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News & Updates

News & Updates

Senate Republican Leader meets with UW leadership and takes STEM tour

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Senate Republican Leader John Braun visited the UW Seattle campus yesterday to meet with President Ana Mari Cauce, learn more about the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, and receive an update on UW Medicine and the new Behavioral Health Teaching Facility.

Braun and Cauce discussed the impacts of COVID-19 on the UW community, the policies implemented in response, and resources available to ensure the safety and wellbeing of students and employees. They also discussed the UW’s supplemental budget priorities for the upcoming legislative session.

During the past few budget cycles, the state legislature made significant investments in high-demand STEM degree programs to help meet overwhelming student demand and the state’s workforce shortages in STEM fields. The UW’s Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering (CSE) was one recipient of state funds aimed at increasing enrollment and degree production. Braun met with UW College of Engineering Dean Nancy Allbritton and CSE Development & Outreach Associate Director Ed Lazowska to learn more about CSE’s programs and students. He also toured of the Paul G. Allen Center for CSE and the new Bill & Melinda Gates Center for CSE, which was funded in large part by the legislature.

Last, Braun met with UW Medical Center CEO Cindy Hecker to discuss UW Medicine’s critical role in the COVID-19 response and receive an update on construction of the new Behavioral Health Teaching Facility. UW Medicine and the Behavioral Health Teaching Facility received considerable state investments to deliver essential health care services to Washingtonians and train future providers.

Thank you, Sen. Braun, for your support of the UW and for taking the time to visit campus.

A guide to rulemaking: WA Dept. of Ecology developing rules on climate and energy laws

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In 2021, the state legislature passed several environmental policies that create new markets and regulations affecting public organizations, private companies, industries, and residents across Washington state. In anticipation of these laws going into effect, the Department of Ecology and other state agencies are conducting rulemaking processes to determine how the laws will be implemented.

Rulemaking is utilized by state agencies to help clarify, apply, or enforce a state law. The rulemaking process is often lengthy due to the development, notice, and public feedback requirements. At the start of the rulemaking process, a state agency must post a notice of intent to change, adopt, or repeal a rule and draft and release proposed rule language. The public then has the opportunity to provide feedback on the proposed language, which the state agency reviews and considers. If substantial changes are made to a proposed rule based on public feedback, the agency must once again post a notice and provide additional opportunity for public input. Agencies must also complete a small business economic impact statement if the proposed rule imposes more than minor costs on business or industry or as requested by the Joint Administrative Rules Review Committee. When the process is complete, the rule is adopted and becomes known as a Washington Administrative Code (WAC) and is regulated and enforced like a law passed by the legislature and signed by the Governor.

UW faculty and staff are welcome to participate in any rulemaking process by providing public comment. Working with state agencies to implement rules is not considered lobbying for public employees. In fact, the expertise of University of Washington faculty and staff may help the state implement rules more efficiently, equitably, and effectively.

Rulemaking processes are underway for the Climate Commitment Act (cap-and-invest program), Clean Fuel Standard, Healthy Environment for All Act (the HEAL Act advances environmental justice in state agencies) and updates to the Clean Air Act (to fold in Hydrofluorocarbons, HFCs). Click here to read more about new legislation and corresponding public comment periods.

UW Tacoma welcomes new Chancellor and celebrates Milgard Hall construction

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Yesterday, UW Tacoma welcomed incoming Chancellor Dr. Sheila Edwards Lange and celebrated the start of construction on Milgard Hall.

Dr. Edwards Lange began her appointment as UW Tacoma’s chancellor on Sept. 16 and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in higher education. Edwards Lange previously served as president of Seattle Central College where she championed student success, particularly for traditionally underrepresented students, and helped lead efforts to establish the Seattle Promise, which provides two years of free tuition at the Seattle Colleges to graduates of Seattle Public Schools. Due to her leadership at Seattle Central, Edwards Lange received the Washington Community College CEO of the Year award in 2020 from the Washington State Association of College Trustees, as well as Puget Sound Business Journal’s 2021 Director of the Year award.

Edwards Lange is no stranger to the UW, having served as the UW’s Vice President of Minority Affairs and Diversity from 2007-15 where she led the creation of the University’s first Diversity Blueprint. She also earned her doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies and master’s in public administration from the UW.

In her role as Chancellor, Edwards Lange will provide leadership on all UW Tacoma campus matters, including the construction of Milgard Hall. Scheduled to open ahead of schedule in winter 2022/23, the 55,000 square-foot building will house the fast-growing Milgard School of Business and new high-demand programs in civil and mechanical engineering. It will also allow for the expansion of UW Tacoma’s Global Innovation and Design Lab and a high-impact practices teaching space. The building will provide a flexible learning environment that promotes interdisciplinary innovation and community engagement. It also centers sustainable building resources with the primary structure formed by cross-laminated timber.

