Students go back to school at WSU

By Communications staff, Washington State University
(Photos: WSU Pullman students get a rainy start. Photos by Ben Herndon, WSU Today Intern)
 

Students attended classes on the first day of fall semester at all four Washington State University campuses Monday Aug. 20, beginning an academic year that promises to be one of growth and change.

Included among those students were the first freshman class at the Tri-Cities campus and perhaps the largest freshman class in the history of the Pullman campus.
 
 
 
“This is always a very exciting time at a university,” said WSU President Elson S. Floyd, who assumed the presidency in May, succeeding V. Lane Rawlins. “We’re very pleased with the academic quality and the number of the students in our incoming classes and we expect it to be a great year.”
 
 
 
On the Pullman campus, officials expect a class of first-time freshman that could exceed the previous largest class of 3,108 freshmen in the fall of 2004. Preliminary numbers indicate the class will continue the trend of high-achieving students when measured by standardized test scores and grade point averages. The percentage of minority students in the class appears to be up as well.

WSU Tri-Cities is expecting a first freshman class of 125 students following initial projections a year ago of 35 freshmen. The Tri-Cities business community supported the freshman recruitment efforts by providing a $3,000 scholarship in the first year, a $3,000 scholarship in the senior year, a laptop computer, internships and career mentors.

WSU Vancouver welcomed its first freshman class last fall and is expecting another strong group of freshmen this year.

Official enrollment figures will not be available until after the 10th day of classes.

 
Signs of growth are apparent on all of WSU’s campuses, with construction projects either underway or recently completed.

In Pullman, the Compton Union Building renovation project continues, with a projected completion date of next August. Another major construction project near the center of the Pullman campus is the second biotechnology life sciences building, located across Stadium Way from Mooberry Track. It is scheduled to be finished in June 2009.

A nursing building is under construction on the Spokane’s Riverpoint campus. The building, which should allow for significant growth in nursing enrollments, is scheduled to be completed next fall.
 
 
The Bioproducts, Sciences, and Engineering Laboratory is under construction at WSU Tri-Cities in Richland. This $24 million facility is being built in partnership with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Move-in is tentatively scheduled for January.

Students at WSU Vancouver will be able to use the new Student Services Center and the Firstenburg Student Commons, which opened this summer.

Construction will start later this year on the new Undergraduate Classroom Building on the Vancouver campus.

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