WSU makes legislative funding request for 2007-2009

Washington State University executives recently submitted the 2007-09 biennial budget request to the state Office of Budget Management for review. Some of the major segments of the  budget request package include:

Reshaping research university enrollment to fill the workforce demand.

This item pairs a request for high-demand and general enrollment increases with a request for targeted programs for middle school, high school and college students.
Total: $13,069,000

Industry-based agriculture initiative.

Dozens of food and agriculture organizations would join WSU to add critical scientific capacity to the university’s research and education in food and agriculture industries. This request is coupled with internal reallocations, federal contracts and private funding all aimed at developing technological solutions to keep the industry viable, globally competitive and environmentally sustainable.
Total: $10,826,000

Keeping the best in Washington.

WSU strongly endorses an average salary increase of five percent each year for all its employees to ensure that top-level employees can be recruited and retained.
Total: $32,954,000

More doctors, dentists, nurses in Inland Northwest.

The University of Washington, WSU and Eastern Washington University ­— working cooperatively — request funding to:

1. Expand the UW Schools of Medicine and Dentistry in Spokane to include

a. 20 first-year medical students to be educated on Spokane’s Riverpoint Campus through the UW’s cooperative WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho) program.

b. Third-year and fourth-year medical internship programs near Spokane through WWAMI.

c. Eight first-year dental school students to be educated on Spokane’s Riverpoint campus through the Regional Initiative in Dental Education (RIDE).

2. Expand WSU nursing education in Spokane for:

a. 15 nursing educators to receive instruction in Spokane through a new Ph.D. in nursing education offered through the Intercollegiate Center for Nursing.

b. 30 new nursing undergraduate students

c. 20 new nursing master’s degree students
Total:$9,551,000

Bioenergy and bioproducts.

Supports a comprehensive joint bioenergy and bioproducts research program to reduce Washington’s foreign energy dependence and to boost economic development through production of high-value consumer goods using in-state crops and biomass. This request is the result of a partnership between WSU, Washington State Department of Agriculture and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, which is managed by Battelle for the U.S. Department of Energy.
Total: $4,700,000

Small Business Development Centers.

Expand small business counseling services, including three new offices in Southeastern Washington, Kelso-Longview and the Aberdeen-Shelton area. Also add one position at each of the existing centers at Highline Community College in Des Moines and Olympic Community College in Bremerton. WSU MBA internships with SBDC offices are also created.
Total: $707,000

Policy Consensus Center.

Support the activities of the Policy Consensus Center. The PCC is a joint program of WSU and UW and is dedicated to assisting government, tribal, business, agricultural, environmental and other community leaders to work together to resolve disputes and build consensus around difficult public policy issues. 
Total: $400,000

Collective bargaining.

Funding to implement various labor agreements now under negotiation.
Amount: to be determined

Collective bargaining – grievance settlement.

A July 25 agreement settling a grievance filed by the unions regarding the implementation of the 2005-07 health care benefits.
Total: $252,000

Self-insurance.

An adjustment is required to the self-insurance premium that WSU pays into the statewide self-insurance pool.
Total: $489,000

Maintenance & operations for facilities.

Funding for the federally funded Agricultural Research Facility in Pullman, the private/local funded Agriculture Research & Technology facilities in Mount Vernon, and a portion of the maintenance costs for the renewal of the Compton Union Building in Pullman.
Total: $1,712,000

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