Dear Faculty Colleagues,
I hope this email finds you well and enjoying the last few weeks of summer!
This morning, I welcomed over 100 new faculty colleagues throughout the system during our virtual New Faculty Orientation. Meeting our new colleagues reminds me how fortunate I am to serve as Provost and provide the academic leadership to advance our land-grant mission, which centers on providing our students with a transformational educational experience. I value the opportunity to partner with our faculty, staff, and students to foster a welcoming, supportive, and safe learning environment at all of our campuses and locations.
The Provost’s Office leadership team is ready and excited to support your efforts this fall semester. I am thankful for my leadership team, and for the incredible work they do to support our academic enterprise. Please take an opportunity to connect with our Vice Provosts via email or when you see them on campus!
- Laura Hill, Senior Vice Provost
Laura serves as my deputy in the Office of the Provost. She plays a critical leadership and advocacy role to ensure that the University recruits, develops, and retains our world-class faculty. Laura oversees promotion and tenure, third-year intensive reviews, professional leave, and the faculty awards program. As recently announced, Laura will retire at the end of the calendar year. Regents Professor Doug Call will assume the senior vice provost role in January 2024. During the fall semester, Doug will shadow Laura to ensure a seamless transition. - Tammy Barry, Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Education (this position was previously titled Dean of the Graduate School)
Tammy engages and collaborates with academic leadership systemwide as well as other stakeholders in graduate and professional education, conducts research on national best practices in the administration of graduate and professional education, and makes recommendations for WSU’s administrative and supportive services. She is charged with creating a vision for dynamic growth and excellence in WSU’s graduate and professional education programs, while cultivating an environment that promotes academic success as well as professional and personal development. Tammy assumed this position in 2022 after Lisa Gloss returned to faculty. - Bill Davis, Interim Vice Provost for Academic Engagement and Student Achievement (DAESA)
Bill leads institutional efforts through DAESA to academically engage students from all majors and provide a high-impact education throughout their undergraduate degree program. Presently, DAESA consists of the Academic Success and Career; Center (ASCC); Distinguished Scholarship Programs; First-Year Programs; Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP); Office of Academic Engagement; Office of Assessment for Curricular Effectiveness; Office of Undergraduate Research; Transfer Center for Policy and Resources; the WSU Writing Program; and University Common Requirements (UCORE). Bill assumed this interim position in 2021 after Mary Wack retired from WSU. - Saichi Oba, Vice Provost for Enrollment Management
Saichi is responsible for the development of system-wide strategies, policies, and processes for enrollment management. He oversees the offices of new student enrollment (including recruitment, enrollment marketing, communications, and orientation), undergraduate admissions, student financial services, university registrar, and enrollment information technology. Saichi assumed this position in 2020 after Eric Godfrey retired from WSU. - Kristina Peterson-Wilson, Vice Provost for Academic Administration and Chief of Staff
Kristina is responsible for academic administration, initiatives, and operations in the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President and serves as a principal advisor and strategic partner to the Provost and the leadership team. She is responsible for the execution of short, medium, and long-term strategic initiatives for the Provost’s Office. While Kristina has served as Chief of Staff since 2018, she assumed this expanded role earlier this year following Craig Parks’ promotion to Associate Vice President on the WSU Spokane Health Sciences Campus. - Zoe Higheagle Strong, Vice Provost for Native American Relations and Programs & Tribal Liaison to the President
Zoe oversees the Office of Tribal Relations, Native American Programs, and the Center for Native American Research and Collaborations, and is an associate professor in educational psychology, in the College of Education on the WSU Pullman campus. The Office of Tribal Relations helps facilitate collaborations and reciprocal relationships between WSU and Tribes that respect their sovereignty, knowledge systems, values, and protocols. Zoe assumed this position in 2018 following Barbara Aston’s retirement from WSU.
Biographies and additional information for each of the vice provosts can be found at: https://provost.wsu.edu/vice-provosts/. Our organizational chart can be found here: https://provost.wsu.edu/documents/2023/06/provosts-office-organizational-chart.pdf/.
Finally, as our students return next week, I would ask that everyone go the extra mile to provide a warm and friendly welcome. WSU is known to be a welcoming, tight-knit community, and we need to demonstrate this every day as these students begin their higher education journey. If you see a student or parent, please welcome them to your campus, and if they look lost or are looking at a map, stop and offer assistance. These small gestures can go a long way in assuring our students feel a sense of belonging.
Thank you for all that you do for our students and for WSU. Best wishes for a wonderful fall semester and Go Cougs!
Warm regards,
Elizabeth
Elizabeth S. Chilton
Provost and Executive Vice President
Chancellor, WSU Pullman
Professor, Department of Anthropology