Washington’s two largest universities welcomed new leadership this year: Elizabeth Cantwell, Washington State University’s first female president, and Robert J. Jones, the University of Washington’s first Black president. Get our free mobile appSpeaking together at the Association of Washington Business Policy Summit, the two presidents warned that shrinking federal and state investment threatens U.S. leadership in research. They also stressed the importance of aligning higher education with workforce needs and partnering with K-12 schools to improve graduation and college readiness rates. “We have the obligation to provide the education people need, where they are and when they need it,” Cantwell said. Both leaders pointed to declining high school graduation rates, lagging college readiness, and growing skepticism about the value of degrees.