Opportunity and Challenge Profile

Washington State University (WSU), a distinguished and comprehensive public research university with multiple campuses, seeks to hire a highly skilled, innovative and experienced leader to serve as Vice President for Finance and Administration (VP). The successful candidate will oversee a portfolio that includes: Finance; Facilities Services; Public Safety; Real Estate and External Business Operations; and Finance and Administration Resource Planning & Internal Affairs; over 600 full-time staff; and an annual operating budget of approximately $65 million and capital budget of $311.7 million (during the most recent biennium). This position is an opportunity for a dynamic and engaging leader to direct an organization that is essential to the growth and success of the university as it seeks to be one of the nation’s leading land-grant universities, preeminent in research and discovery, teaching, and engagement.

Founded in 1890 in Pullman, WSU is Washington’s land-grant university with an overarching mission of improving the quality of life for all citizens — locally, nationally, and globally. WSU is committed to innovation and excellence in research and scholarship. WSU has a current enrollment of over 29,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students and approximately 6,500 faculty and staff at its five campuses (Pullman, Spokane, Tri-Cities, Vancouver, and Everett), as well as its numerous other locations across the State of Washington and online through its Global Campus.

It is a time of transition and excitement at WSU as Dr. Kirk Schulz was recently selected to be the university’s 11th president and will assume this position in June 2016. President Schulz will be joining the university after serving as President and Professor of Chemical Engineering at Kansas State University since 2009. He will be leading a university that has achieved significant accomplishments over the last several years, including the creation of the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine on the Spokane campus; successful completion of a $1 billion capital campaign; growth in overall university enrollment from 24,396 in fall 2007 to 29,686 in fall 2015; and, an increase of students who self-identify as students of color from 14 percent in fall 2007 to 29 percent in fall 2015. The university also thrived during tough economic times that included a 52 percent cut in state operating funds over a four-year period. WSU completed approximately 20 major construction projects across its campuses and research and extension centers. Annual research and development expenditures grew by over 56 percent from approximately $213.2 million in 2007 to nearly $333.1 million in 2015, moving WSU into the top 11 percent of public research universities for research funding.

WSU is looking for a VP who will continue to execute on WSU’s many initiatives and provide leadership and vision during WSU’s next phase of growth and success. Consequently, the VP will need to be a seasoned leader with a track record of success in complex environments and have an affinity and talent for collaboration. He or she will bring enthusiasm and capacity both to leading a large, multi-faceted operation and playing a strategic role in the advancement of the university’s goals and vision for the future. The VP will face the following opportunities and challenges:

• Provide visionary and strategic leadership while expertly managing a complex organization
• Continue to refine the relationship between Pullman and other campuses to leverage efficiencies and support autonomy
• Champion the transition of financial and HR systems to ensure a solid infrastructure
• Continue to execute an aggressive program of strategic investment in capital infrastructure across the university’s multiple locations
• Continue to foster a culture of community and collaboration

A list of the desired qualifications and characteristics of the Vice President for Finance and Administration can be found at the conclusion of this document, which was prepared by the search committee with the assistance of Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, to provide background information and detail the key opportunities and challenges related to the position. All confidential applications, inquiries, and nominations should be directed to the parties listed at the conclusion of this document.

About Washington State University

WSU is the state of Washington’s land grant institution and one of the country’s top public research universities. It is governed by an independent ten-member Board of Regents. WSU comprises the Colleges of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences; Arts and Sciences; Business; Communication; Education; Engineering and Architecture; Honors; Medical Sciences; Nursing; Pharmacy; Veterinary Medicine, as well as the Graduate School, WSU Global Campus, and WSU Extension; and the new Medical School. WSU provides excellent opportunities for graduate study in 67 master’s degree programs and 46 doctoral degree programs, and two professional degree programs within the colleges located in Pullman, Spokane, Vancouver, Tri-Cities, as well as through WSU’s Global Campus. WSU has also recently announced a new partnership with Bellevue College that would provide a mix of associate and bachelor’s degrees, and perhaps even graduate degrees as a means to increase access for an under-served part of the state.

U.S. News & World Report’s 2016 “America’s Best Colleges” rankings place WSU in the top 75 public national universities. WSU was one of only three Northwest universities to be placed in the top two tiers, along with the University of Washington and the University of Oregon. WSU is ranked as a “very high research activity” institution by the Carnegie Foundation and is in the top 12 percent of research universities as reported by the National Science Foundation. Also, WSU was recognized by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching for its engagement activities with its Community Engagement Classification.

