Elizabeth Chilton Named Chancellor of the Pullman Campus of Washington State University

Elizabeth Chilton was named chancellor of the flagship Pullman campus of Washington State University. Traditionally, the president of the six-campus Washington State University System served as chancellor of the Pullman campus, but with Dr. Chilton’s appointment, that will no longer be the case. Washington State University President Kirk Schultz will now concentrate on system-wide goals and strategies, leaving the day-to-day operations of the Pullman campus to Dr. Chilton.

Dr. Chilton became provost and executive vice president at Washington State University on August 1, 2000. From 2017 to 2020, she served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Binghamton University, a campus of the State University of New York System. Earlier, Dr. Chilton spent 16 years at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst as a professor, anthropology department chair, and associate vice chancellor for research and engagement.

“I am honored and thrilled to take on this expanded role in the next year,” Dr. Chilton said. “Our Pullman campus is distinct from the other campuses in its history, size, and local community. It’s our only residential campus and it’s the seat of Cougar Athletics. When it comes to decisions affecting the Pullman campus operations or our relationships with communities and constituencies on the Palouse, the campus needs the same distinctive autonomy afforded our other WSU campuses.”

Dr. Chilton is a graduate of the University at Albany of the State University of New York System. She earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.