News Links | April 30, 2015

SYSTEM NEWS | OPINIONS

Speaker from Lockheed Martin talks to CBC students about cyber security A speaker from Lockheed Martin talked to students at Columbia Basin College about how to think differently when it come to cyber security. The main message: if you're working to find and stop a potential threat, then you'll always  be one step behind. But if you go for the source of the attack, then you're in a better position to understand why your network is at risk and what you should do to take to prevent future attacks. KNDO, April 28, 2015 Heritage University partners with Wenatchee Valley College to offer four-year degrees at WVC Heritage University and Wenatchee Valley College (WVC) announcing a partnership to offer four-year degrees in business administration, criminal justice and early childhood studies at WVC’s Wenatchee campus. KAPP TV, April 28, 2015 Tacoma Community College symphonic band: Music from the heart in the heart of Tacoma Tacoma is a melting pot of culture, offering art in the most unusual places. When looking for a local and interesting spot to hear natural talent, it is easy to bypass and overlook community colleges. But, the Tacoma Community College Symphonic Band offers just that — performances from talented musicians both young and old as well as an entertaining experience, free of charge. South Sound Talk, April 28, 2015 After years adrift, school dropout is national academic star David Yama dropped out of school when he was 14, and by the time he was in his mid-20s had worked enough odd jobs to last a lifetime. ... But nothing clicked until Yama went back to school to finish his education — where his work ethic has started to pay off. Yama, 30, was honored this month as one of the top community-college scholars in the nation by Phi Theta Kappa, an international honor society for community-college students. ... Yama, who has a 3.96 grade-point average and also does volunteer work at a University of Washington research lab, will graduate with an associate degree this June from South Seattle College, one of the city’s three community colleges. The Seattle Times, April 27, 2015

TRENDS| HORIZONS | EDUCATION

Rules add flexibility in international student programs A new U.S. Department of Homeland Security rule will allow spouses and children of international students to study in the U.S. as long as they are enrolled for less than a full course of study. Inside Higher Ed, April 30, 2015 Wider-ranging rankings The world may or may not need another college rankings system; on that question, commentators and pundits are divided. The creators of a new entry acknowledge the limitations of the genre, but argue that their version — imperfect as it may be — improves on the competition by analyzing thousands of colleges of all types (instead of hundreds of mostly selective ones) and assessing them based on how much the institutions themselves contribute to the economic success of their graduates. Inside Higher Ed, April 29, 2015 Parents are saving less for college Parents who are saving money for their children to attend college said they are earmarking 10 percent of their total savings for that purpose, according to a new report from Sallie Mae, the student lender. But the average amount parents said they have set aside for college has declined by 25 percent since last year, to $10,040 from $13,408. Inside Higher Ed, April 29, 2015 Census study will keep question on majors The U.S. Census Bureau announced Tuesday that it will keep a question in one of its major surveys, the American Community Survey, about the field of study of those who have an undergraduate education. Inside Higher Ed, April 29, 2015 Opinion: The Neglected Majority, Part 2: High Costs, Uncertain Benefits Today I examine one potential explanation for the second finding: that adults may not have a clear sense of the costs and benefits of further education. The survey asked respondents to estimate tuition and fees at local community colleges and for-profit colleges, the median wage among different types of graduates, and how much they thought earning a degree or certificate might affect their earnings. Forbes, April 29, 2015 Opinion: The neglected majority: What Americans without a college degree think about higher education, part 1 American culture teaches us that postsecondary education is a primary path to getting ahead. ... The truth is, however, our postsecondary system doesn’t even touch large swaths of Americans, especially those who grew up in lower-income families. Forbes, April 28, 2015

POLITICS | LOCAL, STATE, NATIONAL

Grants for today's student Get a group of higher education wonks in the same room talking about public funding and they're bound to discuss how flattening and declining state investment is hurting students and colleges alike. But while a group of experts acknowledged this fact during a forum at the National Press Club on Wednesday, the main discussion centered around not only a lack of money but a lack of vision in the implementation of state-awarded grant programs. Inside Higher Ed, April 30, 2015 State aid should change to meet needs of students, report says The "who" and "how" of going to college are changing rapidly, but state financial-aid programs are stuck in the past, according to a report released on Wednesday by the Education Commission of the States. The report calls on state officials to change their aid programs to focus more on the needs of students rather than institutions and to allow state aid to be used for a greater variety of postsecondary programs. The Chronicle of Higher Education, April 29, 2015