The WSU campuses are home to a wide array of organizations and activities, including arts, music, and theater; student-run media (including public radio and television stations); fraternities and sororities; recreational sports; and others. A high percentage of WSU students also participate in study abroad programs; WSU offers 1,400+ education abroad programs in nearly all countries around the world.

WSU employs approximately 6,500 faculty and professional staff and the university deeply values diversity among its faculty, students, and staff. WSU students represent diverse social, economic, and ethnic backgrounds: approximately 10 percent of WSU students hail from outside the state of Washington, and approximately 6.8 percent are international students. WSU annually awards more than $280 million in scholarships and financial aid to approximately 17,000 undergraduate students.

Intercollegiate athletics plays an important role at WSU, and “Cougar Pride” is evident throughout the state of Washington. More than 500 student athletes compete at the NCAA Division I level as members of the PAC-12 Conference, nicknamed the “Conference of Champions.” Eight of the twelve conference schools are members of the Association of American Universities (AAU) and all of the institutions are highly ranked by various groups, including the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) and the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (Times). The football team has attended bowl games two of the last three years, and they have a new 88,880 square foot Cougar Football Complex.

The university operates as an integrated university, with all campuses adhering to the same set of practices and policies: degree requirements are similar across campuses; all instructors and researchers, regardless of their location, are considered part of one faculty; and the offices of finance and administration are regarded as distinct, but highly integrated components of one division. WSU has been redefining its administrative and operational structures to ensure delivery of an integrated set of services while allowing each campus autonomy and a clearly defined identity. More information about the WSU campuses and the history of the university is available in Appendix I at the conclusion of this document.

The operating budget of the university for the 2015-17 biennium is approximately $2.05 billion, and capital budget authority during the 2015-17 biennium is $311.7 million. The university’s endowment is $886 million, including $418 million from the WSU Foundation and $468 million in land-grant endowments.

WSU has an ambitious 2014-2019 strategic plan available at strategicplan.wsu.edu that is built on the core values and broad mission of the university. Goals and strategies were developed to achieve significant progress toward WSU’s aspiration of becoming one of the nation’s leading land-grant universities and emphasize the institution’s unique role as an accessible, approachable research institution that provides opportunities to an especially broad array of students while serving Washington State’s broad portfolio of social and economic needs. The plan explicitly recognizes the dramatic changes in public funding that have occurred over the duration of the previous strategic plan, along with the need for greater institutional nimbleness, openness, and entrepreneurial activity that diversifies the university’s funding portfolio. In addition, the plan reaffirms WSU’s land-grant mission by focusing greater attention system-wide on increasing access to educational opportunity, responding to the needs of Washington State through research, instruction, and outreach, and contributing to economic development and public policy.

WSU prioritized its research agenda in fall 2015 to focus on five Grand Challenges:

• Sustaining Health: The Uncompromising Pursuit of Healthier People and Communities
• Sustainable Resources for Society: Food, Energy, and Water
• Advancing Opportunity and Equity: The Land-grant Mission in Today’s World
• Improving Quality of Life through Smart Systems
• Fundamental Research in Support of National Security

Please see the Washington State University research website at research.wsu.edu for more details.

Role of the Vice President for Finance and Administration

Reporting directly to the President, the VP is a key member of the senior leadership team who advises the President and Board of Regents on matters with broad institutional implications. The VP oversees the university’s physical and financial assets, collaborates with academic and non-academic leaders from all the institution’s campuses, colleges, and administrative units, and provides strategic leadership to accomplish the commitments, goals, and actions that seek to advance the priorities of the university as set out in the university’s strategic plan. Units under the direct supervision of the VP include: Finance; Facilities Services; Public Safety; Real Estate and External Business Operations; Finance and Administration Resource Planning & Internal Affairs. The VP works very closely with the Associate Vice President and Chief Budget Officer, who also reports directly to the President. The VP serves as a staff liaison to the university’s Board of Regents Finance and Audit Committee, as the Board-appointed Treasurer for the university, and as an ex-officio member of the WSU Foundation. The VP is a member of the President’s executive team and serves on various university committees and councils.

