Kirk Schulz

Kirk Herman Schulz (born May 11, 1963) is an American educator, currently serving as the president of the Washington State University System, a position he began on June 13, 2016. Prior to serving at Washington State, Schulz was the 13th president of Kansas State University.

Kirk Schulz
Schulz in 2016
11th President of Washington State University
Incumbent
Assumed office June 13, 2016
Preceded by	Elson Floyd
13th President of Kansas State University
In office June 15, 2009 – April 22, 2016
Preceded by	Jon Wefald
Succeeded by	Richard Myers
Personal details
Born	Kirk Herman Schulz (1963-05-11) May 11, 1963 Portsmouth, Virginia, U.S.
Spouse	Noel Schulz
Children	2
Education	Old Dominion University Virginia Tech (BS, MS, PhD)
Scientific career
Fields	Chemical engineering
Institutions	University of North Dakota Michigan Tech Mississippi State University Kansas State University Washington State University
Thesis	The partial oxidation of propene to acrolein over single-crystal cuprous oxide (1991)
Doctoral advisor	David F. Cox

Early life and education

Schulz was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, but raised in Norfolk, Virginia. He graduated in 1981 from Norfolk Christian High School. Schulz attended Old Dominion University for three years before transferring to Virginia Tech in 1984. He received his Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from Virginia Tech in 1986 and his doctorate in 1991.

Career

Schulz first worked as an assistant professor of chemical engineering at the University of North Dakota. In 1995, he became assistant professor of chemical engineering at Michigan Tech and promoted to associate professor in 1998. Schulz also became chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering there in the same year.

He accepted a position at Mississippi State University in 2001, becoming director of the Dave C. Swalm School of Chemical Engineering, where he held the Earnest W. Deavenport Jr. endowed chair. Schulz became Dean of Engineering of the James Worth Bagley College of Engineering and the first Earnest W. and Mary Ann Deavenport Jr. endowed chair in 2005. Two years later, Schulz was Interim Vice President for Research and Economic Development, a position which became permanent for him later in the year.

On February 11, 2009, the Kansas Board of Regents announced that Schulz was selected as the thirteenth president of Kansas State University. On March 25, 2016, the Washington State University Board of Regents announced that Schulz was selected as the 11th president of Washington State University, which he began in June 2016. In 2021, his roles related to the Pullman campus were delegated to a new chancellor, Elizabeth S. Chilton, and his role transitioned into setting the strategic vision and direction for the entire WSU system. Schulz announced his plan to retire at the end of the 2024-25 school year, amidst a declining academic reputation and rising debt.

Personal life

Schulz is married to Noel Schulz, who was the associate dean for research and graduate programs in the Kansas State University College of Engineering and the Paslay professor of electrical and computer engineering. They have two sons, Tim and Andrew.

Professional affiliations

Schulz is a member of the ABET Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) and an active member of AIChE, ASEE, and ABET. He was named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 2007 and a Fellow of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) in 2008.

External links

• Washington State University – profile