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News Links | January 16, 2020

January 16, 2020 by SBCTC Communications

System News | Opinion

Christine Johnson and Marie Cini: The future of work is gray. Here’s how Community Colleges of Spokane is dialing back the clock

... There’s simply not enough people in the education pipeline, from K-12 to community colleges and beyond, to replace our aging workforce. Which is why institutions like Community Colleges of Spokane, able to quickly pivot to the needs of our evolving Eastern Washington industry, and the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), a national nonprofit focused on adult working learners will be so important in replacing what’s lost. ... Through Guided Pathways – a push from the Washington Legislature to transform the student experience with clear guidance to meet student career goals, employment, outlook and continued education – both Spokane Community College and Spokane Falls Community College are well poised to increase student success levels.
The Spokesman-Review, Jan. 15, 2020

Clark College faculty union OKs contract in 257-9 vote

Clark College’s faculty union voted to ratify its contract Wednesday afternoon, drawing 15 months of bargaining and a three-day strike to a close. The Association for Higher Education, which represents the college’s approximately 400 full- and part-time faculty, voted 257 to 9 in favor of the contract that had been tentatively approved the night before with the Clark College Board of Trustees. Classes will resume Thursday, Clark College spokeswoman Kelly Love reported. The new contract includes wage increases for full-time faculty, who will see their annual salary bumped by about $10,000 — a little more or less, depending on how long they’ve been employed at the college. The contract also establishes a new payment model for part-time teachers, who for the first time will see their salaries and future increases tied to that of their full-time counterparts.
The Columbian, Jan. 15, 2020

State association to honor WCC student Jodi Borrelli as 'Transforming Lives Award' nominee

Whatcom Community College student Jodi Borrelli has been nominated for the 2019 Transforming Lives Award sponsored by the Washington State Association of College Trustees (ACT). Jodi came to Whatcom after battling a drug addiction and serving time in jail. Getting connected with WCC’s Basic Food and Education Training (BFET) program set her on the right path for her career and the rest of her life. BFET provided Jodi with financial support, helped her develop academic and career plans, and showed her it was ok to ask for help.
Whatcom Talk, Jan. 15, 2020

CPTC confirms partnership for new apprenticeship programs

Late last month, Clover Park Technical College enhanced its apprenticeship training network through a partnership with the SEIU Healthcare 1199NW Multi-Employer Training and Education Fund. [Clover Park Technical College] enhanced its apprenticeship training network through a partnership with the SEIU Healthcare 1199NW Multi-Employer Training and Education Fund. On Dec. 19, Dr. Joyce Loveday, CPTC president, and Laura Hopkins, SEIU executive director, signed two affiliation agreements. The documents certify CPTC as a related supplemental instruction provider for the medical assistant and central services/sterile processing apprenticeships. 
The Suburban Times, Jan. 15, 2020

Networking to recession proof your career

... Networking can connect you to people within your industry and keep you up to date on job opportunities that haven’t been posted.  A recent graduate of Lake Washington Institute of Technology’s (LWTech) transportation, logistics, and supply chain management program was recently hired by a company that never posted the job opening. It was a connection made through her program that led her to the company. People are typically more likely to make a referral if there’s some type of personal connection. 
Kirkland Reporter, Jan. 15, 2020

Sand mandala at Clark College aims to promote world peace

A Buddhist sand painting, also known as a sand mandala, is being constructed — and then deconstructed — this week in the library at Clark College in Vancouver. It is a colorful religious portrait, symbolic with many of the virtues of Tibetan Buddhism with a white lotus at its center representing the Buddha of compassion. Through copper funnels they meticulously vibrate each and every colored grain of sand into a work of religious art. “Construction of mandala is symbolism just to train our mind that if you be a kind and compassionate being you can have a happy life,” said one of the sand painters.
KOIN, Jan. 15, 2020

National Endowment for the Humanities announces new grants

An on-site augmented reality tour addressing the 1970 Kent State University shootings, a database that will allow users to search a painting collection by pigment, digital course modules on Florida’s African-American history and a digital anthology of almost 300 hymn melodies published in the United States before 1861 are among the 188 recipients of new grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities. ... Funding will also go toward developing a curriculum at Whatcom Community College in Bellingham, Wash., that creates new courses on the history, cultures and science of the Salish Sea.
The New York Times, Jan. 14, 2020

Scholarships and grants available to students at Shoreline Community College

2020 is a better time than ever for Shoreline Community College students to access financial help for school. With many new resources for funding, some students may even qualify for free college. Washington College Grant (WCG) is the most powerful and inclusive new source of funding that Shoreline students can access. It allows median and low-income families to go to the state’s two- or four-year colleges for free or for a reduced price.
Shoreline Area News, Jan. 14, 2020

