Tacoma's Evergreen Branch to Close?
In an era of budget cuts, our higher education institutions have been hit pretty hard. Higher Ed has been told to prep for up to 20% of budget cuts. According to the TNT those cuts are hitting Evergreen especially hard.
Derek Kilmer said when the president of Evergreen came before his committee in early February … that a dire cutting scenario meant the would “have to consider” closing the Tacoma campus.
Ouch. Lets hope it doesn’t have to come to that.
Link to the TNT
Filed under: General
1 comments
R Roxanne Murphy March 10, 2009
Indeed, the Evergreen budget cuts are deep.
I’m currently earning my master’s degree in public administration at Evergreen’s Oly campus, and I’m so very relieved that this program and our curriculum will remain intact, at least until our MPA graduation in Spring of ’10. Some pretty major changes will occur in the next class of MPA graduates. Our professors and staff are trying to figure out how to meet current demands with what will be much less. It’s very sad, and I must admit, it’s depressing.
Our professors have asked us to brainstorm and advocate for critical Evergreen services that we can’t live without, and my face fell when I first heard about the potential closing of the Tacoma campus.
Higher education institutions have always seemed untouchable in market downturns since so many go back to school in times like these.
However, the increase in student enrollment just can’t compensate for how government subsidized Evergreen is.
My fingers are crossed for the Tacoma campus, but we’ve had a chance to see the extensive cuts that the university is considering, and unfortunately, I’m not optimistic (for one of the first times in my life).
My hopes are that this creative college will figure out how to get itself through many of these budgetary shortfalls, and possibly figure out other ways to create funding so it won’t have to rely so heavily on the government.
All I can do is hope for the best and keep my fingers crossed.