U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Administrator Bill Nelson held a Washington State Space Summit at Blue Origin in Kent on Wednesday. Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture Dean Mary Rezac told almost 200 representatives of the business, research and education communities that WSU is doing its level best […]
Gov. Jay Inslee signed three budget bills during a ceremony yesterday, which were passed by state lawmakers late last month and provide funding for a number of WSU priorities and projects. The capital budget includes robust funding for minor works projects, a match for philanthropic funds to construct a new engineering building in Pullman, and […]
Gov. Jay Inslee signed Senate Bill 5593 yesterday afternoon, which will help high school students learn more about postsecondary education opportunities. The bill directs the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to establish data sharing agreements with higher education institutions in the state. Currently, the state’s public colleges and universities can inform students […]
This week, Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan, director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), traveled to Seattle and Spokane to get an inside look at the important scientific research and innovation happening across the state, and share how newly approved federal funding can help support these efforts. The visit was organized by Senator Maria Cantwell, a main […]
A bill signed by the governor today will require the state’s budget office to calculate a key metric in determining tuition rates at public colleges and universities sooner. SB 5079 directs the Office of Financial Management to calculate the maximum allowable increase in tuition in October of each year, instead of when it is currently […]
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Innovation, Data, and Commerce Subcommittee Chair Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) held a subcommittee hearing surrounding Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) this morning. WSU Director of Athletics Pat Chun testified this morning urging Congress to develop federal standards that provide transparency and enforceable safeguards to mitigate the negative impact of the […]
The state House of Representatives released its operating and capital budgets yesterday, which were heard in their respective committees on Monday evening and Tuesday morning. Connor Haggerty, WSU Assistant Director of State Relations testified before the House Appropriations committee in support of the operating budget proposal, highlighting the funding it provided for the university’s health care […]
Leaders in the state Senate today unveiled an operating budget proposal that, for WSU, mirrors the version introduced by the governor in December in many respects. Highlights include the following. Cost of living adjustments of 4 percent in fiscal year 2024 and 3 percent in fiscal year 2025 are provided for non-represented classified staff. Funding […]
Tuition for Washington’s colleges and universities could be set sooner thanks to a bill passed by the state House this afternoon, which now heads to the governor’s desk to be signed into law. Senate Bill 5079 cleared the House with a unanimous 48-0 vote and would have a calculation that determines the maximum allowable increase […]
The state’s Economic and Revenue Forecast Council released its quarterly forecast yesterday that projects decreased state tax revenues over the next two biennia and stagnant growth in the current biennium. The forecast decreased by $483 million for the upcoming 2023–25 biennium and by $541 million for the following 2025–27 biennium. A slowing housing market, a dip […]