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News & Updates

Sen. Nguyễn tours the WA Clean Energy Testbeds

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Last week, Senator Joe Nguyễn visited the Washington Clean Energy Testbeds at the UW Clean Energy Institute to learn more about the open-access facility that helps accelerate the development, scale-up, and adoption of new technologies in solar harvesting, energy storage, and system integration.

Sen. Nguyễn is the Chair of the Senate Environment, Energy & Technology Committee, which considers issues related to climate change, current and emerging technologies, and the availability, production, and conservation of energy. The groundbreaking research and work being done at the Testbeds coincides with the policy considered in the Environment, Energy & Technology Committee, and may help inform future decisions by Sen. Nguyễn and his committee.

Sen. Nguyễn also serves on the Senate Ways & Means and Human Services Committees and as the Senate Democratic Assistant Floor Leader. He represents the 34th legislative district, which encompasses West Seattle and Vashon Island.

Thank you, Sen. Nguyễn, for taking the time to visit the UW and learn from our experts at the Testbeds.

New UW faculty members connect with elected officials across Washington State

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Last week, 26 faculty members new to the University and state boarded a bus in Seattle for a five-day tour of Washington state. The 1,000-mile tour circles the state with stops in Olympia, Vancouver, the Tri-Cities, the Greater Spokane area, the Grand Coulee Dam, and everywhere in between. The tour highlights and provides insights into the state’s diverse geography, economy, history, and cultures and connects UW’s new faculty members with the local communities and people, including students, the University serves.

During the tour, the faculty met and engaged with statewide and local elected officials. On the first day, the tour stopped at the state Capitol in Olympia and the faculty met with Lieutenant Governor Denny Heck to learn about Washington’s history and legislative process. They were also able to sit in the Senate gallery and see where legislators convene to debate and pass policy and the state’s budgets.

In Vancouver, Rep. Sharon Wylie joined the faculty for dinner and a lecture by the School of Social Work Appointed Ballmer Endowed Dean Michael Spencer. Dr. Spencer, who is Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian), focuses on health equity and culturally centered, community-based participatory research, including the integration of Native Hawaiian healers into primary care and addressing food insecurity among Native Hawaiians. His lecture focused on two of his research efforts and his findings.

Outside of Spokane, Sen. Mark Schoesler hosted the faculty at his fifth-generation dryland wheat farm in Ritzville. Sen. Schoesler shared the history of his family farm and the region, talked about farming practices and economics, and fielded questions from the faculty. He also demonstrated the sprayer and harvester used on the farm.

The Faculty Field Tour provides a unique opportunity for new faculty members from various disciplines and campuses to meet one another and experience the communities UW students call home, as well as to connect with University and state leaders.

Thank you to Lt. Governor Heck, Rep. Wylie, and Sen. Schoesler for participating and your continued support of the UW.

WA State Lt. Governor Denny Heck speaking about state government in the Capitol’s Senate Gallery
State Sen. Mark Schoesler sharing about his family-owned wheat farm in Ritzville, WA.

 

Remembering Senator John McCoy

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Today we mourn the loss and celebrate the life of former Washington State Senator John McCoy (D – Tulalip). Senator McCoy was one of the longest-serving Native legislators in Washington state history and a true champion and advocate for Tribal Sovereignty, public education, environmental protections, and human rights. Senator McCoy served in the state House from 2003 to 2013 and then in the state Senate from 2013 until his resignation in April 2020. He was a fearless leader for Indian Country, here in Washington and across the nation. Our hearts go out to Senator McCoy’s family and loved ones.

UW in the High School is now free to students thanks to legislation sponsored by Sen. Mullet

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UWHS Director Tim Stetter, Zillah High School Principal Jeff Charbonneau, Gov. Jay Inslee, Sen. Mark Mullet

Earlier this month, Governor Jay Inslee signed Senate Bill 5048 into law making College in the High School (CHS) courses free to all public high school students in Washington. Sponsored by Senator Mark Mullet, the bill passed the Senate and House unanimously after many years of legislative effort and will be in effect for the 2023-24 school year.

For more than 40 years, the UW has partnered with high schools across Washington to offer official UW courses to students in their high school classrooms. UW in the High School (UWHS) courses are taught by high school teachers approved and trained by UW faculty and the credits earned in these courses can be put toward a degree at the UW or transferred to other colleges or universities across the U.S.

