Published: Saturday, December 3, 2011
University branch campuses are worth the cost
If you stay active in public affairs for as long as I have, you find that things run in cycles. And that is not always a good thing.
Back in the late 1980s, I remember testifying before a legislative committee in support of the idea of placing a regional university campus in Everett. The state had identified a clear need to expand the footprint of our two major research universities, Washington State University and the University of Washington. The Higher Education Coordinating Board's 1987 master plan had concluded that the state needed branch campuses, and in 1989 the Legislature established the branch campus system.
The goals of the system were to increase access to higher education and to promote regional economic development. As is now commonly known, Everett was not chosen as the home of one of those campuses, and the story of the often frustrating effort to bring four-year higher education to the North Puget Sound region would make an entire column of its own … probably best placed in the Obituary section.
But there is no question that the goals of the original legislation on branch campuses -- increased access and regional economic development -- are as vital, or more so, today as they were two decades ago. I recalled some of this history after reading about one of the proposals being floated to close the state's $2 billion budget gap. Yes, the idea is out there potentially to close some branch campuses as a cost-saving measure, and included is the notion of again eliminating the idea of an Everett four-year campus.
Now, I would be the last to downplay the very real dilemma facing our lawmakers in the face of that looming budget deficit. As Gov. Chris Gregoire has made clear, there are no good or easy solutions to balance a budget that has already been subject to cut after cut after cut. WSU's state budget allocation has been already cut 54 percent in the last four years and is looking at a total of 62 percent if the current proposals are enacted. Among the bad choices, however, closing or eliminating proposed branches would be one of the worst. The state must educate more four-year college graduates, and to do so, it must expand -- or at the very least, maintain -- the educational options that are available to students.
We cannot deny the basic fact that historically Washington has been a net importer of college graduates. In short, we educate fewer college grads than we need to fill jobs in our state. When judged by the percentage of students who go on to college in the fall after graduating from high school, Washington places 46th among all states, according to a HEC board report. And when you look at the ratio of engineering degrees we produce compared to the number of jobs in our state that require such degrees, Washington places 44th out of the 50 states. You can only imagine how much bleaker those statistics would be if regional campuses were sharply curtailed, or even closed, because of budget issues.
If we want to encourage more students to attend and graduate from college -- as has been stated by everyone from President Obama to the Washington Higher Education Board and all form of government and business leaders in between -- we must keep as many doors open to colleges and universities as possible. In this regard, the regional campus system has been a great success.
As a member of the Board of Regents of Washington State University, I am most familiar with the growth of WSU's urban campuses, especially in recent years. The Legislature authorized WSU Vancouver to begin accepting freshmen in the fall of 2006; WSU Tri-Cities received similar authorization for its first freshman class for the fall of 2007. Both have experienced a surge in enrollment as a result. Over the same period, UW campuses in Bothell and Tacoma have seen impressive enrollment growth as well.
These branch campuses are also fulfilling their goal of enhancing regional economic development. At WSU, I know these goals are closely tied to those of the communities they serve. Early next year, WSU Vancouver will open its Engineering and Computer Science building, which will help support the high-tech industry that's so vital to that region. WSU Tri-Cities is home to the Bioproducts, Sciences and Engineering Laboratory, where WSU researchers work closely with colleagues from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to develop and commercialize advanced biofuels and other bioproducts. At WSU Spokane, the Biomedical & Health Sciences Building, now under construction, will house classrooms and labs for medical research and teaching faculty, and will serve as a hub of expanded medical education offerings that the Spokane community has identified as being vital for the region's economic future.
Here in the North Puget Sound, we have a great deal of evidence of how job-related and economic aspirations are tied to the expansion of higher education. As the home of Boeing, we understand the close link between education and prosperity, and realize the paramount importance of educating the future employees for aerospace and other high-tech industries.
So, as a WSU regent, I was doubly excited, both for this community and for my university, when the Legislature approved a bill to create a process by which WSU could take over management of the University Center at Everett Community College in 2014. I am confident that WSU, working in collaboration with education and community partners, will begin achieving the goals for increased educational access that people in this community have held for decades. It is the right thing to do and WSU will do it right -- that I know. It would be a particularly tough pill to swallow if, after all these years of seeking a four-year educational partner here in the North Puget Sound, our community's aspirations are delayed or dashed by another round of budget-cutting.
In citing the continued successes of Washington higher education despite tough budget times, I would be remiss if I did not point out a historic announcement that took place in September at Sea-Tac Airport. U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was there to announce that Washington State University and the University of Washington would each receive $40 million grants. Our state's two research universities will lead consortiums that will explore different aspects of the development of a viable biofuels industry in the Pacific Northwest. The grants coming to WSU and UW for this effort represent well over half of the grant money distributed by the USDA nationwide through this particular program. Clearly, federal decision-makers understand where many of the nation's best scientists are doing their work. And "unfortunately," so do leaders of other universities. Scientists with these kinds of research portfolios are in great demand as they create the economy of the future. Our state must be able to allocate the resources to attract and retain its best and brightest, both students and faculty.
The demand by communities such as Everett for more educational access shows that community leaders clearly understand what is required to succeed in this knowledge-based economy, and certainly, the students lining up for available higher education openings understand it as well. The decisions that will be made over the next few weeks in Olympia will go far in determining whether our state will keep pace, or will fall out of the race for accessibility and excellence in higher education. In many ways, that is what the proposed role of Washington State University in Everett is all about.
We must insist on, and help, our legislators make the right decisions regarding the future of our children and our regional, state and national economic well-being.
About the author: Connie Niva, an Everett native, graduated from Washington State University with a bachelor's degree in microbiology and received a master's degree in public administration from Seattle University. She has served on the Everett City Council, state Transportation Commission and the Port of Everett Commission. She was appointed to the WSU Board of Regents in 2003, and re-appointed in 2009.
