News Links | January 14, 2020

System News | Opinion

Developing dynamic professional relationships

Gail M. Alexander accomplished many things as a MentorLinks mentee from October 2017 to November 2019. But she is most proud of rethinking the environmental technologies and sustainable practices (ETSP) curriculum, adding a hands-on automated building controls lab, and creating a new energy data analyst certificate at Cascadia College in Washington. The nine students enrolled in the building controls course in fall 2019 provided evidence that Alexander had also made progress on her student diversity goals: three of the students were people of color; five were women; and three were veterans.
Community College, Jan. 14, 2020

Big Bend Community College president search narrowed to five finalists

The search for Big Bend Community College’s next president has been narrowed to five finalists. Terry Leas, the college’s current president, announced in August he would retire at the end of the 2019-20 academic year. Leas has been Big Bend president since 2012. ... The five finalists will be invited to Big Bend for on-campus interviews. Each interview will last an entire day and consist of an interview with the Board of Trustees, meet-and-greets with the campus community and a tour of Moses Lake. 
iFiber One, Jan. 13, 2020

Bellevue College serve Eastside families through parent-infant classes

Vicki Smolke couldn’t imagine doing more satisfying work. “I’ll be doing this until I can’t get up anymore,” she said. Smolke has been a parent education teacher with Bellevue College’s Parent Education program for the past 27 years. All local community colleges offer parent-child classes for families with kids from birth to age five, however, Bellevue College (BC) offers the classes through age 9. BC’s Parent Education program began when the college opened in 1966. The program has grown significantly over the past 54 years.
Bellevue Reporter, Jan. 13, 2020

Clark College instructors strike at Vancouver school

Teachers at Clark College went on strike this morning in light of the continued stalemate over employee salaries. This is the first time faculty at the Vancouver community college, which was founded in 1933, have gone on strike. Classes were canceled last week in anticipation of the strike. Meanwhile, the college board of trustees met in executive session at 7:30 a.m. to discuss potential legal action and bargaining strategy. As they talked, more than a hundred faculty members made a loop around the Baird building, holding signs and chanting.
The Columbian, Jan. 13, 2020

Big Bend former trustee granted emeritus status

Big Bend Community College Board of Trustees recently granted former trustee and long time Big Bend supporter, Paul Hirai, Emeritus status. According to a press release, Hirari has contributed to the college in a variety of ways for over five decades, starting in 1967 hosting Japanese Agricultural Training Program (JATP) students. He served on the board of trustees for over ten years, including serving as board chair four years. Hirari also served on the Big Bend Community College Foundation and served as the board chair six times. Big Bend president, Terry Leas, said “We are pleased to honor Paul for his long and generous service to Big Bend Community College and its foundation. Paul exemplifies the highest standards of a servant leader.”
KPQ, Jan. 12, 2020

The healing power of horses

... Gerald Anhorn, acting vice president of Strategic Initiatives, Workforce and Operations at Walla Walla Community College, said there’s “tons of opportunity” for farriers around the country. ... The college is certainly open to the possibility of resurrecting the program, he said. It already provides a variety of workforce training courses at Coyote Ridge and the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla, so expanding that to include farrier work wouldn’t be a big stretch.
The Lewiston Tribune, Jan. 12, 2020

Struggling to pay for dental care? CBC now offers help for Tri-Citians

Columbia Basin College’s new dental hygiene clinic is open for business in Richland and is able to take nearly twice as many patients. The college celebrated moving into its new digs on the fourth floor of the Medical Science Center near Kadlec Regional Medical Center Friday. The college has been working for nearly a year to make the 22-chair clinic ready to take low-income patients along with training the next generation of dental hygienists.
Tri-City Herald, Jan. 11, 2020

GHC Opera Workshop presents ‘The Magic Flute’ this weekend

The Grays Harbor College Opera Workshop will present an abridged Mozart masterpiece this weekend. “We are putting together a condensed, English-language version of W.A. Mozart’s fairytale opera ‘The Magic Flute’ — his last opera, considered by many to be his greatest, finished only three months before his death,” said workshop director Ian Dorsch. The cast comprises about 35 singing actors — a mix of GHC students and members of the community.
The Daily World, Jan. 11, 2020

Highline College Health and Life Sciences Building opens in January

After more than a year of construction, Highline College’s new Health and Life Sciences Building opens to students winter quarter 2020.  ... The $30 million project is the college’s first significant capital project in more than a decade and will house a number of academic departments in health-related fields, in addition to a new Wellness Center. “Our students need a central location for our high-demand health and wellness-related programs,” Highline College President John Mosby said.
Kent Reporter, Jan. 11, 2020

Going for the green

Bellevue College President Jerry Weber knew that many of his students were passionate about the environment. A student-run environmental fund collects money each quarter to support campus sustainability projects, and an academic concentration in sustainability has proven to be quite popular as well. But even Weber was surprised by the turnout during a Walkout for Climate Justice on campus in September. More than 300 students and faculty took part in the college’s effort to call attention to the urgent need for action on global climate change. 
Community College Daily, Jan. 10, 2020

