Two University of Washington branch campuses took giant steps this fall as classes opened in temporary quarters and the UW Board of Regents recommended permanent sites.
In Tacoma, 187 students attended classes during the first quarter. In Bothell, 131 students began their junior and senior level classes. UW officials have set a target of 400 students at each branch. Branch Campus Dean John Keating hopes to meet this goal by winter quarter.
Branch campuses currently offer an interdisciplinary degree in the humanities and social sciences. Courses are taught at the junior and senior levels, and the programs are aimed at part-time students who may already be working. Classes are held in the late afternoon and evening. The UW hopes to offer professional degrees in nursing and engineering in the fall of 1991, if funded by the state.
During meetings in September and October, the regents recommended a downtown Tacoma site for the UW’s south branch campus and a site at the intersection of Highways 522 and 9 in Bothell for a north branch campus. These sites must be approved by the state Higher Education Coordinating Board before funds can be spent to acquire the properties.
The 32-acre Tacoma site includes part of the city’s historic warehouse district and downtown properties. It is roughly bound by Tacoma Avenue on the west, 17th Street on the north, Pacific Avenue on the east and 21st Street on the south.
The permanent north campus site is currently the location of the Wellington Hills Golf Course. The 155-acre parcel is just southeast of the Highways 9 and 522 interchange.