MONMOUTH – Twelve members of Western Oregon University’s faculty and staff retired during the 2006-07 academic year.

Gary Jensen, Ph.D., dean of Library and Media Services, will retire after 20 years at WOU. He was critical to developing the proposal and design for the Hamersly Library built in 2000, and was heavily involved in the construction process. Jensen received tenure and the rank of professor in 1992 and the Mario and Alma Pastega Staff Excellence Award in 2000. In 1997 and 2007 he chaired the Self-Study Committee and coordinated the 2004 strategic planning effort. He was the first Oregon University System library director to serve as chair of the Orbis Library Consortium and held a variety of roles in the Oregon Library Association, including president. Jensen also worked at the Library of Congress for 12 years prior to joining WOU and has played bassoon with a number of musical groups both on- and off-campus.

Meredith Brodsky, Ph.D., has been with WOU for 23 years, starting as a faculty member in the Division of Special Education. She eventually moved into the position as dean of the College of Education for seven years, then director of the Teaching Research Institute for 5 years prior to retiring. Prior to joining WOU, Brodsky worked as a teacher of deaf and deaf-blind children at the Oregon School for the Deaf, director of special education in Central School District, and chief of programs for children and adults at the Oregon Mental Health Division. She also served as a commissioner for the Oregon Teacher and Standards Practices Commission and as chair of the Research and Information Committee of the American Association for College of Teacher Education.

Cheryl Gaston has concluded her 30 year career in public relations. She worked as an English teacher before accepting a public relations role at The College of New Jersey. She then worked as director of public relations for New Jersey Public Television and operated her own successful public relations practice for 12 years. Gaston returned to higher education serving as director of public relations for Columbus State, assistant vice president for university marketing and public relations for University of Northern Iowa, and as director of public relations and university marketing at WOU since 2004. She plans to spend her retirement as innkeeper to the Independence House Bed & Breakfast, which she created.

Other faculty and staff retirees for the year are: Kathryn Alderson, public services technician for collections and stacks maintenance in the Hamersly Library, with WOU for 32 years; Martha Boyd, salary administration manager in the Budget and Payroll Office, at WOU, 23 years; George Cabrera, professor in College of Education, 25 years; Elise Clason, coordinator of collection management services in Hamersly Library, four years; Patricia Dutcher, immunization record clerk and insurance liaison in Student Health & Counseling Center, five years; Martha Sargent, associate professor in Business/Economics Division, 20 years; Kay Stone, receptionist in Human Resources, 18 years; Carol Tripp, business operations coordinator in Library and Media Services, 19 years; and Judy Turner, administrative program assistant in Academic Advising and Learning Center, 16 years.

In addition to retirees, employees that have been with WOU for 30, 25, 20 and 15 years are as follows:

30 years