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Executive Leadership Board meeting

Dear Colleagues,

We recently hosted the college’s Executive Leadership Board for our semi-annual meeting. I enjoyed meeting with this important group of industry and community leaders who provide valuable industry perspective and guidance for our college.

Our meeting was focused on the transformative educational experiences in the Voiland College. My goal is for the Voiland College to be recognized as the top choice for degrees in engineering and design in the Northwest. While our research successes are important, I am excited to let our board and others know about the unique opportunities for our students, such as active clubs, entrepreneurship, internships, and undergraduate research, that allow them to get hands-on experience and to graduate job-ready day-one.

Our students did a fantastic job of showcasing the unique WSU experience. Students from the Solar Decathlon, Hydrogen Properties for Energy Research (HYPER) Lab, and the AIChE chemical car, Robosub, Intercollegiate Rocket, and ASCE steel bridge competitions shared their work and discussed their experiences. Our students are learning practical, hands-on project management skills that will make them highly valued in the workforce. These unique WSU experiences are in line with our land-grant mission of providing relevant and impactful education that is accessible to everyone.

At the meeting, President Schulz also visited with the board and shared his vision for the Drive to 25, which aims to have WSU among the top 25 public universities in the country by the year 2030. The Drive to 25 provides a quantitative, measurable goal and approximately ten metrics that the university will be tracking. The Drive to 25 is in line with the university’s strategic plan while providing straightforward goals and metrics to achieve.

President Schulz is making several important hires this year, including for the Voiland College dean. The college has a particularly critical role to play in the university’s growth and success and is considered a flagship for the university. In the meantime, we have two additional leadership changes. Behrooz Shirazi, Director of the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, is stepping down to lead the Community Health Analytics Initiative, and Phil Gruen, Director of the School of Design and Construction, will also be returning to his faculty position at the end of the school year. We greatly appreciate their dedicated service to the college.

I am looking forward to growing the college this year through more engagement with external stakeholders, a stronger entrepreneurial culture in the college, and a more strategic, mission-oriented approach to research. During this year of transition, I look forward to working with you all and greatly appreciate your continued support.

Sincerely,

Interim Dean Don Bender signature

Don Bender,
Interim Dean
Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture

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