WSU leaders receive crimson coats

Entrance to Washington State University's Pullman campus.
Washington State University

Six individuals hired for or promoted to university leadership positions during the past two years were formally congratulated Nov. 19 by President and First Lady Kirk and Noel Schulz during the Crimson Coat Ceremony.

The president began the ceremony in 2017 as a way to publicly recognize the critical role of university leaders, particularly in efforts to make WSU one of the nation’s foremost public research universities.

As the name of the event suggests, each honoree was presented with a crimson-colored sports coat.

“We’re fortunate to have such talented, dedicated leaders guiding the future of our statewide enterprise,” Schulz said. “Their efforts to ensure we succeed in fulfilling our land-grant mission—particularly during the current pandemic—are inspiring and bode well for the future well-being of the state.”

This year’s event, which was held on Zoom, recognized:


  • Provost and Executive Vice President Elizabeth Chilton


    Closeup of Elizabeth Chilton
    Elizabeth Chilton

    Chilton joined WSU in July after serving as dean of the Harpur College of Arts and Sciences at Binghamton University from 2017 to 2020. She previously spent nearly 16 years in leadership positions and as a professor at the University of Massachusetts. Chilton is a respected author, teacher, and scholar of New England archeology and Native American studies.

  • Global Campus Chancellor and Vice President of Academic Outreach and Innovation Dave Cillay


    Closeup of Dave Cillay
    Dave Cillay

    Cillay was named the university’s first Global Campus chancellor in Oct. 2019 in addition to his duties as vice president of WSU Academic Outreach and Innovation. He has guided the growth of the Global Campus—considered one of the nation’s leaders in delivering distance education—for the past eight years. Cillay began his WSU career in 2003.

  • College of Veterinary Medicine Dean Dori Borjesson


    Closeup of Dori Borjesson
    Dori Borjesson

    Borjesson was named the college’s first female dean last January. She joined WSU from the University of California Davis’ School of Veterinary Medicine where she was chair of the Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology. Among Borgesson’s more notable research contributions is using large animal models of disease to study cell therapy for inflammatory diseases.

  • Graduate School Dean Lisa Gloss


    Closeup of Lisa Gloss
    Lisa Gloss

    Gloss was named dean in Jan. 2019 after serving as interim dean since Aug. 2017. She joined the faculty of the WSU School of Molecular Biosciences faculty in 1998 and was named associate dean of the Graduate School in 2014. Her research has been funded by a CAREER grant from the National Science Foundation, as well as grants from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, the American Cancer Society and the American Chemical Society.

  • College of Nursing Dean Mary Koithan


    Closeup of Mary Koithan
    Mary Koithan

    Koithan was named dean last April and began her duties in July. She joined WSU from the University of Arizona, where she was associate dean for student and community engagement in the College of Nursing and an Anne Furrow Professor of Integrative Nursing. She is the ninth leader of the College of Nursing in its more than 50-year history.

  • College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Dean Mark Leid


    Closeup of Mark Leid
    Mark Leid

    An alumnus of the WSU pharmacy program, Leid was named dean in April. He joined WSU from Oregon State University, where he was a College of Pharmacy professor and the associate dean for research. He has experience as a pharmacist and a researcher both in the United States and France. His research is known for the discovery of proteins that play key roles in the development of several organ systems.

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