In their Sunday, March 9th editorial, the Herald's editors suggested that a new bill that would make it law that Snohomish county will get the next university campus is sensible (also noted in the UW's Capital Update). Here is my letter to the editor response:
The creation of the UW North branch campus never made any sense and the last ditch attempt by representatives Dunshee and Sells to make the campus law, without funding, location or time table is laughable. Only the Herald, who long ago signed on as the ad firm for the project, would characterize this as sensible (Sunday, March 9th).
We already have 6 campuses serving the needs of the traditional student population. Yet we are seeing dropout rates approaching 50% in our some of the universities. Studies, including A Test of Leadership by the Secretary of Education, show that costs and preparation are 2 of our biggest barriers to college success, not geographic proximity. UW North does nothing to address either. Further, we have learned that online and hybrid education models are booming, making place unimportant. Unless, of course, your goal is to bring home a bunch of construction spending to your district. You know, there is a reason why gluttony is a deadly sin.
Putting aside the polytechnic university for a moment (it has it own set of problems), we can deliver non-traditional, post-secondary educational experiences in the tri-county area at a fraction of the cost of a new campus. I would ask local legislators to give up UW North and commit themselves to breaking down barriers to education in 2008. Go to Bellingham, Ellensburg, Pullman and Cheney (put the purple and gold away, you're adults now) and talk to their Presidents. Ask them what the legislature can do to facilitate improvements in their offerings in our area. Ask about the Bachelor, Applied Bachelor and Masters programs already in place and what they hope to add. Find out how we can speed up articulation agreements and fund development of effective online coursework. Then come back to Everett CC and ask about the University Center for North Puget Sound and what they need to expand. We have all the buildings we need, what we need now are programs and funding.
Building a 1960's university won't benefit generations of Snohomish County citizens, but it will saddle them with a mountain of debt. It is time that we send a clear message to our legislators - we want increased education opportunity now, not a new campus 20 years from now. Join me at http://NoSnoU.blogspot.com and lets move this conversation forward.
I'll let you know if it gets published.
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If there is a real, urgent and unmet need for post-secondary education in Snohomish County, then spending 20 years and nearly a billion dollars to build a university is inexcusable and irresponsible. Unless, of course, what you really want is construction spending, development and growth.
Profile: Corey Smith
Corey Smith is a life-long south Snohomish county resident. He attended public schools in Edmonds and graduated from the University of Washington. He serves on advisory boards for a local community college and two local school districts.