I think quite a bit about a university as a force for good, beyond our life-changing research and education missions. There are hundreds of other ways, large and small, that Washington State University supports people and communities across the state and beyond.
For instance, we know that access to education is more effective when we do all we can to help students thrive at WSU. Often that support comes as formal programs and services. But just as often, it comes from individual acts of kindness.
A professor knows a student’s finances are tight and offers an internship. An office assistant realizes a student is questioning whether they belong at WSU and gives a few words of encouragement. Maybe it’s as simple as extra food to tide someone over the weekends. The people involved may never know how they influenced a student’s success at WSU, but these kinds of pivot points happen every day on every campus.
Now think of our communities. Extension programs have a long history of assisting Washington counties, help that ranges from mental health to agricultural innovation. But as a university we also listen to communities and respond to their needs in other ways.
We listen to local leaders when they tell us the kinds of workers and degrees needed in their areas. Rising demand for rural and Latino social workers, for example, was the catalyst for WSU to add a social work degree in the Tri-Cities this academic year.
Remember the pandemic? Students who didn’t have high-speed internet at home couldn’t fully participate in remote learning. WSU worked with partners to quickly stand up parking-lot internet sites across the state.
Our campuses are cultural centers and economic engines in the communities that host WSU. In return, communities help us through infrastructure and policy, through internships, and by welcoming our students, faculty, and staff.
Many people get into higher education because of the mission. That zeal sometimes fades a little as we deal with inevitable headwinds. For me, when that happens, it helps to think of Washington State University and all it has meant to people and communities, and how many lives have been improved because of the university. Truly, a force for good.
Kirk Schulz
President, Washington State University