Dear Colleagues:
This spring
brought the end of a long, arduous and extended legislative session that began
last December. We were fortunate that
the UW saw no additional “major” cuts to our budget, but we still have to
address the long-term implications of losing half of our state funding in just
the past few years.
Last year the
State Legislature enacted the Higher Education Opportunity Act, which provided
all Washington state four-year institutions with the ability to set tuition
rates for all categories of students. After a 20% tuition increase in 2011, our
Regents approved an additional 16% increase for this coming fall, based on the
assumptions made by the legislature in 2011 when they crafted the original
biennial budget. So while it’s good that the 2012 supplemental budget allowed
the University to keep tuition at the original budget assumptions, we are still
relying heavily on increased tuition revenue to make ends meet. For more
information on tuition, be sure to read the tuition fact sheet
and Q&A document we’ve posted on the External Affairs website.
Tuition and
budget issues aside, we topped off our 150th anniversary celebration with
HuskyFest, April 19–21. Nearly 40,000 students, faculty, staff, alumni and
visitors enjoyed the live performances, tours, kids’ activities and more. Plans
are already under way for next year’s event.
In case you
missed KING-TV’s “Evening Magazine” (weeknights at 7 on KING 5) the week
of May 21, four
segments about the UW aired in commemoration of the UW's 150th anniversary
celebration.
And finally,
we’re excited that the UW grabbed a top spot on Student Advisor's list of the Top 100
Social Media Colleges, thanks in large part to our partnership with KEXP.
This puts us in good company with institutions like Harvard, Stanford and Johns
Hopkins.
I’d like to thank
everyone who worked with us throughout the year to make the 150th celebration a
success. Here’s to year 151.
Sincerely,
Randy Hodgins
Vice President, Office of External Affairs
Table of Contents
Key Dates
- July 11: College affordability town hall discussion, featuring U.S. Under Secretary Martha Kanter, 5 p.m., Kane Hall, Room 130. Panelists include State Senator Ed Murray, Seattle Times Publisher & CEO Frank Blethen and Provost Ana Mari Cauce. Free and open to the public.
- October 8–11: Fair Labor Association Board Meeting at the HUB.
- October 9: President Young's Annual Address, 3:30–4:30 p.m., Kane Hall, Room 130. Dessert reception to follow at 4:30 p.m. in Walker Ames.
Update from Washington, D.C.
Even though Congress
has been in session since January, they have little to show for their work—and the to-do list keeps getting longer. Before the end of the year, Congress
needs to address:
- Final FY13 appropriations, probably in the form of an omnibus bill.
- Whether and how to prevent the January 2, 2013, budget sequester, which is
the across-the-board cut to discretionary spending required by last year’s
Budget Control Act.
- Extension of the Bush tax cuts and certain other tax provisions.
- U.S. debt limit increase.
Most immediately,
the Office of Federal Relations is continuing to advocate for the University’s
priorities, including urging the House and Senate to maintain its investment in
our nation’s future through strong federal
research funding. Areas of particular focus include National Institutes of
Health, National Science Foundation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration and Department of Defense research.
In addition to
resilient appropriations for research, there are several bills and topics our
office is monitoring and weighing in on:
- Student Loan Interest Rates: Late last week, Congress approved legislation to prevent an increase in interest rates from 3.4% to 6.8% on undergraduate Stafford student loans that was scheduled to take effect on July 1. The legislation allows for a one-year delay in the interest rate increase so this issue will again be in front of Congress next year.
- Sequester:
Set to take effect on January 2, 2013, the sequester will cut discretionary
appropriations by $55 billion in defense and $39 billion in non-defense
spending in FY2013 regardless of the levels that Congress chooses to
appropriate. The cuts will be proportionally implemented across the board to
each individual non-exempt program. With the cuts slated to occur three months
into the fiscal year, this will create massive uncertainty for government
agencies if changes to the sequester continue to be negotiated during this
year’s lame-duck session and could result in up to 12% cuts for certain
programs if no action is taken.
- Budget
Guidance: The White House Office of Management and Budget issued budget
guidance for FY2014 to federal departmental and agency heads on May 18.
The memorandum directs agency leaders to submit budget requests that are 5% below “the net discretionary total provided for your agency for 2014 in
the 2013 budget.” Agencies also are directed to submit a separate list of
priority “addbacks” that would take the agency’s budget submission back up to
the 2014 estimated level in the 2013 budget.
