SENATE BILL REPORT
SSB 6626
As Passed Senate, February 13, 2002
Title: An act relating to a study of the role, mission, and structure of branch campuses by the Washington state institute for public policy.
Brief Description: Requiring the Washington state institute for public policy to review and evaluate whether branch campuses are fulfilling their intended role.
Sponsors: Senate Committee on Higher Education (originally sponsored by Senators Kohl‑Welles, Carlson, Shin, Jacobsen, Parlette, Horn, B. Sheldon and McAuliffe).
Brief History:
Committee Activity: Higher Education: 1/31/02, 2/5/02 [DPS].
Passed Senate: 2/13/02, 42-6.
SENATE COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION
Majority Report: That Substitute Senate Bill No. 6626 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.
Signed by Senators Kohl‑Welles, Chair; Shin, Vice Chair; Carlson, Horn, McAuliffe, Parlette and B. Sheldon.
Staff: Jean Six (786‑7423)
Background: The 1989 Legislature created branch campuses of the University of Washington and Washington State University to provide upper-division and graduate programs in the under-served urban areas of the state. The findings at that time indicated a need to provide baccalaureate and graduate opportunities for placebound individuals who could not afford to move either because of family responsibilities or the lack of employment opportunities in the location of the existing public higher education institutions.
Legislative hearings during the late fall of 2001 were held at each branch campus location. Many questions were raised regarding the role and mission of the branches: (1) the structure of the branches as upper-division campuses; (2) the lack of authority for the branches to offer lower-division coursework; (3) the articulation agreements among and between the community colleges, the technical colleges, the branches and other four-year institutions; (4) the relationship between the branches and the main campus; (5) as well as many others.
Summary of Bill: The Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP) reviews and evaluates the missions of the branch campuses to determine the extent to which the intent of the Legislature has been met and to provide empirical data upon which to make decisions about the future mission and structure of the branch campuses.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Requested on January 23, 2002.
Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.
Testimony For: The branches have been in existence for 13 years. A review of what we have learned is both timely and valuable. WSU is currently doing an internal review of its branch campuses that will inform the WSIPP study. We ask that you not reinvent the wheel B a lot of valuable data has already been gathered. WSU and UW have very different relationships among their institutions. For instance: a diploma from WSU does not designate the campus attended while a diploma from UW designates the campus location. And, the faculty for WSU are hired under one umbrella while the UW faculty are hired to serve a specific campus.
It will be important to interview the individual communities to determine how each campus fits and contributes. The individual campuses have developed their own university cultures.
Pay attention to the education needs of the state as well as the availability of resources. Refrain from territoriality and the notion "we've always done it this way."
It is clear that these upper division campuses have expanded access to baccalaureate attainment. Again, a review is timely.
Testimony Against: None.
Testified: Hal Dengerink, Campus Dean, WSU Vancouver; Bill Gray, Campus Dean, WSU Spokane; Warren Buck, Chancellor, UW Bothell; Doug Baker, Acting Provost, WSU; Larry James, Campus Dean, WSU Tri-Cities; Jack Nelson, Vice Chancellor, UW Tacoma; Ann Anderson, Gov't Relations, CWU; Bruce Botka, HECB; Elizabeth Fomen, UW Bothell, student ambassador.