Proposal would force Cascadia to prepare to merge with LWTC | Politics

Remember back in December, when the idea first emerged about Cascadia Community College merging with Lake Washington Technical College and the combined campus would be based in Kirkland?

The idea is back, and a Bothell legislator has put it into State House's proposed state budget.

The Seattle Times reports that Rep. Mark Ericks, D-Bothell, put an item in the budget bill that would require Cascadia to develop a plan to merge with LWTC.  He says his intent was to get the issue studied and that the proposal was "poorly worded."

Cascadia President Bill Christopher is strongly against the idea.  He told the Times that couldn't see "how it would be of any benefit at all to Cascadia students, currently or in the future." 

It is believed that UW-Bothell Chancellor Kenyon Chan has been pushing for the merger.  The Everett Herald reported on December 12 that Chan was pushing for the Cascadia-LWTC merger so that UWB could take over the entire campus it shares with Cascadia in Bothell.  He told the Times that lawmakers had approached him about the idea and that he was just the messenger.

The Times also reports that LWTC President Sharon McGavick said in an e-mail that a merger with Cascadia would cost $125 million.  She said that UWB was pushing for the merger, but Cascadia and the state Board for Community & Technical Colleges was against it.

Cascadia currently has 2,200 full-time students, while LWTC has more than 4,000 students overall.  UW-Bothell has 2,400 full-time students.