News Links | May 6, 2014

SYSTEM NEWS | OPINIONS

Bellingham 3rd-graders get muddy for science Bellingham third-graders were covered in mud for a hands-on science experience on Chuckanut Bay. ... The students were helped by parents, volunteers from the Whatcom County Marine Resources Committee and student from Bellingham Technical College's Fisheries and Aquaculture Science program. KXLY, May 5, 2014 State officials plan review of CBC capital proposals Approval of a $15.5 million building project and a Richland land purchase for Columbia Basin College will be reviewed by state community college officials this week. The News Tribune, May 5, 2014 Chinatown gets a new shine Photo caption: NAAAP and Seattle Central Community College Clean Up team celebrate a job well done. ... Hundreds gathered at Hing Hay Park on April 26 for the 13th annual “Comcast Cares” spring clean event in the International District. Northwest Asian Weekly, May 5, 2014 Tacoma man in violent attack 'Struck by Genius,' visualizes math In 2002, Jason Padgett suffered a traumatic brain injury when he was attacked and mugged. It changed his life forever, but it also changed how he saw the world. ... After some convincing, Jason signed up for Algebra 99 at Tacoma Community College. MyNorthwest.com, May 5, 2014 Wash. students gain hands-on experience at COM For a student, nothing tops firsthand experience. Recently, students from Bellingham Technical College, in Bellingham, Wa., traveled 2,500 miles to gain hands-on practice in College of the Mainland’s process technology lab. Galveston Daily News, May 5, 2014 New LCC degree expands higher-ed opportunities for local nurses The world’s not a stage. It’s a classroom. “I don’t know that I’d ever want to stop learning. I think even if I got as far as I can go in nursing I’d still want to be learning something else,” said Angela Niday, a registered nurse and care coordinator at Family Health Center in Longview. The 38-year-old RN is looking to add a few more letters at the end of her title: BSN. With help from Lower Columbia College, her alma mater, Niday might not even have to drive to school to earn that bachelor of science in nursing degree, which health care providers are seeking in greater numbers. Longview Daily News, May 5, 2014 Pierce College students, faculty lend a hand on Parks Appreciation Day Instead of sleeping in and relaxing last Saturday morning, a number of Pierce College students and employees took to the streets to spend a few hours giving back to the community. As part of the City of Lakewood’s 13th Annual Parks Appreciation Day, about a dozen students spent time sprucing up Fort Steilacoom Park on April 26. The Suburban Times, May 4, 2014 Longview, Chinese district make plans to become sister cities Longview may soon be getting a new family member. City Manager Bob Gregory signed a letter of intent with Qishuyan District of Changzhou, China, to start work on becoming sister cities. ... Gregory joined a Lower Columbia College contingent that including college president Chris Bailey on a trip that started as a chance for LCC to pick up more international students and ended as a much larger economic opportunity. Longview Daily News, May 4, 2014 Author praises chaos as fresh path to creativity in Peninsula College talk Cristina Garcia, National Book Award nominee, Guggenheim fellowship recipient and former Time foreign correspondent, aimed her keynote speech, “Cultivating Chaos: Fresh Paths to Creativity,” at anyone seeking to shake up a creative project. “You might think: My life is total chaos. Why seek out more?” Garcia, Peninsula College’s 2014 Writer in Residence, said Thursday in her public lecture in the main campus’ Little Theater. Peninsula Daily News, May 4, 2014 Local craft beer hops into market Burwood Brewing Company’s Jennifer and David Marshall seemed destined to start their own. The couple met while working for Seattle’s Pyramid Brewery. David Marshall became head brewer and later manager of quality, process and development there. He’d also worked in the wine industry, including for Gallo. After moving to Walla Walla in 2005, he earned his viticulture certificate from Walla Walla Community College and worked as assistant winemaker at Long Shadows Vintners. Walla Walla Union Bulletin, May 3, 2014 Clark College eyes overhaul of business administration program Relevant and efficient. Those are the goals of the current effort at Clark College to revamp their Business Administration certificate program. Vancouver Business Journal, May 2, 2014 Centralia College Job Fair Matches Employers, Job Seekers Centralia College’s gym was the hot spot on campus Wednesday as the annual Centralia College job fair took place, bringing job seekers and companies looking to fill positions together. Centralia Chronicle, May 1, 2014 Community beautifies West Hill park | SLIDESHOW City of Kent Parks sponsored a community volunteer effort by celebrating Arbor Day at West Fenwick Park on the West Hill last Saturday. Volunteers transformed the park, clearing invasive weeds and planting more than 70 ground-cover plants plus one big, beautiful tree. Highline Community College and area high school students participated. Kent Reporter, May 1, 2014 LCC receives $845,000 federal grant for Health and Science Building An $845,000 federal grant came through for Lower Columbia College on Thursday, and that’s only half of the amount the college is getting to equip its new Health and Science Building. The Daily News, May 1, 2014 Cantwell Applauds Federal Workforce Grant for Lower Columbia College U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) applauded an $845,000 grant awarded to Lower Columbia College by the Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration to help purchase worker retraining equipment for the college’s new Health and Science Building in Longview. Political News, May 1, 2014 Capturing children’s imagination in the kitchen Several weeks ago as part of the Wine Country Culinary Institute’s Community Kitchens Series at Walla Walla Community College, a class was offered to get children from 5 to 13 years old to learn about eating healthy and having fun in the kitchen. Walla Walla Union Bulletin, May 1, 2014 Clark College student journalists win awards For the second consecutive year, Clark College student journalists who produce The Independent swept the competition in the publications category in the annual Washington Community College Journalism Association contest. Seven community colleges competed. Staffers captured 10 first-place awards, five second-place awards, nine third-place awards and three honorable mentions out of 21 categories. The Columbian, May 1, 2014 Autism Spectrum Navigators program at Bellevue College A unique program at Bellevue College strives to help students on the Autism spectrum transition to higher education, academically and socially. Autism Spectrum Navigators is a free service for students and their families, providing everything from assistance in developing useful skills for studying and scheduling, to making friends. KING 5, April 21, 2014 Redmond woman with autism helps others with disorder at Bellevue College When Sara Gardner was in high school, she did very well academically. She was a member of the honor society and received a scholarship for college.... But when she got to college, Gardner found herself struggling. The Redmond resident attended three different schools in New York and “was kind of floundering.” ... After the struggles Gardner experienced in college, the 52-year-old now runs a program at Bellevue College (BC) to help students who are in similar positions as she had been. Redmond Reporter, April 18, 2014

