News Links | July 7, 2015

SYSTEM NEWS | OPINIONS

Taking a look at post-secondary education from a north/south perspective Community college leaders from both sides of the Canada-United States border gathered at the Selkirk College Castlegar Campus last month to embark on a new north-south relationship aimed at enhancing opportunities for both students and educators. Administrative and academic leaders from Community Colleges of Spokane(CCS) and Selkirk College met on June 24-25 to forge the new partnership. An evening dinner meeting and facilitated day-long workshop helped identify specific areas where collaboration can benefit programming, student learning and professional development. The Nelson Daily, July 6, 2015 Battelle donates greenhouses to CBC agriculture department Battelle has donated four greenhouses and an outbuilding valued at $50,000 to theColumbia Basin College Agriculture department. Each greenhouse is approximately 6,000 square feet. CBC will use the greenhouses for both its Agriculture program and Agriculture Research. NBC Right Now, July 6, 2014 CPTC: Learning from the experts Every day at lunch, Clover Park Technical College’s Aviation Maintenance Technician instructors can all be found in their office at the South Hill Campus. Gregory Doyon, Mike Potter, Daniel Creech and Phil Vick eat lunch and pick on each other, while talking about car restoration projects, life at the farm and their latest flight. The Suburban Times, July 6, 2015 State agency approves bond for new CBC health sciences building in Richland A state agency will provide a $7 million bond that will help pay for a second health science education building for Columbia Basin College’s Richland campus. Tri-City Herald, July 5, 2015 From Fort Flagler to Peninsula College, state money will wash across North Peninsula The 24th Legislative District will get more than its share of the state's capital budget for 2015-2017. ... For instance: An Allied Health and Early Childhood Development Center atPeninsula College in Port Angeles leads the list with a $23.8 million allocation. Peninsula Daily News, July 3, 2015 Edmonds CC partners with VOICE to provide work experience to student with developmental issues Edmonds Community College partnered with the VOICE (Vocational Opportunities In Community Engagement) program of the Edmonds School District in 2015 for the first time, to give one of the district’s students, Brianna Horne, an internship and a chance to see what it would be like to work at the college. My Edmonds News, July 3, 2015 Big Bend rejoins student support program Big Bend Community College will join more than 200 other community and technical colleges in a nationwide program to help students be more successful at college. Big Bend was among 16 colleges to be accepted into the 2015-16 "Achieving the Dream" program. Columbia Basin Herald, July 2, 2015 Kentridge, Green River College partner to offer IT program in high school Beginning this fall, Kentridge High School students can study information technology and earn college credits through a partnership with Green River College. ... Kentlake High School offers a medical career pathway program through a partnership with Renton Technical College, which can lead to Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) certification. Kent Reporter, July 2, 2015 Washington state slashes college tuition The days of skyrocketing tuition at Washington’s public universities appear to be over. Unprecedented tuition cuts contained in the new state budget will lower the cost of attending the state’s colleges and universities by up to 20 percent over the next two years, and any future increases will be capped at the average annual rate of statewide wage growth. ... “This makes us very competitive. It’s a major statement,” Community Colleges of Spokane Chancellor Christine Johnson said Wednesday. “I think the student loan debt crisis is huge, and this is a very, very important step.” The Spokesman-Review, July 2, 2015 New university transfer degree eliminates textbook costs Through a new program offered at Pierce College at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, students across the district can earn a university transfer degree that nearly eliminates the cost of textbooks. Starting in Fall 2015, the Pierce Open Pathway (POP) program will allow students to enroll in online and hybrid classes, which feature low-cost, openly licensed learning resources that have been thoroughly evaluated by Pierce College officials. The Suburban Times, July 2, 2015 John Howard was Mr. CBC With apologies to the following men — Dale Gier, Larry Hattemer, Ed Maxwell, Len Pyne, Dwight Pool, Jim Rodgers and Dick Zornes — John Howard might have been Mr. CBC. Howard may have coached the most years at Columbia Basin College, starting in 1964 as the wrestling coach, and helping as an assistant with the football program, and finishing up as the school’s golf and tennis coach before retiring in 2002. ... And now, Howard is gone. He died Tuesday at the age of 79. Tri-City Herald, July 1, 2015

