Published: Sunday, December 14, 2008
IN OUR VIEW
WWU takes another big step into Everett
Economics and politics have stalled efforts to bring a University of Washington branch campus to Snohomish County, but good news blew in from the north last week on the local higher education front.
That fair wind came from Bellingham, with the announcement that Western Washington University will soon offer two new bachelor's degrees and one new master's degree at Everett Community College's University Center. It's a welcome development that appeared to gain momentum with the arrival in September of new Western President Bruce Shepard, one that could foster important local partnerships and create invaluable learning opportunities.
The four-year degrees will be offered by Western's highly regarded Huxley College of the Environment, one in environmental science and the other in planning and environmental policy. Western will also offer a master in teaching degree that will qualify graduates to teach high school classes, building on a two-decade relationship between its Woodring College of Education and Everett. In that time, nearly 5,000 Everett students have graduated from Woodring's programs in human services, elementary education and special education.
Classes will be offered in the University Center's new space on the EvCC campus, set to open inside the new Gray Wolf Hall next spring. University Center, whose hub currently is at Everett Station, is run smartly by EvCC and includes a variety of bachelor's and post-graduate degree programs from five state universities.
The addition of Huxley College to Everett represents an exciting opportunity for qualified students to work toward cutting-edge jobs in the new green economy. College Dean Bradley Smith said he'll be reaching out to the Navy to find students for whom a degree could net a promotion, or who are nearing retirement and looking for their next career step. He also hopes to find local experts, from the Navy and elsewhere, to serve as adjunct faculty.
Funding for these programs, like everything else in the state budget, will be under discussion as lawmakers work to close a $5 billion budget gap. They need to move forward -- to help address the region's glaring need for more baccalaureate opportunities, to train workers that will keep Washington at the forefront of the green economy, and to encourage the visionary leadership Western's new president is demonstrating.
Study after study has identified a compelling need for more degree programs in our region. With the UW -- or any other stand-alone university presence -- years away at best, Western's and EvCC's newest partnership couldn't be more welcome.
That fair wind came from Bellingham, with the announcement that Western Washington University will soon offer two new bachelor's degrees and one new master's degree at Everett Community College's University Center. It's a welcome development that appeared to gain momentum with the arrival in September of new Western President Bruce Shepard, one that could foster important local partnerships and create invaluable learning opportunities.
The four-year degrees will be offered by Western's highly regarded Huxley College of the Environment, one in environmental science and the other in planning and environmental policy. Western will also offer a master in teaching degree that will qualify graduates to teach high school classes, building on a two-decade relationship between its Woodring College of Education and Everett. In that time, nearly 5,000 Everett students have graduated from Woodring's programs in human services, elementary education and special education.
Classes will be offered in the University Center's new space on the EvCC campus, set to open inside the new Gray Wolf Hall next spring. University Center, whose hub currently is at Everett Station, is run smartly by EvCC and includes a variety of bachelor's and post-graduate degree programs from five state universities.
The addition of Huxley College to Everett represents an exciting opportunity for qualified students to work toward cutting-edge jobs in the new green economy. College Dean Bradley Smith said he'll be reaching out to the Navy to find students for whom a degree could net a promotion, or who are nearing retirement and looking for their next career step. He also hopes to find local experts, from the Navy and elsewhere, to serve as adjunct faculty.
Funding for these programs, like everything else in the state budget, will be under discussion as lawmakers work to close a $5 billion budget gap. They need to move forward -- to help address the region's glaring need for more baccalaureate opportunities, to train workers that will keep Washington at the forefront of the green economy, and to encourage the visionary leadership Western's new president is demonstrating.
Study after study has identified a compelling need for more degree programs in our region. With the UW -- or any other stand-alone university presence -- years away at best, Western's and EvCC's newest partnership couldn't be more welcome.
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