<< Previous   of   Next >> Contributed photo  (click to enlarge) Northwest Higher Education Coalition members include (from left) Bellingham Technical College Interim President Patty McKeown, Northwest Indian College President Cheryl Crazy Bull, Western Washington University President Bruce Shepard, Everett Community President David Beyer, Skagit Valley College President Gary Tollefson, Olympic College President David Mitchell and Whatcom Community College President Kathi Hiyane-Brown.

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CONTACT SCBJ Kurt Batdorf, Editor kbatdorf@scbj.com

7 NW colleges unite to form local higher-ed coalition

SCBJ staff

EVERETT -- Everett Community College is joining six other colleges and universities to form the Northwest Higher Education Coalition, a group working together to increase higher education opportunities in northwestern Washington.

The coalition includes Bellingham Technical College, Everett Community College, Northwest Indian College, Olympic College, Skagit Valley College, Whatcom Community College and Western Washington University.

The group, initiated by WWU President Bruce Shepard, meets quarterly to discuss how colleges can share resources and ideas, one of several ways the colleges are working together to become more efficient and enhance the impact of higher education in northwestern Washington.

At the coalition's Oct. 15 meeting at EvCC, college presidents and representatives discussed economic challenges, sharing resources, the coalition's ongoing work to improve services for student veterans, continuing international student recruitment and study-abroad partnerships, and developing stronger relationships among the colleges' environmental sciences programs.

The group's next meeting will be Dec. 3 at Olympic College.

For more information about Everett Community College's role in the Northwest Higher Education Coalition, contact EvCC President David Beyer at 425-388-9573.