Life lessons inspire new Adulting 101 class at Clark College

Kelly Garcia teaches personal finance courses to people in their 40s and 50s buried by debt and not sure how to dig themselves out. She outlines how to budget with cash envelopes, build an emergency fund and save for retirement. She thought, “Wouldn’t it be nice if people started their adult life with these skills?” That’s how Garcia came up with Adulting 101. “I kept thinking, ‘I wish someone would teach this class,’ ” she said. “Then I realized I could teach this.” The new Clark College continuing education class begins Feb. 6. The class will cover how to find and keep a job, choose a living situation, spot red flags when dating, set goals and manage personal finances.
The Columbian, Jan. 10, 2020

Secretary of State Kim Wyman presents SPSCC Culinary Arts and Catering team with awards

South Puget Sound Community College (SPSCC) welcomed Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman to the Percival Restaurant on Tuesday, January 7, for the presentation of two special awards to the college’s culinary and catering teams. Secretary Wyman presented the Best Taste Award and the Best Presentation Award to SPSCC Culinary Arts faculty, culinary students, and the catering team for their work in support of the Washington State Combined Fund Drive (CFD) during the 2019 Masquerade Ball.
Thurston Talk, Jan. 9, 2020

See modern feminism expressed through ceramics at EdCC exhibit

Hanako O’Leary’s ceramic art turns heads, much like how ancient Greek sculptures of the human form still do. O’Leary, 31, expresses modern feminism through sculptures, illustration and her Japanese ancestry. “Izanami,” on display Jan. 13 through March 19 at Edmonds Community College’s art gallery, is some of her most evocative work yet. “I feel like my generation has more voice, more autonomy and more freedom than any generation that came before me,” said O’Leary, who is half-Japanese. “Izanami” will feature two series of six sculptures inspired by Japanese folktales, mythology and imagery, but with a feminist twist.
Everett Herald, Jan. 9, 2020

Creative Retirement Institute: Subjects that matter | Guest View

Around the holiday table this year, there were likely a good number of discussions about current events, covering topics from modern technology’s influence on modern life to the future of democracy. There always seems to be that person at the table who quotes facts and figures to make a point, and perhaps it is because they have attended a class with the Creative Retirement Institute (CRI) at Edmonds Community College. The CRI is a member-driven, self-supporting organization in partnership with Edmonds Community College whose mission is to provide affordable, quality, lifelong learning opportunities for adults in a supportive environment.
Edmonds Beacon, Jan. 9, 2020

Low-income students get tuition-free training for tech careers thanks to Seattle-area partnership

It takes Mavrick Garcia 90 minutes by bus each morning to get from his grandparents’ house in Renton to Seattle Central College where he’s enrolled in an intensive tech-career training program called Year Up. The commute is another 90 minutes to get home at the end of the day. It’s a grind, but Garcia said it’s worth it. ... Year Up does outreach with organizations including community and job-training groups to find interested students. But word of mouth is a powerful recruiting tool.
GeekWire, Dec. 26, 2019

Trends | Horizons | Education

Opinion: Expand economic opportunity by supporting community colleges

... Community colleges are vital in providing the advanced training needed to adjust to new economic realities, especially for workers who are low skilled or in career transitions. They offer both pathways to the completion of associate’s and bachelor’s degrees, as well as career opportunities for students who are not pursuing a degree. And the return on investment in community colleges is particularly high, considering the demographics of their student bodies. 
Inside Higher Ed, Jan. 13, 2020

SNHU moves into Pennsylvania

Students at Pennsylvania’s 14 public community colleges can now easily pursue an online degree at Southern New Hampshire University, thanks to a new credit-transfer pathway. An articulation agreement announced Wednesday will enable students to transfer up to 45 credits toward an associate’s degree -- which requires a total of 60 credits -- or up to 90 credits toward a 120-credit bachelor’s degree at SNHU. Pennsylvania students transferring to SNHU will receive a 10 percent discount on their tuition. All community college students transferring to SNHU are offered a 10 percent discount, a SNHU spokeswoman said. 
Inside Higher Ed, Jan. 13, 2020

'In defense of knowledge and higher education'

The American Association of University Professors on Thursday released a statement “In Defense of Knowledge and Higher Education,” saying that “slogans and superstition are no match for the growing complexity and interconnectedness of today’s world.” The statement cites Education Secretary Betsy DeVos's past comment that faculty members tell students "what to do, what to say and, more ominously, what to think,” as well as more general concerns about “alternative facts” and ongoing attacks on expertise and science.
Inside Higher Ed, Jan. 10, 2020

Politics | Local, State, National

Senator Warren has a plan to cancel student-loan debt — without congressional approval

For the first time in any presidential-election campaign, mass student-debt cancellation has emerged as a major policy proposal. It’s easy to understand why. Student debt has exploded over the last decade, and Americans now hold more than $1.6 trillion of it. Critics of any mass debt-cancellation plan are widespread. It would be difficult unless Democrats controlled both chambers of Congress, some argue. It would be difficult even if they did, as the idea splits Democrats. But on Tuesday, Sen. Elizabeth A. Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat running for president, released a plan to accomplish that goal.
The Chronicle of Higher Education, Jan. 14, 2020

Senate bill focuses on rural students

A just-introduced bipartisan Senate bill would create a $60 million pilot program to help rural students attain their higher education goals and connect with local job opportunities. The Success for Rural Students and Communities Act, introduced January 8 by Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Maggie Hassan (D-New Hampshire), would encourage rural schools — including community colleges — businesses and other stakeholders to partner and develop new strategies to guide more students into postsecondary education and to prepare them for available jobs.
Community College Daily, Jan. 12, 2020