2012 Session

Session Facts

• Western Washington University's state appropriations were cut 48 percent from
  biennium 2007-2009 to 2011-2013 (originally enacted) while actual enrollment
  increased by 8 percent.
• Washington's 23-percent reductions to four-year institutions in FY 2011-12 were almost four times the national average of 6.1 percent and the third-highest in the nation.
• Today, Western receives about $42 million annually in state funds; in 1991, Western's annual state funding was about $43 million, not adjusted for inflation. Meanwhile, our student body has grown by 45 percent.
• Further cuts jeopardize our ability to meet the state's need for a well-educated workforce.
• Washington has the nation's best six-year graduation rate for first-time freshmen at public universities. Western's six-year graduation rate is 68.9 percent – almost 14 points higher than the national average.