Presidential Update: Latest Changes — Week of February 9, 2026

Dear Colleagues,

Washington State University continues to operate in a period of meaningful transition. As expectations of public institutions evolve and potential state budget reductions remain, we are moving forward to redesign the WSU system to strengthen the delivery of our mission and prepare our communities for the future.

• WSU Nursing Transitions Yakima Program to Tri‑Cities and Spokane
  The College of Nursing will transition its Yakima-based degree completion programs to WSU Tri‑Cities and WSU Spokane at the end of spring 2026. This change consolidates operations to improve fiscal sustainability while maintaining the same number of nursing seats statewide and continuing clinical partnerships in the Yakima Valley. The College of Nursing will ensure students receive individualized transition plans to complete their degrees. As Washington’s largest and leading producer of registered nurses, we are refocusing resources to safeguard program excellence and strengthen our ability to meet the state’s critical nursing workforce needs.
• Historic federal investment in WSU
  The Fiscal Year 2026 federal spending bill includes nearly $55 million in direct support for WSU. This funding is purposed specifically for capital expenditures to advance research, workforce development, and infrastructure across Pullman, Spokane, and Puyallup. With bipartisan leadership and support from Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, and Representative Michael Baumgartner, the funding includes $50 million to launch a statewide Program for Aquatic Excellence, $2 million to modernize our National Semiconductor Crystal Growth Center, $1 million to support the USDA‑ARS Plant Biosciences Building, and $914,047 to expand interprofessional health sciences education.
• WSU Football Schedule
  WSU Athletics and the Pac‑12 have announced next season’s Cougar Football schedule, generating significant national attention and excitement across Cougar Nation. As we prepare for our first season in the restructured Pac‑12, we are also planning for an anticipated $20 million reduction in media revenue under the new conference model. That reality requires disciplined planning and strategic action. Initiatives like Rally Your Region, the football NIL match campaign managed by the Cougar Athletic Fund, are an important part of strengthening our competitive position and long-term sustainability.Athletics is a complex enterprise powered by talent in finance, operations, marketing, health sciences, and leadership. In the case of the Seattle Seahawks, many of those leaders are Cougs. At Super Bowl LX, Coug alumni were represented on the field by Abraham Lucas and Kyle Williams, and in leadership by Chuck Arnold (’94), President of the Seahawks, and Bert Kolde (’76), Vice Chair, standing alongside owner Jody Allen at the Lombardi Trophy presentation.
• Report for America
  The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication has partnered with Report for America to place reporters in every Washington county by 2029. In a constrained fiscal environment, this grant reflects continued progress aligned with our land‑grant mission to scale our statewide impact. The initiative expands reliable local reporting as newsrooms contract and information gaps grow. Through this public private effort, WSU will train journalists, strengthen newsroom capacity, and establish a durable model for local news across Washington.

Change at this scale requires steady progress and alignment. We are moving forward with the system‑wide redesign, proactively planning for state cuts, and making strategic investments to ensure WSU is built for the future and grounded in public service.

Thank you for your continued commitment to this work and to the future of Washington State University.

Sincerely,

BETSY CANTWELL
President, Washington State University