Washington State University Tri-Cities

Coordinates: 46°19′48.97″N 119°15′48.45″W / 46.3302694°N 119.2634583°W

Washington State University Tri-Cities
Consolidated Information Center (CIC), operated jointly by PNNL and WSU, on the WSU Tri-Cities campus in Richland.
Established 1989
Type Public
Endowment $650 million
President Elson Floyd
Students 1,553
Location Richland, Washington, USA
Colors Crimson and Gray          
Nickname Cougars
Website http://tricity.wsu.edu

Washington State University Tri-Cities is an urban campus along the Columbia River in northern Richland, Washington. With upper division and graduate programs, WSU Tri-Cities offers 17 baccalaureate, 14 master’s, and 7 doctoral degree programs.[1] The campus added freshman and sophomore courses in fall 2007 to become a true four-year public university, extending the WSU land-grant mission of providing affordable, accessible higher education. WSU Tri-Cities has strong community support and partnerships, particularly with the nearby Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. WSU Tri-Cities also partners with the Miss Tri-Cities Organization, offering a $1,000 scholarship to Miss Tri-Cities in 2010.

WSU Tri-Cities welcomed new chancellor, H. Keith Moo-Young, in June 2013. Moo-Young's desire is to make higher education a reality for all students, and his technical focus and commitment to STEM is complemented by a strong affinity for the arts.[2]

Wine Science Center groundbreaking
Photo credit: WSU Tri-Cities

Washington State University Tri-Cities has been involved in wine related research since the 1930s. The university is now more involved than ever; a groundbreaking ceremony took place for a Wine Science Center on September 26, 2013. Among those in attendance were Washington State Governor Jay Inslee and the university’s Chancellor, H. Keith Moo-Young.[3] The center will include a research and teaching winery, research laboratories, classrooms, conference rooms, and a 3,500 bottle wine library; production costs totaling $23 million. Port of Benton and the City of Richland will donate the center to Washington State University upon completion slated for early 2015. No other university in the Pacific Northwest offers such a curricula featuring bachelor and graduate degrees in viticulture and enology, a wine business management program, and a distance education program to earn professional certificates.[4]

WSU Tri-Cities conferred 267 bachelor's degrees, 77 master's degrees and one doctorate in 2009.[5] The WSU Tri-Cities Class of 2011 was the largest class in the history of the campus, with 487 degrees conferred. This graduation marks the first four-year class since the school transitioned to a four-year university in 2007.[6]

View of the Columbia River just down from WSU Tri-Cities campus. Photo credit: Esther Flatau

The WSU Tri-Cities campus has a neighboring bike path that follows the Columbia River and connects to nearby parks in Richland, WA. With campus access to the river, there is currently an artist-led proposal and plan to fabricate a functional and innovative dock to enhance the local curriculum and student-life opportunities, foster a new sense of community for the student body, and open the door for continued interdisciplinary projects and research across the campus.

The Art Center at WSU Tri-Cities exhibits the work of impactful local, national, and international artists; often student work is showcased throughout the year. Washington State University Fine Art Professors, Peter Christenson and Douglas Gast, curate this space, often selecting work based on new technologies and contemporary practices. Social practice artists, for example, have utilized The Art Center to interact with and engage the community and regional creative class through participatory and "subject-based" art.[7] See past exhibitions.

History

Washington State University Tri-Cities was established as one of three regional campuses for Washington State University in 1989.[1] Prior to 1989 it was the Joint Center for Graduate Study, which was formed in the Autumn quarter of 1964 and offered courses in graduate level technical and management topics sponsored by a consortium of universities from the Pacific Northwest composed of Washington State University, the University of Washington, and Oregon State University.[5][8]

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Academic Offerings". Washington State University. May 16, 2009. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
  2. ↑ O'Neil Perdue, Melissa (12 March 2013). "Moo-Young named new WSU Tri-Cities chancellor". WSU New Center. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  3. ↑ Perdue, Andy (11 October 2013). "Wine Science Center to Break Ground at WSU Tri Cities". Tri-City Herald.com. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
  4. ↑ "Wine Science Center Development Authority". 11 October 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Dupler, Michelle (May 16, 2009). "Floyd calls on WSU Tri-Cities grads to serve communities, countries". Tri-city Herald. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
  6. ↑ Sullivan, Colin. "WSU Tri-Cities Graduation". kvewtv.com. Retrieved 14 June 2011.
  7. ↑ O'Neil, Dori (21 January 2013). "WSU Tri-Cities exhibit explores visitors' reactions to paintings". Tri-City Herald. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  8. ↑ "University of Washington Department of Nuclear Engineering records". University of Washington. Retrieved 10 June 2009.

External links