The construction of Milgard Hall and the creation of UW Tacoma’s School of Engineering would not have been possible without generous support from the state legislature. In attendance at the celebration was House Speaker Laurie Jinkins, Representatives Kelly Chambers and Mari Leavitt, and Senator T’wina Nobles. Thank you, legislators, for attending the celebration and your continued support of UW Tacoma and its success.

Groundbreaking ceremony for new, historic Behavioral Health Teaching Facility

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Today, a celebration was held for the groundbreaking of the new Behavioral Health Teaching Facility located at UW Medical Center–Northwest. The state legislature funded the construction of this historic project during the 2021 legislative session as part of their commitment to expand vital behavioral health services in the state. Washington continues to face a behavioral health crisis with a growing number of residents who need services and a workforce that cannot keep up with demand. The new facility will allow for a comprehensive range of clinical and educational programs designed to help address the state’s critical behavioral health needs.

Scheduled to open late 2023, the six-story building will support a full continuum of behavioral health clinical services focused on supporting urgent health care needs, as well as the transition to community-based living. The facility will hold 150 beds serving adults on long-term civil commitment, geropsychiatry, and behavioral-health patients with comorbidities and significant medical or surgical needs. It will also house a crisis stabilization unit, modern neuromodulation program, and 24/7 telepsychiatry consultation program that will allow UW experts to consult with primary care, community hospital, and emergency room providers across the state to care for individuals with mental health and substance use challenges.

The one-of-a-kind facility will integrate interdisciplinary training and workforce development programs focused on preparing and supporting the next generation of behavioral health providers for the state. Washington state faces an urgent behavioral health workforce shortage, and hundreds of future health care providers and allied health professionals will train at the new facility each year.

Instrumental in securing support for the building, Gov. Jay Inslee, Senate Capital Budget Chair David Frockt, and House Speaker Emeritus Frank Chopp attended the groundbreaking. They spoke about how behavioral health challenges impact all Washingtonians directly or indirectly and the importance of the transformational behavioral health care and workforce development that will occur at the facility. They also spoke about the overwhelming bipartisan and community support that made the facility possible and are excited to be nationwide leaders in behavioral health.

UW and labor leaders also spoke at the groundbreaking emphasizing the importance of the facility for the health and well-being of residents and communities across the state, especially as the detrimental impacts of the ongoing pandemic continue to be felt. The UW is ready to offer compassionate and effective care for patients and families and inspire and train the next generation of behavioral health care providers.

Thank you to the elected officials and UW and community leaders whose advocacy and support made the new Behavioral Health Teaching Facility a reality.

Watch today’s event here. For more information, see UW Medicine’s press release.

First 2021-23 economic and revenue forecast shows strong budget collections

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The Washington State Economic and Revenue Forecast Council projects 2021-23 state budget collections will increase by more than $927 in their newly published September quarterly report. The report is the first since the end of the 2019-21 biennium. The state’s General Fund revenue is now projected at $59.3 billion for the current two-year budget cycle, which began July 1.

Real estate excise taxes are the main driver of the improved revenue collections with residential real estate sales remaining strong and commercial sales seeing a significant increase. Retail sales tax collections were also stronger than forecasted in the June quarterly report.

Washington state employment stays steady with the unemployment rate unchanged at 5.1%. An increase of 2.4% in the state’s employment is expected this year, with average growth between 2022-25 projected at 2.2% per year.

The forecast also shows higher personal income and inflation in the state since the June report. The state’s inflation numbers match the national average, while personal income is expected to begin slowing next year due to decreasing federal stimulus dollars meant to help the economy recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Compared to this time last year, Washington state’s economy is in a much better position. The 2022 legislative session is approaching, beginning on January 10, with state legislators focused on making fixes to the 21-22 biennial budget. While the September outlook shows strong budget collections, the ongoing pandemic’s impacts on the economy and economic growth mean state revenues will remain fragile and uncertain.

For more information, view the Council’s September economic and revenue forecast documents here.

Sen. Salomon visits College of the Environment

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Senator Jesse Salomon, Vice Chair of the Senate Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources & Parks Committee, visited UW Seattle this week to meet with College of the Environment faculty and staff to learn more about their environmental research and programs to help inform his legislative work.

