Resolution 1132R eq;o I Ut i on
,moo. 1132
Vbtreal, Snohomish County is the fastest growing county in Washington State; and
Vbereao, Snohomish County is the second least -served county for "baccalaureate and graduate degrees in Washington; and
Vberealt, Workforce demands are in the applied math, science and engineering fields, trending upward in those areas, with
hundreds of bachelors degree -level jobs being recruited from out of state each year, and
Vbereas, Washington State must stay competitive in a global arena in the areas of aerospace, bio-technology, alternative
energy, nano -technology, transportation and other emerging fields; and
30berea, Snohomish County Community Colleges enroll 40% of their students for transfer to upper level degrees each year,
and
Vbereac 40% of all bachelors degree holders, 35% of all math, science, engineering and technology majors and 70% of all
first -generation students begin their journey toward a 4-year degree at a community college; and
VOreag, Edmonds Community College and Central Washington University serve our community on one campus, allowing
students to complete a bachelors degree seamlessly and at low cost compared to a full stand-alone 4-year
university; and
Vberen, Limited state resources create a demand for maximizing return on education investments already made through
facilities and
Vberea, Expanded opportunity for students in all socio-economic levels is essential to the overall success of our state;
-eats, Tberdore, 38e it tefolbeb that the Edmonds City Council supports the creation of a strong upper and graduate level
university in North Snohomish County. Such a university should function as a regional/state resource focused on current applied
technologies and manufacturing disciplines with a strong applied research component. We believe our educational investments must
be efficient, effective and as immediately accessible as possible to as many students as are prepared for upper level and graduate
work. While we need to build programs in our K-12 systems that attract and educate future higher education students, it is also critical
to support and grow programs in the applied sciences in community colleges to prepare students for a world -class upper division and
graduate -level university that will serve the needs of the county, region, and state.
We urge the Higher Education Coordinating Board to create this upper division and graduate level university in Snohomish County,
focused on applied technologies and advanced manufacturing disciplines. We urge the Board to consider ways in which this university
may begin accepting qualified students who are now seeking upper division work as soon as possible, as the workforce demand is
great and growing and the supply of students is already backlogged. We also urge the Board to fully fund our existing colleges and
universities already serving our region's students.
ftsse, ApAov&C WAdopted tfus 241h day of Octo6er, 2006.
Gary
Michael
Olson, Councilmember Dave
e tp of (ebmonbo
3nairporateb 1890