SBCTC NEWS LINKS | Articles about – and of interest to – Washington state community and technical colleges
SYSTEM NEWS | OPINIONS
Economic forecast: Lewis County
For Lewis County, the mostly forested, 2,436-square-mile region between Mt. Rainier and the Columbia River, economic development will be doing just fine in 2013. The key piece of the picture is Centralia Station, a 52-acre mixed-use site deal inked last year, which will meld business growth with the region’s railroad-based history. A combined effort between the Port of Centralia, Centralia College, and the EDC, the space will include a 870,000-square-foot site for retail, warehouse, educational and medical facilities, coupled with 10 acres of sports fields and a regional stormwater center.
Business Examiner, January 2013
http://www.businessexaminer.com/January-2013/Economic-Forecast-Lewis-County/
Columbia Basin College sees jump in student numbers
Enrollment is up at Columbia Basin College as students begin the winter quarter, though college officials aren't entirely sure why. CBC had 5,228 full-time equivalent students on the first day of winter classes this week. That's 200 more than were seen on the first day of classes in September. Walla Walla Community College enrollment also is up so far for winter quarter but it's unclear if it will surpass student counts from the fall as classes haven't started yet. “We are a rural agricultural community," said Doug Sly, spokesman for Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake. "When you have that, you have higher enrollment (in the winter) because the ground is frozen." Linda Kaminski, president of Yakima Valley Community College, said that doesn't explain the trend at her school. She said winter quarter enrollment always exceeds the previous fall's enrollment.
Tri-City Herald, January 6, 2013
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2013/01/06/2226784/cbc-sees-jump-in-student-numbers.html
Gregoire actively involved in Valley
Gov. Gregoire won praise from the president of Yakima Valley Community College, which received more than $50 million for new construction and renovations of existing buildings during the governor’s tenure. “It’s been a sea change for us,” President Linda Kaminski said. “We went from the old Glenn and Anthon halls, where students had to wear gloves to take tests to state-of-the-art labs and facilities.” That has helped the college prepare students for technology-intensive jobs. Gregoire recognized that the state’s community college system is important to the economy, and protected it from even worse budget cuts, Kaminski said.
Yakima Herald, January 7, 2013
http://www.yakimaherald.com/news/698501-8/gregoire-actively-involved-in-valley
TRENDS| HORIZONS | ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT | EDUCATION
Kids find path to college with Rainier Scholars
Every summer, five dozen mostly low-income students of color from Seattle Public Schools begin an intensive academic program designed to get them ready for college. In Rainier Scholars, middle-schoolers commit to eight-hour school days in the summer and then after-school and weekend classes during the school year. Most of these students would be the first in their families to graduate from college.
KUOW, January 7, 2013
http://www.kuow.org/post/kids-find-path-college-rainier-scholars
Fewer incoming college students need remediation, research shows
New research out from the National Center for Education Statistics sheds light on incoming college students who are taking remedial or developmental classes and how the landscape has changed in the past decade. The percentage of freshman who had to take remedial classes upon entering college dropped from 1999-2000 to 2007-2008 from 26.3 percent to 20.4 percent.
Education Week, January 4, 2013
Baby steps for need-based aid
The fledgling campaign by some private college presidents to persuade their peers to wean their institutions from financial aid awarded without regard to students’ financial need has not exactly caught fire.
Inside Higher Ed, January 7, 2013
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/01/07/private-college-presidents-push-campaign-limit-use-non-need-based-aid#ixzz2HJ7C43Ek
The Chronicle of Higher Education, January 6, 2013
http://chronicle.com/article/Private-College-Presidents/136509/
The real college crisis isn’t high costs, it’s low information
We're pushing up against a cost crisis in higher education, where the escalating price of college isn't reflected in similarly escalating income gains for graduates. But the price of not attending college has doubled in the last 30 years. That suggests that the fundamental crisis in college is not costs but, well, advertising --better information in the hands of undecided customers. The challenge is getting that information to families and teenagers who don't know it, yet.
The Atlantic, January 3, 2013
In defense of equal tuition for all majors
Should English and history majors be forced to pay higher tuition than engineering students do? Yes, according to a recently released draft report from a Florida task force on higher education. The report recommends a tuition structure that would favor students majoring in "strategic" areas, including security and emergency services, globalization, and science, technology, engineering, and math (the so-called STEM fields).
The Chronicle of Higher Education, January 7, 2013
http://chronicle.com/article/In-Defense-of-Equal-Tuition/136475/
Veterans’ graduation rates are focus of new partnership
The graduation rates of veterans attending colleges under the GI Bill will soon become available to the public, thanks to a new collaboration between the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the National Student Clearinghouse, and a leading advocacy group for student veterans.
The Chronicle of Higher Education, January 5, 2013
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POLITICS | LOCAL, STATE, NATIONAL
STATE
Legislature, Inslee face financial and political dilemmas
Washington faces a complicated budget shortfall for 2013-2015 — the bulk due to the need to fix the state's education funding woes. Higher education lurks as another costly problem — tuitions are climbing and Washington students are being shut out from state colleges. Meanwhile, Rep. Larry Seaquist, D-Gig Harbor and chairman of the House's Higher Education committee, is working on an estimate of what the state needs extra to fix higher education. An actual figure won't be ready until mid-January, but Seaquist speculated it could be around $625 million.
Crosscut, January 7, 2013
Broad, public discussion needed for state colleges
Our state's university presidents don't like the looks of Gov. Chris Gregoire's plan for higher education. Gregoire's proposal to leave tuition flat over the next two years will sound to many families like a much-needed departure from the double-digit tuition increases during the past four years. The strategy of using tuition increases to make up for fewer state dollars for our colleges and universities during the ongoing budget crisis has about run its course.
Tri-City Herald, January 6, 2013
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2013/01/06/2227028/broad-public-discussion-needed.html#storylink=cpy
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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
