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Senate passes Schoesler bill to allow more EWU engineering courses March 3, 2009
OLYMPIA…The
state Senate’s approval of
Substitute Senate Bill 5276 this afternoon puts
Eastern Washington University a step closer to offering degrees
in more engineering fields.
Sen. Mark Schoesler, whose legislative district
includes the 10,000-student campus in Cheney, is the bill’s
prime sponsor.
“This is about increasing supply to meet demand,” explained Schoesler,
R-Ritzville. “Allowing EWU and Washington’s other public baccalaureate
institutions to join the state’s two research universities in offering
majors like civil and chemical and mechanical engineering would create
important new opportunities for students in our state.
“There was a time when it made sense for these lines of study to be
exclusive to Washington State University and the University of
Washington,” Schoesler said, “but our state and our higher education
system have evolved. Eastern is ready now to make this change with
available funds and with available facilities. I don’t see this having a
detrimental effect in Pullman – my guess is there’s enough demand for
these degrees to go around.”
EWU already offers degrees in electrical engineering and mechanical
engineering technology. SSB 5276 now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration. - 30 -
Additional contact:
Eric Campbell |