| Private Sector Bids Sought for K-20 Telecommunications Network | June 26, 1996 No. 28 |
| K-20 Telecommunications Policy and
Oversight Committee (TOPC) voted unanimously in Olympia
to seek proposals from private telephone carriers and communications
equipment vendors for the backbone of the proposed K-20
Telecommunications Network; that WSU intends to utilize to
teach additional students. | |
| Special task force on higher education recommends new funding method for access. | June 6, 1996 No. 27 |
| A new state "dedicated fund" designed to
assist higher education as it prepares to take tens of thousands
of new students that are the sons and daughters of baby boomers
was proposed this week by the "Governor`s Task Force on Higher
Education." | |
| Gov. Lowry vetoes $12 million of Washington Higher Education Network | April 5, 1996 No. 26 |
| As expected, Gov. Mike Lowry has vetoed $12 million
of funding for the K-20 WHEN project contained in the supplemental
operating budget, Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6251.< | |
| Gov. Lowry expected to make partial veto of WHEN funding package | March 29, 1996 No. 25 |
| Gov. Mike Lowry is expected to take final action
on Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6251, the supplemental operating
budget tomorrow, and is reportedly urged by staff to make a
partial veto that will reduce the funding for a K-20 Telecommunications
| |
| Selected bill passed Legislature Requiring Action by Gov. Lowry | March 11, 1996 No. 24 |
| Legislation, as of March 11, 1996, that passed the Legislature and required action by Gov. Mike Lowry. | |
| Legislature passes supplemental budget, adjourns | March 8, 1996 No. 23 |
| The 1996 Legislature passed its compromise supplemental
operating budget adjourned early this morning "sine die."
| |
| Legislators poised to pass compromise budget and return home | March 7, 1996 No. 22 |
| A supplemental operating budget agreement including
1,045 new fully-funded student enrollments for the Washington
State University system and $54.3 million for a "K-20"
telecommunications system - was hammered out by legislative leaders
last night. | |
| House matches Senate student numbers, agrees to $34 million for WHEN | March 6, 1996 No. 21 |
| The state House of Representatives rolled out and passed 56-42 a new version of its supplemental operating budget. | |
| Where is the supplemental budget? | March 5, 1996 No. 20 |
| That`s the most frequently asked question in Olympia this
morning as negotiations over a supplemental operating budget became
bogged down Monday in bickering between the House and the Senate. | |
| Breakthrough in budget talks, House adds funding for WHEN | March 4, 1996 No. 19 |
| House and Senate conferees on the supplemental operating
budget (ESHB 2345) appeared to be expanding the proposal of a
"Washington Higher Education Network" to include
the K-12 public school system as well. | |
| Senate sends technology transfer bill to the governor | February 29, 1996 No. 18 |
| Substitute House Bill 2535, legislation which clarifies
state ethics laws to allow faculty members to contract with private
companies to promote technology transfer, was unanimously approved
by the state Senate Thursday and sent to Gov. Mike Lowry. The
legislation was strongly supported by the University of Washington
and Washington State University. | |
| Senate Natural Resources Committee approves trust lands bill | February 28, 1996 No. 17 |
| The Senate Natural Resources Committee today approved
legislation supported by Washington State University that will
require a unanimous vote of the state Board of Natural Resources
before the state agrees to a federal "habitat conservation
plan" or HCP. | |
| New House proposal on university student enrollments likely to benefit WSU | February 26, 1996 No. 16 |
| WSU has expressed gratification that the majority
House Republicans submitted a proposal to the budget conference
committee Friday that substantially increased the new student
enrollments at the public four-year institutions from the House-passed
budget. | |
| Sen. Drew offers legislation to strengthen WSU role in trust lands | February 23, 1996 No. 15 |
| Legislation that would require approval from the
University`s representative to the Board of Natural Resources
prior to the negotiation of a habitat conservation plan was introduced
today by Senate Natural Resources Chairman Kathleen Drew, D-Issaquah. | |
| House passes budget 62-36, Conference Committee to negotiate higher ed | February 20, 1996 No. 14 |
| House Bill 2345, the supplemental operating budget,
was approved by the state House of Representatives Monday 62-36
without any major improvements in the higher education sections
of the budget. | |
| House budget will restrict WSU adminissions | February 16, 1996 No. 13 |
| Enrollment at WSU has been growing even faster than
estimated a year ago. Estimates based on the most recent data
show that if WSU Pullman admits the same number of new freshman
in Fall 1996 as it did in Fall 1995, enrollment will be over 17,400
students. This is 1,000 more than are currently budgeted for
1996-97. This projection is based on the assumption that WSU
budgeted enrollment will grow by 214 student FTEs next year, as
provided by the 1995 Legislature. | |
| Rinehart Enrollment Plan Boosts WSU By 1,235 students | February 15, 1996 No. 12 |
| House and Senate budget writers unveiled supplemental
operating and capital budgets for higher education Wednesday,
identifying similar issues but addressing them at substantially
different levels. | |
| Selected bill status at session mid-way point | February 13, 1996 No. 11 |
| Tuesday was the final day for most non-budget House
bills to pass the House and most Senate bills to pass the Senate.
