WSU Chancellors from across the system and President Kirk Schulz gathered in Washington, D.C. this week to meet with members of the state’s Congressional delegation and staff, coalition partners and other stakeholders to highlight the university’s federal priorities and campus initiatives.
“This visit was a unique opportunity for our Congressional leaders, the Biden Administration, and our federal partners to hear directly from WSU leadership about what we’re hoping to achieve in coming years — both as a system, and for each of our individual campuses,” said President Schulz. “We are fortunate to be represented in Washington by leaders that understand the importance of higher education and the investment in federal research supporting our students, faculty, and the state of Washington.”
President Schulz was joined by Provost and Pullman Chancellor Elizabeth Chilton, Spokane Chancellor and Executive Vice President for Health Sciences Daryll DeWald, Tri-Cities Chancellor Sandra Haynes, Everett Chancellor Paul Pitre, and Global Campus Chancellor Dave Cillay.
The group discussed opportunities stemming from the recently passed CHIPS and Science Act, the nation’s largest-ever federal investment in supporting the growth of the domestic semiconductor industry, workforce development and research & development. WSU’s top tier research systemwide will be highly competitive for this funding.
Opportunities to support student success in the classroom were also covered in the meetings — how leadership can work together to ensure WSU’s mission of access as the state’s land-grant research university, and ensure college remains accessible and affordable. The university’s affordability metrics are improving on all fronts, and yet many prospective students and their parents remain unaware of the financial support available to them.
The Chancellors highlighted the continued need for federal support in providing mental health care for WSU’s students, faculty, and staff across the system. The focus was on WSU’s role in providing services at its campuses and training the workforce to meet the needs of communities in rural and underserved communities across Washington. Those living in rural areas are disproportionately at risk due to a lack of access to mental health care and greater stigmatization when seeking treatment. WSU received federal funding in FY2023 to assess the mental healthcare needs in 13 rural and underserved counties in Eastern Washington. This funding will help WSU determine how best to train the mental health workforce to provide services to these communities.
The Chancellors and President also provided updates on additional WSU research priorities including developments in health sciences, clean energy, and advanced manufacturing. The Chancellors highlighted state support being considered for the Institute for Northwest Energy Futures, a center to help address the increasing demands for resilient, affordable, and available low-carbon electricity and transportation fuels. If funded, this project will support eight faculty researchers, graduate students, and staff as well as a facility to house the institute headquarters near the WSU Tri-Cities campus.
The Chancellors also discussed the growing work in sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) across the system focusing on the new SAF research and development center proposed for Everett’s Paine Field. The Legislature is considering a $6.5 million appropriation to provide seed funding to develop a SAF fuel bank and testing facility for Paine Field. Working with local stakeholders, this facility will test experimental fuels at a jet engine scale, representing the next frontier of testing before commercialization. Small samples are currently tested at WSU Tri-Cities.
The group also met with leaders from the Department of Education, the Education Trust, and The Science Coalition, as well as a delegation from the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Portland Chamber while in D.C.
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