News Links | September 22, 2020
System News | Opinion
Dr. Wayland Keith De Witt
... He taught at the Medical School in Bogota, Columbia, worked as a psychologist,
became Dean of Students at Walla Walla Community College, where he supported education and vocational training for the community and at WSP.
He later became vice-president then president at Walla Walla Community College, where
he spearheaded many innovative programs, and took a personal interest in each student
and staff member.
Union-Bulletin, Sept. 20, 2020
Woman of the Year - Legacy: Jane Johnson left her mark on the Community Colleges of Spokane. Expo ‘74 and the MAC, too.
If you attended a community college in Spokane, you have, in part, Jane Johnson to
thank. ... Johnson created the speech program and worked as a speech instructor before
moving into administration in 1967 as head of the communications and development program.
In 1972, she helped found the Community Colleges of Spokane Foundation, and after several years with the Community Colleges of Spokane, Expo
’74 came knocking.
The Spokesman-Review, Sept. 20, 2020
Opinion: Expanded education helps mitigate pandemic's insecurity
... Since then, working closely with local partners from Olympic College branches in Poulsbo and Bremerton and Peninsula College in Port Angeles, Western has expanded access to bachelor’s degrees in various disciplines
... Beginning this fall, the majority of students attending Western on the Peninsulas
will see a 60 percent decrease in their tuition bill, with tuition for the 2020-21
year at WWU costing about $6,700 before accounting for students’ financial aid eligibility.
Kitsap Sun, Sept. 20, 2020
CBC enrollment drops by hundreds. Other colleges are hurting more
Hundreds of Columbia Basin College students didn’t make the transition to online learning this spring. The college saw
a 4 percent drop in its 7,000-plus student enrollment from the end of winter quarter
to when classes started online in the spring. College leaders said it could have been
worse.
Tri-City Herald, Sept. 20, 2020
WWCC outlines its reopening plans
The Clarkston branch of Walla Walla Community College will welcome its students back Monday to a flexible learning model that will incorporate
some in-person instruction for certain programs, as well as real-time and on-demand
classes online. Systemwide, the college decided to offer its “Warrior Flex” learning
model for the entire 2020-21 academic year.
Lewiston Tribune, Sept. 19, 2020
LCC passes $25.3 million balanced budget despite low enrollment, state funding cut
The Lower Columbia College Board of Trustees on Wednesday unanimously passed next year’s $25.3 million budget,
which does not dip into the college’s reserves despite a $2.8 million revenue loss.
The 2020-2021 budget is about $600,000 less than this year’s because the college is
working to account for a 10% decline in state appropriation funding and a projected
14% drop in enrollment, college officials said at the meeting.
The Daily News, Sept. 18, 2020
CBC digs in on new $30 million student recreation center
Columbia Basin College board members Bill Gordon, Duke Mitchell and President Rebekah Woods join in a ceremonial
groundbreaking for a new 80,000-square-foot student recreation center Friday on the
Pasco campus. The $30 million building will feature a gym, educational spaces, fitness
center and eSports facilities for computer gaming when it opens next fall.
Tri-City Herald, Sept. 18, 2020
New certificate helps students prepare to improve the criminal justice system
The first of its kind in the nation, Shoreline Community College is launching a new Criminal Justice Advocacy Certificate (CJAC) this fall. The fully
online 15-credit certificate is designed for people working or planning to work in
or alongside the criminal justice system who want to advocate for vulnerable populations
and find effective ways to work with different professions to improve the criminal
justice system.
Shoreline Area News, Sept. 17, 2020
Walla Walla college mascot masks up for adventure in Pasco
Dub, the Walla Walla Community College mascot, visited the Tri-Cities and gave a message to mask up during the ongoing coronavirus
pandemic while in Wade Park along the Columbia River in Pasco. [Video]
Tri-City Herald, Sept. 17, 2020
Federal grant allows extension of Centralia College TRIO program
The U.S. Department of Education has awarded Centralia College more than $1.9 million over five years to support the TRIO Student Support Services
program for Centralia College students. The three parts of the program include Upward
Bound, Student Support Services, and Talent Search.
