SBCTC NEWS LINKS | Articles about – and of interest to – Washington state community and technical colleges
SYSTEM NEWS | OPINIONS
YVCC to offer its first bachelor's degree program
Yakima Valley Community College will offer its first bachelor's degree program starting in the fall. Interested candidates who completed at least an associate degree can now apply for one of 20 full-time or 20 part-time spots in the Bachelor of Applied Science in Business Management program, a venture into more advanced degrees that YVCC officials spent more than a year to develop.
Yakima Valley Herald, April 1, 2014
Two Big Bend students honored by Lt. Gov. Brad Owens
Carson Heschle of Ephrata and Jessie Sumerau of Moses Lake were inducted to the All-Washington Academic Team during a reception in Olympia on March 27. The two friends from Big Bend Community College received their All Washington Team medals from Lt. Governor Brad Owen. Big Bend Community College's All Washington students are also nominated for the All-USA Community and Junior College Academic Team.
iFiber One News, March 31, 2014
Bellingham photographer Tore Ofteness honored for his aerial images
For his decades of quality aerial photography, Ofteness traveled to Las Vegas earlier this month to receive a lifetime achievement award from the Professional Aerial Photographers Association. … He has been working on the project for years, and still needs moon shots for January, March and June. Fortunately, he plans to keep shooting from the sky, even as pulls back from other obligations, such as teaching photography at Bellingham Technical College, where he recently retired after 24 years.
Bellingham Herald, March 31, 2014
College gets needed nursing program back on track
YAY: SPSCC NURSING South Puget Sound Community College has reinvented its nursing program and will start accepting applications starting tomorrow, April 1. It's no joke. The retooled program focuses on technology and a curriculum specifically designed for the state's new direct transfer program. SPSCC nursing grads can enter four-year schools as seniors and finish a bachelor's degree in three years. New Associate Dean of Nursing Laurie Choate predicts the school is determined to recover its state and national credentials. We have no doubt the school will achieve that goal. It's all good news for young people interested in health care jobs.
The Olympian, March 31, 2014
http://www.theolympian.com/2014/03/31/3062465/college-gets-needed-nursing-program.html?sp=/99/109/
Emotions strong at Yakima immigrant-rights rally
From the time she was 2, Kimberly Sotelo Ochoa was raised in Yakima, but today she's being held in a San Diego detention center operated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Her family's story — being separated by immigration status — is a common one in the Yakima Valley. Her family's pain equally so…. Eva Chavez, 27, is another such undocumented immigrant. She came to the United States in 2005, looking for a better life. She picked apples, cherries, peaches and other crops and eventually graduated with an associate's degree from Yakima Valley Community College. She's working on a business degree now at Central Washington University, while spending the rest of her time as a custodian. She donned her YVCC graduation cap Saturday during an impassioned speech.
Yakima Herald, March 30, 2014
Highline Community College students earn top honors at state awards
Highline Community College students Liliya Kruk and Klara Oh – both from Kent – have been named members of the All-Washington Academic Team for their scholastic achievement, community service and involvement on campus.
Kent Reporter, March 28, 2014
http://www.kentreporter.com/community/252934361.html
Tacoma Community College will offer new legal tech training
Tacoma Community College is one of four community colleges in Washington that will begin offering training for students interested in a new field known as limited license legal technicians. License training could begin as early as this spring, according to an announcement from the State Board for Community & Technical Colleges.
The News Tribune, March 27, 2014
http://www.thenewstribune.com/2014/03/27/3120466/tacoma-community-college-will.html?sp=/99/296/
Big Bend Community College's grant writer receives award
A grant writer and director of Title V grants at Big Bend Community College recently received a 2013 League for Innovation award this month. Within the last eight years, Terry Kinzel has authored 17 successful grant applications totaling in $17 million on behalf of Big Bend Community College. She was one out of 400 people nationwide to receive a John and Suanne Roueche Excellence Award.
iFiber One News, March 27, 2014
Two students named to state academic team
Ryan Dill and Jason Trammell of Peninsula College have been named to the 2014 All-Washington Academic Team. The distinction is given to students for scholastic achievement and service to their communities and colleges.
Peninsula Daily News, March 27, 2014
Bates Technical College's regional accreditation reaffirmed
Praising Bates Technical College for its "commitment to student success" and ensuring that graduates are "prepared for the workforce," the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) reaffirmed the college's accreditation last month. "The Commission applauds… students for their engagement and commitment to their programs of study and for recognizing partnerships in instructional methods that reflect realistic work environments," said NWCCU President Sandra Elman in the formal notification letter sent to Bates President Dr. Ron Langrell.
The Suburban Times, March 27, 2014
http://thesubtimes.com/2014/03/27/bates-technical-colleges-regional-accreditation-reaffirmed/
TRENDS| HORIZONS | EDUCATION
As Wash. extends financial aid to 'dreamers,' Congress should reconsider immigration reform
One of the few controversial measures to pass the Washington state Legislature with bipartisan support this past session is now in effect statewide. The REAL Hope Act is a shining example of how states can take small steps to reform immigration policy — with or without congressional action.
The Seattle Times, April 1, 2014
http://blogs.seattletimes.com/opinionnw/2014/04/01/as-wash-extends-financial-aid-to-dreamers-congress-should-reconsider-immigration-reform/
Back in Business
Arizona covers less than 1 percent of the budget for the Maricopa Community College District. The 10-college system, which enrolls 265,000 students, now receives an annual state contribution of $8 million. One upside to Arizona's near-complete disinvestment in its community colleges, Maricopa's leaders say, is that the years of budget cuts have forced the two-year system to get more entrepreneurial. They are particularly excited about the money-making potential of the new Maricopa Corporate College, which landed Marriott International as a client in its first year of existence. One reason for the college's early success, said Rufus Glasper, the district's chancellor, is that corporate CEOs have picked up on a shift at Maricopa.
