Gravity Shifts Eastward. Washington State University’s new president sees a larger role for the school in Washington’s economic life

In the 1980s, the president of the University of Washington publicly feuded with the state Legislature. "I’m expected to run a champagne university on a beer budget," groused William Gerberding. One legislator fired back that the UW was wasting money on an architectural center in Florence, Italy.

The incident is worth remembering because it’s almost impossible to imagine that happening today. The UW and its cross-state rival, Washington State University, did well in recent funding, and no one would expect such a self-defeating complaint from today’s UW president, champion charmer Mark Emmert.

By: O. Casey Corr

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