Remember when President Bush had to duck to avoid a shoe thrown by an angry Iraqi journalist? (If not — here’s a You Tube refresher). At the same time, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Malaki didn’t flinch at all. Why the difference? Turns out that in the split second the shoe was in the air, the… Read More

Congratulations to the Husky men’s crew for bringing the Intercollegiate Rowing Association national championship home for the purple and gold. The crew overtook Cal with a furious final 500 meters in the varsity eight race, and came home with four gold medals as well as the team title. Governor Gregoire added her praise as well… Read More

A recent study by the American Enterprise Institute (with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation — “Diplomas and Dropouts” shows the UW’s six-year graduation rate at 75%, well ahead of the state average of 59%. You can read a good story on the study in the Seattle Times. According to the article, researchers… Read More

Hearty congratulations to the UW Softball team, who beat the Florida Gators and captured the NCAA National Championship. The victory was also noticed in Olympia where Governor Gregoire issued the following statement: “I am incredibly proud of our Washington women for their victory. The excellence, determination, and passion they have demonstrated are truly outstanding. It… Read More

Sorry for the groaner, but the budget cuts being proposed for California’s higher education system are dramatic. Governor Schwarzenegger and lawmakers are having to respond to the failure of several budget measures at the ballot, and proposals include sharp cutbacks in financial aid, higher tuition and fees, and deep cuts in enrollment. Here are two… Read More

Lawmakers are also feeling the pain of the recently passed state budget. Today’s Olympian had a story about budget cuts being implemented in the House and Senate. The measures include layoffs, mandatory furloughs, reduced per-diem for members, and reduced communications budgets. You can read the entire story here.

Speaking to the Association of Washington Business in Spokane, the state’s chief economic forecaster, Dr. Arun Raha, said he saw the recession ending in the third quarter of this year, with the economy “gaining traction” in the middle of 2010. We have learned to be wary of predictions, but Dr. Raha’s timeline would be welcome… Read More

Now that the Governor has signed the operating budget (earlier she signed the capital and transportation budgets), just how much do all of the budgets total?  You can find the answer ($69.5 billion) along with a fascinating analysis here. Joe Turner of The News Tribune breaks down how lawmakers plugged holes in the budget, noting… Read More

Our office of Planning and Budgeting has put together a detailed and informative presentation on the recently adopted operating and capital budgets, how they will affect the University, and the challenges we are facing.  It details the shrinking role of state appropriations in funding, how we compare with the global challenge states, how financial aid… Read More

Congratulations to 1984 UW alumni Randy Pepple who has been named the new chief of staff for Attorney General Rob McKenna.  Most recently Pepple headed Pepple Communications and in the late 1990s he was chief of staff for former Congressman Rick White.  We look forward to working with him in his new position.