News Links | October 15, 2020
System News | Opinion
Kill your gas stove
Heather Price knows her way around gases. An atmospheric chemist at North Seattle College, she studies outdoor air pollution, the flow and change of chemicals in Earth’s atmosphere.
But she wasn’t worried about the gas stove in her own home before her son developed
asthma and, at two and a half years old, had to use his inhaler multiple times a day.
She started to wonder: Was gas making her family sick?
The Atlantic, Oct. 15, 2020
Governor reappoints Mah to SPSCC’s Board of Trustees
Former Olympia mayor and consultant Doug Mah has been reappointed by Gov. Jay Inslee
to the board of trustees at South Puget Sound Community College. His new term ends Sept. 30, 2025. Mah has served as a college trustee since 2016.
Mah is the owner of Doug Mah & Associates, a consulting firm.
The Olympian, Oct. 14, 2020
Edmonds College awarded over $1.1 million for materials science education
Edmonds College was awarded three grants this year for materials science education, totaling over
$1.1 million. “The grants we received will allow us to develop and distribute high-quality
resources for materials science education,” said EC President Dr. Amit B. Singh. “These
resources are vital — innovations in materials science have the potential to impact
our nation’s health, economy, environment, and security.”
My Edmonds News, Oct. 14, 2020
Mount Baker’s Tricia Wagar an example of Upward Bound
A Whatcom Community College TRIO Upward Bound high school student has been awarded a regional scholarship from
the Northwest Association of Educational Opportunity Programs. ... “We have amazing
Upward Bound students at Whatcom Community College,” said Darlene Snider, TRIO Upward
Bound project director. “It’s wonderful to see them acknowledged and rewarded for
their fearless pursuit of their dreams.”
Lynden Tribune, Oct. 14, 2020
Big Bend Community College food pantry distributes 5,000 pounds of food to families
60 local families were fed thanks to a massive distribution of donated food by Big Bend Community College. The Viking Food Pantry is solely responsible for the delivery of food, but it’s
local businesses, organizations, and community members who are donating food to the
pantry.
iFiber One, Oct. 13, 2020
Olympic College instruction to be mostly online for winter quarter
Olympic College instruction will continue to take place mostly online winter quarter, with the exception
of programs with a face-to-face component that have an approved Safe Start Plan in
place, said college President Marty Cavalluzzi. ... “The safety of our students and
staff remains our number-one priority,” Cavallluzzi said in a news release.
Kitsap Daily News, Oct. 13, 2020
Kent resident appointed to Green River College Board of Trustees
Kent resident Jennifer Robson Ramirez was appointed in September by Gov. Jay Inslee
to the Green River College Board of Trustees. Ramirez Robson is the director of resident services at King County
Housing Authority where she guides the work of several strategic and program initiatives
to improve the quality of life for residents and their communities, according to the
Green River College website.
Kent Reporter, Oct. 12, 2020
Higher Education: CBC, WSU-Tri-Cities building for a future when students return to campus
Columbia Basin College: Up to 5,500 full-time equivalent students were expected to be enrolled in fall 2020
quarter, which began Sept. 21, said Jay Frank, CBC’s assistant vice president, communications
and external relations. The majority are attending via online classes. In 2019, fall
enrollment was 7,344 compared to 7,275 students in 2018.
Tri Cities Business News, October, 2020
Trends | Horizons | Education
Credit and noncredit programs need to be aligned
Community colleges should better align their noncredit workforce training with their
credit programs aimed at transfer students, the Education Strategy Group (ESG) recommends.
Having two separate tracks “has resulted in a bifurcated institutional structure that
does not equitably serve and prepare all students for workforce opportunities and
career advancement,” states a new report by ESG.
Community College Daily, Oct. 15, 2020
Community college enrollment plummets
Community colleges have seen an alarming 9.4% drop in enrollment this fall compared
to fall 2019, according to a new report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research
Center. “Community colleges’ enrollment decline is now nearly nine times their pre-pandemic
loss rate (-1.1% for fall 2019 compared to fall 2018),” the NSC Center states. “Even
more concerning, the number of freshmen also dropped most drastically at community
colleges (-22.7%).”
Community College Daily, Oct. 15, 2020
Making online education and workforce training more effective
Millions of displaced U.S. workers and the likely restructuring of industries -- including
retail, travel, hospitality and more -- have increased urgency to improve workforce
training in this country, according to new research from the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology's Task Force on the Future of Work. ... The brief describes creative
and successful skill-training initiatives, including programs at community colleges.
It concludes with a call for an effective public employment and training system.
Inside Higher Ed, Oct. 15, 2020
Report: First-year earnings vary by degree program
... The report uses data from the Department of Education’s College Scorecard to examine
the differences in first-year earnings for college graduates from a variety of degree
programs and with different levels of education. ... More than a quarter of workers
with an associate degree earn more than the median for workers with a bachelor’s degree.
Inside Higher Ed, Oct. 14, 2020
Uncertainties around international students
As the start of the 2020-21 academic year approached, community colleges were faced
with a myriad of shifting factors when deciding whether to conduct all their classes
online due to health concerns regarding the global pandemic. For many, the impact
on international students was an important consideration in that decision. Leading
up to the pandemic, approximately two-thirds of community colleges had international
students on their campuses, where they added an essential element of diversity to
college classrooms and surrounding communities.
Community College Daily, Oct. 14, 2020
Politics | Local, State, National
Washington Watch: Clery Act guidelines replaced
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) on Oct. 9 announced its rescission of the Campus
Safety and Security Reporting handbook (better known as Clery Act guidelines) and
replacement with a new Appendix. The 13-page Appendix to the Federal Student Aid Handbook
(FSA) replaced the 265-page Handbook that was last updated in 2016 under the Obama
Administration. ED’s statement made clear that “the contents of the new Appendix do
not have the force and effect of law and are not meant to bind the public. The document
is intended only to provide clarity to the public regarding existing requirements
under the applicable statutory and regulatory provisions.”
Community College Daily, Oct. 15, 2020
