WSU Tri-Cities Chancellor Search
The Position
The Chancellor is the chief executive officer of Washington State University Tri-Cities in Richland, Wash., and reports to the President of Washington State University, based on the main campus in Pullman. The Chancellor plays a pivotal role in the growth and future of WSU Tri-Cities, carries out the strategies of the urban campus, and serves as a vital member of WSU leadership.
As the visionary leader of WSU Tri-Cities, the Chancellor provides the overall direction for all campus programs, activities, and services. The Chancellor is responsible for academic leadership, fiscal management, and the development of physical and human resources on the growing Tri-Cities campus.
The Chancellor is charged with expanding and developing a strong research base, and with establishing and maintaining strong and positive working relationships with regional constituents. As such, a primary responsibility of the Chancellor is the strengthening of the campus identity and enhancing higher education opportunities in the Mid-Columbia region and southcentral Washington. The Chancellor also represents the interests of WSU by maintaining and developing relationships with regional government, business, industry, professional, social, cultural, and educational institutions and leaders.
Further, the Chancellor is responsible for developing high-quality undergraduate and graduate programs and for enhancing relationships among faculty, students, staff, and administrators at WSU Tri-Cities and within the WSU system. The Chancellor is expected to encourage interdisciplinary learning and research opportunities; to create a world-class learning environment that ensures the success of all students; to focus and build on academic program development; to identify and support the diversity needs of WSU and ensure that they are met at the Tri-Cities campus; and to nurture and enhance relationships with the entire educational community in southcentral Washington.
The Chancellor represents the Tri-Cities campus at Board of Regents meetings and serves as a member of the President’s University Council with the President, Provost, and Chancellors of the WSU Spokane and WSU Vancouver campuses.
The University
Washington State University (www.wsu.edu), one of two research universities in the state, was founded in 1890 as the state’s land-grant institution and has a current enrollment of approximately 26,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students and approximately 5,600 faculty and staff. A leading research institution, WSU offers 95 undergraduate, more than 60 graduate, and more than 40 doctoral degree programs through 11 colleges and a graduate school.
In addition to the Pullman campus (approximately 20,000 students), Washington State University has campuses in Spokane, Vancouver, and the Tri-Cities; Extension offices in every county of the state; eight agricultural research centers, including one in Prosser; and online degree programs accessible worldwide.
The University strongly values diversity among its faculty, staff, and students. WSU students come together from diverse social, economic, and ethnic backgrounds from around the nation and more than 90 countries. As a comprehensive, land-grant institution, Washington State University is committed to excellence in teaching, research, and outreach to all constituents.
The Multi-Campus System
The WSU multi-campus system was developed in the mid-1980s under the guiding principle of “one University, geographically dispersed.” In 1989, WSU was designated by the state legislature as the provider of upper-division and graduate education in Spokane, Vancouver, and the Tri-Cities. In 2007, with support from the state legislature, WSU Tri-Cities received authority to expand to a four-year University campus and began admitting freshman students — marking an important event in the development and expansion of the WSU system. Consistent with the needs of the institution, its students, and the state of Washington, this organizational transformation will continue. This is particularly true at WSU Tri-Cities, where high expectations are the norm and continued rapid growth is planned for the next decade.
Washington State University Tri-Cities
WSU Tri-Cities values quality, innovation, and experiential learning. As an urban campus with strong community partnerships, WSU Tri-Cities is rich in diversity and reflects regional demographics. The campus enjoys extraordinary external support, from a formal relationship with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory operated by Battelle, to alliances with major energy and environmental engineering firms, public schools and community colleges, regional health care providers, and the growing Washington wine industry. The campus is uniquely positioned to support the region’s economic development and higher education needs.
WSU Tri-Cities currently offers 18 bachelors, 10 masters, and six doctoral degree programs in agriculture (viticulture and enology), arts and sciences, business, education, engineering, and nursing. Alliances are key, from collaborative research with PNNL in the Bioproducts Sciences and Engineering Laboratory, to development in the Tri-Cities Research District, to expansion of the wine industry, to early outreach in K-12 education, and more. The campus vision is to grow the current student body of 1,500 to 5,000 and to further strengthen academic and research programs in sustainable energy, wine science, and science and engineering (including K-12 STEM education), while maintaining a strong liberal arts program.
The Tri-Cities area of Kennewick, Pasco, Richland, and West Richland — located in Benton and Franklin counties — form an economically diverse community of 262,500 along the Columbia River in southeastern Washington. The workforce also is diverse, including one of the nation’s highest concentrations of Ph.D.s. This arid, shrub-steppe environment is known for its sunshine, wineries, outdoor recreation, and family-friendly quality of life. The Chancellor of WSU Tri-Cities will participate in academic, community, and economic development with strong regional support.
For more information, visit:
- WSU Tri-Cities, www.tricity.wsu.edu
- Tri-City Development Council, www.tridec.org
- Tri-Cities Visitor & Convention Bureau, www.visittri-cities.com
- State of Washington, http://access.wa.gov/statefacts
Preferred Qualifications of the Chancellor
- Demonstrated ability as a transformative and participative leader able to work collegially and collaboratively with University peers, faculty, staff, students, stakeholders, and the broader community;
- Terminal degree in an appropriate discipline with credentials to be granted tenure as a full professor;
- A minimum of five years of progressively responsible academic administrative experience;
- Demonstrated success in promoting, supporting, and enhancing the research enterprise;
- Experience operating within and building partnerships throughout a multi-campus University system;
- A demonstrated commitment to, and experience successfully advocating for, diversity;
- Demonstrated success creating partnerships with multi-lingual, culturally diverse, and/or underserved communities;
- Strong fiscal management experience;
- Outstanding communication skills and the willingness and ability to interact successfully with University students, faculty, and staff, and the diverse business, academic, scientific, agricultural, labor, and cultural leaders of the region, state, and nation;
- Successful record of fundraising, including setting campaign initiatives and soliciting major campaign gifts from private donors, corporate partners, and foundations;
- Experience in negotiating and building partnerships with business, industry, governmental, and educational organizations, especially community colleges and science and technology institutions;
- Comprehensive understanding of student affairs and enrollment management, to include academic and non-academic student life;
- Subscription to a decision-making process that is inclusive and transparent;
- Ability to articulate vision and inspire others to follow; and
- Ability to develop and implement the campus strategic plan.