Here`s the status of selected bills as each chamber begins
analyzing the work of the opposite house as the 1996 Legislature
passes its scheduled halfway point. | |
| Preview of supplemental budget issues | February 9, 1996 No. 10 |
| As legislators wade through a flood of bills in Olympia,
the most important single piece of legislation for higher education
is expected to surface Wednesday or Thursday; the supplemental
operating budget. | |
| Non-resident tuition bills clear key committees | February 7, 1996 No. 9 |
| Legislation raising research university tuition for
out-of-state undergraduate students from $8,491 to up to $9,491
per year is passing legislative committees by wide margins. The legislation has won the personal support of the president
of the University of Washington. WSU supports the bill as the
best alternative for a tuition increase. But WSU opposes a plan
by the UW to increase non-resident tuition an additional 10 percent
during the 1997 legislative session. No resident tuition increases
are under serious consideration.< | |
| House appropriations committee approves WHEN bill without funds | February 4, 1996 No. 8 |
| The House Appropriations Committee passed Substitute
House Bill 2929 on Saturday, the House`s version of
the Washington Higher Education Network bill, but that action
still leaves open the critical questions of whether work will
begin on the project this year and how much state funding will
be available to spend. | |
| WHEN? Sen. Al Bauer says now. | February 2, 1996 No. 7 |
| The united effort of the higher education institutions
to establish the "Washington Higher Education Network"
was unanimously approved for full funding by the Senate Higher
Education Committee Thursday and sent to the Ways and Means Committee. | |
| WHEN bill introduced in the state Senate, House leaders urge delay | January 30, 1996 No. 6 |
| Senate Higher Education Chair Al Bauer, D-Vancouver,
is preparing legislation to fully-fund the $40 million Washington
Higher Education Network. This innovative telecommunications
proposal expands the WSU "WHETS" to all six
four-year institutions and the stateís community colleges.
| |
| Bill update after three weeks of the 1996 session | January 28, 1996 No. 5 |
| Friday is the final day for legislation to pass the
committee of origin (fiscal committee bills have until Feb. 6).
Here`s a roundup of some of the legislation being tracked
by Washington State University as we move into the fourth week. | |
| Department of Information Services endorses WHEN | January 21, 1996 No. 4 |
| The state agency charged with overseeing telecommunications projects "strongly supports the ideas and directions"
of the proposed Washington Higher Education Network. | |
| Community colleges join WHEN proposal | January 14, 1996 No. 3 |
| The State Board of Community and Technical Colleges told legislators
this week that they have designed a interactive telecommunications
system that will connect all 32 two-year institutions to the 22
locations of the Washington Higher Education Network proposed
by the four-year institutions. The WHEN system was proposed by
the six four-year institutions as an extension of the WHETS
telecommunications system operated by WSU, and has been recommended
for full funding by Gov. Mike Lowry. | |
| Lowry recommends 588 more students for WSU | December 20, 1995 No. 2 |
| Enrollment at Washington State University will increase 588 students
under a budget proposed this week by Gov. Mike Lowry. Lowry`s
budget, which will now be considered by the Legislature convening
in January, provided $4.88 million in new WSU enrollment funding
(13.1 million for all four-year institutions), boosting the university`s contracted enrollment number to 18,873 students. | |
| Lowry endorses new higher education network | December 20, 1995 No. 1 |
| An innovative new cooperative proposal to expand
the current Washington State University-operated Washington Higher
Education Telecommunications System (WHETS) was funded by Gov.
Mike Lowry`s proposed supplemental operating and capital
budgets this week. The expanded system will use leased fiber lines
and microwave to deliver interactive upper-division degree
programs to underserved areas of the state and all six public
four-year universities. | |
