News Links | June 11, 2020
System News | Opinion
VP of Instruction Mabel Edmonds retires from CPTC
After 15 years at Clover Park Technical College, Mabel Edmonds retired as Vice President of Instruction on April 30, 2020. Coming
from a long line of family members devoted to teaching, Edmonds, too, found an early
love for the profession. She earned her B.A. in Education from Harris Teachers College,
and later an M.A. in Educational Administration from the University of Missouri, St.
Louis.
The Suburban Times, June 10, 2020
Family Center remains at full capacity, keeps helping during pandemic
... Now, thanks to a new partnership with Skagit Valley College, not only are those online classes providing vital information for residents at the
center, they are helping those residents make steps toward a college degree. The partnership
means that those residents that attend 12 of the 15 life skills classes offered during
their stay in the temporary emergency housing will earn one credit toward an associate’s
degree at the college, center Director Dustin Johnson said.
Skagit Valley Herald, June 10, 2020
Rosa Rajadel reads "Bridge" by Arthur Sze
Rosa Rajadel is a student at Wenatchee Valley College who is interested in Art, World Languages and Hispanic Literature and wants to continue
expanding her knowledge in the English writing world. She enjoys writing identity
poems as a homage to her native island, Cuba.
Spokane Public Radio, June 10, 2020
Expect hybrid classes at colleges and universities this fall
... Amit Singh, president of Edmonds College, said the school’s plan is still evolving but will be in line with state guidelines.
However, the hope is “to have a close-to-normal opening — close to what we had last
year,” Singh said. That includes a back-up plan if things turn out worse than expected.
... [Everett Community College] will offer three kinds of classes fall quarter — online, livestreamed and hybrid,
said John Bonner, interim executive vice president of instruction and student services.
“Online classes are all online,” Bonner said. Livestreamed classes are online with
class being held at specific times. Hybrid classes will have online lectures and in-person
labs.
Everett Herald, June 10, 2020
Colfax grad earns diploma, associate degree
For most, graduating with a high school diploma is a great accomplishment, but Crystal
Parker went above and beyond. Parker is the first Colfax High School graduate to also
receive her associate degree while at the school. But how did she accomplish this?
With the help of a program called Running Start, which allowed her to take college
classes at Spokane Falls Community College while still enrolled in high school her junior and senior year.
Moscow-Pullman Daily News, June 9, 2020
Congratulations to SPSCC class of 2020
... For its 55th commencement ceremony, [South Puget Sound Community College] will award 1,498 associate degrees and certificates to the 2020 graduating class.
Additionally, the college will award 308 GED® awards, totaling 2,008 awards. Standing
out in academic success this year are the 970 graduates earning transfer associate
degrees. With an average GPA 3.30, this group of transfer degree students may enter
a Washington State public university as a junior.
Thurston Talk, June 9, 2020
Graduation and college rates trend up at Walla Walla Public Schools
Graduation rates, postsecondary enrollment rates and postsecondary remediation rates
are trending in a positive direction for students of Walla Walla Public Schools, recently
released numbers show. ... In Walla Walla, 22% of students go to a four-year school
while 38% go to a two-year college or a career and technical education school. Smith
said the school district’s close relationship with Walla Walla Community College helps keep these numbers up.
Union-Bulletin, June 9, 2020
Leadership transitions during a crisis
“All of the things we know are important for developing relationships usually happen
on solid ground,” says Karin Edwards, president of the Cascade Campus at Portland
Community College, who in February was hired as president of Clark College in Washington state. “It’s critically important to get to know and understand the
culture of the institution, to get to know people and develop relationships, spend
time with students and spend time in the community,” Edwards says.
Community College Daily, June 9, 2020,
GHC planning for mix of online, in-person classes in fall quarter
The fall quarter at Grays Harbor College is likely to be a mix of in-person and online courses, and there will be no food
service on campus, said college president Dr. Jim Minkler. With the smaller number
of students expected on campus, “to have two full-time staff manning the kitchen doesn’t
make sense,” said Minkler. The summer quarter will remain almost entirely online.
The Daily Wold, June 9, 2020
Columbia Basin College hosts Second Harvest food distribution
Second Harvest and the National Guard are still at in the Tri-Cities distributing
food to people in need. Tuesday’s distribution took place at Columbia Basin College in Pasco. The group of volunteers, national guard members and employees at Second
Harvest passed out food to feed 330 families.
KEPR, June 9, 2020
Finalists announced for Aspen's community college award
The Aspen Institute's College Excellence program on Tuesday announced 10 finalists
for the 2021 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. The prize of $1 million is
awarded every two years to community colleges that show achievement in four areas:
teaching and learning, certificate and degree completion, workforce success, and equitable
outcomes for students of color and low-income students, according to a news release.
... The finalists this year include ... Pierce College in Washington.
Inside Higher Ed, June 10, 2020
Two SCC students nominated to All-Washington Academic Team
Two members of Shoreline Community College’s Class of 2020, Willow Strey and Isaac Tchao, were nominated to this year’s All-Washington
Academic Team. Strey went on to win a national award and be named a Coca-Cola Silver
Scholar. Strey is a member of The Honors College at Shoreline. Both in their second
years at Shoreline, Strey and Tchao were nominated to the All-Washington Academic
Team by their professors for academic excellence and positive contributions to the
community.
