Tuesday, November 25, 2014

News Links | November 25, 2014

Happy Thanksgiving!
News Links will return Dec. 2.


SYSTEM NEWS | OPINIONS

Spokane colleges cooperate in pilot transfer program
Cameron Corcoran was a math class short of an associate degree at Spokane Community College but didn’t want to delay his transition to a four-year university any longer. The 26-year-old enrolled at Eastern Washington University last fall even though he knew that without the AA in hand it could complicate getting his community college coursework transferred with him. “What we want to do is not only reduce their time in school but shrink their debt,” said Keith Klauss, director of Eastern’s transfer center. “We already work really closely with Community Colleges of Spokane and they work really closely with us.”
The Spokesman-Review, Nov. 24, 2014

Multimedia: Students sort chum salmon at Whatcom Creek Hatchery
Blaine High School student Ryan Brown moves a female chum salmon while helping Bellingham Technical College Fisheries and Aquaculture students and other Blaine students sort chum salmon returning to spawn at the Whatcom Creek Hatchery at the Maritime Heritage Park in Bellingham, Monday.
The Bellingham Herald, Nov. 24, 2014
 
Prize-winning welded giraffe rises above Bellingham Public Library lawn
In 2002, the first welding rodeo at Bellingham Technical College laid the foundation for one of the premier welding competitions in the Northwest, and also gave birth to Delilah, a 14-foot-tall giraffe that was the winning creation. Since then, Delilah has stood patiently amidst some bushes, keeping friendly watch over the public lawn behind Bellingham Public Library. Appropriately, that side of the library includes views of Delilah and from the Children’s Library on the lower floor. ... Five teams competed in the inaugural welding rodeo, says Kuebelbeck, who now teaches welding at Skagit Valley College. The team that created Delilah called themselves the BTC Longnecks.
The Bellingham Herald, Nov. 24, 2014

Off Beat: Things are looking up for family telescope
Goldendale Observatory State Park Goldendale Observatory is 120 miles east of Vancouver. Now, in addition to this 24.5-inch classical Cassegrain telescope — built in the 1960s by a team of amateurs working at Clark College
 — its equipment includes an 8-inch telescope donated by a Vancouver family. ... For the last 10 years, Nick Giovanni’s telescope saw a lot more garage dust than stardust. Now, following a Columbian story about a regional astronomy facility, the 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope has a new home at Goldendale Observatory State Park. ... “I would frequently take it to star parties,” said Nick Giovanni, a professor of hospitality management at Olympic College in Bremerton for 20 years.
The Columbian, Nov. 24, 2014

Getting There: Aero-Flite president praises Spokane
Barry Marsden, the president and chief executive officer of Conair, said last week that he chose Spokane as the new base for his U.S. jet firefighter planes because of the training and skill of aircraft mechanics in the region, among other reasons. ... The company will have an anticipated workforce of 65 employees in Spokane and plans to hire about 50 locally. Aero-Flite will be able to draw from graduates of Spokane Community College’s aviation maintenance technology program as well as veteran military mechanics from Fairchild Air Force Base.
The Spokesman-Review, Nov. 24, 2014

Karen Peterson: Club honors next generation of community servants
Tacoma is that kind of town. It’s a place where otherwise unassuming people with a vision can make a difference — a big difference. We’ve seen it over and over again. On Wednesday, the Tacoma City Club hosted an event honoring those kind of people. The club gave this year’s Dennis Seinfeld Emerging Leader Award to a young woman who exemplified that spirit. Seinfeld was a Tacoma attorney whose civic work started in Mississippi during the civil rights movement. He went on to serve on the Tacoma Human Relations Commission and the Tacoma Community College Board of Trustees, along with several other civic boards. ... Stephanie Elske — Diversion case-aid worker for the Pierce County Juvenile Courts, math and English tutor for Clover Park Technical College students and the leadership placement coordinator for Tacoma Goodwill’s YouthBuild program. ... Corbin Richmond — A firefighter-in-training at Bates Technical College, active in student government, he has helped other students learn about and earn scholarships like the ones that are helping him complete his own degree.
The News Tribune, Nov. 23, 2014

