UW Bothell and UW Tacoma Chancellors champion campus requests
The UW Bothell Chancellor Kristen Esterberg and UW Tacoma Chancellor Sheila Edwards Lange met with legislators this week to advocate for improved compensation for faculty and staff to help with recruitment and retention, as well as the high-demand degree requests specific to their campuses:
- UW Bothell School of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics: $862,000 annually to develop a program modeled after STARS to support 75 pre-major students in accessing and graduating with computer science degrees.
- UW Tacoma School of Engineering & Technology: $854,000 in fiscal year 2024 and $2,000,000 ongoing to add 55 graduates in computer science and engineering by fiscal year 2027, expanding on funding provided by the legislature in the 2019-21 biennium.
In their meetings, they also emphasized the need for student support services, given the challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and the unique student populations their campuses serve.
With capital budget leaders, Chancellor Edwuards Lange highlighted the UW Tacoma’s capital request for $7.7M to acquire land within the 46-area campus footprint to help accommodate future growth.
The UW is fortunate to have the leadership of Chancellors Esterberg and Edwards Lange.
Leaders in the College of Engineering, Information School, and School of Computer Science & Engineering advocate for investments in STEM degrees
The College of Engineering Dean Nancy Allbritton, the Information School Dean Anind Dey, and Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering Professor Ed Lazowska traveled to Olympia to champion their high-demand degree priorities included in the UW’s legislative agenda:
- Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering: $2M in FY24 and $4M ongoing to add 100 annual graduates by FY27; $455K per year to continue one-time funding provided in FY23 for the successful Startup program.
- College of Engineering: $420K annually for the Dean’s Scholars program and $125K annually for an academic counselor to support Startup, Dean’s Scholars and Washington State Academic RedShirt (STARS) students across the college.
- Information School: $500K in FY24 and $1.25M ongoing to add 140 annual graduates by FY25 in informatics, including staff for student academic support.
The UW cannot keep up with the extraordinary demand from students for these degree programs and is turning away qualified students due to capacity constraints. Additionally, employers in the state desperately need engineers, scientists, and analysts to maintain current operations and drive innovation.
Investing in STEM degrees will improve pathways to high-paying, local jobs for Washington residents, further cutting-edge technology and research, and fuel economic growth in the state. This request also improves educational and economic opportunity for traditionally underserved students and directly contributes to the UW’s mission to educate a diverse student body to become responsible global citizens and future leaders through an excellent education.
