EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Here in the state of Washington, citizens and their leaders have recognized that bold steps are needed to ensure the state’s competitiveness in the global knowledge economy. This publication presents a plan for strengthening the educational experience at the University of Washington in order to meet this global challenge. It looks at the past and the present to show why a new approach to investment in the UW is so critical to Washington’s future.

THIS PLAN DESCRIBES HOW:

The people of Washington have created a valuable asset.

Today’s UW is the result of generations of strong partnerships and strategic public and private investments in higher education. In return for these past investments, we provide a good education for our students, world-class health care for our patients, and research activity that fuels our economy and improves our quality of life. However, we cannot rest on past accomplishments. The changing global economy demands that new investments be made.

Higher education will prepare all of us to meet the global challenge.

Our public and private leaders have recognized the importance of higher education to Washington’s future. A research university education is increasingly important to building successful leaders and dynamic economies. The UW educates 40 percent of the students enrolled in four-year public universities in the state. UW undergraduates have access to research work, community service opportunities, and international studies as well as specialized education in high-demand fields. The UW has world-class faculty who teach these students. Strengthening the UW educational experience is essential to the future of Washington.

Higher education must be widely accessible.

The UW has an economically diverse student body and strong financial aid programs. It has the third largest proportion of Pell Grant recipients of any large public university in the country, and each year a third of the university’s incoming freshmen are students who will be the first in their family to earn a bachelor’s degree. Half of our undergraduates earn their degrees with zero debt. The UW is strongly committed to accessibility under any scenario of funding and tuition policy.

Low tuition and low state investment comes with a cost.

With annual in-state undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees totaling $5,988, the UW is ranked by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance as one of the top 10 bargains in American higher education. Resident undergraduate tuition is significantly lower than many comparable universities located in other states. Low tuition and low state support has resulted in fewer resources being available for the quality educational experiences that prepare students for the global challenge. We must find a new way to fund the UW that’s fairer for all students and for the taxpayers of Washington.

New investment is essential.

A $4,000-per-student gap per year between the resources invested in the UW’s educational environment and the investments at similar public institutions in other knowledge-economy states is one powerful indication that we are not investing enough resources for our students to compete.

UW Regents, alumni and other Washington citizens have responded to this need for new investment with unprecedented philanthropy through our current fundraising effort, Campaign UW: Creating Futures. Because resources for undergraduates are so important, the final two years of Campaign UW will focus on raising funds for student scholarships. But the financial needs go beyond what the UW can raise from private sources.

Limited resources mean that UW students may not get the classes, the majors, the faculty interaction, and the research and service experience they need to prepare for the world ahead of them. When we compare the UW student experience with that of similar public institutions, the cost of this funding gap becomes clear. In a changing world, our students require more support in order for them – and our state – to compete and succeed.

Strategic investments are needed – state appropriations and student tuition.

Together, these are the primary sources of support for academics at the University of Washington. Investing more resources – from state funds and from the families that can afford to pay a higher share of the cost of their children’s college education – will keep us competitive. It will increase access through new enrollments and new financial aid, attract and retain strong faculty and staff, and enrich undergraduate opportunities so that all UW students have the chance to realize their potential. It will bring returns to the state in the form of a workforce that is better prepared for the new economy. In partnership, the UW and the state can do these things for Washington’s students with higher education investments that meet the level of the other states that have dynamic, globally-focused economies.

It is time for a focused and purposeful plan for change.

The UW recognizes the critical juncture that Washington is facing, and we are asking the state and the people of Washington to help us enact new solutions. One way to start this process is to implement a plan that provides the UW with the resources and tools to enhance undergraduate education, increase enrollments, and strengthen research and service to the state – with measurable results within the next 10 years. The plan would emphasize accountability, operational efficiency, undergraduate teaching, and access to education. With additional investment and policy changes, the UW can achieve shared goals and meet specific performance targets to better educate and serve the state. The UW and the people of Washington must work together to support and implement this plan.

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