WVC faculty union: 'no confidence’ in college president

Wenatchee Valley College faculty are calling on the Board of Trustees to replace WVC President Jim Richardson, saying he is responsible for the current financial crisis that has led to layoffs and staff furlough days. WVC Association for Higher Education issued a statement Tuesday that members had overwhelmingly voted “no confidence” in Richardson and are calling for his replacement. ... Richardson released a statement midday Tuesday: “I take the concerns of the faculty very seriously and am disheartened by their vote. I understand that the budget deficit has raised many questions and concerns from the college community and the public and I will continue addressing those to the best of my ability. However, student success was and remains my top priority when making any decisions from WVC.”
The Wenatchee World, Jan. 14, 2020

Beloved retired president of Pierce College Fort Steilacoom, Denise Yochum, passed away Jan. 13

It is with deep sorrow that Chancellor Michele Johnson shared the news that our beloved friend and colleague Denise Yochum passed away early in the morning on Jan. 13 after a long, courageous battle with cancer. Denise served as president at Pierce College Fort Steilacoom for 13 years, retiring last January. Denise’s commitment to student success and her dedicated service to the college was exemplary. She has also been an active and beloved member in the local community, a state leader, and was a shining example of leadership that was grounded in integrity, skill, and courage.
The Suburban Times, Jan. 13, 2020

Eben Pobee appointed to Shoreline Community College Board of Trustees

Governor Jay Inslee recently appointed Eben Pobee to the Shoreline Community College Board of Trustees for a five-year term, following the conclusion of Trustee Gidget Terpstra’s term this fall. “Eben brings a wealth of professional and civic experience and I am so grateful for his willingness to extend his service to his community by serving on the College’s Board of Trustees,” said President Cheryl Roberts, Ed.D. Pobee is employed as a finance manager with Fidelitel Telecommunications and earned an MBA from Concordia University.
Shoreline Area News, Jan. 3, 2020

Trends | Horizons | Education

Many nonprofit college programs would fail gainful test

Only about 60 percent of programs at private nonprofit institutions, and 70 percent of those at public colleges and universities, would pass the Obama administration’s gainful-employment test, if it were in place and applied to them, according to an online tool developed by a conservative Texas policy group. ... Based on the Department of Education’s College Scorecard data, the tool allows a search for the median income and debt of graduates at 40,000 college programs. Using similar standards to those in the gainful-employment rule -- based on the percentage of graduates’ income compared to their debt -- it judges whether programs would pass or fail the test or be on probation.
Inside Higher Ed, Jan. 16, 2020

Nudging with incentives

Sometimes “nudging” interventions aren’t enough. A recently published working paper found it took financial incentives to get students to re-enroll in classes. The paper, released by the National Bureau of Economic Research this month, compared different nudging campaigns at several community colleges in Florida. The process typically entails encouraging students to re-enroll, fill out financial aid forms or hit other milestones via different forms of communication, with the intention of increasing college attainment. Several studies have looked at the effectiveness of texting students, with mixed results.
Inside Higher Ed, Jan. 15, 2020

How would a 5-year restriction on Pell eligibility impact incarcerated adults if the Pell ban is lifted?

Currently, an option of Pell Grant eligibility for the Second Chance Pell (SCP) experiment is priority given to students who will be released within 5 years of enrollment in the college program. Using the 2014 U.S. PIAAC Prison Survey, conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), this analysis evaluates the demographics of adults in prison who would be impacted by a 5-year stipulation and the validity of a 5-year threshold on incarcerated adults’ enrollment, completion, and interest patterns in higher education.
New America, Jan. 14, 2020

Politics | Local, State, National

Last year, Washington lawmakers made college free for some. This year, they want to make it more accessible.

Would Washingtonians benefit from a single application form for all the state’s public colleges? And if college costs were more transparent, would student debt drop? Washington lawmakers intend to debate these pressing questions beginning Thursday, when Lt. Gov. Cyrus Habib is scheduled to testify in support of several higher-education bills at the Senate’s Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee.
The Seattle Times, Jan. 16, 2020

Canceling student debt is easier than it sounds

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., has pledged to cancel up to $50,000 of debt for 95% of student loan borrowers if she is elected president. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has proposed an even more generous plan if he's elected. Both are bold, controversial pitches that would have a hard time making it through a divided Congress. But on Tuesday, Warren announced she would use a little-known shortcut and wouldn't need Congress. As president, she says, she could cancel the debts of tens of millions of student borrowers all on her own. It turns out, she's probably right.
NPR, Jan. 14, 2020

Last Modified: 9/11/24, 11:58 AM
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