News Links | May 26, 2020
System News | Opinion
Skagit Valley College offering programs online
On March 9, right before students were to begin taking their finals, Skagit Valley College shut down its campuses in Island, San Juan and Skagit counties because of the COVID-19
pandemic. In a matter of days, the college was up and running again, albeit in a nontraditional
online-only fashion. “Never did any of us question whether we should continue our
critical mission,” Skagit Valley College President Tom Keegan said.
Skagit Valley Herald, May 25, 2020
Centralia College East wraps up inaugural wildland firefighter certification course
Centralia College East offered its wildland firefighter certification program for the first-time this
spring. Adjustments had to be made before its first students could even get started.
With the restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Centralia College East was
forced to scrap the face-to-face portion in the beginning of the course and move even
more content into online modules provided by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group.
The Daily Chronicle, May 25, 2020
State colleges and universities are girding for a tough financial future after the coronavirus pandemic
... Changes in the way we work and live accelerate during a recession, said Jan Yoshiwara,
the executive director of the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. A disease-driven economic downturn may put those changes into hyperdrive. Industries
are expected to shift toward needing a higher-skilled workforce, and people who have
been pushed out of a job will be clamoring for the training to master those skills,
she said.
The Seattle TImes, May 24, 2020
Peninsula College names art competition winners
Peninsula College’s Art and Multimedia departments have announced the winners of the Olympic Peninsula
High School Student Art Exhibition. The juried competition was open to high school
students living on the Olympic Peninsula who make 2D or 3D art. The exhibit of the
93 entries, originally scheduled for April in the PUB Gallery of Art, was canceled
due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Peninsula Daily News, May 24, 2020
What will college be like this fall? Evergreen, SPSCC and Saint Martin’s make plans
... During this past quarter, [South Puget Sound Community College] actually saw its enrollment increase 1 percent, spokeswoman Kelly Green said, partly
because a number of Thurston County area high school students elected to enroll in
Running Start, the program that allows students to earn high school and college credit
concurrently. SPSCC picked up about 70 full-time Running Start students, she said.
The Olympian, May 24, 2020
Locally Writ: Janelle Cordero’s poetry collection ‘Woke to Birds’ explores faith, spirit
For local poet Janelle Cordero, writing is a nonnegotiable daily pursuit. She wakes
up, sits down to a blank page from her endless supply of notebooks and proceeds to
devote the best part of her creative energy to her art. Some mornings might generate
two or three poems in the hour and a half she allows herself before leaving the house
at 7 a.m. to teach English and creative writing classes at Spokane Community College. Others are less successful.
The Spokesman-Review, May 24, 2020
Big Bend reopens workforce education labs
Sometimes it’s just not possible to take the class online. The workforce education
building at Big Bend Community College was allowed to open its training labs to students this week. Big Bend classes, including
workforce education, were moved online for spring quarter as part of the effort to
combat the COVID-19 outbreak. Daneen Berry-Guerin, dean of workforce education, said
hands-on instruction resumed this week for most workforce education classes.
Columbia Basin Herald, May 22, 2020
Washington lawsuit says DOE restriction on emergency grants for students is unlawful
... “We are very glad to be able to distribute CARES Act funding to help relieve the
impact the pandemic has had on many of our students’ lives; however, the Department
of Education’s shifting guidance on the eligibility criteria has delayed distribution
of the funds by creating confusion and extra work for our staff,” Clover Park President Joyce Loveday said in a statement.
The News Tribune, May 22, 2020
Majority of OC classes will be online in the summer and fall quarters
... “We’re making this announcement now, so that students can start to plan before
summer and fall courses begin,” said Olympic College President Marty Cavalluzzi. “In preparation for spring quarter, the college converted
more than 1,000 courses for online delivery, and all departments established virtual
offices to ensure we are able to continue to provide the high-quality instruction
and services our students expect.”
Kitsap Daily News, May 22, 2020
Hickox named Walla Walla Community College president
Walla Walla Community College’s acting president makes a permanent move to the position. Chad Hickox has been named
to the college’s top administrative position. “On behalf of the entire board, I want
to share that in this rapidly changing environment, Dr. Hickox has proven he is a
trusted leader who is well-qualified and ready to lead through these unprecedented
times,” said Tim Burt, community college board of trustees chair in an announcement
to staff and faculty Wednesday.
Union-Bulletin, May 21, 2020
WVC Foundation launches spring giving campaign
Meeting the basic needs of Wenatchee Valley College students is the focus of WVC Foundation’s spring giving campaign. The foundation
provides scholarships, emergency grants and other financial support to students. A
survey last fall found that 60% of WVC students experienced food insecurity, housing
insecurity or homelessness in the past year.
Wenatchee World, May 21, 2020
Dr. Sheila Edwards Lange wins CEO Of The Year award
Dr. Sheila Edwards Lange, president of Seattle Central College, was recently recognized as the 2020 Chief Executive Officer of the Year by the Washington
State Association of College Trustees (ACT) for her transformational leadership, commitment
to equity, and development of partnerships that bridge the opportunity gap for all
students.
