WSU's Betsy Cantwell: Stop Reacting to College Athletics. Start Designing It

Most university presidents are reacting to the upheaval in college athletics. Dr. Elizabeth "Betsy" Cantwell is running scenarios on it — a habit she picked up long before higher ed. Before she became Washington State University's 12th president (and its first woman in the role) in April 2025, Cantwell built her career in national security, where scenario-based planning is standard practice: you…