President Bruce Shepard welcomes students back to campus

Autumn on Western Washington University’s campus is one of my favorite times of the year, and not just because it is especially beautiful. With the return of students and faculty, the university is recharged with energy and activity, and the rhythms of the new academic year begin to take hold.
Providing the best possible education to our students is our primary mission, supported by the truly remarkable dedication and inspiration of our talented faculty and staff. As a public university, we also work as hard as we can to engage Western’s active minds to meet existing and emerging needs of our community and state.
Every student who comes to Western has an opportunity to learn, explore and discover her or his own interests. But you also have a chance to think about how to apply your knowledge, passion and skills to improve people’s lives in our community, state and nation.