In his May revised budget, California Governor Newsom proposed a $433 million allocation to aid Humboldt State in its transformation into California State University's third polytechnic university. In his Times Standard April 2, 2021 Education Matter Article titled It’s a Great Time to be a Lumberjack; HSU President Dr. Tom Jackson stated that becoming a polytechnic university would be “a seismic shift for Humboldt State.”

Providing this largess of one-time money to HSU sends an extremely strong message that Governor Newsom is committed to investing in higher education opportunities on the North Coast. Regular readers of this column will know that I am committed to a deeper partnership with HSU and, along with the College of the Redwoods Board of Trustees, faculty and staff, I agree with the Governor and fully support HSU becoming a polytechnic university for several reasons. First, our local students, who are interested in pursuing a polytechnic focused degree, will have a viable local option rather than having to go to San Luis Obispo or Pomona to continue their education.

Both HSU and CR have always had a strong emphasis on applied or experiential learning. Our Career Education (previously known as “vocational”) programs are heavily dependent on hands-on learning in the many labs on campus, as are many of our science programs. As a polytechnic, HSU will become even more focused on a practical, technology-based undergraduate education that combines applied learning with a liberal arts education. Having a polytechnic university just a few miles away from our Eureka Campus will encourage our students who are interested in these lab-based programs to continue their education through a bachelor’s degree or beyond.

Our respective faculties will be in a great position to work together to create additional seamless academic pathways that will prepare students for real jobs in our community and our industry partners will benefit from these hands-on programs that more closely replicate real workplace experiences. Students will not only benefit from the technical skills learned in the classroom, but will graduate with the soft-skills that so many businesses in our community are looking for.

I am confident that the transition period of this process will provide extensive opportunities for our two institutions to work with the community to both enhance current programs and to develop new ones that reflect the employment needs of the region.  I can see CR and HSU hosting a polytechnic summit (post COVID, of course) that will bring faculty and industry professionals together to discuss transforming education in a way that aligns with the challenges of a rapidly changing labor market. 

I foresee an environment where our students collaborate with business and non-profit organizations to solve real-world problems in our community.

I can see us offering students the option to learn and work with the same group of peers (or “cohort”) throughout an entire two and four-year program. This small-group model mirrors typical workplace teams and fosters collaboration between peers, instructors, and industry experts.

I appreciate that Dr. Jackson and his team invited College of the Redwoods to participate in the application process. I am excited about CR’s future and eager to see what the collaboration between CR and HSU will bring to our community and I hope that you join me in optimism and support of this transition.