The Evaluation Center's 50th Anniversary Celebration

The Evaluation Center

People standing in a crowd clapping for a speaker

Evaluation Center staff at a booth in an exhibit hall

Evaluation Center staff in front of a WMU banner

Evaluation Lab director and �鶹��ýs at a conference

Brianna Hooks Singletary standing at a podium giving a presentation

The Evaluation Center's 50th Anniversary Celebration

In 2023-24, The Evaluation Center proudly marked its 50th anniversary at �鶹��ý with a yearlong celebration of its legacy and contributions to the field of evaluation. The milestone was recognized with a variety of activities at the local and national level. A dedicated week of blogs on the American Evaluation Association's AEA 365 platform featured insights and reflections from center staff. A social media series revisited archived news features, spotlighting the center's rich history and achievements at WMU. The festivities culminated in an anniversary reception that brought together community members, partners, and friends and featured remarks from WMU’s President, Dr. Edward Montgomery, and Vice President for Research and Innovation, Dr. Remzi Seker. A short video helped communicate the center’s purpose and achievements to new audiences. These activities honored the center’s storied past while embracing the future.

Sharing our Story: 50 Years of Impact

AEA365 Blogs

To showcase the center's leadership in the evaluation field, Evaluation Center staff contributed a week of blogs to the American Evaluation Association's AEA 365 platform:

Social Media Archived News Series

A collage of archived newspaper clippings on gold backgrounds — Our social media campaign revisited archived news stories, highlighting milestones in the center's history at WMU.

Video

A Gathering to Celebrate 50 Years

On September 14, 2023, we hosted a special reception at WMU’s Heritage Hall to celebrate The Evaluation Center’s 50th anniversary. Community members, partners, and campus colleagues came together to honor this milestone and reflect on five decades of advancing evaluation from our home base at WMU. The event featured inspiring speeches by WMU President Edward Montgomery, Vice President of Research and Innovation Remzi Seker, and Evaluation Center Executive Director Lori Wingate, which you can view below. This gathering offered a meaningful opportunity to connect, celebrate, and look ahead to the future of our work.

President Montgomery, Lori Wingate, and Remzi Seker in front of an Evaluation Center banner

Reception guests chatting at the candle making station

Mary Ramlow listening to someone talking at the reception

Reception guests talking in front of a WMU mural

A woman talking and laughing at reception

Image of reception guests in Heritage Hall

Remzi Seker giving a speech at a podium in front of a gold background