News Links | October 21, 2021
System News | Opinion
COVID-19 cases highest among 18- to 24-year-olds as students return to campuses
... Whatcom Community College follows the requirements of the governor’s mandate to ensure their status as fully
vaccinated campus. Though the college has not implemented additional safety measures,
administrative policy states that specific programs reserve the right to do so. ...
In addition to following the governor’s proclamation, Bellingham Technical College requires all unvaccinated students or employees to wear a KN-95 respirator. Skagit Valley College (SVC) requires students to demonstrate their vaccination status by Nov. 8, the latest of
all the local institutions.
Salish Current, Oct. 20, 2021
Why Biden's plan for free community college likely will be cut from budget package
... Washington state has subsidized community colleges for more than a decade, but
because the costs of housing, child care, transportation and books are so high in
the Seattle area many students still drop out to work despite the subsidy, said Timothy
Stokes, president of South Puget Sound Community College.
Wall Street Journal, Oct. 20, 2021
LCC reports 90.9% vaccination rate, K-12 schools see lower percentages of staff choosing shots
... At Lower Columbia College, Vice President of Foundation, Human Resources and Legal Affairs Kendra Sprague said
along with the 90.9% of staff who are vaccinated, about 40 people will continue working
with exemptions and 28 will be terminated.
The Daily News, Oct. 20, 2021
Eleven full-time Wenatchee Valley College employees granted exemptions, six others gone
Of Wenatchee Valley College’s full-time employees, 92% are fully vaccinated while eleven have been granted exemptions
and six were terminated or retired. Those numbers do not include part-time employees,
student employees, volunteers or contractors.
560 KPQ News Radio, Oct. 20, 2021
First community COVID-19 testing site opens at Spokane Falls Community College
More than 25 cars and trucks were lined up for COVID-19 testing in the early afternoon
Monday at Spokane Falls Community College. The new SFCC testing site opened Monday morning, the first of two new testing sites
set to start up this month in Spokane County.
Spokesman-Review, Oct. 19, 2021
Funding roundup
Everett Community College (EvCC) will use a $25,000 donation from Washington health plan Coordinated Care to train
the next generation of healthcare students. Ten $2,000 scholarships will help students
in nursing, medical assisting, phlebotomy, pre-medicine or other healthcare programs.
Community College Daily, Oct. 18, 2021
Construction projects to watch: October 2021
Bothell : The University of Washington Bothell. The campus is set to debut a new academic
building in fall 2023. The building will house UW Bothell and Cascadia College students taking science, technology, engineering, and math classes.
425 Business, Oct. 18, 2021
Washington state workers largely comply with Monday’s vaccine deadline, data show
South Puget Sound Community College: The college has 448 full-time employees, faculty, and adjunct faculty. In addition
to the 425 employees who are fully vaccinated, three are in the process of becoming
fully vaccinated and 19 have approved exemptions, the college announced.
Olympian, Oct. 17, 2021
Skagit Valley College president announces retirement
Tom Keegan, whose first experience on the Skagit Valley College campus was as a student in the 1970s, will in August retire as the college’s president.
“I’m grateful and honored to be able to come back and lead Skagit Valley College,”
he said. “It’s the college that set me on my path, both educationally and career wise.”
Skagit Valley Herald, Oct. 15, 2021
Amazon expands collaboration with Bellevue College for job training, student assistance
Bellevue College (BC) students will get more opportunities to earn Amazon Web Services (AWS) certifications
and pursue internships and employment with AWS customers and partners under a new
collaboration announced this week between the Bellevue College Foundation and Amazon.
425 Business, Oct. 13, 2021
Trends | Horizons | Education
Gauging students about paying for college, safety and support
Nearly one-quarter of surveyed community college students said they had problems this
spring paying for college due to the pandemic, according to a new report. Another
20% said they struggled to pay for college, but it wasn’t related to the pandemic.
Community College Daily, Oct. 21, 2021
ATE prepares technicians for what’s next
The 28th Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Principal Investigators’ Conference
opened Wednesday with a discussion of the nation’s supply chain that provided insights
about the opportunities for community colleges and their students that exist amid
the challenges of the skilled technical workforce in every industry from coast-to-coast.
Community College Daily, Oct. 21, 2021
Politics | Local, State, National
White House drops free community college from its spending bill
The Biden administration's program to make community college tuition-free will not
become a reality in this round of the president's spending priorities, leaving progressive
groups disappointed.
NPR, Oct. 20, 2021
One last cut?
Tuition-free community college is presumed to be on the chopping block in President
Biden’s Build Back Better Act, but there are still ways that lawmakers can lower the
cost of the program without scrapping it completely.
Inside Higher Ed, Oct. 20, 2021
Commentary: Washington Watch: Senate Democrats release FY 22 funding bills
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) has released the
nine fiscal year (FY) 22 appropriations bills that the committee has not yet considered.
The bills do not have bipartisan support and serve mainly as a marker for Senate Democrats’
funding priorities.
Community College Daily, Oct. 19, 2021
