News Links | May 19, 2015

SYSTEM NEWS | OPINIONS

LCC students pass new fitness center fee by a landslide A new quarterly student and staff fee to maintain Lower Columbia College’s new fitness center has passed by a landslide, 355 to 99, with a 16 percent student turnout. Drew Davidson, the student body president, said the $25 quarterly student fee and $50 staff fee may go into effect as soon as this summer. Longview Daily News, May 19, 2015 James Curtis joins board of Tacoma Community College Tacoma Community College alumnus James Curtis has joined the college’s board of trustees, replacing Chad Wright. A 1999 graduate of TCC who holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a law degree from the University of Washington, Curtis joined the Pierce County Prosecutor’s office in 2007. He chairs its diversity committee. The News Tribune, May 18, 2015 Highline College strengthens commitment to serving men of color Highline College has joined the Minority Male Community College Collaborative (M2C3), a consortium designed to serve and increase graduation rates of men of color. M2C3 is the first research and practice center specifically focused on advancing student success outcomes for men of color in community colleges. Since 2011, M2C3 has partnered with over 65 community colleges in eight states to support their efforts in addressing challenges facing men of color. Highline is the first college in the state to partner with M2C3. Kent Reporter, May 18, 2015 CPTC: President’s Unsung Hero for May College relations specialist Somer Hanson is normally the story writer, not the story’s subject. But Somer’s tireless work writing stories for In the Spotlight — and her countless other contributions to the College — have earned her the honor of being the President’s Unsung Hero for May. In her first year at Clover Park Technical College, Somer has written 101 feature stories, most of them highlighting students who have overcome obstacles or found success in their time at the College. She’s also placed six CPTC stories in The Tacoma News Tribune, where the greater South Sound region has been able to read about the great things happening at CPTC. The Suburban Times, May 18, 2015 WSU, Coyote Ridge Correctional Center team up for debate While their paths may be different, the overall goal remains the same — education. Washington State University and Walla Walla Community College at the Coyote Ridge Correctional Center team up every year for the Prison Debate Project, a program that brings together students from both establishments for a debate in front of nearly 100 inmates at the prison in Connell, Wash. KOMO News, May 17, 2015 Soundings: Mount St. Helens habitat growing in complexity It’s a cloudy, cool mid-May day in the upper North Fork Toutle River Valley. I’m doing something I’ve done every five years since Mount St. Helens exploded May 18, 1980: I’m hiking the two-mile Hummocks Trail near Coldwater Lake in the northwest corner of the 109,900-acre Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. ... Serving as a gracious, knowledgeable interpreter of Mount St. Helens geology this day is Centralia College earth sciences professor Pat Pringle, who was hired by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1982 to do fieldwork at Mount St. Helens. He’s gone on to climb the volcano 11 times and has helped train hundreds of volunteer naturalists to share the mountain’s story with the public. The Olympian, May 16, 2015 Tacoma Community College to offer first four-year degree Health Information Management students will soon be able to obtain a four-year degree at Tacoma Community College. TCC recently won approval from the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges to offer an Applied Baccalaureate degree in Health Information Management. Pending accreditation approval by the Northwest Commission of Colleges and Universities, the college will offer its first four-year degree starting Fall 2016. The Suburban Times, May 15, 2015 David Carsten named Centralia College’s Distinguished Alumnus The Centralia College Foundation has named David Carsten its annual distinguished alumnus. Carsten, a 1977 graduate of Centralia College, owns a dental practice called Pacific Dental Anesthesia in Vancouver, and specializes in compassionate mobile anesthesia. Centralia Chronicle, May 15, 2015 CPTC: The ‘Esthe Sisters’ While a student in the Esthetic Sciences Program, Renee Beck made a joke. “I’ll open my own place so all my friends can work there and we can see each other,” she recalled. She didn’t know it at the time, but her comment foreshadowed what was to come after she graduated from Clover Park Technical College in 2013 with an Esthetics Sciences degree and Cosmetology certificate. The Suburban Times, May 15, 2015 Olympic College CEO honored Dr. David Mitchell, CEO of Olympic College, was among five people and one organization named as Washington State Association of College Trustees' 2015 ACT Award winners. The annual award recognizes dedication to Washington’s 34 community and technical colleges and the nearly 388,000 students they serve each year. The other award winners are: Trustee Leadership Award: Greg Bever, Community Colleges of Spokane. Partner of the Year: Samaritan Healthcare, Moses Lake, nominated by Big Bend Community College. Equity Award: Terry Kinzel, Big Bend Community College. Faculty Member Award: Dr. Ryann Leonard, Big Bend Community College. Professional Staff Member Award: Carl Young, Skagit Valley College. Central Kitsap Reporter, May 14, 2015 Precision ag takes off at Walla Walla Community College Walla Walla Community College precision agriculture courses include drone crop monitoring, computerized mapping systems, high tech controls, sensors, monitoring systems and guidance systems that help the modern farmer continuously produce more food, fiber and fuel. Capital Press, May 14, 2015 GRC to build new center for aviation and other programs near Lowe's The flight itinerary calls for Green River College's aviation program to take wing next summer from the Lea Hill campus and alight in the valley below. That is, the college plans to move its aviation program and some smaller programs by the fall of 2016 into a new, three-story, 30,000-square-foot building, east of Lowe's at 1232 A St. NE, south of the Auburn Municipal Airport. The Auburn Reporter, May 14, 2015 Google awards high school computer grant to CBC Columbia Basin College has received a $24,100 grant to help bolster computer science courses in local high schools through improved teaching methods.  Currently, only two local high schools offer the Advanced Placement (AP) computer science course in JAVA programming.  In 2013, Washington state passed the computer science law to allow AP computer science to count as a math and science credit. KVEW TV, May 14, 2015 Proof of Bigfoot Is in the Bones, Winlock Man Says Is the mystery of Bigfoot’s existence finally solved? One Centralia College professor said he has discovered scientific evidence that proves the creature’s existence. He believes the information will be one of the biggest scientific finds of the century. Centralia Chronicle, May 14, 2015 Jeff Maxfield named the 2015 Alumnus of the Year for South Seattle College South Seattle College announced today that Jeff Maxfield has been named the 2015 Alumnus of the Year. Maxfield, who graduated from South’s Culinary Arts program in 1996, is currently the Executive Chef at the SkyCity restaurant located at the top of the iconic Seattle landmark, the Space Needle. West Seattle Herald, May 14, 2015 CPTC welcomes 3,500 for annual Career Conference Clover Park Technical College welcomed 3,500 area middle school, high school and prospective students at the 15thannual Career Conference on May 14. Visitors had free roam of the Lakewood Campus and learned about the college’s programs from staff, faculty and students. Many of the programs included hands-on activities during the four-hour open house event. The Suburban Times, May 14, 2015

