News Links | March 14, 2023

System News | Opinion

Growing support for foster youth in college

Efforts to improve college access and support for foster youth have spurred new laws in multiple states, with legislators from both major parties heeding calls to do more for a group of students often without family to call on for help. [South Puget Sound Community College, Yakima Valley College]
Inside Higher Ed, March 13, 2023

Kimberlee Messina: New SFCC program will help meet community’s mental health needs

Throughout our region and beyond, the growing demand for mental health services far exceeds the number of trained professionals. Many people who qualify for essential mental health and addiction treatment are unable to find providers. Spokane Falls Community College is responding to this need by launching a new bachelor’s degree.
The Spokesman-Review, March 12, 2023

Rohingya refugee brothers reunited in western Washington after 10 years apart

Two brothers are now calling western Washington home after being separated for 10 years and enduring hardships most people could never imagine. Mohamad Imran, 21, and 15-year-old Ikram Imran were pushed out of their home country of Myanmar as part of the Rohingya genocide. The Rohingya people are a Muslim minority in Myanmar. [Bellevue College]
King 5, March 9, 2023

New appointee to LCC Board of Trustees

Lower Columbia College has announced the appointment of Bogyeong Kim to the LCC Board of Trustees. LCC Trustees are appointed by the governor. Bogyeong holds a bachelor's degree in English Education from Kyungnam University in South Korea. She previously worked as a teacher in South Korea's public school system.
Wahkiakum County Eagle, March 9, 2023

Trends | Horizons | Education

Skills, not frills

... Employers have dropped their requirements for a bachelor’s degree for some 46% of middle-skill jobs and 31% of high-skill jobs since 2017, the report says. This shift has occurred to some degree in nearly two-thirds of occupations, with the biggest declines in careers such as finance, business management, engineering and healthcare.
Community College Daily, March 13, 2023

DataPoints: Women CEOs at community colleges

Well over one-third (36.6%) of community college presidents are women. This is significantly higher than the 30% overall rate of women CEOs reported in the 2017 American College President Survey from the American Council on Education (ACE will be releasing new data next month).
Community College Daily, March 13, 2023

6 ways financial aid officers support student success

... Students at a four-year university were more likely to use their university’s information and resources, with 41 percent using the financial aid office and 20 percent turning to other institutional sources. Only 25 percent of students at two-year universities have used their financial aid offices, and 14 percent have used other institutional resources.
Inside Higher Ed, March 13, 2023

WA college-going rate dropped sharply during pandemic

The number of Washington students going to college within a year of graduating from high school took a sharp hit during the pandemic, a concerning trend that could exacerbate racial inequities in higher education, a new study shows.
The Seattle Times, March 12, 2023

Latina women outpace men at HSIs

... The analysis, released Thursday, found that almost half, 48 percent, of the women attending Hispanic-serving institutions in fall 2020 were Latinas. Latinas also made up almost two-thirds of the Hispanic student population at these colleges and universities.
Inside Higher Ed, March 10, 2023

Politics | Local, State, National

Biden's budget calls for $820 Pell increase

President Biden is seeking a third increase to the annual Pell Grant, of $820, as part of his budget request to Congress, which was unveiled Thursday. Department officials said the budget proposal, which is for fiscal year 2024 beginning Oct. 1, would help build a higher education system that grows the middle class, drives the economy forward and prepares students for highly skilled jobs.
Inside Higher Ed, March 10, 2023