PORT TOWNSEND — A future four-year college program will begin to change the economic complexion of Jefferson County in the next 18 months, the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce was told Monday.
“Higher education is the most important economic strategy that the community can pursue,” said Scott Wilson, a member of the Jefferson Higher Education Committee.
“Additionally, having a more robust adult education component in the county makes us a more attractive place for people to move to.”
Along with Wilson, publisher of the weekly Leader newspaper, the chamber audience heard from Peninsula College President Tom Keegan and Erin Fristad, director of Goddard College’s Port Townsend campus.
Both colleges share an 8,000-square-foot building in Fort Worden State Park, with plans to renovate a nearby building that will double classroom space and course offerings.
The remodeling project is estimated to cost around $6 million, and all but $1.5 million is already pledged, according to Keegan.
“We want to create a space where higher education can come together here,” Keegan said.
“And as the economy improves, we should create a college that looks like Port Townsend, with a combination of online instruction and a place where students can come for support.”
The Goddard model, in which students spend only a few days of each semester on campus and complete most of their work online, is ideal for Port Townsend, according to Fristad.
If the renovation money is secured, the new building could open in 2013 while Vermont-based Goddard could begin its new programs a year earlier, Fristad said.
Students with no previous college can begin the process immediately by taking classes at Peninsula for the first two years and transferring credits to Goddard when they reach their junior year, she said.
“In these economic times in order to make resources go further, it’s important to form these kinds of collaborations,” she said.
“The goal for Goddard is to go beyond being an academic institution and become an engine for economic development.”
Once established, the Goddard/Peninsula partnership would both keep students in Port Townsend while attracting others from throughout the Puget Sound area, she said.
The partnership’s future depends on the state Legislature and is not as pessimistic as news about the budget suggests, according to Wilson.
“The legislators are looking for programs that get a lot of traction for a community for a little bit of money,” he said.
“This project fits those requirements so we might be asking you to express your support in the near future.”
Wilson said the committee may prepare form letters of support for the partnership to be copied and mailed to legislators.
“Having the community behind the project rather than just having the colleges just ask for money is absolutely crucial.”
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.