Community College Week articles from April 2008

Community College Week archives from April 2008

Calif. college fire alarms inoperable for two years.
April 7, 2008... LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The antiquated fire alarm system at Santa Ana College was broken for more than two years because of miscommunication and other college district failings, according to a report commissioned by the college. Rancho...

Obscure Ala. reserve fund contains $6 million.
April 7, 2008... MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- A little known-reserve fund in the two-year college system has accumulated nearly $6 million but appears to have been managed correctly despite being overseen by a college that's now under investigation for possible...

Common threads revealed through two decades of publishing.(Message from The Publisher)
April 7, 2008... The more we think things change, the more they seem to stay the same. Looking back on the first year of publishing Community College Week, there seems to be a definite commonality in the stories we've reported in recent issues, and those...

In need of remediation: the challenge of remediating ill-prepared students continues to confront community colleges.(Cover story)
April 7, 2008... Not since the 1 60 s, when the Baby Boom generation began graduating from high schools en masse, have community colleges been called on to do so much. Back then the charge was simply to supplement the capacity of four-year colleges that...

Remediation woes at CUNY: the story behind the numbers and Mayor Giuliani's war of words.
April 7, 2008... Ten years ago, Community College Week received what we still today consider one of our most cherished honors: The American Association of University Professors' Award for Excellence in Coverage of Higher Education. We had sent then-editor Scott...

Not down for the count: student plots comeback with return to classroom.(remedial education)
April 7, 2008... Lawrence McCutchen has been knocked down and knocked around, but he has never been down for the count. For years he wrestled with drug addiction, multiple incarcerations, a lack of formal education and a chronic aimlessness that greedily...

CCWeek was founded and thrives on commitment to editorial independence.(Memories: CCWeek's First Years)
April 7, 2008... Two decades after the first edition of Community College Week rolled off the presses, its founding publisher is glad the publication is thriving in a media world which has changed dramatically since the 1980s. "Twenty years? Wow!" said...

Under-prepared students: frustrating iowa community colleges.(remedial education)
April 7, 2008... DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Iowa's community colleges are frustrated with the number of high school graduates who aren't prepared for college, according to a copyright story in The Des Moines Register. Nearly one-third of freshmen at the...

Emerging needs, unexpected crises.(Community Colleges: Then and Now)
April 7, 2008... As institutions hat pride themselves in being adaptive and flexible, the community colleges have embraced incredible change over the past two decades. Through the peaks and valleys that accompany good and challenging fiscal years, we have...

Colleges continue to evolve, adjust.(Community Colleges: Then and Now)
April 7, 2008... Twenty years ago, I was vice president of a new multi-campus community college district and addressing key issues of developmental education, student success and emerging technologies. Today, controversial issues such as developmental education...

Colleges take on new roles in workforce development.(Community Colleges: Then and Now)
April 7, 2008... Two important factors distinguish community colleges in 2008 from those of twenty years ago. First, community colleges have gained recognition among policymakers for their critical role in regional economies and are viewed as essential elements...

Spellings seeks to calm jitters over student loan market.(dateline Washington)
April 7, 2008... WASHINGTON -- Federal student aid will continue to be available," no matter what happens to the uncertain credit markets, Education Secretary Margaret Spellings has pledged. So far, the credit crunch on the financial markets has not...

Workforce partnerships would get boost under bill.(capital briefs)
April 7, 2008... WASHINGTON -- Regional partnerships involving community colleges would get greater flexibility to operate workforce investment systems under proposed legislation. Sen. George Voinovich, ROhio, introduced the Workforce Innovation in...

Senate adds provisions on education funding.(capital briefs)
April 7, 2008... WASHINGTON -- Opportunities for more federal support next year for education improved when the Senate added provisions for higher education in its fiscal year 2009 budget. Before approving a spending blueprint for next year, the Senate amended...

Loophole allows sexual predators to get grants for college.
April 7, 2008... MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- James Sturtz is not your ordinary college student struggling to pay tuition. The 48-year-old rapist is one of Iowa's most dangerous sex offenders, locked up in a state-run treatment center for fear he will attack...

