PULLMAN, Wash. Gerald R. Schlatter, university architect and associate vice president for Washington State University, will retire this month following 11 years of service during which he oversaw the planning, design and construction of more than $1 billion in capital construction projects.
During his tenure, Schlatter oversaw major capital construction programs for the Pullman campus, three branch campuses and four research stations. The 45-person Department of Capital Planning and Development is responsible for all campus construction planning and management, interior design and space management. Some of the projects completed during Schlatter’s service to WSU include the Student Recreation Center, Shock Physics Lab, Student Union Building renovation, the 18-hole championship Palouse Ridge golf course and the Plant Biosciences Laboratory Building.
“For more than a decade, Jerry Schlatter has played a key role in managing the growth of this university and in developing world-class, state-of-the-art educational and research facilities on our campuses,” said WSU President Elson S. Floyd. “He is to be commended for his service to WSU and our state during what has been a critically important period in our growth.”
A registered architect with multiple years of experience in all phases of design, development, planning and construction management, Schlatter has managed numerous construction projects throughout the Pacific Northwest and in Hawaii, Colorado, California and the Far East. Prior to joining WSU, he served as project manager for the 12,000-seat, $58.8 million Spokane Arena.
As an architect and developer, he has also constructed single family, multi-family and commercial projects including subdivisions, planned unit developments, condominiums and commercial business parks. Schlatter also formerly organized and managed the King County Division of Architecture and served as project manager for the 65,000-seat Kingdome in Seattle.
“I very much appreciate the opportunities WSU has provided over the past 11 years at the culmination of my professional career,” Schlatter said of his planned retirement from WSU. “I’ve been able to participate in the design and construction of some state-of-theart buildings and programs that will serve WSU for decades to come.”
Schlatter is a graduate of the University of Idaho and a member of the Association of University Architects, the Seattle Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and the Dispute Resolution Foundation.
He and his wife, Susan LaLonde Schlatter, a WSU alumnus and retired Pullman High School teacher, plan on participating in a wide range of outdoors activities, splitting their time in retirement between Pullman and Chewelah, Schlatter said.