SBCTC NEWS LINKS | Articles about – and of interest to – Washington state community and technical colleges
SYSTEM NEWS | OPINIONS
Downshift your career to achieve a better work-life balance
Interview with Hannah Hardy and Fabienne Mouton, career specialists at Bellevue College.
Issaquah Press Lifestyles of the 50+, July 2012
http://issuu.com/issaquahpress/docs/lifetsyles50?mode=window&pageNumber=6
GRCC Foundation gets funding boost for financial awards, assistance for students
The Green River Community College Foundation recently received donations of more than $150,000 from College Spark and from the Auburn Rotary Club which translates into scholarships and other financial assistance for students.
Enumclaw Patch.com, July 23, 2012
http://enumclaw.patch.com/articles/grcc-foundation-gets-funding-boost-for-financial-awards-assistance-for-students
Editorial: We must find a way to make college education affordable
With college tuition rates increasing faster than inflation, it is no wonder that parents are pulling back on education spending, even though many private schools are offering discounts to attract students. The unfortunate result is that fewer young people in the 25- to 34-year-old age range now hold college degrees than before the recession began. Washington is one of 15 states to experience such a decline, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Education. … Sallie Mae says more students are living at home and there is a noticeable shift toward two-year colleges, such as South Puget Sound Community College, where student applications have exceed capacity for several years. … Most experts blame the recession, but state funding for higher education in Washington has been declining for a decade.
According to an Associated Press report, the state funded 80 percent of the cost to educate a student at one of the state’s four-year institutions. Now it covers only 30 percent. Students and their families have made up the difference through tuition increases.
The Olympian, July 24, 2012
http://www.theolympian.com/2012/07/24/2183537/we-must-find-a-way-to-make-college.html
Green River Community College awarded LEED Silver rating for new student building
Green River's Salish Hall has been awarded the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver rating by the US Green Building Council (USGBC). … “Green River has a long history of strong environmental values, beginning with the first college master plan in 1964,” said President Dr. Eileen Ely. “This is a significant achievement and we are proud of the work our designers, contractors and staff have put into the development of Salish Hall.”
Maple Valley Reporter, July 24, 2012
http://www.theolympian.com/2012/07/24/2183537/we-must-find-a-way-to-make-college.html
Eastside Filmmaker Crowd Funds Money for Short Film
Doug Stapleton, an alumnus of the Bellevue College advanced video production certificate program, hopes to raise $10,000 through crowd sourcing to produce a short thriller. … Stapleton, 40 a former Expedia sales executive and with years of experience in the software industry, decided to pursue filmmaking several years ago, attending Bellevue College to get his certificate in Advanced Video Production. He now has his own video production company, Photo Finish Films, which has done work on corporate films, music videos and other contract work. … His short movie "Deadline" is a thriller about a young businesswoman working late into the night trying to finish a last minute proposal, when she discovers that she is not alone in her building, according to Stapleton.
Bellevue Patch, July 25, 2012
http://bellevue.patch.com/articles/eastside-filmmaker-crowd-funds-money-for-short-film
Schrammie: [Everett Community] College banning chaw is so nanny-like
KOMO News, July 25, 2012
EvCC students transfer success / College's data points to its students doing better than their four-year-school cohorts
Recently released performance figures from Everett Community College show that students who have transferred from EvCC to most four-year public colleges in Washington do as well as or better than students who started at the same four-year school as freshmen. ... The figures come as no surprise to Everett Community College President David Beyer. “I attribute a lot of it to the quality of teaching that they receive here at Everett Community College,” Beyer said. “The faculty are very committed to student success and are focused on teaching and learning. This makes a significant difference in how students perform when they leave.”
The Herald, July 26, 2012
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20120726/SCBJ01/707269883/1005/BIZ
CBC [Columbia Basin College] students help build rescue sled for Water Follies Columbia Cup
Students at Columbia Basin College unveil a new rescue sled today to be used at this weekend's Columbia Cup. A group of about 30 students from the college's welding department spent the last year building the sled.
KNDU TV, July 26, 2012
http://www.kndu.com/category/189473/video-center?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=7549066
Dreams Open Doors: Renton History Museum exhibit captures voices of newest members of Renton
Thao Le was a graphic designer in his home country of Vietnam for 10 years before coming recently to the United States. … Now, as a student at Renton Technical College, he must learn English to gain entry to the industry here in the United States in order to pursue his dreams continuing in his profession in this country. Le’s dreams are one of the many captured in an exhibit at the Renton History Museum, featuring the voices of some of the newest members of the Renton community in a new exhibit called “Dreams Open Doors.” … It features the journey, hopes and aspirations of English as a Second Language (ESL) students from the technical college’s Basic Studies Department. “We’ve been focusing on transitioning students forward and so we’ve been trying to get ESL students to know about programs and what they can do with their lives after their English gets better,” said Liz Falconer, RTC Curriculum and Technology coordinator. “Dreams Open Doors” was a way to provoke communication across campus between ESL students, she said. “We have a lot of academic language for transitioning and pathways and things,” Falconer said. “But, to put that in a way that people could understand, that students could understand, we made this Dream Door.”
Renton Reporter, July 26, 2012
http://www.rentonreporter.com/community/163916366.html
Health Care: State will add 112,000 health jobs this decade: report
The state has been ramping up its training efforts for other health workers as well. Bellevue College, for example, has been expanding not only its nursing programs but also programs in such areas as nuclear imaging technology, ultrasound and radiation therapy. This fall it will launch a bachelor’s program in health information technology. Demand for these courses is high, said Kevin McCarthy, dean of the college’s Health Sciences, Education & Wellness Institute, with 210 applications for 72 slots in the nursing program, 130 applications for 20 slots in the ultrasound program, and 170 for the 32 slots in radiation technology. Expanding these programs will be difficult because of the lack of additional state funding and because of the difficulty of finding training spots in hospitals and clinics where students can get clinical experience, McCarthy said.
