The Washington State University Tri-Cities Institute for Northwest Energy Futures (INEF) was established in 2021 with a $500,000 dollar gift from longtime Tri-Citian Bob Ferguson, who served as the first deputy assistant secretary of nuclear programs for the U.S. Department of Energy. “This gift is a culmination of the vision we had when we established WSU Tri-Cities here,” Ferguson once said. He specified that the gift was a way to support research that WSU is doing now, as well as investing in what it could be doing in the future.
Chancellor Sandra Haynes played an integral role in sharing the vision with Governor Inslee. The vision became a reality after Governor Inslee and the legislature approved $7.7 million in funding for the 2023-25 biennium to hire administrators, staff, and faculty.
Ferguson’s gift opened the way for Noel Schulz to be appointed the first WSU Tri-Cities endowed faculty position in the energy sector in February 2024. This honor followed her appointment as the inaugural director of the Institute for Northwest Energy Futures (INEF) in August 2023.