The Division of Finance and Administration has its own strategic plan, built on the university’s plan and designed to achieve the vision of being an integrated team of professionals who deliver the highest quality operational services to support and improve the working and learning environment of WSU. The plan has six key goals:

• Recruit, develop and retain an outstanding, diverse and fully engaged workforce
• Improve the risk management culture at WSU
• Establish open, accurate, and responsive communication with all our customers and stakeholders
• Review service delivery to our customers with continuous focus on improved communication, efficiency, and effectiveness
• Pursue new technologies that improve Finance and Administration services and meet the evolving needs of the university
• Plan, design, construct, and preserve quality physical facilities at all university campuses in conjunction with academic priorities

In recent years, the division has made great strides in achieving these goals. The division has an experienced and highly collaborative team of leaders who work well together, and the division’s 622 full-time employees, over 60 percent of them in the facilities services, are dedicated professionals who are positively regarded around the university. The VP oversees a $65 million budget that includes $22 million in annual operating funds, $21 million in utilities expenditures and $21 million in auxiliaries and self-supporting funds. The capital budget for the 2015-17 biennium is $311.7 million.

Key Opportunities and Challenges for the Vice President

The overarching charge for the VP will be to effectively evaluate and manage WSU’s financial, administrative, and physical resources to support the division’s core mission of providing outstanding stewardship and enhancement of the university’s financial and physical resources while providing a safe, enriching and sustainable environment. The VP will be responsible for ensuring the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and stewardship of finance and administrative operations across WSU’s multiple campuses and centers. To achieve this vision, the VP will be expected to address the following opportunities and challenges:

Provide visionary and strategic leadership while expertly managing a complex organization

The VP is expected to be innovative in managing resources to support WSU’s overall aspirational strategic objectives. The VP provides thoughtful and forward-looking counsel on the financial needs of the university and its campuses to the President, Provost, Board, and other university leaders on a wide-range of topics having major short- and long-term impacts on the operations of the university. The VP will lead the WSU, system-wide capital planning process and will support the university-wide effort to re-design the budgeting processes.

The VP must continue to proactively participate in the management of the university’s very diverse revenue streams that include student tuition dollars, state funds (both operating and capital) PAC-12 funds, private gifts, research grants and contracts, auxiliary revenues, real estate, and investment income. This counsel is especially important at a time of reduced state financial support even though WSU has fared better than most other universities due to innovative leadership and wise financial counsel. WSU hopes to continue down this path with a new creative and financially sound leader taking the reins at a time of great promise for the future of the university.

Continue to refine the relationship between Pullman and other campuses to leverage efficiencies and support autonomy

As the university and its campuses continue to expand and grow, the VP will need to build trust and work closely with leaders across the multiple campuses to determine how the Finance and Administration division can best serve each campus, while also balancing their priorities with ensuring the highest level of service to the university community as a whole. While there are benefits to having many similar processes and procedures, the VP will need to consider the different missions and programs of each of the individual campuses. A one-size-fits-all approach will not work in this environment and the VP will lead conversations with the Chancellors, Vice Chancellors for Finance of each of the campuses, and other university leaders to help determine the best relationships and develop university-wide best practices. This will be especially important as the Medical School grows and as innovative partnerships, such as the one in Bellevue, come to fruition.

Champion the transition of financial and HR systems to ensure a solid infrastructure

For WSU to continue down its path of increased academic excellence and stature, careful attention must be paid to ensure the university’s financial and administrative infrastructure will continue to effectively support the increasingly diverse and complex activities of the university. On the whole, the Finance and Administration division functions well; however, there is one exception: a paper-based financial and human resource system that is not sustainable. WSU is currently looking into the best options, but the VP will need to be actively involved in the development and implementation of the new system and gain buy-in from the division, as well as the university more broadly. The campuses welcome this change, but the VP will need to create a communications strategy for educating university constituencies about its implications and promote patience. The VP will be championing this conversion at a time when the university recently experienced a challenging transition to their new student service system. Consequently, the VP will need to recognize this sensitivity and manage expectations.

Continue to execute an aggressive program of strategic investment in capital infrastructure across the university’s multiple locations

During the past eight-years, WSU completed the construction of thirteen major research and/or teaching buildings across its campuses. Five additional projects have received funding and are scheduled to begin design and/or renovation in the next two years. Significant investment has also occurred in residential life and athletic facilities. It is expected that the new VP will provide leadership in continuing to build the infrastructure for WSU to continue its aggressive trajectory in the growth of its academic enterprises.

Continue to foster culture of community and collaboration

Staff members enjoy working at WSU due to the strong sense of community within the division and across the university. This is especially the case for the leadership team within the division, as they report a high level of camaraderie and respect amongst the team. It is expected that the VP will continue to foster this sense of community in the division and across the university.

