Access, quality are issues in 98 legislature

During the 1998 legislative session the University of Washington will continue to attempt to forge new partnerships with the state Legislature as it seeks legislative action to increase access to higher education, strengthen the quality of the UW's academic and research programs, and ensure the long-term vitality of higher education institutions in Washington state.

In some cases, the UW will seek to combine state funds with other funding sources such as private donors and the federal government. In other cases, the UW will strive to form programmatic partnerships. "One of my goals as president is to strengthen the UW's relationship with the Legislature and with communities across the state. Our 1998 legislative proposals reflect this goal," said President Richard L. McCormick. "We have tried to be innovative and combine state dollars with other resources wherever possible," he added.

Associate Vice President for University Relations and Director of Government Relation Sherry Burkey commented, "Our endowment proposal, our technology requests and our enrollment proposal will benefit students from around the state and the quality of higher education we can provide."

Conceived as a means of creating a legacy for Higher Education in Washington state through a creative public-private partnership, the Endowment for Higher Education is a central component of the legislative agenda for all 38 of Washington's public colleges and universities. Through this proposed legislation, over a five-year period, $250 million in state funds would be matched with $250 million in private donations.

The annual earnings from each institution's part of the endowment would be used for the express purpose of providing quality enhancements in support of teach-ing and learning. These enhancements include student scholarships, graduate fellowships, distinguished professorships, teaching awards, faculty development, curriculum development, service delivery, equipment procurement, and library resources.

Under this proposal, the UW would be eligible for 32 percent of the total endowment, or $160 million of the $500 million combined public/private endowment. The other institution's allocations would be as follows: 32 percent for community and technical colleges, 22 percent for WSU, and 14 percent for the regional universities and The Evergreen State College.

The endowment bill received its first hearing in the Senate Higher Education Committee on Monday, Jan. 19. UW Vice President for University Relations Robert Edie spoke in favor of the bill as did UW faculty and student representatives. Prime sponsors of this legislation are Sen. Jeannette Wood and Rep. Larry Sheahan. While it is supported by all public higher education institutions, financing for the proposal this year remains uncertain.

Another major component of the UW's budget is a request for the funding of four science and technology measures that are designed to increase access to higher education, enhance academic research environments, and support private enterprise in Washington state. These include the Advanced Technology Research Initiative (ATRI), the Internet-2 HUB, the Disabilities, Opportunity, Internetworking and Technology (DO-IT) Program, and continued support for the K-20 Network.

ATRI aims to invigorate the research environments at Washington's two research universities while offering enhanced opportunities for technology transfer to state businesses and industries, whose growth is fueled by the application of cutting-edge discoveries. Enhancing the climate of research at the UW would not only distinguish the UW and bolster private enterprise, it would also benefit those students who strive to work with UW researchers and in high technology industries.

The requested funding of $1.5 million for ATRI would allow the UW to recruit three clusters of faculty with three members each. Selected faculty would not only be at the forefront of their fields, but also have firsthand experience with university-industry partnerships and a keen understanding of technology transfer and intellectual property commercialization.

The Internet-2 Hub also presents an opportunity for promoting research and economic development. It also represents a unique opportunity for Washington to participate in and fulfill a national partnership. With the National Science Foundation's authorization to connect to the I-2 backbone in hand, the UW is requesting $4.6 million in funding for fiscal year 1998-99. This includes $4.15 million for a one-time funding to build the infrastructure and $450,000 per year in staffing and operations.

Like ATRI, the I-2 Hub holds the potential for energizing the UW's research community and the state's business economy. An I-2 Hub will solidify Washington's position not only as a technology center, but also as one of the world's major Internet/business hubs and Internet technology and applications incubators. Private companies dependent upon state-of-the-art Internet computing technologies must have early access to the I-2 Hub in order to compete in the next generation internet marketplace and the 21^st century economy. The University has enlisted the support of Boeing, Microsoft, and other businesses in support of this proposal.

The remaining pieces of technology legislation, the DO-IT Program and the K-20 Network, focus on ensuring access for disabled students and providing additional distance learning opportunities.

The DO-IT Program was created to help high school students with disabilities pursue careers in science, engineering, mathematics and technology. The DO-IT scholars are recruited early in their sophomore year, loaned computer equipment, and taught how to access the Internet so they can join DO-IT's electronic community. Through this network, students get support for their academic and career goals, helping them to succeed in school and lead more productive lives.

Since 1992, this enormously successful, national award-winning program has realized much beyond its original purpose. It now in its last year of funding by the National Science Foundation with no possibility of renewal. To continue to help meet the statewide needs of students with disabilities, the UW is requesting $560,000 to cover the staff, equipment, and operation costs of the DO-IT Program.

Funds requested for the continued support of the K-20 network would also be used to increase access to higher education. In 1996, the state allocated resources to begin creating the K-20 Education Telecommunications Network. Phase I has been designed and installed across Washington, and Phase II will soon be deployed. The UW, in concert with other state colleges and universities, is now requesting permanent funding for the operation, maintenance, course development and classroom construction for the network.

For fiscal year 1998-99, the UW is asking for $3,200,000 for continued support of the K-20 Network. This includes $900,000 to fulfill the UW's responsibility of operating and maintaining the network backbone as well as the K-20 Internet/Intranet. Another $800,000 would be used to facilitate the development of technology-based teaching. This would enable faculty to adapt courses for delivery to students via the network. The remaining $1,500,00 would be used construct six electronic classrooms. Three of these would be built at remote state locations including Forks, Friday Harbor and Pack Forest. The other classrooms will be created at existing sites in Bothell, Seattle and Tacoma. Aside from creating new avenues of access to higher education, these electronic classrooms would also help the UW become a true three-campus university.

Increasing access is also at the core of the UW's request for increased student enrollments at the Seattle and Tacoma campuses and appropriations for tenant improvements at UW Bothell.

Larger than expected demand for access to the Seattle and Tacoma campuses in 1997 dictates a request for increase enrollment funding. On the Seattle campus, four factors have contributed to the increase demand: a larger pool of high school applicants, a higher percentage of applicants accepting the UW's offer of admission in 1997, a greater number of actual enrollments and students carrying higher than normal course loads.

UW Tacoma's request is based on an increased interest in its business program. Demand for this program, which serves the educational need of Tacoma and South Puget Sound, currently outpaces the number of available spaces.

To meet these demands for more access, the UW and UW Tacoma are requesting funds for 391 additional undergraduate Full-Time Enrollments (FTEs). Seattle would receive 371 FTEs, and the remaining 20 would go to Tacoma. This represents $2,688,000 in state funding.

UW Bothell shares Seattle's and Tacoma's need for additional appropriations to accommodate increased enrollments. Unlike the other two campuses, UW Bothell does not need increased enrollment allocations; it needs more building space. This problem stems from the fact that the 1997-99 appropriations for increased enrollments at UW Bothell carried no funding for space increase or improvements. To meet the 1997-99 operating budget plan, the UW is requesting an appropriation of $1,053,000, including $853,000 to fund the reconfiguration of existing space and $200,000 to improve additional leased space at the temporary Bothell campus. ¶

Kelly Keith, Government Relations