The state’s colleges and universities would have four years of unlimited tuition-setting authority to establish a new baseline for tuition under a bill introduced Tuesday.
News and Updates
State’s prepaid college tuition program may face overhaul
With tuition rising rapidly at the state’s public colleges and universities, some legislators believe the popular Guaranteed Education Tuition (GET) program may need to be restructured.
New coalition to advocate for higher education in Olympia
The formation of the College Promise Coalition was announced yesterday. It brings together students, parents, faculty, alumni, labor and business leaders, and education advocates in order to urge the legislature to make higher education a top priority.
Briefing on week three of legislative session
Margaret Shepherd, director of state relations, conducted a briefing via Skype at the beginning of the third week of the legislative session.
Faced with cuts, universities may look to nonresident tuition
Faced with the third year in a row of big budget cuts, Washington’s higher education institutions could start admitting fewer state residents, according to testimony at the Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee on Jan. 19. Read the entire post from the Tacoma News Tribune.
Seattle Times writes about higher ed and jobs
Got jobs? Today, the Seattle Times ran a story about the effects of state budget cuts in higher education– and how these cuts are impacting jobs. The UW College of Engineering is profiled. Check it our here.
What is a college education worth?
The UW Office of External Affairs this morning released a document that looks at what a college education is worth for the citizens, community, employers, state and students. It says, for example, that college graduates can expected to earn twice as much as non-grads and that by 2018, 63% of available jobs in the U.S. are forecast to require at least some college education. See the document >>
UW economist testifies before state Senate
UW economist Dick Startz testified before the Senate Ways & Means Committee as part of a panel on “The Great Recession and the Future of Washington’s Economy.” Startz advised that the two best ways of minimizing the effect of recessions on the state budget are: (1) put aside enough money in the good times to prevent dramatic budget swings in bad times and (2) invest in education.
Plight of public higher education discussed on KING-TV
“Up Front,” a weekly news program on KING-TV, explores the rising cost of public higher education in Washington. A college degree has never been more important, but the state has less money to spend. So who pays the price?
Governor proposes creation of Department of Education
Today, Governor Gregoire unveiled a proposal to create a Department of Education. This is one in a series of proposed government restructuring and reform proposals.
The newly-created Department of Education would be led by a Secretary of Education appointed by the Governor. The Secretary would oversee, coordinate and streamline the four major education sectors: Early Learning, K-12, Community and Technical Colleges. Check out her policy brief for more information.
We’re still waiting for some additional information on how this proposal might directly effect the UW, but the core components of the proposal include:
- Consolidation of eight state entities into one (including OSPI, Department of Early Learning, the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, and the Higher Education Coordinating Board)
- Restructuring 12th grade as a a “launch year” to a student’s career
This proposal is meant as a compliment to recently-released recommendations from the Governor’s Higher Education Task Force, which you can read more about below.