The College of Arts and Sciences has selected Katie Forsythe as the new director of student success, strengthening a college-wide effort to ensure students graduate prepared for their first job and for careers that will continue to evolve throughout their lives.
Forsythe will hold a faculty appointment in the Department of Sociology and will coordinate with academic departments, college leadership, and external partners to foster student success and career readiness programs, including the College’s Career-Ready, World-Ready initiative. Her work will include curriculum development, the creation of a student portfolio program, and efforts to connect academic experiences, experiential learning, and career readiness across the College of Arts and Sciences.
“Career-Ready, World-Ready reflects what an arts and sciences education does especially well,” said Courtney Meehan, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “We prepare students to contribute immediately while giving them the breadth, judgment, and capacity to keep learning throughout their careers. Katie will help us make those connections more visible and intentional for every student.”
Forsythe’s approach to student success and career readiness is centered on helping students intentionally connect what they’re learning in the classroom with who they want to become personally and professionally.
“I hope to create an environment where every student can clearly see the connection between their education and their future,” she said.
Forsythe will also lead the development of a student portfolio program that helps students document their academic and experiential learning, reflect on their growth, and communicate their capabilities to employers, graduate programs, and other audiences.
The College will also launch a new course-tagging system within WSU’s course management platform. The tags will make it easier for students to find courses that align with their interests and that are intentionally designed to develop the skills employers consistently value, including communication, collaboration, critical thinking, applied problem-solving, digital and AI literacy, leadership, and ethical engagement.
Together, these tools will help students build more intentional academic pathways and recognize how the knowledge and skills developed throughout their education prepare them for life after graduation.
Forsythe joins the College from the Department of Human Development (HD) on the Pullman campus and brings considerable experience in supporting WSU student experiential learning. As a scholarly assistant professor and internships coordinator in HD, she regularly worked with both students and employers and was a faculty lead for industry tours for human development and psychology students.
Forsythe served as the first director of the WSU Transformational Change Initiative, and she is a former president of the WSU Association for Faculty Women (AFW). Additionally, she was the winner of the 2025-26 WSU Excellence in Online Teaching Award, a student-nominated accolade that honors instructors who prioritize communication, encourage academic growth, and foster a sense of community.
Through Career-Ready, World-Ready, CAS is building a more connected student experience, one in which courses, advising, internships, research, creative work, and community engagement contribute to a clear and purposeful path toward graduation and beyond. Forsythe will work with faculty, staff, students, alumni, and external partners to embed that approach throughout the College.
“I think higher education should be a sandbox for exploration, with career readiness preparation woven throughout the college cycle,” said Forsythe. “My goal is to help foster a college-wide culture in which career development is not viewed as a single event, but as an ongoing part of the overall student experience.”
