News Links | November 10, 2020

System News | Opinion

Renovations underway for new lounge and food pantry serving student-veterans at North Seattle College

Renovations for a new lounge and food pantry to serve veterans are underway at North Seattle College. The construction work could not have come at a more critical time. With classes closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, isolation is causing some student-veterans to struggle in their transition from a service member to a college student.
Q13 Fox, Nov. 10, 2020

Alyson Provax: Out of nothing

... Portland artist and printmaker Provax acknowledges this challenge with versatile viewing options for her latest exhibition, Out of Nothing, at Clark College’s Archer Gallery. The show is hosted on Archer Gallery’s website, supplemented by a snail-mail art reproductions series, downloadable mobile wallpapers, and a Zoom artist’s talk and workshop.
Oregon Artswatch, Nov. 7, 2020

Centralia Rotary Club opens new ADA-approved playground at Riverside Park

... In terms of next steps, Elmore said he’s excited about the two large Rotary Club signs that will be added to the park in the next few weeks. They’re being created with the help of Centralia College’s welding department, and were designed to invoke the region’s railroad history. “They just did an awesome job,” Elmore said. 
The Daily Chronicle, Nov. 6, 2020

Collaboration key to creating skilled workforce, Spokane education leaders and employers say

... Community Colleges of Spokane is responding to a shift from in-person classroom instruction forced by COVID-19 by expanding its online curriculum, said Christine Johnson, chancellor of Community Colleges of Spokane. “We’ve always had a very robust online program, but we’re doing more,” Johnson said.
The Spokesman-Review, Nov. 6, 2020

Clark College announces new trustee

Governor Jay Inslee has appointed Cristhian A. Canseco Juarez to the Clark College Board of Trustees. Canseco Juarez is a first-generation college graduate, as well as an immigrant and an alumnus of Washington State University Vancouver.
Clark County Today, Nov. 6, 2020

Leading the way: Big Bend Community College to honor first-generation college students Nov. 9

On. Nov. 9, Big Bend Community College (BBCC) will pay its respects to those willing to be the first in their families to enter college. The celebration is the first of its kind at the college and is part of the TRiO Upward Bound and Student Support Services programs at BBCC.
iFiber One, Nov. 6, 2020

EvCC drama students perform virtual, interactive theater Nov. 12-14 and 19-21

Have you missed going to the theater? Look no further, Everett Community College’s (EvCC) drama students will be performing a virtual interactive performance of “Tudor Truth and Jacobean Justice: True Crime Shakespeare” Nov. 12-14 and 19-21, according to an EvCC press release.
Everett Post,  Nov. 6, 2020

Spokane Community College offers Running Start For Careers

Spokane Community College has launched a program aimed at placing high school students on a path to a career in the trades and providing another workforce pipeline for local employers. Running Start for Careers has been in the works for about a year, says Jessica Dempsey, SCC dual enrollment manager.
Spokane Journal of Business, Nov. 5, 2020

Trends | Horizons | Education

DataPoints: Promising completion rates

The average completion rate* for students who first enrolled in public community colleges in fall 2016 rose to a record high of 33.7% – up from 30.1% the prior year – based on new data from the U.S. Education Department. The rate is 46.6% when students who transferred prior to earning a credential (complete or transfer rate) are added.
Community College Daily, Nov. 6, 2020

Communicating through a crisis

Research in crisis communications and management suggests college and university leaders might need a different approach to COVID-19 than other crises. ... The sample included in the research ranged from leaders at community colleges to those at large public research institutions. Obviously those institutions behaved a little differently from one another when it came to managing the crises.
Inside Higher Ed, Nov. 6, 2020

Commentary: The importance of marketing during a crisis

In today’s higher education landscape, community colleges face new and unexpected challenges. ... It’s natural to “hope for the best and prepare for the worst.” However, with so many uncertainties, it’s hard to forecast the future. That’s why that popular marketing adage is so relevant right now: “When times are good you should advertise. When times are bad you must advertise.”
Community College Daily, Nov. 5, 2020

Politics | Local, State, National

How much will Biden be able to do?

With his apparent election, Joe Biden will head to the White House with an ambitious agenda for higher education. For instance, he wants to make college free for many students. But the question now is how much the president-elect will be able to get through Congress ... That Republicans may control the committee for at least another two years creates a political dilemma for Patty Murray, the Senate education committee’s top Democrat.
Inside Higher Ed, Nov. 10, 2020

'They are Americans now'

Joe Biden’s victory promises a reprieve for the hundreds of thousands of young undocumented immigrants known as Dreamers who have benefited from the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. President Trump tried to end DACA, a program established by former president Obama in 2012 to provide certain young immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children protection against deportation and the ability to legally work.
Inside Higher Ed, Nov. 10, 2020

With DeVos out, Biden plans series of reversals on education

... He has also promised to appoint an educator as education secretary and likes to tell people that a teacher will join him in the White House. Jill Biden, an English professor at a community college in Northern Virginia, has said she plans to continue teaching as first lady. “Teaching isn’t just what she does — it’s who she is,” Joe Biden said Saturday in a victory speech after being declared the winner of the presidential race. “For America’s educators, this is a great day: You’re going to have one of your own in the White House.” ... Other names mentioned [for education secretary] by people familiar with the process include ... Denise Juneau, superintendent of Seattle Public Schools.
The Washington Post, Nov. 9, 2020

Biden's victory could be transformative

Joe Biden’s apparent election as president could pave the way for a dramatic shift in higher education policies, possibly making tuition free for many seeking a college education and wiping away the debt of millions of people paying back student loans. Biden’s victory is also significant in its symbolism for higher education. Kamala Harris will be the nation’s first African American and Asian American vice president and, as a Howard University alumna, the first graduate of a historically Black university in the White House. The first lady will be Jill Biden, who until recently taught at a community college.
Inside Higher Ed, Nov. 9, 2020

What will top Biden’s immediate to-do list?

With a track record of supporting community colleges — coupled with a spouse who is a long-time champion of public two-year colleges — President-elect Joe Biden is likely to give community colleges a prominent role in not only his higher education plans but also economic and workforce development strategies.
Community College Daily, Nov. 8, 2020