This past week the House Higher Education convened the fourth of five committee hearings focused on educational attainment and regional industries.

The House Higher Education Committee met most recently at Skagit Valley Community College in Mt. Vernon. The focus of the meeting was innovation and its role in educational attainment in Washington. In addition higher education institutions, including Western Washington University, hosted regional industry panels that focused on the connections between higher education, workforce, and industry.

The day before the Committee met in Seattle to learn more about completion and its role in educational attainment as well as here from regional industry representatives. The Evergreen State College and the University of Washington, along with the Council of Presidents, participated from the public, bacclauareate sector.  Evergreen was represented on two panels. Paul Pryzbylowicz presented on higher education institutional initiatives to increase student completion and Libby Dunkin, an Evergreen alum and VP for Operations for Flux Drive, participated in the higher education and regional industry needs panel on manufacturing.

Prior to the meetings last week the Committee traveled to Spokane and Ellensburg in September to discuss two issues as they related to educational attainment: (1) outcomes for underserved populations and (2) transitions to college.  Each meeting the Committee heard from  regional higher education institutions and industry.

The next meeting of the House Higher Education Committee is scheduled for November 2 at South Puget Sound Community College.