The Eastern Washington campus of the University of Phoenix recently opened a new satellite learning center in the Tri-Cities. The new resource learning center will offer extra support for the growing number of Tri-City students enrolled in the online school, said Paul Green, Eastern Washington campus director in Spokane.
Four staff members and a faculty member advise students on enrollment, career planning and tutoring. The 1,200 square-foot facility on West Tucannon Avenue in Kennewick also has computer stations for online studies.
Green said the location is temporary until the university can find a permanent site for the center. “We want to make sure we are in the right area,” he said.
Two years ago, the school abandoned plans to offer business management classes in Kennewick. Students came to us for online classes so offering classroom teaching didn’t make sense, Green said. No onsite classes are planned at the new location.
The University of Phoenix is primarily an online learning institution, which is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, and says it serves almost 400,000 students.
The school says it has about 1,500 students in Eastern Washington including Spokane and the Tri-Cities. Business administration, criminal justice, health care, information technology, nursing, counseling and psychiatry are some of the popular courses in the Tri-Cities, he said.
Most students are working professionals, ages 18 to 27, who’re engaged technology-wise, Green said. “They want to be connected. That’s what they want with their online education.”
The center is located at 8904 W. Tucannon Avenue, Suite A, Kennewick, and is open 8am to 7pm Monday through Thursday and 8am to 3 pm Friday.