According to PayScale data, the UW is #5 in the country in dollar-for-dollar return on investment (ROI) for a bachelor’s degree. And our computer science degree specifically is in the top 10 for ROI. Read more in The Atlantic.
Of course, long-term financial reward isn’t the only measure of the value of an education. Just surf through any issue of Columns magazine and you’ll find a treasure trove of inspiring ways UW alumni are using their degrees to make the world a better place.
Today (March 13), the House and Senate passed a supplemental budget that makes several small, but important investments in higher education. Notably, the compromise supplemental budget preserved funding provided last year to UW. Preserving this funding allows the University to freeze resident undergraduate tuition another year.
$11 million in Life Science Discovery Fund (LSDF) active grants protected
$400,000 for UW Tacoma Law School planning
Policy
The House and Senate passed HB 2163, which concerns higher education efficiencies. The bill was UW’s top policy priority, and saves the University approximately $700,000 per year.
While $11 million in active grants from the Life Sciences Discovery Fund to the UW were protected, unfortunately, the compromise budget eliminates future funding for the LSDF.
Stay tuned for more news from Olympia, as the supplemental budget and bills that have passed the Legislature now head to the Governor for his consideration.
Last Friday (March 7) was the second to last cut-off deadline of the session (the last day to consider opposite house bills), with the other being Sine Die (the last day allowed for regular session under the state constitution).
The Friday cutoff doesn’t apply to bills considered necessary to implement the budget (“NTIB”), or already agreed to by both the Senate and the House.
While the House did not meet over the weekend, on Saturday the Senate began considering bills placed on the “concurrence” calendar. Essentially, that means considering bills passed by the other chamber, but that have been amended.
For a bill to go to the Governor’s desk, it has to pass with the same exact language in both chambers. In many cases, the chamber of origin agrees to the other’s changes. But it is also possible that the chamber of origin can insist on the original bill. If the latter happens, negotiations usually take place to iron out any differences.
Speaking of negotiations — the “four corners” (representatives from the House majority and minority, and Senate majority and minority) are reportedly inching closer to agreement on a supplemental budget. The process is marked by a sort of “shuttle diplomacy,” with budget negotiators seen crossing the Capitol rotunda, to meet with counterparts.
Stay tuned for more, as the end of the 60-day session quickly approaches!
An interview with President Michael Young for the show Inside Olympia aired on TVW Thursday evening. The interview, by Austin Jenkins, covers a range of subjects, including the direction of higher education in the state, how to fund it successfully and what recent developments in online education and commercial development of university research mean for the future.
In today’s The Olympian newspaper, Lee Huntsman, president emeritus of the University of Washington, and Lee Hartwell, president emeritus of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, published an opinion editorial urging the Governor and state lawmakers to preserve funding for the Life Sciences Discovery Fund in the supplemental budget.
In terms of process, the Senate budget was passed out of the Senate Ways & Means committee last night, debated and voted off the Senate floor today on a vote of 41 to 8.
The House has scheduled floor action for Saturday.
Once both chambers pass their respective budgets, negotiations begin towards a compromise budget.
“Today’s action by the State Legislature was a vote of confidence in students and their importance to the future of our state,” said UW President Michael K. Young. “It sends a strong message that an education should be available to absolutely everyone. For years, our state has invested in these students’ success in our K-12 classrooms and in our communities. All students who work hard in school deserve an opportunity to go to college and have access to the financial resources to make it possible. Our representatives have passed a bill that will have a transformative effect on our students, their families and their communities for many years to come.
Two legislative proposals to help higher education institutions operate more efficiently cleared hurdles this week.
Each year a work group from higher ed institutions, made up of administrators and staff, meets to study and review efficiency efforts, and then recommends a range of efficiency measures to the state legislature that require changes to state law.
Both bills contain provisions that would help higher ed institutions save time and money, ranging from streamlining certain reporting requirements to allowing universities to move from semi-monthly payroll to bi-weekly payroll. For instance, UW estimates the latter provision alone would result in savings of $700,000 per year.
As of this writing, both bills have passed out of their respective policy committees, cleared fiscal committees, and are now moving closer to a floor vote in both chambers.
Stay tuned for more news as these two bills move through the process!
This week is policy cutoff in the House (Wednesday) and Senate (Friday). That means that if a policy bill hasn’t had a public hearing and been voted out of committee, it’s not likely going further in the process this legislative session.
Another cutoff date will occur next week, when the same process will unfold on bills in fiscal committees. Following fiscal cutoff will be the floor cutoff, the date by which a bill has to make it out of its house of origin, to be considered by the other chamber.
Legislative cutoff dates signal the ebb and flow of legislative activity, as committee, staff and legislative members’ workloads change in response to the winnowing list of bills left “alive.” Of curse, some bills considered “dead” may still be revived if they are deemed necessary to implement the budget (“NTIB”).
On Wednesday, President Michael Young returned to Olympia to continue meeting with lawmakers on the University’s top legislative priorities (Learn more: 2014 Legislative Agenda). President Young alsp took time out to meet with UW students from all three campuses interning in Olympia during the legislative session.
Students had a chance to hear from the President on his perspectives on public service, as well as share their individual experiences working in legislative and caucus offices. Students were given an opportunity to ask questions on a range of topics.
Today (Thursday), UW Regents Rogelio Riojas, Constance W. Rice, and Kiana M. Scott appeared before the Senate Higher Education committee for their gubernatorial appointment hearings. All three shared their personal stories, their qualifications for the position, and what they hope to accomplish during their tenure on the UW’s Board of Regents. Watch their testimony via TVW.
Finally, ASUW held its annual “Huskies on the Hill” student lobby day. As part of the day of activities, ASUW held a legislative forum, and invited UW Director of State Relations Margaret Shepherd to speak about her work as the University’s chief representative in Olympia. The forum also featured the University’s faculty representative, Prof. Jim Fridley, representatives from the alumni legislative advocacy group UW Impact, and State Representatives Marcus Riccelli (D-Spokane), Gerry Pollet (D-Seattle), and Chad Magendanz (R-Issaquah).
