Western’s Budget Priorities for 2019

The Washington State Legislature’s 2019 session kicks off on Monday.  WWU has a strong agenda heading into the session, with the goal of maintaining the university’s strengths while expanding high-demand STEM degrees that meet the state’s workforce needs.  WWU’s proposal would create over 100 new STEM degrees each year while simultaneously reducing waitlists for current students in STEM programs.

Western’s top priorities for the 2019 session include:

• Competitive compensation for faculty and staff ($15.3 million)
• Expanding capacity in STEM, specifically in Pre-health Sciences, Energy Technology and Electrical Engineering ($7.6 million)
• Construction funding for an Interdisciplinary Science Building ($60 million)
• Design funding for an Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Building ($6.5 million)

As Washington’s third largest public university, Western is committed to serving the people of the state with a focus on academic excellence and inclusive achievement. Western’s top legislative priorities for 2019 reflect the University’s most urgent needs in order to help advance the State’s education attainment goals—that by 2024, at least 70% of adults in Washington, ages 25-44, will have a post-secondary credential.

Find Western’s full list of 2019 legislative priorities here.