Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - October 24, 2001
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136
Alt Contact:  Mike Wark, University of Washington, Tacoma, 253-692-5771

Locke launches Washington’s new Institute of Technology

TACOMA – Gov. Gary Locke today joined other state and local leaders, community members, faculty, staff and students to formally launch the new Institute of Technology at the University of Washington, Tacoma.

The governor said the institute will help Washington’s companies readily find the skilled workers they seek and help citizens acquire the skills necessary to find satisfying, well-paid jobs.

“This initiative promises to be an outstanding resource for the South Sound region and the state of Washington,” said Locke. “By working together with Tacoma’s community and technical colleges and school districts, it will greatly expand the regional base of tech-savvy employees. And it will create new opportunities for women, minorities and underrepresented groups.”

The institute was established with more than $5 million in state funds in June, along with nearly $4 million from local government and private donors. This fall, the institute opened with 170 students working toward bachelor’s degrees in computing and software systems. Next year, the institute plans to offer a professional master’s degree and will add other degree and certificate programs in the near future.

Earlier this summer, the governor launched the state’s “Strategy for the Innovation Economy” to make sure that “Washington becomes the state that technology-driven, fast-growing, high-paying businesses call home – the state where innovation is a way of life and technology is the tool that powers our prosperity.”

Locke also established the Washington Competitiveness Council to recommend reforms that can ensure a thriving, environmentally sustainable business climate.

“In the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, this need is now more important than ever,” said the governor. “We need to use this period as an opportunity to position Washington to compete effectively both now and as the economy recovers – precisely through such efforts as the Institute of Technology.”

The institute is one of several key steps the South Sound region is taking to create a vibrant tech-based future, including providing the bandwidth that technology-based and technology-dependent companies demand and creating networks that facilitate access to information, specialized skills and business support.

“We want to provide every interested Washington citizen with access to this industry,” said Larry Crum, director of the Institute of Technology. “We want to help build the economy through their ideas and creativity.”

“We have a track record of rapidly building high-quality academic programs that meet the educational needs of people in our service region,” said Vicky Carwein, chancellor of UW Tacoma. “The Institute of Technology was created to spread the prosperity of the technology industry to more Washington residents. We will do this by expanding participation in these programs and finding innovative ways to support students entering and progressing through the institute.”

The governor acknowledged supporters for a combination of regional leadership, hard work and cooperation across political and geographic boundaries.

“You have demonstrated exceptional vision and perseverance in making the Institute of Technology a reality,” Locke said. “The people of Tacoma and all of Washington will be better off as a result.”

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Related Links:
- University of Washington, Tacoma
- Washington's Strategy for the Innovation Economy
- Washington Competitiveness Council
- Institute of Technology

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