Back in the late 1980s, I remember testifying before a legislative committee in support of the idea of placing a regional university campus in Everett. The state had identified a clear need to expand the footprint of our two major research universities, Washington State University and the University of Washington. The Higher Education Coordinating Board's 1987 master plan had concluded that the state needed branch campuses, and in 1989 the Legislature established the branch campus system.
The goals of the system were to increase access to higher education and to promote regional economic development. As is now commonly known, Everett was not chosen as the home of one of those campuses, and the story of the often frustrating effort to bring four-year higher education to the North Puget Sound region would make an entire column of its own … probably best placed in the Obituary section.
But there is no question that the goals of the original legislation on branch campuses -- increased access and regional economic development -- are as vital, or more so, today as they were two decades ago. I recalled some of this history after reading about one of the proposals being floated to close the state's $2 billion budget gap. Yes, the idea is out there potentially to close some branch campuses as a cost-saving measure, and included is the notion of again eliminating the idea of an Everett four-year campus.
Now, I would be the last to downplay the very real dilemma facing our lawmakers in the face of that looming budget deficit. As Gov. Chris Gregoire has made clear, there are no good or easy solutions to balance a budget that has already been subject to cut after cut after cut. WSU's state budget allocation has been already cut 54 percent in the last four years and is looking at a total of 62 percent if the current proposals are enacted. Among the bad choices, however, closing or eliminating proposed branches would be one of the worst. The state must educate more four-year college graduates, and to do so, it must expand -- or at the very least, maintain -- the educational options that are available to students.
We cannot deny the basic fact that historically Washington has been a net importer of college graduates. In short, we educate fewer college grads than we need to fill jobs in our state. When judged by the percentage of students who go on to college in the fall after graduating from high school, Washington places 46th among all states, according to a HEC board report. And when you look at the ratio of engineering degrees we produce compared to the number of jobs in our state that require such degrees, Washington places 44th out of the 50 states. You can only imagine how much bleaker those statistics would be if regional campuses were sharply curtailed, or even closed, because of budget issues.
If we want to encourage more students to attend and graduate from college -- as has been stated by everyone from President Obama to the Washington Higher Education Board and all form of government and business leaders in between -- we must keep as many doors open to colleges and universities as possible. In this regard, the regional campus system has been a great success.
As a member of the Board of Regents of Washington State University, I am most familiar with the growth of WSU's urban campuses, especially in recent years. The Legislature authorized WSU Vancouver to begin accepting freshmen in the fall of 2006; WSU Tri-Cities received similar authorization for its first freshman class for the fall of 2007. Both have experienced a surge in enrollment as a result. Over the same period, UW campuses in Bothell and Tacoma have seen impressive enrollment growth as well.
These branch campuses are also fulfilling their goal of enhancing regional economic development. At WSU, I know these goals are closely tied to those of the communities they serve. Early next year, WSU Vancouver will open its Engineering and Computer Science building, which will help support the high-tech industry that's so vital to that region. WSU Tri-Cities is home to the Bioproducts, Sciences and Engineering Laboratory, where WSU researchers work closely with colleagues from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to develop and commercialize advanced biofuels and other bioproducts. At WSU Spokane, the Biomedical & Health Sciences Building, now under construction, will house classrooms and labs for medical research and teaching faculty, and will serve as a hub of expanded medical education offerings that the Spokane community has identified as being vital for the region's economic future.
Here in the North Puget Sound, we have a great deal of evidence of how job-related and economic aspirations are tied to the expansion of higher education. As the home of Boeing, we understand the close link between education and prosperity, and realize the paramount importance of educating the future employees for aerospace and other high-tech industries.
So, as a WSU regent, I was doubly excited, both for this community and for my university, when the Legislature approved a bill to create a process by which WSU could take over management of the University Center at Everett Community College in 2014. I am confident that WSU, working in collaboration with education and community partners, will begin achieving the goals for increased educational access that people in this community have held for decades. It is the right thing to do and WSU will do it right -- that I know. It would be a particularly tough pill to swallow if, after all these years of seeking a four-year educational partner here in the North Puget Sound, our community's aspirations are delayed or dashed by another round of budget-cutting.
In citing the continued successes of Washington higher education despite tough budget times, I would be remiss if I did not point out a historic announcement that took place in September at Sea-Tac Airport. U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was there to announce that Washington State University and the University of Washington would each receive $40 million grants. Our state's two research universities will lead consortiums that will explore different aspects of the development of a viable biofuels industry in the Pacific Northwest. The grants coming to WSU and UW for this effort represent well over half of the grant money distributed by the USDA nationwide through this particular program. Clearly, federal decision-makers understand where many of the nation's best scientists are doing their work. And "unfortunately," so do leaders of other universities. Scientists with these kinds of research portfolios are in great demand as they create the economy of the future. Our state must be able to allocate the resources to attract and retain its best and brightest, both students and faculty.
The demand by communities such as Everett for more educational access shows that community leaders clearly understand what is required to succeed in this knowledge-based economy, and certainly, the students lining up for available higher education openings understand it as well. The decisions that will be made over the next few weeks in Olympia will go far in determining whether our state will keep pace, or will fall out of the race for accessibility and excellence in higher education. In many ways, that is what the proposed role of Washington State University in Everett is all about.
We must insist on, and help, our legislators make the right decisions regarding the future of our children and our regional, state and national economic well-being.
About the author: Connie Niva, an Everett native, graduated from Washington State University with a bachelor's degree in microbiology and received a master's degree in public administration from Seattle University. She has served on the Everett City Council, state Transportation Commission and the Port of Everett Commission. She was appointed to the WSU Board of Regents in 2003, and re-appointed in 2009.
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