As parties from Bellevue College and Washington State University begin to hash out the nitty-gritty details of a potential partnership between the two institutions, new faces will be at the helm of the Cougar contingent.

WSU Provost Daniel Bernardo, who has helmed the WSU side of the talks for the last few months, has appointed Vice President of the WSU Global Campus David Cillay as his point person for the next stage of the partnership talks.

“Talking with folks here at WSU and folks at Bellevue, a lot of excitement, a lot of interest and still a lot of questions. We’re still exploring,” said Cillay.

Cillay previously led the 2012 launch of the WSU Global Campus, which includes the university’s online degree program. Overseeing the potential partnership with Bellevue College, he says, is a natural fit.

Over the last few years, WSU has expanded its reach in central and western Washington. A partnership with Bellevue College is the next step.

“You would think that place wouldn’t be part of the equation in Washington, but we’re seeing the opposite. Part of that is the affordability issue. Some people cannot afford to relocate to pursue higher education. That’s why we feel good about these talks,” Bernardo said. “We’re taking some really bold steps to reach place-restricted students.”

Bernardo had originally helmed the WSU team, but has taken over WSU President Elson Floyd’s day-to-day responsibilities in the wake of Floyd’s announcement on June 5 that he was going on leave to undergo cancer treatment. Despite the changes in guard at WSU, Bernardo and Cillay are optimistic about the future of the partnership discussions.

“President Floyd is on medical leave, but his medical leave does not have any affect on this partnership,” said Bernardo. “He has indicated to me quite clearly that we are to continue to move forward on our major initiatives, and we consider the Bellevue College partnership to be one of those.”

The potential partnership between the two schools took the next step when Bernardo, acting on Floyd’s behalf, and Bellevue College President David L. Rule signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding on Monday, June 15.

In an email sent to Bellevue College faculty and students, Rule said the memorandum of understanding will allow the two universities to explore the benefits to students, accreditation and governance issues, financial implications and requirements to move such a partnership through the Legislature. He stressed that Bellevue College has not committed to anything at this time.

“We are not committing to a partnership yet, rather, we are recognizing that there are some increased capabilities for our respective institutions that we would like to further explore to see if they are indeed viable,” Rule wrote in the email.

The document lays out the groundwork for the collaboration, or what Bellevue College Board of Trustees Chairman Steve Miller called “an agreement to explore” without creating any binding resolutions.

If the two institutions decide to merge, Bellevue College would become Washington State University­—Bellevue College (WSU—Bellevue College) and would continue to offer its array of two-year degrees, but will augment its four-year degree offerings over time. Board members told meeting attendees that Bellevue College would not become a WSU satellite campus.

WSU—Bellevue College and its program will be a separately accredited from the remainder of WSU.

The WSU—Bellevue College faculty would be considered a separate faculty, and faculty currently employed by Bellevue College would remain so. The two institutions will also pursue legislation for funding and resources to avoid increasing costs to students.

The next phase of the discussions, which will address many of the partnership details left undecided at this time, will begin this summer. They will likely continue through the fall so that faculty can be involved, Bernardo said.

The topics of most significance as the partnership talks continue, he said, are curriculum, governance structure and other aspects that will affect the academic relationship between WSU and Bellevue College. The budget and finances, student services, curriculum and information technology services differ between the two schools.

“We’re going to form several work groups from each institution and we’re going to target the areas that will be more challenging,” Cillay said. “But, we’ve heard from Dr. Rule, all of our expectations for what we’re going to look at are in line.”

Respresentatives from both schools said they hope the next steps will move quickly, despite the complex issues up at bat.

“Overall, it’s been great to work with Bellevue College,” Bernardo said. “I think I’m most impressed with how well the mission of the two institutions mesh.”