SBCTC NEWS LINKS | Articles about – and of interest to – Washington state community and technical colleges
SYSTEM NEWS | OPINIONS
Government delivers on job training
Moving the meaningful use of health IT forward has called for an increase in the workforce to provide doctors and hospitals with help establishing their EHRs.
To meet that need, the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) established a consortium of 82 community colleges, designed to offer six-month training courses for as many as 10,500 students each year. Bellevue College had a goal of enrolling 2,400 students. It enrolled 3,520. More than 2,100 students graduated and 1,415 were placed in jobs.
Healthcare IT News, November 3, 2012
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/government-delivers-job-training-0?page=0
Rap legend Chuck D to speak at Bellevue College for MLK Day celebration
Chuck D, author, producer, activist and the leader of legendary rap group Public Enemy, will be one of the speakers at Bellevue College's MLK Day celebration on Jan. 17. He frequently counters the negative views associated with rap music, and is politically active, having testified before Congress.
Bellevue Patch, January 3, 2013
Clark College plans new science and technology building
Clark College has filed plans with Vancouver city officials for a new building to attract students who are interested in science and technology. If, as expected, the college lands funding from the Washington Legislature, it plans to invest $38 million in a science, technology and engineering building to open in 2015.
The Oregonian, January 4, 2013
http://www.oregonlive.com/clark-county/index.ssf/2013/01/clark_college_plans_new_scienc.html
RecycleMania comes to Edmonds Community College
Edmonds Community College will participate in a nationwide competition aimed at reducing waste and increasing recycling on college campuses. Edmonds CC is the only community college in the state competing. Students will lead the effort. In 2011, Edmonds CC students assessed themselves a new sustainability fee of $.50 per credit to help fund practices on campus such as using compostable materials (instead of Styrofoam) for campus food services.
Edmonds Beacon, January 3, 2013
http://edmondsbeacon.villagesoup.com/p/recyclemania-comes-to-edmonds-community-college/943932
Lake Washington Institute of Technology receives grant to serve adult English learners
Lake Washington Institute of Technology (LWIT) will receive $136,282 through a State Board for Community and Technical Colleges grant supported by funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. One of 10 state community and technical colleges receiving the overall $3.5 million grant, LWIT will use the funds to develop open source curriculum for students in low-level English courses designed to accelerate their education toward a degree
Kirkland Reporter, January 2, 2013
http://www.kirklandreporter.com/community/185478061.html
Casino employees complete Tribal Gaming Management
Port Madison Enterprises (PME) recently honored nine new graduates of the Tribal Enterprise Gaming Certificate program in a ceremony held at the Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort. The program, developed by PME in partnership with Olympic College, was launched in 2009 to provide Clearwater Casino employees with a comprehensive overview of tribal gaming operations and hone the skills necessary for career growth.
Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal, January 3, 2013
http://kpbj.com/headlines/2013-01-03/casino_employees_complete_tribal_gaming_management
Welcome to the science dome
In late 2012, Pierce College installed a 38-foot dome-shaped screen in a classroom at its Fort Steilacoom campus in Lakewood, effectively turning said classroom into something between a planetarium and a mini-Omnimax theater. They have dubbed this screen the Science Dome.
Weekly Volcano, January 3, 2013
Food bank provides meal, educational opportunity
For Morgan Matthai, Oak Harbor’s food bank has provided more than her meals. The North Whidbey Help House, located on Dock Street near downtown Oak Harbor, has provided her with food for her meals along with the ingredients she uses for the culinary arts program at Skagit Valley College.
Whidbey News Times, December 19, 2012
http://www.skagit.edu/imageuploads/file3378.png
TRENDS| HORIZONS | ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT | EDUCATION
Over time, less remedial coursework
Some of the public agitation currently sweeping state legislatures and public policy circles over remedial education is driven by the impression that more and more underprepared students are pouring into higher education, and then lingering too long in unsuccessful remedial programs. New data from the U.S. Education Department raise some doubt about the first of those two hypotheses.
Inside Higher Ed, January 4, 2013
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/01/04/study-shows-decadelong-dip-remedial-coursetaking#ixzz2H1zpXeep
Opinion: a tuition-squeeze remedy
The kerfuffle over higher-ed tuition is a necessary distraction. The pick-your-poison alternatives of pricing out middle-class Washingtonians or sandbagging program quality are both untenable. Balance is elusive, transcending the student bootstrapping her way through college and the university pasha nervously eying layoffs. The paradox of Washington's public universities is the dual mission of serving as a research powerhouse a la Stanford or Harvard while attracting brainy but often low-income students from Monroe to Marysville.
