Foley Institute Receives Federal Funding

PULLMAN, Wash. — Washington State University’s Thomas S. Foley Institute is the
recipient of $1.5 million in funding to enhance and expand its programs. The money comes as
part of the federal Health and Education Appropriations bill approved today in Congress.
Foley Institute programs that will benefit from the funding include congressional studies,
public policy and voter education. The funding will also ensure community access and outreach.
WSU President Samuel Smith praised Washington’s congressional delegation for obtaining
the allocation. “I want to acknowledge the extraordinary leadership of Sen. Patty Murray in
helping garner the federal support for this important education center,” said Smith.
“Congressman Norm Dicks also played a special role in building bi-partisan support for the
institute.”
Smith noted that Ambassador Thomas Foley, the former Speaker of the House, was a
supporter of WSU during his congressional tenure. “Ambassador Foley cared deeply about
WSU and it is so very fitting that the Foley Center, focused on public policy and public service,
is located here.”
Most of the allocation will be used to set up an endowment for long-term program
expansion, said Foley Institute Director Lance LeLoup. He called the funding “a huge boost for
expansion of the institute’s programming goals.”
The Thomas S. Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service is located on the WSU
Pullman campus. The institute honors the 49th speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and
current ambassador to Japan. Foley, a native of Spokane, represented eastern Washington in
Congress from 1965 to 1995. He has donated his congressional papers to WSU, forming the
nucleus of the institute that was founded in 1995.
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