The Land Grant University for the 21st Century
Washington State University - Agency 365
2009-2011 Operating Budget
Request
Performance Level Decision Package
–Policy Level "GR"
Graduation Program Restoration
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Updated Aug 25, 2008
Agency Recommendation Summary:
$1.6
million is requested by Washington State University to provide expansion from
current levels for graduate student appointments. The funding will be used for
graduate student research assistants or teaching assistants in WSU’s
focused areas of investment: including Global Animal Health, Clean Technologies,
Plant Biosciences, and Agriculture. This request, restoring the cut in the
2007-09 biennial budgets, improves the quality of education for all students,
and helps attract and retain the brightest scholars
Washington to improve the economy and the quality of life.
In a recent survey, Washington ranked 6th
in the US for hiring Masters degree students and 13th for hiring
Ph.D. students. Many (over 50%) of
WSU Ph.D. alumnae choose to stay in Washington and contribute to the leadership
of our economy. Despite these facts,
Washington ranks in the bottom quartile for graduating MS/Ph.D. students.
This investment will build this essential pipeline for
the leadership of our high technology
industries.
Fiscal Details:
Package Description:
Washington State University requests $1.6 million to provide restoration for the
graduate programs so that more graduate assistant appointments may be provided.
This will assist greatly to:
·
Attract and retain the brightest available scholars.
The best graduate students expect and need competitive financial packages to
support their studies. These
financial packages must include out-of-state tuition waivers to be competitive.
The revenue that graduate students bring into the university emanate
directly from their in-state tuition that is paid, but indirectly from the
substantive contributions they make to the research enterprise to support the
application of new grants and publications. The Graduate School at WSU has
determined that over 65% of the research publications generated by WSU are
authored by senior Ph.D. students.
Graduate students are an important driver of our research universities.
·
Address workforce needs.
WSU is a national and international leader in many of the disciplines expected
to dominate the work force in the next two decades
–
but the current output of masters and doctoral graduates in these disciplines
does not meet the current or anticipated need. For the
university to meet the minimum expectations of the state, it will need a
significant investment in graduate education immediately. Graduate education is
critical to providing Washington residents with access to the best jobs
available in the state. In 2003, the
state of Washington ranked 5th in the United States as a high-tech
employer, 6th in hiring at the masters level, and 13th in
hiring at the doctoral level.
However, there is evidence that Washington residents simply are not satisfying
this demand.
·
Add more Research Assistants.
New
graduate assistant appointments will be targeted to the focused areas of WSU
investment including Global Animal Health, Clean Technologies, Plant Biosciences
and Agriculture. This is consistent with the major research foci of WSU and
further advances our ability to attract extramural competitive funding in these
strategic areas.
·
Addressing the HEC Board Master Plan.
In its recent report, the Washington
Higher Education Commission Board has stated that Washington should
“reach
the 50th percentile of the Global Challenge States in graduate
degrees by 2020 by awarding 19,800 advanced degrees each year (8,600 over
current level), and make a commitment to move to the 75th percentile
over the following decade.”
·
Fueling the economy with new talent and technologies.
Graduate students at WSU have provided leadership in several areas of importance
to Washington. For instance, one of
our Ph.D. graduates has more patents in the area of air pollution scrubbing than
any other person or company. In just
the past two years, WSU graduate students have started, or helped start, four
new biotechnology companies.
·
Teaching Assistants for undergraduate programs.
One of the critical roles of a research university is to
develop the scholars and research scientists of the future.
Part of that development includes developing outstanding teaching skills.
The Graduate School at WSU has recently developed a comprehensive
approach to helping our graduate students acquire these critical teaching
skills. With this experience, these
teaching assistants are able to contribute to our mission for undergraduate
education as well.
Background:
A reduction of out-of-state graduate funding was made by the 2007 Legislature.
This is especially troublesome in that this type of funding reduction makes it
more difficult for WSU to attract high quality and diverse graduate students.
Since resident and out-of-state students attend the same classes, reduced
funding for out-of-state students adversely impacts programs for all students.
Outcomes:
·
With this funding, WSU will
recruit 30 new Ph.D. students per year.
This investment positions WSU to grow the size and quality of our
graduate programs as we meet the challenges of producing the talent necessary to
drive the economy expected in a globally competitive environment.
·
Additional access to
graduate student education. The graduate assistant positions created by this
request provide stipends that make it possible for many graduate students to
afford financially to attend Washington State University.
·
Better instruction for all
students. Many of the graduate assistant position created by this request will
be actively involved in teaching undergraduate coursework and fostering
undergraduate research experiences within our laboratories.
·
Enhanced Research.
Graduate students contribute enormously to the research mission of WSU.
They author publications, generate data needed for new grant proposals,
and contribute to the innovative thinking that propels our best science.
This funding will directly impact WSU’s ability to attract more federal
funding.
·
Many
graduate students, both resident and non-residents, remain in the state where
they earned their advanced degree. Thus the graduate appointments provided by
this request will help attract and retain bright
students to Washington where they can assist in growing the state’s
economy and its quality of life.
Calculations:
For more information, contact Larry Ganders, Assistant to
the WSU President, Olympia, at 360-534-2333.
