We all must stay engaged in educational excellence

Gov. Christine Gregoire has articulated a clear vision for the citizens of Washington state: "A world-class education system will prepare today's students to be tomorrow's citizens, capable of competing in the rapidly changing global economy and engaging thoughtfully in communities at home."

Her leadership over the past 18 months with the Washington Learns initiative sets the agenda for preparing our citizens from the earliest years of learning throughout adulthood to be responsible, contributing members of our communities, as well as competitive in a global marketplace.

The Council of Presidents, whose members are the presidents of Washington's six public universities and college, enthusiastically endorses the governor's vision and pledges to work with her and legislators to develop and implement strategies to achieve it.

Universities have always been at the forefront of social and economic viability. We look to universities to be the economic engine that creates and supports well-paying jobs; we look to universities to serve and strengthen our communities; and we look to universities to prepare citizens to engage in a civil society.

Washington's public higher-education institutions enjoy excellent reputations throughout the United States and even throughout the world for providing affordable and high-quality education. However, as Gov. Gregoire has noted, we cannot rely on reputation alone. Other countries throughout the world are making huge investments to strengthen their higher-education systems so that they will be competitive in a global economy.

As good as our institutions are, we continue to lag behind most peer groups in funding, including those identified in the Washington Learns recommendations as "global challenge states." In the past decade, while others invested in higher education, Washington fell behind. It is time to reverse that trend.

We were pleased that the governor's higher-education budget reflected many of the priorities of the Washington Learns challenge. Foremost is continuing the tradition in Washington state of providing affordable access to Washington citizens to our public higher-education institutions. The governor's budget provides both general enrollment slots as well as designated slots in high-demand fields such as engineering, science and technology.

Her commitment to access is reflected not only in funding more slots, but also in providing enough per-student funding to keep tuition levels manageable. And importantly, the governor's budget provides financial-aid grants and scholarships to ensure that public higher education remains affordable.

Another key provision in the governor's budget is providing a per-student funding level that begins to move us closer to the global-challenge states adopted by Washington Learns as a benchmark for success. These states are the top eight performers on the New Economy Index, which compares states on a number of indicators that measure how well they are positioned to compete in the new economy.

While Washington institutions currently fall behind higher-education institutions in these eight states in per-student funding, the governor's budget provides the first of several planned funding increases to catch up. Washington's public higher-education institutions continue to be among the best in quality within the nation, but if we are to remain so, and to take the next step to becoming globally competitive, we simply must commit to a plan to make the necessary financial investments in our students, faculty and staff.

Today, a person with a four-year baccalaureate degree earns on average 60 percent more in lifelong earnings than a person with only a high-school diploma. The Council of Presidents will support initiatives to increase the probability that high-school students will enter and graduate from college with four-year degrees, including early outreach programs that will build the education pipeline. Each of our institutions, in its respective budget request, has identified a variety of strategies to address this challenge. Even though we have a highly educated work force, we are 36th in the nation in producing baccalaureate degrees. We owe Washington citizens the opportunity to successfully compete for high-paying, family-wage jobs.

Diversity is a core value of higher education. Each of our institutions has requested funding for campus-based strategies that will increase and support diversity among students, faculty and staff. This is a critical element in the quest for global competitiveness, and is fundamental to a civil society. It is becoming increasingly important to understand, to respect and to be able to interact with diverse cultures and people. The social and economic viability of our state depends upon embracing the value of diversity.

Washington is blessed with public higher-education institutions that are ranked among the best in the world in the areas of research, innovation and excellence. To date, prominence in research has been achieved through a relatively low investment by the state. If Washington is to rank among the best economically, investing in research, technology and innovation is increasingly important. The Life Sciences Discovery Fund is an excellent example of an investment that promises future dividends and deserves continued state support. Opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students to work closely with faculty on research projects need to be funded, especially in the context of global competitiveness.

The governor recognizes that to catch up, we must run a marathon — and not a sprint. She has provided a road map for achieving her goals over time. For our institutions, she takes an important first step with the expressed intent to continue to make progress into the future.

Gov. Gregoire's call to action in the Washington Learns report will stimulate a long-overdue conversation about the future direction of Washington state, and about how we meet the educational needs of all of our citizens. We plan to fully participate in that discussion. And, we encourage all citizens of Washington to engage as well.

Previous leaders made conscious investments in education that positioned Washington to be a leader in manufacturing. Washington state has a progressive legacy of leadership and now has the opportunity to lead in the knowledge-based economy. Investing in the education of our citizens, cutting-edge research at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, and innovation will keep that legacy alive for future generations of Washingtonians as we transition to the global economy.

Karen W. Morse, president, Western Washington University; Rodolfo Arévalo, president, Eastern Washington University; Mark Emmert, president, University of Washington; Jerilyn McIntyre, president, Central Washington University; T. Les Purce, president, The Evergreen State College; and V. Lane Rawlins, president, Washington State University, comprise the Council of Presidents, the association of presidents representing Washington's public baccalaureate degree granting institutions.