TRENDS| HORIZONS | EDUCATION

Gauging graduates' well-being A new survey of 30,000 college graduates gives higher education leaders a chance to make their case that college isn’t all about jobs and income. Inside Higher Ed, May 6, 2014 A caring professor may be key in how a graduate thrives If you believe the new "Gallup-Purdue Index Report," a study of 30,000 graduates of American colleges on issues of employment, job engagement, and well-being, it all comes down to old-fashioned values and human connectedness. One of the report’s big takeaways: College graduates, whether they went to a hoity-toity private college or a midtier public, had double the chances of being engaged in their work and were three times as likely to be thriving in their well-being if they connected with a professor on the campus who stimulated them, cared about them, and encouraged their hopes and dreams. The Chronicle of Higher Education, May 6, 2014 Still shopping for a college? This list is for you If this year is like the last few, the National Association for College Admission Counseling’s annual “College Openings Update” will be trotted out as one more piece of evidence that American higher education is in crisis. A long road from foster care to college Her [Lucero Noyola] grades in community college were high enough to ensure her entry into the University of Southern California. Once there, she found that no one at the private university was familiar with the paperwork needed to ensure she could continue recieving TANF support while in school. That support was critical in helping her to afford daycare. So, she turned to Trojan Guardian Scholars, an on-campus support group at USC that helps former foster youth transition to life in college. Advisors with the Trojan Guardian Scholars helped her get the necessary paperwork. Marketplace, May 5, 2014 Technology provides foreign-language immersion at a distance In an Internet-era version of pen pals, some foreign-language professors at American colleges are using free or low-cost technology to match their students with partners in classes in other countries and to provide authentic language-­immersion experiences. The Chronicle of Higher Education, May 5, 2014 How Do You Measure Diversity? Diversity is a difficult thing to quantify. Measuring racial and ethnic diversity at a college or university is made all the more difficult, as we explained in our last post, by how the U.S. Department of Education categorizes students’ race—and how the department has changed its categorization methods over time. But that hasn’t stopped researchers, administrators, and even Supreme Court justices from trying to use data to measure diversity in higher education. The Chronicle of Higher Education, May 5, 2014 The most important charts from the fantastic April jobs report The US labor market shifted into a higher gear in April, as 288,000 new jobs were created. The unemployment rate also tumbled from 6.7% in March to 6.3% in April. But that drop is likely overstating the improvement, because there was a large, unexplained decline in the overall size of the labor force. Quartz, May 2, 2014 Students or stenographers? Researchers at Princeton University and UCLA wondered about the ever-prevalent practice of college students taking notes in class on laptops. Does it help or hurt retention of the material, compared with taking handwritten notes? Everett Herald, May 2, 2014 Washington State Higher Education Cuts Led to 2nd Largest Tuition Increase in Nation A college education opens doors to better jobs, higher wages, and increased economic stability. Yet, rising tuition rates have diminished the prospect of attending college for many Washingtonians.  Our state has experienced the 2nd steepest tuition increase in the nation since the recession hit, according to a new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Schmudget Blog, May 1, 2014 Nearly a quarter of Washington state students don't graduate from high school Utah, California and Washington all tied for the 15 th worst graduation rate, with 24 percent of students failing to graduate from high school in four years. That’s three percentage points worse than the national average. Puget Sound Business Journal, April 30, 2014

