Education options exist for all types of students in area

VENICE BUHAIN; The Olympian | • Published June 27, 2009

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South Sound residents have a number of choices for higher education, including longstanding programs and smaller, newer opportunities.

Three longstanding institutions are South Puget Sound Community College and The Evergreen State College in Olympia, and Saint Martin’s University in Lacey. They offer a variety of programs and classes for undergraduates, graduate students and those looking for professional development or personal enrichment.

THE EVERGREEN STATE COLLEGE

Evergreen was founded in 1967 and has about 4,700 students. With 1,000 acres, the campus has the largest area of any four-year school in the state, though much of its grounds are undeveloped woodlands and Puget Sound waterfront.

The college was developed to have a curriculum that is different from other, more traditional colleges, which have majors and different schools. The college opened in 1971.

Instead of traditional majors, Evergreen students take interdisciplinary courses that link topics across subject areas. For example, three instructors might collaborate on one yearlong topic, covering different aspects of the topic including public policy, science, and industry.

Media outlets, including National Public Radio, have praised the school’s nontraditional academic structure as something that engages students. Several books and magazines that rank colleges also have praised the school, including “Colleges that Change Lives,” by Loren Pope.

The school offers bachelor’s degrees, including pre-law and pre-medicine courses of study. The school also offers master’s degrees in teaching, environmental science and public administration.

Day, evening and weekend classes also are available to those not pursuing a degree.

Campus events also brought notable speakers to Olympia, including poet Maya Angelou, filmmaker Michael Moore and scholar Cornel West.

The school’s president is Thomas “Les” Purce, who has headed Evergreen for nine years.

For more information about admission, call the admissions office at 360-867-6170 or go to www.evergreen.edu.

SAINT MARTIN’S UNIVERSITY

Saint Martin’s has been at its location in Lacey since Benedictine monks founded it in 1895.

The abbey of Benedictine monks that founded the school remains on campus, and the monks take part in campus life. Though Catholic traditions are strong there, the university welcomes students of all faiths.

A recent arrival at the college is college president Roy F. Heynderickx, a college administrator who worked at Catholic colleges in San Diego and Portland. Heynderickx started in January, which ended several years of transition at the top.

More than a century after its founding, college officials aim to increase enrollment, and are adding and enhancing buildings to accommodate the growth.

Some of the new additions include the recently opened Parsons Hall, a residence hall, a new Student Health Center, which allows students to seek basic medical care on campus, and Harned Hall, a new academic building. The college has expanded its recreational and fitness offerings as well, with a new track and field complex that was recently completed and a Student Recreation Center, which will have an indoor track, indoor multi-purpose courts, an aerobic studio, batting cage and lounge.

The main campus is near Lacey City Hall, but the private Catholic college also has about 500 students at Fort Lewis, McChord Air Force Base, Centralia College, Tacoma Community College and Olympic College in Bremerton. It also has a campus in Hong Kong.

The university also has an extensive international program that sends students and faculty members to Europe and Asia. For three years, the university has sponsored a Dragon Boat Challenge Cup at Capitol Lake in Olympia.

The university offers a number of liberal arts and science degrees, and popular majors include education and business administration.

The university also offers master’s degrees in business administration, education, teaching, counseling psychology, engineering management and civil engineering.

The campus’ Worthington Center and Marcus Pavilion, on Pacific Avenue, are host to a number of regional and campus events, including the annual Washington State Democrats Crab Feed fundraiser, Lacey Chamber of Commerce events and most local high school graduations.

Marcus Pavilion also has an annual job fair sponsored by Saint Martin’s and Evergreen.

For admission information, call admission’s office at 360-438-4311 or go to www.stmartin.edu.

SOUTH PUGET SOUND COMMUNITY COLLEGE

With the biggest head count of the three Thurston County educational institutions, the two-year public college has nearly 7,500 students pursuing certificates, associate’s degrees and other types of continuing education.

Associate’s degrees are available in arts, science, nursing and technical arts.

High school students also attend South Puget Sound through the state’s Running Start program. Through their high schools, students can take classes at South Puget Sound tuition-free, and students can earn both college and high school credit for the same class. Students have to buy their own books and materials and are responsible for their own transportation.

South Puget Sound also started offering associate degrees that could be earned completely online.

The college also has options for students who have a goal of a four-year degree. Graduates of certain technical programs at South Puget Sound can earn a bachelor’s degree from Evergreen by taking 90 credits at the four-year college. Some of SPSCC’s programs allow for a direct transfer to four-year colleges and universities, including Evergreen and Saint Martin’s; City University; University of Washington, Tacoma; Montana State University, Northern in Havre, Mont.; and Bethune-Cookman College in Daytona Beach, Fla. Training also is available in technical fields, such as automotive, nursing, computer information systems, computer-aided drafting, welding, horticulture and other vocations. The school also offers high school diplomas and the equivalent.

The college has two locations: the main campus at 2011 Mottman Road S.W. in Olympia and another is at 1401 Marvin Road N.E., Suite 201, in the Hawks Prairie area of Lacey.

The Hawks Prairie campus offers regular classes for credit as well as career- and personal-development programs for small-business owners, firefighters and community members in general. The Hawks Prairie campus also houses the Center for Continuous Learning, where training is held for outside agencies that contract with the college.

SPSCC plans that by 2015, a new Hawks Prairie campus will be built for up to 500 students, or more if some students attend part time. The college has been leasing class space in a mall since 1995.

For the expansion, SPSCC in 2005 purchased a 54.5-acre parcel off of Marvin Road Northeast for $6.2 million to build a permanent satellite campus.

The main campus can be reached at 360-754-7711. To reach the Hawks Prairie campus, call 360-596-5750. You also can get more information at www.spscc.ctc.edu.

BRANDMAN UNIVERSITY

Brandman University is a degree program in Hawks Prairie that caters to nontraditional students. It recently changed its name from Chapman University College and is a program of Chapman University, a private college in Southern California.

Brandman University also has campuses at the Fort Lewis Army post and McChord Air Force Base. The campus occupies about 7,000 square feet on the second floor of the Galaxy Drive building that houses Harborstone Credit Union. It has four classrooms, a computer lab, a library, offices and a lounge for employees, and a student break room.

The Lacey campus offers bachelor, master, and graduate degrees. Classes are held in the evening for the convenience of working people. Classes also are offered online.

For more information about the program, call toll-free at 866-242-7626 go to www.brandman.edu.

OLYMPIC COLLEGE, SHELTON

If you live in Mason County, you might check out the courses offered at Olympic College, Shelton.

The satellite campus of the Bremerton-based Olympic College provides a variety of programs, including transfer degrees, vocational and technical degrees, certificate programs and a GED preparation class.

It is on a 27-acre campus about a mile from downtown Shelton. For more information, call 360-432-5400 or go to www.olympic.edu/shelton.