News Links | February 9, 2021
System News | Opinion
WVC faculty rise to the challenge of online learning
“Sometimes you’re the only person I see each week.” Monique Hirschkorn, American Sign
Language (ASL) instructor at Wenatchee Valley College, shared this quote from one of her students at a WVC board meeting last fall. She
teaches ASL in a hybrid format, using a mix of online lessons and live Zoom videoconferencing.
Wenatchee World, Feb. 8, 2021
In Basket: Feb. 7, 2021: Education
Bertha Ortega has been appointed to Yakima Valley College’s board of trustees. Ortega was one of the founders of Heritage University and served
as its vice president of academic affairs at the time of her retirement in 2013. Prior
to helping establish Heritage, she worked as an instructor for health and human services
at Seattle Central Community College ...
Yakima Herald, Feb. 7, 2021
Pierce College one of 10 chosen for national equity academy
Pierce College was recently selected to participate in a Racial Equality Leadership Academy through
nonprofit Achieving the Dream and the University of Southern California’s Race and
Equity Center. As one of 10 colleges selected to participate in the academy, Pierce
College’s faculty and staff ultimately will utilize the skills learned to develop
and enact a strategic racial equity plan with the goal of improving student retention
and graduation rates.
South Sound Business, Feb. 5, 2021
Edmonds College instructor elected president of national digital forensics board
Edmonds College instructor Steve Hailey was elected as the 2021 president of the Digital Forensics
Certification Board (DFCB), a professional organization that advances digital forensic
science and provides a certification process for members of the profession. “Being
elected is a great honor,” said Hailey. “I now have the opportunity to collaborate
with many of the most respected and highly regarded digital forensics scientists the
world over.”
My Edmonds News, Feb. 5, 2021
Clark College receives grant for vet services
Clark College’s Veterans Resource Center received a grant worth $449,460 from the U.S. Department
of Education to establish a Center of Excellence for Veteran Student Success for the
next three years. The center will provide support services that address academic,
financial, physical and social needs for the college’s 600 student-veterans, the college
announced.
The Columbian, Feb. 5, 2021
Editorial: Maintain investment in higher ed and its students
... “We really provide a community service and a community resource, and we give back
to business and industry when our colleges are able to function at their highest level,”
said Dr. Daria Willis, president of Everett Community College, which has built a close working relationship with its neighbor across the street
at WSU-Everett.
Everett Herald, Feb. 5, 2021
Pierce College Puyallup remodel project to create welcoming space for students, staff
Pierce College Puyallup’s Gaspard Administration Building will soon receive improvements that will expand and
accommodate staff and students’ needs, creating a welcoming space for all. Thanks
to minor works funding – money that is set aside for improvement projects such as
this – the Student Success Center will soon feature a welcome desk, flexible workspaces
with enhanced privacy, new meeting spaces and more.
Suburban Times, Feb. 4, 2021
Creative Retirement Institute class to explore the sense of smell and fragrance
... For those unfamiliar with CRI, it is an organization affiliated with Edmonds College and located on the college’s campus. It is a member-driven, self-supporting organization
whose mission is to provide affordable, quality, lifelong learning opportunities for
adults in a supportive environment.
MLT News, Feb. 4, 2021
CBC’s dental hygiene clinic provides low cost services for the community
Despite the coronavirus pandemic, Columbia Basin College’s dental hygiene clinic in Richland continues to provide low cost dental services to
the community with students learning first-hand. The dental hygiene school allows
students to perform services on patients with oversight from faculty.
YakTriNews, Feb. 4, 2021
Trends | Horizons | Education
7 innovative approaches to course design
The pandemic-driven switch to remote learning alerted many faculty members to the
importance of course design. In an online course, keeping students on track requires
clarity and structure; it also demands that instructors think intentionally about
how to motivate and engage students, prompt interaction, and assess student learning
without the crutch of in-person proctoring.
Inside Higher Ed, Feb. 8, 2021
Politics | Local, State, National
COVID-19 aid proposal would bring Democratic policy changes
The chairman of the House Education Committee, Representative Bobby Scott, proposed
another $40 billion in coronavirus aid for colleges and universities, a slight increase
from the $35 billion President Biden had proposed, but still less than half of what
institutions had requested from Congress.
Inside Higher Ed, Feb. 9, 2021
Jill Biden pushes free access to community college, training
ill Biden is pushing free access to community college and training programs, saying
the schools will be an important part of Biden administration efforts to rebuild the
economy. A longtime community college professor and advocate, the first lady said
people struggling to get by during the coronavirus-induced economic slump need access
to these schools.
Associated Press, Feb. 8, 2021
House again passes apprenticeship bill
The House on Friday approved an apprenticeship bill, similar to the one it passed
this fall, that would expand registered apprenticeships and strengthen pre-apprenticeship
and youth apprenticeship programs. HR 447, the National Apprenticeships Act, passed
227 to 173, with all Democrats voting for the measure plus 27 Republicans.
Community College Daily, Feb. 7, 2021
