This morning the House Higher Education Committee took a moment amid the chaos of the final days of session to honor and recognize faculty at Washington’s public, baccalaureate institutions.

Ralph Murphy, the Council of Faculty Representative for The Evergreen State College, introduced two faculty among several that the Council shared with the Committee regarding faculty who have attained awards recognizing their teaching excellence in higher education. 

Two faculty members – Dr. Zack , Associate Professor of Entomology and Director of the M.T. James Entomological Collection, at Washington State University and Professor Hauck, Electrical Engineering, at the University of Washington – shared with the Committee their work and provided an on-the-ground perspective as faculty at Washington’s public, four-year institutions.

In addition the Committee heard from several stakeholders regarding thoughts and ideas that may shape the Committee’s interim work.  Representatives from the Higher Education Coordinating Board, the community and technical colleges, the State Workforce Board, the independent institutions, and career and technical institutions shared their thoughts and comments with the Committee.

In addition representatives from the various public baccalaureate institutions also shared their thoughts. All of the institutions that spoke supported the concept put forward by the Chair to hold meetings at our campuses in conjunction with our community college partners during the interim.  

The Evergreen State College testified to the need to take the time to understand the cumulative impact of the shift away from state funding towards tuition on students and campuses, what institutions are doing in response, and what are the next steps. In addition, it is critical to examine the impact of policy bills passed  and policy issues discussed  this session including financial aid, types of degrees, and diversity among students served.

Other topics that were highlighted include continuing efforts to identify areas that would provide regulatory relief for institutions, work dedicated to new legislation passed this session, and the development and establishment of the Complete to Compete accountability and performance framework.