University expanding to open new classes in downtown Kennewick. More students will be served

Eric Rosane
·2 min read

Old news is good news for Heritage University.

The Toppenish-based, four-year university announced Thursday it would open a new location in the old Tri-City Herald building in downtown Kennewick.

The new space will begin serving students this fall semester, which begins Aug. 21.

Martin Valadez, the director of Heritage University’s regional site in the Tri-Cities, said this new space will work as an expansion of the university’s Tri-City offerings.

“Many Tri-Cities students are raising their families as they work several jobs, and we know they will benefit from having this additional opportunity to earn a four-year degree close to home,” he said.

Heritage University was founded in the 1980s with the mission to reach under-served populations. Enrollment in 2021 included 963 students seeking an undergraduate degree and 87 graduate students.

Nearly 40 degree programs are offered.

The private university has operated a regional Tri-Cities site at Columbia Basin College in Pasco for the last 20 years. It offers CBC students the option to transfer into one of five baccalaureate programs: education, social work, criminal justice, psychology and accounting.

Valadez said the Kennewick addition will add to the higher education ecosystem in the Tri-Cities, and provide Heritage students with a wider array of studies.

Heritage University, a Toppenish-based, four-year university, announced it would open a new location in the old Tri-City Herald building in downtown Kennewick. Tri-City Herald file
Heritage University, a Toppenish-based, four-year university, announced it would open a new location in the old Tri-City Herald building in downtown Kennewick. Tri-City Herald file

Heritage University Tri-Cities will, for the first time, be able to serve freshman and sophomore students, and the university plans to add a bachelor’s degree program in business administration. Their goal is to serve 50 freshman in the fall, with at least 3 full-time staff occupying the space.

“We see this expansion in the Tri-Cities as a chance to enhance our collaboration with other higher education institutions, which has been a long-standing tradition in higher education,” Heritage University President Andrew Sund said in a statement.

“We can work together to serve the people in the Tri-Cities who come from many backgrounds. Providing more choices for students is always better in higher education. Our goal is to increase the total number of students who graduate from college,” he said.

It wasn’t immediately clear how much the Kennewick expansion would cost the university.

The university plans to lease the building’s second floor and furnish it with classrooms, offices, a reception lobby, study spaces and a break area. Administrators said they chose the site due to its proximity to downtown and central location for Tri-City commuters.

The old Tri-City Herald building opened and was used as a space for the namesake company almost two decades ago. The building was bought in 2019 with plans to use it as a multi-tenant office space.