Institutional Profile

Community creates a new college 1994-1998

It had been over 20 years since a new college was built in Washington state. Such an endeavor required tremendous foresight, commitment and visioning for the future. The result is Cascadia Community College, which opened its doors in fall 2000.

In 1990, a study revealed the need for a community college in northeast King and southeast Snohomish counties. That study was the impetus for 10 years of strong community involvement that included planning, developing, creating and eventually constructing a brand new community college.

The community and the state embraced the vision of co-locating the new community college with University of Washington, Bothell (UWB) campus. The co-location would build a partnership where Cascadia Community College would serve students by providing the first two years of a four-year education, professional degrees and certificates, and non-credit Community Education classes for the community, and UWB would offer junior and senior level classes for the baccalaureate degree, as well as Masters degree programs.

In 1994, the college was created into law (RCW 28B.50.1406) and the governor appointed five members of the community who had been part of the creation of the college to become Cascadia's founding Board of Trustees. Together with the community, they developed a vision, mission and core values for the college. They researched the educational needs of the community and developed a college that would prepare students for the future.

New college begins to emerge 1998-2000

In May 1998, the initial construction of the college began. The beautiful red bricks framed a campus that would soon hold classrooms, the library and support facilities for Cascadia and UWB and all of the support facilities. State officials, Cascadia's president and representatives from the University of Washington watched carefully over the campus construction.

As the cranes lifted beams high in the air, new Cascadia employees were hard at work creating the innovative organizational structures, services and the curriculum envisioned by the community, as well as building the framework for the college. The college faculty, administrators and staff grew from three to close to 200 in two short years. Everyone was eager to be part of this innovative new college. The college opened on time, with its facilities completed, fully furnished and under budget.

College exceeds expectations 2000-2001

Fall 2000 marked the grand opening of the Cascadia Community College/University of Washington, Bothell campus. The grand opening provided the community the first opportunity to tour the joint campus and experience the award-winning design and construction of the buildings. The east side of the campus is surrounded by 58-acres of wetlands, which over the next 10 years, will be fully restored to a self-sustaining ecosystem. Wildlife, including deer, eagles, salmon and herons, has already made the wetlands their home. In addition to classrooms, a comprehensive, beautiful library serves the joint campus. Library services are offered under the University of Washington Libraries System, which provides Cascadia and UWB students with access to more than six million volumes and a high-tech media center. Students eagerly registering for the first quarter of classes were quick to call this new community college their home. The 2000-2001 enrollment target set by the state for Cascadia was to serve 1,000 students in credit classes. Cascadia far exceeded that goal by enrolling 2,451 students in credit classes, a 41 percent increase! In addition, Cascadia served 1, 543 students in non-credit classes, for a total of 3,994 students.

Much of this success can be attributed to the innovative approach to student learning that the faculty utilize. The "Cascadia way" in the classroom was designed to be collaborative and encouraging active learning through student participation. Rather than stand in front of a classroom lecturing, faculty members engage their students in solving problems, working on projects and analyzing real-life case studies.

The numerous learning opportunities at Cascadia are closely measured to assure that all students and employees are gaining the knowledge necessary to succeed. Cascadia utilizes college-wide learning outcomes as a way to set learning goals for all students, faculty, administrators and staff. When practiced as lifelong learning habits, these learning outcomes encourage personal growth, enhance productive citizenship, and foster individual and cooperative learning.

Cascadia continues its success 2001-2002

Cascadia's second year of operation was equally as exciting as the first. Cascadia experienced a 78 percent growth above that record. In the 2001-2002 school year, Cascadia enrolled 3,254 students in credit classes, and 1,830 students in non-credit classes, for a total of 5,084 students.

The year's events were capped off with the graduating class of 2002 commencement ceremony. These students helped build this college through creating the first student government, establishing 11 clubs, and becoming the most important part of Cascadia's culture. Faculty, staff, administration and students spent much of this year chronicling the history of Cascadia for the accreditation self-study manual. This document is a hallmark of the development of a new college, and was integral in helping the college achieve a major milestone in the accreditation process through the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges, Commission on Colleges and Universities.

