In the Media
New Washington state figures show the cost of paying state employees shrank as a share of government costs over the past decade.
Total compensation fell from 20.5 percent of general-fund outlays in 2002 to 18.2 percent in the year ending in June. The decline was in total pay and benefits for both higher-education and general-government workers.
K-12 public-school-employment costs, which would have driven payroll's share of state expenditures higher, were not included in the calculations.
Investing in public higher education and encouraging collaboration between public colleges and private companies is the best way for the state to have a skilled workforce.
That was the main message regional college and high-tech industry representatives shared with members of the State House Higher Education Committee during a day-long work session Thursday, Oct. 13, at Skagit Valley College.
As Washington looks toward the next special legislative session, higher education is again on the cutting block. It is likely that new cuts will be forthcoming absent new taxes. As a result, the cost to students to attend college will continue to rise.
A major reason why public college tuition has been rising in Washington is not because it costs so much more to attend college these days, but because the portion of that cost subsidized by the state has declined dramatically. As the state cuts, more of the cost is borne by students and parents.
Commentators have noted the effect rising tuition has on student debt, but few have paid attention to curricular dimensions. As tuition increases, however, legislators have responded by making fundamental changes to college education that threaten to redefine college's very purpose. It is worth pondering whether this is a direction we wish to take.
Jim Stiles took aim at Rakata, a male Sumatran tiger. He reacted in a flash when the shot looked perfect.
Rakata never knew what happened.
The tiger was shot alright, with a Canon camera.
Stiles, who lives in Sultan, is an award-winning photographer with a new feather in his cap. His photograph of Rakata was chosen for the cover of Woodland Park Zoo's 2012 calendar.
Zoo spokesman Ric Brewer said the judging panel, which included staff members and volunteers at the zoo, whittled 200 entries down to 10.
The academic progress of public school students can be traced, in part, to where their teachers went to college, according to new research by the University of Washington Center for Education Data & Research.
But the center’s director, Dan Goldhaber, cautioned that the study is just a first step toward determining what kind of training – not where the training occurred – best prepares teachers for excellence in the classroom.
Even so, it’s the kind of information U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan would like every school to have access to, and that’s why he recently announced a new program to use federal dollars to pay for similar research.
Outside hitter Marlayna Geary and middle blocker Emily Jepsen combined for 23 kills as Western Washington University swept Saint Martin's University 25-16, 25-12, 25-14 in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball match Saturday, Oct. 15, at home.
The Vikings improved to 11-4 overall and stayed atop the GNAC standings at 9-2. Geary had a match-high 12 kills and Jepson added 11.
Western Washington University was blanked 3-0 by league-leading and nationally ranked Seattle Pacific University in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's soccer contest Saturday, Oct. 15, in Seattle.
The Vikings fell to 6-5-2 overall and 5-4-0 in GNAC action, losing for the second straight time, both on the road, following a stretch of five wins in six games.
On Sunday, Vancouver scientist Pat Byrne will head to Rogers Arena, home of the Canucks, and begin setting the NHL team's travel plan for the remainder of the season.
By that time he will know the score of a Rugby World Cup semi-final match between New Zealand's All Blacks and Australia's Wallabies. Byrne doesn't really follow rugby, but both sides are clients.
Western Washington University's Center for Economic Vitality, in partnership with the Ferndale Chamber of Commerce, is offering a free business workshop, "Social Media: Stalking Your Customers for Fun and Profit," from noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 26 in the Whatcom Educational Credit Union's Ferndale branch community room at 5659 Barrett Road.
The workshop is open to any and all business owners and managers interested in learning more about social media and its business applications.
Chabad Jewish Center of Whatcom County has bought the building that housed the Shalom Center at Western Washington University.
The $880,000 purchase closed Wednesday, Oct. 5. The building at 102 Highland Drive had been owned by Campus Christian Ministries.