News Links | August 25, 2020
System News | Opinion
GHC dealing with, adapting to instruction in the age of a pandemic
Facing a “damaging mix” of state-funding cuts, drops in enrollment and thus tuition
revenue, and increased health and safety concerns due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Grays Harbor College, like many other colleges and universities across the state, is reshaping how it
educates its students for the rapidly-approaching school year.
The Daily World, Aug. 22, 2020
BTC awarded $1.3 million grant
Bellingham Technical College just got a big boost. The US Department of Education awarded BTC a $1.3 million grant
to support student services through their TRIO SSS program. The program provides a
variety of services to low income students, first generation college students and
students with disabilities who they say are disproportionately impacted by institutional,
personal and financial barriers that make it difficult to stay in college.
KGMI, Aug. 21, 2020
Highline College hosts COVID-19 testing every Wednesday
... “Highline College microbiology students in spring 2020 had the idea to get more testing in South King
County to help to address the dire issue of health inequity for communities of color
in our region,” Highline College instructor Colleen Sheridan said. “With the expertise
of the UW/Harborview Ambulatory Care team and the support of many state and local
departments, we are able to bring this service to our Highline College campus.”
Kent Reporter, Aug. 20, 2020
Photos: Making art work
Call it sidewalk art using small garbage cans and fire. Wielding tongs and wearing
fire-proof gloves, Mark Yaple of Wenatchee earlier this month put hot ceramics into
a bucket of damp newspapers on a sidewalk at Wenatchee Valley College. It was part of the process to fire raku pottery. The paper ignites, and Yaple, a
volunteer, closes the lid and the oxygen in the container is burned up to give the
pottery a distinctive texture and color.
The Wenatchee World, Aug. 20, 2020
Head Start will offer parents in-person and fully virtual options
Lower Columbia College Head Start and Early Head Start will offer parents both hybrid and fully virtual
options this fall, but enrollment is lower than normal and program officials are encouraging
eligible parents to apply. After reviewing health recommendations and surveying parents,
families can choose to either send their child in for two days a week of in-person
instruction or choose twice-weekly remote instruction, according to a Head Start press
release.
The Daily News, Aug. 20, 2020
Peninsula College offers retraining funds to help unemployed
To help Clallam County residents struggling with employment issues during the COVID-19
pandemic, Peninsula College officials say the school’s Worker Retraining (WRT) Program at Peninsula College may
be the answer. The WRT program provides hopeful options to individuals who are laid
off or furloughed due to pandemic, or who have had to close their businesses, college
officials said.
Sequim Gazette, Aug. 19, 2020
CARES Act funds will make school more affordable for technical college students
Pierce County has allocated a portion of CARES Act funding to provide financial aid
for students attending Clover Park Technical College and Bates Technical College. “Supporting Pierce County college students as they face the challenges imposed by
COVID-19 is critically important as we look to recover from the pandemic and move
forward,” said Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier.
The Seattle Medium, Aug. 19, 2020
Peninsula College moves Saturday ceremony online
Peninsula College has moved its Saturday commencement ceremony online because of the recent spike in
COVID-19 cases in Clallam County, particularly in the 19-29 age group. The drive-up
event that was to take place on the Port Angeles campus was scrapped in favor of a
socially distant alternative.
Peninsula Daily News, Aug. 19, 2020
Walla Walla Community College granted $2.18 million to continue TRiO program
Walla Walla Community College has received a $2.18 million federal grant from the Department of Education to continue
funding its TRiO program for five additional years, the school announced today. TRiO
is a support program for first-generation students, low-income students and students
with disabilities.
Union-Bulletin, Aug. 18, 2020
Trends | Horizons | Education
ED issues new distance learning regs
The U.S. Education Department (ED) on Monday issued final rules that it says govern
distance learning in higher education and promote educational innovation to better
serve the needs of an increasingly diverse population of students. While work on the
Distance Learning and Innovation Regulation started more than a year ago, the COVID-19
national emergency underscores the need for students to have access to high-quality
remote learning options, according to ED.
Community College Daily, Aug. 24, 2020
New certificate from CityU and Amazon
The City University of Seattle is offering a new technology and computing program
with Amazon Global Military Affairs. The program includes multiple certificates, is
available online and is designed for working adults, according to a news release.
It's part of the private, nonprofit university and Amazon's goal to support upskilling
former members of the U.S. military so they can transition to civilian careers.
Inside Higher Ed, Aug. 21, 2020
New grant for colleges affected by COVID-19
A new grant program from the U.S. Department of Education could help colleges and
universities resume operations and reduce disease transmission during the COVID-19
pandemic. The Institutional Resilience and Expanded Postsecondary Opportunity Grant
Program Competition is available for institutions with the greatest unmet needs related
to the pandemic.
Inside Higher Ed, Aug. 20, 2020
S&P report anticipates weakened enrollments, likely revenue loss
Colleges across the board will see lower enrollments this fall due to the COVID-19
pandemic, a new report from S&P Global Ratings shows. As a result, net tuition and
auxiliary revenue will likely decline. S&P Global’s outlook for the higher education
sector remains negative.
Inside Higher Ed, Aug. 19, 2020
DataPoints: Inroads in apprenticeships, despite COVID
Despite the pandemic, a national initiative led by the American Association of Community
Colleges (AACC) to increase the number of apprentices and services throughout the
U.S. has made significant advances in its first year.
Expanding Community College Apprenticeships (ECCA), which is funded by the U.S. Department
of Labor (DOL), had aimed to train 16,000 apprenticeships over three years.
Community College Daily, Aug. 19, 2020
Politics | Local, State, National
House ed chair seeks to nix ED’s new training grants
The chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee is asking U.S. Education Secretary
Betsy DeVos to withdraw the Reimagine Workforce Preparation (RWP) grant competition,
which would provide state workforce agencies with funding for short-term programming,
including career pathway programs for unemployed and underemployed workers in jobs
affected by COVID.
Community College Daily, Aug. 24, 2020
Washington watch: Stimulus jockeying continues
Legislators have largely left Washington, D.C., for the national political conventions
and the traditional August recess, but the American Association of Community Colleges
(AACC) and other advocacy groups remain ever-focused on a possible new stimulus bill
to address the coronavirus pandemic.
Community College Daily, Aug. 20, 2020
