News and Updates

Released Today: 2019 Economic Impact Report

The results of an independent economic impact study conducted over FY 2018聽were released today. While it is impossible to quantify all the ways the 天美影视传媒 makes an impact, this report sheds light on聽the University’s economic contributions to the state economy.聽As a public university, the UW depends on support from the taxpayers of our state to fulfill our public mission. This report provides elected officials and the public one way to understand the scale of return on the state’s investment.

Key Findings Include

$15.7 billion total economic impact of the UW in FY 2018, which included $7.8 billion direct and $7.9 billion indirect and induced spending, was the result of operational spending, capital spending (3-year average), payroll and benefits paid to employees, student spending and visitor spending.
The UW supports or sustains a total of 100,520 jobs聽鈥� one out of every 37 jobs in the state.
Through its local spending and the jobs it supports or sustains,聽the UW generates $752.7 million in state and local taxes.
The staff, faculty, and students of the UW contribute an estimated $61.9 million annually聽in charitable giving and volunteerism.
罢丑别听total number of alumni living and working in the state is more than 363,000.聽This聽group that will generate $328.1 billion over their careers.
UW鈥檚 employment impact聽is equivalent to the 8th largest city聽in the state.
UW鈥檚 economic impact has increased by 55%聽over the last decade after adjusting for inflation.

To view the full report, please visit聽

From the VP- We are the University FOR Washington (and Alaska too!)

Now that I have recovered slightly from our football team鈥檚 heartbreaking loss to the Ducks last weekend, I have had a chance to reflect on my recent trip to Anchorage. You might be surprised that the UW is sending staff to the 49^th state, but our relationship with Alaska dates back more than a century. In 1909, Seattle hosted its first world鈥檚 fair, the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific (AYP) Exposition, on the UW campus. 聽The fair commemorated the 1897 Yukon Gold Rush and celebrated Seattle鈥檚 growing ties to Alaska, the Canadian Northwest and the Pacific Rim. The famous Olmstead Brothers designed the layout for the AYP Exposition which ultimately became the blueprint for the main UW campus. Continue reading “From the VP- We are the University FOR Washington (and Alaska too!)”

From the VP- What do Governor Jay Inslee, Seattle Metro Chamber CEO Marilyn Strickland and Microsoft鈥檚 Brad Smith have in Common? A Liberal Arts Degree!

Steve Jobs once said, 鈥淭echnology alone is not enough. It鈥檚 technology married with the liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the results that make our hearts sing.鈥� The Apple Macintosh and iPhone sold millions not just because they had impressive processing power. They also looked and felt cool thanks to their sleek design and clever marketing. When revolutionizing an industry, it turns out employers need engineers as well as poets and artists.

Now let me be clear. The UW is very bullish about increasing opportunities in STEM because we clearly don鈥檛 have enough room to accommodate all the students who want to earn degrees in these fields. Our state legislature has recently been very supportive of providing additional funding to expand enrollments in computer science and engineering because of how important it is to our state economy.

Since the end of the Great Recession, however, there has been a lot of anxiety about the benefit of any college degree, but particularly those degrees that don鈥檛 immediately lead to a high-paying job. With tech giants like Microsoft, Amazon and Google in our backyard, students, parents and employers are urging the UW to expand opportunities to earn degrees that will lead to high wage employment in STEM fields.

But what about those students who have a passion for history, literature, music, economics or communications? Are they doomed to a lifetime of low wage employment because they are simply not interested in pursuing degrees in engineering, computer science or business?聽 A recent NY Times article titled 鈥溾€� should give liberal arts students (and their skeptical parents) some hope for the future.聽 The article challenges the conventional wisdom that STEM majors are more financially successful in their careers than liberal arts majors. In looking at first jobs after university, the financial differences are significant. STEM grads earn more than their liberal arts counterparts. However, their initial advantage fades steadily. By age 40, humanities majors appear to catch up!

With the economy changing so rapidly over the past few decades, we often tell our students that they won鈥檛 have 3-4 jobs in their lifetime 鈥� they will have 3-4 careers and one or two of those careers haven鈥檛 been invented yet! As Tom Friedman wrote in his landmark book 鈥淭he World is Flat鈥� 鈥�in an age when parts or all of many jobs are constantly going to be exposed to digitization, automation, and outsourcing鈥t is not only what you know, but how you learn that will set you apart. Because what you know today will be out-of-date sooner than you think.鈥�

A liberal arts education is intended to expand the capacity of one鈥檚 mind to think critically and analyze information effectively. It develops and strengthens the brain to think within and across all disciplines; a skill that serves over a lifetime. In the future, liberal arts degree might prove to be a strong background for workers trying to adapt to an ever-changing economy.

Nation鈥檚 top doctor visits UW School of Public Health

U.S. Surgeon General Jerome M. Adams visited the 天美影视传媒 to meet with students in the School of Public Health. He also took a few selfies.

Dr. Adams met with students to talk about聽the nation鈥檚 opioid crisis. Opioids and addiction are among聽his priorities as the 鈥淣ation鈥檚 Doctor.鈥� A聽dozen undergraduate and graduate students shared how their individual research and practice projects relate to national efforts and challenges in addressing the opioid crisis. Topics of discussion ranged from addiction risk factors such as childhood trauma and mental health to the criminal justice system, homelessness and health equity. Read more and see photos from the聽.

Congressional update: First spending package ready for floor action

The last two FY2020 spending bills鈥� the Homeland Security and Financial Services measures鈥� were cleared by the House Appropriations Committee earlier this week. The homeland security legislation was adopted 29 鈥� 20 while the financial services bill was approved 30 鈥� 21. The House is now slated to bring its first spending package to the floor this week after executing the committee process on all 12 bills. Read more from .