Washington State University

Organization

Regents

Washington State University is chartered by the State of Washington. A Board of Regents governs the university and provides direction to the President. There are ten regents, each appointed by the state governor. One of the regents is a student who is nominated by the student body, appointed by the governor, and serves one year.

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Currently the regents are Kenneth Alhadeff, Elizabeth Cowles, Francois Forgette, Peter Goldmark, Laura Jennings, Joe King, Justin Leighton (student), Chris Marr, Connie Niva, and V. Rafael Stone.

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Administration

The President, currently Veldon Lane Rawlins, serves as the chief executive officer. The Provost, currently Bob Bates, handles research, faculty issues, and more of the day to day activities.

Related Topics:
Veldon Lane Rawlins - Bob Bates

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Foundation

The WSU Foundation is an independent, private corporation with its own Board of Trustees and President that serves as a fundraiser for the university. Currently the President is Len Jessup and the Board Co-Chairs are Mark & Pat Suwyn.

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Alumni Association

The WSU Alumni Association is also an independent body with a Board of Directors and President. The directors are leaders of regional alumni groups, called districts. The Association's mission is "Encouraging excellence to enhance the quality and global recognition of WSU, Supporting Scholarships to help students attain a WSU education, and Making Connections to connect back to WSU through services and programs for alumni and friends." The Association hosts many socials and networking events for alumni in addition to sponsoring many on campus activities. WSU University Relations also provides support for the Association through the office of Alumni Relations. Currently the Executive Director of Alumni Relations is Tim Pavish and Board President is Larry Arcia.

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Faculty

There are nine faculty colleges on the Pullman campus: Agricultural, Human & Natural Resource Sciences; Business & Economics; Education; Engineering & Architecture; Liberal Arts; Nursing; Pharmacy; Sciences; and Veterinary Medicine. In addition, the Honors College serves as an advanced undergraduate study program, and the Graduate School serves as a central organizing administration for those gaining graduate degrees.

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The Faculty Senate serves as the sounding board for faculty members. All major academic decisions must be approved by the Senate. The senate is composed of representatives from each academic department.

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Currently there is a WSU presidential committee analyzing possibilities to create new synergies through a re-alignment; moving departments, creating new schools, etc.

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Students

Two student body organizations represent the students, the Associated Students of Washington State University (ASWSU) and the Graduate & Professional Students Assoscation (GPSA). ASWSU's organizational framework is similar to that of most American governments, complete with an appointed & confirmed judiciary, elected representatives (from districts) to a senate, and an annually elected president & vice-president team. The President also has a paid staff, ranging in size from 6-12 members, depending on the year. As of 2005, the ASWSU president has the distinction of being the highest paid student body president at a public university at $22,000 per year. GPSA is similarly structured, however, with the smaller graduate & professional student population and their relative busy-ness in academic pursuits, GPSA is less active and less influential.

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Besides ASWSU, several other student organizations have powerful functions. Residence Hall Association is a government body for students in the dormatories. Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic Council, and Greek President's Council is the government bodies for university-recognized Greek social houses. The Greek system has traditionally been the most powerful voting block in determining ASWSU elections. The Board of Directors of the Student Book Corporation oversees the campus non-profit bookstore with over US $17 million in annual revenue that redisperses the net income to students. The Compton Union Board oversees the management of the student union building and its services. The University Recreation Board oversees the management of University Recreation. The Student Entertainment Board brings in many high-profile speakers and musicians to campus. The Student Alumni Connection hosts several major campus events. The Student Services & Activities Fees Committee disperses over $6 million annually, from a student-imposed fee, to student events and programs.

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In the past, students also had elite, selective organizations. From the 1910s-1970s, the Crimson Circle was an all-male organization that selected the upcoming star jocks, brains, and leaders of the campus and then promoted them to key student leadership positions, while also serving as a social organization. The Mortar Board served these functions for women on campus as well, albeit to a lesser degrees. The Mortar Board continues today, but as an academic honors and community service group that is today, open to both genders. During the 1960s-1970s, there was a secretive organization of fraternity men that promoted members to the ASWSU Presidency and other key positions.

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Other

WSU Extension has offices in every county in Washington state, providing training and assistance in agricultural practices, natural resource management, human and life skills, diversity understanding & outreach, the state 4-H program, and many other program areas. WSU Extension faculty and staff have also provided assistance for programs in undeveloped and developing countries. Many faculty members have appointments to do research, teach, and provide extension services.

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The WSU Libraries is a centralized administration of seven significant libraries on the Pullman campus (Architecture, Brain Education, Fischer Agricultural Sciences, Health Sciences, Holland, Manuscripts Archives & Special Collections, Owen Science & Engineering), five minor libraries on the Pullman campus (GLBA, Heritage House, Human Relations & Diversity, Music, Women's Resource Center), and five significant libraries off the Pullman campus (Betty M. Anderson, WSU Energy Program, WSU Spokane, WSU Tri-Cities, WSU Vancouver). WSU Libraries also participates in a consortium with 33 other libraries in an inter-library loan system.

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The WSU Museum of Art has several permanent collections, including the Holland Collection; Orton Collection; Goya and Daumier Collections; Chaplin Woodcuts; Consortium Collections; Meyer Shapiro Print Collection; and Elwood Collection; and works by Northwest artists including worth D. Griffin, Mark Tobey, Kenneth Callahan, Margaret Tomkins and former faculty members from WSU and the University of Washington; among others. Several other collections and museums also exist on the Pullman campus, including the Connor Museum of Natural History, Culver Collection (petrified pre-historic animals), Jacklin Collection of Silicified Wood & Minerals, McCaw Flourescent Mineral Display, and Museum of Anthropology.

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