WSU launching national search for replacement

The chancellor of Washington State University Tri-Cities is stepping down.

H. Keith Moo-Young will be leaving before his five-year contract is up. He joined the Richland campus four years ago, earning a $300,000 annual salary.

“With new leadership comes a new vision and direction for WSU. Chancellor Moo-Young is in full support of the direction of the president along with the desire of he and the Board of Regents to go in another direction,” WSU Tri-Cities said in a statement.

WSU President Kirk Schulz was hired in March 2016, succeeding late former president Elson Floyd.

Moo-Young will remain until his successor is in place, likely in early 2018.

The university said it plans to immediately launch a national search for a new chancellor. 

 “Keith Moo-Young has led our Tri-Cities campus to a number of outstanding achievements the last four years,” said WSU President Kirk Schulz in a statement. “From enrollment growth to the establishment of strong partnerships with community groups throughout the greater Columbia Basin, Keith is leaving the campus in a better position than it was in four years ago. I greatly appreciate his leadership.”

Schulz will be on campus May 16 for “listening sessions” with WSU Tri-Cities’ advisory council, campus leadership, faculty, staff and students. 

Moo-Young cited his accomplishments in helping position the school as a destination campus.

 “I’m particularly pleased by the potential to add student housing on campus, creation of the $18 million Kadlec nursing professorship endowment and establishment of the School of Engineering and Applied Science. I look forward to the future of the campus as the community continues to grow and develop,” he said in a statement.

Enrollment at the campus in Richland has been growing steadily, totaling 1,825 students for the just-concluded spring semester—a 21 percent increase from the previous spring. The campus enrolls the most diverse student body in the WSU statewide system and it recently qualified as a Department of Education Hispanic Serving Institution.

The Ste. Michelle Wine Estates WSU Wine Science Center also was established on campus during Moo-Young’s tenure two years ago. 

“The Tri-Cities campus is a vital part of our statewide enterprise and our commitment to the state,” said Schulz. “This is due in large part to Keith’s vision and hard work.”

Prior to joining WSU, Moo-Young served as dean of the College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology at California State University, Los Angeles.

Moo-Young is in the early stages on planning what’s next for his future and excited about new ventures for his career, according to a statement from WSU Tri-Cities.