WSU Tri-Cities partners with Canadian college

Washington State University Tri-Cities has partnered with another higher education institution outside of the United States, this time with a private Canadian university focused on English-language learning.

Both institutions recently signed an agreement that will lead to a nationally accredited English-language learning program, according to a news release. It’s expected to be in place by 2017.

VanWest, founded in 1988 and with campuses in Vancouver and Kelowna in British Columbia, bills itself as providing a pathway to university programs in Canada and the U.S. for non-English speakers by offering intensive instruction in English.

The arrangement is intended to help bring more international students to WSU Tri-Cities’ Richland campus. The university is attracting interest from abroad because of its ties to the scientific community in the Tri-Cities Research District and the university’s hands-on approach to education, said Chris Meiers, vice chancellor of enrollment management and student services.

WSU Tri-Cities officials have been looking for ways to partner with other institutions. It launched a new joint engineering program with Heritage University in Toppenish and an exchange program with Zurich University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland in 2014.

This story was originally published January 19, 2016 at 8:19 PM with the headline "WSU Tri-Cities partners with Canadian college."