System News | Opinion
Partnership between Clark College, Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center aims to create local job pipeline for surgical technologists
Students in Clark College’s surgical technology program, the first of its kind in Southwest Washington, can gain
hands-on clinical experience locally through a partnership with Legacy Salmon Creek
Medical Center that launched in January.
The Columbian, March 10, 2026
TRIO donates 145 books to little free libraries
The TRIO program at Grays Harbor College recently partnered with the Aberdeen Rotary Club and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
to host a campus-wide book drive, collecting 145 books for the Rotary Club’s Little
Free Libraries located around the community.
The Daily World, March 9, 2026
Potential cuts to Washington's Running Start program could cost students thousands
...Edmonds College President Amit Singh said eliminating summer classes would hurt students who are trying
to finish their degrees faster. "If you go to summer school, that means you are on
a faster track to completion," Singh said. "That means you complete early, you get
a job early, you support your family earlier than otherwise."
King 5, March 9, 2026
Broadening for impact
Brandon Dyer owes his career in higher education to the federal TRIO program, which
is designed to help low-income students, first-generation college students and individuals
with disabilities progress through the academic pipeline from middle school through
college. [Everett Community College]
Community College Daily, March 9, 2026
Walla Walla Community College to consider possibly closing its Clarkston branch
The Walla Walla Community College Board of Trustees will consider proposed cuts to its Clarkston branch campus at a
special meeting Monday afternoon. One of the possibilities is closing the Clarkston
branch.
The Lewiston Tribune, March 8, 2026
Skagit Valley College takes part in panel on bachelor's programs
Skagit Valley College faculty, staff and graduates took part last month in a panel discussion titled “The
Transformative Power of Community College Baccalaureates in Rural America.”
Skagit Valley Herald, March 5, 2026
Flooded coal mine under Bellingham could become heat source for college
...Entrances to the mine were backfilled and blocked off when it closed, but since,
groundwater has seeped into the tunnels and been warmed by the earth’s core. Bellingham Technical College, which sits on top of tunnels about 1,000 feet deep, is working with Cascade Natural
Gas on a potential pilot project to see if heat from that water could be extracted
to heat and cool the campus.
Cascadia Daily News, March 4, 2026
Higher Education and Politics
A quick look at key community college stats
The number of credentials awarded at community colleges in 2023-24 increased by more
than 90,000 from the prior year, according to the just-released Fast Facts 2026 from
the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).
Community College Daily, March 10, 2026
U.S. accepting public comments on proposed Workforce Pell rule
The Education Department released its proposed Workforce Pell regulations Friday.
It’s accepting public comments on the expansive proposal for the next 30 days. Under
the rule, starting July 1, students will be able to use federal Pell Grants to pursue
some short-term job training.
Inside Higher Ed, March 9, 2026
