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The Washington State Economic and Revenue Forecast Council released the State’s quarterly revenue forecast today, projecting a $606 million increase in Near General Fund revenue for the current 2019-21 biennium, which brings the total Near General Fund projected revenues to over $52.3 billion for the current two-year state budget cycle.  Projected revenues for the 2021-23…

Yesterday Sienna Reid, Grey Webster and Deviney Wynecoop from WWU’s Native American Student Union (NASU) traveled to the Washington State Capitol in Olympia to meet with state lawmakers about a proposed Coast Salish Longhouse on Western’s campus and to testify in support of House Bill 2551, legislation that would ensure students are permitted to wear…

WWU’s priority bills— HB 1755 and SB 6139/HB 2721—have advanced in the legislative process in Olympia. Last week the House of Representatives passed HB 1755—WWU’s top policy priority for the 2020 legislative session that authorizes Western to offer applied doctorate level degrees in education (Ed.Ds).  The bill is now in the Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee. In…

Today is the first day of the Washington State Legislature’s 2020 session.  During the “short,” 60-day session, legislators will adopt supplemental operating, capital and transportation budgets with modifications to the 2019-21 biennial budgets that were adopted during the 2019 session.  Legislators will also be tasked with considering thousands of bills with proposed changes to state…

Last month Congress passed and the president signed into law, the FUTURE Act, which provides permanent funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), including Northwest Indian College in Bellingham.  The bill also simplifies the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by eliminating duplicative paperwork between the Internal Revenue…

With a total enrollment of 16,151 students, Western has the largest student enrollment in the University’s history.  This fall, Western is welcoming 3,116 first-year students, along with 1,156 transfer students.  Among 2019 fall first-year students, 30.8 percent are students of color and 29 percent of first-year and 42.2 percent of transfer students are students who…

The nine justices of the Washington State Supreme Court will be on campus at Western Washington University on Oct. 9 and 10 to meet with the campus community, answer questions about their role in the state’s judicial system, and hear oral arguments on three cases.  All events are free and open to the public in…

Yesterday the Washington State Economic and Revenue Forecast Council released quarterly projections for state revenues, showing an increase of $432 million in the state’s near general fund for the 2019-21 biennium, which begins on July 1st. According to the Forecast Council, legislation passed during the 2019 legislative session accounts for most of the forecasted increase…

Last night the Washington State Legislature completed the 2019 legislative session with the passage of the state’s biennial budgets, in addition to passing several historic legislative measures. The final 2019-21 Operating Budget, in coordination with appropriations from HB 2158 includes funding to implement the state’s salary increase policy, including a 3 percent annual compensation increase…

This week legislators in Olympia introduced a proposal to significantly boost funding for higher education.  The proposal would create a dedicated state fund for higher education and would make historic investments in financial aid and expanded access to STEM degree programs at the state’s colleges and universities. Click here to learn more about the proposal.