News Links | October 1, 2015

SYSTEM NEWS | OPINIONS

Edmonds CC hires Drake as new vice president for college relations and advancement Edmonds Community College has hired Dr. Tonya Drake as the Vice President for College Relations and Advancement. Drake has been serving as the Interim VP for College Relations and Advancement since August 2014. Prior to that role, she served as the special assistant to the President for Equity and Inclusion. My Edmonds News, Sept. 30, 2015 Our Voice: We’re grateful for many memorable experiences Memories are often special moments — times thought back on that bring a smile. Families together, a simple act of kindness or a community experience shared can add up, like a savings account, to a lot to be grateful for. It was rare and a first in 33 years — the blood moon that rose Sunday evening. Families, friends, astronomy groups and more in the Mid-Columbia gathered at the Moore Observatory at Columbia Basin College in Pasco and all around the region to witness an event that won’t happen for another 18 years. Tri-City Herald, Sept. 30, 2015 Skagit Valley College encourages lifelong learning with Road Scholar program Gathered around a map displaying whales of the Salish Sea, about two dozen students politely raised their hands to ask The Whale Museum’s Cindy Hansen questions about local mammals. What’s the difference between ‘orcas’ and ‘killer’ whales? Do orcas migrate to California? What’s happening to their habitat? The questions were probably a little more advanced than those students usually ask Hansen. Then again, these weren’t typical students. The men and women sitting in front of Hansen — all at least 50 years old — were taking part in a Road Scholar event hosted by Skagit Valley College’s San Juan Center. Skagit Valley Herald, Sept. 29, 2015 CPTC: Instructor receives PSE Distinguished Faculty Award In her 25 years as a Dental Assistant instructor at Clover Park Technical College, Roberta Wirth doesn’t remember ever having to confirm her attendance the night before a college event. It seemed strange to Wirth when she received a phone call from the CPTC Foundation Office on the evening of Sept. 17, making sure she was planning to attend Opening Day the following day. The courtesy call was made because Wirth was set to receive the 2015 Puget Sound Energy Distinguished Faculty Award at the all-staff and faculty event. Wirth received the award from Hans Herrmann, community engagement manager at PSE. The Suburban Times, Sept. 29, 2015 Daily life in September | Pictures in the news The waning crescent moon, rounded out with earthshine on the dark side and followed by Venus, rises above the Walla Walla Community College’s Dietrich Dome before dawn early Wednesday morning, Sept. 9, 2015, in Walla Walla, Wash. Baltimore Sun, Sept. 29, 2015

TRENDS| HORIZONS | EDUCATION

Pressure from all sides: The 2015 survey of admissions directors The challenges facing college admissions leaders just keep growing. As has been the case in recent years, many colleges struggle to fill their classes, according to the 2015 Inside Higher Ed Survey of College and University Admissions Directors. But in a year full of admissions news and controversy, the poll suggests additional points of tension that have been lingering behind the scenes (pressure from higher-ups to admit applicants), are major societal issues (student loan debt) or could be about to emerge with new force (the legal battle against the consideration of race in admissions). Inside Higher Ed, Oct. 1, 2015 'Predatory' publishing up The rise of open-access publishing, combined with pressure on academics to get published, has caused a spectacular increase in the number of articles spewed out by “predatory” journals, according to researchers at Finland’s Hanken School of Economics. Inside Higher Ed, Oct. 1, 2015 More degree stacking For a second consecutive year, the number of students receiving their first college credential fell, even as the number of students earning a second or third undergraduate credential continued to increase. Inside Higher Ed, Sept. 30, 2015 'Texting pushes people's buttons' It’s a familiar scenario at many colleges: a professor sends a student an email containing important information about a course, but the message gets lost in an inbox flooded with news about blood drives, intramural softball and spam. Many faculty members, administrators and staffers are searching for ways to improve how they communicate electronically with students. Some academics argue colleges should be active on whatever platform students regularly use, whether it be email, Facebook or text messaging. Others say colleges should require students to use email, as it will likely be one of their main forms of communication once they enter the workforce. Among researchers, there is a growing sentiment that colleges should consider texting — at least until students’ communication habits inevitably change. Inside Higher Ed, Sept. 30, 2015 Colleges vow to ease application process with new website More than 80 universities, including the University of Washington, have promised to make the college-application process easier through a new website where students will be able to submit applications to many schools and get coaching to compile a “digital portfolio” of their academic accomplishments. The Coalition for Access, Affordability and Success includes private colleges like Harvard and Yale, along with public schools like the University of Florida and Ohio State University. Their goal is to remove barriers to the application process, especially from low-income students and first-generation college students. The Seattle Times, Sept. 28, 2015

POLITICS | LOCAL, STATE, NATIONAL

Congress lets Perkins Loan program lapse The U.S. Senate failed to take action on a last-ditch effort to renew the federal Perkins Loan program, letting the program lapse. Inside Higher Ed, Oct. 1, 2015 Default rates drop The share of federal student loan borrowers who default on their debt within three years of entering repayment dropped for the second year in a row, the U.S. Department of Education announced Wednesday. The national default rate on student loans made by the government fell to 11.8 percent from 13.7 percent last year, the department said. Obama administration officials credited their success in getting more borrowers to sign up for income-based repayment plans for some of the decline in defaults. Inside Higher Ed, Oct. 1, 2015 Student loan default rate drops The proportion of student loan borrowers who defaulted on their debt within three years fell to 11.8 percent for those entering repayment in 2012, down sharply from 13.7 percent the year before, the U.S. Education Department announced today. Department officials credited the Obama administration's various efforts to protect borrowers, including its push to encourage borrowers to enter its income-based repayment program, for some of the decline in the default rate. Inside Higher Ed, Sept. 30, 2015 CFPB eyes loan servicer rules The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau formally announced Tuesday that it will explore new regulations on student loan servicing companies, calling for changes in an industry it says is bedeviled by widespread failures that are harming borrowers. Officials at the consumer agency issued a new report that outlines some of those problems, which include poor customer service, surprise fees and a lack of assistance for borrowers struggling to make payments or enroll in income-based repayment programs. Inside Higher Ed, Sept. 30, 2015 Bill targets for-profit college executives A handful of Senate Democrats on Tuesday introduced new legislation that would give the U.S. Department of Education greater powers to hold the executives of for-profit colleges accountable for fraud committed by the institutions they run. Inside Higher Ed, Sept. 30, 2015