Special Session – Add Your Voice
Special session is here – and so are the alumni of UW, WSU and WWU. We’re teaming up during the session to send thousands of messages to our elected officials to remind them to invest in higher education. Consider joining us today.
Here are our key messages:
- The financial investment the state makes is directly tied to the cost of tuition. Washington is currently ranked second-to-last in state funding per student – we need real commitment to supporting higher education, not gimmicks that will reduce access and quality.
- Funding higher ed increases the capacity to produce a strong workforce. A new study tells us that 25,000 STEM jobs are going unfilled in Washington because our state does not have the graduates to fill them. The UW is also the 3rd largest non-military employer in the state, providing 70,000 jobs.
- The Senate majority’s proposed 20% surcharge on international students isn’t a feasible or fair way to fund higher ed. The money would flow directly to the State General Fund, so even though UW students would pay more than 80% of the projected revenue, the University would only receive a fraction of those funds – while risking a sharp decrease in international student enrollment.
- Investing in the UW makes sense. For every $1 the state invests in the UW, $22 is generated back into the economy.
Click here to send an automated message with these speaking points to your legislators. It takes 30 seconds. Thank you for advocating on behalf of UW and higher education.