News Links | July 23, 2020
System News | Opinion
SFCC food pantry serving greater-than-normal student need this summer
The Spokane Falls Community College campus may be closed, but the food pantry that serves students in need is still open
and doing a booming business. Skitch’s Food Pantry has been around so long that no
one remembers when it began, Director of Student Programs Heather McKenzie Waite said.
The Spokesman-Review, July 23, 2020
Walla Walla Community College retirees contribute $50,000 in scholarships
A retired Walla Walla Community College vice president has reached into his own pockets to assist students in need amid the
COVID-19 pandemic. He also got some fellow former staff members to join him. Jim Peterson,
who was the vice president of administrative services for the college, wanted a way
to help students of the college struggling to make ends meet.
Union-Bulletin, July 22, 2020
CBC offers new Agriculture Production degree
Columbia Basin College (CBC) is expanding its agriculture program by offering a new Associate in Applied Science
(AAS) in Agriculture Production degree in fall 2020. Students pursuing this two-year
program will earn three Certificates including Crop & Soil, Precision Agriculture
and Hydroponics & Greenhouse Management. ... In May 2020, the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) provided CBC’s Agriculture program with $494,767 through the Career Connect Washington
Career Launch program, which will provide students hands-on experience with the latest
technology sought by today’s employers.
NBC Right Now, July 22, 2020
Edmonds College receives $3 million grant for health care training program
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded a $3 million grant to
Edmonds College for its health care training program for low-income students. Innovations in Creating
Access To Careers in Healthcare (I-CATCH) began in 2010 with a Health Profession Opportunity
Grant. ... While being managed by Edmonds College, I-CATCH also serves students at
Everett Community College, Skagit Valley College and Whatcom Community College.
My Edmonds News, July 22, 2020
Grant helps Peninsula College boost humanities staff, programs
A $150,000 federal grant is helping to boost Peninsula College humanities staff positions and projects impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. ...
“This grant funding will help to support faculty and will provide quality instruction
and innovative programs and services to students at a time when we need it the most,”
Peninsula College President Luke Robins said in a press release.
Sequim Gazette, July 22, 2020
Student art in ‘virtual’ spotlight at Peninsula College’s annual exhibit
Coronavirus concerns nixed a plan to have an in-person exhibit, so Peninsula College show organizers went virtual. Winners were announced for the college’s annual Student
Art Exhibition in June, with Catherine Janiszewski’s “Blind Happiness” taking Best
in Show and Casandra White taking “I Am Not My Hair” earning the President’s Merit
Award.
Sequim Gazette, July 22, 2020
Skagit Valley College teams up with Farm to Family program
As chef Gilbert Rodriguez prepared spaghetti with summer vegetables last week on the
campus of Skagit Valley College, he made sure each step was accompanied by a lesson. As he chopped efficiently through
an onion, the college culinary instructor demonstrated the ideal angle with which
to cut.
Skagit Valley Herald, July 21, 2020
Karlee Norton reads “What You’d Want to Remember” by Miriam Marty Clark
Karlee Norton is a student at Wenatchee Valley College who is interested in the English writing world and wants to expand her knowledge
to help her write more in the future. [Audio]
Spokane Public Radio, July 21, 2020
$500,000 donation to create scholarships for Spokane community college students in high-demand fields
The Community Colleges of Spokane Foundation says a $500,000 donation from a local charity will provide $4,000 scholarships
to more than 100 students over the next five years. ... The CCS Foundation said the
money will go to students in high-demand programs with ample job opportunities, including
the nursing program at Spokane Community College and the physical therapy assistant program at Spokane Falls Community College.
The Spokesman-Review, July 21, 2020
WWCC welcomes students back this Fall with new, flexible learning model
Walla Walla Community College is committed to serving its students and is looking forward to welcoming them back
this Fall with a new learning model that incorporates both in-person instruction,
as well as real-time and on-demand streaming classes.
NBC Right Now, July 20, 2020
Local businessman wants Enumclaw to develop grant program for rent, utility costs
... According to Kevin Grossman, a certified business adviser with the Green River College, there really aren’t a lot of options for small business owners to recoup what they’ve
already lost. There’s the PPP, of course, and under new rules, business owners can
spend more of the loan on operating costs than before.
The Courier-Herald, July 17, 2020
Trends | Horizons | Education
COVID-19 roundup: Colleges tilt toward online openings
... A database released this week by Davidson College's College Crisis Initiative
shows that of the roughly 2,000 two-year and four-year colleges that have definitively
announced plans for the fall so far (the project lists 800 as "to be determined"),
slightly more will be fully (119) or primarily (693) online than primarily (627) or
fully (72) in person, with most of the rest (480) planning for mostly hybrid classes.
Inside Higher Ed, July 23, 2020
States partner to reskill workers
A coalition of states is coming together to help reskill workers in the wake of the
COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing recession that left 11.1 percent of workers unemployed
in June. The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the American
Association of Community Colleges on Tuesday launched the Reskilling and Recovery
Network, which will include 20 states, according to a news release.
Inside Higher Ed, July 22, 2020
Too early to assess fall enrollment at community colleges, say experts
... Dr. Martha M. Parham, senior vice president, public relations, American Association
of Community Colleges, said some schools are reporting as much as 20% declines in
enrollment for their current summer session while others have seen a slight increase.
It’s too soon to know for the fall.
Diverse Education, July 21, 2020
Politics | Local, State, National
Advocates bash Alexander's student loan proposal
Advocacy groups pushing for the broad forgiveness of student debt blasted Senator
Lamar Alexander’s proposal to excuse borrowers with no income from having to make
monthly repayments.
Inside Higher Ed, July 23, 2020
Loan relief proposal from top Republican
Nearing the end of his tenure in Congress, Senator Lamar Alexander, the chairman of
the Senate education committee, proposed excusing those with no income from making
student loan payments, as well as enacting one of his longtime goals: simplifying
the forms used to apply for federal student aid.
Inside Higher Ed, July 22, 2020