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Editorial: A proud moment for the state Legislature

UW President Michael K. Young
President Michael K. Young

In a guest opinion editorial published in The Olympian newspaper, UW President Michael K. Young recognizes state legislators for their work on behalf of higher education in the state budget:

I am very proud of our state Legislature. As difficult and protracted as the process was, our legislators passed a state budget that reinvests in the state’s future by supporting the education of our young people. It’s an achievement that deserves to be recognized.

The state budget is an encouraging reminder that the trajectory of a public issue can be altered for the better and that downward spirals need not continue. Many individuals, including faculty and student leaders, labor leaders, business executives, and newspaper editors demonstrated the power of a thoughtful argument, persistently and eloquently presented, and the capacity of our citizens and our democratic institutions to respond constructively. The resulting political compromises and the long-term thinking of the legislators should be a source of pride for every Washington citizen. By their bold action, our legislators have taken an important step to reenergize our public colleges and universities and return momentum to Washington’s historic commitment to educating its citizens to meet the challenges of tomorrow.

Read more here.

Regents approve UW operating budget and tuition rates

The University of Washington Board of Regents met today (July 1) to approve the university operating budget and 2014, 2015 tuition rates.

After many years of declining state support, state lawmakers made a substantial reinvestment in higher education in the 2013-2015 state operating budget. This reinvestment in higher education will allow the university to provide more affordable tuition rates for Washington’s students and their families without compromising on the quality of a UW education.

For more information, click here to download and our tuition fact sheet (PDF).

Statement from UW President on the proposed Washington state budget

The following statement is from Michael K. Young, president of the University of Washington.

“The proposed state operating budget agreement represents a significant step forward, not only for University of Washington students, faculty, staff and their families – but also for the state of Washington.

“For the first time in over two decades, state reinvestment in this budget agreement will allow the UW to hold resident undergraduate tuition rates at their current levels without compromising the extraordinary quality of students’ educations. In addition, new investments in engineering and computer science will expand access to critical programs for qualified students, creating an expanded talent pipeline for the 25,000 high demand job opportunities currently available in our state.

“Budget negotiators are to be commended for their vision in making these essential investments in Washington’s economy and future leaders. Furthermore, we are grateful for the strong commitment and unyielding efforts of our incredible advocates, including the steadfast UW community, engaged alumni, dedicated partners in the business community, and broad-based newspaper editorial support. I am optimistic the investments in this budget are a sign of renewed focus and investment in higher education in Washington state.”

KING 5: The Future of Aerospace Innovation in Washington

KING 5 covered the first ever Joint Center for Aerospace Innovation symposium held on the UW campus yesterday:

In a conference at the U.W. campus under the title Innovate Washington,  students, faculty and industry representatives learned about  students research projects and listened to a host of speakers which included  Bobak Ferdowsi, the flight engineer for NASA’s Mars Curiosity Rover and U.W. Aeronautics and Astronautics graduate.

You can read more, or watch the full story on KING5.com.

Upcoming Event: The Future of Aerospace Innovation in Washington

The Joint Center for Aerospace Research Technology Innovation (JCATI) will hold its inaugural symposium on Monday, June 24, 2013 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m on the University of Washington’s Seattle campus.

The symposium will include an industry panel discussing the grand challenges in aerospace and the role of innovation. Moderated by Roger Myers of Aerojet, the panel will include industry leaders representing the commercial airplanes, space, UAV, and NextGen/big data sectors of the industry.

A university panel titled “The Academy’s Role in Innovation” will host deans from the University of Washington and Washington State University as well as Earll Murman, the MIT Ford Professor of Engineering Emeritus.

For more information and to register, click here.

UW wins national award for LEAN implementation

It was announced this week that the University of Washington is one of two winners of the 2013 National Consortium for Continuous Improvement in Higher Education (NCCI) “Leveraging Excellence Award.”

The award recognizes best practices that have had broad impact within the higher education community.

In a statement from NCCI, the group details UW’s Finance and Facilities implementation of LEAN on campus:

Since January 2010, Finance & Facilities (F2) has deployed process improvement extensively, using Lean across all units in its 1,350-employee organization. Complementary goals of high employee engagement and dramatic performance gains have netted an over-400-percent return on investment, and over 12,000 employee ideas.

