The weekend papers featured a couple of opinion pieces worth noting that hailed last week’s signing of legislation that would create a pathway for WSU to assume management of the University Center of North Puget Sound in 2014. This Seattle Times editorial hailed the development as a “triumph of persistence”. And this column co-authored by […]
Governor Christine Gregoire this afternoon signed Senate Bill 5636, creating a pathway for WSU to gain management of the University Center in Everett in 2014. The bill won’t actually take effect until the state’s Higher Education Coordinating Board considers whether the matter must first go through its systems design review process. With the HEC Board’s […]
The governor is scheduled to act on Senate Bill 5636 at a signing ceremony Thursday afternoon in Olympia. Some 29 bills are slated to be acted upon at the 1:30 event. The bill would create a pathway for WSU to assume management of the University Center located at Everett Community College in 2014. It was […]
The state Senate today approved the university tuition setting authority bill approved in the House yesterday. House Bill 1795 was approved 32-13 without amendment and now heads to the Governor’s desk for signature. For more details on the bill, see previous post.
The state House of Representatives Monday afternoon approved a bill granting Washington’s six public four-year universities tuition setting authority for eight years beginning this fall. House Bill 1795 was approved 79-17 and now heads to the Senate, where it likely will be sent to the Ways and Means Committee. The bill would give universities a […]
Things are ghostly quiet in the state capital today as the second week of the Legislature’s 30-day special session has now come and gone. And while an end is not yet in sight, there are a few noteworthy items to pass along. First, the governor announced this week that a tax amnesty program designed to […]
Gov. Chris Gregoire on Friday afternoon signed a trio of bills of interest to WSU. House Bill 1422 authorizes the Department of Natural Resources to conduct a demonstration project involving the use of biomass in the production of jet fuel. WSU, an international leader in this endeavor, is to be consulted as the project is […]
With the mayhem of the final days of the regular session given way to the relative calm of special session, it seemed like a good time to step back and take a look at the bills of most notable interest to WSU and the higher education community that have advanced to the governor’s desk. So, […]
Washington State University announced today that it has hired an internationally-renowned expert in smart grid technologies as a Boeing Distinguished Professor. You can read more about it here. Championed by Sen. Jim Kastama, D-Puyallup, STARS funding is designed to help the state lure high caliber faculty in new economy fields. WSU has worked in Olympia […]
Gov. Chris Gregoire today called for a special legislative session to begin Tuesday. You can read about it here. The Legislature was expected to adjourn its 105-day regular session this afternoon, two days early ahead of the Easter holiday. The news is anything but surprising. Faced with a budget shortfall of historic proportions and on […]