As I am sure it was for you, the last month has been a whirlwind. For me, it involved interviewing for this position, addressing end–of–semester issues, finalizing the university strategic plan, a Board of Regents meeting, and commencement. As the academic year closes, I wanted to reach out and say thank you for your hard work and dedication in making this year a success.
I am humbled and honored to be selected to serve as the provost and executive vice president (EVP) at Washington State University. As many of you know, I am an alumnus of our university and a loyal and passionate Coug. There is no institution that I would wish to serve in any administrative capacity other than WSU. I am a believer that institutional transformation is strongly related to continuity of administration, and I want to assure you that I am in this for the long haul and am committed to seeing our goal of becoming one of the nation’s leading land–grant institutions to fruition.
The job of provost and EVP is a complex one, but at its root, the goals are relatively straightforward: (1) build the highest quality faculty possible, (2) advance the academic reputation of the university, and (3) define and advance the long–term course of the university. Each of these can only be accomplished with the full commitment and cooperation of the faculty. Over the next several years, I look forward to working with you to achieve these aims.
In the short run, we will be focusing much of our attention on four specific goals of critical importance to faculty:
- Increasing the resources available to faculty to support a larger, more diverse student body.
- Enhancing the academic preparedness of our incoming and continuing students.
- In cooperation with the incoming Vice President for Research, developing a coherent plan for identifying our research priorities and enhancing our research infrastructure.
- Increasing communication with faculty concerning institutional priorities and initiatives.
I hope you have a productive summer of research, perhaps some summer school teaching, and certainly some relaxation. I will be dedicating much of my time to immersing myself in learning even more about our university and its programs. If you wish to share any ideas you might have about how we can make WSU better, please feel free to send me an email at bernardo@wsu.edu.
Sincerely,
Daniel J. Bernardo
Provost and Executive Vice President