College STEM building taking shape
Grays Harbor College’s new $42 million STEM building is beginning to take shape on its main campus in South Aberdeen. The 70,000-square-foot building, which in material costs alone is worth $34 million, will house the college’s art, math, engineering and science classes, in addition to its nursing program. Completion of the building is slated for the summer of 2015 with more additions to come after its opening.
The Daily World, Nov. 22, 2014

 
SLIDESHOW: Northwest Wine Academy fall release welcomes alums and offers thanks
South Seattle College has had a wine education program for 10 years as part of its culinary arts schedule but two years ago the college built what can only be considered a unique local resource. The Northwest Wine Academy, is a full-fledged wine making and education program for the purpose of developing Wine Professionals. It is the only college program in Western Washington dedicated to training wine professionals, from production to marketing and sales to food and wine pairing. Students create each wine from vine to table. The Academy is supported by the wine community at large - Washington wineries, Washington vineyards, alumni, international partners and the local West Seattle area.
West Seattle Herald, Nov. 22, 2014

Pierce College instructor provides a sense of home for international student
When Pierce College journalism instructor Teresa Josten made the decision to open her home to an international student, she was prepared for a few minor communication challenges. But with the support she received from the college, becoming a host family has become a priceless experience for the Jostens. For Ivy, a 17-year-old international student from China, living with the Jostens gives her a chance to become fully immersed in American culture while enjoying the comforts of a family environment.
The Suburban Times, Nov. 22, 2014

CPTC: Hayes Child Development Center gets crafty
Do you want to build a snowman? What about a house? Families worked together to build creative crafts at a hands-on event at Clover Park Technical College’s Hayes Child Development Center. A local craft company that encourages upcycling hosted the event to give the children the opportunity to use their imaginations and have fun with their parents.
The Suburban Times, Nov. 22, 2014

Three finalists for TCC presidency
The Tacoma Community College Board of Trustees has announced the selection of three finalists for the presidency of TCC.
The Suburban Times, Nov. 21, 2014

ORCA students finally have their own research vessel
Some students at Everett Community College are going to be taking advantage of a new classroom this winter: a 36-foot long work boat custom-built for the school's ORCA program. ORCA, which stands for Ocean Research College Academy, is a two-year academic program for high school students that emphasizes and incorporates marine studies into the students' entire body of work, from the sciences to the humanities.
Everett Herald, Nov. 21, 2014

Emotions range from jubilation to displeasure as locals hear immigration plan
Jessica Navidad, a 19-year-old undocumented resident of Union Gap and student at Yakima Valley Community College, said her enthusiasm for the plan is tempered by the fact that it isn’t a permanent solution. Navidad’s parents, who brought her here when she was 6 months old, are also undocumented and live here. Unlike her, they didn’t qualify under Obama’s previous executive action deferring deportation for younger immigrants, known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.
Yakima Herald, Nov. 21, 2014

Life in the cloud: protecting yourself in a new world
If there's any question that more companies are relying on cloud services to store information, look no further than CenturyLink's new cloud service center in Bellevue. ... The Bureau of Labor expects jobs in cybersecurity to grow 40 percent in the next decade. That's much faster than average. Mike Andrew is an instructor at Edmonds Community College and has also been teaching Cyber Terrorism Defense for the Department of Homeland Security across the country.
KING 5, Nov. 21, 2014

Edmonds Community College to be honored as sustainability champion at Sunday Seahawks game
Edmonds Community College will be recognized as a Champion of Sustainability at the Seattle Seahawks game on Nov. 23. The award, based on EdCC demonstrating a commitment to sustainability, is given by the Seattle Seahawks and McKinstry, a Seattle-based consulting, construction, energy, and facility services company. According to McKinstry, Edmonds CC has demonstrated actions to upgrade buildings’ infrastructure and reduce energy consumption.
My Edmonds News, Nov. 21, 2014

CPTC: Celebrating diversity
In recognition of International Education Week and to celebrate diversity, Clover Park Technical College hosted its first Diversity & International Education Fair Nov. 18 at the McGavick Event Center. The event was coordinated by the Diversity Committee and International Education Programs, and welcomed about 180 students, staff, faculty and community members.
The Suburban Times, Nov. 21, 2014

