WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY President Kirk Schulz will retire from his post in June 2025, he and the WSU Board of Regents announced moments ago. Schulz arrived at WSU in 2016, succeeding the late Elson Floyd. In a letter to Cougar Nation today, he said the retirement planning process began last June and thathis intent isto overlapseveral months with his successor in order to offer transitional support.
"These last eight years as president of Washington State University have been some of the best years of my career," said Schulz in a release. "I am immensely proud of what we've accomplished together to educate students, conduct ground-breaking research, and improve the lives of Washingtonians. I look forward to continuing this work over the next year, and I look forward to supporting the Board of Regents in their search for my successor."
Cougfan.com will have more coverage later. You can read his letter in full here:
Dear WSU community –
As the 2023-24 academic year comes to a close, I am completing my eighth year serving as president of Washington State University. Noel and I were formally introduced to WSU in March of 2016 and have thoroughly enjoyed leading our university since that time.
I informed the WSU Regents in June 2023 that it was time to start formally planning for my retirement as WSU President. After significant discussion last fall with the Board of Regents and professional colleagues, I informed the board of my intention to step down as WSU President effective June 2025. Today, I am partnering with the Board of Regents to announce my retirement and formally initiate the search for my successor.
A successful transition in leadership takes time and careful planning, and I want to ensure that the WSU community and Board of Regents have plenty of time to conduct a national search for the 12th President of Washington State University. The opportunity to serve as president at WSU will be a highly sought-after position that will attract experienced, nationally recognized thought leaders in public higher education.
As I reflect on my time as WSU president, I am proud of the many positive achievements we have accomplished together. We have successfully funded and launched the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine; seen record levels of philanthropic giving supporting faculty, staff, and students; and have enjoyed unparalleled success across Cougar Athletics – both on the field and in the classroom. I am a strong believer in hiring talented leaders and giving them the opportunities to thrive and grow – and am proud of assembling a dynamic group of chancellors, deans, and vice presidents.
Over this next academic year, I will focus my time and energy on stabilizing our enrollment, initiating a system-wide strategic administrative and programmatic review, determining a long-term home for Cougar Athletics, and continuing to aggressively fundraise as part of our current comprehensive fundraising campaign.
At the conclusion of my time as president, I will be taking a year of leave to do some writing and mentoring of leaders in public higher education. My plan is to remain in Washington and to support my successor as they seek to lead WSU to greater heights in the coming years. Noel plans to continue her work as inaugural Director of the Institute for Northwest Energy Futures on the WSU Tri-Cities campus, and we both look forward to continued interactions with Cougs throughout the state of Washington and beyond.
It has been an incredible honor and the highlight of my career to serve at WSU. I look forward to the year ahead.
Go Cougs,
Kirk
Related: WSU's Kirk Schulz standing up for rest of the country, andFinebaum, national mouthpiece of the SEC, hates it
QUOTABLE:
- "Congratulations President Schulz on announcing your pending retirement. I appreciate your support and leadership as we navigated challenging times together these last few years. My family and I will forever be grateful for the opportunity and trust you had in me to lead Cougar Football. I look forward to working together to advance Cougar athletics into an exciting future. Go Cougs!!!" -- Jake Dickert
- "President Schulz made a significant impact at WSU and leaves a notable set of accomplishments. The Board of Regents are grateful for his leadership. Since June 2023, President Schulz has had many conversations with the Board about his intention to retire which has allowed us to be thoughtful as we prepare and design an inclusive search process for our 12th President." --Lisa Keohokalole Schauer, chair of the WSU Board of Regents
