SBCTC NEWS LINKS | Articles about – and of interest to – Washington state community and technical colleges
SYSTEM NEWS | OPINIONS
Editorial: Walla Walla CC worthy of national recognition
Walla Walla Community College richly deserves ranking among the top 10 of the nation's nearly 1,200 community and technical colleges. The designation by the nonprofit Aspen Institute puts the school in the running for the crown, which includes nearly $1 million. A winner, and up to three runners-up, will be picked in December. Cue the celebrations. The recognition of Walla Walla spotlights its strengths, including a nimbleness in addressing local workforce needs and broadening college opportunities to reach more students. Walla Walla's academic advancements and ability to innovate underscore best practices worthy of replication by other two-year schools. Full-time, first-year students at Walla Walla have a graduation and transfer rate 12 percent higher than the national average. Minority students do equally as well as nonminority students. More than other educational institutions, community colleges are tasked with bolstering the economy through skills training and degree programs that address industry changes and needs. Walla Walla has this figured out.
Seattle Times, September 18, 2011
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorials/2016231793_edit19wallawalla.html
Editorial: Keep a focus on our future
On Wednesday, a day before the latest revenue forecast punched a new $1.2 billion hole in the state budget, the state's community and technical colleges declared a financial emergency. The declaration, which gives colleges the authority to expedite faculty layoffs, came in response to an earlier directive by the governor to submit plans for cutting 5 and 10 percent from current spending. This after state support already had been cut by 22 percent since 2009. The disconnect between record enrollments at community and technical colleges, the chief engines for retraining workers displaced during the Great Recession, and record budget cuts is glaring. The most important vehicle to long-term economic growth and prosperity -- education -- is being starved to the point that it might never fully recover… If our colleges are left unable to effectively train the workforce that will fuel our economic future, few other budget priorities will matter. There will never be money to support them.
Tacoma News Tribune, September 18, 2011
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20110918/OPINION01/709189944
Community colleges start today amidst tuition hike
Three area community colleges started Fall courses today while students deal with large tuition hikes and budget cuts. The state raised tuition by 12% to help cover the state's budget shortfall. At Columbia Basin College (CBC), administrators are dealing with more than $7.5 million in budget cuts that has forced the school to eliminate six courses and 30 staff positions.
KVEW TV, September 19, 2011
http://www.kapptv.com/article/2011/sep/19/community-college-starts-today-amidst-tuition-hike/
Lifelong learning sets successful entrepreneurs apart
Last year, Bob Maphet, local entrepreneur and co-founder of Diamond Knot Brewing, enrolled in the Everett Community College's Small Business Accelerator program for what he hoped would take his business to the next level. Maphet was intrigued by the thought of growing his business by working less.
Everett Herald, September 19, 2011
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20110919/BIZ/709199917/1005
STEM program links high schoolers, local companies
It’s easy to imagine a future in which Reese Holland lands a job with either a high-flying software company or a manufacturing giant. Yes, the economy remains weak with little improvement on the horizon. But, with a mind for math and a personality filled with determination, Holland, 18, who only recently graduated from Battle Ground High School, has already built up an impressive résumé. He’s racked up 105 credit hours at Clark College and won a part-time job with a major Clark County employer — all in the service of his twin goals of being self-sufficient and of obtaining a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Washington State University Vancouver.
The Columbian, September 18, 2011
http://www.columbian.com/news/2011/sep/18/supporting-students-stem-spurs-growth-program-brin/
Washington Community-College System Declares Fiscal Emergency
Chronicle of Higher Education, September 19, 2011
http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/washington-community-college-system-declares-fiscal-emergency/36423
CBC providing Homeland Security training
As any Boy Scout will tell you, it’s important to be prepared. That’s the idea behind a new program at Columbia Basin College, sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security, which brings emergency preparedness to people across the country.
Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business, September 2011
http://www.tricitiesbusinessnews.com/2011/09/cbc-providing-homeland-security-training/
LCC lecture series will focus on efforts to help the disadvantaged
In this fall's lecture series at Lower Columbia College, representatives of local social service agencies will highlight their efforts to help some of the county's disadvantaged citizens. The free lectures will focus on "Community Partnerships" and delve into issues such as poverty, homelessness, and mental illness.
The Daily News, September 18, 2011
http://tdn.com/news/local/article_6a31f058-e25b-11e0-8325-001cc4c002e0.html#ixzz1YXZrd4Efm
New program offered at CBC
A new machining apprenticeship program is being offered at Columbia Basin College this fall. The Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee, a nonprofit that develops of aerospace and advanced manufacturing apprenticeship programs in Washington, will offer the new program, which combines supervised on-the-job training experience with classroom instruction that includes theory and hands-on learning.
Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business, September 2011
http://www.tricitiesbusinessnews.com/2011/09/shoptalk-27/
Swearing-in citizenship event is back in Tacoma after 63 years
Volodymyr is a Baptist, and he said his family was persecuted and discriminated against in Ukraine because of their religion. He has two children, ages 5 and 8, and he’s going to Tacoma Community College, taking prerequisites for a career in nursing. “It is very good for my kids to have freedom and opportunity to be educated and improve their level of life,” Volodymyr said. “If they don’t want, OK, but if they want, here they have the chance.”
Tacoma News Tribune, September 17, 2011
http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/09/17/1828383/swearing-in-citizenship-event.html
Hiking Washington's Archaeological History
Judy Bentley is a writer and a part–time teacher at South Seattle Community College. Her books include young adult biographies of Desmond Tutu and Sandra Day O'Connor. Her latest book is "Hiking Washington's History."
KUOW, September 19, 2011
http://kuow.org/program.php?id=24584
TRENDS| HORIZONS | EDUCATION
Obama's Best Bet: $5-Billion for Community Colleges
The colleges can use the money wisely and well, improving and expanding their facilities to prepare millions more students for jobs.
The Chronicle of Higher Education, September 19, 2011
http://chronicle.com/article/Obamas-Best-Bet-5-Billion/128990/?sid=cr&utm_source=cr&utm_medium=en
College Spending Trends Show Students Bearing a Growing Share of the Costs
The White House, foundation leaders, and other policy makers love to tout community colleges as key players in raising national educational levels, yet as the recession hit in 2009, two-year colleges were also the sector of higher education that took the hardest financial hits, according to the latest Delta Cost Project report, released today. Squeezed by growing enrollments and diminished levels of state and local support, the sector—which already educates the greatest number of American students with the fewest resources—saw its per-student spending for educational and related activities shrink by 3.4 percent from 2008 to 2009, more than did other sectors of public higher education.
Chronicle of Higher Education, September 14, 2011
http://chronicle.com/article/College-Spending-Trends-Show/128972/?sid=cc&utm_source=cc&utm_medium=en
Compiled by the Washington State Board for Community & Technical Colleges
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