Two-year colleges must be priority
Funding education likely will dominate much of the upcoming state Legislative session, with the McCleary court decision calling for the state to fund fully K-12 education and the narrow passage of Initiative 1351 regulating classroom size. When legislators grapple with these mandates that will cost billions of dollars to address, one challenge will be making sure that community colleges don’t get lost in the shuffle. Marty Brown, executive director of the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, says it well: “We want to make sure when these kids get a better high school education that there is some place for them to go.”
Spokane Journal of Business, Nov. 20, 2014

5 ways community colleges are fixing higher education
There's no doubt that it's a tough time for families pondering the value of a college degree. On the one hand, there's pitched debate over rising tuition costs and student debt. On the other, labor forecasts predict that by 2018, nearly two-thirds of American jobs will require a postsecondary certificate or degree. Community colleges are designed to meet the needs of communities by training skilled workers. But when timber and food processing industries in Walla Walla, Washington, were wiped out by the North American Free Trade Agreement, Walla Walla Community College shifted its philosophy to educate students based on emerging opportunities.
CNN, Nov. 20, 2014

Job training that works
Janet Murumba wasn’t always handy with a power drill. The Kenyan immigrant arrived in Seattle at age 30 with a high school education and no skills to speak of. What she did have was ambition. After a couple of years toiling in nursing homes, she set her sights on Boeing. Last year she enrolled in a certificate program in industrial engineering at South Seattle College, which combines vocational education with academics. “In class,” she says, “I could drill for the first time, and it was like, ‘Oh God, it’s happening, it’s real.’ ” Murumba was lucky to find her way to a college at the forefront of an important trend in American education — close collaboration with business. Employers, schools, and government agencies are learning to work together to fill jobs requiring “middle” skills — more than a high school diploma but less than a bachelor’s degree. The best community colleges and other training programs are preparing students for the jobs of today and tomorrow, not yesterday."
Bloomberg Businessweek, Nov. 20, 2014

Arizona firefighting company moving tanker base to Spokane
Governor Jay Inslee, along with Spokane and airport leaders, heralded the move of an Arizona-based water tanker fleet to Spokane International Airport Thursday morning. With one of its tanker aircraft as a backdrop in an airport hangar, Kingman, AZ, based Aero-Flite announced its moving it's corporate headquarters and tanker fleet to Spokane. The company said the move to Spokane made sense because they needed a new base of operations that would support their rapid growth. ... Local schools like Spokane Community College offer a variety of aerospace programs, like aviation maintenance technology, and through those programs students learn how to maintain aircraft, a skill Aero-Flite will need among its employees at its new base of operations.
KXLY, Nov. 20, 2014

College looks to increase number of international students
Data released by the Institute of International Education shows Washington as one of the top states in attracting international students, with colleges seeing an 11 percent increase in recent years. Although the numbers at Centralia College have not increased substantially, International Student Programs is working to bring more out-of-country students to the area.
Centralia Chronicle, Nov. 20, 2014

Centralia College: Lewis EDC provides opportunity for potential business owners to discuss possibilities
Sparking a desire among aspiring entrepreneurs in Lewis County was the focus of an event at Centralia College Tuesday evening, as several people who have gone on to be successful starting local businesses networked with college students and area business professionals. The Lewis Economic Development Council and Centralia College teamed up to host the event, which served as an opportunity for people to hear from entrepreneurs and ask questions on how they can start their own businesses if they so desire.
Centralia Chronicle, Nov. 20, 2014

Seattle Central’s hidden food heaven
What is not as common is the fancy schmancy (yet affordable) grub located one swift flight of stairs above the Atrium. The One World restaurant is part of the Seattle Culinary Academy, which shares its campus with Seattle Central College. Essentially, One World (along with the Square One Bistro, which is also located on campus), serves as real-time training for the students at the culinary academy. The restaurants are where the students get to use the skills they have learned in order to create high-quality, four-course meals for whoever happens to walk through the door and take a seat in the understated dining area.
Capitol Hill Times, Nov. 19, 2014

