News Links | July 30, 2015

SYSTEM NEWS | OPINIONS

Fox Island author publishes cheerful, non-cynical science fiction novel ‘Howard Carter Saves the World’ Featuring freeze rays, alien invasions, boy geniuses, snarky robots and a mad scientist villain “too sincere” to be truly evil, author Scott Perkins, 42, wrote his new young adult novel “Howard Carter Saves the World” as a homage to the sci-fi tales that shaped his childhood. ... When he’s not writing or researching a new project, Perkins works as a program assistant for the Student Learning Centers at Tacoma Community College. The News Tribune, July 29, 2015 CPTC: Small investment, big return As a partner at McGranahan Architects in Tacoma, Matt Lane sees the positive impact of their designs. There’s satisfaction in seeing a project built, and how that project helps people. Similarly, as vice president for Clover Park Technical College Foundation’s Board of Directors, Lane sees and hears how the Foundation helps students. The Suburban Times, July 29, 2015 East Pierce County students suture up hands-on learning Sumner High School student Hannah Wilson had always wanted to be a veterinarian until the senior discovered one small problem: She didn’t like working with animals. As one of MultiCare’s Nurse Camp participants, Wilson tested the waters last week at Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup and found what she hopes will be her future career. ... Hannah Stuart, another student who participated in Nurse Camp, is currently taking her prerequisites for nursing school at Pierce College. The News Tribune, July 28, 2015 Green River looks to make presence known in tech world With the launch of bachelor degree programs in software development and network administration and security, Green River College is striving to create a strong tech presence in the South Sound. Maple Valley Reporter, July 28, 2015

TRENDS| HORIZONS | EDUCATION

How to simplify the Fafsa? Student-aid officials’ group weighs in The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators is out with recommendations for how to simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as the Fafsa. Making the application less cumbersome is a popular cause, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the College Board, and the chairman of the U.S. Senate’s education committee, Lamar Alexander, among others. The Chronicle of Higher Education, July 30, 2015 America offline The population of people in the United States who don't have an Internet connection is down to 15 percent, new data from Pew Research shows. That's the equivalent of about 47 million people, which at first sounds like a lot — at least to someone immersed in all things online most of the time. Another way to think about it, though, is to see just how quickly people have adopted the Internet compared with other technologies over time. In the span of 15 years, the United States has transformed into a mostly-Internet-connected country. Back in 2000, a full 48 percent of Americans told Pew they did not use the Internet. The Atlantic, July 28, 2015 Opinion: A pathway to higher ed for low-income students It isn’t enough that financial aid for college is available to low-income students. They have to know it’s available. ... In partnership with the University of Washington Tacoma, the city’s schools have been working to create a “college-going culture” beginning in kindergarten. It’s a culture that nurtures a belief in students that higher education is a very real possibility. The News Tribune, July 28, 2015

POLITICS | LOCAL, STATE, NATIONAL

3 themes from a Senate hearing on campus sexual assault A U.S. Senate committee on Wednesday played host to a wide-ranging discussion of campus sexual assault, and one question factored prominently into the two-hour-plus session: What can the federal government do better when it comes to colleges and sexual assault? The Chronicle of Higher Education, July 30, 2015 FTC investigates U of Phoenix parent group Apollo Education Group, which owns the University of Phoenix, disclosed in a corporate filing Wednesday that they received a civil investigative demand from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. Inside Higher Ed, July 30, 2015 White House summit on short-term training programs The White House is hosting a meeting today on the growing boot camp and coding academy space, which offers short-term training programs to students. Other alternative providers, such as online course platforms, also are on the agenda, said several invitees. Inside Higher Ed, July 30, 2015 Attorney general gives glowing report to court on education The Washington attorney general's office says the state has made so much progress toward fully paying the cost of basic education that the state Supreme Court should dissolve its contempt order on education funding. In a report turned in to the court on Monday, Senior Assistant Attorney General David Stolier lists all the ways the Legislature has fulfilled the Supreme Court's 2012 McCleary decision on education funding. Yakima Herald, July 27, 2015 The debate over free community college New programs in Oregon and Tennessee face praise and scrutiny about which students they actually benefit. The Atlantic, July 27, 2015