The UW College of the Environment connects educators, researchers, students, and citizens, who work with and learn from each other while tackling critical environmental challenges. Students, faculty, and staff work on a wide range of topics including climate ecology, natural resource management, and marine, earth, and space processes. The College offers approximately 450 courses to students and awards more than 510 degrees each year.

During his visit, Sen. Salomon received high-level briefings on the collaborations to support the conservation of fish, wildlife, and their habitats in Washington state; forest fire and climate change in the Pacific Northwest; and the dynamics of ungulate and carnivore populations and communities in the state. The legislature has an interest in all of these topics and this important research is an important tool to help inform future policy and agency decisions.

Thank you, Sen. Salomon, for visiting and your support of the UW.

Governor requires COVID-19 vaccines for higher education employees

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Governor Jay Inslee announced yesterday that all employees at higher education institutions, including the University of Washington, must be fully vaccinated from COVID-19 by Oct. 18 as a condition of employment. There will be limited exemptions for individuals with documented medical conditions or sincerely held religious beliefs. Test out options or philosophical exemptions are no longer allowed.

Today’s proclamation is consistent with the Governor’s Aug. 9 vaccination mandate for health care workers, including those at UW Medicine and the School of Dentistry.

The governor also announced a statewide mask requirement starting Aug. 23 for all individuals regardless of vaccination status in most indoor public spaces. The University already reinstated an indoor mask mandate for all individuals so this requirement does not change UW operations.

The University will determine how COVID-19 policies will be updated to reflect the new requirements in the coming days. The UW’s response to yesterday’s announcement can be found here.

Chehalis legislators cheer on UW STEM camp students during engineering competition

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Yesterday, Senate Minority Leader John Braun and Representative Peter Abbarno stopped by W.F. West High School in Chehalis to visit the annual summer STEM camp hosted by the UW and Chehalis Foundation. During the three-day camp, faculty and students from the UW College of Engineering and UW Medicine provided local high schoolers with the opportunity to learn from experts and interact with cutting-edge technology.

Students developed core engineering skills by designing and building mini-catapults capable of launching pumpkin candies across the high school library. During their visit, Sen. Braun and Rep. Abbarno had the opportunity to watch the students put the finishing touches on their projects, wish the students luck prior to the competition, and watch them in action. The campers launched forty-six catapults during the final competition and competed for best overall, most accurate, farthest shot, most improved, fan favorite, and most creative awards.

Today, the students engaged with population health leaders from the UW’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation to explore data visualization tools and emergency health care response. As part of a hands-on mock task force, students investigated common population health concerns and gave policy recommendations based on their findings. Both engineering and medicine modules were designed to showcase potential avenues of study at the UW and inspire students to consider careers in STEM.

Thank you, Sen. Braun and Rep. Abbarno, for stopping by and your continued support of this partnership!

Rep. Berry meets with clean energy innovators

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Representative Liz Berry recently visited the Clean Energy Institute (CEI) and Washington Clean Energy Testbeds at the UW to learn more about clean energy research and development taking place in Washington state. CEI was founded in 2013 with support from the state with the mission to accelerate the adoption of a scalable clean energy future to improve global health and the economy. Established four years later, the testbeds serve as an active gathering space for cleantech innovators and investors working to accelerate the development and adoption of new clean energy technologies.

As a member of the House Environment & Energy Committee as well as the Transportation Committee, Rep. Berry has a keen interest in clean energy. During her visit, she met with CEI leadership and innovators to discover more about the institute’s groundbreaking research in solar energy, battery development, and transportation electrification and to see student and faculty-led projects in development.

Thank you, Rep. Berry!

 

UW Bothell-Cascadia College break ground on joint STEM building

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Today, the University of Washington and Cascadia College community celebrated the groundbreaking of their new shared STEM academic building. UW Bothell and Cascadia have the unique distinction of being jointly located on one campus and partnered to make this new facility a reality. Each institution will occupy half the building with shared space designed for students and staff from both UW Bothell and Cascadia.

Scheduled to open in fall 2022, the 75,000 square-foot building will accommodate more than 500 new students and increase UW Bothell’s STEM graduates by 260 per year. STEM degrees have seen unprecedented demand over the past decade from students and industry so the new facility will help meet demand. The facility will also strengthen the partnership and collaboration between UW Bothell and Cascadia College.

The building would not have been possible without generous support from the state. In attendance at the groundbreaking was Senator David Frockt, Representatives Vandana Slatter and Davina Duerr, and former Senator Guy Palumbo. Sen. Frockt spoke as the Senate Capital Budget Chair about the importance of supporting higher education and STEM degrees.

Thank you legislators for attending the celebration and for the continued support of UW Bothell.