Representatives from around the state, including Western Washington University, attended the House Higher Education Chautaqua (an assembly) on Thursday, Oct. 13, at Skagit Valley College. The main objectives of the meeting were to discuss how to cope with declining budgets in education and promote the idea that education is worth investing in.

Steven Emory, a chemistry professor at Western, discussed the value of core programs at Western, particularly in the science department.

“One thing that concerns me greatly is trying to protect the quality of that core,” Emory said. “Having strong programs in chemistry, physics [and] engineering technology is really the base for all the different technology-related degrees.”

Paul Van Metre, a Western alumnus and president and co-founder of the Bellingham manufacturing company Pro CNC, said the ability of their company to grow depends on hiring college graduates. He said the state need not to cut higher education, but to invest more in it.

A common concern among committee members, companies and teachers is that jobs in Washington state are unfilled due to a lack of qualified workers.

Samantha Sawyer, 21, is a single mother in her third quarter studying at Whatcom Community College. Sawyer said she depends on financial aid and student loans in order to go to school.

“I took out one loan this quarter, only just because I ran into an extraordinary work-hour cut, plus rent, cost of living and things, and my kid gets more expensive the bigger he gets,” Sawyer said.

At the meeting, Dr. Linda Maier, the dean for workforce education at Whatcom Community College, discussed the benefits of providing online programs to students with busy lifestyles, also called “e-learning.” Maier said e-learning could be difficult to maintain if budget cuts deplete its funding.

Western and Whatcom Community College provide hybrid programs also, that consist of both time spent in class and time spent online.