Thursday, November 17, 2011

NEWS LINKS | Nov. 17, 2011

SBCTC NEWS LINKS | Articles about – and of interest to – Washington state community and technical colleges


 

SYSTEM NEWS | OPINIONS

 

College readies first four-year program

In a first for Centralia College, administrators and officials have announced the creation of a four-year bachelor of applied science degree, contingent on approval

from the State Board of Community and Technical Colleges.

Centralia Chronicle, November 10, 2011

http://www.centralia.edu/news/chronicle/BAS-degree_11-10-11.pdf

 

Editorial: Centralia College Gets an A+ with Four-Year Program

Centralia Chronicle, November 10, 2011

http://www.centralia.edu/news/chronicle/BAS-editorial_11-10-11.pdf

 

Composites manufacturer targets January opening in Bremerton

A Canadian nonprofit soon will open a manufacturing operation employing a handful of veterans to make lightweight composite crutches. Working with Olympic College and others, Profile Composites North America will draw from a dozen people, most of them veterans seeking to enter the civilian workforce, to work at its operation … By December, those workers will be the first to have completed two quarters of instruction at OC for a new certificate in composites manufacturing. …  The veterans were saluted by Gov. Chris Gregoire Friday at Olympic College. Gregoire earlier had chosen the OC-Profile Composites effort and its partners to receive $100,000 in federal funding.

Kitsap Sun, November 11, 2011

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/nov/11/composites-manufacturer-targets-january-opening/

 

BTC receives $570,000 grant for health-care program

Bellingham Technical College recently received a grant for more than $570,000 to help hospital and health-care workers get the education they need to earn degrees and certificates in more advanced areas in the industry.  The 2011-12 Hospital Employee Education and Training grant helps BTC and other colleges fund job re-training classes and programs, advising, childcare, transportation and other things currently employed health-care workers need to go back to school. … . The school is partnering with Skagit Valley College; Whatcom Community College; Northwest Workforce Council; employee unions Service Employees International Union Healthcare, United Food and Commercial Workers 2 and the Washington State Nurses Association; and Northwest Alliance for Health Care Skills at five regional hospitals.

The Bellingham Herald, November 16, 2011

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/11/16/2274059/btc-receives-570000-grant-for.html

 

Occupation Fatigue

Move over Berkeley and Harvard; Seattle Central Community College has become an increasingly high-profile and tense campus home for the Occupy movement.

Inside Higher Ed, November 17, 2011

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/11/17/tensions-grow-between-seattle-central-community-college-and-occupy-seattle

 

CBC likely to regain status as Hispanic Serving Institution
Amidst the gloomy budget forecasts for colleges this year, there has been some bright news for Columbia Basin College.  The Pasco school is on track to regain its federal designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution, which it lost last year after federal agencies changed their accounting methods.  That means it once again will be able to compete for federal money that in the past has paid for programs benefiting all students, not just those of Hispanic heritage.  After dipping below that percentage last year, CBC now is confident its Hispanic enrollment will exceed 25 percent when official state numbers are released in December, said Martin Valadez, vice president of diversity and outreach.
Tri-City Herald, November 14, 2011

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/11/13/1904102/cbc-likely-to-regain-status-as.html

 

Green River Community College awarded funding to help increase study completion among students

Green River Community College has been awarded two-year funding from Campus Compact to pilot a program intended to help community college students persist in school and ultimately graduate. The grant will fund Connect2Complete (C2C) pilots in Florida, Ohio and Washington state, on three community college campuses in each state. Campus Compact has received funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to launch Connect2Complete.

Maple Valley Reporter, November 10, 2011

http://www.maplevalleyreporter.com/community/133624438.html

 

Edmonds Community College wins grant aimed at helping students graduate

Edmonds Community College announced Tuesday that the school has been awarded two-year funding from Campus Compact, a Boston-based national nonprofit organization, to pilot a program intended to help community college students persist in school and ultimately graduate. In Washington, those schools are Edmonds, Big Bend and Green River community colleges.

My Edmonds News, November 17, 2011

http://myedmondsnews.com/2011/11/edmonds-community-college-wins-grant-aimed-at-helping-students-graduate/

 

Gregoire announces $3 million available for aerospace training

Chris Gregoire announced this week $3 million in Workforce Investment Act funds are now available to help nearly 500 workers learn the skills necessary for Washington's aerospace industry. … As a result of the governor’s investment, Renton Technical College will be able to offer skills training for the Aerospace Manufacturing Core Certificate and the Aerospace Assembly Mechanic Certificate,” said Steve Hanson, president of Renton Technical College.

