Four finalists for WSU Tri-Cities chancellorship named

By John Sutherland, University Communications

RICHLAND, Wash. – Four finalists for the WSU Tri-Cities chancellorship have been announced and will visit the Tri-Cities and Pullman campuses Nov. 27-December 5.

The finalists, identified after a national search, include:

S.K. Ramesh, director and lead principal investigator of the AIMS² program (Attract, Inspire, Mentor and Support Students) and a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Cal State University, Northridge. He served as dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science at CSU Northridge from 2006-2017. He earned a Ph.D. in molecular science at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.

• Tri-Cities campus visit: November 27
• Pullman campus visit: November 28

Douglas Ray most recently served as the first director of strategic partnerships at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland during a 27-year career at PNNL. He held a variety of positions at PNNL, including associate laboratory director for fundamental and computational sciences directorate; deputy director for science and technology; and chief research officer. He earned a Ph.D. in chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley.

• Tri-Cities campus visit: November 28
• Pullman campus visit: November 29

Anthony Vizzini, provost and senior vice president at Wichita State University. He also has served in administrative and faculty positions at Western Michigan University, Mississippi State University and the University of Maryland. He earned a Ph.D. in aeronautics and astronautics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

• Tri-Cities campus visit: November 29
• Pullman campus visit: November 30

Sandra Haynes, deputy provost of academic and student affairs, a position that oversees all academic affairs units, at Metropolitan State University of Denver. She previously served 13 years as dean of the College of Professional Studies at Metropolitan State Denver. She earned a Ph.D. in experimental neuropsychology at Colorado State University.

• Tri-Cities campus visit: December 4
• Pullman campus visit: December 5

“We are very pleased with the exceptional caliber of these four individuals,” said WSU President Kirk Schulz. “The Tri-Cities campus is a vital part of our statewide enterprise, and each of these candidates offers the vision and skills required to guide the campus to an expanded role in serving the state’s needs.”

The finalists will meet with administrators, faculty and staff during their visits to Pullman. They will meet with campus leaders and participate in open forums with students, faculty, and staff during their visits to the Tri-Cities campus. More details about the visits are online at https://president.wsu.edu/tri-cities-chancellor/.

Current WSU Tri-Cities Chancellor Keith Moo-Young announced last May he would step down from the position. He will remain as chancellor until a successor is in place.

WSU Tri-Cities enrolls 1,937 students, more than 70 percent of whom study STEM-related academic disciplines. The campus offers 20 undergraduate and 33 graduate degrees. The student body is the most diverse among the university’s five campuses.

Contacts:

• Phil Weiler, vice president for marketing and communication, 509-335-4742, weiler@wsu.edu
• Jeffrey Dennison, director of marketing and communications, WSU Tri-Cities, 509-372-7319, dennison@wsu.edu