News Links | October 14, 2014

SYSTEM NEWS | OPINIONS

CBC calling struggling students, offering to help If you’re a Columbia Basin College student with slipping grades, you soon could be getting a phone call. Don’t worry, it’ll be someone trying to help. The Pasco-based community college is seeing success from a new program that aims to help struggling students. The program is simple. College counselors watch for students whose grades are C average or below for two quarters and they give them a call. They ask how they can help. Tri-City Herald, October 13, 2014 CPTC: ‘Math is What You Do’ conference encourages middle schoolers More than 800 middle school students visited Clover Park Technical College’s Lakewood campus Oct. 9 for the annual Math Conference. The eighth grade students heard from a variety of local presenters about how math is used in the real world. One of the presenters, Toray Composites, included a recent CPTC graduate of the Aerospace Composites Program. The Suburban Times, October 11, 2014 Edmonds CC Foundation closes in on $1 million campaign goal in support of student veterans The Edmonds Community College Foundation is in its final stretch of a $1 million fundraising campaign — the Boots to Books and Beyond campaign — to support student veterans and their families at Edmonds Community College. My Edmonds News, October 10, 2014 CBC students awarded more than $1 million in scholarships Sheena Downey of Kennewick turned her thoughts to a new career several years ago as her three sons grew up. “I’d always dreamed of being a nurse,” said Downey, 34. But there was the question of money. Going to school would leave her husband as the sole breadwinner, she said. But she managed to get her first two quarters at Columbia Basin College paid for through a worker retraining program. And scholarships — the latest for $4,000 from the CBC Foundation — have covered the rest. Tri-City Herald, October 10, 2014 CPTC: Automotive students participate in public service event Nine automotive students from Clover Park Technical College volunteered in a statewide “Lights On” campaign Oct. 4. Automotive Technician Instructor Bob Offerdahl and his students assisted Automotive Service Association Northwest from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with free inspections and free exterior vehicle bulb and headlamp replacements in support of National Car Care Month to promote vehicle maintenance. The event was hosted at various locations in the state. Clover Park Technical College students volunteered at the Pierce County location in Tacoma. The Suburban Times, October 10, 2014 Pierce College alum leads by example Sarah McDaniel knows what it’s like to struggle in life. At only 20 years old, it wasn’t that long ago that this Pierce College alum struggled with a less than supportive family life that ultimately landed her in a transitional home. Thanks to a special teacher in her life, she was able to find the courage and inspiration to pursue a higher education. Today, as the College Access Corps representative at Pierce College, she’s working hard to reach out to disadvantaged high school students who may be experiencing similar struggles. The Suburban Times, October 9, 2014 Biden hails Renton Tech as vital path to reviving middle class Vice President Joe Biden toured a community college job-training program here Thursday, promoting the federal grants that support it as a way to help the middle class regain its footing. Speaking to a small group of students and instructors at Renton Technical College, Biden acknowledged “the middle class is hurting,” but said he gets angry at those who accuse out-of-work people of shiftlessness. Americans will work, Biden said. “They just want a shot.” The Seattle Times, October 9, 2014 VP Joe Biden visits Renton Technical College Vice President Joe Biden made a quick sweep through the area today. He was in town for a fundraiser and a small, invite only, public appearance in Renton [Renton Technical College], KING 5's Chris Daniels was there. KING 5, October 9, 2014 Biden hails Renton Technical College for providing ‘pathways back into the middle class’ In just his third week as a student at Renton Technical College, James Cantway had the honor of introducing the vice president of the United States, Joe Biden. “James, I’m proud of you, pal,” said Biden as he stepped up to the podium Thursday. The vice president told the crowd he appreciates what Cantway is doing with his life, as a single dad, back at school, and training for a better job. Q13 Fox, October 9, 2014 Vice President Joe Biden praises Renton Technical College during visit Vice President Joe Biden made an appearance Thursday at Renton Technical College, celebrating the college's receipt of multiple federal grants that have expanded programs at the school and helped get people back to work. "What you're doing is you're building dreams here, man," Biden said. "I mean that." Renton Reporter, October 9, 2014