POLITICS | LOCAL, STATE, NATIONAL

A partnership for higher ed Government hankers to emulate the innovation and nimbleness of the private sector. And the private sector very much likes the public sector's funding. Where there's a clear alignment of interests, it can work. The Washington State Opportunity Scholarship is a salient example: Bridge the skills gap by tailoring a scholarship program to benefit middle-and low-income students who have earned Washington high school diplomas and are now studying science, technology, engineering, math or health care at Washington universities. Everett Herald, May 5, 2014 First Lady’s ‘Reach Higher’ Campaign Urges Students to Complete College Michelle Obama on Friday introduced a public campaign encouraging students to pursue and complete a higher education. The Chronicle of Higher Education, May 2, 2014 College-rating system will go forward, Duncan says The U.S. Department of Education plans to continue its push for a college-rating system, even if Congress doesn’t shell out the $10-million the agency is requesting to develop the program and put it in place. The Chronicle of Higher Education, May 1, 2014 Opinion: Legislators miss first assignment from state Supreme Court Imagine the domed state Capitol as a classroom, with 147 state lawmakers as students, and you may get a better picture of the challenge facing Washington's Supreme Court this summer. Everett Herald, May 1, 2014 Democrats’ plan will frame K-12 funding debate says Sen. Frockt Sen. David Frockt released this statement on April 29 regarding the status of funding for K-12 schools across the state: “This past session we passed some measures to address the funding gap, but I would describe them as modest at best and a far cry from what the Supreme Court ruled that our schools and students actually need. Bothell Reporter, May 1, 2014 McCleary Attorney: Wash. Lawmakers' School Funding Report 'A Bunch of Malarky' A lawyer who argued a landmark education funding case before the Washington Supreme Court says state lawmakers are still dragging their feet in meeting the mandate justices set out: develop, by this week, a "complete plan" to pump billions of new dollars into the state's public schools. KPLU, April 30, 2014 Education funding report to state Supreme Court says 2015 session will be ‘critical’ The Washington Supreme Court earlier this year gave the Legislature an April 30 deadline to submit a plan explaining how the state will pay for education. Lawmakers met that deadline with a report submitted Tuesday — but it doesn’t include a plan. The Capitol Record, April 30, 2014 Rolfes: Real results for public school students are still ahead Sen. Christine Rolfes said the tough talk on improving public schools is yet to come following this week's release of a progress report on the state funding of public schools. Bainbridge Island Review, April 30, 2014 Legislature's Report On Education Funding 'Highly Unlikely' To Satisfy Supreme Court Marcie Sillman talks with KUOW's Ann Dornfeld about the Washington State Legislature's progress on fulfilling the state Supreme Court's education mandate. KUOW, April 30, 2014 Legislature is still lagging on fully funding education Washington lawmakers know they didn't make much progress this year in meeting a Supreme Court order to fully fund public schools. But they're promising justices they are on the right path and seek their indulgence as lawmakers work toward a "grand agreement" next year to satisfy their wishes. Bainbridge Island Review, April 30, 2014