Statement by WSU President Samuel Smith on the Passage of State of Washington Initiative-200 Washington State University has made substantial gains in increasing the diversity of our academic community over the past decade. The passage of I-200 in no way deters WSU's commitment to people of color and women, and will not lessen WSU's goal to have a student body and workforce reflective of the diversity of Washington's population.
Diversity makes our university stronger.
To ensure a diverse community, WSU will expand its outreach efforts to all the people of our state to attract students and employees of all backgrounds to our university's four campuses. WSU's land-grant mission commits us to fulfill the mandate of a century ago to serve those previously denied educational opportunities. WSU will continue to attract undergraduate students of color to WSU through our College Knowledge of the Mind program. And, once these students are here, they will benefit from the Multicultural Student Mentor Program, part of Multicultural Student Retention Services. The Future Teacher of Color program in the WSU College of Education will expand opportunities for students and will produce a diverse teacher corps for Washington.