Office of the PresidentPresident Schulz’s MessagesLetter to CampusGoals for the current academic year

Goals for the current academic year

Dear Faculty and Staff:

Greetings as we rapidly approach the middle of the semester. Does it seem to you, as it does to me, that we just kicked off the academic year a week or two ago?

From a big-picture viewpoint, the semester is off to a rousing start system-wide. Record enrollment and research and development expenditures, significant progress in restoring our fiscal health, and tremendous performances by our student athletes have made for a spectacular fall.

I want to express my appreciation and thanks to all of you—faculty, staff, and students on all of our campuses—for working together to ensure such a smooth start. Working together, we can continue to accomplish much in the weeks and months ahead.

Each fall I like to share my goals and objectives for the year with the WSU campus community. The goals below were initially discussed with the WSU Board of Regents at the board retreat in June and finalized when the Regents met last week on the Vancouver campus.

The goals as listed are not presented in any particular order. The Regents factor progress in achieving the goals into my annual performance evaluation.

2018‑19 ACADEMIC YEAR GOALS

Fiscal health and compliance

Begin system‑wide implementation of Workday, the new comprehensive software package for managing human resource, payroll, and finance services recordkeeping

In conjunction with the modernization initiative, streamline and improve 5 current administrative processes, including efficiency and cost saving improvements as recommended by the University Fiscal Health Advisory Committee

Meet or exceed the 2018‑19 overall University budget deficit reduction target of $10 million

Implement mandatory training regarding the state’s ethics law for all faculty and staff

Information technology
  • Launch a platform for students to formulate and deploy mobile applications to improve the WSU experience
  • Deploy and migrate videoconferencing users at all WSU locations to Skype for Business
    Student affairs
  • Continue efforts and initiatives related to student safety and the student experience (e.g., substance abuse, violence prevention, residential safety, transportation)
  • Put in place the new Standards of Conduct for Students in accordance with the recommendations of the Student Conduct Process Task
  • Force and the Division of Student Affairs
Athletics
  • Implement a financial strategy to balance expenses and revenues within the next 5 fiscal years, as proposed at the June 2018 retreat with the Regents
  • Secure long‑term naming sponsors for Martin Stadium, the Football Operations Building, and the Soccer Complex
    Leadership team development
  • Ensure 100 percent of the President’s Cabinet members participate in a professional development opportunity
  • Employ an external expert in higher education leadership development to assist in enhancing the cohesiveness and performance of the senior leadership team
  • Identify and train current WSU personnel to serve as the designated primary backup for all cabinet-level positions
Communications
  • Send a monthly e‑letter update to the campus communities
  • Send a monthly update, and more frequent updates as needed, to WSU Regents
  • Use social media, including Snapchat, to increase engagement with Washington State faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends
  • Conduct town hall meetings with each academic unit (college level) and campus during fall 2018 to share updates about the University
  • Visit each campus (Everett, Spokane, Tri‑Cities, Vancouver) on a quarterly basis
Marketing and communications
  • Develop internal communication plans for each college and major unit to better inform and engage its faculty, staff, and students
  • Create and introduce an updated WSU brand and brand platform that strengthens the University’s multicampus presence in the marketplace
Strategic planning
  • Publish baselines for each metric of the Drive to 25 and share them with the greater campus community
  • Execute action plans to advance the year one goals of the Drive to 25
  • Further develop a long‑term plan to increase WSU’s presence in Seattle, including the launch of a joint UW‑WSU public relations campaign to encourage college attendance and support affordable access to the state’s public research universities
  • Implement the recommendations provided in the biannual WSU Campus Climate survey
  • Initiate planning for the University’s next 5‑year strategic plan
Research

Officially launch the 3 joint WSU‑Pacific Northwest National Laboratory institutes (Advanced Grid, Nuclear Science and Technology, and Bioproducts) and appoint permanent codirectors

Community relationships
  • Develop a clear plan for the continued evolution of downtown Pullman that aligns with University aspirations
  • Develop a formalized collaboration with human resources professionals and hiring organizations in the Lewiston and Clarkston areas to enhance opportunities for dual‑career hiring and professional development
Fundraising and alumni relations
  • Finalize planning for the University’s third comprehensive fundraising campaign
  • Raise in excess of $155 million during 2018‑19
  • Develop enhanced relationships with 5 additional strategic corporate partners
  • Complete 6 out‑of‑state development trips
Legislative advocacy
  • Obtain $14.4 million in the 2019‑21 operating budget request to the state to support enrollment and enrollment growth at the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine
  • Secure legislative support for a 4 salary pool in the 2019‑21 operating budget request to increase faculty and staff salaries
  • Obtain funding in the 2019‑21 capital budget for top capital priorities, including construction funding for Global Animal Health (Phase 2), an academic building in the Tri‑Cities, design funding for a new life sciences building in Vancouver, and predesign funding for a new biomedical and health sciences building in Spokane
Academic affairs

Grow the open‑source materials efforts throughout the University to help address student affordability issues

  • Launch 4 new Global Campus degree programs during the upcoming academic year and initiate internal approvals for an additional 6 programs
  • Increase the number of WSU students studying abroad from 800 to 1,000
  • Develop and communicate a plan for increasing the number of tenure‑track faculty members and rebalancing the ratio of tenure‑track to nontenure‑track faculty
Campus climate and culture
  • Rewrite Executive Policy 15 (Policy Prohibiting Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct) in accordance with Executive Policy 15 Work Group recommendations to ensure it reflects best practices with respect to free speech and discrimination
  • Implement a hiring plan that reflects the recommendations of the Diverse Faculty and Staff Work Group recommendations for increasing the number of faculty and staff of color
  • Implement cultural competency training for students, faculty, and staff that reflects the recommendations of the Cultural Competency Work Group

Success in achieving these goals means a stronger One WSU. Thanks in advance for your help in moving us toward that end.

As always, I would be happy to answer your questions about any of my goals and objectives. Feel free to drop me an email at any time.

Go Cougs!
Kirk