BySenators Warnick, Holy, Honeyford, Nobles, Hasegawa, and Wilson, L.

WHEREAS, In June of this year, James L. Gaudino will conclude twelve and a half very successful years of service to the state as president of Central Washington University; and

WHEREAS, President Gaudino's leadership has been instrumental in overcoming some of the most challenging times of the 129-year history of CWU; and

WHEREAS, During the Great Recession President Gaudino's budget management avoided mass layoffs and actually increased financial stability of the university; and

WHEREAS, He led the modernization and digitization of 14 business processes, from procurement to human resources, reducing the time and cost of administrative processes; and

WHEREAS, His intense focus on creating a welcoming and inclusive campus climate has resulted in CWU being the most diverse public university in the state, and the only university to earn the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity award in six of the past seven years; and

WHEREAS, The overhaul of campus technology and data-management systems has given CWU the ability to better inform planning and decisions; and

WHEREAS, President Gaudino has modernized budget and management processes, and shifted the planning horizon from one to six years in order to ensure sustainable and accountable university management; and

WHEREAS, His modernization of enrollment management allowed CWU to recover from Great Recession enrollment drops and become one of the fastest growing institutions in the country; and

WHEREAS, He has expanded educational opportunities by launching online degree programs and establishing instructional sites in Sammamish and at Joint Base Lewis-McChord; and

WHEREAS, President Gaudino's insistence on science-informed pandemic strategies and close partnerships with local public health officials created a safe, low-transmission learning environment and has resulted in no serious illnesses to date from COVID;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the members of the Washington State Senate extend to Dr. James L. Gaudino their sincere thanks for his service to the people of Washington and his work to expand educational opportunities for the citizens of our state; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to Dr. James L. Gaudino and the Board of Trustees of Central Washington University.