The Seattle Medium, May 20, 2020
Skagit Valley College's summer quarter will be mostly online; registration underway
Skagit Valley College is open and things are being done a bit differently. They've adapted instruction,
services, and resources to meet your needs and support the health and safety of the
SVC community. Summer Quarter classes will start Monday, July 6 and will be offered
online and/or in a controlled lab environment.
San Juan Islander, May 20, 2020
Milestone: Peninsula College professor Brock picked for ‘Thinkerer’ honor
For making an impact in both the real and virtual worlds, Renne Emiko Brock was honored
in late March for being a standout “Thinkerer.” The Virtual Worlds Best Practices
in Education Organizational Committee recently honored Brock, a Peninsula College professor and Multimedia Communications Program Coordinator, with the 2020 “Thinkerer
Award” — an award first instituted in 2014 to recognize someone who has provided outstanding
service to both the field of education and the virtual world community at large.
Sequim Gazette, May 20, 2020
With higher ed in limbo, students are switching to community colleges
... If they’re going to have to pay for coursework that remains online, students who
are part of this growing “corona swirl” movement said, they might as well do it at
community colleges that charge less than half as much for it. Many are also looking
to save money as the coronavirus devastates the economy and millions of people have
lost their jobs. “I do think the community college will be an attractive option for
a lot of people,” Kevin Brockbank, president of Spokane Community College in Washington state, said. ... Everett Community College in Washington has seen an uptick in inquiries from not only local high school students
and families but also students who were at colleges out of state, said Laurie Franklin,
dean of enrollment and student financial services.
NBC News, May 20, 2020
Trends | Horizons | Education
Tacoma nonprofits are trying to help high school seniors stick with their college plans
Community groups and the Tacoma school district have been trying in recent years to
help more high school students pursue college degrees. But now there’s concern that
students will push off college plans because of the pandemic. So three nonprofit groups
and Tacoma Public Schools have worked together to survey high school seniors to connect
and find out their needs.
KNKX, May 26, 2020
NAFSA estimates more than $4.5 billion hit to international ed
U.S. colleges will lose at least $3 billion due to anticipated international student
enrollment declines this fall, according to estimates derived from a survey NAFSA:
Association of International Educators did on the financial impact of the coronavirus
pandemic on international education. In other findings, colleges potentially lost
nearly $1 billion due to shortened or canceled study abroad programs this spring and
summer and spent approximately $638 million for financial support for international
students, scholars, faculty and staff who remained on campuses when courses were moved
online.
Inside Higher Ed, May 22, 2020
Does Anthony Fauci think colleges should reopen? We asked him.
... I don’t think it’s going to be one size fits all. I think it’s going to depend
on the location of where the particular university or place of higher education is,
what the demography of the students is, where they’re coming from. All of these things
have to be taken into account.
The Chronicle of Higher Education, May 22, 2020
CDC Issues new guidance to colleges
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidance on Tuesday for
colleges as they reopen their campuses. Colleges will be looking to the CDC as many
prepare to welcome back students, 19.9 million of whom were enrolled at U.S. colleges
last fall. While the guidance does not address when or whether colleges should resume
in-person classes, it describes practices colleges can put in place to reduce coronavirus
spread and promote a healthy student body and workforce. It also outlines steps they
should take to address suspected COVID-19 cases on their campuses.
Inside Higher Ed, May 21, 2020
Commentary: Well-positioned to serve students
Of all of the dire predictions making headlines regarding COVID-19, one that does
not appear to make the news is this: community colleges were and are well-positioned
to address student needs during and after this pandemic. Community college administrators,
faculty and staff have built their organizations on the servant leadership of student
success, complete with flexibility, accessibility, provision of wraparound services,
and scaling up or scaling back resources, depending on the situation faced. One of
the characteristics of the community college — it’s commuter population — has become
its strength.
Community College Daily, May 19, 2020
Community colleges likeliest to stay virtual
... Many of the institutions planning to return in the fall are four-year colleges
and universities, especially those that are private. The institutions planning to
stick with virtual instruction are predominantly two-year public colleges. Several
factors are influencing leaders' decision making for the fall semester. While they
vary from college to individual college, wider trends exist in each sector.
Inside Higher Ed, May 20, 2020
Evaluating the transition to remote learning
Educause, a membership organization for higher ed IT professionals, has published
a DIY survey kit to help institutions evaluate student and faculty experiences of
remote learning in the spring term. The kit includes sample surveys institutions may
customize. Institutions are encouraged to share their results with Educause, but this
is not a requirement.
Inside Higher Ed, May 20, 2020
Politics | Local, State, National
Key U.S. Senator upbeat about campus reopenings
Colleges and universities around the country will have sufficient testing capacity
and are taking the needed steps to safely reopen their physical campuses this fall,
the head of the U.S. Senate’s education committee said in a discussion with reporters
Thursday. He also vowed that Senate Republicans would ensure that colleges receive
liability protection from potential lawsuits by students or employees who get sick
if they return to campus – if Congress passes more legislation regarding COVID-19.
Inside Higher Ed, May 22, 2020
