Roughly 160 students belong to the WSU Extension Learning Center on the campus of Yakima Valley Community College, but due to the ongoing budget situation, that number will soon be zero.

On Wednesday, President Elson S. Floyd and Provost Warwick Bayly confirmed the closure of the Yakima Academic Center, which opened in 2003, along with eight other learning centers around the state to combat steep budget cuts.

The closure of the center comes in response to a $54 million budget cut, which includes the elimination of 359 WSU positions statewide for the 2009-2011 biennium.

“The decision to close all nine learning centers was part of the provost’s revised Academic Affairs Prioritization Program of last fall and was finalized by the provost and president,” said Kathy Barnard, director of marketing and news services for the College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences and WSU Extension.

Despite the center closing, Barnard said online courses will remain available to students so they can finish their education. But she said the biggest loss to the students is of academic advising provided at the center, which helps them participate in WSU programs.

Dave McFadden, president of the Yakima County Development Association, described the learning center’s budget situation as “bleak and diminishing.” “You hope some students can continue their degree through online resources and others can transfer to Central (Washington University),” McFadden said. “WSU’s hope is to pick up through online instruction. I guess that’s better than nothing. I do not feel it’s a substitute for face-to-face interaction with faculty.” Christine Jackson, Yakima County extension chair, said students who signed up for the summer will receive the same services but she’s not sure how they will complete their degrees. Many students are upset by the recent developments, she said.

“Students will now need to find another way of completing their degree,” she said. “I have heard there were students who’d written letters (to the university).” Aside from the budget situation, Jackson said no other reasons factored into the decision to close the center. Enrollment remained steady throughout the six-year existence of the learning center.

“I do not believe we had a problem in terms of utilization of that center,” McFadden said.

The announcement came as a shock to him.

“(The closure) was certainly not expected,” McFadden said. “You don’t build a building with WSU as a core partner just a couple years ago for it to be gone tomorrow. The sad part is, I don’t believe that we had or were offered an opportunity to state our case or change the circumstances. I know we’d like that opportunity. These decisions seem final at this point.” Located in the Deccio Higher Education Center at S. 16th Ave. and Nob Hill Blvd, the WSU Extension Learning Center on the campus of Yakima Valley Community College will have its contract terminated with WSU on Aug. 31.