Chancellor Chilton’s Inauguration Address

Thank you all very much for being here at this historic event for Washington State University. Many thanks to you, Regent Dickinson, President Schulz, and Vice Provost Higheagle-Strong. It is a great honor and pleasure to be able to serve WSU as the inaugural chancellor of the Pullman campus. When I officially began my new role in January, it was clear that there was no way that this could be a one-person endeavor. I am grateful to have such a strong group of fine leaders on this journey with me, and I would like to give a special thank you to the WSU Pullman Chancellor’s Leadership team:

  • Pat Chun, Vice Chancellor and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics
  • Trymaine Gaither, Interim Director for Community and Public Affairs
  • Ryan Hardesty, Executive Director of the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art
  • Hailey James, Deputy of Chief of Staff for WSU Pullman
  • Chris Keane, Vice Chancellor and Vice President for Research
  • Kristina Peterson-Wilson, Interim Chief of Staff for WSU Pullman
  • Ellen Taylor, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs

There are two additional leadership team members who could not be here today that I would also like to thank, Lisa Guerrero, Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusive Excellence and Asif Chaudhry, Vice Chancellor and Vice President for International Programs.

In addition to the Chancellor’s leadership team, I would like to acknowledge and thank members of the Provost’s leadership team. Having such a strong team supporting me and Academic Affairs at WSU has helped ensure the success of this dual role, and I am incredibly grateful.

Also joining me on stage today are several other key leaders and partners from WSU and the City of Pullman:

  • Samantha Edgerton, President of the Graduate and Professional Student Association
  • Christine Horne, Chair of the Faculty Senate
  • Jacob Martinez, President of the Associated Students of Washington State University Pullman
  • Angie Senter, Chair of the Administrative Professionals Advisory Council
  • And, attending on behalf of Mayor Glenn Johnson is Mike Urban, City Administrator for Pullman.

Thank you to all of the members of the Pullman, Moscow, Whitman, and Latah County communities, and all of the students, staff, and faculty joining us today, including the deans of our colleges, and the Chancellors of our other WSU campuses.

I would also like to give a shout out to the entire women’s volleyball team who is in the auditorium today with Coach Jen Greeny—thank you for your support! I cannot wait to watch our student-athletes in action this fall.

And lastly, but certainly not least, I am joined by family and friends: my brother and two of my sisters and their spouses, and our closest friends. All of them traveled from East Coast time zones to be here, and I am so grateful for their love and support, today and always.

But the two people who have been closest to me from the start of my journey to WSU just a little more than two years ago, and to whom I owe a debt of gratitude for their love and support, are my husband, Michael, and my son Emmet.

Many of you know that the three of us and our two rowdy dogs moved to Pullman in June of 2020, having never set foot in eastern Washington. The WSU and Pullman communities made us feel welcomed from day one, and we felt very quickly at home. But you may ask, why would someone move their family to a part of the world they have never been, to work with colleagues they have never met?…During a global pandemic, no less.

Well, if you have the opportunity to talk to my siblings at the reception, they can confirm that the value of education was something that was continually emphasized in our household. Our parents did not have the opportunity to receive a college education, but both were committed to lifelong learning. Somehow they managed to put four of us through college and another to nursing school on one income, and the four of us have dedicated most of our lives to teaching and research.

The value of a college education is something that has long been a national topic of study, conversation, and debate. But higher education is not only about personal attainment, but the advancement of knowledge to benefit society, which is at the core of the mission of WSU as a land-grant institution. To quote our institutional mission, our goals are to:

  • To advance knowledge through creative research and scholarship across a wide range of academic disciplines.
  • To extend that knowledge through innovative educational programs in which emerging scholars are mentored to realize their highest potential and assume roles of leadership, responsibility, and service to society.
  • And to apply knowledge through local and global engagement that improves the quality of life and enhances the economy of the state, nation, and world.

As some of you know, my academic career was launched in the field of archaeology at a sister land-grant university, which shares a commitment to the public good. It was the value of public, research universities to both individuals and the nation that drew me to higher education.

WSU has made good on its mission since its founding here in Pullman in 1890. It was for this reason that I was drawn by the opportunity to serve the WSU system as the chief academic officer, and to support the creation and growth of excellent educational and research programs across the state of Washington.

When I arrived in 2020 the university had recently completed its first ever System Strategic Plan, providing an acknowledgement of WSU’s incredible growth as an institution, and a vision for its future. It is remarkable to think that since our founding 132 years ago we now have six campuses, extension locations and instructional sites in every county in Washington, and programs in several countries around the world.

As leaders across the system took stock of where we wanted to go following the release of the system strategic plan, it became clear that we needed to call out the distinct role, mission, and constituencies of each of our campuses—including our flagship campus here in Pullman. To aid in this effort, we have been working on the first ever Pullman strategic plan, led by co-chairs Jaime Nolan, Craig Parks, and Mary Rezac. The Pullman strategic plan will be shared broadly in the coming weeks, and I am excited to share with you a few of the goals and priorities that will be highlighted as we launch into the next chapter of WSU Pullman.

As the fully residential campus in the system, we have the opportunity and obligation to offer a comprehensive, high quality, and robust student experience inside and outside of the classroom. Seven of our 10 academic schools and colleges have their main footprint on our campus, along with research, laboratories, archives, studios, performances spaces, and student support services.  Our campus experience includes our stellar Art Museum (for those of you who come to the reception, you will get to see that amazing space!), our world-renowned Veterinary Teaching Hospital, the Creamery (hello, Ferdinand’s Ice Cream), and we are the home of Northwest Public Broadcasting…and that is just to name a few highlights.  Our students enjoy hundreds of community service learning opportunities and clubs, organizations, and activities, and of course for those of you who have been here on game day you know what an amazing experience we provide for our student athletes, our community, and Cougar Nation. As we move forward in the continued formation of the identity of WSU Pullman as the flagship in our strong system, I look forward to working with all of my colleagues to:

  • Continue to support a warm and inclusive community, and build a sense of lifelong belonging for all who set foot on our campus.
  • To create and strengthen ongoing partnerships with our community stakeholders, industry partners, and art organizations.
  • To support and promote access, diversity, equity, and inclusion across the campus and in our community.
  • To promote deep disciplinary and cross-disciplinary scholarship, and position the campus as a regional and national expert in core areas of scholarly inquiry.
  • And finally, our most important priority is to provide an exceptional undergraduate, professional, and graduate student experience that ensures the success of all Cougs.

I am honored and grateful to have this opportunity to work with you all as we move forward in this next chapter of WSU’s history.  Regent Dickinson and President Schulz, I am grateful for your faith in me and look forward to continuing to work with you both and our colleagues to continue to grow and strengthen WSU. Now, can I please get a Go Cougs?!