Search for Provost and Executive Vice President

Washington State University (WSU), a distinguished and comprehensive system of campuses built on the foundational purposes of the land-grant university – to provide education to all, to conduct scholarly inquiry that benefits society, and to share expertise that enhances the lives of individuals and communities – seeks an inspirational, enterprising, and strategic academic leader to serve as its next Provost and Executive Vice President (Provost). This is an exciting time to join WSU under the strategic and forward-looking leadership of President Kirk Schulz, who became the university’s 11th president in June 2016.

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In the past 35 years alone, WSU has seen incredible growth—going from a single flagship campus to an evolving system of six interconnected campuses, numerous research and learning centers, and 39 extension centers throughout the state. WSU has a current enrollment of nearly 26,500 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students and approximately 6,800 faculty and staff at its five physical campuses (Pullman, Spokane, Tri-Cities, Vancouver, and Everett), as well as its numerous other locations across the state of Washington and online through its Global Campus. The Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, founded in 2015, has expanded access to health care in underserved areas and provides additional opportunities for Washington residents to gain a medical degree in-state.

In recent years, the university has reorganized to become a system, or OneWSU. The system is designed to allow all campuses, research and learning centers, and extension centers to better achieve their land-grant mission as appropriate for their locations and contexts, while at the same time ensuring consistent academic quality, mission, policies, and branding. In 2020, the university launched its first comprehensive system strategic plan that includes a recently defined vision to deepen and expand its impact by building on the strengths of each campus and location for a stronger state and global community.

The next Provost and EVP has the opportunity to further establish WSU as a comprehensive system and achieve the goals of the strategic plan.

Reporting to the President, the Provost sets the tone for academic excellence in research and scholarly achievements, teaching, and service. The Provost serves as chief academic officer for all academic programs other than health sciences (medicine, nursing, and pharmacy); for health sciences programs, the Provost shares responsibility and authority with the Executive Vice President for Health Sciences. As a member of the university system’s leadership team, the Provost works in close collaboration with WSU’s senior leadership team, including the other executive officers, campus chancellors, deans, and faculty. The Provost will demonstrate evidence of success in elevating a large, complex research institution; a passion for growth and innovation; and dedication to delivering a transformational education to all students.

The university’s total annual operating budget tops $1.2 billion. Grants and contracts, combined with tuition and fees, account for about 39 percent of revenues. After years of declining state support, the Washington legislature began reinvesting in higher education in recent years. The legislature appropriated $146 million for capital projects at WSU during its last session, and state operating appropriations represent about 26 percent of university revenues. WSU’s land grant consolidated endowment assets are valued at more than $1 billion. The university’s research and development expenditures reached $368.4 million in 2022. For several years in a row, WSU has landed at the top of the list of U.S. Department of Agriculture research and development expenditures, according to the National Science Foundation’s Higher Education Research and Development Survey. WSU researchers expended $50.9 million in USDA funding during the 2017 federal fiscal year, the second of the two years that WSU ranked first among 390 universities nationwide.

The incoming Provost will play a key role in helping the university achieve its vision and strategic goals through shared faculty governance, deliberate and extensive collaboration with staff, students, and administrators, and the implementation of innovative strategies for continued success. Since its inception, WSU has recruited and retained an excellent faculty, made strategic investments in academic and research priorities, built interdisciplinary partnerships across academic units and campuses, and expanded academic offerings statewide. The next Provost will work with university leaders to shape the future of WSU by addressing the following key opportunities and challenges:

  • Drive a comprehensive, strategic, and clearly articulated vision for academic excellence and innovation across the WSU system
  • Lead the development of a comprehensive model for an exceptional and seamless student educational experience across the system
  • Foster collaborative relationships across the system
  • Develop a comprehensive system-wide enrollment management strategy
  • In collaboration with WSU communities, build programs with measurable goals to improve diversity and inclusion among faculty throughout the WSU system
  • Establish strong operational, financial, and management processes to support WSU’s growth and success in the academic, faculty, and research enterprises
  • Serve as a WSU ambassador and academic champion, enhancing the visibility of the university system locally, nationally, and beyond