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Tuition-setting bill heard by committee

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The Senate Ways and Means Committee on Monday took testimony on Substitute Senate Bill 6562, which would give tuition-setting authority to the UW, WSU and Western Washington. The UW is trying to strike the right balance between access and affordability and quality for our students and for the state. Here are audio excerpts from the hearing:

SBB 6562 explained by staff:

The UW supports the bill:

What percentage of state funds makes up the UW’s budget? If the bill passes, what assurance is there that the number of minority and middle-class students won’t drop and that the debt load on students won’t increase?

What about graduate and professional students?

Freshman retention rates:

Raising awareness of Husky Promise

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UW leaders and students are traveling the state this month to raise awareness of Husky Promise, and hundreds of enthusiastic high school students have met with us so far to find out what it’s all about. I have personally visited with students in Tacoma, Toppenish and Seattle. It’s gratifying to meet so many bright young people whose college dreams could be realized, thanks to programs like Husky Promise.

Husky Promise is our guarantee that financial challenges won’t stand in the way of eligible Washington state students achieving their potential and earning a UW degree. To quote Gov. Gregoire, “Education is the single best investment for our future and the key to success for our children.” We at the University of Washington are doing all we can to make sure finances are not a barrier to a college education for eligible students.

UW leaders and students have more visits planned this month: Lummi High School in Bellingham on Feb. 8, Kent-Meridian High School on Feb. 9, Mariner High School in Everett on Feb. 10 and Rogers High School in Spokane on Feb. 16. You can learn more about Husky Promise on our Web site. You can also keep up with the Husky Promise tour by following us on Twitter and Facebook.

Legislative update from Olympia

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Dear Members of the University Community:

With the 2010 legislative session now underway, I want to take this opportunity to follow up on my November e-mail message in which I communicated the University’s strategies in the wake of the latest state revenue shortfall. As we move forward, we are focusing our message in Olympia on four key planks:

  1. Stop further budget reductions that would erode our ability to meet the educational needs of our students and to serve the citizens of Washington.
  2. Preserve funding for the State Need Grant program that serves so many Washington students from economically stressed families and that makes our Husky Promise program possible.
  3. Provide reasonable tuition flexibility.
  4. Provide greater management flexibility in our operating processes.

Continue reading “Legislative update from Olympia”

Video: State Legislature takes up tuition

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President Emmert testified before the Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee on Jan. 20 in favor of granting tuition-setting authority to the state’s public universities.

The funding model is broken:

Is there a floor to state support, which is now less than tuition revenue in the university’s budget?

Do institutions have a problem with cohort pricing?

Office Hours: Winter 2010

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VideoAs a new decade, a new academic quarter, and a new session of the State Legislature begin, more difficult decisions await higher education in Washington state. In the latest edition of Office Hours, UW President Mark Emmert offers his perspective on the 2010 legislative session and what’s at stake for the UW. Watch the video »

Providing aid and assistance to Haiti

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Dear Members of the University Community:

The disaster that has hit the island nation of Haiti is nothing short of horrific. Our hearts go out to the people of Haiti and to the many citizens of other countries who have been working there to help improve the lives of Haitians. Our own Department of Global Health, through its International Training and Education Center for Health (I-TECH), has had an office there since 2004 strengthening the response to HIV/AIDS. Fortunately, as far as we know, most of its people are safe and unharmed. But that cannot be said for the thousands trying to cope in the aftermath of this devastating earthquake.

Many in our UW community have inquired about ways in which they can help and provide assistance for the international relief efforts being mounted in response to this disaster. The Office of Global Affairs has assembled a list of organizations that are accepting gifts and volunteers. The list is not exhaustive and may be found at the Global Affairs web site.

I hope you will take a moment to visit the page and contribute in any way you can to help those in need in Haiti. It is hard to fathom how desperate their plight is and the difficulties they face in the coming days and weeks. Continue reading “Providing aid and assistance to Haiti”

Possible impacts of the governor’s budget proposal

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Dear Members of the University Community:

Yesterday, Governor Gregoire released a 2010 supplemental budget proposal that addresses an additional $2.6 billion projected shortfall for the 2009-11 biennial state budget (see my Nov. 19 message to the University community). By law, the governor is required to submit a balanced budget based on current state tax revenue.

The proposed budget is by any measure a train wreck for the state, and without additional revenue would surely result in very negative consequences for many people, including students and the higher education institutions they attend. As Governor Gregoire said yesterday, she does not support this budget proposal and believes the state must consider ways to generate additional revenue to fill the gap. Continue reading “Possible impacts of the governor’s budget proposal”

Statement regarding the governor’s supplemental budget proposal

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Like all who rely on state funding to serve the needs of our citizens, we are deeply concerned about the impacts of the governor’s supplemental budget proposal on our state and, most importantly, our students. Just when you think things can’t get worse, they do.

Losing half of our state’s nationally-recognized need-grant program will shut out thousands of our state’s finest students from a chance at a college degree and a better future.

Without the state need-grant program, Husky Promise scholarships would be severely curtailed, and the 7,000 students who are able to attend the UW because of these scholarships would be unable to continue. Higher education would become a luxury only the well-to-do could afford.

The further erosion of state support for the UW will make it even harder for us to meet the educational needs of our students. No one—the governor, the Legislature or the University—can control the economy. But we also cannot afford to decimate critical programs and opportunities for our state’s students.

Even during a long, hard winter you can’t eat your seed corn. It is time for the Legislature and the governor to look for additional revenue sources to help moderate these unacceptable impacts on our state’s citizens.

Addressing the Latest State Revenue Shortfall

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Dear Members of the University of Washington Community:

The condition of the Washington economy and the revenue it generates in state taxes continue to concern everyone watching the state budget. All of us at the University are still dealing with the aftermath of the 2009 legislative session and the budget cuts resulting from a historically large revenue shortfall. The most recent revenue forecast from Olympia unfortunately reflects a continuing downward spiral in state tax revenues and an even larger budget hole the state will need to address in the 2010 session. Though the nation’s economy in recent months has shown welcome signs of recovery in various sectors, unemployment continues to be a nagging problem. And with our state’s heavy reliance on the sales tax, people’s confidence level and willingness to make purchases directly affect the condition of the state budget. The turnaround in state tax revenues we have all been hoping for has yet to materialize. Continue reading “Addressing the Latest State Revenue Shortfall”