Will WSU plant its flag in Everett?

The mayor of Everett isn’t letting a recession get in the way of landing a four-year university in his town.

This morning, Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson announced he’s struck a deal with Washington State University that could lead to the opening of a satellite campus in the city in 2013,

Of course, it all hinges on support from the state Legislature and Gov. Chris Gregoire.

So, later today, the mayor and the president will be sitting down with Everett area lawmakers to hash out the legislation needed to make it happen.

In a speech to business leaders, Stephanson laid out his plan to have WSU take over the University Center of Puget Sound in July 2013.

The center is a consortium housed on the campus of Everett Community College. Today, it’s where about 500 students are enrolled in undergraduate and graduate courses offered by eight public and private colleges — including Washington State University.

Last year, following the much publicized failure to land a University of Washington branch campus in Snohomish County, Stephanson reached out to WSU on ways to expand higher education opportunities in the community.

It’s not immediately clear whether political divisions which doomed the branch campus effort could resurface.

It is probably a good bet lawmakers are wondering how WSU leaders can think about expansion in an era of contraction due to a lack of state revenue.