Heraldnet.com
SATURDAY, JULY 4, 2009 12:15 pm
LocalNorthwestNation & WorldPoliticsSpecial ReportsPhotosColumnistsMultimedia 
Herald Editorial Board

Bob Bolerjack,
Opinion Editor
bolerjack@heraldnet.com

Carol MacPherson,
Editorial Writer
cmacpherson@
heraldnet.com


Allen Funk,
Herald Publisher
funk@heraldnet.com

Kim Heltne,
Assistant to the Publisher
heltne@heraldnet.com

Send letters to the editor by e-mail to letters@heraldnet.com, by fax to 425-339-3458 or mail to The Herald - Letters, P.O. Box 930, Everett, WA 98206.

 
WEEK IN REVIEW
Friday
Armed man shot by deputies in Arlington
Police ID make of vehicle in fatal hit-and-run
Boeing's 6-month tally: 1 net order
Thursday


One fire rips through $2 million home, another ...
Swine flu claims 2nd victim in Snohomish County
Jetty Island firefight continues; hot weather ...
Wednesday


Fire District 1 negotiates to take over service...
Snohomish County population rising fast since 2...
Honey's owners indicted by feds
Tuesday


Mobile home tenants along Snohomish River told ...
Lincoln to leave Everett in 2013
Put on your sailor's cap and explore Naval Stat...
Monday


Disabled people will be left without a ride
You'll soon have 4,500 reasons to trade in that...
Pay hike deserved, Monroe chief says
Sunday


1,670 local students in county are without homes
Monroe's business gets done in secret
$9 million to be sought for U.S. 2 in federal t...
Saturday


Use of local parks spikes
Gay-friendly shift at 2 churches
Racist graffiti scrawled on cars in Everett nei...
 

ADVERTISEMENT

Editorials   Print This Article  Email This Page  Subscribe Now! facebook digg reddit del.icio.us fark stumble

 
ADVERTISEMENT

 
HAVE YOUR SAY
Feel strongly about something? Share it with the community by writing a letter to the editor.
You’ll need to include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) We reserve the right to edit letters, but if you keep yours to 250 words or less, we won’t ask you to shorten it. If your letter is published, please wait 30 days before submitting another.
Send it to:
E-mail: letters@heraldnet.com
Mail: Letters section
The Herald
P.O. Box 930
Everett, WA 98206
Fax: 425-339-3458
Have a question about letters? Contact Carol MacPherson (cmacpherson@heraldnet.com or 425-339-3472).
 
Published: Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Is timing right for UW branch? You bet it is

State Rep. Dan Kristiansen posed this rhetorical question on his Web site this week: "Is the timing right for a new four-year regional university?"

He says no. We disagree, emphatically.

It's not that the Snohomish Republican has raised an entirely bogus point. Part of his concern, he says, is the impact enrollment at a new University of Washington branch campus in Snohomish County might have on existing four-year institutions and community colleges.

That's a legitimate concern, but in this case it's misplaced. There's been wide agreement since the Legislature approved the first steps to create the new branch that it will require additional higher-education funding.

The state simply has to step up to the reality that its growing population, along with a dire shortage of skilled workers -- especially those with degrees in engineering, science and technology -- and Washington's underfunding of its four-year institutions relative to the rest of the nation adds up to a need to make a greater investment in higher education. And it can't come out of the vital and successful role played by the state's community and technical colleges, which are adequately funded and must remain so.

The fact that some campuses, such as UW Bothell, haven't yet reached their growth limits begs a critical question: Why haven't they? Could their location have something to do with it?

Of course. UW Bothell doesn't serve Snohomish County well, largely because traffic congestion makes commute times too unpredictable. A campus in the heart of Snohomish County's population base, and closer to underserved populations in Skagit and Island counties, will obviously be more attractive than Bothell's to thousands of potential students. It will also be in closer proximity to major industries, which according to UW North's academic plan will play an important role in providing practical learning experiences -- exciting new opportunities that will serve students from this region and around the state, better preparing them to enter the workplace ready to excel.

According to the state Higher Education Coordinating Board, growth projections show that to maintain the current higher-education participation rate, an additional 16,000 full-time enrollment slots will be needed four years from now. A significant unmet need for students in Snohomish, Island and Skagit counties has been clearly identified.

The need for a new campus is real, and the time for it is now.

1. Snohomish County man dies of swine flu
2. Lynnwood bank reprimanded by government
3. Police ID make of vehicle in fatal hit-and-run
4. Armed man shot by deputies in Arlington
5. IRS joins puppy mill investigation
6. Jetty Island ready for sand castles
7. Boeing's 6-month tally: 1 net order
8. Warriors & Patriots: Many American Indians served before getting full citizenship rights
9. Movin' out
10. Marshals seize swindler's home
Enterprise Newspaper Snohomish County Business Journal
Warriors looking for balance
Three Scots vying for QB slot
Jackson looks for another title
Decorated veteran continues to serve as active volunteer
City Council reviewing sign regulations
Wildcats get a peek at newcomers
Lynnwood still in rebuilding mode
Shoreline feels a kindergarten growth spurt
Leave the patriotic pyrotechnics to professionals, cities urge
The Enterprise Online Newspaper

TODAY'S TOP JOBS
 View All Top Jobs 
Top Cars
Top Homes


ADVERTISEMENT