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Gov. Gary Locke announces his proposal to create Washington’s Promise Scholarships in a news conference Tuesday at the HUB. He was joined by UW President Richard L. McCormick.
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Gov. Gary Locke’s budget proposal for Washington State colleges and universities will increase enrollment by nearly 10,000 students in the next biennium and make a college education possible for students who work hard to get good grades. Locke made the announcement Tuesday in a news conference at the HUB.
The two-year budget plan adds $136 million for higher-education programs to meet the growing demand for college degrees that have become a necessity for people who want a good job, according to Locke.
Locke said he will put before the 1999 Legislature a scholarship program that will help low- and middle-income families afford higher education for their children. Washington’s Promise Scholarships will provide a two-year scholarship—a total of $3,000—for about 7,200 high school students starting with this year’s senior class.
The governor’s budget proposal for the state’s community colleges and four-year colleges and universities are in line with many recommendations forwarded by the Governor’s 2020 Commission on the Future of Post-Secondary Education. In October, the blue ribbon panel of business, education, industry, and government leaders presented a plan to turn Washington into a “state of learning” by the year 2020.
The governor said his higher-education plan for the 1999-01 biennium:
Locke proposes to expand enrollment by 9,785 full-time equivalent students at state colleges and universities—1,700 more than is needed to maintain current per-capita enrollment levels.
In the governor’s proposal, capacity at the five branch campuses will be increased with a $174 million capital-budget plan for construction. Use of technology to serve students “on line” would be expanded through the creation of the Washington Online College, which would allow more people to take college and university courses for credit via the Internet.
The governor’s proposal gives the state’s four-year institutions and the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges the authority to increase tuition, but limits their discretion to 5 percent per year for in-state undergraduates. The institutions would have more flexibility in setting tuition for non-resident students and those at graduate and professional levels. Revenue from tuition increases could be used for faculty salary, recruitment and retention, as well as reducing inequities involving full and part-time faculty, technology equipment and staff training.
The enhancement package the governor announced Tuesday does not include his proposal for general increases for higher-education faculty and staff. Details of the compensation package will be released when the governor presents his full budget proposal next week. However, the enhancements include $4 million to attract and keep top faculty at the four-year institutions. Schools will be required to match state funding with local tuition funds.
Locke said education reform in the K-12 system is yielding success because basic standards have been established for student achievement. His budget proposal for higher education contains funding to design a similar approach to establish clear markers for student achievement in state colleges and universities.
“Now that we have set standards for learning in K-12 schools,” Locke said, “It’s time we ensure our higher-education institutions are producing students who are achieving the higher levels of learning we expect from a college education. ¶
University Week
The faculty and staff publication of the University of Washington
uweek@u.washington.edu
December 10, 1998