Community
colleges find new strategies to break through ‘initiative fatigue’
Suffering from "initiative fatigue" and stymied by "curmudgeons"
intent on blocking new ideas, community colleges are nonetheless making
progress on promising new strategies for reaching students at greatest risk
of dropping out, according to speakers here at the annual meeting of the
League for Innovation in the Community College. ... That attitude is
often a bigger barrier to success than the student’s actual abilities, said
Charles M. Thompson, director of a program at Edmonds Community College,
in Washington state, called Creating Access to Careers in Health
Care. The program, which is supported by a grant from the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services and is also offered at Everett Community College,
is part of a national research study involving 32 colleges nationwide.
The Chronicle of Higher Education, March 10, 2015
Renton, Olympic
community colleges in the running for national prize
Next week, the nonprofit Aspen Foundation will award its
prestigious $1 million prize to one of the nation’s
1,000-plus community colleges — the one it believes does the best
job of helping students get a credential and a good job after
graduation. Two Washington community colleges are on the list of 10
finalists — Renton
Technical College and Olympic College of
Bremerton. They were among the colleges picked for doing an
outstanding job of “student learning, certificate and degree completion,
employment and earnings, and high levels of access and success for minority
and low-income students,” according to the foundation’s description.
... In all, six Washington community colleges made the initial list of
150 finalists, including Walla
Walla and Whatcom
community colleges, and Skagit Valley and Columbia Basin
colleges. The prize will be awarded March 18. Two years ago, Walla Walla
Community College shared the top prize with Santa Barbara City College.
The Seattle Times, March 9, 2015
BTC students
practice nursing care using high-tech mannequins
In a simulation lab at Bellingham
Technical College, four registered nursing students were
getting a feel for the real world as they tried to help a sick Vincent
Brody. The 67-year-old “man” was flat on his back in a bed in his
hospital room, moaning and struggling to breathe. ... Generally known
as SimMan, the mannequin was the most advanced of the seven human
patient simulators, both adults and infants, in the room. ... Overall,
the mannequins are used to help nursing students learn as they work their
way through increasingly complex scenarios. (Whatcom Community College also
has such a lab.)
The Bellingham Herald, March 8, 2015
Central Georgia
Technical College announces international partnership
Central Georgia Technical College will be part of an international partnership
aimed at restoring two-year degrees in Afghanistan. The technical college
and Spokane
Community College — a two-year school in
Washington state — will partner with the University of
Massachusetts in the $93 million contract, designed to help re-establish a
university system in the Middle East.
Macon Telegraph, March 9, 2015
'NERD Girls'
burst into science with volcano project
As they carried their clay volcanoes into a classroom, about 25 fourth- and
fifth-graders talked excitedly about what would happen next at after-school
science camp: volcanic eruptions. Monday afternoon was the last day of a
six-week after-school science camp at Harney Elementary School led by NERD
Girls, a team of Clark
College instructors and students who focus on science,
technology, engineering and math. NERD stands for Not Even Remotely Dorky.
The Columbian, March 9, 2015
Opinion: Help
vets continue education
More than some states, Washington has made an effort to help its military
veterans attend college and get into the careers that will help them build
their lives following their service. ... More than 20,000 veterans are
currently enrolled in colleges and universities in Washington,
and more than half of them are enrolled in community colleges.
... House Bill 1706, sponsored by Rep. Derek Stanford, D-Bothell,
would allow universities, community colleges and technical colleges to
waive building and activity fees for veterans receiving tuition assistance
from the Defense Department's Tuition Assistance Program.
Everett Herald, March 8, 2015
Opinion: Quick
way to increase health care providers
Yakima County needs help to recruit health care providers, and the Washington
State Health Professional Loan Repayment Program is just the ticket.
Statistics tell the story. More than 500,000 newly eligible adults now have
insurance through Medicaid, including 25,198 in Yakima County. This is
great news, but it also means that we need enough providers to make sure
they can access care. In a recent study, the Robert Graham Center projects
that to maintain the current primary care utilization rates, Washington
state will need an additional 1,695 primary care physicians by 2030 —
that’s a 32 percent increase compared to the state’s current primary care
physician workforce. ... We are lucky to have health profession
programs locally, such as the Pacific Northwest University College of
Osteopathic Medicine; the Central Washington Family Medicine Residency
program; nursing programs through Washington State University, Yakima Valley Community College and
Heritage University.
Yakima Herald, March 8, 2015
CPTC:
Cosmetology students use talents to help others
Daniel Bacon and Misty Winesberry believe talents are best when shared with
others. The Clover
Park Technical College Cosmetology students had a
special opportunity to share their craft with a client in hospice care. In
early February South Hill resident Alan Mershon contacted CPTC’s Personal
Care Service Center to ask if a student would visit his home to provide a
haircut for his daughter, Sunny Day Holcomb, who is in the advanced stages
of Multiple Sclerosis. Bacon was delighted to volunteer and asked
Winesberry to join him.
The Suburban Times, March 8, 2015
Traditional Pow
Wow celebrates vibrant Native American heritage
Drum circles lined the gymnasium of Covington Middle School. Men and women
wearing colorful regalia and elaborate headdresses danced to the thumping
of the drums. Some of the girls stomped to the beat, the jingling of their
regalia filling the room. Some of the men synced the movement of their
whole bodies to the sound of the drums. Some children moved more slowly,
watching the others around them. ... Saturday's event also introduced
a new scholarship for Native American students at Clark College.
The Dreamcatcher Scholarship — named in honor of Becky Archibald and Anna
Schmasow, both of whom are active in the Native American Education Program
and Clark College — is designed to help current and future indigenous Clark
students fund their education, said Felisciana Peralta, of Clark's Office
of Diversity and Equity.
The Columbian, March 7, 2015
North Korean
refugees take center stage at Pierce College Puyallup
Three North Korean refugees shared their stories with the college community
on Feb. 25 as part of a special event sponsored by Pierce College International
Education. To protect their identities – and to protect their families
back home –cameras were strictly prohibited, but for many in the audience,
the memory of hearing their stories could very well last longer than any
photograph. Keynote speaker and internationally recognized human rights
activist Suzanne Scholte has made it her life’s work to advocate for the
North Korean people. She has been involved in the rescue of many North
Koreans seeking freedom. The panel of refugees spoke of their experiences growing
up in North Korea, and the propaganda that runs rampant against the United
States and outside world at large.
The Suburban Times, March 7, 2015
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