VANCOUVER, Wash. – The Washington State University Board of Regents will begin a comprehensive review of President Kirk Schulz’s performance so far.
The move follows a previous board decision to conduct in-depth reviews of the university’s president every three to five years. The review process will allow for input from students, faculty staff and other members of the WSU community.
“President Schulz enjoys broad support from the Board of Regents, and with President Schulz having served for three years, it is timely to take a comprehensive evaluation of effectiveness,” said Board Chair Brett Blankenship. “Our goal is to compile recommendations to the president to maximize his professional performance, and compiling information to position WSU for greater success.”
The Board has retained Kevin Reilly, president emeritus of the University of Wisconsin System who currently serves the Association of Governing Bodies, to help facilitate the review and procure confidential interviews among the university community.
Beginning in December, Blankenship will discuss the purpose and process of the assessment with campus officials from across the university system. Interviews of members of the WSU community will take place in January. The final assessment report will be discussed at the Board of Regents Retreat in June.
Benefits of conducting a comprehensive presidential assessment include engaging the university community to identify future challenges and to deepen regent’s understanding of the breadth of complex issues managed by the president.
Regents also approved a fourth-year College of Veterinary Medicine differential tuition rate as well as the board’s meeting schedule for 2021. Officials with the WSU Foundation also discussed the state of philanthropy and their ambition to double the university’s endowment in the next decade.
Schulz opened Friday’s meeting with a presentation on successes from the fall semester so far, including a slate of strong rankings for the university in areas like social mobility and community service.
Chancellor Mel Netzhammer gave a presentation on WSU Vancouver commemorating its 30 years of existence. WSU Vancouver’s first graduating class of 38 in 1990 pales in comparison to the 1,045 students who graduated in 2019. WSU Vancouver’s enrollment stands at 3,585 with freshmen, transfer and graduate student enrollments growing this fall.
The Board of Regent’s next meeting is scheduled for Jan. 23 and 24 in Seattle.
Media contact:
Phil Weiler, vice president for marketing and communications, 509‑335‑1221, phil.weiler@wsu.edu