Renton Reporter,  November 17, 2011

http://www.rentonreporter.com/business/122171453.html

 

Editorial: Education will keep aerospace jobs aloft in Washington

Washington needs to be ready to take advantage of the employment opportunities represented by Emirates Airlines' investment in Boeing 777s. Educate and train our workforce for the jobs in place and those to come. …  As the Legislature meets in special session and looks ahead to grim budgetary realities in the 2012 session, recall progress already made.

This year, the University Center of North Puget Sound was set in motion. The collaboration of eight public and private schools on the Everett Community College campus will eventually be headed by Washington State University. Exploit every opportunity to produce engineers and skilled workers to fill jobs in aerospace.

The Seattle Times, November 16, 2011

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorials/2016775004_edit16boeing.html

 

Chinese official visits Kirkland tech college

China's vice minister of education visited a small college in Kirkland on Tuesday with hopes of picking up some ideas for improving technical education in her country. Xin Lu also expressed enthusiasm for working with Lake Washington Institute of Technology on a number of cooperative projects, including an ambitious plan to send teachers from China's technical colleges to the United States to learn about U.S. teaching methods. … College President David Woodall welcomed the proposals and made plans to continue the discussion when he visits China early next year. The delegation proposed a number of possible ways they can work together, including sharing both curriculum and students

The Seattle Times, November 16, 2011

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/education/2016775662_chineseeducation29.html

 

Gregoire grants 'Best Practices' awards to businesses

The four recipients, Gregoire said, demonstrate the ability of public-private partnerships to connect job-seekers with employers in need of skilled workers.

Puget Sound Business Journal, November 15, 2011

http://www.bizjournals.com/mobile/seattle/news/2011/11/15/gregoire-grants-best-practices.html


Gov. Gregoire announces Best Practice Awards

Governor Chris Gregoire has recognized four Washington programs for their ability to strongly connect workforce training to employer needs. The 2011 Governor's Best Practices Awards for Workforce and Economic Development were announced yesterday. Each has a community or technical college connection.

·         Program helps unemployed land aerospace jobs  - This partnership has helped a growing aerospace manufacturer meet demand for exports while making sure to the greatest extent possible that jobs are filled from laid off workers with the ability to contribute. Partners include Bellingham Technical College

·         Youth program nurtures Seattle's manufacturing pipeline - SODO, Inc. combines manufacturing-related certifications and other job readiness training with internships with area industries and other employers, providing valuable work experience for disadvantaged young adults.  Partners include South Seattle Community College Apprenticeship and Education Center, Puget Sound Industrial Excellence Center

·         Assessments improve employer-jobseeker matching - Spokane is using a national assessment test to build stronger ties between the region's employers and its jobseekers. The goal is to have a comprehensive picture of Spokane's work readiness that can serve as a business recruitment tool. Partners include Community Colleges of Spokane

·         College program upskills rural workers into key jobs [CDL I-BEST] - Big Bend Community College makes it possible for low-skilled workers to learn how to operate large trucks and acquire a Commercial Driver's License, helping to meet the transportation demands of the region's agribusinesses. Partners include Big Bend Community College, State Board for Community and Technical Colleges

http://www.wtb.wa.gov/GovernorsBestPracticesAwards2011.asp

 

Veterans facing tough job market

Our veterans have the drive, discipline, and self-confidence to succeed in any workplace," Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash, said in a statement. "But for too long at the end of their career we've patted them on the back for their service and pushed them out into the job market alone."  In the county, veterans like Carl Mattson are seeking jobs where their military training is seen as an asset.  After leaving the Marines in 2010, Mattson served in the National Guard and became a longshoreman. As a newer worker, he's last in line for jobs, so he's pursuing more stable work. Mattson started in a two-year mechanic program at Lake Washington [Institute of Technology], then heard about the shorter-term training at the Washington Aerospace Training and Research Center in Everett.
Everett Herald, Nov. 11, 2011
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20111111/NEWS01/711119869

 

Budget cuts, space needs doom Renton Technical College sewing

Due to budget cuts and not being able to find another location for the class on campus, the college decided to halt the program. “We are expanding our basic studies and aerospace assembly mechanic programs and we need the additional space,” said Susanna Williams, college relations and foundation director for RTC in a statement. “Due to four years of budget cuts from the state, Renton Technical College no longer has the room to sustain smaller programs like sewing, which have served the community for years

Renton Reporter, November 17, 2011

http://www.rentonreporter.com/news/134053473.html

 

Education key to keeping Boeing jobs, says Gov.

Gregoire said Washington has already been investing in training Boeing’s future workers, with 22 of the state’s community and technical colleges already working with Boeing. Walla Walla Community College recently dropped its carpentry program to make room for aerospace training.

