In the wake of Washington State University President Elson S. Floyd’s death, WSU faculty, staff and students are continuing to make advancements at the university.

“Even Huskies come up to me often and say how impressed they are with how the university has handled this tragedy,” Interim President Daniel J. Bernardo said.

Despite the transition between presidents, Bernardo focused on moving forward with initiatives and visions during the 2015 State of the University Address on Tuesday afternoon.

Moving forward with Floyd’s vision of a land-grant mission, the WSU administration plans to advance without a new leader. The prominent focus during the transitional period involves changes to the university budget, which has increased during the past few years.

The first mentioned initiative was geared toward opening and funding a medical school at the WSU Spokane campus. Washington state legislature has only approved one other publicly-funded medical school in the last 70 years, and WSU plans to begin teaching in Spokane in fall 2017. It’s an aggressive goal that’s described in Elson-time, Bernardo said.

Another key initiative is to increase enrollment. The administration has a higher than average retention rate, but the retention rate for first-year students is concerning. The increased amount of undergraduates has overpowered the ratio of graduate students at WSU, another concern to the administration. Overall, enrollment increase is important because WSU has received less funding from the state, instead using revenue generated by tuition and grants to teach students and fund research.

Research will require funding, but it attracts undergraduate enrollment. The first comprehensive research plan in years for WSU focuses on economic development to advance research. The funding for research is a process that is meant to be additive, Vice President for Research Christopher J. Keane said.

Bernardo also addressed the integration of different locations into the WSU system, such as the possibility of integrating the open-access Bellevue College to attract international students or students working toward a two-year degree. The Everett expansion has also provided a foothold with manufacturers in that region, benefitting programs like engineering.

The expansion of WSU overall gives prospective students the opportunity to choose a college experience with different faculty, locations and programs that best fits their learning style.

“That combination can be a really great fit for a lot of students,” said Erica W. Austin, vice provost for academic affairs.

WSU has a lot of exciting initiatives in place, Bernardo said, several of which include medical school advancements in December and an annual report on the general student experience starting the next calendar year.

The Office of the Provost will provide updates on the advancements on the initiatives on its website, as well as in newsletters, news reports through WSU News, and in next year’s State of the University Address.