SBCTC NEWS LINKS | Articles about – and of interest to – Washington state community and technical colleges
SYSTEM NEWS | OPINIONS
EvCC Foundation raises $71K for aid
The Everett Community College Foundation raised more than $71,000 at a community breakfast this week to help provide scholarships, emergency loans and grants to its students. This year’s donations increased by $4,865 over the $66,310 raised last year for a final total of $71,175.
Everett Herald, April 28, 2014
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20140428/NEWS01/140429107/EvCC-Foundation-raises-$71K-for-aid
Seattle's colleges: What's with dropping the 'community'?
The Seattle Community College District Board of Trustees unanimously voted last month to drop “Community” from the name of the district and its three colleges. The concerns and opposition expressed by students, staff and faculty went unheard. We feel that we were not invited into the discussion of this issue.
Crosscut, April 28, 2014
http://crosscut.com/2014/04/28/higher-ed/119663/seattle-community-college-rebranding-/
Everett green-lights student housing for Trinity college
Backers of a pilot project for student-only apartments downtown expect to break ground this summer, now that city leaders have given their project the go-ahead. If all goes as planned, the 100-unit building for Trinity Lutheran College students would open by July 2015. The project could lay the foundation for growth at the downtown Christian college, as well as for other higher-learning institutions the city wants to support…. In addition to Trinity’s growth downtown, the pilot project would be a test case as Everett prepares to accommodate more students at Everett Community College and Washington State University’s local branch campus.
Everett Herald, April 28, 2014
Opinion: Investment in technical programs pays off for all of us
By David Beyer and Jean Hernandez. You probably already know that Snohomish County is home to the most manufacturing jobs in Washington state — 65,000 direct jobs and more than 745 companies. You may have also heard that our county tops the list for aerospace manufacturing jobs, too, with 47,000 direct jobs and more than 215 companies, including the Boeing Company. What you might not know is that the demand for advanced manufacturing is growing and employers are seeking an increasing number of skilled, trained employees. … To meet the need, Edmonds and Everett community colleges are working together to offer affordable, high-tech training. Together, we're asking the state to invest in expanding and enhancing our technical programs to ensure companies have the skilled employees they need to thrive.
Everett Herald, April 27, 2014
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20140427/OPINION03/140429298
Restored totem pole to return to Peninsula College campus
Three years ago, the late Harris “Brick” Johnson's 19-foot totem pole, a gift to Peninsula College, was removed from the Port Angeles campus to make way for construction of the new Maier Performance Hall. Then the pole, which Brick had presented to the college in 1971, was returned to the Johnson clan, who barely fit it into the old milking parlor on the family's farm at Jamestown Beach outside Sequim. At long last, following years of sanding, carving and repainting in that shed, Brick's totem will come back home.
Peninsula Daily News, April 26, 2014
Editorial: Grant County poised to help more students
With a thriving Big Bend Community College and the emerging Columbia Basin Technical Skills Center, Grant County is providing students with more options. The skills center will be ready for the upcoming school year and is described online by school officials as a "regional career and technical education partnership." We are pleased Grant County is offering another option to students in the Moses Lake School District and 11 outlying districts in the Columbia Basin.
Columbia Basin Herald, April 25, 2014
Edmonds Community College offers data recovery for Oso mudslide victims
Edmonds Community College digital forensics and advanced data recovery students and faculty are volunteering to help recover data for the Oso mudslide victims…. As part of Edmonds Community College’s nationally recognized information security and digital forensics program, students learn to recover data from hard drives that have been severely damaged.
My Edmonds News, April 25, 2014
Closing the STEM gender gap
Engineering student Veronique Johnson leads a group of three male students in solving an equation in Tina Barsotti's mechanics of materials class at Clark College. Of the 28 students in the class, seven students — or 25 percent — are women. Times have changed in the 22 years since Barsotti was the only female student in her engineering classes….Even so, a sizable gap remains between the numbers of men and women who pursue STEM careers (science, technology, engineering and math).
