Marie Sather to retire after 32 Years at Western; party set for June 2 at the Lakeway Inn
Marie Sather will retire from her position as Western Washington University’s Campus Recreation Services (CRS) director at the end of this academic quarter after 32 years of service to the University.
A reception for Sather will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, June 2 at the Best Western Lakeway Inn to recognize her contributions to the university.
As director of CRS, Sather oversees the myriad programs, services, facilities and fiscal responsibilities of the department, and assists in strategic planning in the Division of Enrollment and Student Services. Succeeding Sather as the new director of CRS is Adam Leonard, the current associate director.
“Marie brought to Western high standards and active engagement through intramurals and sports clubs along with leading the design and implementation for the Student Recreation Center. It was Marie’s vision which focused the intramural and sport clubs on outcome based learning and leadership opportunities,” said Eileen Coughlin, senior vice president and vice president of Enrollment and Student Services. “Her involvement in the division’s assessment programs breathed meaning into the extra-curricular learning which has been imbedded in Campus Recreation Services. First and foremost, Marie has been an educator and this will be her lasting legacy."
During her tenure, Campus Recreation Services saw significant improvements to how the department served and benefited the campus community. She spearheaded the process of building the Wade King Student Recreation Center and made sure students were heavily involved in the process, from initial surveys regarding facility design and features to the 1999 referendum which garnered an over 70 percent yes vote. Opened in the fall of 2003, the Wade King Student Recreation Center was the first LEED-certified recreation center in the United States to feature a swimming pool.
Sather received her bachelor’s degree in Education from Central Washington University, where she was a star athlete and captain of the basketball and field hockey teams. After college, she continued to compete as a standout field hockey player, winning a gold medal at the United States Sports Festival in 1978. She was selected as a member of the training squad for the United States Olympic field hockey which would have competed at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, but was unable to participate due to the United States’ boycott of the Games.
She later earned a master’s degree in Education from Western. In 2008, she was inducted into CWU’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
After a successful career spanning more than 30 years at Western, Sather said the single thing she was most proud of was the process that led to the building of the Wade King Student Recreation Center. She made sure students were heavily involved in the process, from initial surveys regarding facility design and features to the 1999 student referendum which garnered an over 70 percent yes vote. Opened in the fall of 2003, the Wade King Student Recreation Center was the first LEED-certified recreation center in the United States to feature a swimming pool.
Sather said she will miss her interaction with students most of all.
“I’ve seen a lot of things change at Western. One thing that I feel hasn’t really changed is the enthusiasm that students have. When I think back about the excitement students had when they entered the door and the ideas they had, that’s still happening,” she said.