Only when measured against the unrealistic expectations set for it by others is the Institute of Technology at the University of Washington Tacoma not a great success.
In just 10 years, its handful of administrators and teachers using generous private and government support have built the framework of a polytechnic school with statewide reach.
It has 380 students seeking bachelor’s degrees in computer science, computer engineering and information technology and master’s degrees in computer science. It is working with other faculty on the downtown campus to develop an environmental engineering degree.
It has produced nearly 500 bachelor’s degrees and more than 100 master’s degrees and sent its graduates to businesses both local and national – from Sitecrafting, Topia Technologies and Optic Fusion to Google, Microsoft and Intel.
This year, for the first time, the institute welcomed Boeing to campus to recruit. (It hired two and offered an internship to a third.) Also for the first time, according to assistant director Andrew Fry, employers who have hired institute graduates are looking at the Tacoma area as an expansion location.
And all this happened in the most challenging budget environment ever.
Pretty good for a 10-year-old.
But always hanging around are those expectations that contribute to, but don’t totally explain, the lack of attention now paid the institute by civic and business leaders.
Expectations such as: how it would have 1,000 students by now; how it would be a significant provider of nuts-and-bolts technology graduates; and how it would seed dozens of high-technology companies.
It didn’t help that the state never provided the money needed for such aspirations, or that our K-12 system doesn’t produce enough kids prepared for college-level math and engineering coursework.
A striking example of our short attention span came during a City Council committee meeting last month. Just after Robert Friedman, the institute’s new director, briefed committee members on the institute, city economic development staff at the same meeting didn’t even include it among potential drivers of the region’s economy.
None of this bothers Friedman (who shares a last name with but is not related to new UWT Chancellor Debra Friedman). Compared with the job he left at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, UWT is full of opportunities.
“NJIT is 125 years old,” he said. “It is what it is.”
In Tacoma, however, he can help the institute grow in both numbers of students and degree offerings.
“It is a very interesting time for this place,” he said.
Given the budget crisis in Olympia, Friedman said the institute needs to focus more than ever on grants from the federal government and private industry. Currently the institute has research grants totaling just $326,000, small even by UWT standards.
That’s why he’s excited about a recent success – a $2.1 million federal grant it will share with the Center for Information Assurance and Cybersecurity on the Seattle campus.
The grant offers full scholarships to two institute students who agree to work in cybersecurity with the federal government for each year of scholarship aid. The number of scholarships will grow in the next two years. That sort of success breeds success, Friedman said.
“Having a track record is a very big plus,” he said. “Once you’ve proven you can deliver, they view your program more positively.”
The Bronx, N.Y., native comes to the job with fresh eyes and an unusual academic background. He has a doctoral degree in American literature, not technology. It was his work with a computer science professor on the connection between learning to write and learning computer technology that drew him to the field.
Friedman said he understands how some might want the institute to have become a bigger player by now.
“We haven’t reached the payoff stage,” he said. “Ten years isn’t a long time. But the city should be proud that we’ve produced 500 graduates. We’re on our way.”
Peter Callaghan: 253-597-8657 peter.callaghan@thenewstribune.com blog:thenewstribune.com/politics Twitter: @CallaghanPeter
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.