Dear Faculty and Staff:

I hope all of you enjoyed some well-deserved time off over the Thanksgiving break. I had the opportunity to represent the University at several Apple Cup events in Seattle last weekend, including at a WSU Alumni Association event Friday evening. More than 300 enthusiastic alumni and friends turned out to hear about some of our university-wide successes this academic year and to cheer on the Cougar football team before we took on the University of Washington in the Apple Cup game Saturday evening.

Each year, UW President Ana Mari Cauce and I agree to a friendly wager involving the outcome of the game. If WSU … » More …

Dear Faculty and Staff:

Greetings from French Administration! I hope your fall semester is going smoothly as we approach the halfway point next month.

One of my favorite activities of the year is hosting town hall meetings for all of our colleges and campuses. Attendance at the gatherings earlier this month was up at almost all locations, and I appreciate the faculty, staff, and students who attended to learn more about our accomplishments, new initiatives, and the state of the university budget. In my October letter to the community, I will provide some highlights from the meetings and summarize the key questions that were asked … » More …

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff:

This morning the White House announced plans to terminate the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in six months. Even though Washington State University students are not required to disclose their immigration status, we believe there are several hundred DACA students enrolled at WSU campuses in any given year. These young scholars are valued members of the Cougar family, and we remain committed to supporting their dreams of a WSU education.

The leadership of Washington’s higher education institutions joined me earlier today to forcefully proclaim our support of all of the state’s DACA students. More than 50 presidents … » More …

Dear Faculty, Staff, and Students:

As many of you know, a student on the Pullman campus was seriously injured recently when he fell out of a window at the Community/Duncan Dunn Residence Hall. Our thoughts remain with our fellow student, his parents, family, and friends as he continues to receive medical care for his injuries.

Since this tragic accident, the University has been conducting a review of window safety in the 17 residence halls on the Pullman campus. A cross-departmental team including representatives from Housing, Dean of Students Office, Facilities Services, Risk Management, and the President’s Office was tasked with developing recommendations to help ensure … » More …

Dear WSU Community,

On the same day we welcomed Cougs to their new home in Pullman, we heard and saw the most vile and dehumanizing beliefs and actions of human history surface yet again. I was heartbroken. As a higher education leader, there is no way to reconcile the work that we do with violence and hate.

The senior leadership team at Washington State University is united—we strongly denounce racism and Nazism of any kind and condemn the violence that occurred in Charlottesville, Virginia. Hate has no place at WSU. It has no place in the Cougar community.

We also believe in the mission and purpose … » More …

Dear Faculty and Staff:

Greetings from the East Coast! I write this letter between visits to WSU alumni and friends in the Washington, D.C., and New York City areas. When I travel out of state for these trips I am reminded again that we send our graduates across the nation and beyond—and that regardless of whether these alumni are hundreds or thousands of miles away—they are enthusiastically committed to ensuring the University’s success.

As relatively new Washingtonians, Noel and I are enjoying our opportunities to discover the abundance of outdoor attractions that make the Pacific Northwest a fabulous place to live. In May, we drove … » More …

Summer is here! While living in the Palouse or elsewhere in the Evergreen State is certainly enjoyable throughout the entire year, summers provide wonderful opportunities for us to delight in the region’s natural beauty and participate in the outdoor opportunities the season offers us.

During my time as a young faculty member, I worked hard to build a summertime to-do list. Like many of you, my list included proposal and manuscript writing, working with graduate students in my laboratory, professional reading, early fall class preparation, and some family vacation time. Often, my list contained 6 months’ worth of activities that I attempted to fit into … » More …