News Links | November 5, 2020

System News | Opinion

Opinion: President Kimberlee Messina: SFCC is committed to helping our community meet cyber workforce needs

... Our effort hasn’t gone unnoticed. Last October, our small college overlooking the Spokane River was recognized by the National Security Agency and U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which designated [Spokane Falls Community College] a National Center for Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education.
Spokesman-Review, Nov. 4, 2020

Pathways are worth the cost

Implementing guided pathways at community colleges is a costly proposition. Still, it can be worthwhile, leading to improved student outcomes, concludes a report by the Community College Research Center (CCRC) at Columbia University’s Teachers College. ... A CCRC practitioner guide on funding pathway reforms uses case studies from six colleges that implemented major reforms based on the guided pathways model over the past six years: ... Pierce College District (Washington).
Community College Daily, Nov. 4, 2020

Former U.S. Ambassador to China compares Trump and Biden on foreign relations and virus response

Bellevue College Interim President and former U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke, says what President Trump has done with China has hurt both China and the U.S. and believes Biden will reset relations. He also discusses the coronavirus response, division in the U.S., and inclusiveness of the democratic party. [Video]
Bloomberg, Nov. 3, 2020

Clarkston branch of WWCC brings back some in-person services

Walla Walla Community College has started to once again offer some of its in-person student support services at both of its campuses, including the one in Clarkston. Students will now be able to make appointments for in-person, “mask-to-mask” tutoring sessions, and will be able to schedule times to use computer labs.
Lewiston Tribune, Nov. 3, 2020

CBC allied health students succeeding despite pandemic

Columbia Basin College reports they have now graduated every allied health student whose summer graduation plans were delayed by the pandemic. Most of the delays were due to the inability to complete learning opportunities in local clinics and hospitals, because of COVID-related restrictions the past spring and summer.
KEPR, Nov. 1, 2020

Cooprider shares life philosophy, make each day better

Sandy Cooprider estimates he’s touched the lives of over 25-thousand students in his 44-years coaching and educating at Wenatchee Valley College. He greets every day with a fresh energy intent on making a difference. He says his philosophy is simple… [Videos]
NCW Life, Oct. 30, 2020

Olympic College sees fewer students this fall with classes mostly online

At 19, Bremerton’s Zoe Riggs-Enderud envisions working in the field of psychology when her school days are done. With that goal in mind, Riggs-Enderud didn’t hesitate when provided the opportunity to enroll at Olympic College this fall. The fact that the community college is offering a majority of its classes online because of COVID-19 didn’t matter to Riggs-Enderud.
Kitsap Sun, Oct. 30, 2020

Bellevue College opens early learning center

The Bellevue College Early Learning Center (ELC) is open and accepting new students. The ELC serves the children of Bellevue College faculty, staff and students, with half of the slots reserved for Costco employees. Openings are available for children ages 1-6 in the toddler and preschool classrooms.
425 Magazine, Oct. 30, 2020

McFadden leaves economic development director post in Adams County, search for replacement begins

... McFadden says he won’t physically relocate to the Tri-Cities area until next spring and will remain involved with Big Bend Community College as a trustee until he moves. “I had the great honor of leading the college team through the presidential search process. There has never been more important community work I’ve done than with the college. I believe in Big Bend Community College with my entire being.”
iFiber One, Oct. 29, 2020

Trends | Horizons | Education

Employer-based college programs here to stay

Employer-based tuition reimbursement or debt-free college programs can be effective ways to retain workers and attract new ones. But they're also an employee benefit. And benefits are one of the first things on the chopping block when times get tough, said Mary Alice McCarthy, director of the Center on Education and Skills at the left-of-center think tank New America. It's surprising to McCarthy, then, that several companies with prominent education programs have no plans to scale them back. 
Inside Higher Ed, Nov. 5, 2020

Amid COVID-19 higher education experts call on institutional leaders and policymakers to support transfer students

COVID-19 has heightened higher education’s existing barriers for students, and transfer students are no exception. Last week, 25 higher education reform and research organizations signed a call to action to persuade higher ed leaders and lawmakers to prioritize streamlining the transfer process.
Diverse Education, Nov. 3, 2020

Politics | Local, State, National

Young voters preferred Biden -- With 1 exception

Voters under age 30 leaned heavily Democratic, favoring Joe Biden over President Donald Trump by a wide margin (61 versus 36 percent) in the still-to-be-decided presidential election, but there were key differences among young voters across gender, racial and state lines, according to an analysis of exit polling data from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University in Massachusetts.
Inside Higher Ed, Nov. 5, 2020

Commentary: Washington Watch: Looking ahead, whether it’s Biden or Trump 

The recent national elections will obviously have substantial implications for the community college agenda in Washington. However, the many unknowns of the new political balance make reliable predictions hazardous. The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) will continue to advance its basic policy priorities regardless of the final outcomes.
Community College Daily, Nov. 4, 2020

House Democrats rebuke DeVos over racial policies

In a sharply worded letter to U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, key Democrats on the House education committee lambasted the department for its investigations of Princeton University and the University of California, Los Angeles, for racial bias, as well as the administration's prohibition on institutions using federal funds for diversity training.
Inside Higher Ed, Nov. 2, 2020