News Links | May 20, 2014

SYSTEM NEWS | OPINIONS

Video: Big Bend scholarship fundraiser helps students reach goals Big Bend Community College hosted their 13th annual Cellarbration! for Education Saturday evening. iFIBER One News, May 19, 2014 Colleges to offer online, at-your-pace degrees They are known as two-year colleges, but soon some of their students likely will receive degrees without regard to how much time was spent earning them. Taking a page from a popular online university, some of Washington’s community colleges plan next year to let students earn a degree at their own pace and get credit for what they already know. The online degrees will be available to students at a growing number of schools, including Pierce College. Tacoma Community College is expected to join the list. ... Spearheaded by Columbia Basin College in Pasco, eight schools have committed to offering the new program, including Pierce, Olympic, Centralia and Bellevue colleges and North Seattle, South Seattle and Shoreline community colleges. “I think it gives access to students who otherwise wouldn’t attend at all,” said Marty Brown, executive director of the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. The News Tribune, May 18, 2014 America struggles with race despite historic decision It might be coincidence that South Puget Sound Community College chose to make diversity the theme for its 2014 arts and lecture series, and that the news has been full of stories recently about a racist rancher and a racist NBA owner. But that’s the yin and yang of race in America: We’ve made enormous progress in the past 60 years, but race still is a central problem of American life. The Bellingham Herald, May 18, 2014 Technology Alliance and Bellevue College announce partnership The Technology Alliance and Bellevue College Continuing Education have joined forces to offer a Certificate of Completion to students of the Ada Developers Academy (Ada), the programming school for women launched in 2013. The certificate will be granted to students in Ada’s inaugural class upon completion of their internships with one of 13 local technology companies. Bellevue Reporter, May 18, 2014 Pierce College Chancellor featured at statewide trustee convention Pierce College Chancellor and CEO Michele Johnson will be featured on a panel discussing best practices in the faculty tenure process at this year’s spring convention of the Trustees Association of Community and Technical Colleges in Washington state. Joining Johnson on the panel will be Dave Stolier, senior assistant attorney general, and Tom Campbell, trustee at Green River Community College. The Suburban Times, May 18, 2014 Fewer dropouts, more degrees: How Walla Walla Community College does it A new focus on individualized advice and counseling, boosted by software tools, is helping hundreds more students earn degrees and certificates each year at Walla Walla Community College. The Seattle Times, May 17, 2014 Photos: 2014 BTC Welding Rodeo The annual Welding Rodeo was held at Bellingham Technical College Friday, May 16, 2014. The theme for 2014 was four elements: earth, air, fire, and water. The Bellingham Herald, May 17, 2014 Guest: How to land a high demand job with a low cost degree Turns out, it’s not how long you’ve studied but what you’ve studied that counts in the job market. Those who pursue short-term degrees in high-demand areas are being rewarded with living-wage jobs in our state. And they can reach those well-paying jobs faster and more efficiently (and often with less debt) than longer, less-focused educational paths. For example, students in a two-year aviation maintenance technician program at Clover Park Technical College in Lakewood earned $37,000 on average their first year out of school. Those who completed a nine-month bookkeeping program at North Seattle College earned $33,000 that first year. The Seattle Times, May 17, 2014 Larry LaRue: It's been a long haul for former felon With the history George West was dragging behind him — three felony convictions, three prison terms — Wade Westphal wasn’t certain Bates Technical College could help him. The News Tribune, May 17, 2014 Olympic Medical Center donates exam table to Peninsula College Foundation The donation of an Olympic Medical Center exam table to the Peninsula College Foundation is allowing 48 students in the college's Medical Assisting Program to learn on the same equipment they would use in clinical settings after graduation. Peninsula Daily News, May 17, 2014 Over-40 students pick up Facebook basics at LCC class Students come to Mitchel Towsend’s “Facebook for People Over 40” class at Lower Columbia College with concerns about privacy longing to join in on the online conversation without sacrificing their safety. With that in mind, Townsend strives to teach his pupils enough of the basics so they can get out and start using the networking tool and learn more as they go. Longview Daily News, May 17, 2014 Consequences of DUI detailed in mock crash Partying should come with a plan. And maybe a couple of backup plans. That was one of the messages that the emergency service personnel wanted the students to take away from the Community Partnership Against Substance Abuse at Big Bend Community College Wednesday. Columbia Basin Herald, May 17, 2014 2 receive Exceptional Faculty Awards from Centralia College Two Centralia College faculty members received Exceptional Faculty Awards for 2014. The award recognizes instructors who bring an extraordinary level of commitment, excellence and innovation to the college, according to a press release from Centralia Community College. The Olympian, May 16, 2014 Auburn Riverside Culinary Arts team captures regional contest The Auburn Riverside Culinary Arts team won first place in the annual Western Region Black Box Culinary Arts competition at Renton Technical College last Saturday. Auburn Reporter, May 16, 2014 Indian education delegation visits community colleges in US An Indian delegation of university presidents, rectors and deans made a week-long trip to the United States to get a first-hand experience of various aspects of community colleges here. The eight-member delegation visited Montgomery College (Maryland), Washington's Bellevue College and Shoreline Community College, and Bronx Community College (New York). Business Standard, May 15, 2014 Video: Big Bend aircraft firefighting school trains at Grant County airport If you’re wondering about that black plume of smoke over Grant County International Airport, its Big Bend Community College’s Aircraft Rescue Firefighting School in action. iFIBER One News, May 15, 2014

