Published September 2003

University Center reports enrollment, program growth

By Kimberly Hilden
SCBJ Assistant Editor

This fall, when the University Center at Everett Station begins its second full academic year, students may notice a few changes from the year before.

For one, there are more people enrolling in the degree and certificate programs offered at the center, which brings together five state universities — Washington, Washington State, Eastern Washington, Central Washington and Western Washington — as well as local community colleges.

This past year, the center had almost 2,000 on-site student registrations, said Larry Marrs, executive director of the North Snohomish-Island-Skagit Counties (NSIS) Higher Education Consortium, the center’s operator.

In addition, nearly 1,600 distance-learning students took advantage of services offered at Everett Station, including proctoring exams, lending course videos and providing quiet study space and computer labs for student use, Marrs added.

“This is a dramatic increase from 325 student registrations during the center’s first quarter of operation (in spring 2002),” he said.

Another change students may notice this fall is an expanded list of offerings, including:

• A certificate program, beginning this fall, in nutritional therapy offered by Edmonds Community College.
• A radiologic technology program offered by Everett Community College in partnership with Bellingham Technical College.
• A master’s degree in public administration offered by City University during evening hours.
• A bachelor’s degree in general studies, new this fall, also offered by City University during evening hours.

The addition of City University courses to the center’s mix benefits both organizations, Marrs said.

“City University staff knew that we were hoping to increase the number of degree programs offered at the University Center. They wished to expand their Everett operations and so requested approval to offer the two degrees there,” he said.

Along with more students and more programs, the University Center has added a 20-station computer lab, the second such resource at the facility, that is networked through wireless technology, Marrs said.

Encouraged by the strides taken since opening, Marrs and the NSIS plan for continued expansion of services to students, businesses and participating institutions in the year ahead.

“We will highlight our significant technology resources to the business community and seek their involvement through use of our meeting/classrooms, use of our satellite down-link for professional growth activities and the use of our video-conferencing capabilities for meetings or courses,” Marrs said.

For more information, call 425-252-9505, or send e-mail to info@universitycenters.info.

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