October 9, 2020

To our Cougar community:

Please join us Monday in celebrating WSU’s third Indigenous People’s Day. The Office of Tribal Relations and Native American Programs will host a series of events to mark the occasion.

On October 8, 2018, we declared through proclamation that the second Monday of October would be Indigenous People’s Day at Washington State University. We are committed to not only building relationships comprised of trust, respect and reciprocity with Indigenous Peoples, but also to ensure we honor the sovereignty of Native American Tribes and peoples.

In 1997, Washington State University entered into a MOU agreement with six local tribes … » More …

September 2020

Dear Faculty and Staff:

Congratulations on finishing the first 5 weeks of the fall semester. I appreciate the excellent work all of you are doing in using technology to support our students both in and out of the classroom. As I visit with various student groups, I continue to hear positive feedback about the extra efforts each of you is making to ensure our students receive the best Cougar experience possible.

One of the key opportunities identified through our recent strategic planning efforts is to continue the development of the WSU system. During the last several years we have been evolving from a “hub‑and‑spoke” model, in which … » More …

Dear Faculty, Staff, and Students:

The WSU community, like many university families nationwide, has been under the nation’s microscope lately. This has been particularly true on our Pullman campus.

Our best efforts to develop strategies to meet the demands of COVID‑19 have, at times, been met with profound obstacles. There is no established playbook for managing the ever-changing demands of COVID‑19.

But in keeping with the Cougar Spirit, we will continue to work together and adapt to the rapidly evolving challenges our university faces.

Our latest efforts to expand COVID‑19 testing capacity in Pullman demonstrate that flexibility and commitment:

On Sept. 2, a mobile health … » More …

Dear Faculty and Staff:

Welcome back for the fall 2020 semester. Despite lack of the usual visible evidence of the hustle and bustle that takes place throughout the WSU system as we begin a new academic year, I know all of you worked extremely hard to make our opening successful. Thank you so much.

The last several months have continued to create unprecedented stress for our community. The uncertainty surrounding COVID‑19, the state of the economy, and the issues involving systemic racism and social justice are among the concerns that need our attention. I deeply appreciate all of your efforts during these times in support of WSU and … » More …

To our WSU Pullman Students,

As you prepare for fall 2020, we know you have been waiting for a decision on student fees. We recognize and appreciate the significant personal investments you are making in your education.

The decisions we make as an institution impact your experience at WSU as well as your financial future. We’ve continued to keep facilities open that support your basic needs and provide you with the services focused on health and well-being. Many of these services are funded by student fees.

Therefore, we are delaying institutional decisions regarding fee adjustments for fall 2020 until students can be a part of … » More …

To our Cougar community on the WSU Pullman campus:

We write today with disappointing news. Our fall 2020 semester at WSU Pullman will not be what we hoped, wanted, or planned.

Given the alarming rise in the number of COVID‑19 cases regionally and nationally, all undergraduate courses at WSU Pullman will be delivered at a distance and will be completed remotely, with extremely limited exceptions for in‑person instruction. Information regarding WSU Pullman graduate coursework and instructional delivery methods will be announced by August 1.

We are coordinating closely as a WSU system in finalizing plans for the fall. Our other campuses will announce their plans shortly.

We make this decision with the … » More …

Dear Faculty and Staff:

As we continue to carefully weigh the impact of various budget-reduction scenarios and identify solutions that will be the least harmful to our ability to carry out our land-grant mission, I want to bring you up-to-date on the steps that the Executive Committee of the President’s Cabinet has approved for the system-wide Fiscal Year 2021 budget process.

As you know, on May 13, WSU received notification from the governor’s Office of Financial Management (OFM) directing all state agencies to identify operating budget savings for the fiscal year beginning July 2020 due to anticipated declines in state revenues caused by the COVID‑19 pandemic. … » More …

Dear Cougar Community:

We want to be crystal-clear: Washington State University fully supports the ability of all international students to pursue a college degree.

We feel compelled to make this public statement in light of the announcement earlier this week by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that it would discontinue visa exceptions for international students on F‑1 visas who take all of their courses online. The decision could force hundreds of thousands of international students to leave the United States and threatens the academic work of more than 2,100 students across the WSU system.

The new federal policies are unjust and damaging. At a time when universities … » More …

It is with much sadness and regret that we write to let you know we have decided to cancel the in‑person commencement ceremonies scheduled at all of our campuses later this summer.

This is not a choice that any of us wanted to make. It was a decision not easily made nor quickly reached. But in consideration of the state’s COVID‑19 guidelines for resuming group activities and our own abundance of caution in protecting the health and safety of the entire Cougar community, we feel it is the right decision.

Please join us in once again congratulating our 2020 spring semester graduates. They displayed … » More …

Dear Faculty, Staff, and Students:

Yesterday’s ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court is a tremendous victory for many students at WSU, as well as students and their families throughout the State of Washington and the nation.

The Supreme Court’s decision blocked the dismantling of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy, which would have affected an estimated 700,000 young adults across the country. Considering the events of the past few months, we welcome the Court’s decision in support of DACA students, especially for those undocumented students in our Cougar community.

Additionally, we reaffirm our commitment to creating an environment that fully encourages and embraces the educational and life aspirations … » More …