Canzano: Washington State's mission starts at the top
Cougars get a new president -- does the hire work for sports?
They poured wine and served appetizers on Thursday. The attendees at the ceremony held inside the Compton Union Building pinned name tags to their lapels and greeted Washington State’s new president hire with handshakes and smiles.
Elizabeth Cantwell said a few words to the crowd.
Among them: “Call me, Betsy.”
I want to offer some words in return because there has never been a more important hire for WSU. And it has Pac-12 implications, too.
A couple of months ago, in the days before Christmas, I spoke with several members of the university’s Board of Regents. They were frustrated with outgoing president Kirk Schulz, who had been directed to find millions in additional support for WSU athletics but dragged his feet.
Would the board remove Schulz early? The president was set to retire on June 30. But a source close to the Regents told me they were fielding calls from angry donors who wanted to push Schulz out much sooner.
As one of the board members told me: “The guy has gone through a lot of shit. Let’s face it. He dealt with Covid, the Nick Rolovich fiasco, enrollment declines, and the Pac-12 imploding. Kirk has had to deal with that stuff, but we’re trying to help athletics. He was directed to find the money, and the guy stonewalled us.”