TRENDS| HORIZONS | EDUCATION

On Campuses and Beyond, the Job Market for New Graduates Looks Up Campuses’ career counselors have been seeing encouraging signs, and now a major survey of employers backs them up: The coming year looks to be a much better one for new college graduates seeking jobs. Job openings for those graduates are projected to grow by double digits in 2014-15, following several years of smaller increases, according to key findings from the survey, which was released on Tuesday. Hiring of new bachelor’s-degree recipients will increase by 16 percent, the survey projects; hiring among all degree levels will grow at the same rate. The Chronicle of Higher Education, October 14, 2014 New Data on Transition from High School to College The National Student Clearinghouse on Tuesday released a broad data set on students' transition from high school to college. The nonprofit group's report, which is the second annual installment, tracked 3.5 million students from public and private high schools over four years. It found that students from low-income high schools were more likely to attend community colleges, with almost half of that group's college enrollment being in the two-year sector. Inside Higher Ed, October 14, 2014 Tech jobs: Minorities have degrees, but don't get hired Top universities turn out black and Hispanic computer science and computer engineering graduates at twice the rate that leading technology companies hire them, a USA TODAYanalysis shows. Technology companies blame the pool of job applicants for the severe shortage of blacks and Hispanics in Silicon Valley. But these findings show that claim "does not hold water," said Darrick Hamilton, professor of economics and urban policy at The New School in New York. KING 5, October 13, 2014 Who Needs Algebra? New Approach To College Math Helps More Pass "Adult learning theory tells us that adults learn better when the intellectual work is applicable to their lives," says Mellow, who is on the steering committee of an initiative called Community College Pathways. The new approach seeks to largely skip over abstract algebraic formulas and go directly to math concepts that students will use and find engaging. ... Pathways tells instructors to emphasize "productive persistence" — using good study strategies, and trying hard. They talk explicitly with students about calming math anxiety. They try things like putting students into study groups whose members are responsible for following up if one of them skips class. And, amazingly, they've found that simply by teaching students that the brain is like a muscle that gets stronger with use (known as "growth mindset"), the students go on to try harder and perform better. KPLU, October 10, 2014 Made in America, Again In the decade after World War II, the United States produced more goods than the rest of the world combined. Now America’s share of world production is about 20 percent, which, depending on how you count, is about the same as China’s or slightly more. ... The list of ingredients that GE’s David Joyce sees as favorable to advanced manufacturing begins with a different kind of proximity: he wants each factory to be near both a research university and, ideally, a community college that can prepare people for high-skill, high-wage work. In our travels around the country for our American Futures project, my wife and I have seen many examples of community colleges and even high schools working with industries to equip students for well-paid technical jobs. The Atlantic, September 17, 2014

POLITICS | LOCAL, STATE, NATIONAL

New Fodder for 90/10 Debate Twenty-seven for-profit colleges last year exceeded the cap on the share of their revenue that can come from federal student loans and grants, according to annual data released Friday by the U.S. Department of Education. The colleges violated the federal threshold known as the “90/10 rule,” which prohibits for-profit colleges from deriving more than 90 percent of their operating revenue from federal student aid money. Colleges that hit the threshold for two years in a row risk losing their eligibility for such funds. Inside Higher Ed, October 13, 2014 The College Graduation Rate Flaw That No One’s Talking About Any discussion of federal graduation rates for colleges will immediately spark a laundry list of concerns about their validity. The most common of these critiques is that their inclusion of only full-time students attending college for the first time excludes large numbers of transfer and part-time students that may well also be earning credentials. ... The problem is that federal graduation rates treat all completions besides bachelor’s degrees the same. For a four-year school that primarily awards bachelor’s degrees this isn’t an issue, they can be judged on the results for just the subset of students seeking that credential. Institutions that only offer programs shorter than two years also don’t have a problem since all their offerings at the certificate level. But for everyone in between it’s a jumbled and misleading mess. Ed Central, October 9, 2014 Guest: The bankruptcy trap in student-loan debt As a bankruptcy attorney in Seattle, I get to see the issues affecting the economic well-being of Washington families. Unfortunately, coming ’round the bend is the crisis of student-loan debt owed to private lenders. The bank lobby, in 2005, pushed through the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act, which made private student-loan debt essentially nondischargeable in bankruptcy. Before 2005, only federal student loans were difficult to get discharged. The change potentially means a lifetime of indentured servitude for some American families or, at least, severe economic hardship for those who can’t find a job straight out of school. The Seattle Times, October 7, 2014