TRENDS| HORIZONS | EDUCATION

'Drive-up advising' For students at Florida Atlantic University, getting academic advising last semester was as convenient as free parking. Since January, two parking garages on the university’s Boca Raton campus have doubled as academic advising offices for commuter students, whose schedules had not previously allowed them to use campus advising services regularly. Inside Higher Ed, May 19, 2015 Washington state aerospace jobs to drop 8 percent by 2020 Washington state aerospace jobs will decline 8 percent by 2020. A just-released report by the Aerospace and Advanced Materials Manufacturing Pipeline Advisory Committee, formed by the Legislature in 2012, projects that total state aerospace employment will drop to 87,000 by 2020. The majority of those 87,000 jobs will be at Boeing. But don't expect massive layoffs or a decline in the rate companies are hiring. Rather, Boeing and its suppliers will hire people to replace most of the retiring older workers. However, some of the retiring Boeing workers' jobs won't be replaced, which accounts for the decline. Puget Sound Business Journal, May 15, 2015 Study raises questions on teacher ed ratings The National Council on Teacher Quality regularly issues reports on the state of teacher education programs, finding that many do not meet the group's standards for rigorous preparation. On Thursday, the University of North Carolina system released a study it did in collaboration with NCTQ that raises questions about the value of meeting the standards. Inside Higher Ed, May 15, 2015

POLITICS | LOCAL, STATE, NATIONAL

In-state tuition for vets delayed The Obama administration has delayed a new federal requirement that public colleges and universities receiving GI Bill funding provide recent veterans with the benefit of in-state tuition, regardless of their residency. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Bob McDonald on Friday announced that he was pushing back the deadline for public institutions to comply with the in-state tuition provision of the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act that Congress passed last August. The provision will now take effect Jan. 1 of next year instead of July 1, 2015. Inside Higher Ed, May 19, 2015 Moody's: State controls limit options for higher ed Public universities under strong control from their state legislatures and governing systems are having a more difficult time responding to the financial pressures on public higher education, according to a new report from Moody's. State governments can control decisions as wide ranging as tuition rates to faculty pay levels to procurement, despite the fact that many legislatures with such policies have also dramatically dropped their funding levels. Inside Higher Ed, May 18, 2015 How ending the two-tiered student-loan system would help struggling borrowers Defaulting on a student loan is not pleasant. It wrecks a borrower’s credit, puts her into the unpleasant world of debt collection, and can even result in wages or Social Security benefits being garnished. There are increasing calls to keep down student debt and to create more flexible payment plans to avoid default. If we care so much about student loan debt, then it’s time to end the existing two-tiered system of handling students who default — one that doubles down on struggling borrowers by inflating the balances they owe, and another that helps them get a fresh start at a much lower cost. The Chronicle of Higher Ed, May 15, 2015 Education Dept. proposes reining in deals between colleges and banks The U.S. Education Department on Friday proposed new regulations aimed at reining in agreements between colleges and banks that want to market their products to students. The proposed rules, scheduled for publication in Monday’s Federal Register, represent the Obama administration’s latest effort to curb those agreements, which can leave students on the hook for fees they may have incurred unintentionally. The Chronicle of Higher Education, May 15, 2015 Interest rates on new federal student loans will drop for 2015-16 Interest rates on new federal student loans will drop for the 2015-16 academic year, The Wall Street Journal reports. The rate on undergraduate Stafford loans will drop to 4.29 percent, down from 4.66 percent this year. Graduate Stafford loans’ interest rate will be 5.84 percent, down from 6.21 percent. The rate on PLUS loans for parents and graduate students will be 6.84 percent, down from 7.21 percent. The Chronicle of Higher Education, May 13, 2015