News Links | July 16, 2020
System News | Opinion
EvCC students win accounting competition
Everett Community College students Daniel Zaragoza and Ali Mohamed-Ali are the winners of the college’s first
financial analysis case competition. The two earned a $250 prize for their winning
project. The competition was created to give accounting students practice in the accounting
cycle, analyzing results and presenting their findings. All teams used the same business
case.
Everett Herald, July 15, 2020
Opinion: Unlocking the potential of prison education
In mid-March, close to 80 women and trans people had been enrolled for eight weeks
in German, biology, American government, American history in the 1960s, English, yoga
and math classes in the Freedom Education Project Puget Sound program that I co-founded
with students inside the prison at the Washington Corrections Center for women. Some
hoped to graduate in June with their associate of arts degree from Tacoma Community College.
Inside Higher Ed, July 15, 2020
Not just a preschool: Eastside Cooperative Preschool’s commitment to community
... With a strong and integral relationship with South Puget Sound Community College, families involved in ECP also receive parenting support from a Parent Educator,
which includes virtual discussions, monthly articles, and resources to aid every age
and stage.
Thurston Talk, July 15, 2020
SVC faces cuts—All three campuses will feel impacts of budget shortfall
In light of an anticipated about $4.8 million budget shortfall, Skagit Valley College has begun to identify cuts, which will be felt across the board and at each of the
college’s three campuses. “We’ve had to make a number of gut-wrenching, very difficult
decisions,” Skagit Valley College President Tom Keegan said. “The college will continue
to offer classes and programs and services to meet our communities’ needs.”
Skagit Valley Herald, July 15, 2020
As government rescinds proposed rule, foreign students anxious
... “We are relieved by the announcement and have notified our international students
that they will be able to continue studies online at Clark this fall term,” Clark College President Karin Edwards said in an announcement. “Colleges need latitude to make
careful decisions that put students’ health and safety first.”
The Columbian, July 15, 2020
Centralia College offers alternative high school graduation path for Mossyrock and Morton students
Centralia College has partnered with Mossyrock and Morton School Districts for a program called “Open
Doors,” a state-wide youth reengagement program that provides services to students
that have dropped out of school or are not expected to graduate by age 21. Open Doors
allows students to work toward their high school diploma in a non-traditional way
and offers the students a chance to take some college classes at the same time.
The Daily Chronicle, July 14, 2020
International students: Find community college fit
Cascadia College in Washington has guaranteed transfer agreements with 20 four-year universities across
the U.S. and Canada, Lisa Lyman, the school's assistant director of international
programs, wrote in an email. "About 50% of our international student graduates transfer
to the University of Washington campuses, and another 20 to 25% transfer to the University
of California system. The rest transfer to universities all over the U.S. and abroad,"
Lyman says.
U.S. News & World Report, July 14, 2020
ICE directive for foreign students worries local colleges
Local colleges are closely monitoring legal challenges to new federal rules requiring
international students attend classes on campus despite a pandemic or lose their visa
status. ... The policy change, which takes effect Wednesday, would be felt at Edmonds College and Everett Community College, according to the presidents of both institutions. ... or now, the college is working
closely with the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges to learn more about the rules and what it can do to help its students, she said.
Everett Herald, July 14, 2020
Thinking outside the box, CPTC faculty make hands-on programs accessible for online learning
In March, Governor Inslee’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy order resulted in [Clover Park Technical College] faculty having just under three weeks to wrap up Winter Quarter and move their courses entirely
online. It was a necessary step toward curbing the spread of the virus, but posed significant
challenges for the hands–on programs Clover Park is known for.
The Suburban Times, July 13, 2020
Pierce College Dental Hygiene Clinic reopening July 13
Pierce College is proud to reopen its Dental Hygiene Clinic, providing affordable dental care for
community members after months of closure due to COVID-19 restrictions set by the
governor. The clinic, located at Pierce College Fort Steilacoom, will reopen under
special safety guidelines set by the Washington State Department of Health and the
Centers for Disease Control.
The Suburban Times, July 13, 2020
Trends | Horizons | Education
Skills training campaign from Ad Council, White House
A new advertising campaign from the Ad Council, dubbed Find Something New, encourages
Americans to pursue skills-based postsecondary education and training. The campaign
features online, certification, apprenticeship, early college and technical programs,
as well as associate degrees. It does not include traditional four-year degrees.
Inside Higher Ed, July, 15, 2020
Survey: Self-doubt is a barrier to college
Nearly half of adults who responded to a national survey said self-doubt is one of
the largest challenges they would face if they enrolled in a postsecondary education
or training program. Self-doubt was one of the top three challenges respondents cited,
below time and above cost. he new data are included in the findings from the latest
"Public Viewpoints" report from Strada Education Network, which surveyed American
adults on their motivations for pursuing more education, as well as the barriers they
face.
Inside Higher Ed, July 15, 2020
Government rescinds international student policy
The Department of Homeland Security rescinded a July 6 policy directive that would
have required international students to take at least some in-person coursework in
order to remain in the U.S. The government agreed to rescind the guidance in response
to a lawsuit filed by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The rescission of the July 6 directive, and an associated FAQ released July 7, means
that the government reverts to guidance issued in March that allows international
students to remain in the U.S. while taking a fully online course load.
Inside Higher Ed, July 15, 2020
Politics | Local, State, National
Trump Administration clears for-profit colleges to register veterans again
For the second time in two months, the Trump administration has sided with the for-profit
college industry over a key constituency: veterans. In May, the president vetoed a
bipartisan bill promoting debt forgiveness for veterans who were defrauded by for-profit
schools. Now, the Department of Veterans Affairs is allowing several repeat-offending
schools access to GI Bill money.
NPR, July 16, 2020
Will push to reopen threaten aid?
The Trump administration has stopped short of saying it wants to withhold funding
from colleges and universities that do not reopen for the fall term, as President
Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos have threatened with K-12 schools. But some
higher education lobbyists are concerned the administration’s push to get students
back into classrooms could make it harder to get funding in Congress’s next coronavirus
aid package to help colleges deal with the financial hit they’re taking from the pandemic.
Inside Higher Ed, July 16, 2020
House panel advances Dems' education spending plan
Democrats on a key House committee on Monday approved an education spending bill that
would reject hundreds of millions in cuts for colleges and universities, as well as
more than a billion in cuts to college student aid, that have been sought by President
Trump. The spending measure approved by the House appropriations committee, along
partisan lines, would also increase spending on career and technical education by
$25 million, $738 million less than the major boost Trump and Education Secretary
Betsy DeVos want.
Inside Higher Ed, July 14, 2020