State lawmakers working to give Washington State University a permanent presence in Everett cleared one of their final hurdles today.
On a 66-31 vote, the House passed a bill directing WSU replace Everett Community College as administrator of the University Center of North Puget Sound in July 2014.
The amended version of SB 5636 now goes back to the Senate for consideration of changes made by the House.
At the University Center, public and private colleges provide bachelor’s and master’s courses to about 500 students. Classes are conducted on the Everett Community College campus.
Under the bill, the transfer of power is contingent on WSU and an advisory panel agreeing on a path to better serving the academic needs of college-bound students of north Snohomish, Island and Skagit counties. A long term plan must be drawn up with emphasis on providing engineering, math, science and technology courses by WSU or the participants in the University Center.
This plan must be done by Dec. 1, 2012 and delivered to the state’s Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Legislature. If the HEC board blesses the plan, then the transition can begin.
Rep. Mike Sells, D-Everett, who steered the legislation to the floor, called the transfer of power another step in expanding access to bachelor’s degrees in an area that is vastly underserved.
Opponents said the state cannot afford an expansion of WSU into Everett when it is cutting funds to all existing two- and four-year institutions of higher education.
Four lawmakers whose districts include part of Snohomish County opposed the bill. They were Reps. Kirk Pearson, R-Monroe; Dan Kristiansen, R-Snohomish; Luis Moscoso, D-Mountlake Terrace and Derek Stanford, D-Bothell.
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