At a time when the public is questioning the value of higher education, the University of Washington’s contributions in Eastern Washington offer some of the strongest examples of the power of our partnerships — and our commitment to improving the lives of all Washingtonians.

As artificial intelligence quietly becomes an everyday tool across industries, Spokane Falls Community College is moving toward educating students on how to work alongside it in their future careers. 

After nearly 32 years under the leadership of Ira and Susan Amstadter, Spokane-based A.I.S. Inc., which operates as Express Employment Professionals, has been purchased by their daughter Beverly Amstadter, who took over operations in at the end of the year.

For its latest episode of Elevating The Conversation, the Journal sat down with  Wade Larson, the executive director of the Production & Manufacturing Institute and the owner of Optimal Talent Dynamics, to discuss the Inland Northwest labor market.

Medical Lake School District has been awarded a $3.5 million federal grant with the aim of creating a pipeline of highly trained and certified school psychology professionals to meet the critical needs of rural school districts across Northeastern Washington. 

Eastern Washington University is moving forward with plans to launch a master’s in dental therapy program, a move that would place the university among a small handful of institutions nationwide offering the credential and expand access to oral health care in rural Washington, says Dawn Lewis-Kinnunen, dean of EWU’s College of Health Science and Public Health.

Readers 40 years from now will likely judge that I got little right about the regional industries of tomorrow. However, I do believe there are unchanging principles that will shape our civic life together. I bet I’m right about those. 

Washington is falling short in producing enough four-year college graduates. The data has been consistent, and the implications are serious.