- “Startup
2.0” Legislation: A bipartisan group of four senators introduced a new version of
legislation aimed at bolstering economic growth by providing new tax benefits
and easing regulations for startup companies, accelerating the
commercialization of university research and providing work visas for
international students who earn advanced degrees in science and engineering fields
at U.S. universities. The measure is known as “Startup 2.0” (S 3217). Despite
improvements from a previous bill on this topic, the new bill retains the
problematic provision that would fund two new Department of Commerce grant
programs by taxing research funds at other major research agencies by .15%. Further, the bill contains a vague provision that would provide grants
to institutions to “allow faculty to directly commercialize research in an
effort to accelerate research breakthroughs.”
If you have questions
about these or any other federal topics, please contact Office of Federal
Relations Director Christy Gullion
at cgullion@uw.edu or 202-624-1424.
Update from Olympia
The legislature
officially adjourned in mid-April after wrapping up another special session. The
big news was that the state supplemental budget included no additional cuts to
higher education, including student financial aid. The University also helped get several priority policy bills passed.
SJR 8223 is a constitutional amendment allowing the UW and WSU to diversify their
operating fund investments. This measure could eventually generate $10 million to $20
million in new revenue for the University over time. It now goes to the voters
for approval on the fall ballot.
HB 2585 provides additional operating flexibilities for higher education in
the areas of procurement, purchasing, travel and human resources. This
measure could save the UW up to $1 million a year in administrative costs, and
hopefully make the lives of our hard working faculty and staff a lot
easier.
Finally, a
reminder that another exciting election season is officially upon us. Your
State Relations team encourages all to be civically aware and engaged—but we
would also like to remind you of public employee ethics restrictions. To
get the scoop on how you can stay active during the elections and stay out of
jail (kidding!), send us email or give us a call. When in doubt, ask!
If you have questions,
contact State Relations Director Margaret Shepherd at mshep@uw.edu or x37604.
Update to Our Local Community
Seattle
Campus Plan
Read
the 13th annual report on the UW’s Master Plan [PDF].
 City/University
Community Advisory Committee
The City/University
Community Advisory Committee (CUCAC) meets monthly. Recent presentations
include:
University District Livability Partnership
The UW—in collaboration with the City of
Seattle, the Greater University Chamber of Commerce, community members, local
businesses and others—is involved in an initiative to revitalize the University
District. Known as the University District Livability Partnership, this long-term initiative will focus on a broad
range of improvements to support a vibrant neighborhood, including:
- Commercial revitalization
- Urban design, including public spaces
- Public transportation
- Sustainability
- New housing and retail spaces
For more information or to get involved,
please contact community@udistrictchamber.org.
If you have questions about our work with local communities, contact Assistant Vice President for Regional Relations Theresa Doherty at tdoherty@uw.edu.
UWTV
KOMO 4 broadcasts
After a 13-week run, "UW 360" broadcasts on KOMO 4 TV are winding down; a
repeat for next spring is possible.
Programming updates
- New episodes continue for “The
High Bar” and “Conversations,” two interview-style shows that
debuted this spring.
- In its sixth season, the annual “Mini Medical School Series,” featuring experts on a variety of
topics from UW Medicine, airs Thursdays at 7 p.m.
- A new documentary series, “Voices of the First Peoples,” begins this
fall. A collaboration with the UW's Department of American Indian Studies, the
series will explore issues confronted by Native tribes nationwide.
 Now available
The UW in the News
Below are a few noteworthy examples of recent media coverage
of the UW:
MSNBC
(May 17, 2012) Facial hints sharpen people's 'gaydar,' study shows
People can judge with surprising accuracy whether someone is gay or
straight—even when they're looking at a black-and-white photograph, cropped of
hair and identifying marks, and presented upside down, according to a UW study.
USA Today (May 14, 2012) Study:
Many mammals won’t be able to outrun climate change
Hundreds of species of mammals in the Western Hemisphere may not be able to
migrate with the projected speed of climate change, according to a new UW
study.
Seattle Times (May 10, 2012) State’s
students need a break from unending tuition increases
The
Seattle Times editorial board writes,
"lawmakers and university officials must find ways, going forward, to
relieve current and future students of the annual sticker shock over their
soaring tuition bills."
KUOW
(April 24, 2012) UW
Study Leads To Clues For Autism Detection
Diagnosing
autism usually involves a thorough evaluation that focuses on the child's
behavior. A UW researcher has found a potential biomarker associated with the
disorder.
Seattle Times (April 19, 2012)
HuskyFest marks UW's 150th year with music, art and fun
HuskyFest, with public events April 21, 2012, is a campus-wide celebration of
the UW’s 150th anniversary.
