State Board set to take action on new applied bachelor’s programs, hear update on capital budget planning

OLYMPIA, Wash. — The State Board for Community and Technical Colleges will convene for its regular business meeting on Thursday, Feb. 4 from 8:30 a.m. to 11:55 a.m. Board members will take action on proposed applied baccalaureate degrees at Yakima Valley Community College, Pierce College and Bellingham Technical College.

The applied baccalaureates under final consideration are:

• Bachelor of applied science in dental hygiene at Yakima Valley Community College
• Bachelor of applied science in teacher education at Pierce College
• Bachelor of applied science in homeland security emergency management at Pierce College
• Bachelor of applied science in operations management at Bellingham Technical College

The board will also discuss progress on the system’s 2017-19 capital budget project scoring. The community and technical college system has developed criteria for evaluating college proposals. A committee of college representatives and State Board staff is in the process of scoring projects submitted by nine colleges for 2017-19. The top ranked proposals are expected to be submitted for funding consideration by the governor and Legislature.

The board will also hear a project update on ctcLink, a project that will modernize student information, finance and human resources systems at all 34 community and technical colleges.

Prior to its regular business meeting, the board will hold a study session on Wednesday, Feb. 3 from 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. During the study session, board members will hear proposals for applied baccalaureate degrees at Renton Technical College, Lake Washington Institute of Technology (Kirkland) and Bellevue College. The board will also hear a presentation on how colleges are preparing for emergencies that may affect campuses, including factors affecting campus safety, security and emergency management.

The study session and business meeting will be held at the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges office, Cascade conference room, 1300 Quince Street SE in Olympia. The State Board’s agenda and background materials are posted at the State Board’s website.

Both meetings are open to the public.

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