Q: Why is President Schulz leaving?
A: After a 15-year career as a university president and a notable career of eight years at WSU, President Schulz has announced his plans to retire in June 2025. He looks forward to spending more time writing and mentoring the next generation of higher education leaders.
Q: Why announce it now if President Schulz isn’t leaving until June 2025?
A: President Schulz began discussions about his retirement plan with the Regents in June 2023. His decision and the timing of the announcement were finalized in partnership with the Board of Regents during the fall 2023 semester and provided the Board of Regents ample time to prepare and design a seamless leadership transition.
Q: Who will be hiring the president?
A: While the ultimate selection of the 12th President at WSU will be made by the Board of Regents, active participation, input, and feedback will be sought from the broader WSU community. The Board of Regents is launching a Presidential Search Committee with final presidential candidate interviews planned for late 2024.
Q: Who is on the search committee?
A: The Presidential Search Advisory Committee will be chaired by Jenette Ramos, current Vice Chair of the Board of Regents. The 25-person committee will include representation from the Board of Regents, university leadership, faculty, staff, alumni, and donors in addition to five at-large positions that will be open to applications from individuals who are currently or have previously been associated with WSU. Applications for at-large positions are due by May 16.
Applications will be reviewed and interviews will be conducted in early June.
Q: Who is eligible to apply for membership on the search committee?
A: Individuals who are currently or have previously been associated with WSU are eligible to apply for membership on the search committee. Applications will be evaluated to ensure representation from geographic locations across the state of Washington. The committee will be composed of students, faculty, staff, administrative leadership, donors, alumni, and community leaders. A diversity of lived experience and expertise will be valued in the selection process.
Q: How will the Board of Regents conduct the Presidential Search?
A: The process will center equity and be conducted in a professional, efficient, and timely manner. The Board of Regents adopted the Presidential Search Guidelines on April 19, 2024.
Q: When do we plan to announce the new president?
A: The search process will start in April 2024. The new president will tentatively start in July 2025.
Q: Who is the search firm? How were they selected?
A: Isaacson, Miller was selected by the Board of Regents upon recommendation of the Executive Committee.
The Executive Committee conducted interviews with three search firms, and upon their recommendation, the Board of Regents selected Isaacson, Miller based on their knowledge of WSU and expertise in selecting university leadership.
Q: Isaacson, Miller is conducting several searches for WSU. How will they also prioritize this search?
A: For over 42 years, Isaacson, Miller has conducted over 400 senior-level executive searches. The Presidential search will be led by partner, Julie Filizetti and supported by a dedicated team of associates and coordinators.
Q: What will President Schulz be focused on during his last year at WSU?
A: Over the next year, President Schulz is committed to stabilizing enrollment, reviewing administrative and programmatic systems across the university, finding a long-term home for Cougar Athletics, and continuing to aggressively fundraise on behalf of WSU.
The Board of Regents, President Schulz, and the WSU leadership team are also committed to advancing four strategic focus areas –
- OneWSU: Implementing and evolving the OneWSU system approach to achieve excellence, inclusivity, and empowerment while leveraging the strength of our system.
- Fiscal Transparency: Securing a prosperous fiscal future through a comprehensive program review resulting in transparency and engagement across campuses, programs, and departments.
- Reputation Strength: Safeguarding our legacy by prioritizing academic excellence, amplifying our WSU story, and increasing enrollment.
- Stabilizing Athletics: Ensuring WSU student-athletes play competitively on the West Coast securing our place in an ever-changing athletic environment.
Q: What are the next steps?
A: The Presidential Search process will launch with a focus on gathering insights from the WSU community. This early engagement will begin with focus groups designed to gather input from faculty, staff, students, and administrative leadership to inform the first draft of the Presidential Leadership Profile.
The Board of Regents wants to capture input from the internal community before the end of the school year. Our external search consultant will facilitate engagement sessions beginning the week of April 29 through May. Presidential Search Advisory Committee Chair and Vice Chair Regent Jenette Ramos will attend each focus group.
A community survey will also be available and open on April 29 to gather written feedback from those who may be unable to attend.
The Board of Regents will review the feedback and take action to adopt the first draft of the Leadership Profile at the June 6 – 7 Strategic Planning retreat.
Community feedback sessions will begin with both internal and external stakeholders in August and September 2024.