The Everett Herald, January 3, 2013
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20130103/OPINION01/701039961/-1/OPINION
Transfer later or go straight to a university?
Go to a community college to save money. Go to a four-year university to meet more people and have all that college fun you’ve heard so much about. If you’re plotting your future, these options are probably swirling in your head. Should you go to a community college and transfer later or head straight to a four-year school? Attending a community college before transferring to a four-year school could offer some good benefits — one being cost.
USA Today, January 2, 2013
College education is expected to remain a high priority for states
A slow-growing economy, political polarization, and the drive to significantly increase the number of college graduates are the factors that will keep higher education in the forefront of this year's state legislative sessions.
The Chronicle of Higher Education, January 3, 2013
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Conditionally yours
American colleges seeking to increase their international student enrollments are offering more flexible admission policies than ever before. An increasing number of institutions offer conditional admission programs for students whose English proficiency test scores fall short of minimum cutoffs, and at many colleges the terms of these programs are changing.
Inside Higher Ed, January 3, 2013
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/01/03/conditional-admission-and-pathway-programs-proliferate#ixzz2Gvp6Body
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
In vino veritas: craft spirits a new opportunity for Washington
Over the past five years, there has been an increase in craft distilleries across our state. In late 2012, there are 56 craft distilleries and 12 more applications pending through the Washington State Liquor Control Board. A variety of craft spirits are being produced at these distilleries, but the most popular are vodka, gin, brandy and whiskey. With a vast brewing and wine making culture, and now supplemented with a growing distilling scene, all the ingredients are in the pot for a bright future of alcohol in Washington.
Yakima Herald, January 2, 2013
POLITICS | LOCAL, STATE, NATIONAL
NATIONAL
American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC) extended in ‘fiscal cliff’ plan
The “fiscal cliff” legislation passed this week by Congress includes some good news for community colleges, including an extension of tax credits that benefit two-year college students. The American Taxpayers Relief Act (H.R. 8) extends for five years the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC)… that helps students attending low-tuition institutions cover expenses such as books and course materials, in addition to tuition.
Community College Times, January 2, 2013
http://www.communitycollegetimes.com/Pages/Government/AOTC-extended-in-fiscal-cliff-plan.aspx
Starting over: Washington’s newcomers go to work in Congress
After learning that he would rank 382nd in seniority in the new U.S. House of Representatives, Democratic Rep. Denny Heck of Olympia did a quick calculation to figure out where he stands as a rookie on Capitol Hill.
The News Tribune, January 3, 2013
http://www.thenewstribune.com/2013/01/03/2422905/starting-over-washington-states.html#storylink=cpy
STATE
Gov.-elect Inslee hires longtime political reporter, former Ecology head
Gov.-elect Jay Inslee announced three senior staff hires Thursday afternoon. Ted Sturdevant, who has led the state Department of Ecology for the past three years, will serve as Inslee’s executive director for legislative affairs and policy, according to a news release. David Postman, a longtime state political reporter, will be the office’s executive director of communications. And Joby Shimomura, who managed Inslee’s campaign and was the chief of staff of his congressional office, will be a senior adviser.
The Seattle Times, January 3, 2013
New 7th district senator selected
A Colville-area farmer and businessman was named on Thursday to succeed retiring GOP state Sen. Bob Morton, who served 22 years from Washington’s 7th Legislative District. John Smith, a Republican, won 13 out of 15 votes from county commissioners, who gathered in Colville on Thursday to make the appointment for the two years remaining on Morton’s term in the Senate.
The Spokesman-Review, January 4, 2013
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2013/jan/04/new-7th-district-senator-selected/?print-friendly
FRIDAY LITE
Why some Facebook users constantly update their status
Scientists have found what compels people to constantly update their Facebook status. College students who posted more status updates than they normally did felt less lonely over the course of a week, even if no one "Liked" or commented on their posts, researchers found.
NBC News, January 4, 2013
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Alison Grazzini Smith | Legislative & Communications Associate
Washington State Board for Community & Technical Colleges
1300 Quince St SE, Olympia WA 98504
p: 360-704-4394 | e: agsmith@sbctc.edu | www.sbctc.edu
