That's due to the arrival of nearly a dozen portable classrooms that will house high school students attending the NUAMS (Northern Utah Academy of Math, Engineering and Science). "They'll bring a lot of energy to the campus," says Bruce Davis, director of the Davis campus. NUAMS classes will start Aug. 29, two days after WSU students return to school.
In addition, the partnership between NUAMS and WSU Davis will benefit both entities.
NUAMS will have access to empty WSU classes during the day, while WSU's overflowing evening program can make use of empty NUAMS classes at night, when that school isn't in session.
That will free up five conference rooms that were pressed into service as classrooms in the evenings, Davis said.
In addition, Davis and WSU officials hope the addition of about 400 students to the campus will help expedite construction of a second permanent building on campus.
The 2007 Legislature approved funding for a study and preliminary work leading to a new building, that, if funded in the next session, hopefully will be ready for use in the fall of 2010, Davis said.
The "Professional Programs Classroom Building" will not only house classrooms, but also a cafeteria, meeting space, fitness center and other so-called "Union-building" type functions.
Davis said there's been a "smooth transition," so far, in adding the 10-12th graders to the university campus. Last year, 75 NUAMS students attended early college classes. He expects that number to grow "dramatically," with the schools being on the same campus.
"We've added some classes (with those students in mind)," he said, including first year college experience, which deals with note taking, study skills, etc., and English composition.
Also new this fall, a Master's of Professional Accounting program will be initiated, and will be taught only by WSU at the Davis campus.
In addition, the Master's of Health Administration, started last year, will bring 26 more students into the two-year program, with the same expected for the Master's of English program.
The granddaddy of master's programs, at Davis, the MBA, or Master's of Business Administration, will start its seventh year and will have 235 students.
It's a "hybrid" program, as are the other master's programs, Davis explained. That means students attend one class on campus and complete the other on-line.
"We will take a proposal for a Master's of Nursing program to the Regents in September," he said.
The Associate of Pre-Engineering course also will be starting, this fall, in coordination with Utah State University. Five USU faculty will be housed at WSU Davis in this program, which will offer a bachelor's degree officially given by USU, as well.
The campus grew, enrollment-wise, by only 17 students during the last academic year over 2006. But that's different than the decline to flat status at the main campus in Ogden. Enrollment stood at 3,237 students.
Even this summer, students from Hill Air Force Base were in class on hot afternoons. They are taking classes for college credit leadership and supervisory courses. Those include English composition, communications, leadership and management courses. The program operates year-round, Davis said.
tbusselberg@davisclipper.com
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