Guns-on-campus bill draws ire of Oklahoma college presidents.
April 7, 2008... OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Some state lawmakers believe that putting more guns on college and university campuses will make them safer from the kinds of gunmen who have taken the lives of dozens of people at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois...

Drying up: credit crunch ends private loans through Iowa program.
April 7, 2008... DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- A tightening credit market could make life more difficult this fall for college students who may not find money available to borrow or could be forced to ask their parents to co-sign a loan. The decision by the...

Missouri bill would bar illegal immigrants from state colleges.
April 7, 2008... JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- For the third straight year in a row, Missouri House members have voted to bar illegal immigrants from public colleges and universities. The legislation would require colleges and universities to verify to...

Push for tribal center at Wyo. college gets boost.
April 7, 2008... CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) -- Plans for a longsought American Indian center at Central Wyoming College in Riverton have been boosted by the University of Wyoming joining the project and the state Legislature's approval of $1.1 million in funding. ...

As complaints rise, Tennessee eyes tighter regulations on for-profit colleges.
April 7, 2008... NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Tennessee lawmakers are proposing legislation that would better regulate for-profit colleges and universities amid rising complaints from students. About 73,000 Tennesseans attend 168 for-profit schools on 335...

More funds, improved access to 2-year colleges pushed by Iowa governor.
April 7, 2008... DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Gov. Chet Culver wants lawmakers to pass legislation providing millions of dollars for a program that gives high school seniors access to community college credits and a program to push math, science and technology...

Ambitious health education program slashed by budget-conscious Missouri lawmakers.
April 7, 2008... JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- House budget writers have axed money to expand the number of health care graduates from Missouri's colleges and universities, one of several gubernatorial priorities to fall victim to financial concerns. The...

Maryland student finds willing mentor in college president.
April 7, 2008... WESTMINSTER, Md. (AP) -- As president of Carroll Community College, Faye Pappalardo is used to having students say hello to her in the hallways or dropping by her office unannounced. But when Sean Drawbaugh stopped by last fall asking if...

College helps aspiring funeral director reach unusual career goal.
April 7, 2008... CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) -- Like thousands of other 20-somethings, Veronica Nifong is in Chapel Hill to learn skills that will help her in her chosen career. But the University of North Carolina doesn't offer what she's looking for. Nifong...

Arizona college board approves hefty tuition increase.
April 7, 2008... PHOENIX (AP) -- Students attending classes in the Maricopa County Community College District are looking at higher tuition rates. The board that runs the district approved hiking tuition rates by 9 percent for the next school year, the...

Inmate's fishy idea leads to education program for prisoners.
April 7, 2008... CANON CITY, Colo. (AP) -- An inmate has turned a fishy idea into a profitable business for Correctional Industries, providing education, job skills and therapy for fellow prisoners. "I used to make cane and graphite fishing rods, and tie...

Alabama chancellor on familiar ground in political fight.
April 7, 2008... MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- Alabama's two-year college chancellor, Bradley Byrne, is fighting the Alabama Education Association in a partisan battle over regulation of the junior college system, and the contest is taking place on what used to be...

Kansas program to help students find path to workplace.
April 7, 2008... LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) -- The folks at Sauer-Danfoss make transmissions for off-road construction equipment and oversized mowers. Beginning late this spring, an new program will mix vocational scholarships with hands-on work, all designed to...

79-year-old Oregon student closes in on computer degree.
April 7, 2008... BEND, Ore. (AP) -- With her pink backpack, jeans and sneakers, Billie Gibson in some ways is like many other Central Oregon Community College students. But there is something that sets her apart: She's 79 years old, headed toward earning an...

13-year-old's age doesn't stop him from attending college.
April 7, 2008... FERGUS FALLS, Minn. (AP) -- By day, Nell Turner tackles academic research papers on topics like the biblical accuracy of carbon dating. At night, the college freshman sometimes needs to be reminded to brush his teeth. He's only 13,...

Minn. joins states considering raising compulsory attendance age to 18.
April 7, 2008... ST. PAUL (AP) -- Requiring all Minnesota students to stay in school until age 18 would help more graduate from high school to become productive citizens, said supporters of a bill that would raise the state's compulsory attendance age. ...

