As a single, teen-age mother, Angela Lupercio shocked her family when she chose to go to college instead of staying home with her son and, most likely, accepting a life of low-wage jobs.

Angela persevered, studying and surviving through lean years. She graduated in December with a bachelor's degree in business administration and started a full-time job the very next day. Now, Angela is a role model to her siblings and cousins, someone who blazed a path to a brighter future and is mentoring others to follow.

Access to higher education through Washington State University Tri-Cities put the happy ending on Angela's story. And her experience is like that of so many of our students here -- students who would not have had the opportunity or resources to leave our community to go to school and who, therefore, would never have obtained a university degree.

With the rising cost of tuition, books and living expenses, on top of family and work responsibilities, most students who choose WSU Tri-Cities simply can't afford to attend a residential campus in another city. Maintaining this close-to-home access to a Tier 1, land-grant, research university is integral for the region and for the state. Using less than $6 million annually in state allocations, WSU Tri-Cities remains a bargain for the taxpayers.

WSU Tri-Cities is the only public four-year institution serving southcentral Washington state. Of the approximately 1,500 students, 50 percent are the first in their families to attend university, 40 percent are low-income, more than 65 percent work at least one job to cover expenses, and 11 percent are veterans.

And with 26 percent of our students declaring themselves a non-white ethnicity, our student body is the most diverse campus in the WSU system.

This is consistent with our goal to represent regional demographics and our efforts to achieve federal designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution.

A recent study published by the University of Pennsylvania criticizes higher education in Washington for not producing enough bachelor's degrees, forcing employers to hire workers from out of state and even from outside the U.S.

WSU Tri-Cities offers a broad range of high-quality academic and professional programs with 18 bachelor's, 10 master's and six doctoral degrees. With programs in business, engineering, computer science, education, energy, liberal arts such as English and psychology, nursing, sciences, plus viticulture and enology, our campus is educating critical thinkers who are entering the work force in high-demand positions.

WSU Tri-Cities is unique among WSU campuses because of the internships and real-world experiences available locally. These opportunities are vital to students and essential to economic development. The very presence of our campus helps TRIDEC and the chambers of commerce attract new businesses and aids in the recruitment, retention and advancement of workers at regional health care entities, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, school districts, engineering firms, the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, and other employers.

And it's a two-way street. WSU Tri-Cities would not be what it is today without the support of our community. TRIDEC led the legislative charge six years ago to take the campus from upper division and graduate offerings only, to become a full, four-year institution. We welcomed our first freshman class in August 2007.

WSU Tri-Cities embraces the responsibility of educating the future work force. Were it not for this campus and our programs spanning freshmen to Ph.D.s, community members would face barriers instead of opportunities.

In the past five years, WSU Tri-Cities has suffered along with the rest of higher education in the state. Deep cuts in state support to the tune of 50 percent have impeded plans for growth and, in some programs, resulted in setbacks. Sadly, our hard-working students are bearing the burden with double-digit tuition increases and now pay about $10,000 annually for full-time tuition.

Despite the challenges, WSU Tri-Cities faculty, staff and advocates are committed to expanding regional access to baccalaureate and graduate degrees. Even if you aren't a crimson-wearing Cougar, we invite you to join us on behalf of those who have amazing potential and need local access to higher education to achieve it.

-- Dr. Vicky L. Carwein is Chancellor of Washington State University Tri-Cities.

-- Michael Kluse is Laboratory Director of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Chairman of the Advisory Council for the WSU Tri-Cities.