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Jessup to Leave Foundation, Rejoin Business Faculty

Thursday, May 17, 2007

James Tinney, WSU News Service, 509/335-8055, jltinney@wsu.edu
Trevor Durham, WSU Foundation, 509/335-2093, tdurham@wsu.edu

PULLMAN, Wash. -- Len Jessup, who has served as president of the Washington State University Foundation and vice president for university development since May 2005, has announced that he will step down from that position and rejoin the faculty in the WSU College of Business.

Jessup said the change will take effect following the spring foundation meetings, to be held next week.

“This was truly an outstanding opportunity for me both personally and professionally and I do not regret for one second my time within the fundraising ranks of the university,” Jessup said. “But now, I am very much looking forward to returning to the business school and my lifelong passion for teaching, learning, research and the study of entrepreneurial leadership.”

“I greatly appreciate Len’s leadership at the foundation. Just as I had hoped when I asked him to take on this responsibility two years ago, he has put the foundation on track to accomplish great things,” said President V. Lane Rawlins.

During Jessup’s tenure, the Foundation saw a significant increase in annual giving; this year the foundation is on track to achieve a record total in gifts, grants, and pledges. The WSU Endowment has increased from $204.6 million at the close of 2003-2004 to more than $300 million today.

Jessup plans to return to the WSU College of Business as the Markin Endowed Chair in Entrepreneurial Leadership.

Jessup served as dean of WSU’s College of Business and Economics from July 2002 until he took over the leadership role at the foundation from Richard Frisch, who left WSU to become vice president for university advancement at Boise State University.

Prior to coming to WSU as coordinator of the management information systems program in 2000, Jessup was a tenured faculty member in the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.

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WSU News Service, Washington State University, PO Box 641040, Pullman WA 99164-1040 | (509) 335-3581 | wsunews@wsu.edu or bcampbell@wsu.edu