WSU’s Everett campus hosting August 15 ribbon cutting and open house

EVERETT, Wash. – WSU North Puget Sound at Everett announced an August 15 ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house for the campus’s new building at 915 N. Broadway in Everett.

“This is a landmark occasion for our entire region. Washington State University is thrilled to be opening the doors of our new, state-of-the-art building to the public on August 15,” Paul Pitre, chancellor of WSU’s newest campus, said. “This building represents decades of work by this community to create local access to four-year degree programs. WSU is incredibly proud to be an important part of that and to continue our growth into the future.”

The ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at 3:30 p.m. and will include WSU president Kirk Schulz, Pitre, city of Everett mayor Ray Stephanson and Everett Community College president David Beyer.

“The programs offered in this building will help address some of our region’s most pressing economic challenges,” Stephanson said. “We are competitors in the worldwide marketplace and our businesses need a talented, well-trained workforce in order to thrive and expand. This is where that workforce will come from.”

The open house will include opportunities for tours and photos, chances to learn about the nearly 30 programs offered in the new building from WSU and the Everett University Center partners, information from the construction team, and more. Each WSU North Puget Sound at Everett and Everett University Center program/partner will be assigned a space to engage with community members, who will be guided by an event passport. Those interested can learn more on the Facebook event page.

The building’s name is WSU North Puget Sound at Everett. The four-story, 95,000 square foot building includes engineering, power and computer laboratories, active learning and general classrooms, a tiered-lecture hall, a math and writing tutoring center, an enrollment services center, a café operated by Bargreen Coffee, administrative and faculty offices, and various rooms for students to study and work collaboratively. On the first floor, the Boeing Innovation Studio includes state-of-the-art machining equipment for students. Last year, WSU built a new parking lot with 219 spaces immediately north of the building to offset the peak parking impact of Everett University Center students, faculty and staff.

WSU fall semester classes will begin the following Monday, August 21. Everett University Center partner programs, which use a quarter system, will begin on various dates in the month of September.

In the fall of 2016, WSU had enrolled nearly 200 students and Everett University Center had more than 500 students. The new building has capacity for 1,000-1,100 students. Though the building is just opening, about 160 students have already graduated from WSU programs in Everett.

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About WSU North Puget Sound at Everett

WSU North Puget Sound at Everett is student- and community-centered, bringing industry-aligned undergraduate programs to the North Puget Sound region to prepare students to compete globally in the local economy. WSU’s newest campus currently offers six high-demand bachelor’s degrees: mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, software engineering, data analytics, hospitality business management and strategic communication.

Students fulfill their general education requirements by taking their first two years of courses at any community college (or other university), and then finish their degrees be enrolling at WSU in Everett for their junior and senior years. Students save money by taking their first two years at any community college and by staying close to home. The model and location provide place-bound students who have started families or careers greater access to a four-year degree.

WSU North Puget Sound at Everett, by the numbers.

About Everett University Center

The Everett University Center is a product of 1997 state legislation that formed the North Snohomish-Island-Skagit (NSIS) Consortium of higher education institutions to create a flexible and innovative means for expanding higher education opportunities for residents of the three counties.

The NSIS Consortium was committed to providing opportunities for place-bound residents whose work and family commitments precluded travel to a distant university. Instruction is delivered in various formats including web-based distance education, two-way interactive video, technology supported classrooms and combinations of these. Washington State University took over the role of manager of Everett University Center on July 1, 2014.

Contact: Randy Bolerjack