President Washington State University | Pullman, Washington Washington State University has announced Betsy Cantwell as its 12th president.Cantwell joins WSU from Utah State University (USU), where she served as president of the university system composed of 30 campuses and centers across the state of Utah and online. She has demonstrated exceptional leadership in advancing the university’s academic mission. During her tenure, sponsored research expenditures reached a record-breaking $495 million, student scholarships were increased by 10%, and significant campus improvements were undertaken, all while demonstrating a strategic approach to fiscal sustainability and data-driven decision making. Cantwell has also successfully navigated the challenges of intercollegiate athletics and played a key role in the revitalization of the Pac-12 conference.Prior to her time at USU, Cantwell oversaw an $825 million annual research portfolio at the University of Arizona. She also served at Arizona State University where she was responsible for research and business development, growing the research enterprise from $435 million to $680 million in three years. Cantwell’s career also includes extensive service to U.S. national security. She held leadership roles at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Oak Ridge and Los Alamos national laboratories, working with various government agencies including the Departments of Energy and Defense, National Nuclear Security Administration, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, and NASA.Read the full announcement here. Julie Filizetti led this search with Carley Davenport, Hayden Lizotte, and Katie Pusecker Kilcawley.
