With the reopening of schools for the fall and COVID-19 restrictions being lessened, many new changes have come to Bellevue College and its community. One of the biggest ones is that there will be a new partnership with UW Bothell, and some classes will be offered on the Bellevue College campus for a Bachelor’s degree.
According to Bellevue College Interim President Gov. Gary Locke at the BC Opening Day of 2022, “We will be adding two new Bachelor’s degrees in response to employer needs, we are adding two new Bachelor of Science degrees in high demand and a higher wage. A BAS in Business management and technology in the winter quarter, and a new BAS in Security in the fall. And in the spring, we will be expanding our nursing program. Thanks to a partnership with UW Bothell, students will be able to earn a bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management and Entrepreneurship, right here on campus. And next year, evening MBA classes are offered by UW Bothell.”
With this change, Bellevue College’s staff will have more chances to advance their degrees through UW Bothell. Along with this change, Amazon has chosen BC as a career choice partner. “It’s an initiative where Amazon pays tuition for their hourly employees so they can earn high-tech degrees,” says Locke. An article on UW Bothell states that “Students will benefit from the city of Bellevue’s vibrant growth as an inclusive hub of global innovation and the planned expansion of technology giants such as Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft. ‘The Supply Chain Management and the Entrepreneurship programs perfectly align with the city’s entrepreneurial spirit and diverse workforce,’ said Dr. Kristin G. Esterberg, UW Bothell chancellor. ‘ELC undergrads and Bellevue College students alike will have access to exceptional faculty and extraordinary opportunities for fieldwork.’”
With these new degrees in business, there will be a lot of change in the Bellevue College environment, with more people coming in and an improved community overall. The first students welcomed from this partnership will start in the Spring quarter and it will only be a growing process from there!
