Washington State University announced Thursday afternoon it has hired current Utah State University President Elizabeth “Betsy” Cantwell to serve as its next president beginning April 1.
A news release posted to Washington State University’s website on Feb. 6 broke the news that Cantwell was selected, after a nationwide search of 260 candidates, to serve as WSU’s 12th president.
“We are energized by Dr. Cantwell’s ambitious vision for the future of WSU, said Lisa Keohokalole Schauer, WSU board chair, in the release. “She is a passionate advocate for student success and a champion of our land-grant mission.”
Cantwell leaves Utah’s only land-grant university in USU for another one in Washington after 18 months on the job. She was USU’s 17th President and began on Aug. 1, 2023.
“This opportunity to serve WSU as president is truly a dream come true!” Cantwell said in the WSU news release, adding that it was a “profound privilege” to be selected to lead the “esteemed institution.”
She went on to say she has long admired WSU and that admiration grew a couple of years ago when her daughter went to the school in a graduate program.
Utah State University Board of Trustees chair Jacey Skinner reacted to the news in a statement issued on Thursday evening that said Cantwell had informed the board of her decision to accept the position.
“While her time at USU was short, we are grateful for President Cantwell’s dedicated work in lifting up Utah State University,” Skinner said.
She went on to say that under President Cantwell’s leadership USU’s research enterprise set records, support for student scholarships increased, and a new model for fiscal sustainability was implemented.
“President Cantwell was also instrumental in securing our transformative membership in the new Pac-12 Conference, which will benefit the Aggies for years to come,” Skinner said.
The next step for USU is to work with the Board of Higher Education to appoint an interim president and conduct a presidential search.
“In the meantime, we remain committed to USU’s ongoing success and we are united in ensuring that our university momentum continues in the years ahead,” she said.
The Utah Board of Higher Education released the following statement, saying in part, ”We look forward to partnering with the campus community and its many supporters to ensure a smooth transition and future success.”
It also added that, “while the details are still being finalized, we expect that she will wrap up her time at USU in the next couple of months and assume her new role on April 1, 2025. This is a wonderful opportunity for President Cantwell, and we wish her very well in this next chapter.”
WSU and USU will both be in the Pac-12 athletic conference beginning July 2026.
During her time at USU, Cantwell made several administrative hires. Days after getting the job in 2023 she hired Diana Sabau as vice president and director of USU Athletics. Sabau helped USU get what she called a “monumental moment for Utah State” with an invitation last fall to join the Pac-12.
During Cantwell’s tenure, USU also had an upheaval in the athletics department which led to a pair of multi-million dollar lawsuits that were filed against the university following the surprise terminations in July 2024 of its head football coach, deputy athletic director and two other athletic staff members. The four were all dismissed by USU over alleged failures to report an April 2023 incident of domestic violence as required by USU policy. All have maintained no wrongdoing in reporting the situation.
The aftermath of the firings led to the former head football coach and deputy athletic director filing multi-million dollar lawsuits against the university. Both cases are still ongoing; one with a trial date set in 2026.
Most recently, a situation earlier this year involving a student complaint about a transgender resident assistant at USU, which gained national attention, was the impetus for The Utah State Legislature drafting a bill, HB 269 Privacy Protections in Sex-designated Areas. If passed, it would create a new law that requires students at public universities and colleges to segregate housing based on a student’s biological sex at birth. The bill passed in the Senate on Thursday with amendments and could become law if it is approved in a final vote in the House.
This a breaking news story and will be updated as more details are made available.