The University of Washington was ranked eighth among public universities in the country (excluding federally-funded military academies) in the quality of undergraduate education, according to Forbes.
In this segment of UW 360, head to Tacoma to learn more about the amazing, innovative work being done at the UW’s Center for Urban Waters.That’s where scientists, students, professors and community leaders are all working together to make the Puget Sound a better place for all of us.
Seattle Times reporter Katherine Long is taking the course, and blogging about her experience at a blog titled, “The Massive Classroom.” Follow the blog to get a close up look.
Gov. Jay Inslee today announced the appointments of Constance Rice and Rogelio Riojas to the University of Washington Board of Regents.
From the Governor’s statement announcing the appointments:
“Constance and Rogelio are well-suited to the UW Board of Regents. They bring important life and professional experiences that will guide the UW’s vision and work as one of our nation’s premier research institutions while ensuring that quality higher education opportunities are available to meet growing numbers of students,” Inslee said.
Rice is the former vice chancellor and senior chancellor of Seattle Community College and currently is the managing director for Knowledge Management for Casey Family Programs.
“I am honored to be appointed by Governor Inslee,” said Rice. “The University of Washington is one of the finest institutions in the world. As an alum I am proud of being associated with the superior administration staff, students and faculty. The University of Washington represents a strong engine of progress and innovation for our state and nation.”
Riojas is President and CEO of Sea Mar Community Health Centers. He has led Sea Mar since its inception in 1978, growing it from a single Seattle clinic to a comprehensive health and human services organization in 10 Washington counties.
“I am honored and humbled by the Governor’s appointment. I am looking forward to working with the other Regents and I plan to work very hard to help the UW with its mission to educate our students,” Riojas said.
“I am delighted to have the opportunity to work with these two outstanding alumni who are so passionate about improving higher education opportunities for the citizens of the state of Washington. I would also like to thank former Regent Jewell and Regent Cole for their extraordinary service as University of Washington Regents. This institution is much stronger today because of their dedicated work and leadership.”
Earlier this week, Governor Inslee selected Kiana Scott as the 2013-2014 student regent.
Scott, who will replace previous student regent Christopher Jordan, is only the second doctoral candidate to be selected as the student regent since 2000. She holds a master’s degree in public administration from the Evans School of Public Affairs and is currently pursuing a doctorate degree in political communication. She also works as a graduate teaching assistant in the communications department.
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“UW students who serve as board members provide the Board of Regents with important information and perspective,” 2012-2013 board chair Joanne Harrell said in a statement. “We know that Kiana will help in our deliberations in the coming year.”
The University of Washington launched a record 17 startup companies this fiscal year.
That makes fiscal 2013 the UW’s single most productive year for startup formation. It places the UW among the top five schools in the nation.
Last year, President Michael K. Young challenged the university to increase its number of fundable technology startups.
“University startups give the American public a valuable return on their investment in academic research. UW start-ups deliver impact to the public from our life-changing discoveries,” Young said.
Photos from the event, featuring remarks by Vice Provost Linden Rhoads, President Michael K. Young, and Washington State Department of Commerce Director Brian Bonlender, are below the fold.
PIC: #C4C Dir. Linden Rhoads kicking off celebration of new start-up companies launched from @UW research & tech pic.twitter.com/2mhlrvTaB0
— UW Government & Community Relations (@UWGOV) July 18, 2013
PIC: @UW President Michael K. Young congratulates leaders and founders of 17 #UW start-ups at New Ventures Facility pic.twitter.com/KhUxZbsQT8
— UW Government & Community Relations (@UWGOV) July 18, 2013
Meeting at the UW Seattle Campus on Wednesday (July 17), members of the Washington Student Achievement Council selected Maud Daudon and Karen Lee to serve as Chair and Vice Chair of the Council, respectively, for one year terms.
Maud Daudon and Karen Lee are both citizen members of the Council, serving at the request of Governor Jay Inslee.
Maud Daudon Photo: wsac.wa.gov
Karen Lee Photo: wsac.wa.gov
From the Council’s statement announcing the selections:
Maud Daudon is president and CEO of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, where she has been an active member for more than 20 years. She also chairs the board of trustees of the Bullitt Foundation and is on the board of trustees for Seattle Biomedical Research Institute.
Karen Lee is the chief executive officer of Pioneer Human Services, a nationally recognized organization that is the only provider of integrated treatment, housing and employment services in Washington State. In December 2010, Lee was appointed to the Board of Trustees of Western Washington University. She also served five years as a commissioner of the Washington State Employment Security Department
Seattle Times columnist Jerry Large writes in a recent article about the efforts of UW’s Foster School and other business schools around the country to improve their local communities:
Business schools teach people how to run businesses and make money, and their focus has usually been high on big business and finance. But partly in response to changing values among their students, and striking economic disparities, more schools are working in low-income communities to improve and grow existing businesses and to encourage more people to start their own.
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Last year the center helped 230 businesses around the state, either by having teams of students work with them, or by having the owners attend business short courses taught by UW professors.
Lewis Rudd, one of the founders of Ezell’s Famous Chicken, said he’d been wanting to grow his business about 10 years ago, when a friend suggested he contact Verchot.
Over the next several years, several student teams worked with him. “We had students in the kitchen taking pictures of bread being baked,” he said. They ran time studies and efficiency studies. He held up a thick operating manual the students helped write. The UW also connected Rudd with alumni who had expertise he needed. “We had close to a 50 percent increase in sales over the next year as a result of some minor changes,” Rudd said. The business moved from a family operation to a more corporate structure, and there is more expansion on the horizon.
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Universities can help make those connections between the financial world and small businesses and teach business owners the skills they need to grow.
The News Tribune’s Political Buzz reported last week that State Rep. Marcie Maxwell (D-41st Legislative District) is leaving the State House this month to join Governor Jay Inslee’s administration. According to a statement obtained by the TNT, Maxwell will join Governor Inslee’s Legislative Affairs and Policy Office as Senior Education Policy Advisor. Maxwell was elected to three terms in the legislature, and previously served on the Renton School Board for eight years.
The Olympian’s Brad Shannon has the story on the monthly Economic & Revenue Update from the state’s Economic and Forecast Research Council. According to the EFRC, revenue collections for the last month ticked up $7.5 million (0.6% higher than the June forecast). However, the state forecaster also notes that first quarter U.S. GDP growth was revised down from 2.4% to 1.8%.
The UW on Monday (July 15) welcomed Michael B. Bragg as dean of the College of Engineering.
Bragg most recently was professor and interim dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
An aeronautical engineer by training, Bragg has held numerous leadership positions at Illinois, including head of the aerospace engineering department, associate dean for research and administrative affairs, executive associate dean for academic affairs, and interim dean in the College of Engineering.
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.
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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.
