Washington State University (WSU) is a top research university dedicated to improving lives, unlocking possibilities for students, and serving the public good. With six campuses, 11 academic colleges, extension offices in all 39 Washington counties, and four research and extension centers, WSU achieves its land grant mission by empowering students, faculty, and others to create a world where all people can thrive.
WSU is in search of the 12th President of Washington State University. Washington State law vests the Board of Regents with the responsibility for appointing the President[1]. The Regents consider the selection of the President to be their most important responsibility, and the search process to be one of their best opportunities to guide the institution into a successful new era.
As the University’s leader, the President collaborates with a wide range of internal and external communities to define the vision and set the direction for the institution. As the champion of its reputation, the President articulates the strategic goals and messages of the University to build broad support for and ownership of WSU’s vision for the future among faculty, students, staff, alumni, the Board of Regents, the WSU Foundation, local communities, government, business, and industry leaders statewide, the media, and the general public.
The Presidential Search process will rely on the WSU-adopted Equity Impact Assessment Tool as an equity lens for this search process. The following guidelines are designed to assist the Regents in meeting their responsibility in a manner that is responsive to the leadership needs of the institution today and in the future, to serve the State of Washington, and to provide a general procedural framework for the search and selection of the institution’s next President.
The presidential search process guidelines are as follows:
- The search will be conducted in a professional, efficient, and timely manner. While a reasonable objective would be to have a President named by January 2025, any timeframe should in no way impinge on the overarching goal of the search, which is to find an exceptionally qualified candidate for the position who embodies the “Go Cougs” spirit.
- The Board will respect and protect candidate confidentiality to the fullest extent allowed by law while making every effort to ensure that the search process is transparent, open, inclusive, and equitable, with multiple opportunities for input from the entire university community.
- The search shall be conducted with an awareness of the diversity of the university community and its constituencies. The search will embed the Equity Impact Assessment Tool throughout the process and proceed in accordance with equal opportunity principles and guidelines.
- The Regents will strive to appoint a Presidential Search Committee that is manageable in size and includes members from a wide variety of backgrounds, expertise, and lived experiences, including individuals from major university constituencies. It will be important for all members of the Presidential Search Committee to represent the best interests of the University as a whole and not individual interests.
- The Board of Regents will use a professional search firm to provide overall guidance to the Committee, assist with developing the leadership position and institutional profile documents, recruit and evaluate applicants, and work closely with the Committee to ensure a smooth and efficient search process.
- The Committee will work with the search consultant retained to develop procedures to be followed for the recruitment of candidates and the Committee’s evaluation of candidate qualifications. Through its procedures, the Committee will:
- Conduct the broadest search possible to attract a highly qualified and robust candidate pool.
- Function as team members dedicated to the objective of identifying and recommending to the Regents a small number of presidential candidates who meet the criteria outlined in the leadership position and institutional profile documents.
- The Presidential Search Committee and the search consultant will act in an advisory capacity only and will not have authority to act on behalf of the Board of Regents. The Board reserves the right to reject any recommendations and has sole authority to conduct the final selection and appointment process.
- The Board may deviate from these guidelines to the extent allowed by law and at its sole discretion to identify and recruit qualified candidates or to make the selection for the presidency.
[1] See RCW 28B.30.150(2)