Centralia-raised piano prodigy Charlie Albright plays with the Tacoma Symphony
It’s clear that Charlie Albright is popular in the South Sound. The nationally known pianist, music prodigy and Centralia native has attracted so many ticket-buyers to his performance with the Tacoma Symphony this Sunday that the orchestra has had to move the concert from the Rialto to the Pantages, which has about 300 more seats. ... Albright began piano lessons at age 3, but he also had a talent for math and science, gaining his Associate of Science degree from Centralia College while still in high school.
The News Tribune, Nov. 18. 2014

TRENDS| HORIZONS | EDUCATION

Public colleges face major threat from some trustees, says AAU chief
Hunter R. Rawlings III, president of the Association of American Universities, says that ideologically motivated and corporate-minded trustees pose a great threat to public colleges. Mr. Rawlings, who leads a group of elite research universities, was highly critical of a recent effort to fire William C. Powers Jr., president of the University of Texas at Austin. In 2012, Mr. Rawlings also admonished University of Virginia board members for forcing out Teresa A. Sullivan as president, only to reinstate her under public pressure. Both cases, Mr. Rawlings says, point toward a troubling trend that has created instability at some of the nation’s top academic institutions.
The Chronicle of Higher Education, Nov. 25, 2014

Complexity of student vets
"Did you kill anybody while you were in the military?" It’s a provocative title for an education-related research paper, admits Lesley McBain, its author. But it’s not an embellishment. The question is one that young veterans on college campuses routinely face, McBain said Friday during a presentation on student veterans at the annual meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education here.
Inside Higher Ed, Nov. 24, 2014

Gates goes open
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will require grant recipients to make their research publicly available online -- a multibillion-dollar boost to the open access movement. The sweeping open access policy, which signals the foundation’s full-throated approval for the public availability of research, will go into effect Jan. 1, 2015, and cover all new projects made possible with funding from the foundation. The foundation will ease grant recipients into the policy, allowing them to embargo their work for 12 months, but come 2017, “All publications shall be available immediately upon their publication, without any embargo period.”
Inside Higher Ed, Nov. 24, 2014

Study: 4.8 million college students are raising children
More than a quarter of college students (26 percent) are raising dependent children, according to a new report by the Institute for Women's Policy Research. A majority of the parent population is made up of single parents, most of them women. Single mothers make up 43 percent of the student parent population, while single fathers make up 11 percent.
Inside Higher Ed, Nov. 21, 2014

'We're replacing pedagogy'
Academic libraries can help promote the adoption of open educational resources, but ultimately the push for open content has to be about more than textbooks, advocates said this week during the Open Ed Conference. The conference, which concludes today, comes on the heels of two reports suggesting that adoption of OER has the potential to grow dramatically in the next three years -- if faculty members are able to discover the resources they need.
Inside Higher Ed, Nov. 21, 2014

Free fall in for-profits’ enrollment may be slowing
Between government investigations and plummeting student numbers, for-profit colleges have had a rough few years. Dozens of colleges saw double-digit drops in enrollment, and in 2012 a U.S. Senate committee released a damning report on the for-profit-college sector, concluding that some colleges had dropout rates above 50 percent and that the industry was spending more on marketing than it was on instruction. However, new enrollment data suggest things may soon be looking up for the sector. Analysts’ projections suggest the industry is close to “bottoming out” and could once again see student growth.
The Chronicle of Higher Education. Nov. 21, 2014

Corinthian's nonprofit buyer
The ECMC Group, a nonprofit organization that runs one of the largest student-loan guaranty agencies, announced Thursday that it will purchase 56 campuses from Corinthian Colleges, a crumbling, controversial for-profit chain. ECMC will create a nonprofit subsidiary, called the Zenith Education Group, to run the campuses, which enroll more than 39,000 students. The sale price is $24 million, according to a corporate filing from Corinthian. After having absorbed more than half of Corinthian’s enrollment and assets, Zenith will operate the nation’s largest chain of nonprofit career-oriented campuses.
Inside Higher Ed, Nov. 21, 2014

Corinthian Colleges selling most of its schools
Corinthian Colleges is selling most of its Everest and WyoTech campuses in the midst of several investigations and lawsuits by federal and state regulators. Corinthian’s six campuses in Washington are included in the sale.
The Seattle Times, Nov. 20, 2014

