UW branch campuses may offer four-year degrees

Kayla Webley
2005-04-08
The Daily

Both UW branch campuses would receive the go-ahead to transition to four-year institutions if the state House budget proposal is adopted by the state Legislature.

The House chose to increase enrollment at the junior and senior level at UW Bothell (UWB) and UW Tacoma (UWT) campuses in addition to providing limited enrollment for lower division students starting in autumn 2006.

The proposal awards each branch funding to enroll 125 freshmen and sophomores for the 2006-07 academic year.

This would expand the branch campuses from the two-plus-two system, in which students would complete two years at a community college before transferring to one of the branches to complete their upper division course work.

"Many people like to have a four year experience," said House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Helen Sommers, D-Seattle, in a press conference Wednesday. "The two-plus-two works well for us, but it doesn't cover everyone. We want to give this expanded opportunity."

The House proposal differs from the Senate's proposal, which does not allot funding for lower division courses.

"We're very pleased," said UW lobbyist Randy Hodgins. "Particularly since the House is the only branch providing lower division enrollment consistent with House Bill 1794, which allows both schools to begin admitting freshmen and sophomores to help deal with access challenge."

The Senate did provide planning money for the branch campuses, with the intention to fund lower division students in the 2007-09 budget, said Hodgins.

"The House is more anxious to get going," he said.

Though the Senate did not provide funding for enrollments, House Bill 1794 did pass through the Senate yesterday.

The bill gives the authority -- not the funding -- for the branch campuses to move forward in the process of enrolling lower division students.

"We're thrilled with House proposal," said Kathleen Drew, director of community and government relations for UWB. "We've moved forward in our planning efforts the same as the other campuses have, and we're very ready to work toward enrolling freshmen and sophomores in 2006."

The House budget proposes funding for almost 10,000 new enrollments across the state, 4,800 of which would go to the state's four-year universities. The remaining 5,100 enrollment slots wouldgo to community colleges.

Of the 4,800 slots, the budget proposal gives 250 to the Seattle campus in both autumn 2005 and autumn 2006, which amounts to an additional 175 undergraduate and 75 graduate students per year.

In the House proposal for the 2005-06 academic year, UWB received funding for 112 upper division students and UWT is funded for 137. Both branches would received an increase in upper division students in the 2006-07 school year, UWB would be up to 238 and UWT would received 263.

The House also pitched increased funding for upper division students at both branch campuses. The typical funding level for undergraduates is $6,303 per student, -- which the House gave for lower division students at UWB and UWT -- but the House gave 10,000 per student at the junior and senior level.

"They are finally recognizing that upper division students cost more than lower division students, which is a huge deal," said UW student lobbyist, Jamie Corning.