To help more adult learners fit education into their busy lives, Highline Community College is launching a new “ Weekend College” program this fall. The program allows students to complete an Associate of Arts transfer degree by attending classes every other weekend.
Students can specialize in business, elementary education or general studies.
Each course is taught in a “hybrid” format, with part of the content presented in class and the rest online. Students need only attend five sessions on campus to complete an entire quarter-long class. Students can choose to attend Friday evenings, Saturdays, or Sunday afternoons — or all three days.
Tacoma Community College hosted an open house for its new Information Technology Building and celebrated the groundbreaking for its new Science Building on Aug. 31 on the college’s main campus.
The IT Building is a 56,000 square-foot, three-story building that houses classrooms, lab spaces and an Information Commons (open computer lab). Within the IT Building, electronics/wireless telecommunications engineering students and IT students can work with equipment that meets industry standards; business students can work in a simulation lab designed to support and extend experiential learning; and office professional technologies students can work in contemporary classrooms and labs.
The new Science Building will feature a fossil wall; a reptile display area; two large aquariums; monitoring equipment connected to the building structure so forces such as stress, temperature and electrical load can be measured; and glass panes to allow viewing of work going on in labs.
The approximately 77,200 square-foot, four-story building will house classrooms, laboratory spaces, a greenhouse, faculty offices and designated spaces for student interaction and study.
Both buildings will better support current teaching technology, accommodate the student population and help the college replace buildings that have come to the end of their useful lives. In addition, they will help define the campus edge and improve the emphasis for the south pedestrian entrance.
The National Workforce Center for Emerging Technologies (NWCET), a part of Bellevue Community College, has received a grant of $228,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to update the NWCET’s internationally recognized information technology skill standards.
Skill standards identify the knowledge and abilities needed to succeed in specific occupations. They are used by industry to establish hiring and professional development guidelines, and by educators to develop curriculum matched to workplace requirements.
The NWCET is an NSF Advanced Technology Education Center of Excellence in the field of information technology (IT) and a recognized, national leader in the research, development and dissemination of IT skill standards.
The skill standards project also has received additional funding from Microsoft Corporation, IEEE technology advancement association and InfoBasis, a provider of skills management technologies.
Spring quarter, Spokane Falls Community College introduced an innovative program that significantly improves student’s reading skills in a brief amount of time. The READ RIGHT program was designed by educator Dee Tadlock, and integrates neurobiology with learning, language acquisition and reading theory, working to "remodel” students’ neural networks to permanently overcome reading problems.
The Spokane District is the first community college in the U.S. to use the READ RIGHT program. In addition to Spokane Falls, the program is now in use at the Institute for Extended Learning’s Adult Education Center and will be introduced at Spokane Community College fall quarter.
It currently is used by some 181 school districts, corrections centers and corporate settings in 33 states across the U.S.
READ RIGHT involves three components – Excellent Reading, Coached Reading and Independent Reading – that can be used with all levels of readers, including those with dyslexia or learning disabilities and with students for whom English is not their native language. Activities are designed to help students develop or enhance the neural processes needed to predict and confirm the meaning of text.
The tutoring program not only helps individuals learn to read, but also assists average students become more efficient, effective readers.
Lake Washington Technical College (LWTC), in coordination with the Center for Excellence for Homeland Security at Pierce College and partners from local law enforcement, government and business, hosted the 2 nd Annual Joint Security Conference on September 7 and 8. The information security event was designed forsecurity and forensics professionals, attorneys, auditors, law enforcement, first responders/investigators, small businesses and military personnel.
This year’s theme, Grassroots Homeland Security, covered topics that included:
Lake Washington Technical College and its partners shared information regarding a new mobile forensics training unit that support law enforcement personnel and first responder educational needs on site, funded by the Department of Justice for 2005-06. This concept was developed under the leadership of Frank Robertshaw, industry expert; Mike Potter, LWTC Dean for IT/Business; and LWTC’s computer forensics faculty members Joe Martorelli and Marvin Everest with support and encouragement from professionals in partner institutions such as the University of Washington, CTIN, AGORA, ASIS, National Association of Chiefs of Police, American Society for Industrial Security, and Information Systems Audit and Control Association.
Sunset Magazine named Walla Walla their “2005 Wine Destination of the Year” in its September issue. Walla Walla was one of three finalists for the award.
Winners were nominated and chosen by a 17-member judges panel comprised of wine writers, sommeliers and retailers.
Other categories included “Best White,” “Best Red,” “Wine Trend of the Year” and “Up-and-Coming Wine Region of the Year.”
Buzz from the honor, which includes a mention and at least one photograph in the magazine, is expected by local tourism and wine officials to generate additional interest in Walla Walla’s wine country.
Walla Walla’s wine region already has a more than $100 million economic impact on the area, according to estimates from the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance. More than 60 wineries operate in the Valley, primarily focusing on cabernet sauvignon, merlot and syrah.
A team of students from Spokane Community College recently placed second in the national Culinary Knowledge Bowl competition in San Antonio.
Chef instructor Peter Tobin said the team battled to the finals but finished behind Schoolcraft College of Livonia, Mich. at the competition late last month.
The five students began cramming for the American Culinary Federation’s Jeopardy-style competition after winning Western regional championship this spring. It was the first Knowledge Bowl team from SCC to make it to the national finals.
The team included Captain Dennis Woolard, Jesse Blackwell, Mike Caruso, Anne Bauer and Pepper Safford. The students studied together for two hours a week for the past year to prepare for the game-show style competition in which they answered questions about classic culinary techniques, general cooking, sanitation and nutrition.
Although they fell short of the national title, team members said they hoped the regional win and national appearance would raise the profile of SCC’s Inland Northwest Culinary Academy among culinary schools.
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