News Links | September 17, 2015

SYSTEM NEWS | OPINIONS

South Seattle College offering free tuition to some freshmen A scholarship program at South Seattle College is giving more people a chance at higher education by offering one year of free tuition for qualifying students. KING 5, Sept. 16, 2015 Skagit Valley College receives grants for fire protection students Skagit Valley College and area fire districts received a $537,370 grant to provide scholarships for Skagit Valley College fire protection students, according to a news release. Students studying fire protection have the opportunity to apply for the annual scholarships, which are made possible through a four-year, $537,370 grant awarded to Skagit Valley College and partners including Skagit County Fire District 14, Skagit County Fire District 13, Skagit County Fire District 6, City of Burlington Fire Department and the City of Mount Vernon Fire Department. Whidbey News Times, Sept. 16, 2015 Highline College earns national award for 'excellence in diversity' for third consecutive year Highline College has received the 2015 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from Insight Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education for the third consecutive year. Auburn Reporter, Sept. 16, 2015 Two Washington colleges get money for veteran centers Lake Washington Institute of Technology in Kirkland and Olympic College in Bremerton will get a little more than $100,000 for the next three years to help student veterans. The grants from the Department of Education will help create centers for student veterans. KUOW, Sept. 15, 2015 Indonesian students discuss hard work back home during Longview visit For Farhan Widyahartono, breakfasts of eggs and toast are one of the things that stand out about the United States. Back home in Indonesia, rice is the typical morning meal, the 15-year-old explained. Widyahartono and 11 other high school students from Indonesia have become used to all-American breakfasts during the past two weeks as they visited North Carolina and Los Angeles. They’re spending six days in the Longview-Kelso area this week under an exchange with the Friendship Force of Lower Columbia. ... The students performed dances from different regions of their vast country of 17,000 islands at the Lower Columbia College Student Center on Monday. Longview Daily News, Sept. 15, 2015 CPTC launches bachelor’s degree holders into in-demand field When Noah Hebert and Michael Engstrom graduated from their respective universities, they were confident about their prospects entering the work force. But Hebert, who majored in communication, and Engstrom, who studied elementary education, learned that getting started in their careers would prove a challenge. ... Two years ago Hebert and Engstrom enrolled in Clover Park Technical College’s Computer Programming and Web Development to prepare for their second career. They completed the program in March, and soon after both were employed as application developers for the Washington State Department of Ecology. The Suburban Times, Sept. 15, 2015 New public private partnership at South Seattle College will train students for industry Since graduating from high school a few years ago, Chantz Hegemann has worked odd jobs here and there, but nearly all of them have left him wanting more. Hegemann found what he was looking for in a new seven-quarter program at South Seattle College that is a public-private partnership to train heavy diesel repair technicians and starts Fall Quarter of 2015. The program was created to satisfy the industry’s growing need to hire employees with these skills. West Seattle Herald, Sept. 14, 2015

TRENDS| HORIZONS | EDUCATION

New data on value of college degrees, majors A new study confirms previous research finding strong long-term economic payoff to earning a college degree, and a larger payoff for majoring in a science-, mathematics- or engineering-related field. Inside Higher Ed, Sept. 17, 2015 Going back to school First-time graduate school enrollment was up 3.5 percent in 2014 from the year before, the biggest annual increase since 2009, according to a report out today from the Council of Graduate Schools. Inside Higher Ed, Sept. 17, 2015 Valuing the faculty Who needs the faculty? A new working paper by the Campaign for the Future of Higher Education, a coalition of faculty unions and other academic associations, asks that question and answers resoundingly that face time with faculty members is key to student success. Unfortunately, it says, colleges and universities continue to divert funds away from instruction in an attempt to cut costs — a strategy that actually hurts them in the long run. Inside Higher Ed, Sept. 17, 2015 Report urges new service learning programs American colleges should expand opportunities for their students to participate in national service programs, the Center for American Progress recommended in a paper released Wednesday. Inside Higher Ed, Sept. 17, 2015 Another research gender gap: Men get more start-up money It's no secret that women seeking to get a foothold in STEM fields often face serious impediments. Here's another potential one: Junior male medical researchers are more likely than their female peers to land sizable start-up packages from some of the nation’s top research institutions and hospitals, according to a study released on Wednesday. The Chronicle of Higher Education, Sept. 17, 2015 Staying relevant is gender-neutral: 3 college presidents on the state of women’s schools Sweet Briar College, a private women’s school in rural Virginia, brought a national spotlight to the struggles of a single-sex institution earlier this year when it announced it would be closing for good. An alumni group called Saving Sweet Briar gathered $12 million to rescue the school in time for the fall semester, but the close call had widespread effects on the national reputation of women’s colleges. Now, even with hundreds of years of legacy behind them, women’s colleges are widely assumed to be struggling entities. But in the eyes of three college presidents, the outlook for women’s colleges is nowhere near as bleak as some think. Puget Sound Business Journal, Sept. 16, 2015

POLITICS | LOCAL, STATE, NATIONAL

Missing from college scorecard: Nearly 1 in 5 community colleges Students searching for colleges on President Obama’s new College Scorecard can find detailed information on costs, graduation rates, and employment outcomes for thousands of colleges nationwide, from Harvard University to Harcum College. What they won’t find is any mention of Front Range Community College or dozens of other institutions like it. That’s because the scorecard excludes colleges that “primarily” award certificates, even if they award nearly as many two-year degrees. Front Range, in Colorado, awarded 1,771 certificates and 1,693 associate degrees in the 2012-13 academic year. The Chronicle of Higher Education, Sept. 17, 2015 Obama criticizes 'coddling' of students President Obama spoke at an Iowa high school this week and was asked about proposals to cut off federal funds to "politically biased" colleges. The president didn't think such a plan was workable or desirable, but he gave a strong statement about the value of being exposed in college to new ideas, including those that are different from one's own and even appear offensive. Inside Higher Ed, Sept. 16, 2015 Opinion: A plan to fix college loans, debt and the burden on students and the economy By U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Medina, who serves on the House Judiciary and Agriculture committees and represents the 1st Congressional District. Growing up, my family struggled financially, but I was able to get a great college education with the help of student loans and financial aid. Together we must ensure today’s students have the same opportunity. Making higher education more affordable isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s also crucial to maintaining America’s role as a global leader in the 21st-century economy. The Seattle Times, Sept. 15, 2015 State seeks some extra dollars in latest revenue forecast The updated forecast for Washington state's current two-year nearly $38 billion budget cycle shows that lawmakers have more than $100 million more available to them through the middle of 2015, and that they'll have an additional $365 million than additionally projected for the 2015-2017 biennium. The Bellingham Herald, Sept. 14, 2015