The Columbian, April 24, 2014
http://www.columbian.com/news/2014/apr/24/closing-stem-gender-gap-clark-college/
Big Bend project at top of priority list
If the Washington Legislature provides the funding, Big Bend Community College could start planning for a new professional-technical education center as early as next spring.
Columbia Basin Herald, April 24, 2014
CCS record-setter, Gonzaga commit Jessica Mildes remains homeward bound
Jessica Mildes now owns a national record, and to do it she had to scrap and hang tough in a race with some of the nation’s best collegiate distance runners from big-time schools a long way from her home in Chattaroy and the Community Colleges of Spokane.
Spokesman Review, April 22, 2014
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2014/apr/22/ccs-record-setter-gonzaga-commit-jessica-mildes-re/
Working with K-12 to better prepare students for college
Teachers dedicate their lives to working with students. But that’s not the only type of learning that goes on in the nation’s schools and colleges. Educators also learn from each other. That’s what Andrea Reid, an English instructor at Spokane Community College (SCC) in Washington, found so valuable about her college’s participation in the Affinity Network.
Community College Daily, April 18, 2014
TRENDS| HORIZONS | EDUCATION
Editorial: Graduation rate shows we can do better
It was terrific news this week that American high school students have been graduating at a record rate of 80 percent as of 2012. The flip side of that number, however, is 20 percent, which a good math student could tell you means that 1 in 5 students is not getting a high school diploma — at least not when they’re supposed to get one.
The News Tribune, April 29, 2014
http://www.thenewstribune.com/2014/04/29/3170747/graduation-rate-shows-we-can-do.html?sp=/99/447/
While US graduation rates climb, Washington hovers below average
In the blizzard of data that serves as currency in education, it’s often tough to tease out the bottom line, the essential message buried in each study. A national report released today, for example, trumpets rising graduation rates across the country – and rightly so. For the first time in U.S. history, more than 80 percent of high school freshmen are graduating within four years, and much of the improvement stems from dramatic gains among Hispanic and African-American students.
The Seattle Times, April 28, 2014
http://blogs.seattletimes.com/educationlab/2014/04/28/low-income-student-graduation-rates/
University Of Washington's Secret Society Of Undocumented 'Dreamers'
There’s no special handshake. No code word. But for one secret group on the University of Washington campus in Seattle, identification papers – or, rather, a lack thereof – are a common denomination. The UW’s student organization the Purple Group is for students, known as "dreamers," who came to the country illegally, often as young children. This type of student group has become more common on college campuses in the past decade, although some groups remain more hidden than others.
KUOW, April 28, 2014
http://kuow.org/post/university-washingtons-secret-society-undocumented-dreamers
Open-Source Software for College Administrators Reaches ‘Tipping Point’ After 10 Years
Their open-source-software project—or community-source, as they refer to it—was a complex undertaking, requiring technical and financial collaboration among multiple institutions. And it openly challenged the for-profit vendors, like Oracle’s PeopleSoft, that dominate the multibillion-dollar market for administrative systems. Known as enterprise resource planning, or ERP, systems, they help college officials carry out crucial business functions. Commercial versions can cost tens of millions of dollars to license and maintain. A decade later, that single project at Indiana has grown into the Kuali Foundation, comprising 74 dues-paying member institutions and offering a suite of open-source software products—in various stages of development—for higher education.
The Chronicle of Higher Education, April 28, 2014
http://chronicle.com/article/Open-Source-Software-for/146205/?cid=cc&utm_source=cc&utm_medium=en
Apprenticeships Help Close the Skills Gap. So Why Are They in Decline?
Ask CEOs and corporate recruiters whether they're finding the workers they need, and they'll lament about a skills gap that threatens productivity and growth—not just in their companies but in the economy at large. Yet employers and state legislators have been decidedly lukewarm about a proven solution to the problem: apprenticeships.