Inside Higher Ed, April 1, 2014
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/04/01/community-colleges-go-big-corporate-college-consortium
Stopping a Shortcut to In-State Tuition
In a tit-for-tat with two companies that helped out-of-state students pay much lower in-state rates, the University of Colorado system changed its tuition policy. The change, made last fall, has put one of the two companies out of business and may be forcing a change in tactics by the second. Both companies, Tuition Specialists and In-State Angels, promised to help parents and students save thousands of dollars by getting in-state tuition for nonresident students.
Inside Higher Ed, April 1, 2014
Giving College a Welcoming Front Door
The sequence of steps that an incoming student must complete in order to enroll in courses at Harper College is known as our "new-student flow." Research suggests that the lack of structure in how community colleges first enroll students may cause barriers that confuse and overwhelm them.
The Chronicle of Higher Education, March 31, 2014
Does Mandatory Testing Improve College-Going Rates?
A new study by College Board researchers and published in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis finds that Maine saw an increase in college-going rates after requiring all high school students to take the SAT. Statewide, the requirement was linked in the study to a 2-3 percentage point increase in the college-going rate of those graduating from Maine high schools. Of those who based on various patters otherwise were found unlikely to have taken the SAT, about 10 percent who would not have gone to four-year institutions did so.
Inside Higher Ed, March 31, 2014
Scholarship program for women to double number of awards
A nonprofit group has greatly expanded the number of scholarships it will award this spring to women who don't meet the typical profile of a college student. Washington Women in Need is doubling the number of scholarships it offers, from about 44 yearly to 88. It will also offer some women a four-year scholarship, instead of a single grant.
The Seattle Times, March 31, 2014
Negotiators Clash Over Student Debit-Card Fees
College and consumer groups clashed over the U.S. Department of Education's plan to regulate campus debit cards at a rule-making session here on Thursday, with one side accusing the agency of limiting student choice and the other praising it for protecting consumer interests. At issue was a proposed rule that would make direct deposit the default for distributing student-aid refunds and would ban many of the fees associated with college-affiliated debit cards. Under the draft rule, released last week, colleges would have to request that students use their personal bank accounts for receiving refunds before suggesting a sponsored card. If they offered such a card, they would have to ensure that students did not incur any overdraft or ATM fees when accessing their aid.
The Chronicle of Higher Education, March 28, 2014
Ed Dept. Defends Loan Servicing
A top Education Department official on Thursday faced tough questions from several Senate Democrats over how the department oversees the companies it hires to manage the payments of student loan borrowers. Testifying before the U.S. Senate's education committee, James Runcie, the chief operating officer of the Federal Student Aid office, defended how the agency contracts with loan servicing companies. Some lawmakers and consumer advocates have said that the department does not do enough to make sure the companies are helping struggling borrowers.
Inside Higher Ed, March 28, 2014
Unsentimental Education
In my 15 years of college teaching—half of it at community colleges—my ideas about expanding the minds of my students have been tempered by the realities of my classroom. Many of them are single mothers who work full -time, or formerly incarcerated trying not to screw up their second chance, or traumatized vets, ex-Hasidim, new immigrants. Almost half of them (according to collegewide estimates) have household incomes under $20,000. Many native speakers of English write even worse than the ESL students. That they're here at all is an achievement. But they still have to do the work.
The Chronicle of Higher Education, March 27, 2014
Modern Rosie the Riveter a Path to Women's Higher Pay
DeMello, 32, is one of more than 375,000 apprentices in the U.S. according to the Department of Labor. Just 6 percent were women in 2012, a report in December from the Washington-based Center for American Progress showed. Increased participation of women in such training is one way for them to become more employable and earn higher wages, some advocates say. Women ages 16 and older comprise 53.6 percent of the U.S. labor force, yet in 2012 made up about 64 percent of minimum-wage workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Bloomberg, March 26, 2014
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-26/modern-rosie-the-riveter-a-path-to-women-s-higher-pay.html
Don't Write Off Community College to Start a Nursing Career
I agree that all nurses should have a BSN, eventually. There is a lot of evidence that it improves patient outcomes. But the two-year community college can be a great place to start—two years of reasonably priced education that gives you a solid base of skills and knowledge to practice while you continue to take courses toward a bachelor degree.
American Journal of Nursing: Off the Charts, March 26, 2014
http://ajnoffthecharts.com/2014/03/26/dont-write-off-community-college-to-start-a-nursing-career/
State funds STEM education program, asks local businesses to contribute
The Washington state Legislature has given businesses a way to put their money where their collective mouths are: You want more local talent for your companies? Help those kids pay for school. The Legislature gave the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship $25 million to provide scholarships to students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering or math, an area known as STEM. Those funds come from area businesses that stand to benefit from a well-STEM-educated work force. Microsoft and Boeing have each provided $25 million to the fund. The goal, according to the scholarship fund's website, is to raise $500 million in private funds, matched by state support, for a total of $1 billion by 2020.
Puget Sound Business Journal, March 26, 2014
POLITICS | LOCAL, STATE, NATIONAL
Student Debt and Federal Loan Policy Take Center Stage at Senate Hearing
Policy makers and higher-education officials used a Senate hearing on Thursday to discuss growing student-loan debt, making the federal student-loan programs easier for borrowers to navigate, and increasing college access for lower-income students.
The Chronicle of Higher Education, March 28, 2014
http://chronicle.com/article/Student-DebtFederal-Loan/145591/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
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