News Links | March 9, 2021
System News | Opinion
Opinion: Community colleges in Pierce County are engines for COVID-19 pandemic recovery
... The good news is that a network of colleges and universities in Pierce County
is working to create a healthier, more equitable economy. Tacoma Community College and our fellow public higher education institutions — Pierce College, Bates Technical College, Clover Park Technical College, and UW-Tacoma — are dedicated to serving everyone in our communities.
News Tribune, March 6, 2021
Running Start at YVC and CBC gives high schoolers a head start on college
For high school students interested in getting a jump on earning their college degree,
both Yakima Valley College and Columbia Basin College are hosting information sessions this March about Washington’s Running Start program.
KEPR, March 6, 2021
Racial equity work takes center stage in Clark College presidential address
Karin Edwards focused on Clark College’s dedication to racial equity work in her first official address this week as president
of the Vancouver-based community college. Edwards also gave updates on a challenge
facing numerous higher education institutions in 2021: dealing with a looming budget
deficit amid the uncertainty of a pandemic.
OPB, March 6, 2021
How a decline in community college students is a big problem for the economy
... But the potential impact on the national economy of a decline in the supply of
graduates with badly needed skills has been largely overlooked. “The average person
out there doesn’t quite make that connection,” said Jan Yoshiwara, executive director
of the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges.
The Hechinger Report, March 5, 2021
Yakima Valley College expands Running Start program
Yakima Valley College has been selected as one of the few colleges in Washington state to participate in
a summer Running Start program pilot. ... This is the first time the program has been
extended into the summer and YVC is one of only three colleges that have been invited
to join in the pilot program. The two other participating colleges are Skagit Valley College and South Puget Sound Community College.
YakTriNews, March 4, 2021
Welcome KUOW's 2021 RadioActive advanced youth producers
... Morgen White (First Year, North Seattle College, Phinney Ridge). Morgen White attends North Seattle College, and she’s working towards
her Associate of Arts. She’s excited to pursue a major in journalism at school and
learn more about news reporting through the RadioActive advanced news track.
KUOW, March 4, 2021
Campus zero
On Feb. 29, 2020, Suzanne Ames was in downtown Seattle giving a workshop at the National
Community College Baccalaureate Conference. Ames is vice president of instruction
at Lake Washington Institute of Technology, a public technical college about a 20-minute drive east of the city.
Inside Higher Ed, March 3, 2021
Sharp named state legislative intern
Sydney Sharp of Anacortes was recently named as a State Board for Community and Technical Colleges legislative Intern for the 2021 legislative session. The Skagit Valley College student will complete her time with the board virtually because of COVID-19.
Skagit Valley Herald, March 3, 2021
Lessons learned at Life Care Center: Lake Washington Institute of Technology students remember pandemic’s first days
A little bit of a virus was going around, so the dining room was closed and the patients
were eating in their rooms. “Nothing was unusual, nothing was concerning,” Ruth Gelbach
remembered. “Until later in the day.” That’s when staffers at Life Care Center of
Kirkland started to rush around. Nurses and physicians who were scheduled to speak
with Gelbach and seven other Lake Washington Institute of Technology (LWTech) students were suddenly unavailable.
The Seattle Times, March 3, 2021
'Queen of Fuzz' creates mascots in Indy studio
... "So right now I'm totally in love with the South Puget Sound Community College Kraken, Percy," she said, "and when we fall in love with a mascot, that's
when the magic happens." Percy is in pieces right now - an arm here, a tentacle there.
The head still has to get its eyes affixed.
WTOL, March 2, 2021
Yakima Valley College aids undocumented students with Beyond Dreaming Scholarship
The Beyond Dreaming Scholarship at Yakima Valley College has assisted undocumented students and DREAMers seeking higher education for the
past five years. By empowering students with these circumstances to pursue an education,
Yakima Valley College is expanding its reach to those who are statistically less likely
to pursue a college degree.
YakTriNews, March 2, 2021
New Alliance of Women in Washington Wine already stands at 200 strong
... One thing is for certain. Women will continue to enter the Washington wine industry
through colleges across the state — Washington State University, Central Washington
University, Walla Walla Community College, Yakima Valley College and South Seattle College. Britton graduated from Yakima Valley College’s viticulture and enology program before
matriculating to WSU.
Great Northwest Wine, March 1, 2021
Trends | Horizons | Education
Changes in financial aid
The chief operating officer of Federal Student Aid, retired Air Force general Mark
Brown, resigned Friday. Brown was responsible for overseeing the agency’s trillion-dollar
loan portfolio, a job that will be held in the interim by Robin Minor.
Inside Higher Ed, March 8, 2021
Report on community colleges with a focus on students
Ithaka S&R has published a report on efforts by community colleges to focus on students.
The report is based on interviews with 37 chief academic officers, chief student affairs
officers, library directors, faculty members and students from community colleges.
Inside Higher Ed, March 3, 2021
Expanding educational access to people in prison
Congress in December lifted a ban that, since 1994, has prevented access to Pell grants
for people in prison. That means nearly half a million inmates could be eligible for
Pell, according to the Vera Institute for Justice.
Community College Daily, March 3, 2021
Politics | Local, State, National
Biden order could change how colleges handle sex misconduct
President Joe Biden on Monday ordered his administration to review Trump administration
rules around campus sexual assaults that bolstered the rights of the accused and narrowed
the scope of cases colleges must address.
The Seattle Times, March 8, 2021
$40 billion for colleges
Congress is poised to send another $40 billion in aid to the nation’s colleges and
universities after the Senate approved a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill Saturday.
The House is expected to pass the measure -- which contains the largest infusion of
help to higher education approved by Congress during the pandemic -- as soon as Tuesday,
sending it to President Biden for his signature.
Inside Higher Ed, March 8, 2021
Federal lawmakers push Cardona to undo DeVos Title IX Rule
More than 100 U.S. representatives urged Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to
prioritize changing the current federal regulations that govern how colleges and universities
address campus sexual misconduct under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972,
the federal law prohibiting gender-based discrimination at federally funded institutions.
Inside Higher Ed, March 4, 2021