Though there is currently a high level of collaboration across the WSU campuses, the VP will be expected to strengthen these bridges and continue to expand the sense of community beyond the Pullman campus. The VP will also need to strengthen these community bridges to help ensure the success of major new initiatives, such as the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine. The newly established School of Medicine is currently pursuing accreditation by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) to become Washington’s premier community-based medical school. Another significant activity is the University’s new partnership with Bellevue College. These relationships, defined by collegiality and open lines of communication, will ultimately support the most effective execution of the university’s goals and overall mission as the state’s land-grant, Research University.

Qualifications and Characteristics

The successful candidate will have a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field and ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in financial administration, analysis or planning which has included demonstrated leadership ability and management skill in a large complex organization involving distributed electronic financial management systems. A Master’s degree in a relevant field may be substituted for up to one year of the required experience. A Master’s degree in accounting, business administration, finance, or a related field from an accredited college or university is preferred. A Certified Public Accountant license is also preferred. Additionally, candidates for this position should have all or most of the following:

• Proven commitment to client service and continuous improvement and demonstrated public relations, interpersonal, oral and written communications skills
• Record of accomplishment and experience supporting the education, research, and service missions of a major public research university system, with the ability to focus on and manage complex issues with state-wide campuses, research stations, learning centers, and extension offices
• Extensive relevant professional and/or administrative experience in finance and administration at a senior level, preferably within a public, higher education institution
• Significant leadership and involvement in planning and overseeing major construction and development projects in multi-campus locations
• Demonstrated experience in long-range campus and financial planning and financial reporting
• Knowledge of and experience with local, state, and federal legislative and regulatory processes relating to and affecting public higher education institutions
• Experience in a multi-campus environment
• Experience working with a funding model for athletics in a power conference.
• Evidence of a commitment to and appreciation for the benefits of a diverse workplace
• The ability and willingness to share ideas, to be inclusive and open to the ideas of others, and collaboratively work toward organizational goals and interests, with the knowledge of how to shape processes and procedures that reflect and enhance these values
• Outstanding communication skills, including a demonstrated ability to facilitate collaboration and enhance relationships within and external to the university and to interact successfully with multiple and diverse audiences
• Demonstrated ability to make firm and responsible decisions in a highly complex, multi-faceted environment, and multi-task diverse projects
• High ethical standards
• Executive leadership abilities, including strong interpersonal skills that foster trust and confidence

Location

This position will be located in Pullman, Washington. Pullman is a town of approximately 31,000 people located in southeastern Washington, 75 miles south of Spokane. Pullman offers the stimulation of a research university in a small town living environment. It is close to mountain ranges, scenic lakes, and rivers in an area that offers excellent outdoor activities. Spokane is the largest metropolitan area (a population of over 484,000 in Spokane County) between Seattle and Minneapolis and is the state’s second largest city. Moscow, Idaho, home of the University of Idaho, Idaho’s land grant university, is 8 miles from Pullman, making the area rich in university-based activities.

Applications, Inquiries, and Nominations

Screening of complete applications will begin immediately and continue until the completion of the search process. Inquiries, nominations, referrals, and resumes with cover letters should be submitted via the Isaacson, Miller website for the search: www.imsearch.com/5815. Electronic submission of materials is strongly encouraged.

Julie Filizetti and Lindsay Gold Isaacson, Miller 1000 Sansome Street, Suite 300 San Francisco, CA 94111 Phone: 415.655.4900 Fax: 415.655.4905

 

Washington State University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action educator and employer. Members of ethnic minorities, women, special disabled veterans, veterans of the Vietnam-era recently-separated veterans, and other protected veterans, persons of disability, and/or persons age 40 and over are encouraged to apply.

 

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Appendix I: More about Washington State University

Established by the Legislature in 1890, shortly after Washington achieved statehood, the Agricultural College, Experiment Station and School of Science of the State of Washington opened its doors to 47 students in January 1892. As President Enoch Bryan told the regents in 1894, the land-grant college must provide “collegiate work that is advanced scientific and technical work, and a liberal education.” Since then, that small college has expanded to become Washington State University, an internationally respected university system serving nearly 29,0001 students on five distinct campuses in Pullman, Spokane, Tri-Cities and Vancouver, along with a Global Campus and WSU Extension offices in each of Washington’s 39 counties, providing research-based educational programs and services to individuals, businesses, and communities. The University also manages WSU North Puget Sound at Everett, a consortium of universities and colleges based at Everett Community College that delivers bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and a partnership was just approved with Bellevue College. Further, WSU has established research and extension centers in Lind, Long Beach, Mount Vernon, Othello, Prosser, Pullman, Puyallup, and Wenatchee.

