Regents approve President Schulz’s system objectives

Members of the Washington State University Board of Regents approved President Kirk Schulz's system objectives for the 2024-25 academic year among other actions during its Friday meeting.

The goals are broken down into president and system objectives:

Presidential objectives

• Stabilize total undergraduate student enrollment and grow new student enrollment
• Expand outreach and engagement efforts, broaden WSU's donor base, and maximize private philanthropic support
• Continue efforts to secure a strong conference affiliation for Cougar Athletics that charts a clear and promising path forward

System objectives

• Advance the OneWSU System approach through a series of strategies that will leverage the strength of the system
• Improve the recognition of WSU's brand and enhance its reputation on a national level by continuing to implement a sustainable marketing program
• Decrease undergraduate retention gap between the overall university student population and first-generation, low-income, and people of color
• Increase research competitiveness and national standing
• Build and strengthen WSU's systems and processes to support WSU's application and recognition as a Carnegie Classified Community-Engaged Institution for the 2026 Cycle
• Institutionalize equity-minded recruitment and retention processes to improve diversity among WSU's faculty
• Support the advancement of a stable fiscal future by continuing to develop system-wide budget planning processes and improved fiscal transparency across the WSU system
• Develop a long-term strategy for maintaining a balanced budget for Intercollegiate Athletics
• Increase access to actionable data that empowers WSU staff to gain valuable insights and make informed and timely decision-making.

Following discussions on the ongoing search for Schulz's successor, regents also voted to approve a Presidential Leadership Profile, which outlines the traits and experience WSU is looking for in its next president as well as the board's expectations of that forthcoming leader. More information about the ongoing search, including a list of presidential search committee members, is available online.

A $150,000 increase in the project budget for ongoing improvements to the Knott Dairy Center - a $10 million project funded in the state of Washington's 2023-2025 Capital Budget - was also approved by regents.

Approving changes to the university's voluntary investment program, authorizing the WSU Police Department to participate in the Federal Surplus Property Program, and amending the allocation of the WSU Pullman Undergraduate Technology Fee rounded out the list of approved action items.

Committee meetings

Regents heard several presentations during a series of committee meetings Thursday afternoon.

A presentation on fall enrollment given by Provost Chris Riley-Tillman and Vice Provost of Enrollment Management Saichi Oba featured several highlights, including a second consecutive year in growth in first-year student enrollment and an increase in new transfer students for the first time since 2019.

Among its incoming first-year class this fall, WSU saw increases in the proportion of students of color, students from Washington, and students from low income households compared to last fall.

Oba also highlighted the success of early enrollment events that took place in the lead up to the Apple Cup. From 80 Instant Decision Days, WSU admitted more than 1,500 students, which puts the university 70% ahead of where it was at this time last fall.

Regents also heard presentations concerning the launch of the university's latest brand marketing campaign, the fiscal year 2025 budget, and the challenges of keeping the university safe from cybersecurity attacks. Regents also discussed tuition rates for the 2025-26 academic year, though no action was taken.

Regents participated in two days of meetings inside the Compton Union Building on the WSU Pullman campus. These meetings were live-streamed and are available to watch in-full online.

The board is next scheduled to meet in Seattle Nov. 14-15. More information is available on the WSU Board of Regents website.

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