The Daily Chronicle, Sept. 16, 2020
Ian Bridges had cancer 3 times. He lived to see a breakthrough
... This fall, Bridges has been taking paleontology and anthropology classes at Green River College. In some ways, it feels like being a kid again—the more he learns, the less likely
he is to dwell on his past, even if he still gets monthly blood tests. “If I’m going
to do something with my life . . . I can’t let myself think about that,” he says.
Men's Health, Sept. 16, 2020
Resources for WVC students affected by wildfires
Wenatchee Valley College has resources to offer students affected by recent wildfires. “We know that right
now some of our students are facing very difficult situations due to wildfires across
our service district,” said WVC President Dr. Jim Richardson. “We want to be flexible
and offer as many resources as possible to help students access college this fall.”
560 KPQ, Sept. 15, 2020
Food insecurity rates have more than doubled since start of COVID-19 pandemic
Since the onset of the pandemic, food insecurity rates have more than doubled in our
state. That’s according to researchers at the University of Washington who have just
compiled the results from their first round of a statewide survey. It was done this
summer in cooperation with Washington State University and Tacoma Community College, as well as partners in local, county and state governments.
KNKX, Sept. 15, 2020
Trends | Horizons | Education
The faculty role in transfer
For years, a widely held assumption about community college transfer students was
that they were more likely to transfer successfully with strong academic advising
and faculty engagement at the community college. Now a new study published in Educational
Researcher suggests that the faculty role is equally strong at the institution to
which students are transferring.
Inside Higher Ed, Sept. 21, 2020
Ginsburg was advocate for equity
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died Friday, was known for her strongly
worded dissents. But she wrote several decisions that set precedents and policy for
higher education. The decision for which Ginsburg is best known came in 1996, when
the Supreme Court ruled that Virginia could not maintain the Virginia Military Institute
for male students only.
Inside Higher Ed, Sept. 21, 2020
2020 survey of admission leaders: A mess of a year
The process of building a class to educate has never been easy. In recent years, community
colleges and nonelite liberal arts colleges have had great difficulties. But this
year, fear and anxiety spread throughout higher education, according to the 2020 Inside
Higher Ed Survey of College and University Admissions Officials, conducted by Gallup
between Aug. 6 and 30.
Inside Higher Ed, Sept. 21, 2020
Has remote learning made colleges more cyber-vulnerable?
The shift from in-person learning at colleges to remote classes due to the coronavirus
pandemic has led to a spike in cybersecurity needs, although not necessarily greater
success on the part of hackers. The U.S. Education Department’s Federal Student Aid
(FSA) office this month issued an alert about ransomware campaigns targeting education
institutions in which hackers hold sensitive data and systems hostage until a payment
is made.
Community College Daily, Sept. 21, 2020
Survey: Adults less confident about value of higher ed
Adults without degrees who want more education say the pandemic has made them more
likely to enroll, but they have become less confident over the past year that it will
be worth the cost or lead to a job, a new survey shows. New findings from the Strada
Public Viewpoint survey show that adults ages 25 to 44 indicate the pandemic has made
them more likely to enroll in education, 42 percent compared to 21 percent who said
they were less likely to enroll due to COVID-19.
Community College Daily, Sept. 16, 2020
Politics | Local, State, National
Democrats in moderation
When they proposed last week that the next president knock $50,000 off all student
loan borrowers’ debts, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Elizabeth
Warren pitched the idea as a political winner for Democrats.
Inside Higher Ed, Sept. 22, 2020
With HEA reauthorization unlikely this year, Alexander focuses on FAFSA
It is unlikely Congress will reauthorize the Higher Education Act this year, but the
departing chair of the Senate’s education committee hopes to at least complete by
year’s end a long goal of his: to make it easier for college students to apply for
federal student aid.
Community College Daily, Sept. 17, 2020
The nuances of the free college debate
Campaigning at Florida Memorial University last week, Democratic vice presidential
candidate Kamala Harris emphasized the importance of going to college, including historically
Black colleges and universities like the one where she was speaking. “It is the place
where we nurture young people to see who they are and their role as part of leadership
of our nation in whatever profession they choose,” she said.
Inside Higher Ed, Sept. 16, 2020