Lean Value-Stream Mapping, popularized as a sort of project-management launch techniques, is actually the entry-point to learning a work way-of-life at F2, where clear goals, visual management, idea systems, and daily huddles are simultaneously improving performance and team dynamics.

The award will be presented at the NCCI annual meeting in Indianapolis in July.

Read more at UW Today.

New Chancellor named for UW Bothell

Katherine Long of the Seattle Times reports on the New York technology leader selected to head UW Bothell as its next Chancellor:

Bjong Wolf Yeigh, professor and president of the State University of New York Institute of Technology (SUNYIT), will be the next UW-Bothell chancellor if approved by the Board of Regents. He will replace Kenyon Chan, who is stepping down to pursue his own scholarly work.

Yeigh has been president of SUNYIT, the only institute of technology at SUNY, since 2008. During his tenure, the campus received $15.5 million in capital grants for cybertechnology and nanotechnology, and led the effort to gain two rounds of funding for regional economic development projects totaling $119 million, according to the UW.

In a statement announcing Dr. Yeigh’s selection as the next Chancellor of UW Bothell, UW President Michael K. Young said:

“Dr. Yeigh has been a force of innovation and change throughout his career, particularly in positions of academic leadership. He has left a trail of success everywhere he has been, and we are very excited to have him join the University of Washington and lead our dynamic campus at Bothell as it continues to grow and develop.”

In terms of Dr. Yeigh’s academic background, he holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering science from Dartmouth, a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford and a master’s and doctorate in civil engineering and operations research from Princeton.

Read more about Dr. Bjong Wolf Yeigh in UW Today.

Everett Herald: Higher ed remains the key

On its Sunday (May 19) opinion page, the Everett Herald published an editorial making the case that higher education is key to the state’s economy. The editorial opens with this point:

The mainspring for landing the Boeing 777X in Washington is higher ed and addressing the skills gap in engineering and technology. The best social program for self-sufficiency, the best business strategy for curtailing unemployment and goosing the economy, is higher ed.

The editorial goes on to cite a range of data that points to the need to reinvest in higher education in our state:

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, Washington ranks 37th in public bachelors’ degrees produced per 1,000. Washington falls to 49th in participation in public graduate education. The state also sits, 49 out of 50, in total education funding per student. At UCLA, in a state that defines budget austerity, per-student funding is $11,850 compared to $6,751 at the UW.

For a generation in Washington, the cost (or funding per student) has remained flat. As state support nosedived, tuition ticked up to bridge the divide, pricing out many low and middle-income kids. In 2013, even after four years of double-digit tuition spikes, funding per student at places like the UW is $3,000 less (!) than it was in 2008.

We know the solution. Washington should appropriate $225 million to freeze resident undergrad tuition for the next two years, to make college a manageable option for middle class students. Student financial aid must be fully funded. And boosting capacity in engineering and computer science to align with student demand, a proposal floated by the Washington Roundtable, is the low-hanging strategy to remedy the skills crisis.

Read more.

Governor Inslee signs higher education operating efficiencies legislation

Gov. Inslee signs H.B. 1736
Gov. Inslee signs H.B. 1736 Photo: Washington State Legislative Support Services

On Friday (May 10), Governor Jay Inslee signed HB 1736, sponsored by Representatives Hans Zeiger, Larry Seaquist, Larry Haler, Gerry Pollet, Cindy Ryu, David Sawyer, Steve Bergquist, Chad Magendanz, and Jessyn Farrell.ŸŸ

The central goal of the legislation is to enhance the efficiency of higher education institutions by better coordinating and streamlining certain state reporting requirements. The bill directs the Office of Financial Management, higher education institutions, and several state agencies to review reporting requirements, and report recommendations for changes by December 2013.

The bill was successfully amended in the State Senate to include a proposal from earlier legislation authored by Representative Marcus Riccelli, which allows for student advisory committees to be formed at each four-year institution of higher education. The purpose of the committees will be to advise and assist the administration of the institution on issues that directly affect students’ ability to access and succeed in their educational programs.

Among other provisions, the bill also allows institutions of higher education and state higher education agencies to use or accept secure electronic signatures.