News Links | July 17, 2014

SYSTEM NEWS | OPINIONS

Clark College expands efforts in Gorge Less than a year after opening the Wind River Education Center in the Columbia River Gorge, Clark College is expanding its academic and technical offerings and moving into a new, larger facility 18 miles east on Highway 14. A new Clark College facility in Bingen will offer new classes designed to meet the needs of local employers, as well as existing classes being moved from the current facility in Carson. The Columbian, July 17, 2014 Job-Training Programs Make Remediation Relevant Designed to solve two problems, the model was developed in Washington State as Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training, or I-BEST, and is now being adapted and tested at more than 150 community colleges nationwide. ... Such programs are cost-effective, declares Louisa Erickson. They take people who would pay a nominal fee for adult-basic education or English as a Second Language and convert them into regular, tuition-paying students. As the lead staff member for I-BEST at the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, Ms. Erickson helped develop the model, working with officials at two-year colleges. She and her team have since advised educators in more than 20 states seeking to create their own versions. The Chronicle of Higher Education, July 16, 2014 Local nursing home tops VA’s project list The Washington state veterans nursing home slated for Walla Walla is once again on track and, if all does as expected, with full funding. ... As planned, the nursing home will add 93 permanent local jobs, a training partnership with Walla Walla Community College and serve 10 counties, including Benton and Franklin, with a combined population of more than 50,000 veterans. Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, July 16, 2014 Aerospace grant to fuel expansion of Clark College Clark College is growing its presence in the Columbia River Gorge thanks to a state grant focused on aerospace education. On Wednesday afternoon, the college announced plans to move its Wind River Education Center in Carson, WA to a new, larger facility in Bingen, WA. The exact location of the new building is still being negotiated, the school said. Vancouver Business Journal, July 16, 2014 Former TCC president Carl Opgaard dies at 85 Carl Opgaard was known for being out and about around the Tacoma Community College campus. The then-college president took strolls around the campus, to hear about the faculty’s concerns or to get to know students. The lifelong educator died of natural causes July 6 at his assisted living residence in Tacoma. He was 85. The News Tribune, July 15, 2014 Community Colleges To Advance Innovative STEM Programs Through MentorLinks Ten community colleges have been selected as the latest cohort to participate in an initiative that advances STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) technician education programs. ... The 10 selected mentee colleges for the 2014–2016 MentorLinks initiative are: ... Shoreline Community College (WA). Digital Journal, July 15, 2014 Peninsula College lists 2014 staff honors Peninsula College honored several faculty and staff at its annual End-of-the-Year Celebration on June 9. Sequim Gazette, July 15, 2014 Congratulations to July’s Unsung Hero, CPTC’s Graduation Committee The Clover Park Technical College Graduation Committee was selected as the July Unsung Hero for their innovative work in organizing the campus-wide annual event. The Suburban Times, July 15, 2014 For WVC’s next 75 years In the fall, Wenatchee Valley College will celebrate its 75th anniversary. Even given the economic juggling of the last several years, we have cause to celebrate. (A subscription is necessary to read the full article. For a copy of the original submission, please contact Libby Siebens, WVC executive director of community relations.) Wenatchee World, July 14, 2014 WVC and the budget struggles In mid-June, we had the distinct pleasure of shaking the hands of Wenatchee Valley College graduates for both the Wenatchee and Omak campuses. We are proud of our graduates and their accomplishments. At the same time, we can’t help worrying about how WVC will continue to offer affordable access to college into the future. (A subscription is necessary to read the full article. For a copy of the original submission, please contact Libby Siebens, WVC executive director of community relations.) Wenatchee World, July 10, 2014

TRENDS| HORIZONS | EDUCATION

For Community Colleges, Post-Recession Blues More students currently attend two-year colleges than did before the recession. But languishing enrollment numbers in the last three years have forced many community colleges to downsize. Inside Higher Ed, July 17, 2014 Clery Fines: Proposed vs. Actual Since the U.S. Department of Education in 2010 formed a specialized unit to enforce the federal campus safety law known as the Clery Act, an increasing number of colleges have faced fines for violating it. Inside Higher Ed, July 17, 2014 Dropping Profit These are hard days for most for-profit colleges. Declining revenues and an ongoing regulatory crackdown has led to speculation that some in the sector -- including one of the major, publicly traded companies -- will go nonprofit to get out of the crosshairs. Inside Higher Ed, July 17, 2014 Confidence About Cybersecurity Lags in Academe Academe may be less prepared than the finance, health care and manufacturing sectors to tackle cybersecurity breaches, according to a report from the network security provider ForeScout Technologies, Inc. Inside Higher Ed, July 16, 2014 Money, Mission Creep, and Other Nagging Problems This past spring, I wrote about all the good things that two-year colleges do for people and their towns. And in case you didn’t pick up on it when you read those columns, I’m every inch the True Believer—an unabashed cheerleader for community colleges. At the same time, I don’t view them through rose-colored glasses. The Chronicle of Higher Education, July 16, 2014 New Analysis Says College Is (Surprise!) Still Worth the Cost An analysis released on Wednesday by the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland comes to a familiar conclusion about the value of a college education: While earning a degree saddles many people with student-loan debt, it still pays off in the long run. The Chronicle of Higher Education, July 16, 2014 Federal Loans Tough To Come By For Community College Students Tuition and fees at most community colleges are pretty reasonable these days, about $3,500 a year. Which is why the vast majority of community college students don't take out loans to cover their costs. But, according to the Institute for College Access and Success, a non-profit advocacy group based in California, nearly a million community college students who do need help paying for school don't have access to federal student loans. NPR, July 15, 2014 The Program Behind This Math Major As part of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program at UMBC, which seeks to promote diversity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, Jesse Smith started his freshman year with a peer mentor, another African-American man pursuing a STEM major. The Chronicle of Higher Education, July 15, 2014 In International-Student Recruitment, Questions About Integrity Persist For some time now, the discussion about whether American colleges could use commission-based agents when recruiting students abroad has been the hottest of hot-button issues in international admissions, with each camp staking out fiercely partisan positions. The Chronicle of Higher Education, July 15, 2014

POLITICS | LOCAL, STATE, NATIONAL

Congressional Panel Restores Humanities Funding The U.S. House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday reversed a Republican proposal to cut funding to the National Endowment for the Humanities by more than 5 percent in the coming fiscal year. Inside Higher Ed, July 16, 2014