Former USU Provost Karen Morse Announces Retirement in Washington

Karen W. Morse, a university president with ties to Utah State University, announced that she will retire as president of Western Washington University Sept. 1, 2008. Morse is the longest-serving president of all four-year institutions in the state of Washington.

Many faculty and staff remember Morse from her time at Utah State University, where she began as a faculty member in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department. She was named the first woman dean in the College of Science before becoming USU’s provost in 1989. She left the provost’s office in 1993 when she was named president at Western Washington University.

Morse currently serves on the four-member USU Chemistry and Biochemistry Department Advisory Board, whose members represent varied areas in academia and industry. The board reviews various facets of the department and provides advice on ways it can advance its goals.

Morse, who is beginning her 15th year as president at Western, made the announcement Sept. 21 at Westerns annual Fall Faculty Luncheon.

“I am proud I will have the opportunity to serve Western Washington University for 15 years,” Morse said in her announcement. “I care deeply about the mission of Western as an institution that provides high-quality academic opportunities. The many accomplishments since I began as president are a tribute to the efforts of our faculty, staff, administration and students.”

In April 1997, Morse received the Francis P. Garvan-John M. Olin Award, one of the American Chemical Society’s highest honors. She has published extensively in the field of chemistry and is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

She is married to retired Western chemistry professor and director of Science Education Joseph G. Morse, former USU faculty member, whom she met while both were pursuing their doctorates at Michigan. The couple has two adult sons, Robert, an attorney in Washington, D.C., and Geoffrey, an assistant professor of biology at Arizona State University West and two granddaughters, Sophia and Victoria.