Until now, CHS courses were paid for by the high school students and their families, which created inequities for low-income students who could not afford the fees. Senate Bill 5048 remedied this by eliminating the cost to high school students for CHS programs. The legislation also aims to encourage more Washington students to pursue postsecondary education.

On May 20, almost 200 high school teachers attended the UWHS Teacher Training Day to learn from UW professors and prepare for the upcoming school year. Senator Mullet also joined to connect with the teachers and faculty members, observe the training, and celebrate the passage of Senate Bill 5048.

For more information, check out the UW Continuum College’s recent post Expanding Access to UW in the High School.

Session news: Legislature passes final 2023-25 operating & capital budgets

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The 2023 legislative session ended on time yesterday after the House and Senate passed the state’s biennial operating, capital, and transportation budgets. The budgets will now be delivered to the Governor for his consideration and signature.

Major investments for the UW in the operating budget include:

  • $30.4M for nonrepresented employee compensation increases of 4% in fiscal year 2024 and 3% in FY25
  • $6.5M for state approved CBAs for represented employees
  • $17.6M to improve the state portion of the compensation fund split to 60% (up from 58% in the previous biennium)
  • $10.55M to grow a local, more diverse STEM workforce at all three UW campuses:
    • $6M for the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering to increase enrollment, and $250,000 in one-time money for the Startup program
    • $1.7M for the UW Bothell School of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics to develop a program modeled after STARS to support 75 pre-major students in accessing and graduating with computer science degrees, and $362,000 in additional support for the STARS program in Seattle
    • $2.85M for the UW Tacoma School of Engineering & Technology to increase enrollment
  • $1.4M for student support services at UW Tacoma
  • $8.5M in maintenance and operations for UW Bothell’s STEM4 building, the UW Interdisciplinary Engineering Building, and the Behavioral Health Teaching Facility
  • $3M to develop a clean energy transformation strategy that transitions the Seattle campus energy infrastructure to 100% clean energy

Investments for UW Medicine include:

  • $150M in one-time funding for UW Medical Center and Harborview Medical Center so they can continue serving as the state’s safety-net and workforce training hospitals
  • $4.9M in one-time funding for the Behavioral Health Teaching Facility for physician support and facilities fees, and $7.5M in one-time funding for costs associated with opening the facility
  • $2M for the Family Medicine Residency Network, which trains high quality family medicine physicians in the WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho) region
  • $1M to create a UW Center for Indigenous Health
  • $1M to continue firearm injury research

Overall, the University’s section of the operating budget included funding for 54 new provisos and legislation.

Additionally, the capital budget makes significant investments in the UW:

  • $58M for phase 2 of the Magnuson Health Sciences Center renovation and replacement. The Center is the primary teaching space for the UW’s six health science schools and new facilities will promote innovative, multidisciplinary learning.
  • $28.65M to design and renovate Anderson Hall, which was constructed in 1925 and has an antiquated learning environment that lacks adequate classroom and collaborative spaces for the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences.
  • $9M to design and construct phase 2 of wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ– Intellectual House. wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ is a learning and gathering place for the UW’s American Indian and Alaskan Native students, faculty, and staff and a center for sharing the knowledge of Northwest Indigenous peoples.
  • $13M for the behavioral health renovation of UW Medical Center-Northwest. This project provides an additional 25 90/180-day long term civil-commitment beds to help meet the state’s behavioral health care needs.
  • $7.7M for land acquisition at UW Tacoma to accommodate future growth.
  • $15M from the state Climate Commitment Account for infrastructure renewal, which has historically been funded from the UW Building Account.
  • $7.5M for the UW Clean Energy Testbedsto continue to accelerate the development and adoption of new sustainable technologies.
  • $6M for the Rainier Valley Early Learning Center, which expands access to affordable, high-quality childcare and preschool in the vibrant Rainier Valley neighborhoods.
  • $3M to restore and renovate the historic ASUW Shell House.

For a comprehensive summary of the budgets, see the UW Office of Planning & Budgeting’s brief.

Session news: House & Senate unveil their operating and capital budget proposals

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Over the past week, the Senate and House released their draft 2023-25 operating and capital budgets. The state’s operating budget pays for the day-to-day operations of state government, while the capital budget is used to acquire, build, and maintain state facilities. The legislative leaders of the Senate Ways & Means Committee and the House Appropriations and Capital Budget Committees are charged with crafting the budget proposals. After they’re passed in committee, the budgets move to their respective floors for consideration by the entire chamber.

