SBCTC NEWS LINKS | Articles about – and of interest to – Washington state community and technical colleges
SYSTEM NEWS | OPINIONS
Whatcom Community College exemplifies community-based higher education
During April the nation celebrates Community College Month, and there is much to celebrate. In their brief presence (most are less than 50 years old), community colleges have become an important segment of American higher education and have provided their communities valuable, indeed critical, resources. For the past several years, nearly half the students graduating from universities nationwide began their studies at community and technical colleges such as Whatcom Community College in Bellingham.
The Bellingham Herald, April 15, 2014
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2014/04/15/3588750/whatcom-community-college-exemplifies.html
BTC, WCC students honored
Bellingham Technical College and Whatcom Community College honored two of the colleges' students who were nominees for the 2014 Transforming Lives Awards from the Trustees Association of Community and Technical Colleges. The awards recognize students who have overcome significant barriers to achieve their higher education goals, according to a press release. Here's what the colleges had to say about the students:
Bellingham Herald, April 14, 2014
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2014/04/14/3584877/whatcom-county-businesses-organizations.html
SCC students offer floral wonderland in first of area flower and garden events
The students in Spokane Community College’s horticulture program must have dropped down a rabbit hole on this one. Who would think of creating a giant caterpillar out of Brussels sprouts?
The Spokesman Review, April 12, 2014
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2014/apr/12/scc-students-offer-floral-wonderland-in-first-of/
LaRue: Rising chef trucks her way to Yellowstone kitchen
It wasn’t a midlife crisis that pushed Diane Cooper toward a career change; it was a patch of ice in Iowa. … That was Bates Technical College in Tacoma, where two chefs teach students all aspects of running a kitchen, from running a deli counter to plating fine cuisine.
The News Tribune, April 12, 2014
http://www.thenewstribune.com/2014/04/12/3145684/rising-chef-trucks-her-way-to.html?sp=/99/1683/492/
Richland event aims to help veterans get back to work
Ken Curtis of Richland was left to figure out his military education benefits by "trial and error" after he left the Air Force. Curtis, 38, a senior at Washington State University Tri-Cities, previously attended Walla Walla Community College, spending much of his time making sure he received G.I. Bill benefits.
Tri City Herald, April 11, 2014
Learning car tech specs
Grissom, 32, of Longview says he's always had an aptitude for working on vehicles and was considering the automotive technician program at Universal Technical Institute in Sacramento, Calif., when he heard about the revamped, more rigorous Toyota Technician Training and Education Network (T-TEN) program at Clark College in Vancouver.
The Columbian, April 10, 2014
http://www.columbian.com/news/2014/apr/10/learning-car-tech-specs/
TRENDS| HORIZONS | EDUCATION
More help navigating the college-application obstacle course
Washington’s dismal rate of low-income students enrolling in four-year schools — a stunningly low 18 percent — surprised some who read our Sunday story about college guidance and the lack of help available to many students. School counselors, it turns out, are not trained in this increasingly complex arena, which could be a major reason behind the low numbers nationally.
The Seattle Times, April 15, 2014
http://blogs.seattletimes.com/educationlab/2014/04/15/college-application-and-gudiance-help/
Proactive on Prior Learning
Florida International University is in the early stages of creating a pilot for prior learning assessment, which could be used to determine if students have learned enough from an outside course -- whether of the high school, online or massive open online variety -- to qualify for credit. The experiment will begin in in the university's introduction to psychology course, and if the intended spring 2015 pilot is a success, the model may expand to other disciplines, said Kristin Nichols-Lopez, associate chair of the department.
Inside Higher Ed, April 15, 2014
Automatic Income-Based Repayment?
There is relatively broad consensus among policy makers and advocates in Washington that income-based repayment is, in most cases, a useful tool for helping borrowers manage their monthly student loan payments. But should the federal government automatically enroll borrowers in the program as they leave school? That’s a debate that is increasingly playing out among higher education researchers, advocates and policy makers as Congress moves toward reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.
Inside Higher Ed, April 15, 2014
Shift in Scrutiny of Loan Servicers
The U.S. Department of Education is planning to change how it evaluates the companies that manage the loan payments of the more than 26 million borrowers of federal direct student loans.
Inside Higher Ed, April 15, 2014
America's (quality) jobs creator: Community colleges
Some Massachusetts Institute of Technology MBA students were blown away by the stories they recently heard from graduates of a local community college … These stories are not just nice anecdotes. They signal a critical path forward in addressing the jobs and skills, challenges and opportunities facing young people across the country today. While some of the directions that define this path have been well-documented, the actual route taken by four critical policy drivers -- government, business, education, and labor -- has been inadequate, uncoordinated, or both. Neither America's young people nor its economy can any longer afford such failure.
CNN Money, April 14, 2014
http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2014/04/14/americas-quality-jobs-creator-community-colleges/
New report will measure a degree’s earnings potential
A state agency has gotten money from the Legislature to measure the earnings potential of various degrees, apprenticeships and certificates. The information, when it becomes available later this year, should help students by pinpointing programs whose graduates are making good money and have a high rate of employment.
The Seattle Times, April 14, 2014
From slipping through the cracks to the college track
Between crisis management and clerical duties, school counselors — once the conduit to college — have little time to help students navigate a complex maze of higher-education requirements. The fix? Look beyond the schoolhouse.
The Seattle Times, April 12, 2014
http://seattletimes.com/html/education/2023364576_edlabguidancecounselorsxml.html
Rural Students Less Likely to Attend Four-year, Private, or Selective Colleges
Students in rural counties are less likely to attend college, and those who do are less likely to choose a four-year, private, or highly selective institution, according to a recent report.
Education Week, April 11, 2014
Registering Toward Completion
Cleveland State University’s new strategy to get students to degree completion faster is a pretty simple idea that’s surprisingly uncommon: students are allowed (and encouraged) to register for an entire year’s worth of courses before the fall semester.
In this first year that Cleveland State offered the option, 60 percent of students used it. Officials expect that figure will climb to 80 percent next year, as they continue to advertise and sell the idea as a potentially money-saving tool.
Inside Higher Ed, April 11, 2014
Editorial: State delivers on big-bucks scholarship program
The state’s two biggest companies took a gamble on Washington a few years back, and at long last the state has finally paid off.
The Seattle Times, April 10, 2014
Push to Reform Remedial Education Raises Difficult Questions for Colleges
As the pressure on community colleges to accelerate or even eliminate remedial-education requirements intensifies, vexing questions are being asked about the impact such a shift could have on low-income and minority students.
The Chronicle of Higher Education, April 8, 2014
http://chronicle.com/article/Push-to-Reform-Remedial/145817/?cid=cc&utm_source=cc&utm_medium=en
POLITICS | LOCAL, STATE, NATIONAL
Lawmakers want court to acknowledge failed education efforts
After meeting Monday with attorneys, state lawmakers say they’ll convene again April 29 to finalize the Legislature’s report to the state Supreme Court on a long-term plan to fund education in Washington. But in addition to discussing what lawmakers did this year to boost education spending, the report — due to the court April 30 — will probably include a long list of this year’s legislative failures.
The Olympian, April 14, 2014
Sen. Warren Proposes Allowing Student-Loan Borrowers to Refinance Debt
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren announced on Saturday that she will introduce legislation that would allow existing student-loan borrowers to refinance their debt at interest rates offered to new borrowers in the federal student-loan program.
The Chronicle of Higher Education, April 14, 2014
http://chronicle.com/article/Sen-Warren-Proposes-Allowing/145903/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
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