Published February 2003

EvCC opens
Broadway Center

By Eric Stevick
Herald Writer

Space-strapped Everett Community College has a little more breathing room — 16,000 square feet worth — with the opening of Broadway Center in early January.

The college is leasing space from the state of Washington in a building the college calls Broadway Center at 840 N. Broadway in Everett that once housed state employment and social service agencies.

The move adds eight large classrooms and office space for EvCC and Western Washington University, which offers education and human service degree programs on the campus.

Cost of converting the building into an education center: $949,200. The money is from a state allocation.

Broadway Center provides relief on the main campus where there are no unused classrooms at peak late-morning instruction times. EvCC hopes to receive state money for three other major expansion and renovation projects over the next decade, which would displace other students during construction.

EvCC posted a record enrollment in the fall with more than 10,200 full- and part-time students in degree and non-degree programs. It is projected to have the greatest shortage of teaching space through 2007 in the state’s 34-campus community and technical college system.

“We will need to move classes and labs around while we are rebuilding,” said Pat McClain, EvCC’s vice president for college relations.

The Broadway Center building at the corner of Broadway Avenue and Tower Street is just east of the main campus. Classes offered there as winter quarter began in January ranged from history to geography and drama to zoology.

Western Washington University officials say the move makes sense, but they want to keep strong connections to the main EvCC campus.

“We are hoping that it will be more consolidated now,” said Sheila Fox, interim director of extension programs for Western Washington University.

WWU had an enrollment of more than 200 students during the fall quarter at its EvCC campus, including students in its elementary education, human services and adult education programs.

“We have mixed feelings,” said Debbie Christensen, who works with WWU’s human services program. “We love the connection to the main campus but we are excited because it is more visible. It’s a positive move.”

Mainly, Christensen is thankful the university has a presence in Everett.

“We find that we are serving the community in Snohomish County that wants to go to school in Snohomish County,” she said. “They don’t have to travel to Bellingham or Seattle or even Bothell.”

Back to the top/February 2003 Main Menu