Puget Sound Business Journal, July 27, 2012
EdCC to offer 4 new associate degrees on the arts
Edmonds Community College offers four new Associate of Arts degrees in Visual Arts this fall — Graphic Design, Studio Art, Photography, and Architecture. “As opposed to a general Associate of Arts degree, these specialized planning sheets will make it easier for visual arts students to select classes to best prepare portfolios and applications to four-year art schools and programs across the country,” said Visual Arts Co-Chair Sarah Maki. “And they are recognized by financial aid, so students may still receive funding for taking the additional art courses listed within each degree.”
Mukilteo Beacon, July 27, 2012
TRENDS| HORIZONS | EDUCATION
Are schools becoming too obsessed with sci-tech?
Evergreen State College provost Michael Zimmerman wants to make clear that he has no problem with resources going toward science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM. “I’m a scientist by training. My Ph.D. is in biology. I spend a good portion of my time promoting science literacy,” Zimmerman said. But he worries that a heavy emphasis on STEM by policy-makers and funders – who often come from industry – is sapping resources from other disciplines.
KPLU, July 20, 2012
http://www.kplu.org/post/are-schools-becoming-too-obsessed-sci-tech
Celebs who went to community college
The Huffington Post, July 23, 2012
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/23/celebs-who-attended-community-college_n_1695991.html
$20K in-state tuition may not be far off in Washington
The Seattle Times, July 23, 2012
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2018752995_washtuition24m.html
Amazon? Confessions of a Community College Dean
I did not see this coming. Amazon.com is offering to pay up to $2,000 per year towards educational costs for its warehouse employees if they pursue Associate’s degrees in certain high-demand fields, including fields like aircraft mechanics that have no obvious value within the company.
Inside Higher Ed, July 23, 2012
http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/confessions-community-college-dean/amazon
Forks in the Road
Large numbers of students transfer to community colleges from four-year institutions, study finds. While most never return, the "reverse transfer" path can work for students.
Inside Higher Ed, July 24, 2012
Financial Aid's Future
A panel of aid directors and experts predicts a bleak future for federal student assistance in the next decade.
Inside Higher Ed, July 24, 2012
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/07/24/predicting-decade-ahead-financial-aid
Graduate First, Transfer Later
Western Governors U. pushes graduation even before students enroll by offering financial perks for associate degree holders and, at WGU Texas, through partnerships with community colleges.
Inside Higher Ed, July 24, 2012
The Online Student
Survey shows that totally online programs are attracting primarily women, white people and fully employed workers with good salaries -- many of whom want degrees in business.
Inside Higher Ed, July 25, 2012
What Does the "Twilight of the Elites" Mean to Elite Higher Ed?
My wife and I were both born in 1969. Here is a short list of debacles, missteps, and failures that we've witnessed in our time on the planet: stagflation, the energy crisis (gas lines), the tech bubble, the 2nd Iraq war, the housing bubble, and the great recession (and you can add to this list). Another way we could describe the past 40 or so years, if feeling negative, could be: rising inequality, stagnant real wages, rapid increases in health care and education costs, growth in structural unemployment/underemployment, and political polarization and ineffectiveness in the face of these challenges
Inside Higher Ed, July 25, 2012
Colleges Expand Services for Veterans, but Lag in Educating Faculty on Veterans' Needs
The Chronicle of Higher Education, July 25, 2012
http://chronicle.com/article/Veterans-Lounge-Check/133161/
COLUMN: Don’t beg, demand colleges use aid ‘shopping sheet’
The Herald, July 26, 2012
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20120726/BIZ/707269949
Short-Term Focus, Long-Term Problems: A Survey of Business Officers
In Inside Higher Ed's second survey of business officers, administrators continue to give a rosy assessment of the health and viability of their institutions. Other findings point to a more privatized and market-oriented approach for public institutions
Inside Higher Ed, July 27, 2012
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/survey/business_officer_2012
Moody's Gives Higher Education a Bleak Outlook
The agency says public colleges and universities will have to shift toward a more market-driven approach rather than continuing to act as state agencies, "which means accelerating the pace of tuition increases or enrolling a higher percentage of out-of-state students, and adjusting their operating models to allow for surpluses that can be carried over as cash reserves." The conflict between that model and public pressure to continue to act as low-cost institutions with a public mission of accessibility is likely to lead to more conflicts between boards, administrators, and faculty members similar to what transpired at the University of Virginia last month.
Inside Higher Ed, July 27, 2012
http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2012/07/27/moodys-gives-higher-education-bleak-outlook
Tuition only half of students’ cost
Talk about rising college costs has centered on double-digit tuition increases, but tuition is only one part of the sticker shock awaiting students at Washington’s four-year colleges and universities.
News Tribune, July 27, 2012
http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/07/27/2229357/tuition-only-half-of-students.html
Ask the Administrator: My Students Changed! Now What?
Q. I have half high-schoolers (mostly 16 or 17) and half non-native English speakers. … How much do instructors have to adapt their courses and their styles to the needs of the students? … A. If you decide to take this as a challenge, you could make yourself a much better teacher across the board. (Alternately, you could adopt the crotchety/bitter “students used to be better” pose.) Your job has changed. Instead of simply presenting material, you have to figure out how to prioritize it, frame it, and figure out whether/how much the students have absorbed it. And you can’t necessarily rely on the high schools to have done what you consider groundwork.
Inside Higher Ed, July 27, 2012
Compiled by the Washington State Board for Community & Technical Colleges
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