Vice President Asif Chaudhry, whose leadership since 2015 has helped focus WSU’s efforts on establishing strategic partnerships with governments and educational institutions across the globe, has announced he will step down as the vice president for international programs. Effective April 1, Chaudhry will assume a temporary position as senior advisor to the WSU system provost with plans to retire on Sept. 1, 2025.
Professor Paul Whitney will assume the role of interim vice president for international programs on April 1, and will partner closely with Chaudhry over the coming months to ensure a successful transition.
“President Schulz and I are grateful for Dr. Chaudhry’s strong leadership over the last nine years,” said Provost and Executive Vice President Elizabeth Chilton. “Dr. Chaudhry has been instrumental in overseeing the Office of International Programs, which provides services to international students and scholars who hail from over 100 countries.”
Chaudhry will continue to help advance internationalization opportunities in his new role.
“It’s been a great honor to return to my incredible alma mater and serve as vice president for international programs,” Chaudhry said. “It’s been a personal pleasure working with WSU’s outstanding faculty and staff to ensure all students, at home and abroad, have a global experience while at WSU and graduate with a high level of cultural competency.”
Whitney, who holds a Ph.D. in experimental psychology, joined WSU in 1987 as an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology. In 2017, Whitney was named associate vice president for the Office of International Programs. He also leads WSU’s Health Equity Research Center (HERC), a network of WSU faculty, staff, and students from multiple colleges and campuses interested in understanding the factors that promote health resilience and decrease health risks associated with poverty, discrimination and poor access to health care.
“Dr. Whitney has a deep knowledge of WSU’s Office of International Programs,” said Chilton. “He has partnered closely with Vice President Chaudhry to initiate WSU’s internationalization efforts over the last year, and I look forward to working with him to advance our mission of global engagement.”
The Office of the Provost will launch a national search for a permanent vice president for international programs in the fall of 2025, with the intent of filling the position by May 2026.