TRENDS| HORIZONS | EDUCATION

Consumer Group Sues Education Dept. for Debt Collection Records A consumer advocacy group on Monday sued the U.S. Department of Education over the agency’s refusal to release documents showing how the federal government awards bonuses to debt collection companies it hires to recover defaulted student loans. Inside Higher Ed, May 20, 2014 College Board Recommends Changes in the Pell Grant Program Bottom Line: Additional supports for students and incentives for colleges could help see Pell Grant recipients through to graduation. The Chronicle of Higher Education, May 20, 2014 Hiring outlook improves for 2014 college graduates Good news for the 2014 class of college graduates: Employers expect to hire more of them than last year. Yakima Herald-Republic, May 19, 2014 Women Are Underrepresented as College Chiefs but May Get Higher Pay According to new data from The Chronicle’s annual survey of executive compensation,women accounted for just 40 of the 254 people who served as chief executives of public universities and public-college systems in 2012-13. The Chronicle of Higher Education, May 18, 2014 Federal fund for Innovation The Obama administration on Thursday formally unveiled a new program its officials hope will spur innovation, improve college access and completion, and cut student costs. Yes, that's all it aims to do. Inside Higher Ed, May 16, 2014 When Laying Blame for Rising College Costs, Don't Forget About Enrollment Full-time-equivalent enrollment at public colleges increased by 55 percent from 1988 to 2013, which means there are some four million more students at those colleges now than there were 25 years ago. During the same period, total state educational appropriations, adjusted for inflation, have actually increased nearly 11 percent, compared with a 217-percent increase in total net tuition nationwide. The Chronicle of Higher Education, May 15, 2014 Guest: Make college discipline records publicly available Many universities which refuse to publicize information about sexual assault are not maliciously trying to silence victims — they are trying to comply with federal privacy laws, writes guest columnist Alison Haywood. The Seattle Times, May 14, 2014 Graphic: How to Trigger Penalties Under the Latest Proposed Gainful-Employment Rule For more than four years, the Department of Education has been working to develop a rule measuring whether career-focused programs adequately prepare students for gainful employment. The Chronicle of Higher Education, March 24, 2014

POLITICS | LOCAL, STATE, NATIONAL

Education Dept. Is Urged to Clarify Policy on Student-Loan Bankruptcies Seven Democratic members of Congress are pushing for clarity and lenience in how the Department of Education and its contractors forgive student-loan borrowers who are bankrupt and unable to pay back their loan debt. The Chronicle of Higher Education, May 19, 2014 Sen. Bailey reflects on legislative session State Sen. Barbara Bailey, R-10th District, stopped by the offices of The Arlington Times to share with her constituents the accomplishments of the recently completed session. Arlington Times, May 16, 2014 Senators Call for a Tougher 'Gainful Employment' Rule Tossing off phrases like "national scandal," "scammed," and "worst of the worst" to describe for-profit colleges that they said take advantage of students, four U.S. senators on Thursday called on the Department of Education to beef up its proposed "gainful employment" rule. The Chronicle of Higher Education, May 16, 2014 Passing the baton For-profit colleges won’t need to worry about one of their most persistent and powerful critics after next year, when Sen. Tom Harkin retires. But as the Iowa Democrat said Thursday, there are other Democrats in the Senate who will continue his pursuit of the sector. Inside Higher Ed, May 16, 2014 Opinion: Did the State Supreme Court mean what it said for school funding? | Cornfield On Wednesday, a bipartisan committee of lawmakers representing the Legislature turned in a required progress report which described how they tried, and how political and philosophical divisions prevented them from completing their assignment. ... How will the court deal with such recalcitrance? It’s a bit of a crapshoot because, well, there’s never been a showdown quite like this between these two branches of Washington government. Bothell Reporter, May 14, 2014