Wenatchee World, November 17, 2011

http://m.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2011/nov/17/education-key-to-keeping-boeing-jobs-says-gov/

 

State Must 'Grow' More Engineers If It Wants Boeing 737 MAX

Speaking in a classroom at Renton Technical College, Governor Gregoire said she wants the 737 MAX to be built in Washington state. … Meanwhile, the classrooms that could generate future aerospace employees have some empty work stations. College officials say just a two–month program can lead to a stable aerospace job, but their classes are not filled to capacity. Don Hansen is one of the current students at Renton Technical College. He graduates in December. He says he spent 30 years in construction, but has been unemployed the last three years. Hansen: "So, career change seemed like the way to go." Hansen is working on an assembly mechanic's certificate. He says he couldn't find any state help with the tuition which costs $4,800. Luckily, his family came through.

KUOW NPR, November 17, 2011

http://kuow.org/program.php?id=25130

 

Ground breaks for new health sciences facility

Clover Park Technical College celebrated the groundbreaking Nov. 16 of its new health sciences facility located in the center of campus. Clover Park Technical College offers the largest number of healthcare related programs in Pierce County. The college’s 11 health-training programs have long since outgrown Building 14, built in 1981.

Tacoma Weekly, November 17, 2011

http://www.tacomaweekly.com/news/view/city-briefs-november-17-2011/

 

Edmonds CC anthropology instructor named state Conservation Teacher of the Year

Dr. Thomas W. Murphy, Chair of the Anthropology Department at Edmonds Community College, has been named the Washington Association of Conservation Districts’ Conservation Teacher of the Year.

My Edmonds News, November 17, 2011

http://myedmondsnews.com/2011/11/edmonds-cc-anthropology-instructor-named-state-conservation-teacher-of-the-year/

 

Do online textbooks have a future in Washington higher-ed?

University [college] students — who today face tuition increases and budget cuts — spend about $1,200 per year on textbooks, according to the Washington State Board of Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC). Earlier this month, the Washington State Open Course Library (OCL) introduced 42 courses worth of ready-to-use, adaptable online material for university [college] faculty. …  “[The OCL] helps faculty find new ways and resources for teaching and helps students with free or very inexpensive options [for course materials],” said Tom Caswell, an Open Education Policy associate and project lead. …  State Rep. Reuven Carlyle, D-Seattle, who has been the major proponent of OCL, is enthusiastic about breaking what he calls the commercial monopoly of the textbook industry, which he believes hurts students. …  “[The OCL] is about the power of the Internet, the power of textbooks and sharing, and the power of coordinating and collaboration.” Carlyle expressed his hope that the “UW embraces Open Education Resources as religion and realizes the profound impact at a high quality learning capacity.” “This is an example of where the state Legislature has made a smart investment,” Caswell said. “[The state] put $750,000 towards Open Course Library even during a time of cuts.”
Queen Anne View, November 17, 2011

http://www.queenanneview.com/2011/11/17/do-online-textbooks-have-a-future-in-washington-higher-ed/

 

Shoreline Community College Students Rally Against Education Cuts

Overcoming outrage with action, students at Shoreline Community College, with the blessing of the school's administration, took a break from their studies and took it upon themselves to advocate for the cause of higher education in Washington state on Wednesday. … Another speaker at the event, Madeleine McKenna, last year’s University of Washington Student Body President, said that community colleges were an “integral part of the higher education equality system in our state.” Higher education spending in this state includes funding for six public universities, and 34 community colleges and technical schools. Madeleine McKenna, who is the daughter of Rob McKenna, the Washington Attorney General and Republican contender for governor in 2012, said that community colleges needed to be funded just as much as four-year universities.

Shoreline Patch, November 17, 2011

http://shoreline.patch.com/articles/shoreline-community-college-students-rally-against-education-cuts

 

Forecast: State revenue slides again

Washington is projected to bring in $122 million less in revenue in the next two years than previously expected, according to new figures released Thursday by the state’s top economist. The downward forecast was considered a minor adjustment to the last quarterly forecast in what has been grim budget news all around.

Seattle PI, November 17, 2011

http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2011/11/17/forecast-state-revenue-slides-again/

 

Foreign enrollment skyrockets for UW

The state's community colleges also do a brisk business internationally, and many recruit overseas to help sell the concept of a two-year school to foreign students.

"Community colleges are a mystery in other parts of the world, and it is my pleasant job to explain to them that getting into a very good state university is eminently possible" by starting out in a community college, said Ross Jennings, an associate vice president of international relations for Green River Community College. This fall, about 13 percent of Green River's enrollment is international. …  Tuition paid by international students allows Seattle Central Community College to offer more courses, opening up classes that otherwise wouldn't be available, said Andrea Insley, executive dean for international education programs for the Seattle Community College District. "As the state cuts and cuts, these are the kinds of things colleges need to be doing, or we would have to serve fewer local students," she said.  … On Tuesday, Xin Lu, the vice minister of education for China and the country's second-highest-ranking education official, will tour Lake Washington Institute of Technology. … Lin Zhou, associate dean of extended learning at Lake Washington, said the vice minister wants to learn how vocational training programs work with local industries to help guide the technical-college curriculum.