Wall Street Journal, April 27, 2014
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303978304579473501943642612
Encourage Private Investment in Education
Washington is famous as a hub for software and aerospace. Less well-known is that the life sciences have become a vital sector of our economy. Bioscience is now Washington’s fifth-largest employer, contributing $8.9 billion to the local economy. This trio of software, aerospace, and biotech is one of the largest contributors to the state’s economic future. To keep it going, however, state and federal officials must work to develop the workforce of tomorrow. That workforce will need sound training in the STEM fields — science, technology, engineering and mathematics. … But despite Washington academia’s research success, there remains a profound skill mismatch in our life sciences and STEM-intensive sectors. As these industries expand, American high schools and colleges are producing fewer students with these core competencies.
Everett Herald, April 27, 2014
College diversity can survive high court’s decision
It’s fair to criticize Western Washington University President Bruce Shepard for suggesting his school has too many white students in comparison with people of color. It was an unfortunate way to frame the importance of a diverse student body to the higher education mission. Shepard gave the regrettable impression that he thinks universities should decrease the number of white students they enroll. We’re confident he meant that colleges — and the nation as a whole — benefit when more students of all races earn university degrees.
The Olympian, April 27, 2014
http://www.theolympian.com/2014/04/27/3105201/college-diversity-can-survive.html?sp=/99/109/
Kindergarten show canceled so kids can keep studying to become ‘college and career ready.’ Really.
An annual year-end kindergarten show has been canceled at a New York school because the kids have to keep working so they will be “college and career” ready. Really.
The Washington Post, April 26, 2014
Why colleges are pushing diversity
Last week, Western Washington University President Bruce Shepard drew sharp criticism from conservative groups for saying that Western needed to attract more minority students. About 76 percent of the school’s enrollment is white. It’s worth stepping back for context on the issue and a look at how the state’s young adult population is expected to shift in the coming decades.
The Seattle Times, April 25, 2014
http://blogs.seattletimes.com/educationlab/2014/04/25/why-colleges-are-pushing-diversity/
Western Washington University: The surprising new right-wing target
Northern California in the late 20th century wasn’t a nesting ground for diversity. In fact, most people in the all-white neighborhood Bruce Shepard grew up in reacted downright negatively toward it….The Western Washington University president said that he was raised to promote diversity in his community. It’s a mission he has carried with him throughout his jobs in higher education and a goal he believes Western’s students and faculty support. Since he started at Western in 2008, he has repeatedly asked what the Bellingham, Wash. liberal arts university can do to make sure that, in future years, Western is not as white as it is today.
Crosscut, April 25, 2014
Education Dept. to Move Forward With Plans for Improving Teacher Preparation
To strengthen the nation’s teacher-preparation programs, President Obama is asking the Department of Education to move forward with a plan to issue draft regulations that encourage and support states in developing systems for rating programs and providing them with information to help the programs improve.
The Chronicle of Higher Education, April 25, 2014
http://chronicle.com/article/Education-Dept-to-Move/146191/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
Stronger jobs outlook for new college grads
The Labor Department this week said the unemployment rate for 2013 college graduates — defined as those ages 20 to 29 who earned a four-year or advanced degree — was 10.9 percent. That was down from 13.3 percent in 2012 and was the lowest since 7.7 percent in 2007. The drop reflects the steady recovery in overall U.S. economic growth and hiring.
The Seattle Times, April 24, 2014
http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2023453961_gradjobsxml.html
POLITICS | LOCAL, STATE, NATIONAL
Opinion: An education challenge for Republicans
For the poor, a college degree remains an important avenue of upward mobility. But for those in the middle class, the aspiration of a diploma is increasingly mixed with fear. The economic returns of a college degree are stagnant. Many who hold one are underemployed. Still, the alternative is worse.
The News Tribune, April 29, 2014
Compiled by the Washington State Board for Community & Technical Colleges |1300 Quince St SE | PO Box 42495 | Olympia, WA 98504 | eclips@sbctc.edu
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