Shoreline Area News, June 8, 2020
Opinion: Higher education leaders work together to create a more equitable community
George Floyd should still be alive. No Black person should fear harm from the people
charged with protecting the community. The pain and outrage pulsing through our country
and our community come from people who are tired of being threatened, tired of being
fearful, tired of being patient, tired of waiting for things to get better. They are
calling for change. And while we must listen, we also must move to action. ... Christine
Johnson, chancellor, Community Colleges of Spokane
The Spokesman-Review, June 7, 2020
Stacking the deck: Community and technical colleges create unique pathway to help child care providers meet new educational requirements
... “The quality of child care has long been linked to the education levels of the
people providing that care,” said Samantha Dolan, faculty coordinator for early childhood
education at North Seattle College. ... “We pulled faculty together from colleges across the state and developed 14
common courses that lead to different credentials,” said Kathy Goebel, workforce education
policy associate at [State Board for Community and Technical Colleges]. ... “Children need access to early childhood education. There’s a shortage of care
period, but when looking at high-quality care, there’s even less available,” said
Alexis Meyers, chair of the early childhood education department at Skagit Valley College.
Association of Washington Business, Winter 2020
Trends | Horizons | Education
UW drops SAT, ACT requirement, extending coronavirus accommodation
The University of Washington will no longer require applicants to submit standardized
test scores, such as the SAT and ACT, making it the latest major university to drop
the testing requirement for incoming students. The UW says it has studied results
and outcomes for several years, and found there’s little correlation between test
scores and success at the UW. ... The change takes effect immediately for the Seattle
campus. UW Bothell and UW Tacoma are reviewing their policies.
The Seattle Times, June 11, 2020
Latinos, African Americans most likely to change education plans
The pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on the education plans of people of
color, with half of Latinos and about 40 percent of black and Asian Americans canceling
or otherwise changing their plans. That's the top-line finding from the latest Public
Viewpoint survey from the Strada Education Network. Over all, 35 percent of Americans
have canceled or changed their education plans, including delaying enrollment, reducing
courses or switching institutions.
Inside Higher Ed, June 11, 2020
Supporting transfer to private colleges
A new Ithaka S+R report explores how to improve transfer pathways between community
colleges and nonprofit private four-year institutions. It's expected that some students
will stay close to home and enroll in two-year colleges for the coming semester or
two to save money, due to the impacts of COVID-19. While private institutions may
struggle to recruit back those students, they could employ strategies that would make
the transfer process more amenable and thus more attractive, according to the report.
Inside Higher Ed, June 11, 2020
Walmart adds trade skills to employee tuition program
Walmart two years ago created a debt-free college tuition benefit for the retail company's
1.5 million U.S. employees. Since then, roughly 25,000 Walmart and Sam's Club employees
have used the Live Better U benefit, which features online degree programs at a price
of $365 per year -- or $1 per day for participants. The company works with Guild Education
to administer the program, which Guild offers with its university partners. Walmart
today announced that it was adding in-demand skilled trade and digital skills offerings
to the benefit program.
Inside Higher Ed, June 11, 2020
Cyberextortion threat evolves
Cybercriminals have found a new way to extort universities -- stealing sensitive information
and then threatening to share it on the dark web unless a bounty is paid. Three institutions
were successfully targeted by hackers using this approach in the past two weeks. ...
A blog run by the cybercriminals behind NetWalker reportedly boasts that stolen information
from the institutions includes Social Security numbers, among other sensitive information.
Twitter users such as Ransom Leaks have shared screenshots of sample data shared on
the blog, which include passports and banking details.
Inside Higher Ed, June 11, 2020
Millions of workers are jobless while in-demand jobs need workers. Can colleges train them?
... About half of postsecondary students are already enrolled in the certificate or
associate degree programs, mostly at community colleges, that supply many industries
with workers. Certificates, professional certifications and other nondegree programs
may now offer the easiest ways for other universities and colleges to quickly fill
seats, too, Sigelman said — while also helping people get new jobs.
PBS News Hour, June 11, 2020
New requirements, more costs
Community colleges are allocating precious time, energy and resources to meet new
federal standards for handling campus sexual assault and harassment. Lawyers and associations
representing the colleges say the new requirements are impractical and unwarranted
at the mostly commuter campuses and come at a time when the institutions can least
afford it.
Inside Higher Ed, June 10, 2020
More confusion over emergency aid
The U.S Department of Education on Tuesday appeared to be on the verge of issuing
an interim rule saying again that undocumented college students and others not eligible
for regular financial aid couldn’t get the emergency grants created in the federal
CARES Act. But in the latest in a series of twists, turns, advances and retreats by
the department as it tries to distribute the grants for colleges to hand out, the
department abruptly pulled back.
Inside Higher Ed, June 10, 2020
Report: Which employability skills are students missing?
Two new reports highlight the gaps in employability skills among college graduates.
The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities surveyed stakeholders across
31 universities on the importance of certain skills and how prepared students are
in those skills, as well as how to better prepare students in those areas, according
to the executive summary for the reports.
Inside Higher Ed, June, 10, 2020
Commentary: Can the racial and economic justice movement help advance equity in higher education?
Higher education is often seen as the great equalizer, but we know that there are
great disparities in success rates among different student groups. While people of
color are entering higher education at the highest rates that they ever have, not
all are completing. From slightly under 30% in 1996, students of color now account
for nearly half of the total college population, according to the American Council
on Education.
Diverse Education, June 9, 2020
Politics | Local, State, National
Bleak NEA projections on job losses
The National Education Association projects that the U.S. stands to lost 1.9 million
education jobs, many of them in higher education, if Congress doesn’t deliver immediate
funding relief to states, cities and towns. In releasing its analysis, the NEA praised
the U.S. House of Representatives for passing the HEROES Act last month and urged
the Senate to act similarly.
Inside Higher Ed, June 11, 2020