Investments for the UW in the operating budgets include:

  • $30.4M (Senate & House) for nonrepresented employee compensation increases of 4% in fiscal year 2024 and 3% in FY25
  • $6.5M (Senate & House) for state approved CBAs for represented employees
  • $22.8M (Senate) I $17.3M (House) to improve the state portion of the compensation fund split. The Senate’s budget improves the fund split to 66% state funding and the House improves it to 60% state funding
  • $10.58M (Senate) I $8.45M (House) to grow a local, more diverse STEM workforce at all three UW campuses:
    • $6M (Senate) I $4M (House) for the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering to increase enrollment, and $250,000 (House) in one-time money for the Startup program
    • $1.7M (House & Senate) for the UW Bothell School of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics to develop a program modeled after STARS to support 75 pre-major students in accessing and graduating with computer science degrees, and $362,000 (House) in additional support for the STARS program in Seattle
    • $2.85M (Senate) I $2.14M (House) for the UW Tacoma School of Engineering & Technology to increase enrollment
  • $2.3M (House) to expand the UW School of Dentistry RIDE program, which trains dentists to meet the needs of rural and underserved populations
  • $4.33M (House) for student support services at UW Tacoma
  • $8.5M (Senate) I $2.9M (House) in maintenance and operations (M&O) for UW Bothell’s STEM4 building, the UW Interdisciplinary Engineering Building, and the Behavioral Health Teaching Facility. The BHTF was not funded in the House.
  • $25.83M (Senate) shift in M&O funds back to the operating budget, which frees up a commensurate amount in the UW Building Account for critical building renewal and deferred maintenance
  • $3M (House) to develop a clean energy transformation strategy that transitions the Seattle campus energy infrastructure to 100% clean energy

Investments for UW Medicine include:

  • $150M (Senate) I $100M (House) in one-time funding for UW Medical Center and Harborview Medical Center so they can continue serving as the state’s safety-net and workforce training hospitals
  • $6.6M (Senate) I $4.9M (House) in one-time funding for the Behavioral Health Teaching Facility for physician support and facilities fees
  • $2M (Senate & House) for the Family Medicine Residency Network, which trains high quality family medicine physicians in the WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho) region
  • $1M (Senate & House) to continue firearm injury research
  • $1M (Senate) to create a UW Center for Indigenous Health

The Senate has already passed their operating budget off the floor and the House will consider theirs in the coming days.

On Monday, the House also released their capital budget proposal with $58M for phase 2 of the Magnuson Health Sciences Center renovation and $7.7M for land acquisition at UW Tacoma to accommodate future growth. Unfortunately, the proposal did not include funding for Anderson Hall, wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House, Chemical Sciences, the behavioral health renovation of UW Medical Center-Northwest, and the Clean Energy testbeds, all of which were included in the Governor and Senate budget proposals. The Senate unveiled their capital budget last week.

The House and Senate will now work toward final compromise budgets, which must be voted on by the last day of session scheduled for April 23.

For a more detailed overview of the House and Senate budget proposals, see the UW Office of Planning and Budgeting’s briefs page.

Session news: UW Regents advocate in Olympia; Regents Tamaki, Fuller, and Rhoads testify in confirmation hearing

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Last week, the UW Board of Regents visited Olympia to champion the University’s legislative priorities prior to the release of the House and Senate budget proposals. They met with Democrat and Republican budget writers to advocate for competitive compensation for faculty and staff to ensure the University can continue to recruit and retain valuable employees and discussed the importance of investing in high-demand degrees and student support services. They also emphasized the need to invest in the UW’s hospitals so they can continue to serve Washington’s most vulnerable populations and train the state’s future healthcare workforce. With capital budget leaders, they highlighted the UW’s project requests, including Magnuson Health Sciences Center, Anderson Hall, wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House, Chemical Sciences, and land acquisition at UW Tacoma.

The Senate capital budget proposal was released on Monday with funding for all of the UW’s major asks included. The Senate’s draft operating budget will be published tomorrow, and the House will release their operating and capital budgets early next week.

Today, UW Regents Blaine Tamaki, Leonor Fuller, and Linden Rhoads joined the Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee for a confirmation hearing. UW Regents are appointed to their positions by the Governor and must be confirmed by the Senate.

