UW launches record 17 startups in 2013

Posted on July 18, 2013July 18, 2013

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.

Washington Student Achievement Council Selects New Officers

Posted on July 18, 2013July 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.

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: Using small businesses to create community opportunities

Posted on July 17, 2013

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.

…

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.

…

Universities can help make those connections between the financial world and small businesses and teach business owners the skills they need to grow.

Read the entire column.

This week in Olympia news: Maxwell leaving House for Inslee Admin., state revenue collections tick up, Kip Tokuda remembered

Posted on July 16, 2013July 16, 2013

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%.

Today (July 16), Governor Inslee and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle recognized the recent passing of former state legislator Kip Tokuda. KUOW has more on the legacy of the South Seattle Democrat.

UW welcomes new dean of the College of Engineering

Posted on July 15, 2013July 15, 2013

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.

Editorial: A proud moment for the state Legislature

Posted on July 9, 2013July 9, 2013

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.

…

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.

Regents approve UW operating budget and tuition rates

Posted on July 1, 2013

The University of Washington Board of Regents met today (July 1) to approve the university operating budget and 2014, 2015 tuition rates.

After many years of declining state support, state lawmakers made a substantial reinvestment in higher education in the 2013-2015 state operating budget. This reinvestment in higher education will allow the university to provide more affordable tuition rates for Washington’s students and their families without compromising on the quality of a UW education.

For more information, click here to download and our tuition fact sheet (PDF).

Statement from UW President on the proposed Washington state budget

Posted on June 28, 2013

The following statement is from Michael K. Young, president of the University of Washington.

“The proposed state operating budget agreement represents a significant step forward, not only for University of Washington students, faculty, staff and their families – but also for the state of Washington.

“For the first time in over two decades, state reinvestment in this budget agreement will allow the UW to hold resident undergraduate tuition rates at their current levels without compromising the extraordinary quality of students’ educations. In addition, new investments in engineering and computer science will expand access to critical programs for qualified students, creating an expanded talent pipeline for the 25,000 high demand job opportunities currently available in our state.

“Budget negotiators are to be commended for their vision in making these essential investments in Washington’s economy and future leaders. Furthermore, we are grateful for the strong commitment and unyielding efforts of our incredible advocates, including the steadfast UW community, engaged alumni, dedicated partners in the business community, and broad-based newspaper editorial support. I am optimistic the investments in this budget are a sign of renewed focus and investment in higher education in Washington state.”

KING 5: The Future of Aerospace Innovation in Washington

Posted on June 25, 2013June 25, 2013

U. W. Students in Earth & Space Sciences test plasma rocket motor under vacuum conditions. pic.twitter.com/UHqNQ2u3y8

— Glenn Farley (@GlennFarleyK5) June 24, 2013

KING 5 covered the first ever Joint Center for Aerospace Innovation symposium held on the UW campus yesterday:

In a conference at the U.W. campus under the title Innovate Washington, students, faculty and industry representatives learned about students research projects and listened to a host of speakers which included Bobak Ferdowsi, the flight engineer for NASA’s Mars Curiosity Rover and U.W. Aeronautics and Astronautics graduate.

You can read more, or watch the full story on KING5.com.

Governor Jay Inslee calls second special session

Posted on June 11, 2013June 11, 2013

Today (June 11) is the last day of the first 30-day special session, which followed the 105-day regular session of the 2013 Washington State Legislature.

Gov. Inslee announced at a morning press conference that a second 30-day special session would begin tomorrow at 9:00 AM.

The second special session is necessary, because the House and Senate have yet to agree on a final budget plan.

As the Associated Press reports, the second special session comes after a week of floor action on revised budgets — and continued disagreements about how to best address both the state budget deficit and a State Supreme Court ruling on K-12 education funding.

The Seattle Times reported yesterday on the current state of negotiations, saying both sides still appeared to be “far apart,” citing conversations with negotiators in the Governor’s office and both chambers of the legislature.

Stay tuned to the blog and our Twitter and Facebook feeds for updates.