By: Paige Scofield
Campus Life Editor

On Friday Sept. 23, the Richard Woodcock Education Center became open to the public. Construction for the building began last year and was completed before the 2016 school year started. Before the ribbon cutting, the crowd gathered around the building waiting for the speakers to present. Among those speakers was Oregon’s Governor, Kate Brown.

When taking the podium, she endlessly complimented the university and all the steps that we’ve made to further our education curriculum. She spoke with true sincerity and graciously complimented Western again by stating, “Educators trained at Western will contribute to Oregon’s goal of building an education system that meets the needs of all students.” The last to speak, of course, was Richard Woodcock.

Western News stated that during his time at Western (then called the Oregon College of Education), Dr. Woodcock served as an assistant professor of psychology and the Reading Clinic director from 1957 to 1961. Dr. Woodcock strives to bring teachers and students together from all walks of life by using education as something that brings people together.

Once the speeches were complete, Gov. Kate Brown and Dr. Richard Woodcock cut the red ribbon, officially opening the Richard Woodcock Education Center to the Western campus and public.

The building itself is filled top to bottom with technology. This includes SMART Boards, avatar simulations and live-streaming connections with real classrooms in the surrounding areas. Not to mention, you can write on the walls; many of the classrooms and study areas have whiteboard walls that allow you to use them as you please. Even if you don’t have a class in the Richard Woodcock Education Center, go take a look and see the wonders for yourself.

Contact the author at journalcampuslife@wou.edu