News Links | June 26, 2014

SYSTEM NEWS | OPINIONS

WCC grad: Returning student proves graduation possible Can I do this? The self-doubts of a wife and mother in her mid-forties seeped into my brain. Can I really "do" school again? ... It was pretty easy to narrow it down to the medical assisting program at Whatcom Community College. I wanted to have a hands-on approach to helping people in a clinical setting and Whatcom's academic excellence had been a successful part of my college career in the past. The Bellingham Herald, June 26, 2014 Grays Harbor College announces top grads for 2014 Graduation for Grays Harbor College’s Class of 2014 takes place Friday evening outside on the main campus in Aberdeen. The Daily World, June 26, 2014 Coalition hopes to land federal grant to lure composite businesses to Port Angeles The Port of Port Angeles, Peninsula College and Pacific Northwest National Labs have formed a coalition in hopes of bringing composite based business to Port Angeles. KONP, June 26, 2014 Groups break ground on new Delta High Columbia Basin College could have declined to provide a temporary facility in Richland, and Washington State University Tri-Cities could have withheld its faculty from developing curriculum for a science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, focused school. Instead, those public and private entities converged Wednesday in west Pasco to turn the first shovels of dirt for Delta High's new $13.7 million school. The Bellingham Herald, June 25, 2014 WCC grad: Returning student plans to pay teaching forward I began attending Whatcom Community College in the fall of 2012, and I am very happy I did. Beyond what I learned academically, my experience at Whatcom helped me decide where I want to take my career and gain direction for that path. This is primarily due to the welcoming and helpful learning environment at WCC, and the kindness of the invaluable WCC faculty and staff. The Bellingham Herald, June 25, 2014 Peninsula College sees 81 Sequim students graduate Peninsula College observed its 52nd Commencement Ceremony on June 14, awarding more than 500 degrees and certificates to graduates. Sequim Gazette, June 24, 2014 CPTC Awards First Honorary Degree to 94-Year-Old Cosmetology Supporter Long-time Cosmetology Program supporter and volunteer 94-year-old Elnora Medley was awarded Clover Park Technical College’s first Honorary Degree at the 2014 Commencement Ceremony June 18 at the Tacoma Dome. Exit 133, June 24, 2014

TRENDS| HORIZONS | EDUCATION

Fallen Giant The Obama administration now can claim partial credit for the demise of one of the largest for-profit college chains. And both critics and supporters of the sector expect the federal scrutiny to continue. Inside Higher Ed, June 26, 2014 Twitter Fail The U.S. Department of Education early Wednesday morning apologized for a tweet that some people found offensive because it appeared to mock low-income students. Inside Higher Ed, June 25, 2014 The Solution to the Student-Loan ‘Crisis’? Depends on How You Define It Student-loan debt is widely perceived to be a problem, even a crisis. Experts, advocates, and policy makers have been debating how to tackle it for years, and with the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act on the horizon, those conversations are likely to pick up steam. The Chronicle of Higher Education, June 25, 2014 Student-Debt Debate Is Stoked by Caveats About Data A debate is raging about whether rising student-loan debt constitutes an existential crisis in American higher education or the natural outcome of more Americans’ pursuing a college degree. The Chronicle of Higher Education, June 25, 2014 College Libraries Push Back as Publishers Raise Some E-Book Prices A company representative said 11 academic publishers, including major players like Taylor & Francis and Oxford University Press, would be raising the cost of short-term e-book loans effective June 1. In some cases the increase would be as much as 300 percent. The suddenness, scale, and timing of the changes—shortly before the end of one fiscal year, with money already committed for the next—left the consortium and its member libraries feeling ambushed. The Chronicle of Higher Education, June 16, 2014

POLITICS | LOCAL, STATE, NATIONAL

5 Key Areas of the Senate Democrats’ Bill to Renew the Higher Education Act Senate Democrats formally unveiled on Wednesday their plan to reauthorize the Higher Education Act, introducing a 785-page bill that aims to make college more affordable, programs more accountable, and student debt more manageable. The Chronicle of Higher Education, June 26, 2014 Top Democrat Unveils Full Plan to Rewrite Higher Ed Act Senator Tom Harkin, the Democrat who chairs the Senate education committee, on Wednesday released his plan to reauthorize the Higher Education Act. Inside Higher Ed, June 26, 2014 Senate passes Patty Murray-backed jobs-training bill The U.S. Senate on Wednesday  reauthorized the nation’s main jobs-training bill, updating the Clinton-era legislation to help Americans — particularly disadvantaged youth and laid-off workers — prepare for an increasingly-skilled labor market. The Seattle Times, June 25, 2014 3 Changes in Financial Aid That Democrats and Republicans Agree On Many of the ideas being trumpeted as part of the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act are going to fall by the wayside amid partisan disagreement.  ... But there are substantial areas of overlap between the competing proposals—one that was released Tuesday night by Republicans in the House of Representatives, and one released Wednesday afternoon by Senate Democrats. The Chronicle of Higher Education, June 25, 2014 Court should let process work on school funding Lawmakers complied with the requirement to report back at the end of April. But the response, short form, was, “Wait until next year.” I’m with the Legislature on this. Lawmakers pointed out that the budget written in 2013 was for two years. The 2014 session was for drafting a supplemental budget, minor adjustments to accommodate changed conditions. The News Tribune, June 25, 2014 Fault Lines Surface Sharper divisions are emerging between Democrats and Republicans over how Congress should go about reauthorizing the Higher Education Act. Inside Higher Ed, June 25, 2014 Senate GOP leader rips Inslee‘s budget-cuts exercise as ‘fear mongering’ Budget writers reached a bipartisan agreement on both the two-year operating budget in 2013 and again on a supplemental operating budget this year. Now it’s election season, and it appears the gloves are already coming off. This time it’s over Gov. Jay Inslee’s budget exercises, which are meant to create some flexibility for his next biennial budget in December. “It’s Jay Inslee fear mongering. The scenario (for cuts) really doesn’t exist with the four-year balanced budget and revenue forecast,” Senate Republican Leader Mark Schoesler of Ritzville said late last week. “But it’s great fear mongering by the governor. He told us Lean management and the secret sauce would take care of all of this’’ problem with budget shortfalls. The Olympian, June 23, 2014