Calculating Solutions: Eric and Jean Nelson’s Lasting Impact on The Honors College

By Gary Hyatt, WSU Honors College, gary.hyatt1@wsu.edu

Eric Nelson and Jean Sygitowicz Nelson’s story began in a calculus classroom at Washington State University in 1972. Both freshman math majors, they met during their second semester and forged a friendship that grew over study sessions and shared challenges. In 1976, they graduated with Bachelor of Science degrees in Mathematics and married just two weeks after graduation, embarking on a life together centered on service and community impact.

Careers Rooted in Service                                

For the next forty years, Eric and Jean pursued careers that reflected their shared dedication to mission-driven work. Eric spent his career with the YMCA, an organization focused on empowering youth and strengthening communities, while Jean worked in accounting departments for several mission-driven organizations. In retirement, Eric and Jean continue their dedication to service within their community. Eric volunteers with several local nonprofit organizations, while Jean has devoted more than 20 years of service to Bible Study Fellowship. She particularly enjoys her roles with children’s programs. Additionally, Jean volunteers as an accountant for a local nonprofit organization.

Honors Education’s Lasting Influence

Looking back, Eric and Jean credit The Honors College at WSU as a key influence on their lives. While they remember the challenges and rewards of their mathematics coursework, it was the Honors curriculum that broadened their perspectives and exposed them to subjects outside their major. Classes like Biology, Development of Eastern Civilization, and Domain of the Arts offered a window into worlds beyond differential equations and abstract linear algebra. Both recall their professors as gifted and humble teachers who inspired them to see life through a wider lens.

They believe the lessons they learned in The Honors College—curiosity, critical thinking, and a commitment to lifelong learning—have played a vital role in their personal and professional journeys. Eric and Jean emphasize how the Honors College experience goes beyond academics, encouraging students to engage deeply in their education. They value how Honors prepares students to be effective and impactful in their careers and communities, providing a foundation for success that reaches far beyond WSU.

Staying Connected to WSU and The Honors College

Over the years, Eric and Jean have stayed connected to The Honors College, attending several Open Houses when they come back to campus and keeping up with the program’s progress through its updates in the Honors College Newsletters. “Dr. Bhatia and the Honors Program had an office in Van Doren Hall when we attended WSU fifty years ago,” they recall fondly. “We are confident he would be pleased to see all of the changes that have occurred.”

Supporting Future Generations

“Our lives have been richly blessed. We feel it is important to give back to some of those institutions that have had an impact on us and that we believe will have an impact in the future. Certainly, the Honors College at WSU is one of those institutions. Our hope is that the Honors College will continue to evolve to meet the needs of future generations of students so they may have the kind of transformative education we experienced”

Through their endowment, Eric and Jean hope to give future students the chance to benefit from the kind of transformative education that they experienced. Their vision is to see The Honors College continue to inspire, educate, and connect generations of students for years to come.