Dear Cougar Family,
As the days grow longer and we move into spring, I am amazed of how spectacular this area of the country is that we live in. From six inches of snow one week to beautiful sunshine the next, the Palouse is truly incredible. This past weekend our rowing team invited me to watch practice at Wawawai Landing along the banks of the Snake River Canyon. This has to be one of the most spectacular rowing courses in all the nation! In the upcoming days, my family will join me permanently in Pullman and we are excited to be reunited. The kind welcome from the community has made the transition so much easier for my wife, children and I.
I have been on the job now just over six weeks, and it has been a whirlwind. As I said when President Schulz introduced me, I was going to spend time listening and learning and I have done just that. From Pullman to Spokane to Coeur d'Alene to Seattle to Vancouver/Portland to the Tri-Cities, I have traveled thousands of miles in the state and even had an opportunity to travel to California to spend time with our loyal Cougars there. It has been a pleasure meeting so many women and men, young and old, alumni and neighbors, who simply love Washington State. Our Night With Cougar Football events were filled with energy and broke fundraising records at each stop. That support goes directly to providing for our student-athletes.
While I have been on the road a great deal, tremendous work continues in Pullman. In the past few weeks alone, we have hosted several events as part of our Passport to Career series to help prepare our student-athletes for life after college, many of which are supported or led by former Cougar student-athletes. Sessions on wealth management, networking and a women's career panel were just some of the highlights. We will continue to keep our focus on our core mission at WSU: our student-athletes.
Finally, as many of you know, the Cougar Family lost one of its pillars a few weeks ago with the passing of David Lang. As the longtime Director of Strength and Conditioning at WSU, David was beloved and respected by our entire department. With two decades of service to WSU, he positively changed the lives of countless Washington State student-athletes. This was evident through all the current and former student-athletes who remembered him so lovingly on social media in past weeks. Coach Lang was one of the first people I met with during my initial days on campus. His love and loyalty for WSU was evident and his expertise in is field was obvious. David will be greatly missed but his impact will live on.
We look forward to seeing you all soon.
Go Cougs!
Sincerely,
Pat
As the days grow longer and we move into spring, I am amazed of how spectacular this area of the country is that we live in. From six inches of snow one week to beautiful sunshine the next, the Palouse is truly incredible. This past weekend our rowing team invited me to watch practice at Wawawai Landing along the banks of the Snake River Canyon. This has to be one of the most spectacular rowing courses in all the nation! In the upcoming days, my family will join me permanently in Pullman and we are excited to be reunited. The kind welcome from the community has made the transition so much easier for my wife, children and I.
I have been on the job now just over six weeks, and it has been a whirlwind. As I said when President Schulz introduced me, I was going to spend time listening and learning and I have done just that. From Pullman to Spokane to Coeur d'Alene to Seattle to Vancouver/Portland to the Tri-Cities, I have traveled thousands of miles in the state and even had an opportunity to travel to California to spend time with our loyal Cougars there. It has been a pleasure meeting so many women and men, young and old, alumni and neighbors, who simply love Washington State. Our Night With Cougar Football events were filled with energy and broke fundraising records at each stop. That support goes directly to providing for our student-athletes.
While I have been on the road a great deal, tremendous work continues in Pullman. In the past few weeks alone, we have hosted several events as part of our Passport to Career series to help prepare our student-athletes for life after college, many of which are supported or led by former Cougar student-athletes. Sessions on wealth management, networking and a women's career panel were just some of the highlights. We will continue to keep our focus on our core mission at WSU: our student-athletes.
Finally, as many of you know, the Cougar Family lost one of its pillars a few weeks ago with the passing of David Lang. As the longtime Director of Strength and Conditioning at WSU, David was beloved and respected by our entire department. With two decades of service to WSU, he positively changed the lives of countless Washington State student-athletes. This was evident through all the current and former student-athletes who remembered him so lovingly on social media in past weeks. Coach Lang was one of the first people I met with during my initial days on campus. His love and loyalty for WSU was evident and his expertise in is field was obvious. David will be greatly missed but his impact will live on.
We look forward to seeing you all soon.
Go Cougs!
Sincerely,
Pat