PULLMAN, WA – As WSU President Kirk Schulz prepares to transition out of the job he’s held for nine years, he spent some time thinking about the highlights.

College GameDay in Pullman and the women’s basketball Pac-12 championship. WSU topping $400 million in research expenditures in a year. Working with student regents and world-class faculty. New buildings on WSU campuses and a new finance and human resources management system, both of which will benefit the university long after he’s gone.

“I feel like I’ve left my mark. I’ve been able to hire great people, and we’ve had a lot of positive accomplishments,” Schulz said.

On April 1 the 11th president of Washington State University will step into the role of senior advisor to new WSU President Elizabeth “Betsy” Cantwell. On June 30 he’ll begin a year-long sabbatical where he plans to write and consult with Cantwell as needed. After that he’ll officially retire from the university. WSU First Lady Noel Schulz will continue working for WSU as the inaugural director of the Institute for Northwest Energy Futures, a role she assumed in 2023.

Nationwide we’ve entered into a culture of cruelty, [but at WSU,] we’ve had a president who practiced a culture of kindness, and that is one of the greatest legacies.

Brett Blankenship, regent
Washington State University

At a meeting earlier this month, the WSU Board of Regents took turns thanking Schulz for his leadership of the university during a tumultuous time, which included a global pandemic, budget woes and the implosion of the university’s historic athletic conference, the Pac-12.

They adopted a resolution honoring him for his “steadfast leadership, exemplary service, and lasting contributions to Washington State University.”

“Your culture is to cooperate,” said Judith McDonald, faculty regent. “Your influence on the people, on the institution, has been profound.”

Brett Blankenship noted that he was one of two regents who have served throughout Schulz’s presidency. “Nationwide we’ve entered into a culture of cruelty,” Blankenship said, but at WSU, “we’ve had a president who practiced a culture of kindness, and that is one of the greatest legacies.”

Regent Marty Dickinson, acknowledging the challenges Schulz faced during his tenure, said, “There were times in the face of unfairness, at times betrayal, and other times just inaccuracies of information… that you consistently demonstrated grace.”

For his part, Schulz has said there are some things he wasn’t able to accomplish. He would have liked to have made more progress on the “One WSU” initiative to more closely align WSU’s statewide campus operations, for example.

But on the whole, he’s satisfied.

“I feel blessed to have served as president of Washington State University,” he said.

Said Lisa Keohokalole Schauer, chair of the Board of Regents, “We have been truly better as a university because of your leadership.”