LCC's Running
Start program hitting its stride as college costs rise
Roberto Rodriguez says he has flourished in Running Start. By the end
of this school year, the Mark Morris High School senior will have completed
two years toward his bachelor’s degree. He has maintained a strong
connection to his high school while taking 21 credits at Lower Columbia College.
He audits a marketing class at Mark Morris, participates in two choirs at
high school and competes for both the track and football teams.
... The state is encouraging more students to be like Rodriguez and
enroll in “dual-credit” programs such as Running Start, in which students
who qualify attend local college to earn college and high school credit
without paying tuition. The student is only responsible for class fees,
books and transportation.
Longview Daily News, Oct. 23, 2014
LCC named
National Leader College
Lower Columbia
College is one of just 16 community colleges nationwide
recognized as a Leader College by the Achieving the Dream organization.
Leader College is a national designation awarded to select community
colleges that commit to improving student success and also present clear
evidence their efforts have resulted in improved student performance.
Wahkiakum County Eagle, Oct. 23, 2014
Our Voice:
Community college funding is as crucial as K-12
The community college system is a bastion of second chances, providing
people a way to improve their lives. Whether it is adults needing
classes for basic education or a new career, or high school students
wanting a less expensive start to their four-year degree, the community
college is the place that offers hope for all these ambitions. But it
takes state funding to keep the mission going. The Washington State Board for
Community and Technical Colleges is asking for an
additional $182 million for 2015-17. A large chunk of that increase is an
additional $51 million to cover basic education for adults. According to
the board, Washington’s fastest growing demographic traditionally also has
the lowest level of education. The state needs an educated citizenry, so
teaching people to read, write and manage basic math is crucial. The
uneducated have few options and usually end up costing the state more in
social services. But giving people an education gives them a chance to
build independence and a future for themselves, which ultimately benefits
the state economy. Rich Cummins, president of Columbia Basin College,
said community colleges want to be “on the same side of the table” as K-12.
When high school students struggle, they can turn to CBC to finish up their
diplomas. CBC also offers the Running Start program, which gives high
school students a chance to earn high school and college credit at the same
time, making it less expensive in the long-run for them to get a four-year
degree. And when adults want to create a new career path for themselves,
they can start at CBC and make it happen.
Tri-City Herald, Oct. 22, 2014
Cascadia
College in Bothell announces its first bachelor's degree
Cascadia College
earned approval to offer its first baccalaureate degree beginning fall
quarter of 2015. The degree, a Bachelor in Applied Science in Sustainable
Practices, will prepare graduates for careers in the state’s growing green
economy.
Bothell Reporter, Oct. 22, 2014
What Really
Happens at Community Colleges? A Tool Taps Data for Answers
How do community-college students move from their first class to their
first job? Plenty of educators and analysts would like to know more about
that process. A research institute called RTI International said on
Monday that its newly revamped web tool could provide answers. The tool,
known as The Completion Arch, is an effort to provide a
data-driven look at the experiences of the nation’s approximately 10
million community-college students. ... State legislators are becoming
increasingly data-savvy, said Julie Davis Bell, education program director
at the National Conference of State Legislatures. As state lawmakers and
Obama-administration officials continue to focus on community colleges as
the gateway to higher education for many students, Ms. Davis Bell said the
Completion Arch would be a useful tool for policy makers. "The
power of the Completion Arch is not what’s there but what’s missing as
well—how can I begin to add my own data?" said Christine Johnson,
chancellor of the Community
College of Spokane, at Monday’s event.
The Chronicle of Higher Education, Oct. 22, 2014
Spokane chef
earns national honors with watermelon-carving skills
Spokane’s Ryan Allison is a winner in the National Watermelon Promotion
Board’s Annual Watermelon Carving Contest. The 21-year-old chef
at Manito Golf and Country Club took third place in the Funniest category
and fourth place in both Best Animal and Best Star-Spangled, or
patriotic, categories. ... The 2013 graduate of the culinary
program at Spokane
Community College usually carves turnips into small flowers
for buffet and banquet displays.
The Spokesman-Review, Oct. 22, 2014
Milestone:
Walsh to present in Belgium
Brian Walsh, associate dean of Basic Skills and Corrections at Peninsula College,
has been invited to present at the “Adult Learners in Digital Learning
Environments” workshop to be held Nov. 6 in Brussels, Belgium.
... Walsh will talk about Good Practice examples of how Information
and Communication Technology and Open Educational Resources are used in
adult learning contexts in the United States. Peninsula College has been a
leader in using OERs to improve the quality of adult basic education while
reducing the cost to taxpayers and students.
Sequim Gazette, Oct. 22, 2014
Fresh Sheet
Spokane’s Bob Lombardi has made it to the season finale of season four of
Food Network’s “Halloween Wars.” Only two of five teams remain in
the creepy culinary competition, which carries a grand prize
of $50,000. ... The pastry chef and sugar artist has taught
culinary arts at Spokane
Community College for more than 30 years. And he’s no
stranger to Food Network.
The Spokesman-Review, Oct. 22, 2014
Historic 'ATOM'
educating nuclear students in Pasco
A piece of history has a new role helping Columbia Basin College attract and
educate the next generation of nuclear workers. Before the age of
three-dimensional solid modeling and other computer programs, the nuclear
industry built meticulously detailed models. The Eastern Washington
Section of the American Nuclear Society has gained possession of one of
those models, a representation of a Babcock and Wilcox 1,250-megawatt
pressure water reactor. Its 27 acrylic modules cover more than 400 square
feet when all of them are assembled and stand up to 8 feet tall.
Tri-City Herald, Oct. 21, 2014
STEM, Not for
Sissies But Definitely for Girls
Eight o’clock on a Saturday morning is mighty early for junior high girls,
but nearly 300 dragged themselves into [Centralia College's] Corbet
Theatre for the 21st Annual Expanding Your Horizons Conference. My
daughter and I signed up last year, but when the alarm clock wailed, we
rolled over and returned to dreamland. But next year might be easier
after attending this year’s event. The morning started with a
demonstration on electricity by Jaimie Thompson, of the Oregon Museum of
Science & Industry, aka OMSI, who first inflated a pink balloon
and rubbed it against her hair and then hauled out a huge red ball and
rubbed it on a wool blanket to generate static electricity.
Centralia Chronicle, Oct. 21, 2014
Portland
startup (and Gates grant finalist) helps take the sting out of textbook
costs
Portland startup Lumen learning, which helps universities tap into the
world of open educational resources, is starting to gain traction with
several statewide higher education deals. ... The Washington State Board for
Community and Technical Colleges, to develop 18
competency-based online courses for a new business transfer degree.
Portland Business Journal, Oct. 21, 2014
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