PULLMAN, WA – Retiring Washington State University President Kirk Schulz will stay on with the institution for a sabbatical year.
Schulz’s post-retirement employment was revealed in an online WSU Marketing story that was published on Tuesday. The piece mentions that starting on June 30th Schulz will, “begin a year-long sabbatical where he plans to write and consult with President Elizabeth Cantwell as needed.” The post went on to report that Schulz will officially retire from WSU at the end of June 2026.
Schulz abruptly announced his retirement last April which was initially scheduled for June 30th of this year. The WSU Regents hired new President Elizabeth Cantwell in February and announced during that same meeting that Schulz’s retirement as president was accelerated to March 31st. Schulz’s retirement announcement last year came while hundreds of faculty and three former provosts called for leadership change at the institution.
Tuesday’s post on the WSU website praised Schulz for his leadership. Regent Marty Dickinson commended Schulz stating, “There were times in the face of unfairness, at times of betrayal, and other times just inaccuracies of information……….that you consistently demonstrated grace.”
The online story paints a stark contrast to the circumstances that occurred during Schulz’s administration. WSU’s enrollment dropped by about 6,000 students since the pandemic. WSU Pullman campus enrollment last fall was the lowest in at least 30 years. The Pac-12 collapse occurred while Schulz was in the president and the institution is facing large budget shortfalls.
Tuesday’s revelation that Schulz will receive a post sabbatical year at WSU came a day before the administration announced spending cuts to deal with the financial crisis. Today’s spending reduction measures announced at WSU include renegotiating or ending non-essential contracts.
