Our Voice: New WSU president must look beyond Pullman
WSU Regent Lura Powell’s recent appointment as co-chairwoman of the Washington State University presidential transition team is encouraging news for the Tri-Cities.
As a retired director of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and a former senior vice president of Battelle, her insight should be invaluable in helping the next WSU president understand the Tri-Cities’ unique position in the WSU system.
The WSU Tri-Cities branch campus has untapped potential. Now that WSU is narrowing its search for the next university president, we hope the new leader will be someone with a vision that extends beyond the main campus in Pullman.
This means allowing branch campuses, particularly in the Tri-Cities, to progress and expand.
With WSU Tri-Cities’ proximity to PNNL in Richland and Hanford contractors, more could be done to promote science and engineering programs at the undergraduate and post-graduate levels.
The branch campus already has a solid partnership with several research facilities and engineering companies, especially the Bioproducts, Sciences & Engineering Laboratory (BSEL). What we need is a WSU president who recognizes these connections, which are unrivaled in the state, and use them to turn WSU Tri-Cities into a destination, polytech campus.
There is no other institution in the region that has such potential.
In addition, the opening of the Ste. Michelle wine science center last summer at WSU Tri-Cities could distinguish the community as a premier leader in the wine industry. The state-of-the-art lab is considered to be the most technologically advanced facility of its kind in the world.
It should be able attract viticulture and enology students from around the globe, but it is difficult to accomplish this when there is no school-organized place for them to lay their heads at night.
None of the four regional WSU campuses has student housing, although the Tri-Cities appeared to be close to reaching a construction deal when discussions fell apart last fall. With enrollment hitting a record high last fall at nearly 1,600 students, the branch campus must be allowed to grow and meet demand. Providing student housing would help that.
There is a growing gap between the number of college graduates our state produces and the number needed by employers. According to a 2015 report by Opportunity Washington, our state ranks 38th in the country for the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded per capita.
That’s clearly inadequate, especially considering that in four years, 70 percent of available jobs in Washington will require a college degree or certificate, according to the Washington Student Achievement Council. The council also noted that the “business-as-usual” approach to higher education will not meet the future needs of our state.
It seems to us, boosting support for branch campuses could be a big part of a statewide solution.
The committee leading the search for a new WSU president has narrowed the field to eight finalists, and the process is on track for the WSU Board of Regents to make their selection in April. Powell will be in a position to help with the leadership transition, and that, we hope, bodes well for the Tri-Cities.
The state’s higher education system, as structured, is failing. We need a WSU president with vision and courage to see beyond Pullman, and provide more support to WSU Tri-Cities. It has ties to research and engineering firms that are solid and unmatched, and should not be wasted.
This story was originally published March 5, 2016 at 11:20 PM with the headline "Our Voice: New WSU president must look beyond Pullman."