washington business
You have said in interviews that one of the things that attracted you to WSU was the state ’ s commitment to funding that allowed for tuition reductions . Why is that so important to you ?
“ From a big-picture economic standpoint , keeping tuition costs in check allows us to educate more students who earn degrees in fields the employers of our state need .”
It ’ s pretty basic , really . I ’ ve seen the difference a college education makes . I ’ ve experienced that difference in my own life , and I ’ ve seen it in the lives of students I ’ ve had the pleasure of teaching earlier in my career and in the lives of the students I ’ ve served as a university administrator the last 20 years . College transforms lives . We ’ re absolutely committed to providing that opportunity to every individual who ’ s interested and qualified . And , to make the college dream widely available , it ’ s essential to keep tuition and related costs under control . I ’ m ecstatic to be leading a university in a state that has rolled back tuition . Just consider our student body for a moment . This fall — for the first time in WSU ’ s 126-year history — we enrolled more than 30,000 students statewide and online . Of our entering freshmen , almost 40 percent were firstgeneration college students . That means many of the families of those students are stretching family budgets to give a daughter or a son the opportunity to open the doors a college education provides . We ’ re passionate about marshaling all the resources we can to help the dreams of parents and their children become reality . From a bigpicture economic standpoint , keeping tuition costs in check allows us to educate more students who earn degrees in fields the employers of our state need . And that , of course , helps fuel our economy .
WSU is known for being a cutting-edge institution , from viticulture to veterinary school . What is your vision for building on the successes of the university and what new paths do you think can be carved under your leadership ?
We ’ ve launched a major initiative at WSU we call the “ Drive to 25 .” It ’ s our focus on becoming one of the nation ’ s top 25 public research universities by 2030 . This goal will guide all our institutional-level decision making for the next several years . What does all that mean ? In simplistic terms , we ’ re going to work hard to up our game in two significant ways : One , by strengthening the overall academic experience of our undergraduate and graduate students so that they receive a truly transformative education , and two , by accelerating the development of a preeminent research portfolio . Achieving these goals is critical to the future wellbeing of our institution . kirk schulz at a glance
Growing our reputation is essential for us to attract students , garner external research funding , and establish new partnerships locally , nationally and globally . Ultimately , our successes prepare the workforce , solve tough societal challenges , and deliver innovations and discoveries that improve our state , nation and world .
On a slightly different , but related track , launching a medical school opens up numerous possibilities . We ’ ll see new research funding opportunities — many of them multidisciplinary in nature . A medical school ramps up the possibilities in addressing our Grand Challenges research initiative focused on sustaining health . And , there ’ s no doubt that adding a medical school to WSU ’ s portfolio enhances our overall reputation . Bottom line , a medical school benefits all the residents of our state .
As you no doubt learned quickly — you ’ re either a Husky or a Cougar — there ’ s little or no middle ground . In a break from that tradition , how are you and the new University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce breaking down the communication barrier for the betterment of both universities and the students you serve ?
Ana Mari and I have a very good relationship . We stand united in our commitment to serving the needs of the state . We understand that the future of our state is both linked to and dependent upon the future of Washington ’ s two great public research institutions . The UW and WSU are actively exploring additional partnerships on both the academic and research fronts . We are unwavering in our commitment to meet the demands of Washington ’ s economy and ensure the state ’ s place as a center of innovation , discovery and creativity . To give you one example , UW and WSU collaborate to operate the Washington Stormwater Center in Puyallup , which is involved in some creative research and development of new technologies to address stormwater runoff in Puget Sound — the number one pollutant of the waterway . Of course , there ’ s one week of the year that Ana Mari and I will never see eye-to-eye . There ’ s that small matter of the Apple Cup around Thanksgiving . . . Believe me , crimson will be the state ’ s color of choice for the foreseeable future .
Education : Graduated from Virginia Tech in 1986 with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering and earned his Ph . D . in chemical engineering at Virginia Tech in 1991 .
Career : After holding his first teaching position at the University of North Dakota from 1991-95 , Schulz moved on to teach at Michigan Technological University from 1995-2001 , then Mississippi State University from 2001-09 before becoming president of Kansas State University in 2009 . He was appointed Washington State University president in spring 2016 . winter 2017 25