Establishing a new degree program and approving supplemental budget requests were among the actions taken by the Washington State University Board of Regents during their first meeting of the academic year Friday in Pullman.
The action items approved by regents on Friday included:
- The establishment of a Bachelor of Arts in Human Biology degree program
- Budget approval for the second phase of WSU Pullman Global Animal Health project
- State supplemental operating and capital budget requests for 2020
- The setting of the 2020 Board of Regents meeting schedule
- Approval of President Kirk Schulz’s 2019/2020 goals
Among the goals presented by Schulz were the implementation of a five‑year strategic plan for the WSU system directly tied to the university’s budget and the implementation of a “Student Success Initiative,” focused on increasing retention and graduation rates across all student demographics.
Regents also heard presentations from the WSU Foundation, Alumni Association, Associated Students of WSU and the Graduate and Professional Student Association.
Several informational items were discussed Friday by regents that had been presented during committee meetings the day before. Among them:
- An enrollment report highlighting a new system-wide record of 31,607 students this fall
- A proposal to complete the fourth floor of the Plant Sciences Building Project while crews are on‑site as a cost‑savings measure
- A presentation on the future of WSU Health Sciences Spokane
- An update on the university’s Modernization initiative
More information on items discussed by regents can be found on the Board of Regents website.
Media contact:
- Phil Weiler, vice president for marketing and communications, 509‑595‑1708, phil.weiler@wsu.edu
