Dear faculty and staff,
It’s hard to believe that we’re nearing the end of fall semester!
I must say that experiencing the vibrancy of a fully in‑person Pullman
campus lives up to what I had imagined during my (remote!) interview
process. I have loved connecting with our students, faculty, and staff
face-to-face and have felt warmly welcomed into the Cougar family these
past 16 months. I also want to send a huge congratulations to the
Cougar Football team and Coach Dickert for bringing the Apple Cup back
to its rightful home on the Palouse!
When not on campus, Michael and I (and our two dogs) have greatly
enjoyed exploring the Palouse and immersing ourselves into the Pullman
community. I recently joined the Palouse Chorale Society. We just hosted
our first performance for the season, and it was wonderful to see so
many people out enjoying live music again! As a leader, I am committed
to strengthening the great town-gown relationship that Kirk and Noel
Schulz have established here on the Palouse. A true college town,
Pullman offers a rich and welcoming environment for our students,
faculty, and staff, and I look forward to working with Jeanne Weiler,
Director of WSU Pullman Community and Public Affairs, to enhance WSU’s
collaborations with our greater community.
As I step into the dual role of Provost and WSU Pullman Chancellor
over the next several months, I look forward to meeting more of you
and hearing your ideas on how to build on the strength of our flagship
campus. As President Schulz mentioned in his October letter, we are
actively working with Cougar Athletics, International Programs,
Research, and Student Affairs to ensure a successful transition and
I am enjoying getting to know the staff and learning how best to
support each of these units.
A true passion of mine is student success; the goal of this and
every great university is to prepare our students for the many twists,
turns, and opportunities that life has to offer. I have been greatly
impressed by all the great work and efforts to support our students
both inside and out of the classroom in the Division of Student
Affairs, in Academic Affairs, in our school and colleges, and across
the campus. To better understand the current landscape, Interim
Vice President Ellen Taylor and I, as well as staff from both of our
offices, have initiated an effort to inventory the programs, services,
and initiatives directed at student success on the Pullman campus. The
goal is to gain a rich understanding of the strong and successful
programs we have in place—enabling us to establish or enhance working
relationships to best support the onboarding, retention, and graduation
of our students. Our intent is not the elimination or reduction of
services; instead, we aim to create more effective networks and fill
any service gaps identified. This mapping exercise is a major step
creating a campus-wide shared vision for student success on the Pullman
campus. We will update you all on those efforts early in the spring
semester.
I am also working with Dean Mary Rezac, Vice Provost Craig Parks,
Associate Vice President Jaime Nolan and the WSU Pullman strategic
planning team to develop our first-ever Pullman campus strategic
plan. This is an opportunity to engage university colleagues in the
creation of a strategic plan that identifies and celebrates what makes
our campus distinctive, all while supporting the principles and goals
of the WSU system. Similar to our other campus strategic plans, the
WSU Pullman plan will be developed with a community-centered
mindset—decisions made for WSU Pullman directly impact our
surrounding communities.
I like to think of the implementation of the vision for OneWSU as
a dial, not a switch. As we continue to create a unique identity for
the Pullman campus, the transition team will be evaluating the structure
for the system president, system provost, and Pullman Chancellor
offices. Because of the breadth of the dual position of Provost and
Chancellor, we intend to engage in a highly deputized structure, with
delegated authority where appropriate in order to maintain timely and
effective support and leadership. The establishment of a leadership
and organizational structure for WSU Pullman will be a process that
unfolds over the next couple of years, and I am excited to go on that
journey will all of you.
In sum, I am honored to be taking on the role of the
inaugural Chancellor of the Pullman campus. In the coming months,
I will be meeting with colleagues across campus, with the support of
President Schulz, to lead our campus operations. I am committed to
continuing to learn more about our campus and system and getting out to
meet more and more of our faculty, staff, and students in person. I
welcome your ideas or thoughts and I invite you to share them to
pullman@wsu.edu.
Go Cougs!
Elizabeth
Elizabeth S. Chilton
Provost and Executive Vice President
WSU Pullman Chancellor-Designate
