Dave Cillay is taking on the permanent role as chancellor of WSU Pullman, a position he had been filling as interim chancellor since June 2024.

Cillay is a prominent figure in the field of online learning and is cited in textbooks and journals, according to the Office of the Chancellor website.

As interm chancellor, he focused on student satisfaction on campus, Cillay said.

“The strength of our campus depends on having a vibrant community around it, and so Kirk [Schulz] and I came to understand how having a leader of the Pullman campus could contribute to that vitality and capitalize on the possibilities in front of us,” Cillay said.

Cillay is the second WSU Pullman chancellor, after Elizabeth Chilton was appointed inaugural chancellor in 2022. Before 2022, the role of Pullman chancellor was fulfilled by the WSU president.

In 2021, President Kirk Schulz announced, as a part of the OneWSU plan to unite the university system with a system-wide strategic plan, the Pullman campus would no longer be run by the WSU president, but rather by a chancellor. The role of WSU president shifted to setting the strategic direction and vision for the university system.

Then-WSU Provost and Vice President Elizabeth Chilton was announced to fill this new role. Chilton stayed as provost of WSU, the highest-ranking academic officer at WSU.

In April 2024, Schulz announced Chilton would not be provost. T. Chris Riley-Tillman was named as the new provost and Chilton remained as WSU chancellor until her departure in May 2024 to serve as University of New Hampshire’s president.

Cillay took over the interim chancellor role shortly after Chilton’s departure and subsequent vacancy.

This decision faced some backlash from faculty and students who argued WSU did not have the money to pay for a chancellor. Some faculty suggested WSU leave the position vacant.