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Dr. Elson S. Floyd, President
Washington State University
2008 State of the University Address
Bryan Hall Theatre
3:10 p.m., Monday, February 25, 2008
Thank you for joining me today. It is a distinct honor
and a privilege for me to deliver my first State of the
University Address as the 10th president of Washington
State University on this 25th day of February, 2008.
When I first received the offer to come back to the state of Washington and take over the leadership of Washington State University a little more than a year ago, I was absolutely thrilled at the opportunity. I knew much about Washington State University from my days as an administrator at Eastern Washington University in Cheney and as executive director of the Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board.
However, with any new job, you never know fully what you are taking on until you report to work, move into the new office, meet with your colleagues, and get a first-hand impression of the place. After nine months serving as the president of our university, I can tell you that the job has surpassed my expectations. Yes, it is an outstanding institution today. But what is truly exciting to me – and I hope to all of you as well – is that this university is poised on the brink of even greater things. We can place Washington State University in the first rank of research universities nationwide.
We have the potential – the faculty expertise; the increasingly accomplished student body; the research facilities, either completed in or in development; the growing numbers of first-rank graduate students.
We have the opportunity to bring those assets together in
a way that will transform this university, advance it
into the next stage of its history. That is the process I
will discuss with you today.
I believe you can’t really decide where you are
going until you have a good idea of where you have been.
So let’s talk about that.
This university – like nearly all institutions – had humble beginnings. Established by the Legislature in 1890, shortly after Washington achieved statehood, the Agricultural College, Experiment Station and School of Science of the State of Washington opened its doors to 47 students in January 1892.
But when you read about those days, it is not the modest beginnings that stay with you. It is the ambitions of the early leaders of the university. They did not want this institution – begun in a remote corner of Washington with a few hearty students -- to be considered just a technical or agricultural school. As President Enoch Bryan told the regents in 1894, the land-grant college must provide “collegiate work that is advanced scientific and technical work, and a liberal education.”
Throughout the tenure of Dr. Bryan and the other early
leaders of this university, you see the same theme
repeated – this will be a land-grant university, a
leader in agricultural research and education. But its
vision must also be broad. It must provide
education in the arts and sciences. It must be a home for
outstanding research and graduate studies. In order to
fulfill its economic potential, the state of Washington
needs two outstanding research universities. This
argument remains as vital today as it did a century
ago.
The institution we inherit owes much to the vision of
people like President Bryan and President Holland.
It owes much, as well, to our more recent presidents – Glenn Terrell, who will always be known as the students’ president, and who also raised the profile of WSU as a research institution; Sam Smith, who broadened the scope and the reach of our university around the state of Washington through his development of the regional campuses; and Lane Rawlins, who revitalized this university as a place for outstanding undergraduate education.
How do we remain true to the vision of the people who built this institution? Do we need to be as bold as they were?
Imagine leading a fledgling agricultural college in a remote corner of a sparsely populated new state and seeing that institution’s future as an outstanding liberal arts and sciences research university. By that standard, the challenge facing us is a modest one. But even that challenge will be insurmountable if we allow complacency and a business-as-usual attitude to stall our efforts.
What is my vision for WSU?
- Our university will be recognized as one of the nation’s leading land-grant universities.
- Our university will extend its reach to every corner of this state, to the nation, to the world.
- Our research profile will grow, particularly in areas we identify as areas of academic preeminence.
- We will be dedicated both to excellence and access in undergraduate education and will expand the enrollment and reputation of our graduate programs.
- We will be a diverse institution – diverse in ideas and diverse in culture, diverse in the backgrounds of its students faculty and staff -- a place where the issues of the day can be fully explored and understood in an atmosphere of academic discovery and mutual respect.
- We will be a global university, serving the citizens of Washington as our principal obligation.
I have long held to the fundamental belief that if we are to change -- and change in bold and significant ways -- the delivery of higher education this country, it will require that we develop new paradigmns, new ways of thinking, new platforms of knowledge that will position us for the challenges and the opportunities of this global economy and marketplace
As a land-grant institution, Washington State College, now Washington State University, has maintained a solid and strong tradition of community engagement dedicated to the improvement of the quality of life for Washingtonians first and far most. This is a tradition whose tentacles extend to all 39 Washington counties and impacts the lives of countless citizens through our highly complex and robust Extension Services, Small Business Development Centers, Master Gardener Programs, and our network of Learning Centers throughout the state. WSU is truly the University of and for the people of Washington, and it is for that reason we have partnered University Extension and Outreach with Economic Development under the leadership of Dr. John Gardner.
We will evidence and document in tangible ways, our contribution to the growth and vitality of the economy of our state on both sides of the Cascades, for it is our obligation and responsibility to do exactly that for this generation of learners and those that are to follow. I want our elected and appointed officials in Olympia and in the communities that we serve to know that we are their educational partners and that we are serious about our stewardship obligations in our service to all the citizens of our state. As I have said on many occasions, the only competitive advantage that the citizens of our State will realize will be determined by the extent to which we nurture and cultivate their intellectual capacity. To the extent that we achieve these goals, we add to economic growth and vitality in all that we do. I am deeply committed to our service to the state of Washington and we will fulfill this responsibility in an unabashedly clear and precise way.
So where are we going? We will continue to build on the land-grant tradition through Extension and Economic Development dedicated to the enhancement of the quality of life for all Washingtonians. I urge your support of John Gardner, Linda Kirk-Fox and their entire team as we continue to advance this bold agenda.
The strength of Washington State University is not only our teaching and research in Pullman, but our academic programs and services in Spokane, Tri-Cities, and Vancouver. Together, they represent the crown jewels of excellence and quality at the highest level.
Many have wondered where our academic programs are headed on our urban campuses. I will merely say, the script continues to be written. And, that is the way it should be in an extremely complex and dynamic environment. The academic program selection, delivery, and execution at our urban campuses will be based on four criteria: community needs, financial resources, market demands, and reallocation of budgetary resources. We will only develop new programs designed to meet community needs, based on a solid business plan, and driven by market studies and analyses. Further, I will ask each of our Chancellors to re-allocate resources from areas of lower priority to infuse resources into new priorities. We simply cannot be all things to all people and we must be driven by excellence and quality in all that we do!
Where are we headed? I have asked Chancellor Brian Pitcher to lead an effort to analyze and ultimately create a model for a comprehensive Health Sciences network of services and programs in Spokane. We will not abandon those programs we already have in place in Spokane, but we will place renewed emphasis on the Health Sciences. This review will be done in conjunction with our academic, civic, and health care partners in Spokane and elsewhere, but it will be visionary and it will be comprehensive. I do not want us to be shackled by models of the past – I want us to be entrepreneurial, collaborative, visionary, and comprehensive in our approach. Spokane deserves nothing less!
Our Shock Physics program under the direction of Dr. Yogi Gupta will continue to develop strategic partnerships with companies like Boeing as we become more global in our engagement and research.