Lovrich Named Interim Chancellor of WSU Spokane

PULLMAN, Wash. — Nicholas P. Lovrich, the Claudius O. and Mary W. Johnson Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Washington State University, has been appointed interim chancellor of WSU Spokane, succeeding Rom Markin, who is retiring June 30.

Lovrich has served as director of the Division of Governmental Studies and Services at WSU for 25 years. The division provides applied research services to agencies of federal, state and local government, promotes faculty and graduate student research and publishes reports and produces manuscripts for publication in professional journals in political science and criminal justice.

“I have known Nick for many years and have always been impressed with his ability to grasp difficult issues. He is well known in Spokane and should help us keep the momentum that Rom Markin created. Although we expect this appointment to be relatively brief, it comes at a critical time for WSU in Spokane,” said WSU President V. Lane Rawlins.

Lovrich is a widely recognized authority on administration, politics and public policy. His work has been published in a wide range of journals, including the “Journal of Politics,” “Public Administration Review,” “Administration and Society,” “Social Science Quarterly,” “State and Local Government Review,” “Journal of Urban Affairs,” “Justice Quarterly,” “Journal of Criminal Justice,” “Judicature,” and the “Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics.” He holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Stanford University and a master’s and doctoral degree in political science from UCLA.

“I am looking forward to serving in the role of interim chancellor of WSU Spokane, and deeply honored that President Rawlins has expressed this high level of confidence in me for such an important job,” Lovrich said.

“My association with Spokane has spanned some 20 years now, principally in applied research and program evaluation work. The chance to work with the Spokane community on a full-time basis in an administrative role both excites me a great deal and frightens me just a bit, but I know the WSU Spokane staff to be first-rate and dedicated folks with whom I look forward to working very much.”

Markin began his duties as interim campus chancellor at WSU Spokane on Feb. 1, 2003.  During his tenure, the university announced its systemwide principles, which laid the foundation for increased collaboration in teaching and research between the Pullman and Spokane campuses. Meanwhile, the Spokane community embraced the concept of a University District centered on the Riverpoint campus.

The chancellor position represented the culmination of Markin’s successful and diverse career during four decades at WSU. His contributions were recognized with a new award, the President’s Award for Distinguished Lifetime Service, presented to him by Rawlins, who once served under Markin as a faculty member in the College of Business and Economics.

The search for a permanent chancellor will continue through the summer. The original position description combined the WSU Spokane chancellor role with a newly created position of vice provost for health sciences, a field that is a major research emphasis at WSU Spokane. After consultation with the president and in recognition of the growth and activity on the Spokane campus, the search committee rewrote the job description to include only the chancellor position and reopened the application process. The committee hopes to have completed the search process by early fall semester.