News Links | March 1, 2022
System News | Opinion
Jumpstarting their futures
High school students are putting their skills and knowledge to use in a new course
at Walla Walla Community College. Clarkston High School students are taking Energy Systems 131: Principles of Electrical
Theory at Walla Walla Community College in Clarkston. Students in the course are eligible
for dual credit, and classes started in January.
Lewiston Tribune, Feb. 26, 2022
WVC Board of Trustees approves presidential search
Wenatchee Valley College is looking for a new college president. WVC president Jim Richardson announced his
plans to retire at the WVC January board meeting, effective the end of June 2022.
At their February meeting, the WVC Board of Trustees directed WVC Human Resources
to conduct an external search for a presidential candidate using an outside consulting
firm.
News Radio 560 KPQ, Feb. 26, 2022
Tips for keeping your information safe in case of a cybersecurity attack
US leaders are on high alert for potential cybersecurity attacks from Russia. One
could happen at any time and can directly affect our day-to-day lives in the Inland
Northwest. Mark Neufville, a cybersecurity instructor at Spokane Falls Community College, analyzes cybersecurity threats every single day. He monitors considerable traffic
he explained is coming from the Russia-Ukraine area. [Video]
KXLY, Feb. 25, 2022
Highline College awarded $232,500 for new certificate to help those living homeless in hotels
Thanks to a $232,500 Washington State Department of Commerce grant, Highline College is now prepared to offer a new 19-credit certificate this spring to help those experiencing
homelessness. ... Dubbed the Housing & Shelter Facility Operations certificate, the
goal of the certificate is to help homeless individuals both at the individual and
community level by providing career-wage jobs in the hotel janitorial and maintenance
sector.
Waterland Blog, Feb. 25, 2022
Op-ed: Colleges need legislative support to help transfer students attain 4-year degrees
For many Washington residents, particularly in underserved areas, the path to a four-year
baccalaureate education and greater social mobility often begins in our community
college system. But too few of the students who enter community college intending
to get a bachelor’s degree ever do. Western Washington University in Bellingham and
Olympic College, which serves Kitsap and Mason counties, are determined to tackle this persistent
problem.
The Olympian, Feb. 24, 2022
Cybersecurity students learn through immersive cyber realism with Project Ares
Instructor Joseph Kauer joined the Bates Technical College team in 2019 to build a comprehensive and engaging cybersecurity program that was
different from others in the region, and would set the college apart. He started at
the beginning, setting up computers and creating a computer lab.
Suburban Times, Feb. 24, 2022
Trends | Horizons | Education
Legislature looks to fix Washington’s nursing shortage with funding for education, training
… The nursing shortage and pipeline problem predate the pandemic in Washington and
in past years, adjusting nursing educator salaries in community colleges was helpful,
program leaders say. But they argue more is needed. In 2020, nursing programs in the
Inland Northwest were not accepting even half of applicants who apply each cycle,
and a recent survey of nursing union members found 49% of them were considering leaving
the industry in the next few years.
Spokesman-Review, Feb. 27, 2022
Opinion: The important history of community colleges
Expanding to every state and shaped by such forces as the educational and training
needs of returning veterans, the baby boom generation and the growing need for skilled
workers, community colleges changed the paradigm for American higher education from
one in which students had to “go away” to college to one that provided access to high‐quality
and affordable higher education and training in local communities.
Diverse Education, Feb. 28, 2022
Where the weaknesses are in student financial wellness
... The latest Student Voice survey from Inside Higher Ed and College Pulse found
1,550 of the 2,000 undergraduate student respondents will have student loan debt after
graduation. But one in five don’t know how much debt they’ll have, and the nearly
half who do know the amount do not know what their approximate monthly payment will
be.
Inside Higher Ed, Feb. 25, 2022
Politics | Local, State, National
Reporter's notebook: Biden to pitch for Pell Grant award increase
President Joe Biden is expected to call for a Pell Grant award increase of more than
$2,000 in his first State of the Union address on Tuesday night. “Over 6 million students
depend on Pell Grants to finance their education, yet the amount of money in these
grants has not kept up with the rising cost of college and DREAMers still do not have
access,” according to a White House fact sheet released Monday ...
Community College Daily, Feb. 28, 2022
