It’s week three and the legislature is quickly approaching policy committee cutoff. Next Friday, Feb. 7, is the last day to pass bills out of policy committee in their house of origin.
Here are some highlights from the past two weeks:
UW Regents visit Olympia for public higher education’s Regents & Trustees Day
On Wednesday, along with dozens of regents and trustees from our state’s public four-year and community and technical colleges, UW’s Regents thanked legislators for the historic investments made in public higher education and financial aid last session. Throughout the day, they engaged legislators on the importance of higher education and emphasized critical topics such as increasing Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completion. This day served as another terrific example of the public higher education community’s partnership to better serve students, our local communities, and our growing economy.
Confirmation hearing for Regent Suarez
The confirmation hearing for Regent Daniela Suarez was held in the Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee on Jan. 21.
Regent Suarez provided testimony about her journey to higher education, her previous legislative engagement, and her goals for continuing excellence at the UW. She also thanked the committee for making higher education more accessible and inclusive to all individuals.
She was unanimously confirmed by the committee. Her appointment now waits to be heard on the Senate floor for a confirmation vote. The UW community is proud to have the leadership of Regent Suarez!
Dr. Robert Sweet, UW Medicine, encourages funding for the Magnuson Health Sciences Center
Dr. Robert Sweet, executive director of the WWAMI Institute for Simulation in Healthcare (WISH), and his team met with legislators to ask for their support of the UW’s request of $1 million in pre-design funding for phase 2 of the Magnuson Health Sciences Center replacement and renovation. The Center was originally built in 1973 and currently operates with mostly original infrastructure and well beyond capacity. During his meetings, Dr. Sweet emphasized the need for new flexible learning space to train Washington’s health science workforce to better serve patients and local communities.
UW faculty and students advocate for the Joint Center for Aerospace Technology Innovation
UW faculty and students traveled to testify in support of reauthorizing funding for the Joint Center for Aerospace Technology Innovation (JCATI), which is part of the UW’s 2020 legislative agenda. JCATI supports economic and workforce development through collaborative research between business and academic partners. Without reauthorization, this program will sunset June 30, 2020.
