By 2010, total higher education enrollment in the State of Washington is expected to grow by nearly 40%, from 220,000 to 303,000. The Task Force on Enrollment Planning -- a diverse group of administrators, deans, chairs, faculty, staff, and students -- was charged by the President with helping to define the University of Washington's response to this trend.
One may quibble with the precise numbers, or debate the University of Washington's "fair share," but the inescapable fact is that enrollment at the University of Washington will grow, and grow significantly. Similarly, one may question the state's willingness to invest adequately in higher education, especially in times of prosperity, but another inescapable fact is that at least part of UW's enrollment increase will need to be accommodated through improvements in efficiency on our part.
The most important of the Task Force's conclusions is that enrollment pressure must be seized as an opportunity to consciously shape the University. As the leading research institution in an entire quadrant of the nation, UW has a unique and crucial role to play -- not only in graduate education and research, but also in undergraduate education, leadership, and economic development. Choices must be made. We must grow in ways that take advantage of, and enhance, our special capabilities. For example, at the undergraduate level, a research institution such as the University of Washington is uniquely equipped to bring strong, well-prepared, and motivated students to the very forefront of their fields, seamlessly intertwining research with education. The fact that the University of Washington now consists of three campuses with complementary orientations must be used to our advantage to allow us to meet a broader demand than the foregoing would seem to imply. Similarly, the complementary nature of the thirty eight units of the state's higher education structure -- its two research institutions, four 4-year institutions, and thirty-two community and technical colleges -- must be enhanced, to allow the enterprise as a whole to cost-effectively serve the broadest possible range of the state's citizens.
This is a most unusual Presidential Task Force report. We present no "Master Plan for Growth." Instead, we offer a starting point for planning. The ideas and recommendations in this report are meant to inspire broad discussion, and should undergo constant revision. Our goal is to move this discussion outside of the Task Force to the University community and beyond. We need your comments, advice, and ideas. Over the next year we will gather responses to this initial report and allow it to change and evolve, representing the best thinking of not a few, but many people.
