Local Washington State Senator Mark Schoesler has expressed potential support for a bill that would mandate a public process for hiring university presidents. Currently, both Washington State University and the University of Washington are in the process of selecting their next presidents without public disclosure of the finalists. Traditionally, the names of the finalists and the eventual hire are not revealed until the university’s board of regents approves the contract in an open meeting.

A bipartisan bill has been introduced in Olympia that would require public higher education institutions in Washington to disclose the names of presidential finalists at least one month prior to the hiring decision. Additionally, the proposed legislation would mandate that these finalists participate in public forums to respond to questions from the community.