The New York Times (April 16, 2012)
How Well, and How Poorly, We Harvest Ocean Life
The New York Times reviews
"Overfishing: What Everyone Needs to Know," by Ray Hilborn, professor
of aquatic and fishery sciences.
Seattle Times (April 7, 2012) Rare UW class unites honors students, felons
A
UW honors class brought undergraduate students and former prisoners together to
teach about the criminal-justice system.
To stay up to date on other media coverage of the UW, subscribe to UW in the Media, a daily email message from the Office of News & Information. You can do so by sending a request to uwnews@uw.edu or calling x32580.
Marketing the UW
Celebrating
the UW’s 150th anniversary
 We have continued celebrating the UW’s 150th
anniversary throughout the 2011–2012 academic year with a variety of events and
activities designed to raise positive awareness, demonstrate the UW’s impact,
reinforce our commitment to service and engage the university and local
community.
As part of the celebration, the UW hosted HuskyFest in
April. Thank you to the 40-plus units that participated and made this inaugural
event successful. Highlights from the event include:
- More than 26,000 students,
faculty, staff, alumni and visitors spent time in the big tent.
- Another 10,000 to 15,000
attended activities on Red Square and across campus.
- More than 41,000 visitors
came to the HuskyFest website.
Local media also
joined in the commemoration of our 150th. Throughout the week of May 21, KING-TV’s
“Evening Magazine” aired unique
segments about the UW in honor of our 150th,
including clips on our history, our inventions and innovations, and an amusing
look at some strange footage from our archives. You can view these videos on
the KING-TV
website.
Promoting and Protecting the UW Brand
Real Dawgs are wearing purple!
 The “proud to be a Husky” crowd is growing at an impressive rate.
Royalty collected in fiscal 2012 from the sales of UW’s licensed products has increased
nearly 12%! That is a lot of Husky love—the average across all other UW schools
is 6%. We are ranked number three in the Pac-12 behind Oregon and USC in the
amount of royalty dollars collected.
 More Dawg drivers = more student scholarships
In partnership with the
UW Alumni Association, we are offering free UW License Plates to 2012 graduates
and the families of incoming 2012 freshmen. UWAA pays for the plate replacement
fee and the first year’s $28 donation to the UW General Scholarship Fund. As
plate owners renew their tabs each year, they donate $28 to benefit UW
students. Last year this campaign resulted in 456 new applications for plates.
There are currently 6,667 registered UW license plates on the road.
If you have questions about trademarks and licensing, contact Kathy Hoggan at khoggan@uw.edu or x30775.
Question of the Quarter
Q: I
heard the legislature didn’t cut higher education this year. Why does the
University need to raise tuition again?
A: The University of Washington and all
Washington public higher education institutions have seen a gradual decline in
state funding over the past 20 years with a dramatic drop in the past few
years. State funding for the UW has decreased by nearly
50% since 2009.
Last year, the legislature adopted a higher
education budget for the 2011–13 biennium that included a $217 million cut in
state funds for the UW compared to the prior biennium. The budget also assumed
that the UW would increase tuition by 16% a year for the next two years
to partially offset these cuts.
When the legislature passed a supplemental
budget in April 2012 to deal with additional projected revenue shortfalls, the
budget included no additional major cuts to higher education. This was a
pivotal step toward stabilizing the UW’s budget situation and prevented even
greater impacts on UW students, faculty and staff. However, the budget did not
reduce the cuts that were enacted last year. Thus, the planned second-year
tuition increase of 16% has been adopted.
Even with a legislatively authorized 16% tuition increase for 2012–13,
funding per student at the UW will still be $3,000 lower than it was in 2008.
Key Contacts
Randy Hodgins
Vice President, External Affairs
x37604, rhodgins@uw.edu
Norm Arkans
Associate Vice President, Media Relations & Communications
x32560, arkans@uw.edu
Theresa Doherty
Director, Regional & Community Relations
x12603, tdoherty@uw.edu
Christy Gullion
Director, Federal Relations
202-624-1424, cgullion@uw.edu
John Haslam
General Manager, UWTV
x36343, jhaslam@uw.edu
Kathy Hoggan
Director, Trademarks & Licensing
x30775, khoggan@uw.edu
Key Nuttall
Assistant Vice President, Marketing
x56410, keyn@uw.edu
Margaret Shepherd
Director, State Relations
206-399-1496, mshep@uw.edu
Questions? Contact eaupdate@uw.edu.
Key Links
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