The Seattle Times, November 14, 2011

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2016769522_international15m.html

 

TRENDS| HORIZONS | EDUCATION

 

Editorial: Rise in foreign students at UW is a message to lawmakers

Continue on a path of disinvestment and college admissions become as much a statement about budgets as SAT scores. Gov. Chris Gregoire and lawmakers must grasp how cuts to institutions of higher education have come at a terrible cost to access and degree production for homegrown students.

The Seattle Times, November 16, 2011

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorials/2016783595_edit17uw.html

 

Faculty Myths About Trustees

Trustees are not the bean-counting "suits" that many professors think -- and colleges must reach more mutual understanding between the two groups, Steven C. Bahls argues.

Inside Higher Ed, November 15, 2011

http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2011/11/15/banishing-myths-about-college%E2%80%99s-board-and-administration

 

Editorial: Education will keep aerospace jobs aloft in Washington

Seattle Times, November 16, 2011

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorials/2016775004_edit16boeing.html

EDITORIAL: College students can’t take too many more financial hits

Among the cuts proposed by Gov. Chris Gregoire is another $166 million from higher education – the state’s college and university system. The budget reduction represents an additional 15 percent reduction to a category of state spending that has undergone multiple cuts during the last three years

The Olympian, November 15, 2011

http://www.theolympian.com/2011/11/15/1877382/college-students-cant-take-too.html

 

 

POLITICS | LOCAL, STATE, NATIONAL

 

Students oppose Pell Grant cuts

Students from the Minnesota State College Student Association (MSCSA) and the Minnesota State University Student Association (MSUSA) collected more than 4,000 signatures in opposition to the U.S. House of Representatives’ proposal to cut the Pell Grant Program by $4.2 billion.

Echo Press, November 14, 2011

http://www.echopress.com/event/article/id/89609/group/News/

 

Warnick looks ahead to sessions

In her position on the Higher Education Committee, Warnick said she's attended several "listening sessions" over the past few months to see what the state's universities, community colleges and trade schools are doing to "become meaner and leaner" in their practices. Last year the Legislature gave colleges more leeway to offset state cuts by raising tuition rates, but Warnick said 2012 still promises a tough road for higher education. She pointed to Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake, which recently declared a fiscal emergency to allow possible renegotiation of employee contracts. On the plus side, Warnick said there are more than 60,000 unfilled, skilled private sector jobs in Washington, positions she suggested could be filled via partnerships between colleges and companies. She again highlighted Big Bend, which has worked with local industries on training workers to use specialized equipment.

The Columbia Basin Herald, November 17, 2011

http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/news/article_ff45af10-1076-11e1-94f5-001cc4c03286.html

 

Rep. Kagi receives “Distinguished Service Award” from Shoreline Community College Foundation

State Rep. Ruth Kagi … was honored last week with the “Distinguished Service Award” by the Shoreline Community College Foundation.  The award was presented at the Foundation’s annual Student Success Campaign Community Breakfast, which helps raise money for student scholarships and emergency loans. Kagi, a member of the Foundation’s Board of Directors, is a longtime advocate of higher education access for all.

Shoreline Area News, November 12, 2011

http://www.shorelineareanews.com/2011/11/rep-kagi-receives-distinguished-service.html

 

New Policy Brief: Declining support for education threatens economic growth

Washington’s ability to create jobs and build a strong economy is closely linked to providing quality education and making it widely available. But progress is jeopardized by potential options that lawmakers will consider when they meet in special session later this month to respond to the ongoing revenue crisis.  Some key highlights of the brief:

-The average cost to attend college has risen 94 percent since 2007 at four-year institutions and has risen 54 percent at community and technical colleges. Current proposals would cut an additional 15 percent of state support from higher education.

-Over 20,000 eligible students were unable to receive financial aid in 2010 due to insufficient state resources. Financial aid for 70,000 students is on the line in the next round of budget decisions.

Schmudget, The Washington State Budget and Policy Center Blog, November 16, 2011

http://budgetandpolicy.org/schmudget/new-policy-brief-declining-support-for-education-threatens-economic-growth

 

David Frockt to fill Scott White's Senate seat

The Seattle Times, November 15, 2011

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2016769403_frockt15m.html

 


Compiled by the Washington State Board for Community & Technical Colleges

1300 Quince St SE | PO Box 42495 | Olympia, Washington 98504 | www.sbctc.edu 

 

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Sherry Nelson | communications and outreach associate

Washington State Board for Community & Technical Colleges
1300 Quince St SE · PO Box 42495 · Olympia WA 98504-2495
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