should you need assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me or any of my outstanding staff in the Division of Student Affairs. We are committed to helping all students and their families. Our office can be contacted at (503) 838-8221. You can also e-mail me.

Gary Dukes, Ph.D.
Vice President for Student Affairs