News Links | September 24, 2020
System News | Opinion
Prepare your business for the effects of COVID-19
The Tombolo Institute at Bellevue College is excited to introduce a new program, Innovation Lab. The intensive, seven-week
program is designed to help businesses acquire relevant business knowledge and adapt
to the changing economic environment created by the COVID-19 pandemic. In partnership
with Startup425, the institute will offer this program with no tuition or fees charged
to participating businesses.
NW News Weekly, Sept. 23, 2020
$101,628 to WCC will help toward new software degree
Whatcom Community College has been named a Career Connect Washington Intermediary and awarded $101,628 from
the Washington Employment Security Agency to develop a new associate degree in software
development. ... From 2020 to 2025, the State Board for Community & Technical Colleges and Washington Student Achievement Council project that there will be more than 2,000
annual job openings for computer scientists with associate degrees. To meet employer
demand, WCC is striving to prepare more graduates for this field.
Lynden Tribune, Sept. 23, 2020
Big Bend Community College employee tests positive for COVID-19
On Wednesday, Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake notified its staff and students about an employee who tested positive
for COVID-19. In an internal email, Kyle Foreman, Director of Campus Safety and Security,
stated that the school’s human resources department was notified that a staff member
had contracted the virus.
iFiber One Sept. 23, 2020
Food truck offers students a new look at culinary arts
Last week's menu included roasted corn quesadillas, roasted tomato soup and fresh-cut
french fries — with cookies for dessert. This week at the Skagit Valley College Mobile Food Lab, it'll likely be a very different menu. For the culinary arts students
who work at the food truck under the watchful eye of instructor Joshua Young, variety
is just one of the lessons the experience offers.
Skagit Valley Herald, Sept. 22, 2020
Ask: Gary Locke
Gary Locke had been on the job as interim president of Bellevue College for about a month when we caught up with him via telephone in July. We wanted to
hear how the job was going, the challenges of running the college during a pandemic,
what he’s discovered during his initial weeks, plans he might deploy during his yearlong
contract, whether the college will ever build on its land in Issaquah, plus ask some
questions tapping his perspective from former roles under President Barack Obama and
as Washington state governor.
425 Business, Sept. 21, 2020
Helping heroes: BBCC employee and alums support firefighters on the front lines
Undeterred by the severity of this year’s wildfire season, Big Bend Community College employees knew that, maybe more than ever, firefighters needed their help during
the onslaught brought on by fires across the state his month. The two BBCC employees
who moonlight as contracted firefighting support staff are Jess Munter and Sarah Schutt.
iFiber One, Sept. 21, 2020
Clark College continues remote learning
Summer is over for Clark College students, but the campus was nearly deserted Monday as the community college continued
its third quarter of remote learning. Clark College was early in its decision to keep
classes virtual through the fall, announcing its plan to curb the spread of the novel
coronavirus in April.
The Columbian, Sept. 21, 2020
Trends | Horizons | Education
Big enrollment drops this fall, so far
Community college enrollments have dropped by an alarming average of 7.5 percent so
far this fall, far more than the 2.5 percent national average decrease for undergraduates
at all higher education institutions, according to a new report from the National
Student Clearinghouse (NSC) Research Center.
Community College Daily, Sept. 24, 2020
Can colleges rely on the CDC?
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, college leaders have looked to the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention for guidance and have pointed to their adherence
to CDC recommendations to assure students and employees they are reopening responsibly.
But reports of political interference in the public health agency’s scientific processes
over the past month are raising discomforting questions of whether and to what degree
colleges can trust the CDC.
Inside Higher Ed, Sept. 23, 2020
New report addresses mental health of students of color
The Steve Fund, a national advocacy organization focused on the mental health of young
people of color, recently published a report with recommendations for college leaders
to better support those students who are currently facing unprecedented mental health
challenges.
Inside Higher Ed, Sept. 22, 2020
Politics | Local, State, National
Washington Watch: House committee passes apprenticeship bill
The House Committee on Education and Labor on Thursday approved the National Apprenticeship
Act of 2020 (H.R. 8294) by a vote along partisan lines. The bill would reauthorize
the National Apprenticeship Act, which established the registered apprenticeship system,
for the first time since its inception in 1937.
Community College Daily, Sept. 24, 2020
Report: Gen Z students plan to vote in 2020
A significant majority of college students in Generation Z said they are registered
to vote or are planning to register, according to a Barnes & Noble Education Inc.
report released Wednesday. Of these students who are already or soon to be registered,
94 percent said that they intend to vote in the upcoming presidential election.
Inside Higher Ed, Sept. 24, 2020
Community colleges: Front and center in Biden’s plan
Dr. Jill Biden returned to the virtual campaign trail on Tuesday to champion her husband’s
proposal to make community colleges a central component of his education, workforce
and economic plans, if he is elected president. Joe Biden’s plan for postsecondary
education, which his campaign released almost a year ago, includes tuition-free community
college for two years, help with wraparound services for two-year college students
and $50 billion for high-quality training programs.
Community College Daily, Sept. 22, 2020
