College News

TMP leadership affirms their commitment to student success

Leadership from the four agencies representing the collaborative work of the Transition Math Project recently met to discuss the progress of the project and reaffirm their commitment to work together to help students succeed when they leave high school.

Executive Director of the Council of Presidents Terry Teale, Executive Director of the Higher Education Coordinating Board Ann Daley, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson and SBCTC Executive Director Charlie Earl released a statement of endorsement for the college readiness standards in mathematics produced by the Transition Math Project.

In addition, they pledged to continue to work together to implement the standards and produce a college readiness test as part of Phase II of the project.

The agencies will report to the Legislature by January 2009.

Edmonds Community College receives national award for community service

Edmonds Community College is one of six two-year colleges across the nation to receive the Community College National Center for Community Engagement’s 2007 Service Learning and Civic Engagement Collaboration Award.
                     
The award will be given May 24 at the center’s national conference in Arizona. Edmonds Community College will be recognized for its collaboration with business and industry. Between September 2005 and December 2006, the college worked with 23 businesses, 29 non-profit organizations and 16 civic groups including tribes, counties, cities and school districts. Twenty-four classes included service learning activities. In 2006, 905 students provided 100,730 hours of community service valued at $1,817,169.

In addition, the college received an $18,000 grant this spring from Washington Campus Compact, a statewide coalition of college presidents promoting service learning and civic engagement, to extend its service learning program. The college will use the funds to offer six new classes and engage 50 students with disabilities and first generation college students in service-learning courses, clubs or activities this year.

Lockheed Martin donating laptops to Columbia Basin College

Lockheed Martin announced it is donating 100 laptops to Columbia Basin College to students to help them attend Columbia Basin College.

The donation is part of the company’s effort to strengthen its relationship with the college. In addition to the donation of laptops, Lockheed Martin also plans to offer guest lectures, run technology summer camps, and give students the opportunity to job shadow professionals.

Frank Armijo, Lockheed Martin General Manager, said 50 laptops will go to next year's incoming freshman, and 50 will go to sophomores enrolled in the CBC-Washington State Tri-Cities Bridges Program.

In recognition of the enhanced partnership, CBC renamed its Computer Science Program the Lockheed Martin Department of Information Science and Technology.

Pierce Colleges’ Milgard Child Development Center dedicated

Pierce Colleges' Milgard Child Development CenterThe Pierce College Foundation hosted dedication ceremonies at the Fort Steilacoom campus for the $2.4 million Milgard Child Development Center.

Designed with input from the college’s early childhood education faculty, the center will be part of the hands-on training opportunities provided in the associate degree programs related to early childhood education.

The dedication program included remarks by James Washam, retired KeyBank president who was co-chair of the foundation’s Campaign for Childcare with Jerry Korum, president of the Korum Automotive Group. Also on the program was Dr. Michele L. Johnson, chancellor of the Pierce College district, and John Simpson, a student who will use the center to care for his three children while he is pursuing his education at Pierce.

Following the dedication, faculty and staff conducted tours of the 10,000 square-foot-facility which has the capacity for 72 children from infants through age 5.

Lake Washington Technical College receives advertising awards

Lake Washington Technical College (LWTC) was recognized with three awards at the 22nd Annual Admissions Advertising Awards sponsored by the national newspaper of admissions marketing, Admissions Marketing Report. LWTC received a bronze award for its annual catalog, a bronze award for the 2006 graduate radio ad campaign and a gold award in imprinted materials for its luggage wrap.

The annual Admissions Advertising Awards is the oldest and largest educational advertising awards competition in the country. This year over 2,100 entries were received from over 1,200 colleges, universities and secondary schools from all 50 states and several foreign countries.

Judges for the Admissions Advertising Awards consisted of a national panel of admissions marketers, advertising creative directors, marketing and advertising professionals and the editorial board of Admissions Marketing Report.

BCC grad cites ‘quality of program’ in winning national prize for essay on community college bachelor’s degrees

Michael Bailey, a 2005 Bellevue Community College radiation therapy graduate who also will be part of the college’s first class of bachelor’s degree students in radiation and imaging sciences, has won the national essay contest of the Community College Baccalaureate Association (CCBA).

