Pres. Young presenting Gov. Inslee with a signed UW basketball for his office.Photo: Office of the Governor
UW President Michael K. Young met with Governor Jay Inslee, Washington’s Top Dawg (’73) in Olympia this week. The two leaders talked about a wide range of important issues facing the state, the University of Washington and Higher Education. Chief among those was that the University of Washington is poised to play a major role in our ongoing economic recovery and growth. President Young was also in Olympia last week for meetings with state lawmakers.
Earlier this week, the Governor gave a shout out to a future member of the Husky family on Twitter:
Congrats to Micheal Bragg on being announced new dean of @uwengineering. Glad to see an aerospace engineer in that posiition.
A divided high court ruled 6-3 Thursday that an initiative requiring a two-thirds vote was in conflict with the state Constitution. And that lawmakers and the people of Washington would need to pass a constitutional amendment to change from a simple majority to a supermajority.
A New York Times blog reports that 54.1% of college students who enrolled in fall 2006 graduated within 6 years.
At the UW we’re proud that our graduation rate is above the national average. In fact, 79% of UW freshmen graduate within 6 years. That’s the highest percentage of any public university in the state!
We’re also proud that the average time Huskies spend earning their degree is 4.3 years.
Welcome to the end of week six in the 2013 regular session.
Aside from being almost one-third of the way through the 105-day session, today (Feb. 22) has another important significance.
After today, policy bills that haven’t yet had a hearing in committee, will be singing the swan song. Sure, there are ways to resuscitate certain budget-related bills, but the curtain call for the majority of unheard bills will come today.
Yesterday, Gov. Jay Inslee released a Working Washington agenda, aimed at: “revitalizing Washington’s economy, creating jobs and ensuring we have workers with the knowledge and skills to fill those jobs.”
The Governor’s agenda includes a range of proposals in STEM education, targeted tax relief & regulatory reform, aerospace training, clean energy & climate, and health care.
In terms of Higher Education, the Governor spelled out two priority areas:
Create competitive STEM enrollment pool for baccalaureate institutions
Fund engineering enrollments at UW, WSU
The Associated Press has an overview of the proposal, including reactions from state legislators. Read the Governor’s Office policy briefs here.
University of Washington students will be showcasing research on topics ranging from quantum chemistry to malaria at the State Capitol this week.
The event will be held from 11:30AM-1:00PM on Friday in Room 211 Cherberg Building, and is sponsored by the UW Graduate and Professional Student Senate and the Associated Students of the University of Washington. RSVPs may be sent to gpssvp@uw.edu.
Legislators and staff are invited to attend and learn about the wide range of research being done by UW students.
Refreshments will be provided by the UW Office of State Relations. Photos will be posted on Facebook and Twitter. Stop by the blog for a wrap up Friday afternoon.
The big news this week is that UW alumna Sally Jewell, ’78, chief executive of REI and member of the UW Board of Regents, has been nominated by President Obama as the next Secretary of the Interior. President Obama made the announcement at the White House on Wednesday (Feb. 6):
At another news conference, this one on the UW campus the day before (Tuesday, Feb. 5), Acting Director of the Peace Corps, Carrie Hessler-Radelet announced that University of Washington is No. 1 again among large universities (more than 15,000 students) for alumni currently serving in the Peace Corps. More via UW News & Information:
The UW has ranked first five times, more than any other university. WWU and Gonzaga were each top-ranked for the first time. It’s the first time the top schools in all three categories are in the same state.
Continuing on the press conference circuit, Gov. Inslee weighed in at his weekly press availability in Olympia yesterday (Feb. 6) on a number of proposals before the State Legislature. Topics included workers’ compensation, green energy, Medicaid expansion and more. The News Tribune has more. Watch the exchange with local media on TVW:
Finally, student leaders of the UW’s Dream Project visited Olympia yesterday (Feb. 6) to meet with state legislators and discuss their efforts. The program partners UW students with first-generation and low-income students in Seattle area high schools to assist in the college admissions process.
University of Washington Provost Ana Mari Cauce recently held a Town Hall on campus to discuss key issues and priorities for the current academic year. The event included lively conversation and timely questions from the live audience.
Below are several segments of interest concerning academic, administrative and state legislative issues.
Provost Ana Mari Cauce discusses what the decline in State Funding has meant for UW. (1:25) Provost Cauce discusses price vs. costs of education, and trends at the UW vs. nationally. (2:00) Provost Cauce discusses the need for continuous quality improvement to maintain UW’s excellence and affordability. (2:05) Provost Cauce discusses how faculty are “flipping” the classroom to improve learning outcomes. (2:16) Provost Cauce gives examples of savings UW has made through administrative efficiencies, and implementing the LEAN process. (3:21)
