Multi campus system, land grant mission brought new provost to WSU

The opportunity to serve a preeminent university during a pivotal time in higher education excited Chris Riley-Tillman.

Washington State University's land-grant mission, particularly how its multi-campus structure represents what he views as the ideal for the future of land grant institutions, cemented it as the place to be.

And in relocating to Pullman, he'd also be able to uphold the one rule he'd set for himself: find somewhere that excited his wife and son.

As of July 1, Riley-Tillman is the university's new provost, grateful for the opportunity afforded to him and energized about the months and years ahead.

"Places like Washington State University are more attractive now than they've ever been," Riley-Tillman said. "We train students to do incredibly impactful work that will benefit society. We have competitive tuition. We focus on first-generation students, and in particular on Native American students in an earnest manner. And we're able to focus on the needs of the state while boasting a world-class institution of research across multiple fields of study."

Just three weeks into his new role, Riley-Tillman sat down to discuss the path that led him to WSU, his views on the current landscape of higher education, and his plans for the upcoming semester and beyond.

Making an impact

When evaluating his next professional step, Riley-Tillman knew he wanted to go somewhere where he'd be able to make a difference.

"I wanted to be at a land-grant institution during a pivotal time when the decisions being made will matter and have a lasting, positive impact on the future for our students, faculty, and staff," he said.

WSU's historic role - its mission of providing educational opportunities to all students while fulfilling the workforce needs of the state - must not only be preserved, but enhanced. That's done by expanding the programs across the system that make WSU exceptional, Riley-Tillman said. The upcoming program optimization process for academic affairs will be critical in determining the next steps for WSU, he added.

Despite the headwinds WSU and higher education at large have faced in recent years, Riley-Tillman is confident about WSU's future. The way the university has positioned campuses to serve unique communities within a unified system is at the core of that optimism.

"The reality is that most land-grants aren't able to adequately serve all students in a meaningful manner across their entire state because they have one central campus," Riley-Tillman said. "If you were remaking a land-grant university system today, you'd do what WSU has done in putting campuses in Everett, Pullman, Spokane, Tri-Cities, and Vancouver with online options via WSU Global. What WSU did by truly embracing one faculty and one degree was very forward-thinking and made it a uniquely positioned institution."

Rebuilding lines of communication

Prior to his arrival, a number of faculty members at WSU raised their concerns about the future of the university.

Rebuilding lines of communication is central to addressing the concerns of faculty and staff, Riley-Tillman said.

"As a starting point, I will have an extraordinarily engaged relationship with our deans throughout my tenure," Riley-Tillman said. "It's incredibly important for the provost and deans to not only meet regularly, but when a problem pops up, they need to contact me right then. We don't want to wait for the monthly one-on-one to deal with emerging issues."

It's also vital that the provost reestablish regular communication with department chairs and school directors to ensure they are up to speed on discussions happening between deans and the provost.

"I know everyone laughs about meetings, but when you don't have them, and relationships are not strong, communication breaks down," Riley-Tillman said.

Faculty Senate will continue to be an important partner to the Provost's Office. Its significant and long-standing role as the representative faculty body is vital to the health of the university moving forward, Riley-Tillman said, and the commitment to shared governance must be preserved.

In the weeks and months ahead, Riley-Tillman said he's eager to visit the university's campuses he hasn't yet seen and to meet with as many members of the WSU community as possible. The next six months won't just be a listening tour, adding that he wants to hit the ground running on key issues such as understanding WSU's administrative structure as compared to its true peers and evaluating how the university can establish an agreed-upon policy for faculty workload standards.

"Serving as WSU's chief academic officer is really a tremendous privilege," Riley-Tillman said. "I'm particularly excited about the events, such as the Faculty Crimson Clubs, we're planning where I'll get to sit and meet faculty members and learn about the work they are so passionate about. I really want to be accessible and be someone that people know they can talk and partner with."

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