FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 23, 2009

System design study review set for Thursday HECB meeting  

    OLYMPIA— A statewide study being led by the Higher Education Coordinating Board will help establish growth parameters for Washington’s higher education institutions during the next decade and beyond. The Board will hear a progress report on the study at its regular meeting Thursday, March 26, at the State Investment Board in Olympia.

    Also appearing at the meeting will be Arun Raha, executive director of the State Economic and Revenue Forecast Council, who will provide an overview of Washington’s revenue picture and future economic indicators. In addition, a panel of technology experts will focus on eLearning and other technology initiatives at the University of Washington and Eastern Washington University.

System Design Study

    One of the goals of the Strategic Master Plan for Higher Education is to increase degree production by more than 40 percent in Washington during the coming decade. Additional demand for higher education also will occur as the state adds more than a million residents in the next two decades.

    The HECB system design study will help the state determine how to meet this demand in the most strategic manner possible. New guidelines to determine when and where to locate new campuses and higher education centers are needed, along with recommendations for any new investments in eLearning that could help expand access to higher education.  Initiatives targeted at under-served areas and populations also will be needed,

    The design study – the most comprehensive review of the higher education delivery system in Washington in nearly 30 years – will provide a framework for these and other decisions as institutions re-examine their role and mission in light of future needs and resources.

    A study group composed of representatives from the HECB, the Council of Presidents of the state’s four-year institutions, the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) and the Independent Colleges of Washington representing the state’s independent colleges and universities, is conducting the study.  

    Draft recommendations are due to the HECB in October 2009, with final recommendations approved by the Board the following month. The report will develop recommendations on:

• how to best to deliver undergraduate and graduate education throughout Washington;
• how to best use existing capacity to deliver mid-level, baccalaureate and graduate degree programs and certificates; and
• how growth and change should occur, using existing resources efficiently and identifying areas that need new or expanded resources.

    “Today’s economic crisis only underscores our state’s documented need to expand access to higher education, both for young people and for working adults who want to update their job skills,” said HECB Executive Director Ann Daley. “This design study will offer a coordinated approach for achieving these goals in the most cost-effective and efficient manner.”    

    Earl Hale, HECB member and higher-education consultant, is co-chairing the study group with John Gardner, vice president for Economic Development and WSU extension at Washington State University.

    The Board also will hear a report on workforce training and education needs. The report, “A Skilled and Educated Workforce,” is produced bi-annually by the HECB, the SBCTC, and the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board. It provides an analysis of the degrees, certificates and training Washington workers will need to meet employer demand in the years ahead.

Briefing materials for the meeting are available at:www.hecb.wa.gov/boardmtgs/index.asp

Who:      Higher Education Coordinating Board

               and Advisory Council

What:    March regular meeting

Where:  State Investment Board Room

               2100 Evergreen Park Drive SW

               Olympia, 98502

When:   Thursday, March 26, 2009

    9 a.m. – 4 p.m. 

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For more information: Gary Larson

360-753-7817 or garyl@hecb.wa.gov