Cascadia and UWB faculty members joined together after the September 11 tragedies to provide in-depth, unique perspectives to educate students, employees and community members. A series of teach-ins brought together experts from the community and experts from within Cascadia and UWB to conduct a series of panel discussions. The students achieved a deeper understanding of global events and their role in the world.

New college receives international recognition

The first two years of full operation have been a magical time for Cascadia. Record numbers of students continue to fill classes. Students are embracing the new style of learning they experience at Cascadia. They recognize that their success is the focus of every employee at the college. As a result, they are not only achieving, but surpassing their goals. Cascadia Community College was selected as one of 12 Vanguard Learning Colleges by the National League for Innovation in the Community College. This prestigious honor sets Cascadia as a leader in its instructional, student and organizational structures, programs and services. Learn more about the Vanguard Learning Project at www.league.org/league/projects/lcp/vanguard.htm.

Inside and outside the classroom, students are taking their learning to new heights. During Cascadia's first year, three students received a prestigious award for a multimedia presentation they created through the Cascadia Connections program. The "Pioneering Innovation" presentation was awarded an international Bronze Omni Intermediate Award, competing against CNN, CBS, USA Today and other large corporations. The Cascadia Connections program joins teams of IT students with businesses or college departments needing a Web site created or redesigned, a network database created, or a multimedia presentation developed. Please view the "Pioneering Innovation" presentation and learn more about the Cascadia Connections program, by visiting our Web site at http://connections.cascadia.edu/. Cascadia rounded out its first year of awards with a silver Paragon Award from the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations for its 2001-2002 Catalog. The Paragon Awards recognize outstanding achievement in communications in community, junior and technical colleges.

Cascadia sets strategic directions

Cascadia established eight strategic directions to guide the college in the 2001-2003 biennium.

Strategic Direction 1: Foster educational innovation in an environment that encourages risk-taking and communal learning.

Strategic Direction 2: Provide accessible responsive educational opportunities within a supportive and caring environment for all learners in the college's communities.

Strategic Direction 3: Celebrate and promote diversity by fostering awareness, expanding knowledge, and enhancing interpersonal skills among all the college's learners.

Strategic Direction 4: Demonstrate our commitment to the responsible stewardship of college resources, including personnel, facilities, and the natural environment.

Strategic Direction 5: Assist learners in achieving their academic, career, and personal educational goals by seamlessly linking programs and services with business, community, government and educational organizations.

Strategic Direction 6: Build upon the co-location with the University of Washington, Bothell to create unique opportunities for students, faculty, and staff.

Strategic Direction 7: Secure resources sufficient to achieve Cascadia Community College's goals and objectives.

Strategic Direction 8: Continually assess our integrity in all programs and services, valuing all learners and the principles of the Learning Organization.

College links with the community
Building future teachers

Cascadia is well aware of the severe shortage of K-12 teachers in Washington state and decided to be part of the solution. Through an initial planning grant from the Washington State Higher Education Coordinating Board, Cascadia is working with its co-located partner, UWB, as well as with local high schools to establish a career ladder program for future teachers. The goal is to identify students at a young age who have an interest in becoming teachers, help them experience the field of teaching, and learn to navigate through the educational system efficiently. The project is designed to help these students successfully graduate from Cascadia, transfer to UWB, receive a Bachelor's Degree and their teacher certification, begin their teaching careers and culminate with a Masters in Education.

English as a Second Language Community Outreach

Increasingly large numbers of immigrants who are in need of English as a Second Language (ESL) education live within Cascadia's service area. Cascadia's ESL program offers a unique opportunity that combines classes for parents and their children at a local elementary school. While the parents attend ESL class, their children engage in drama and art projects in a nearby classroom. Cascadia students volunteer their time to work with the children, under the leadership of the faculty. The program is helping to create a strong connection between the families learning together, the local elementary schools, the community at large and Cascadia.

What the future holds

View these and other exciting initiatives by clicking on the options to the left.