News Links | April 28, 2015

SYSTEM NEWS | OPINIONS

Peninsula College responds to drought conditions This year's lack of snow pack in the Olympic mountains already has Peninsula College planning ahead for a critical water shortage this summer. The college has prepared a sustainable approach that will balance the landscaping aesthetics of the campus with responsible environmental practices. KONP, April 28, 2015 Opinion: Testing can tell if students need help before college and career By Randy Dorn, state superintendent of public instruction, overseeing K-12 public education, and Marty Brown, executive director of the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. To ensure all students are ready for success and take advantage of these opportunities, Washington’s K-12 learning standards were established. Common Core State Standards are part of this and used for math and English language arts. The Smarter Balanced assessment system, administered in third, eighth and 11th grades, is aligned to the standards. It provides a way for teachers to measure student progress and make adjustments and interventions as necessary to ensure students are on the pathway to success. The Seattle Times, April 27, 2015 Veteran students thrive with ‘wrap-around’ services Paul Knudtson, director of Armed Services Relations at National Louis University in Chicago, is not unlike many of today’s OEF/OIF veterans. He’s married, has several children, and honorably served his country. ... As Paul and team work to raise money that will establish a one-stop center at the Chicago NLU campus, they will join the “elite” ranks of only a handful of colleges, like Edmonds Community College, which under the direction of Dr. Jean Hernandez, raised over one million dollars from their Boots to Books Campaign to improve and support on-campus veteran services and a well-trafficked Vet Center that includes a lounge, computer center, study rooms, several conference rooms, two counseling offices and a resource center. Seattle PI, April 27, 2015 Inmates show college students value of education (video) A narrow focus shifted to a wider angle after three Whitman College students went to prison. The students — Jessica Good, Jessica Lawrence and Nick Roberts — started out going to the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla to film a debate program for inmates supported by the college. But as work progressed, so did their goals. ... The three started their project to film the debate program in the fall of 2014, Good said. The five-week course involves members of Whitman College’s debate team working in partnership with Walla Walla Community College and culminates with a faceoff between the Whitman team and a team of inmate debaters. Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, April 25, 2015 Edmonds Community College to send seven students to Global Leadership Summit Conference in South Africa Marisa DuBois, Edmonds Community College Director of Student Services for Adult Basic Education/English as a Second Language, has made the world seem a bit smaller by bridging the gap between the University of the Free State (UFS) in Bloemfontein, South Africa and Edmonds Community College. The college has been invited to send seven students to the Global Leadership Summit conference at UFS in Bloemfontein, South Africa from July 5-18. My Edmonds News, April 24, 2015 CPTC: preparing for management level with BASMO There isn’t much of Clover Park Technical College’s Lakewood Campus that Bryan Daniels hasn’t seen. His education at CPTC started as a high school student at Northwest Career & Technical High School. After graduation he earned his associate’s degree in theHeating & Air Conditioning Refrigeration/Service Technician Program. The Suburban Times, April 24, 2015 Forums for Big Bend vice-presidential candidates announced Big Bend Community College officials have announced the three finalists for the job of vice-president of financial and administrative services. The person selected will replace longtime VP Gail Hamburg, who will retire at the end of the 2014-15 academic year. Columbia Basin Herald, April 23, 2015 SPSCC wins gold honors for catalog, artist & lecture series South Puget Sound Community College recently won two Gold Paragon Awards at the national convention of the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR). The 2015 national conference was held March 22-24 in Portland, Ore. Thurston Talk, April 23, 2015

TRENDS| HORIZONS | EDUCATION

Common Core gets a footing The much-debated Common Core State Standards and the assessments that accompany them are designed to prove high school graduates are ready for a rigorous college curriculum. But since the standards and assessments were first revealed years ago, most colleges have remained silent on Common Core and left the debate and development of the issue largely in the hands of K-12 administrators, teachers and parents. Inside Higher Ed, April 28, 2015 Money talk As colleges across the country attempt to navigate tough economic times and respond to calls to change their business models, conflicts abound. They are about not only the substance of various strategies, but about the ways administrators and faculty communicate during an era of sweeping change in how the business side of universities operate. Both large and small, colleges around the country are working to adapt to a changing financial landscape. Inside Higher Ed, April 28, 2015 Tools that limit distraction may raise student performance in online classes For students taking courses online, the endless distractions of the Internet can be a hindrance to success. But using software to limit those diversions can make a big difference. That’s the takeaway from a new study, which found that limiting distractions can help students perform better and also improve course completion. The Chronicle of Higher Education, April 23, 2015 To get more students through college, give them fewer choices In 2000, a famous experiment showed that when people were presented with a supermarket sampler of 24 exotic fruit flavors, they were more attracted to the display. But, when the sample included only six flavors, they were 10 times more likely to actually buy. This experiment contributed to the literature of what's known as "the paradox of choice." Too many choices can lead to feelings of frustration, dissatisfaction and paralysis, which is especially bad in cases where not making a choice is the worst one of all. College is no different from jam, according to a surprising new book, Redesigning America's Community Colleges. The authors, three Columbia University education researchers, argue that the best way to help the largest number of students get through college is to give them fewer pathways than they have now. KUOW, April 23, 2015 Peer review works, says new research on citations and patents The peer-review system is often described as the "gold standard" for determining scientific merit. A study published on Thursday gives that belief some empirical affirmation. The study shows that success rates of scientific projects, as measured by citations and patents, strongly correlate with the scores those projects were given under the peer-review process at the National Institutes of Health. The Chronicle of Higher Education, April 23, 2015 Prepare for college as a first-generation student Going to college is often considered to be an accomplishment, but for first-generation students the excitement can come with mixed emotions. ... Shame, guilt and inadequacy are just a few feelings that first-generation college students commonly struggle with. US News & World Report, April 20, 2015 The upwardly mobile barista Starbucks and Arizona State University are collaborating to help cafe workers get college degrees. Is this a model for helping more Americans reach the middle class? The Atlantic, May 2015

POLITICS | LOCAL, STATE, NATIONAL

Lawmakers investigate education Dept.’s role in forgiving student-loan debt A group of Democratic lawmakers is pushing the U.S. Department of Education to more frequently forgive the loan debt of students who attended colleges that engaged in “fraudulent activities.” The Chronicle of Higher Education, April 27, 2015 State lawmakers address sexual violence on campuses Amid a national conversation about how to better address sexual violence on college campuses, state lawmakers have passed two bills that seek to better gauge, respond to and reduce the number of sexual assaults at Washington colleges. The Seattle Times, April 26, 2015 Education Dept. issues new guidance on campus sexual assault The U.S. Department of Education has released new guidance reminding colleges that they must designate Title IX coordinators. In the new documents, the department’s Office for Civil Rights describes colleges’ responsibilities under the anti-discrimination law and the role of the coordinator in depth. The Chronicle of Higher Education, April 24, 2015 Relatives of state workers killed on roads to receive tuition Children and spouses of state transportation workers killed on the job will now receive free tuition at Washington's public colleges, under a bill signed into law Wednesday. KING 5, April 22, 2015