WSU Tri-Cities students get warm and fuzzy welcome on 1st day of fall classes
Washington State University Tri-Cities marked the first day of classes on Monday with a welcome from a familiar, furry face.
Butch, the university’s beloved cougar mascot, led a group of alumni, faculty, staff and community members in waving flags and twirling signs at the corner of George Washington Way and Sprout Road in Richland.
Last fall, the campus welcome had to be canceled because of poor air quality from regional fires.
University officials told the Herald it was too early to release how many students had enrolled this year for fall classes at the branch campus.
But fall enrollment last year was about 1,440 undergraduate and graduate students in the Tri-Cities. And last spring, officials reported nearly 1,340 students enrolled.
Half of students in the spring at WSU Tri-Cities were first-generation students.
Overall enrollment at WSU Tri-Cities grew in 2023 for the first time since 2017.
Columbia Basin College students return to classes Sept. 16.
Heritage University classes begin Aug. 26, with new student orientation in Tri-Cities on Tuesday, Aug. 20.
This story was originally published August 19, 2024 at 12:25 PM.