Former N.M. president accused of harassment.
April 7, 2008... LAS VEGAS, N.M. (AP) -- The former academic director of Luna Community College has accused a former president of sexual harassment, according to a sexual discrimination complaint filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. ...

Oregon bond measure to appear on fall ballot.
April 7, 2008... PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Portland Community College will ask voters in five counties to approve a $374 million bond measure to construct and renovate buildings on four campuses. The measure, the largest education property tax request in...

Colo. panel approves in-state tuition hikes.
April 7, 2008... DENVER (AP) -- College and university tuition increases of up to 9 percent have been approved by the Colorado Commission on Higher Education. The recommendations by the panel now go to the Legislature's Joint Budget Committee, which would...

Kansas advances bill seeking cheaper textbooks.
April 7, 2008... TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- Cheaper college textbooks are the goal of a proposal advancing in the House. House members have given first-round approval to a bill encouraging professors to consider cost when they require books for their classes. ...

Ky. college gets $1.9 million grant for job training.
April 7, 2008... OWENSBORO, Ky. (AP) -- A western Kentucky community college has been awarded a $1.996 million grant to train workers and students in advanced manufacturing. Owensboro Community & Technical College is receiving the money from the U.S....

Program linking 2-year colleges, UNH expanded.
April 7, 2008... MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) -- A pilot program that makes it easier and cheaper for community college students to transfer to the University of New Hampshire is being expanded statewide. The pilot program allowed students who were not originally...

Iowa college grants total more than $4 million.
April 7, 2008... DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Community colleges based in Ottumwa and Sioux City were awarded $4.2 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Labor, the government said. Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa received $1.94 million and...

Biofuels training will benefit from federal grant to Ark. college.
April 7, 2008... HELENA-WEST HELENA, Ark. (AP) -- Phillips Community College was awarded a $2 million grant to train students to work in the biofuels industry, members of the Arkansas congressional delegation announced. The college, which has three...

Texas dean named Wyoming college president.
April 7, 2008... ROCK SPRINGS, Wyo. (AP) -- Karla Leach has been hired as president of Western Wyoming Community College. Leach will replace retiring president Tex Boggs, who has held the post for the past 20 years. Leach is currently the dean of...

Evolution of Internet has international flavor, surveys show.(technology today)
April 7, 2008... The latest round of statistics about the Interact presents an intriguing picture about how this international medium is evolving. Some of the stats are as expected, but others are surprising. For help with common problems, more Americans...

College of Southern Nevada.(around campus)(Disease/Disorder overview)
April 7, 2008... John Adlish, chief academic officer of the Tropical Pathology and Infectious Disease Association, and Lane Rolling, the association's vice president for clinical education, are recruiting students from the College of Southern Nevada to take...

Owens Community College students will test their network defense skills against a barrage of cyber attacks from professional hackers as the college's School of Business and Information Systems competes in the Michigan/Ohio Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition.(around campus)
April 7, 2008... Owens Community College students will test their network defense skills against a barrage of cyber attacks from professional hackers as the college's School of Business and Information Systems competes in the Michigan/Ohio Collegiate Cyber...

Atlantic Cape Community College's.(around campus)
April 7, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Spring is here, and students at New Jersey's Atlantic Cape Community College's Academy of Culinary Arts are already thinking about their favorite warm-weather treat--ice cream. Nine students competed in the first...

Elgin Community College in Elgin, Ill., is the recipient of a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor for the college's Pathways to Health Careers program.(grants & gifts)
April 7, 2008... Elgin Community College in Elgin, Ill., is the recipient of a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor for the college's Pathways to Health Careers program. This is one of the largest federal grants the college has received in its...

A four-year, $2.2 million grant to study the way deaf and hard-of-hearing students learn math has been awarded to the Center for Education Research Partnerships at New York's Rochester Institute of Technology's National Technical Institute for the Deaf.(grants & gifts)
April 7, 2008... A four-year, $2.2 million grant to study the way deaf and hard-of-hearing students learn math has been awarded to the Center for Education Research Partnerships at New York's Rochester Institute of Technology's National Technical Institute for...