• WSU Pullman: The flagship campus for the university, the 1742-acre Pullman campus serves as home to more than 19,000 students, as well as the university administration. WSU Pullman is a hub for most of the university’s student organizations, including its athletic teams, as well as galleries, performance venues, and museums dedicated to art, anthropology, zoology, and other topics. The Pullman campus is largely residential; 46 percent of students live in residence halls, university-owned apartments, or fraternity and sorority houses.
• WSU Spokane: Located about 75 miles north of Pullman, the WSU Spokane is known as WSU’s urban health sciences campus, which prepares the state’s future generations of physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other health professionals. In addition to the health sciences, WSU Spokane programs focus on education and social and policy sciences. The Spokane campus is home to several new facilities, such as the recently-constructed Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences building, that house the latest in health science laboratories and classroom technology. (http://spokane.wsu.edu)
• WSU Vancouver: Situated on 351-scenic acres in Southwest Washington with stunning views of Mount St. Helens and Mt. Hood, WSU Vancouver offers 20 bachelor’s, eight master’s and eight doctoral degrees. The university’s state-of-the-art facilities support signature programs including creative media and digital culture, environmental science, mechanical engineering, psychology and public affairs. WSU Vancouver is well-known in its community for the award-winning Business Growth Mentor and Analysis Program, a student-run consultancy in the Carson College of Business. As a commuter campus, students engage with the university through a variety of clubs, organizations, events and recreational opportunities. (http://vancouver.wsu.edu)
• WSU Tri-Cities: The WSU Tri-Cities campus is located on 200 acres along the banks of the Columbia River, and serves approximately 1,400 students through 30 different degree programs. It provides a wide range of services to the Southeast Washington community; the campus is home to WSU Business Links, an economic outreach program; Northwest Public Radio and Television; the Food and Environmental Quality Laboratory; the Ste. Michelle Wine Estates WSU Wine Science Center; and the Bioproducts, Sciences, and Engineering Laboratory, built in partnership with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. WSU Tri-Cities is the site of the Consolidated Information Center Libraries, which comprises the Hanford Technical Library; U.S. Department of Energy Public Reading Room; Max E. Benitz Memorial Library of WSU at Tri-Cities; and the Southeastern Washington Business Information Center. (http://tricity.wsu.edu)
• WSU Global Campus: Beyond serving students on its campuses, the university also reaches out to the citizens of Washington and beyond through the WSU Global Campus, which manages the Distance Degree Programs (DDP), responsible for delivering degrees online, and Professional Education (PE), which includes a range of non-credit continuing education programs, such as seminars, workshops, conferences, trade expositions, and online certificates. Several of these programs have earned national acclaim and the WSU Global Campus serves nearly 3,000 students through its online offerings. With programs in Accounting, Management and Operation, Management Information Systems, Criminal Justice, Human Development, Humanities, Social Sciences, and Psychology, students around the world have access to WSU’s world class faculty regardless of geography. (http://global.wsu.edu/)
• WSU North Puget Sound at Everett: WSU NPSE is charged with greatly expanding access to high-quality baccalaureate and graduate degree programs in the region and the state. With a focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the growth of WSU NPSE will align with the economic development and vitality of the region and the state of Washington to prepare graduates for leadership in a rapidly changing and globally connected world. (https://everett.wsu.edu/)
• WSU-Bellevue College: Bellevue College (BC) and Washington State University (WSU) have agreed to explore a formal partnership between the two institutions in order to increase higher education opportunities for Washingtonians in the communities where they live; specifically in the greater Seattle metropolitan area. This partnership will provide high-quality and high-access educational opportunities and develop a nimble approach to meet work force needs. In so doing, it will strive to become a center for curricular/pedagogical innovation and excellence. WSU-Bellevue College will continue to offer its broad array of two-year degrees but will augment four-year degree offerings over time based upon regional need. Students will be able to complete selected four-year degrees at WSU-Bellevue College, as well as transfer in a seamless manner to other WSU campuses for programs not available at WSU-Bellevue College. (http://www.bellevuecollege.edu/wsu/)