News Links | February 18, 2020
System News | Opinion
Engineering a jump start to university — or career
... The picture is very similar in the engineering program at Whatcom Community College in Bellingham, Washington, where the vast majority of students come from Whatcom
County and transfer to either University of Washington, Washington State University
or, somewhat less frequently, Western Washington University, says Eric Davishahl,
engineering program coordinator and assistant professor. The student mix is about
50 percent straight out of high school and 50 percent back from the workforce, he
says.
Community College Daily, Feb. 17, 2020
‘Rosie Revere’ provides impetus for girls to consider engineering careers
... Tina Barsotti, a mechanical engineering professor at Clark College who chairs the Engineering, Computer-Aided Drafting and Design, and Surveying and
Geomatics Department, said community events serve a dual purpose. They encourage children
to consider an engineering career, and they help engineering students hone their interaction
skills. “It’s good for the little kids,” Barsotti said. “And it’s good for my adult
students.”
The Columbian, Feb. 15, 2020
Port reflects on 2019, looks ahead at annual business report breakfast
... “The Grays Harbor [College] Forestry Program to manage our sustainable forests achieved a milestone this year
with the first timber harvest and sale managed by four student interns,” said Nelson.
“The program uses the forests as the classroom. To date 35 students have completed
this program.”
The Daily World, Feb. 15, 2020
Writing gives physics professor Asa Maria Bradley a romantic angle
She stayed through graduate school and eventually settled in Spokane where she teaches
physics at Spokane Falls Community College. “Writing helps me teach,” Bradley said. “Everybody learns best through storytelling.
If there’s a connection between why we’re learning this topic and how it fits in with
the narrative of the world at large, then it’s more interesting.” Bradley had a knack
for the humanities early on, but the challenge of STEM courses attracted her more.
So, after studying, working in and teaching physics for her entire career, she hadn’t
considered writing a full-length novel until she moved to Washington and joined a
local writers group. After experimenting with writing in different genres, Bradley
finally turned to her Swedish roots and began work on “Viking Warriors.”
The Spokesman-Review, Feb. 15, 2020
Clark College narrows candidates for president
Clark College has narrowed its list of presidential finalists down to two. Karin Edwards, president
of Portland Community College’s Cascade Campus, and Sara Thompson Tweedy, a vice president
at the State of New York Westchester Community College, are still being considered
for the seat. ... The board of trustees voted unanimously Friday to go back to both
candidates with clarifying questions, and will likely make a decision next week.
The Columbian, Feb. 15, 2020
Resourcefulness is key when prisoners make art out of garbage. Now, you can buy it
There will be just one thing missing from an art auction at America’s Car Museum on
Saturday. The artists. The 50 or so men and women represented in “Unguarded: Incarcerated
Artists” won’t be able to see their art sold because they are inmates in the state
correctional system. “You have some lifers, folks who are never coming home,” said
Bates Technical College educator Chris Hansen. “But you also have some who are going to be home very shortly.”
The News Tribune, Feb. 14, 2020
Young professionals get preview of Centralia College Foundation's new training center
The Young Professionals of Lewis County gathered for their informal monthly meeting
at the Olympic Club Wednesday evening, and whether attendees came to network or to
socialize — either is fine with this laid back group — almost everyone left with a
glimpse of what’s on the horizon for the Centralia College Foundation (CCF). Christine Fossett, executive director of the CCF, spoke to the
18 young professionals on hand about a number of new projects her organization has
in the works, but chiefly she previewed The Southwest Washington Flexible Training
Center, or SWFT Center.
The Daily Chronicle, Feb. 14, 2020
Edmonds CC names new vice president of finance and operations
Edmonds Community College has hired Gregory Hinton, a 25-year veteran of the U.S. Army, to serve as the college’s
vice president of finance and operations. His first day was Jan. 16. “Gregory has
a track record of managing resources with both efficiency and integrity,” said Edmonds
CC President Dr. Amit B. Singh. “His leadership and expertise will help the Finance
and Operations division become a strategic partner with all the divisions and departments
of the college, in order to achieve our short- and long-term goals.”
MLT News, Feb. 13, 2020
Metallica foundation gives $50,000 for student scholarships at Spokane Community College
A $50,000 donation from the heavy metal band Metallica will help dozens of students
pursue their education at Spokane Community College. SCC is one of 10 colleges in the United States selected for grants from Metallica’s
charitable foundation, All Within My Hands. According to a news release from SCC,
the school will use the money to continue its Metallica Scholars program, which began
last year when the band’s foundation gifted $100,000.
The Spokesman-Review, Feb. 10, 2020
Trends | Horizons | Education
In hot U.S. jobs market, half of college grads are missing out
... Unemployment among Americans aged between 22 and 27 who recently earned a bachelor’s
degree or higher was 3.9% in December — about 0.3 percentage point above the rate
for all workers. ... In the occupations that are forecast to grow fastest over the
next decade, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics — from home care to restaurant
cooks — typical salaries range from $24,000 to $26,500. Part of the problem is that
the jobs market is saturated with degree-holders, while tight labor conditions have
ramped up demand for a different kind of skills — bringing benefits to electricians
and plumbers, for example.
The Seattle Times, Feb. 18, 2020
Holistic approach for nontraditional students
Community colleges need to create holistic student supports to serve their increasingly
diverse student populations, according to a series of briefs released by Achieving
the Dream. The holistic student supports approach requires colleges to tie support
services into a "seamless, timely and personal experience for every student," according
to the nonprofit group. It includes comprehensive advising, scalable case management
models, a change leadership framework and assessment using technology to improve these
strategies as time goes on. The four briefs highlight several issues, including how
to move students from high schools to colleges, how to serve student mothers and how
to serve part-time students.
Inside Higher Ed, Feb. 14, 2020
Politics | Local, State, National
Title IX complicates Hill negotiations on higher ed
Any deal to update the law governing federal student aid would have to overcome concerns
about the highly charged new rule U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is about to
release on what colleges are required do about allegations of sexual assault or harassment
on campuses. That was the message from an aide to Senator Patty Murray, the top Democrat
on the Senate education committee, who said the Title IX rule would be a stumbling
block toward reauthorizing the Higher Education Act.
Inside Higher Ed, Feb. 18, 2020
Boomberg's take on higher ed
Michael Bloomberg, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination and has been
positioning himself as a moderate in the race, proposed forgiving the college debt
of some borrowers on Monday, but on a far more limited basis than either Senator Bernie
Sanders or Senator Elizabeth Warren. Believing other plans are too expensive and would
cancel the debt of some borrowers who don’t really need it, Bloomberg would limit
forgiveness to those who went to failed or predatory for-profit colleges and those
who have made decades of payments on income-driven repayment plans.
Inside Higher Ed, Feb. 18, 2020