The Missouri career of Elson Floyd probably will be the center of review of the new president, as of this morning, of Washington State University. Understandably; that’s been a big job and he’s had some controversy (none of it fatal, obviously) to paw through.
But just about as significant, from WSU’s standpoint, is that the new president at Pullman – students there already have dubbed him “E-Flo” – has some Washington state background. From the WSU press statement about him:
“. . . he spent two years as executive director of the Washington State Higher Education Coordinating Board, the agency responsible for statewide coordination, planning, oversight, policy analysis and student financial aid programs for Washington’s post-secondary education system. From 1990 to 1993, he served as vice president for student services, vice president for administration and executive vice president at Eastern Washington University.”
And to think they got him without spending the full standard year searching high and low for a new president: They already knew this guy. They know what they’re getting.
That Washington background should be helpful, as WSU pushes to maintain its place in a financially-strapped state system. The statewide background and perspective he has in both Washington and Missouri, together with what are described as unusually strong public speaking skills, may make him a shrewd choice.
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