Dean Wendy Powers of CAHNRS, the College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences, will be resigning at the end of the 2024–25 academic year.
“President Schulz and I are grateful for Dr. Powers’ leadership as the Cashup Davis Family Endowed Dean,” said T. Chris Riley-Tillman, Provost and Executive Vice President, according to WSU Insider. “We appreciate Dean Powers’ commitment to WSU and her willingness to engage in a successful transition over the next 10 months.”
Powers, who has been dean since 2022, is leaving WSU after just three years in leadership, citing plans to spend more time with family. According to Pullman Radio, her predecessor, André-Denis Wright, also left WSU after just three years.
Wright, a finalist for WSU provost in 2020, left WSU in 2022 for the University of Oklahoma to serve as the Senior Vice President and Provost of the University of Oklahoma. The 2020 provost title went to former Executive Vice President Elizabeth Chilton.
Powers’ announcement comes amidst a series of resignations among top WSU leadership.
Among others, one notable departure includes President Kirk Schulz, who announced his retirement on April 19. Schulz, who has been serving as the 11th president of Washington State University since June 2016, is scheduled to retire in June 2025.
Another notable departure includes Elizabeth Chilton, who announced her resignation on May 7, leaving WSU to serve as the President of the University of New Hampshire.
This series of resignations comes amidst rising anger from anonymous faculty over declining national rankings, with WSU falling 38 spots from #140 to #178 since 2016. WSU has also fallen from #71 to #96 among public universities since 2016.
The Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President are now looking for a new Dean of the College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences.
