Ewu-WSU Computer Class Clicks Cheney Software, Pullman Hardware Hard To Beat

Computer science professors aborted school allegiance Thursday in favor of Spokane students who want to take classes from both Eastern Washington University and Washington State University.

Linking the strength of Eastern’s software experts with WSU’s hardware engineers, the two schools beginning in January will let Spokane students earn graduate degrees in computer science with classes from either school.

Officials downplayed the timing of the change, saying it was in the works long before politicians suggested earlier this month that the two universities should merge.

But the deal further connects WSU and Eastern programs at Spokane’s Riverpoint Higher Education Park with an arrangement that saves money, fills classrooms and reduces travel.

“We weren’t put up to it by anybody, especially the legislators,” said Steve Simmons, professor of computer science at Eastern and co-director of the Spokane Intercollegiate Research and Technology Institute’s engineering lab. “We don’t want people to consider this a sign of anything except that we are beefing up computer science and engineering.”

The agreement commences Jan. 5, the opening of Eastern’s winter quarter. WSU’s semester begins Jan. 12.

The arrangement affects 70 Eastern students and 15 WSU students currently working toward a master’s in computer science.

Under the arrangement, WSU students may fulfill a computer graphics requirement with an Eastern class, while Eastern students can get credit for taking an electrical engineering seminar from Margaret Mortz, WSU’s director of SIRTI’s microelectronics lab.

WSU students ultimately must finish their graduate degrees in Pullman because state regulators do not allow WSU to offer a competing degree in Spokane, said Bill Gray, dean of WSU Spokane.

Gray said shared classes is not new. Eastern and WSU for years have allowed Spokane graduate students of speech pathology to take classes from either school.

Student tuition dollars go to the university that offers the class, he said, regardless of who teaches the course.

Eastern next quarter will offer 10 courses in computer science with on-site instructors. Many of WSU’s courses are taught via interactive video telecast by faculty located elsewhere.

, DataTimes