Staff Editorial: Gates doesn't give credit where credit is due

On April 12, Regent William H. Gates denounced the UW at a press conference, questioning the "rigors" of certain undergraduate courses. While pushing the UW to achieve and holding it to ever-higher standards are good methods of improving the quality of education, publicly criticizing the school at which he is a respected regent is neither effective nor appropriate.

In response to the challenge, President McCormick organized a committee composed of deans and professors from a variety of departments to study the issue. Its answer was not surprising: The UW's courses are "tough enough."

Of the 350 students surveyed, a miniscule 8 percent said their classes -- the majority of which were introductory classes -- were "fairly easy." We've all taken classes like Music 162 and Geology 101, and can see where these students were coming from, but these classes serve an important purpose. They allow students to take classes outside their respective majors without worrying about the workloads of a 400-level class. In a university that seeks to deliver a balanced education, these classes are vital.

As Washington's premier public school, it is the UW's responsibility to focus on educating residents. The UW may not be as academically elite as schools like UCLA, but the state of Washington has less than 7 million residents, while California boasts more than 34 million. As a different comparison, Washington ranks below all but one of the seven states that have schools in the Big Ten in population, but consistently ranks above 10 of the 11 schools in academics (second only to the University of Michigan). We get the state's best and brightest, but in our smaller pond, there are fewer big fish. Regardless, the University's done an outstanding job.

What Gates needs to realize is that the UW is a state school and its primary purpose is to serve the residents of Washington state. It's done well, but it will always be a state school. If Gates is disappointed in the academics here, perhaps he should investigate open regent positions at more "prestigious" schools.