Washington State University Spokane
This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2016) |
Washington , United States 47°39′41.00″N 117°24′20.90″W / 47.6613889°N 117.4058056°W | |
Campus | Urban Total 48 acres (19 ha) |
---|---|
Colors | Crimson & Gray[2] |
Nickname | Cougars |
Website | www |
Washington State University Spokane (WSU Spokane), branded as WSU Health Sciences Spokane, is a campus of Washington State University located in Spokane, Washington. It was established in 1989 and, as of 2010, is designated as the university's health science campus.[3] The urban campus is housed on the 48-acre (19 ha) multi-institutional WSU Health Sciences Spokane campus, formerly known as the Riverpoint Campus, in Spokane's University District just east of Downtown Spokane.
As of Fall 2019, enrollment on the WSU Spokane campus was 1,685 students, consisting of undergraduate, graduate, and professional students, and the campus also employs 781 faculty and staff.[1]
History
Beginnings
In 1987, the Washington State Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB), the predecessor to the Washington Student Achievement Council, released its first master plan which concluded that existing upper division and graduate higher education programs in the State of Washington, particularly in its urban areas, were inadequate for the state's population. The conclusion was drawn based on the low rates of enrollment and completion of baccalaureate programs for Washington residents as compared to other states around the country.[4]
Establishment
In 1989, responding to the HECB's conclusion, the
The newly formed campuses, including WSU Spokane, were charged with a mission to expand access to
While the other four campuses were established to focus on arts, sciences, and applied master's degree programs, WSU Spokane's focus was oriented toward health sciences, engineering, and architecture at the graduate level.[4]
Growth
By 2017, WSU Spokane, and the four other campuses that were established alongside it, had grown to the point where the Washington State Legislature decided to remove the "branch campus" designation from all five campuses in a nearly unanimous vote (91-6 in the
Refocus as a health sciences campus
On September 3, 2010, to recognize the university's long-term vision to advance WSU Spokane in the health sciences arena and recent parallel efforts to launch a medical school in Spokane,[3] the WSU Board of Regents designated WSU Spokane as the university's health science campus.[8]
In recent years WSU Spokane has expanded significantly. Thanks to intense community support, legislative funding to build a new facility for the pharmacy and medical sciences programs was approved, and private funding of second year medical education was secured. These actions prompted the College of Pharmacy to move in its entirety to the Spokane campus in 2013 and the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine to be created in 2014. Another recent effort was the establishment of a consortium of Empire Health Foundation, Providence Health Care and WSU Spokane that successfully applied for federal teaching health center funding for six new medical residency slots, with the possibility of another 12 or more if funding is continued. The effort moved responsibility of nearly all of the medical residences in Eastern Washington to the consortium's Spokane Teaching Health Center. A clinic for the residents and WSU students working in teams to serve low-income community members was finished in early 2016.
Establishing a medical school
In May 2021, WSU Spokane graduated its first class of medical students.[9]
Campus
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/WSU_College_of_Nursing_exterior_.jpg/220px-WSU_College_of_Nursing_exterior_.jpg)
In its first few years of existence, WSU Spokane operated out of leased space in
The JCHE first acquired land for the current-day campus in 1990 and, by 1992, released a master plan to develop the multi-institutional campus with five to seven buildings that WSU and EWU could eventually move into and fully transition out of its leased space in Downtown. The JCHE continued to own, operate, and develop the campus until its dissolution in 1998. At this point, full ownership and operations of the campus were transferred over to Washington State University.[5]
Still embracing the JCHE's original vision for the campus to be collaborative and multi-institutional, WSU Spokane continues to share its campus with several other academic institutions.
Public Transit
The WSU Spokane campus has direct access to the following Spokane Transit Authority bus routes (updated as of the July 2023 STA service change).
Route | Termini | Service operation and notes | Streets traveled | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
City Line |
Browne's Addition | ↔ | Chief Garry Park Spokane Community College |
Bus rapid transit | Cannon St, 4th Ave, Spruce St, Pacific, 1st Ave, Wall St, Main Ave, Pine, Spokane Falls Blvd, Cincinnati, Mission Ave, Riverside Ave, Sprague Ave, 2nd Ave |
6
Cheney |
University District Spokane Teaching Health Clinic Washington State University Spokane |
↔ | Cheney Eastern Washington University |
Regional route | Front, Spokane Falls, Browne/Division, Riverside/Sprague, STA Plaza, Jefferson, Jefferson Park & Ride, I-90, West Plains Transit Center, WA 904, Betz, 6th, Elm, Washington, K Street Transit Station |
14
South Adams/Napa |
Chief Gary Park Napa St. & Mission Ave. |
↔ | South Hill 14th Ave. & Adams St. |
Regular route | Wall, 6th Ave., Bernard, 5th Ave., Division, 7th Ave., McClellan, 8th Ave., Rockwood Blvd. Cowley, Sherman |
25
Division |
Downtown Spokane STA Plaza at Bay 6 |
↔ | Fairwood Hastings Park & Ride |
Frequent route | Division/Ruby couplet |
Academics
WSU Spokane houses the university's three
It offers programs in Medical Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nursing, Health Policy and Administration, Speech and Hearing Sciences, Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, Education and Criminal Justice. Research occurs in the areas of sleep and performance, cancer, mental health, molecular biosciences, and substance abuse.
References
- ^ a b c d "Campus Facts". About WSU Spokane. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
- ^ "Colors - Guidelines - Web - Graphic Identity Program - Washington State". Identity.wsu.edu. Archived from the original on June 23, 2013. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
- ^ a b "Minutes, Board of Regents, September 3, 2010" (PDF). Board of Regents. Washington State University Board of Regents. Retrieved May 9, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Pennucci, Annie; Mayfield, Jim. "Higher Education Branch Campuses in Washington State" (PDF). Washington State Institute of Public Policy. Washington State Institute of Public Policy. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
- ^ a b c Roloff, Terren. "The History of the WSU Spokane Campus". WSU Health Sciences Spokane Extra. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
- ^ "HB 1107 - 2017-18". Bill Information. Washington State Legislature. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
- ^ Nadvornick, Doug (February 2, 2017). "Washington House Votes to Remove 'Branch' From Campus Names". KNKX. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
- ^ Stone, Mary (March 20, 2016). "Birth of a med school". The Lewiston Tribune. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
- ^ Nadvornick, Doug (May 6, 2021). "WSU Sends First Medical School Graduates Out Into The World". Spokane Public Radio.