Leading the Way: State of the College Address 2026
CAHNRS is serving more than 2,500 students and has delivered significant recruitment-driven growth since 2022, while sustaining approximately $110M in annual grant activity amid a modestly lower FY26 budget and continued university-wide reductions. Major capital and research investments, including the $125M USDA-ARS Plant Bioscience Building opening in fall 2026, along with continued hiring, position the college for continued progress despite fiscal constraints.
Looking ahead, we will prioritize student success and inclusive access, strengthen our competitiveness for external funding, and deepen partnerships that translate research into impact, while exercising disciplined fiscal stewardship and delivering key facilities that expand capacity for teaching, discovery, and engagement.
By the Numbers
- 2,500+ total students, 2,167 undergrad, 375 grad (Fall 2025)
- 37% first-generation students; 35.8% minority population
- Over $1 million awarded annually to 450+ students in scholarships
- 50% increase in new student applications since 2022
- 66% increase in new student admissions since 2022
- 21% increase in confirmed new students (date-to-date) since 2022
- Recruitment efforts engaged 5,000+ students directly and promoted CAHNRS to over 60,000 students at national events
- Over 40 student clubs, with three new ones created in AY26
- FY25 total budget: $222.9M → FY26 estimate: $215.0M (slight decline of ~$7.9M)
- Total expenditures: $218.1M, 64% ($139.5M) goes to personnel costs (salaries + benefits)
- Grant funding: ~$110M estimated for 2026, with a >70% success rate maintained for 5+ years
- WSU is in its 7th consecutive year of budget reductions, with a cumulative inflation-adjusted impact of $18M ($11.7M temporary, $6.5M permanent)
- $1.9M in FY26 internal grants & equipment, largest year on record
- $2.79M in FY26 total travel spend (53% out-of-state, 44% in-state, 9% international)
- $62.3M total capital investment, headlined by:
- $28M Aquaculture Resilience Center
- $18M Plant Growth Facility (Wenatchee)
- $10M Biodigester at Knott Dairy Farm
- $125M in federal funding for USDA-ARS Plant Bioscience Building (ribbon cutting fall 2026)
- 173 new employees hired since July 1, 2025 — including 15 faculty, 33 fixed-term faculty, 45 staff, and 80 graduate assistants
- Currently hiring 15 faculty positions with an additional 15 requested for FY2027
- 20 staff and 8 faculty retired since July 1, 2025
- 62 faculty received the WSU President’s Excellence Fund merit increase (totaling $105,000)
- 16 faculty received promotion and/or tenure in FY2027
- 14 Regents Professors in the college, including 7 current appointees
- CHEFF initiative supported by $10M from Washington Research Foundation + $3M from Washington Grain Commission
- Competing for a potential $30M NSF Engineering Research Center (four-institution team)
- President’s Big Ideas awards: $100K for water quality impacts on salmon health research, $300K for use of AI in rural communities
- Student recruitment is surging; application and admission numbers are up dramatically since 2022, driven by aggressive outreach across multiple states and territories
- Grant funding remains robust at ~$110M with a consistently high success rate, even as the university faces cumulative budget cuts of $18M
- Major capital investments ($62M+) signal long-term commitment to research infrastructure despite budget headwinds
- Consistent hiring of 173 new employees shows the college is investing in growth even in a constrained fiscal environment
- The $125M USDA-ARS Plant Bioscience Building is set to open fall 2026