POLITICS | LOCAL, STATE, NATIONAL


Editorial: Suspend I-1351 for state's sake
There's a reason why it takes two-thirds majorities in both the state House and Senate to amend a voter-approved initiative: Initiatives, even those that pass by relatively slim margins, represent the will of the voters, and that direction is not something that lawmakers should take lightly. But when the Legislature convenes in January, among its first actions ought to be votes to suspend Initiative 1351, which mandates the hiring of 7,400 teachers and another 18,000 other school employees statewide. When The Herald Editorial Board argued against passage of the initiative before the Nov. 4 election, we weren't arguing against the hiring of more teachers and smaller class sizes, but against an initiative that tried to fix a host of education funding problems with a tool that was focused only on hiring and not on how to best allocate funding. It's cliché, but good intentions often result in unintended consequences.
Everett Herald, Nov. 23, 2014

Obama’s immigration shift
President Obama formally announced Thursday evening a series of controversial executive actions he plans to take to reform a “broken” immigration system -- policies that have implications for undocumented college students as well as international students who study at American universities.
Inside Higher Ed, Nov. 21, 2014

How Obama’s action on immigration will affect higher education
President Obama’s decision to extend limited legal status to up to five million of the nation’s 11.4 million immigrants who are in the United States illegally will open the doors to college to more people. But Republican governors who are fuming on the sidelines may try to stand in the plan’s way. Here’s a look at what colleges can expect.
The Chronicle of Higher Education, Nov. 21, 2014

Harkin’s last act?
With just weeks left before he retires from Congress, Senator Tom Harkin has finalized his proposal to rewrite the Higher Education Act. Harkin, the Iowa Democrat who chairs the Senate education committee, on Thursday filed an 874-page bill to reauthorize the main federal law governing higher education.
Inside Higher Ed, Nov. 21, 2014

Senate Democrats’ bill to renew Higher Education Act: many ideas, little hope of passing
With only days remaining until his retirement, the Democratic chairman of the Senate education committee, Tom Harkin of Iowa, formally introduced legislation on Thursday offering his vision for renewing the Higher Education Act. The 874-page bill builds on a draft that Senator Harkin released in June, adding provisions that would extend and reform the endangered Perkins loan program and the other campus-based aid programs; restore year-round Pell Grants to part-time students; and offer Pell bonuses to institutions that enroll low- and moderate-income students.
The Chronicle of Higher Education, Nov. 21, 2014

Class-size measure triggers questions, worries in Olympia
Gathering at a House committee meeting, state legislators Wednesday began to reckon with how to pay for Initiative 1351, the multibillion-dollar measure voters just approved to reduce public-school class sizes. And they had a lot of questions. How many schools would need to be built to make room for those smaller classes, asked one lawmaker. Will the state Supreme Court consider I-1351 another cost required by its school-funding ruling known as the McCleary decision, asked another. And perhaps biggest of all, could I-1351 cost even more than the current price tag, as Rep. Ross Hunter, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, asserted.
The Seattle Times, Nov. 19, 2014

Squeezing toothpaste becomes analogy for Washington budget
To raise taxes, or not raises taxes? That is the question. Washington Democrats have been hinting at yes. Republicans like Senate budget chair Andy Hill say it’s a last resort. Hill started the toothpaste analogy. “I’m the kind of guy who with toothpaste, I squeeze the tube as absolutely empty as I can get it and then I cut it open and scrape out the rest,” he said. “I think that’s the way I would approach budgeting this year.” House budget chair Ross Hunter, a Democrat, grimaced. “I think we’ve squeezed the tube pretty dry and I have not seen a practical solution to an entire budget that doesn’t involve some significant additional revenue,” he said.
KPLU, Nov. 19, 2014

Washington class size measure puts $2 billion dent in state budget
Washington’s budget outlook is suddenly $2 billion in the red largely because of a class size reduction measure just approved by Washington voters. That initiative adds to an already challenging budget picture when lawmakers convene in January.
Northwest Public Radio, Nov. 19, 2014