TRENDS| HORIZONS | EDUCATION

Not all college debt is bad, study says College debt has gotten a bad name in recent years, fueled by headline-grabbing stories about broke college graduates who owe hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loans. But not all student loans are inherently bad, the left-leaning Center for American Progress (CAP) argues in a new study. The center’s analysis shows that Washington residents appear to be getting their money’s worth when they take out student loans because they’re more likely to finish their degrees. The Seattle Times, July 7, 2015 Despite hurdles, students keep switching colleges Some 3.6 million students entered college for the first time in the fall of 2008, at the height of the Great Recession. Over the next six years, they transferred 2.4 million times, ricocheting between two- and four-year public and private colleges, often across state lines, according to a report being released Tuesday by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. The Chronicle of Higher Education, July 7, 2015 Higher ed groups reiterate support for standards in K-12 Three higher education groups that have been strong supporters of the Common Core State Standards Initiative are this morning releasing a joint statement that calls for states to stick to efforts to promote standards. Inside Higher Ed, July 7, 2015 What schools will do to keep students on track Chicago has seen a double-digit increase in the percentage of kids graduating from high school. Skeptics say educators and kids are manipulating the numbers — but does that even matter? The Atlantic, June 6, 2015 Making Title IX work The intersection of campus police investigations and college disciplinary investigations into sexual assault is still a confusing mix at many institutions, but Susan Riseling, the chief of police and associate vice chancellor at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, has a few ideas about how make the relationship work. Speaking at the annual meeting of the International Association of College Law Enforcement Administrators here on Wednesday, Riseling offered a number of suggestions to not only help campus police better meet the requirements of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and the Clery Act, but to use those requirements to help inform their own investigations. Inside Higher Ed, July 6, 2015 3 facts for college grads considering an additional associate degree It may seem backward, but some college graduates are choosing to further their education by getting an associate degree at a community college. ... While some college grads head to community college just to take a few classes to broaden their career options,​ some want an associate degree. US News & World Report, July 2, 2015 Professor says Facebook can help informal learning Who says Facebook is always a distraction? A new study suggests that if engaged in online debate, college students can use the popular social network to learn and develop a variety of skills. In a paper released on Monday, Christine Greenhow, an assistant professor of education at Michigan State University, argues that using informal social-media settings to carry on debates about science can help students refine their argumentative skills, increase their scientific literacy, and supplement learning in the classroom. The Chronicle of Higher Education, June 30, 2015

POLITICS | LOCAL, STATE, NATIONAL

Gov. Inslee signs early learning quality, tuition cut bills Surrounded by children, Gov. Jay Inslee on Monday signed bills to help kids on both ends of the education spectrum: a comprehensive new early learning bill and a measure that will cut college and university tuition. The News Tribune, July 7, 2015 New push for trustee training Trustees have a tremendous amount of responsibility. They’re in charge of setting the agenda of an institution, approving tuition charges and green-lighting multimillion-dollar construction projects. But how do they know how to do their jobs? Legislatures in two states this year have considered bills mandating training for trustees. In both Alabama and Texas, lawmakers unhappy with the actions of state institutions' regents and trustees argued that, given the large responsibility they have over their institutions, trustees should undertake training in things like ethics, budgeting and governance. Inside Higher Ed, July 7, 2015 A 'loan lottery' In New Jersey, some may be able to pay off thousands of dollars in student loans with one $3 payment — if they’re lucky. A New Jersey state representative proposed legislation Monday morning that would establish a lottery, but only for those with college debt. The winner wouldn’t receive the funds directly; they would go directly to the institution where the money is owed. Inside Higher Ed, July 7, 2015 Appeals court ruling could boost unpaid internships The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on Thursday issued a ruling that rejects a U.S. Labor Department list of six factors to consider in determining whether internships can be unpaid. The ruling threw out a lower court's ruling that two unpaid interns who worked on the film Black Swan were entitled to be classified as employees, and that they could pursue a class action. Inside Higher Ed, July 6, 2015 For-profit group to appeal gainful employment ruling The primary trade group for the for-profit sector, the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities (APSCU), said last week that it will appeal a federal court ruling over the Obama administration-led gainful employment rules, which went into effect this month. Inside Higher Ed, July 6, 2015