Dear Faculty Colleagues,
During President Schulz’s State of the University address last spring, he mentioned that WSU would initiate a Strategic Program Review and Resource Reallocation process during the 2024-2025 academic year led by Executive Vice President Leslie Brunelli and the Finance and Administration team. As such, after consultation with my leadership team and the Deans located on the WSU Pullman campus, I have decided that the Provost’s Office will initiate the first phase of an Academic Affairs Program Optimization (AAPO) process in collaboration with Finance and Administration.
As the entire higher education industry re-evaluates its enterprise and opportunities for evolution, it is imperative that the Academic Affairs Program Optimization process bring our mission as a land-grant, R1 research institution into alignment with our operations. Through data-informed decision-making, we will use the optimization process to support high-quality educational and research programs, improve WSU’s overall financial health by stabilizing the operating budget, and ensure that we continue to fulfill our institutional mission. The primary goal of the AAPO is to ensure that departments, schools, and colleges reporting to the Provost and Executive Vice President have identified college and unit priorities that can be evaluated annually with agreed-upon outcome indicators. This process will include a substantive engagement strategy with faculty to create an environment that is built upon trust, transparency, and equity to ensure that future annual evaluations are defensible.
During the initial phase of the AAPO, the Provost’s Office will focus on establishing a process that will be led by a steering committee composed of faculty, associate deans, chairs, deans, directors, Faculty Senate representatives, government affairs, and vice chancellors for academic affairs. Their efforts will be supported by Institutional Research, the Office of Strategy, Planning, and Analysis, and vice provosts.
To learn more about the AAPO process and/or to apply to serve on the steering committee, please visit https://provost.wsu.edu/aapo/.
If you have any questions regarding the AAPO process, please contact Kristina Peterson-Wilson (Vice Provost for Academic Administration & Chief of Staff) at kpeterson2@wsu.edu. As I mentioned last week, the commitment from faculty that I have observed in my first three months at WSU is significant. I am grateful for your unwavering support and look forward to the AAPO creating agility and contributing to clearly articulated goals and priorities.
Please look for future updates on the Academic Affairs Program Optimization process as we progress through the academic year.
Best,
Chris Riley-Tillman
Provost and Executive Vice President