Today, UW Regents Blaine Tamaki, Leonor Fuller, and Linden Rhoads joined the Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee for a confirmation hearing. UW Regents are appointed to their positions by the Governor and must be confirmed by the Senate.

Regent Tamaki is the former Board Chair and current Vice Chair. In his testimony, he emphasized his long standing commitment to the UW and shared he was the recipient of last year’s Husky Alumni of the Year award. He also stressed his commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion through his work representing Indigenous people who were sexually abused in residential schools, for which he was awarded Trial Lawyer of the Year, and as a third-generation Japanese American, who’s father was wrongfully interned during WWII. He is honored to assist in guarding the UW for the benefit of all Washington residents.

Regent Fuller has three degrees from the UW and was a former Student Regent. Additionally, she previously served as a Community & Technical College Trustee. She shared her dedication to Washington’s higher education institutions and recognized their profound impact on students and local communities. She also specifically highlighted the UW’s local, national, and global impact. As Regent, she aims to continue improving the lives of Washington’s residents and communities.

In her testimony, Regent Rhoads recognized the UW’s importance as a driver in the state’s innovation economy. She is a tech entrepreneur who co-founded two companies with UW faculty and worked at the University for six years as a Vice Provost assisting faculty with bringing their life’s work to the world. She is also a graduate of UW School of Law and has served on a multitude of UW boards and committees. She wants to continue pushing the UW to innovate and remain a leader in education, research, and public service.

All three Regents were unanimously confirmed by the committee. Their appointments will now go to the Senate floor for consideration and a vote.

Thank you to all our Regents for your dedicated service to the UW!

Session news: Senate publishes capital budget proposal; State revenue forecasted to decrease in 2023-25

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The Senate unveiled their capital budget proposal today with funding for all of the UW’s major priorities:

  • $58M for phase 2 of the Magnuson Health Sciences Center renovation and replacement. The Center is the primary teaching space for the UW’s six health science schools and new facilities will promote innovative, multidisciplinary learning.
  • $28.7M to design and renovate Anderson Hall, which was constructed in 1925 and has an antiquated learning environment that lacks adequate classroom and collaborative spaces for the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences.
  • $9M to design and construct phase 2 of wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House. wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ is a learning and gathering place for the UW’s American Indian and Alaskan Native students, faculty, and staff and a center for sharing the knowledge of Northwest Indigenous peoples.
  • $5M to design the modernization of chemical sciences in Seattle. Built in 1937 and 1957, current facilities for chemistry, materials science, and chemical engineering do not meet the requirements for interdisciplinary, modern science education and research.
  • $7.7M for land acquisition at UW Tacoma to accommodate future growth.
  • $13M for the behavioral health renovation of UW Medical Center-Northwest. This project provides an additional 25 90/180-day long term civil-commitment beds to help meet the state’s behavioral health care needs.

In addition, $7.5M for the UW Clean Energy Testbeds was allocated from the state’s Climate Commitment Account.

The Office of State Relations greatly appreciates the significant investments included in the proposal for the UW, as well as the bipartisan work that went into crafting it. Thank you for your leadership and support, Chair Mark Mullet, Ranking Member Mark Schoesler, and Senators Yasmin Trudeau, Ann Rivers, and Judy Warnick. To view the entire budget bill and summary and project lists, click here.

The Senate is scheduled to release their draft operating budget Thursday and the House is expected to unveil their operating and capital budget proposals early next week. After, budget leaders in the House and Senate will negotiate the final compromise budgets, which must pass both chambers by April 23.

The Washington State Economic Revenue Forecast Council (ERFC) also published their quarterly economic and revenue forecast today. The report projects the state’s General Fund revenue will increase by $194 million for the remainder of the current biennium (2021-23), but will decrease by $438 million for the upcoming 2023-25 budget cycle. Although slowing, it also shows that consumer price inflation remains high, particularly in the Seattle metropolitan area. The legislature will take these most recent findings into consideration when drafting the state’s final compromise budgets.

For a detailed summary of the March revenue forecast, see the UW Office of Planning & Budgeting’s most recent blog post. More information can also be found on the ERFC’s website.

Session news: Floor action is underway as session hits midway point

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Today is the halfway point of the 105-day legislative session and the House and Senate are on the floor considering the bills that remain alive. Bills that did not pass out of their house of origin fiscal committees are now “dead” unless necessary to implement the budget.

