Dr. Richard
Meyers was born and raised
in Chicago, Illinois. As a
child, he was interested in
music and photography, and
these passions did not fade
with age. After high school,
Dr. Meyers attended DePaul
University in Chicago, graduating
with a Bachelor of Music Education
and a minor in English in
1961.
Dr. Meyers moved to California,
and was employed as a junior
high and high school teacher
from 1962 to 1968. During
this time, Dr. Meyers actively
pursued his graduate education
and earned a Masters of Science
in Music Education with minors
in Education Administration
and English from the University
of Southern California (USC)
in 1963.
He continued at USC, earning
a Doctor of Philosophy in
Instructional Technology,
with minors in Japanese and
Psychology. He also worked
for the California Community
Colleges, and was involved
with the framing of the junior
college program in California.
Dr. Meyers’ career eventually
led him to Japan to teach.
While in Japan, Dr. Meyers
met his future wife.
Dr. Meyers left a position
at Pasadena City College to
become the 18th President
of Western Oregon State College
(WOSC) in February of 1983.
In 1986, President Meyers
finished negotiating a deal
to create the Oregon
Public Safety Academy
on the (WOSC) campus. The
Oregon Public Safety Academy
is the home of the training
facility for both state troopers
and local police officers
in Oregon. Additionally, President
Meyers secured the lease for
the Oregon
Military Academy, the
first armed services training
center on the campus a four-year,
degree-granting university
in the country. The revenue
generated from the academies
allowed the university to
build MacArthur
Field. The new state of
the art field, track, and
grand stands replaced Memorial
Stadium, which burned to the
ground in dramatic fashion
in 1978, and its aging and
inadequate facilities.
Dr. Meyers was followed by
Bill
Cowart as President of
WOSC in 1993.
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