Coastline Community College in Orange County, Calif., has recently received a $25,000 Civic Ventures grant from MetLife to fund programs that support seniors as they pursue encore careers.(grants & gifts)
April 7, 2008... Coastline Community College in Orange County, Calif., has recently received a $25,000 Civic Ventures grant from MetLife to fund programs that support seniors as they pursue encore careers. The college is currently using those funds to offer a...

St. Clair County Community College.(grants & gifts)
April 7, 2008... St. Clair County Community College was awarded a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor for program development and job training in the areas of transportation, distribution and logistics. The three-year, Community-Based Job...

Oakton Community College in Des Plaines, Ill., is the recipient of a $68,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education.(grants & gifts)
April 7, 2008... Oakton Community College in Des Plaines, Ill., is the recipient of a $68,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad grant allows faculty from nine Illinois colleges and one local high school to...

Paul Seeburger, assistant professor of mathematics at Monroe Community College in Rochester, N.Y., recently received a $112,741 grant from the National Science Foundation.(grants & gifts)
April 7, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Paul Seeburger, assistant professor of mathematics at Monroe Community College in Rochester, N.Y., recently received a $112,741 grant from the National Science Foundation to develop visualization tools that will help...

Barbara Smith, a dental hygienist and instructor in the dental hygiene education program at North Carolina's Wake Technical Community College, has scheduled a weeklong humanitarian trip to Jamaica.(faculty lounge)
April 7, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Barbara Smith, a dental hygienist and instructor in the dental hygiene education program at North Carolina's Wake Technical Community College, has scheduled a weeklong humanitarian trip to Jamaica. Smith's...

Ken Smith.(honors & awards)
April 7, 2008... The Association for Career and Technical Education awarded news anchor and reporter Ken Smith of WRAL radio in North Carolina with its Image Award, which recognizes a well-known individual who has brought positive attention to the career and...

Hillsborough Community College.(honors & awards)
April 7, 2008... Hillsborough Community College's Service Learning Program was notified by the Corporation for National & Community Service that it was selected for President Bush's Community Service Honor Roll for the 2006-07 academic year. The program also...

Suzanne Lewis, the first female superintendent of Yellowstone National Park, will receive the American Association of Community Colleges Outstanding Alumni award.(honors & awards)
April 7, 2008... Suzanne Lewis, the first female superintendent of Yellowstone National Park, will receive the American Association of Community Colleges Outstanding Alumni award. Lewis has garnered many awards as she rose from a 1976 graduate of Seminole...

Addison Greenway, a welding student at South Carolina's Greenville Technical College won first place in the Associated Builders and Contractors Craft Championship in welding.(honors & awards)
April 7, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Addison Greenway, a welding student at South Carolina's Greenville Technical College, won first place in the Associated Builders and Contractors Craft Championship in welding. The competition was held March 5-8 in...

Calendar.(Calendar)
April 7, 2008... APRIL April 10-12, 2008 TECHNOLOGY: MAKING CONNECTIONS: ePortfolios, Integrative Learning and Assessment conference LaGuardia Community College Long Island City, NY Contact: Susan Lambert, (718) 482-5404:...

Corning Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
April 7, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Corning Community College in Coming, N.Y., received official notification from the governor's office that Ayanna L. Hughey, a Class of 1999 alumnus, has been named to the college's Regional Board of Trustees. Hughey...

Normandale Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
April 7, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Chuck Waletzko has been named as the executive director for the Normandale Community College Foundation. Waletzko has a long relationship with Normandale Community College, in Bloomington, Minn., including a student...

Maricopa Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
April 7, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Maricopa Community College District chancellor Rufus Glasper announced that he will formally recommend Jan Gehler as president of Scottsdale Community College. After returning from a site visit to the University of...

Delgado Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
April 7, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Deborah Lea, former vice chancellor of learning and student development at Delgado Community College in New Orleans, has been named the college's interim chancellor. Her experience includes stints as director of...

Onondaga Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
April 7, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Emmanuel B. Awuah has been named an American Council on Education fellow for the 2008-09 academic year. Awuah lives in Syracuse, N.Y., and is the director of multicultural and international services at Onondaga...

