EWU Provost Scott Gordon had called for a review of the strengths and weaknesses of the Honors Program, wanting to look at strengthening diversity and recognizing what students need to be leaders.

Gordon contacted Naomi Yavneh-Klos for the task. Yavneh-Klos was hired as special assistant to the provost for honors.

Yavneh-Klos is currently  the president of the National Collegiate Honors Council, the leading professional organization for honors in the U.S. She has several publications and presentations on honors, justice pedagogy and undergraduate research.

Referred to as the guru of “inclusive excellence” by The New York Times, Yavneh-Klos is a Phi Beta Kappa from Princeton, with a Ph.D. in comparative literature from the University of California Berkeley, according to Eastern 24/7.

Yavneh-Klos’ family history influences her support for first-generation college students that she will bring to EWU.

“Four of my close relatives were refugees that had english as their second, or even third language,” Yavneh-Klos said. “In the 1920s, my grandma decided to go to college majoring in mathematics and minoring in physics, because women couldn’t major in physics at the time. I want to make sure that everyone has many opportunities.”