The association flew Bailey to New Orleans for their national conference in March, where Bailey received the $1,000 contest prize.

The contest essay topic was, “Why is it important for me to earn my baccalaureate degree on my community college campus?”

A resident of the Normandy Park area of Seattle, Bailey works as a radiation therapist at Swedish Cancer Institute in Seattle.

BCC’s new Bachelor of Applied Science in Radiation and Imaging Sciences is one of four community college baccalaureate degrees that have been approved in Washington state. The pilot programs are all targeted on high-demand fields to meet the most crucial needs of Washington’s employers.

BCC’s program, developed with extensive input from the health-care industry, addresses the acute need for more people with advanced radiation and imaging skills, and the ability to manage imaging and radiation departments at hospitals and clinics.

Cascadia Community College joins college and university climate commitment

Cascadia Community College recently joined a national initiative to achieve “climate neutrality” in the operation of the college. Dr. Bill Christopher, president of Cascadia, signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment and joined its Leadership Circle. Success in meeting the organization’s goals will place colleges and universities in the vanguard of institutions reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The Presidents Climate Commitment has attracted more than 70 signatories from small colleges to large universities such as the University of Pennsylvania, Arizona State University, and the University of Florida, with more than 50,000 students. The goal is to respond to global climate change and resource-related issues.

The Commitment sets challenging goals to curb greenhouse gas emissions and requires immediate steps to institutionalize climate considerations into campus decisions, and to “complete a comprehensive inventory of all greenhouse gas emissions.”

Several intermediate actions to reduce greenhouse gases have already been taken by Cascadia, including the adoption of a U.S. Green Building Council LEED Silver standard goal for the construction of the new campus instructional building, anticipated to get underway in the fall.

As examples of completed projects, the college changed from automatic to manual flush toilets which produced significant water savings; more energy efficient and environmentally friendly light fixtures in the campus parking garages; a pilot program installing waterless urinals; and on-going efforts to engage students and staff in recycling activities. The campus manages a 58-acre restored wetland, one of the largest such projects in the state.

The Leadership Circle of the Presidents Climate Commitment will meet in Washington, D.C., in June to plan activities and events to implement the group’s goals and to recruit other colleges and universities to join the effort.

BCC students sweep all 5 categories they enter at world’s largest jazz festival

Bellevue Community College’s students won first place in all five categories they entered at the annual Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival on the University of Idaho Campus.

The results included the third first-place showing in the past four years for the college’s 17-member vocal jazz ensemble, “Celebration!” which competed in the college multi-mic choir division.

BCC students also earned firsts in the instrumental jazz combo division and three soloist categories.

The jazz combo members are: Sam Balaoing, of Brier, piano; Devin Lowe, of Bellevue, bass; Andy Emery, Renton, drums; John Tezak, of Arlington, guitar; and Collin Sarchin, of Kenmore, sax.

BCC vocalists placing first included Megan Moreau, of Kenmore, soprano; Mia Gonzales, of Arlington, alto; and Michael Cabacungan, of Port Orchard, bass.

Celebration! is directed by BCC music instructor Tom Almli and is accompanied by the jazz combo.

The annual Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival is the largest such event in the world, with approximately 20,000 people, including 10,000 students, attending.

Celebration! was also selected to perform at the American Choral Directors Association National Conference in Miami in March – and was the only college vocal jazz group honored.

The ensemble’s next local public performance is expected to be in April at the Triple Door jazz club in Seattle, on a date to be determined.

Math-Science partnership initiative to begin

In the first partnership of its kind, Spokane’s largest educational institutions have joined forces to work toward improved student learning in math and science.

The unique partnership between Washington State University Spokane, Spokane Public Schools, Community Colleges of Spokane, Mead School District, Central Valley School District, Eastern Washington University and Educational Service District 101 has the goal of helping all students become proficient in math and science, and to help more students enter college with the foundation needed to work toward careers in math, science, engineering and health sciences.

The official signing of the partnership agreement took place in February at Washington State University’s Academic Center. The chancellor, superintendent and presidents of each institution signed the partnership agreement.

The Partnership Council is comprised of the university and community college chancellors and school district superintendents, the designated academic officer for each institution, and at least one math and one science educator from each institution.

Specific goals of the partnership include: