WSU North Puget Sound

Offerings Create Local

Opportunities

As the 2015 class of local seniors graduate, I am excited for their future and mindful that it's important for them to have educational and employment opportunities so they can continue to thrive in their home community, should they choose. Vitalizing and sustaining our economy in a way that preserves our rural character in this post-recession age is the challenge we face.

Thankfully we have some new and emerging opportunities to explore. Along with serving you as a County Commissioner, I represent Island County on the Advisory Board of Washington State University North Puget Sound at Everett. In this role I am working with other local leaders in supporting the expansion of higher education opportunities right here in North Puget Sound.

How does this work? A student can take his or her first two years of study at let's say, Skagit, Edmonds or Everett community colleges, or any one of our state's community colleges. Upon completion of general credits or an Associate of Arts degree, the student can then apply to one of the six participating universities and state college and earn a Bachelors of Arts or Bachelors of Science degree in one of 28 different degree programs.

The advantage? Our local students can earn a college degree in high demand fields and stay here in North Puget Sound to start, advance, or change a career.

WSU took over the management of the EUC in July 2014. Last fall, WSU North Puget Sound at Everett also began offering four WSU degree programs, all designed to meet our workforce needs in this region: Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Integrated Communications, and Hospitality Business Management. With legislative support, WSU is aiming to expand by 10 more new degree programs at the EUC, including Aviation Maintenance and Management, Software Engineering, Data Analytics, and Agriculture.

WSU is interested in reaching out beyond the Everett Campus with the Agriculture Programs such as Small Farm and Farm to Table Hospitality courses and could be interested in bringing some of those offerings to Whidbey Island. I felt it important as a local representative on the Advisory Council to let folks within our County know of this opportunity. I reached out to the Port of Coupeville, the Island County Economic Development Council, Port of South Whidbey and Goosefoot to consider the possibilities of attracting WSU to Whidbey.

The Port of Coupeville is currently considering the options at the Greenbank Farm. The Farm is a publically owned asset, treasured by our community, focused on local food and fun events and may be well suited to this effort. This would be a tenant relationship either in existing structures or perhaps a new building. There is preliminary interest. However it is early in the exploratory process. There are significant several moving parts which will influence the outcome - the legislative budget has yet to be passed which contains the necessary funding for the program; the contract negotiations between the Port and their management group are yet to be settled; and it is most important to assess the community support for bringing WSU programing to our island. The University is only interested in exploring this if there is community interest. The Port of Coupeville will lead that outreach effort.

Why is this important for Island County? Never before has there been this much opportunity for our Island County residents to engage with an institution of higher learning in both academics and research. Should the community invite them here, WSU could bring stable and sustainable resources to the Farm in a way that would protect and enhance this precious asset and preserve it for future generations, while also expanding the vitality of our local economy.

Regardless of the outcome of the Greenbank Farm discussions, having WSU in our backyard is not only great for our residents through providing educational options; it is highly valuable through the collaborative expansion of economic development activities, technology transfer, and creative partnerships. Having a university in our region adds value to and helps support Island County's existing economy including value-added agriculture, tourism and hospitality while supporting the new economy in services such as software engineering and high tech capabilities.

I remain dedicated to my efforts both as your County Commissioner and as an active participant on the WSU North Puget Sound Advisory Board to ensure we partner together so Island County receives the best of what higher education has to bring to our residents and its economic vitality.