Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/63248
MANAGEMENT NORTHWEST WATCH Grand Design Washington state rallies around wine science center Gary Werner is a Seattle-based wine industry journalist and communications consultant, and the former communications director for the Washington Wine Commission. ublic finances are a grim topic in Washington state. More than $10 billion has been slashed from the state budget during the current recession, and additional cuts are coming. Every sector has come under the knife, but higher education has suffered a large share of the pruning. has been reduced to just 3%, or $980 million. That's a big drop." Big enough, it would seem, to scupper any significant plans for facility development. So how is it that WSU is charging ahead with construction of an impressive new wine science center at its satellite campus in Richland? The reason figures formed a task force to iden- tify research needs critical to future growth. They met monthly for a year and a half, and issued a sum- mary report listing priorities across vineyard development, improving plant material, water management, pest control, and many other areas. "Then, when I arrived in 2009," said Thomas Henick-Kling, director of the WSU viticulture and enology program, "we did a review of the needs covered in that report. Out of it came one clear, immediate pri- ority: facilities. "This program has really grown. We have gone from no undergradu- ate students at the Tri-Cities (Rich- land) campus to 20, and we also have 28 more at the main cam- pus in Pullman. So we are short of research lab space and class- room space, and we need a new research and teaching winery. Plus, SHORT COURSE Initial concept drawings for WSU's wine science center, by local architect Terence Thornhill, feature a 45,000-square-foot facility with a gravity flow research and teach- ing winery. "Over the past four years, we have seen a 52% reduction in rev- enue at Washington State Univer- sity (WSU)," said Elson Floyd, the university's president. "In absolute terms, that's $241 million. In 1991, higher education, meaning the four- year sector, constituted 9% of the state budget. That was roughly $1.4 billion. Fast forward to 2011, and our share of the state budget 30 VINEYARD & WINERY MANAGEMENT MAY - JUNE 2012 seems to be sheer willpower: a groundswell of collective creativ- ity and dedication on the part of the regional government and wine industry is simply making it happen. CLEAR PRIORITY The roots of this project like- ly extend back to 2006, when leading grape and wine industry Demand for a wine science center came from a 2006 industry needs assessment. Regional officials stepped in to supply land and support project management. A completed design is expected by the end of 2012. Funding will come from industry assessments, corporate dona- tions and individual gifts. The center is seen as crucial to local skill sets and reputation enhancement. WWW.VWM-ONLINE.COM GARY WERNER