The UW is tracking numerous bills with varying degrees of impact on students and the University, including:

  • SB 5048 – Eliminates College in the High School student fees.
  • SB 5079 – Changes the date tuition is set so financial aid packages can be provided to prospective students earlier.
  • SB 5702 – Expands the students experiencing homelessness and foster youth program.
  • SB 5711 – Extends eligibility for the Washington College Grant from five to six years to align with Pell.
  • HB 1559 – Establishes student basic needs navigators at public postsecondary institutions.

For a complete list of the bills being considered by the legislature or to look up a bill not listed above, click here.

House and Senate budget leaders are currently drafting the 2023-25 biennial operating, capital, and transportation budgets. The Office of State Relations has worked hard throughout session to advocate for the inclusion of the UW’s legislative priorities in the draft budget proposals, which will be unveiled after the state’s economic and revenue forecast is published on March 20.

For questions about the legislative process, specific legislation, or the UW’s priorities, please contact the Office of State Relations at staterel@uw.edu.

Session news: UW leaders champion operating and capital budget priorities

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Today is day 38 of the 105-day legislation session. The last day for bills to pass out of the policy committee in their house of origin is this Friday, Feb. 17. If bills have not moved out of policy committee by the Feb. 17 deadline, they are considered dead unless they’re necessary to implement the budget (NTIB). Legislation that passes out of policy committee before the deadline will move to their house of origin fiscal committee or if they do not have a fiscal impact, directly to the Rules Committee, where members select which bills move to the floor for consideration by the full body of the House or Senate.

The House and Senate fiscal committees, Appropriations and Ways & Means respectively, will work long hours this weekend and next week as they consider the bills that have come to them from the various policy committees. The house of origin fiscal committee cutoff is scheduled for next Friday, Feb. 24.

The Office of State Relations is monitoring legislation that impacts the University, as well as the budget process. If you have questions about specific bills or the legislative process, please contact staterel@uw.edu.

President Cauce champions the UW’s legislative priorities with budget leadership

Last week, President Ana Mari Cauce traveled to Olympia for the second time to advocate for the UW’s legislative priorities. She met with Democrat and Republican budget writers in both the House and Senate to advocate for increased compensation for University faculty and staff, as well as additional support for UW’s hospitals so they can continue to serve as the state’s safety-net and health care workforce training hospitals. She also emphasized the need to support high-demand degree programs and student support services.

Before meeting with legislators, President Cauce connected with UW students in Olympia for their annual Huskies on the Hill lobby day. Huskies on the Hill is organized by the ASUW Office of Government Relations to advocate on issues important to UW students, such as financial aid and mental health resources. President Cauce enjoyed starting her day in Olympia with UW students and hearing about their priorities this session.

 

School of Environmental & Forest Sciences advocates for Anderson Hall renovation

The UW College of the Environment Dean Maya Tolstoy and Associate Dean Stephanie Harrington participated in legislator meetings with the Director of the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences Dan Brown to ask for support for the renovation of Anderson Hall, which is one of the oldest buildings on the Seattle campus.

Anderson Hall is the hub for the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, which has seen undergraduate enrollment double in the past decade. Built in 1925, the building has an antiquated learning environment that lacks adequate classroom and collaborative learning spaces. Additionally, it lacks cutting-edge technologies critical to fostering environmental leadership and learning.

Renewed facilities will accommodate increased enrollment, address long-standing accessibility and safety issues, and allow for innovative learning and research in support of Washington’s environmental, economic, and societal prosperity.

UW leaders request support for wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House

Yesterday, the Director of wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House Chenoa Henry (Tulalip), UW student and co-chair of the First Nations @ UW Kaila RedBow (Oglala Lakota Sioux), Regent Leonard Forsman (Suquamish), UW Native American Advisory Board immediate past-chair Patricia Whitefoot (Yakama), and University Diversity Officer Rickey Hall met with policymakers to advocate for phase two of the construction of wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House.

wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House is a longhouse-style learning and gathering place for the UW’s American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) students, faculty and staff. It is also provides a welcoming environment for sharing the knowledge of Northwest Indigenous peoples, and serves as a reminder that the University campus sits in the heart of Native land.

Phase two of construction will bring additional support to the UW’s AIAN community through a Native art lab, a student resource center, indoor and outdoor gathering spaces, and educational Native gardens. It will also help to further support access and retention for AIAN students.