December 20, 1995 - LOWRY ENDORSES NEW HIGHER EDUCATION NETWORK
An innovative new cooperative proposal to expand
the current Washington State University-operated Washington Higher
Education Telecommunications System (WHETS) was funded by Gov.
Mike Lowry`s proposed supplemental operating and capital
budgets this week. The expanded system will use leased fiber lines
and microwave to deliver interactive upper-division degree
programs to underserved areas of the state and all six public
four-year universities. Efforts were led this fall by WSU
President Sam Smith to develop a cooperative plan for joint coordination
of the system with the University of Washington, Eastern Washington
University, Central Washington University, Western Washington
University, and The Evergreen State College. All of the $32.4
million in capital construction funds requested for the project
were included in Lowryís capital budget, the only major
new construction for higher education recommended by the governor.
The governor also provided about $500,000 ($194,000 to WSU)
for operating costs. The operating funding is far less than
the $2 million requested but the first such recommendation by
any governor for a WHETS-style project. The proposal will be
considered by the Legislature in January.
WHEN? Fall 1997.
The new overall system, named the "Washington
Higher Education Network" or WHEN, has been formally
endorsed by the Council of Presidents, an
organization representing the presidents of the six four-year
institutions. An ambitious construction schedule to connect Whets-type
classes to 15 new locations and expand current WHETS channel capacity
by Fall, 1997 could be accomplished with the construction dollars
recommended by the governor.
Increased Student Programs Via WSU Branch Campuses
The proposal expands the current 28 digital channels
serving the WSU branch campuses to 84 channels using a technology
called "Synchronous Optical Network" or SONET. The
current WHETS system, which delivers 64 courses each semester
to more than 2,300 students (530 FTE) is virtually full, particularly
its connection between Pullman and WSU Tri-Cities. The WHEN proposal
will allow WSU to efficiently deliver and share with other locations
two new bachelor`s degree programs to WSU-Tri-Cities and
four master`s degree programs in areas like environmental
engineering, psychology, nuclear pharmacy, environmental chemistry,
nursing, and communications. Plans for WSU Vancouver include new
bachelor`s degree programs in manufacturing engineering,
computer science, biology, environmental science and human biology.
WHEN will also make possible a master`s degree program
in chemistry at Vancouver.
New WSU Connections to Kelso-Longview, Puyallup
and Prosser
Included in the WHEN proposal are requests by WSU
to develop "electronic classrooms" at Lower Columbia
College in Kelso-Longview, at WSU`s Western Washington
Research and Extension Center (Puyallup) and the Irrigated Agriculture
Research and Extension Center at Prosser. These sites were selected
because it is possible to deliver more upper-division programs
without additional capital construction. In addition, WSU has
tenured faculty members stationed at Puyallup and Prosser which
can teach classes to complement programs brought in by telecommunications
as well as teach classes to other locations. WSU Prosser faculty
have already played a key role in developing aw new WSU agriculture
program, "Integrated Cropping Systems."
Expanded Service to Yakima, Wenatchee; New Links
To The Puget Sound Area
WSU and CWU-sponsored proposals to expand service
to Yakima and Wenatchee are included in the WHEN proposal. In
addition, the WHEN system will reach new locations such as Ellensburg,
Cheney, Everett, Lynnwood, Oak Harbor, Port Angeles, SeaTac, Olympia,
and Bellingham. Discussions are also underway to connect WHEN
to telecommunications systems being developed by the state Board
of Community and Technical Colleges, which could potentially link
together each community college and four-year institution.
