Please, take pause and reflect. There is something special going on here.

Our nation is gradually recovering from the deepest, longest recession of our time. Yet here, in the greater Inland Northwest, we can see signs of a faster, more robust return to prosperity that bodes well for our region’s future. One of the most obvious signs is symbolized by the tall red crane that towers over the site where Washington State University’s new Biomedical and Health Sciences Building is under construction. The legislative support to make this investment affirms a belief worth sharing: that the universities and health sciences are an important driver of the Inland Northwest economy.

Other signs are more subtle. Within the University District, more than 10,000 students are working toward the undergraduate and graduate degrees that will serve as their entries into health sciences and other professional careers.

Professors are building their research portfolios and pulling tens of millions of dollars of government and private money into Spokane. For example, researchers at WSU’s nationally-known Sleep and Performance Research Center are developing ways to help airline pilots, police officers and others who work long hours and odd shifts battle fatigue on the job.

Two on-campus clinics – dental and speech/hearing – regularly care for patients, giving students opportunities to practice their skills.

And the influence of the Riverpoint Campus extends beyond its boundaries into the Inland Northwest community.

The health sciences programs of WSU, Eastern Washington University and the University of Washington send students to clinics and hospitals throughout Eastern and Central Washington to develop their skills. Those early experiences often lead to job offers for Riverpoint graduates, who come from all over.

Add it all up – good teaching, research and community work – and it’s easy to see Riverpoint’s powerful influence on the Northwest economy. According to consultant Tripp Umbach, Spokane’s academic health science center and its associated partnerships had a statewide economic impact of $270 million in 2009. They supported 1,535 full-time jobs and generated $24 million in government revenue. As the campus continues to mature, Tripp Umbach projects that the annual impact will eventually reach $2.1 billion, support 13,410 jobs and send $164 million to various government coffers.

Indeed, there is something special going on here. But a great deal of work remains to be done to help the campus reach its full potential.

At WSU Spokane, they are already planning for more growth on campus, including the consolidation of WSU’s College of Pharmacy, and the possibility of more medical students when the new building opens.

Not only is it managing the growth on campus, WSU is also working with its neighbors to make the University District a more vibrant place.

Business and property owners are investing in the West Main Avenue blocks nearest to campus, activating new and interesting places for students, faculty and staff to visit. The city and its contractors are working diligently to complete the new Martin Luther King Jr. Way to improve traffic flow and pedestrian safety.

And most recently, the long-standing uncertainty about the Jensen-Byrd building has come to a resolution. After working with various developers and two different consultants to find new uses for the structure, it’s clear that repurposing this building for housing is not feasible.

Decisively, WSU’s Board of Regents recently approved the sale of the property to Campus Advantage, experts in student housing. The company has already announced plans to build a new facility at the site to serve more than 400 students with an affordable, close-in place to live. Now, it’s easy to imagine how this development – and the planned pedestrian bridge over the railroad tracks – could spur even more housing, retail and restaurants throughout the neighborhood.

Of course, all of this happens because of the vision, leadership, and action that our legislators, business and community leaders have individually and collectively brought to bear. And it wouldn’t be possible but for the clarity and commitment Washington State University brings to its long-standing mission for our state and to this region.

It is our good fortune to have so many to thank for assuring a robust path to prosperity for the greater Inland Northwest. And that’s something special.