Tuesday, August 19, 2014

News Links | August 19, 2014

SYSTEM NEWS | OPINIONS

Local college-completion effort draws White House’s attention
What does Washington state have to teach White House policy leaders about higher education? Quite a bit, it turns out. Three Washington community college presidents — Amy Morrison Goings of Lake Washington Institute of Technology in Kirkland, Jean Hernandez of Edmonds Community College and Chris Bailey of Lower Columbia College in Longview — went to Washington, D.C., last week to be part of a White House summit on community colleges.
The Seattle Times, August 18, 2014


Bill Virgin: Someday it may be ‘have it your way’ when it comes to education
The bigger trend story, though — and you just knew there had to be one lurking there — is where that classroom will be when those students with their accessories finally make it to one. Or indeed, if they’ll be bound for a classroom at all. This is especially true at the collegiate level, where a series of recent news reports illustrate just how much momentum the transformation of the traditional model of education is gaining. ... Clover Park Technical College has announced its first bachelor’s degree program, an applied science degree in manufacturing operations. We’ll leave aside yet another trend that this story highlights, the move by more of Washington’s two-year community and technical colleges into four-year programs, in response to limited capacity at the traditional four-year schools and demand for spots in specific, usually occupationally oriented subjects.
The News Tribune, August 17, 2014

New career track starts at CPTC
Going back to school with a 2-year-old daughter took some adjusting for Accounting program student Leslie Potts. After relocating to Washington state from South Dakota and enrolling at Clover Park Technical College, Potts had to adjust to seeing her daughter less during the day. “I better appreciate the time I do have with her,” Potts said. Potts said the experience of going to school and being a mom opened her eyes in several ways.
The Suburban Times, August 16, 2014

Mill Creek resident to focus on EvCC diversity
After 23 years at Peninsula College, nestled on 75 lush acres of forested land in the Olympic Mountain foothills with grand views of historic Port Townsend and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Maria Peña seemed settled. ... But when Peña heard Everett Community College was looking to hire its first-ever chief diversity officer, she reconsidered her career options.
Edmonds Beacon, August 15, 2014

New Nursing Assistant Certified program to start at CPHS
For the first time, Clover Park High School (CPHS) is offering a Nursing Assistant Certified (NAC) program in partnership with Clover Park Technical College (CPTC). Instructors from CPTC will teach the program at the high school.
The Suburban Times, August 15, 2014

Growing jobs with local food
When looking for a job, just look down. That’s the advice of Jason Niebler, director of Edmonds Community College’s new Sustainable Agriculture Education program.
The Herald Business Journal, August 15, 2014

Lower Columbia College earns White House recognition
Lower Columbia College (LCC) President Chris Bailey participated at a White House Roundtable this week to share the Longview-based college’s work with other higher education professionals. The White House recognized LCC for its innovative programs designed to help at risk students stay in college and complete a degree.
Vancouver Business Journal, August 15, 2014


Kirkland's LWIT hosts film crew seeking answers about Seattle icon “Sylvester”
Lake Washington Institute of Technology’s Funeral Service Education program will be featured in a new TV series on mummies, including one displayed in an iconic Seattle store. Last Wednesday, a film crew with Saloon Media filmed inside the funeral lab while interviewing Jon Austin, an American embalming and funeral home historian from Illinois for “Mummies Alive!,” a new international television series scheduled to debut in 2015.
Kirkland Reporter, August 14, 2014

TRENDS| HORIZONS | EDUCATION

For-Profit on the Job Application
In the debate over the value of attending a for-profit college, the rubber hits the road in corporate human resources departments. And now, for the first time, researchers have looked at how employers respond when for-profits are listed on a résumé. The newly released working paper by five economists tracked callbacks by employers in response to 8,914 fictitious job applications. It measured how young holders of certificates and associate degrees from for-profits fared in comparison to holders of the same credentials from community colleges. The research found no statistically significant difference in how the two sectors stacked up. An interpretation of those results, however, depends on who you ask.
Inside Higher Ed, August 18, 2014

Humanities vs. STEM, Redux
A new analysis from the American Academy of Arts & Sciences confirms a common fear: humanities majors and STEM majors dwell in separate academic silos. STEM majors, especially engineering students, take few humanities courses, the data show. And humanities majors take even fewer STEM courses.
Inside Higher Ed, August 18, 2014

Proposal for Free Community College Tuition in Texas
Leticia Van de Putte, a Texas State Senator and the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, last week announced a proposal for the state to pay the tuition costs for Texas high school graduates to attend community or technical college.
Inside Higher Ed, August 18, 2014

College on the Cover: Doom and Gloom Through the Decades
Behold the cover of next month’s issue of The Atlantic, unveiled on Thursday. The cover story profiles Ben Nelson, president and CEO of the Minerva Project, a start-up seeking “to replace (or, when [Nelson] is feeling less aggressive, ‘reform’) the modern liberal-arts college,” writes Graeme Wood. Questions like “Is college doomed?” are loaded. The Atlantic cover qualifies its bold query by stating in the subhead that “college” refers to “traditional universities.” And “doomed” would more accurately convey the point if it was joined by “… to be disrupted.”
The Chronicle of Higher Education, August 14, 2014

Digging Through Data for the Real Story on Student Loans
On Friday, the U.S. Department of Education released new data on student-loan repayment that included figures on loan delinquencies—potentially good news for those interested in how well students are faring when it comes to paying back their loans.
The Chronicle of Higher Education, August 14, 2014

POLITICS | LOCAL, STATE, NATIONAL


Opinion: Don’t gut social services to satisfy McCleary ruling
All children in Washington should have the opportunity to succeed in well-funded, high quality schools. However, for many families without access to a home, food or health care, this opportunity diminishes substantially. The Washington Supreme Court’s McCleary decision seeks to partially solve this situation by forcing the Legislature to more adequately fund education. We at the Children’s Alliance and Washington Low Income Housing Alliance support the decision. Yet the debate continues on how best to carry it out. Some suggest we divert funds from social services, and to that we absolutely disagree.
The News Tribune, August 17, 2014