SBCTC NEWS LINKS | Articles about – and of interest to – Washington state community and technical colleges
SYSTEM NEWS | OPINIONS
Pierce College Faculty Honors Chemistry Professor
Pierce College Chemistry Professor Ted Wood admits he hated high school chemistry. … “I present chemistry as a privilege we have to be able to understand how things behave,” Wood said. “Chemistry is so much fun and so informative.” Wood’s commitment to teaching excellence is one of the hallmarks that makes him this year’s winner of the Pierce College Distinguished Faculty award. Pierce College faculty and the Pierce College Federation of Teachers recently presented Wood with the honor, said John Lucas, a political science instructor and the federation’s vice president. … [Student] Phil Munoz is impressed with Wood’s zeal for chemistry, mixed in with his penchant for cracking jokes. Munoz, who earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Washington, is taking pre-med classes at Pierce College. “Ted is the best teacher I’ve ever had,” Munoz said. “He’s super-passionate. His passion rubs off on the students.”
Puyallup Patch, March 4, 2013
http://puyallup.patch.com/announcements/pierce-college-faculty-honor-chemistry-professor
Pasco teen putting her voice to the test
Vanessa Vega might be a soft-spoken honor student at Chiawana High School in Pasco, but she has a big voice. Vanessa says as much as she loves to sing, it's more important that she gets her education first. "Education is my first priority so my grades are important to me," said the high school junior. "Right now I'm a full-time Running Start student at CBC [Columbia Basin College], and I also work there."
Tri-City Herald, March 9, 2013
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2013/03/09/2913577/pasco-teen-putting-her-voice-to.html
Columbia Basin College names All-USA Academic All Stars
Tri-City Herald, March 9, 2013
http://www.thenewstribune.com/2013/03/09/2505808/columbia-basin-college-names-all.html
Students seek debt-free path to higher education
It takes a little pluck and some ingenuity, but it’s possible to work the Washington state college system to shave thousands off the cost of a degree or boost a career without drowning in debt. So say recent and soon-to-be college grads who have used new state programs, or taken full advance of existing ones, to finish their college careers. … Can technical training from a community college earn you a higher wage than a bachelor’s degree? Absolutely. Two years ago, Heather Shute swapped her keyboard for a mechanic’s hand tools and began working on a license in aircraft maintenance at South Seattle Community College.
… Angie Weiss knocked a year off the cost of going to college by taking advantage of a program that’s nearly free and is widely available, but seldom used to its full potential.
She enrolled in Running Start, a 23-year-old state program that allows high-school students to earn both high-school and college credit by taking classes at state community colleges.
… Elaine Melnik used a dual-credit strategy to get a jump-start on college. She spent her junior and senior years of high school at the public Lake Washington Institute of Technology in Kirkland, in a free program similar to Running Start that allowed her to graduate at 18 with both her high-school diploma and an associate degree.
… Daron Vchulek was in his 40s, working in radiation technology, when he went back to school to get a bachelor’s degree — at a community college. In 2007, Bellevue College was one of a handful of community colleges in the state that began offering bachelor’s degrees in specific fields, called applied bachelor’s degrees.
… About 40 percent of bachelor’s degree graduates in Washington start their college careers at a community or technical college, where tuition and fees are about a third the cost of tuition at the UW. Sadia Anees is one of them. The Lake Washington High School graduate was accepted to several four-year schools, but Bellevue College was a relative bargain.
Yakima Herald-Republic, March 9, 2013
http://www.yakimaherald.com/news/lateststatenews/870630-8/students-seek-debt-free-path-to-higher-education
Tahoma School District, mapping, and zoning changes main topics at Greater Maple Valley Area Council meeting
… Superintendent Mike Maryanski discussed plans for potential school sites to alleviate its ongoing capacity shortage. … .Despite not reaching agreement with King County to purchase land in the Donut Hole, the district is moving ahead with plans to design a regional learning center that would include a new high school. The plan would involve collaboration with Renton Technical College, Green River Community College, and private business and industry to offer students a more abundant choice of learning opportunities. It would serve both students and the greater Maple Valley community by offering college learning opportunities locally.
Maple Valley Reporter, March 11, 2013
http://www.maplevalleyreporter.com/news/197194901.html
Opinion: Community colleges help students fulfill dreams
In the 45 years since its establishment in 1967, Walla Walla Community College has helped citizens of the Walla Walla Valley and beyond achieve Jefferson’s vision of education. Over the years myriads of students have come to WWCC with hopes and dreams to develop scholarship, skills, and earn credentials that would allow them a better future; a better life for themselves and for their families. Students like Cynthia, who had been homeschooled for her entire elementary and high school educational experience. She came to WWCC not knowing that with her passion to learn she would maintain a nearly 100 percent average in all four calculus courses she took at Walla Walla Community College. She transferred to Emory University to complete her bachelor’s, and then on to the New School in New York to earn her master’s and Ph.D. in philosophy. She now lives in Olympia, working as a leader in one of the state departments. … Thousands of students, unaware of their talents and untried, yet hopeful and seeking to gain knowledge, certificates and degrees have found their pathway to educational attainment at WWCC. Educational opportunities include academic transfer courses as well as a number of magnet work force programs, such as nursing, fire science, medical assistant, enology and viticulture, wind energy and water ecology.
Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, March 10, 2013
http://union-bulletin.com/news/2013/mar/09/community-colleges-help-students-fulfill-dreams/
28-year-old Clark freshman is mom, model and basketball player
Basketball season is over now for the Clark College women's team. The Penguins just finished a successful season with a sixth-place finish at the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges tournament. Tanya Martin was a key contributor to the squad, averaging 25 minutes and 4.8 points a game as a 28-year-old freshman. … She is a mom and a wife. She holds a full-time job and is a full-time student. She is the legal guardian to her nephew. As one of her passions, she coaches her 9-year-old daughter's basketball team. As one of her hobbies, she models sports fashion gear for Nike and other well-known brands.
The Columbian, March 10, 2013
http://www.columbian.com/news/2013/mar/10/28-year-old-clark-freshman-is-mom-model-and-athlet/
Health and bioscience high school will offer students state's first simulation pharmacy
When Evergreen Public Schools' Henrietta Lacks Health and Bioscience High School opens in the fall, it will house the state's first high school students exploring pharmacy careers in a simulation pharmacy. The program was made possible by a $50,000 state grant and the involvement of a cadre of leaders in Clark County's pharmacy community, including directors of pharmacy education programs at Clark College and PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center and pharmacists working in the field. The committee discussed equipment and types of settings that could be simulated to give students a feel for real jobs in the field. The high-demand grant from the state's Office of Superintendent for Public Instruction is being used to develop instructional framework for a model pharmacy program that may be replicated by high schools throughout the state.
The Columbian, March 11, 2013
http://www.columbian.com/news/2013/mar/11/henrietta-lacks-high-school-simulation-pharmacy/
Everett Community College clinic exposes students to public health nursing
When the Providence Everett Healthcare Clinic re-opens in June after moving across the street from its current strip-mall site, it will be a public healthcare clinic on a community college campus. It also will share space in the new health sciences building at Everett Community College, where eventually the college’s RN students can experience community health clinical rotations
Nurse.com, March 11, 2013
http://news.nurse.com/article/20130311/CA01/103110022
TRENDS| HORIZONS | EDUCATION
How Washington Could Make College Tuition Free (Without Spending a Penny More on Education)
The Atlantic, March 8, 2013
How colleges can pacify the job obsession
In March 2011, the National Governors Association issued a study titled “Degrees for What Jobs?” and proposing “a new vision for higher education that is built on increased focus on the talent and skill needs of key industries in their states.” The study hailed Democrat Chris Gregoire, who was governor of Washington from 2005 to 2013, as a pioneer in the effort. Among the report’s recommendations was the inclusion of business leaders in the design of college curricula. …. Governors also hear from leaders in industry, research and technology who complain that they have empty slots but can’t find qualified people because colleges aren’t teaching them the skills they require. Both sides are right. Yes, workforce preparation is foremost, but everyone acknowledges other purposes for college, goals fulfilled by the liberal arts. Full U.S. citizenship requires familiarity with the founding documents and the ideological battles of the 20th century.
Yakima Herald (Bloomberg News), March 10, 2013
http://www.yakimaherald.com/opinion/latestoped/910090-14/how-colleges-can-pacify-the-job-obsession
The Second-Chance Club
For students in remedial English at one community college, life hinges on small moments, and breaking points come at every turn.
The Chronicle of Higher Education, March 11, 2013
http://chronicle.com/article/The-Second-Chance-Club/137817
How to Shop for College
The government's new online scorecard can help families cut through some of the cost confusion.
The New York Times, March 11, 2013
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/11/opinion/how-to-shop-for-college.html
'Dangerous New Normal In College Debt'
A couple of days ago, New York Times Columnist Charles Blow wrote of how big debt is the "dangerous new normal" for young graduates.
Inside Higher Ed, March 11, 2013
http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/law-policy-and-it/dangerous-new-normal-college-debt
POLITICS | LOCAL, STATE, NATIONAL
House OKs wine tasting bill for under 21 students
Kitsap Sun, March 9, 2013
EDITORIAL: Winemaking students need to get taste of profession
Yakima Herald, March 8, 2013
Compiled by the Washington State Board for Community & Technical Colleges
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