UW, WSU leaders rally for public funding

A 10-year decline in financial support for Washington's state-funded colleges and universities has spurred leaders of the state's most prominent institutions to embark on a statewide campaign aimed at heightening public awareness.

Washington State University President V. Lane Rawlins and University of Washington President Richard McCormick have nearly completed plans for a statewide speaking tour to draw attention to what they are calling a crisis in state funding for higher education.

Rawlins, in Seattle this week for UW meetings and media interviews, said specifics about the speaking tour will be announced next week. But Rawlins did say the goal will be to persuade the public and the Legislature to make greater investments in higher education in the years to come.

"We've gone through a period in this country where the government is the enemy," Rawlins said. "Somehow, we've got to develop a higher level of public trust."

McCormick agreed, adding that the state seriously erred during the 1990s by not making more investments in state-funded schools.

"This is a problem of catastrophic proportions for this institution and this state," McCormick said. "I hate to use those words. But we're at that point."

Rawlins and McCormick say that compared with peer institutions across the country, UW and WSU have fallen behind in terms of funding received from the state.

In the past, in-state undergraduate students at UW and WSU paid between 25 percent and 30 percent of the cost of their education, with the remainder coming from the state.

But in the current economic environment, in-state undergraduates pay more than 50 percent of the cost of their education. Rawlins, McCormick and others fear that figure will continue to climb unless the Legislature acts.

State Rep. Phyllis Gutierrez Kenney, D-Seattle, who chairs the House Higher Education Committee, said she agrees that funding for higher education is in serious trouble.

But Kenney said that with the state facing a nearly $2 billion budget deficit, there will be no easy fixes.

"There are a lot of programs in crisis. Everything is in crisis," Kenney said. "Higher education needs to have a more solid revenue stream. We can't continue to put the burden on the students."

State Sen. Don Carlson, R-Vancouver, a member of the Senate Higher Education Committee, said the problem is money.

"The problem is where is the money coming from," Carlson said. "I'm willing to consider options. (But) where is the additional funding?"

State Sen. Jim Horn, R-Mercer Island, ranking member of the Senate Higher Education Committee, said the statewide tour by Rawlins and McCormick will help stir debate.

"This is a great policy decision," Horn said. "We simply need to educate our kids."

Robert Marshall Wells: 206-4646-2607 or rwells@seattletimes.com.