AACC attendees search for metrics.(DATA DIVIDE)
April 21, 2008... PHILADELPHIA -- Community college leaders agree on at least one thing when it comes to measuring the effectiveness of their institutions: Graduation rates--the metric of choice of policy makers and the U.S. Department of Education--are...

Cleric's wife gets prison time in Phila. College theft.
April 21, 2008... PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- The wile of a prominent Muslim cleric was resentenced to a year in federal prison in the theft of $270,000 from Philadelphia Community College. U.S. District Judge John P. Fullam also ordered 59-year-old Faridah Ali to...

Tulsa College plans tech training with federal grant.
April 21, 2008... TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- Tulsa Community College plans to use a U.S. Department of Labor grant to train 360 people in information technology to fill the demand for employees in the area. The $1.74 million grant--the largest the two-year college...

New La. Gov. looking to alter funding formula, beef up workforce programs.(around the nation)
April 21, 2008... BATON ROUGE, LA. -- After only three months on the job, Louisiana's 36-year-old governor is pushing for a major overhaul of the state's workforce development system. Republican Bobby Jindal is looking to beef up workforce development...

Corrections.(around the nation)(Correction notice)
April 21, 2008... In a Jan. 28 story, Community College Week incorrectly reported the source of a $14,000 grant to Massachusetts Bay Community College to improve the academic readiness of local high school students interested in early childhood education...

Calif. think tank says Gov's cuts to 2-year colleges 'unfair and unwise'.(NO CERTAINTY)
April 21, 2008... The Terminator would terminate funding for a disproportionate number of community college students if his proposed budget gets approved, according to a new study by the Institute for College Access & Success, a non-profit think tank focusing on...

N.Y. College grapples with same-sex spousal benefits in lawsuit.(around the nation)
April 21, 2008... ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Monroe Community College may be liable for the cost of past health care benefits for an employee's same-sex spouse because the couple married legally in Canada, a New York court has ruled. The five-judge panel...

On the stump: in a campaign season where the economy has risen to the forefront of issues, community colleges make a nice backdrop.(Cover story)
April 21, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] They arrive with an entourage, and usually at least an hour late. They draw crowds of more than 1,000 people--often with less than a two-day notice. As the 2008 presidential campaign has stretched from the Iowa...

Increasing reliance on private student loans prompts warnings from consumer group.(PRIVATE CONCERNS)
April 21, 2008... WASHINGTON -- The loosely regulated private loan market is creating a rash of problems for students turning to it to finance their education, a consumer group charges. Private loans lack the protections of federal ones and can lead students...

New rules would require proof of college links.(capital briefs)
April 21, 2008... WASHINGTON -- To participate in the new TEACH grant program, two-year colleges would have to show that their programs can lead to four-year teaching degrees. They could do so either by documenting that at least one four-year elementary and...

Ed. Dept. attempts to clarify rules on data disclosure.(capital briefs)
April 21, 2008... WASHINGTON -- Exactly when colleges can disclose confidential student information without students' consent and what they can disclose should become clearer under proposed regulations. The U.S. Department of Education proposed rules that are...

Bill would promote work on African health issues.(capital briefs)
April 21, 2008... WASHINGTON -- A chance may come for American colleges to work with African counterparts on health promotion. The House approved the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria...

Report: Stafford loan rules still elude 2-year college students.(capital briefs)
April 21, 2008... WASHINGTON -- Stafford loans have become somewhat more popular with community college students over time. But rules restricting them to students attending college at least half time make many community college students ineligible. So they...

Agency can't determine if law aided Hawaiian grad rates.(capital briefs)
April 21, 2008... WASHINGTON -- Data to judge if the Native Hawaiian Education Act is helping students through college don't exist. Because of the act's relatively small funding level, about $30 million a year, the Department of Education has never studied it...

Fired Ala. Chancellor Johnson pleads guilty to kickback charges.(ALABAMA UPDATE)
April 21, 2008... BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) -- The fired head of Alabama's two-year colleges Roy Johnson has formally pleaded guilty 15 charges in a far-reaching federal investigation of corruption in the state's two-year college system. Johnson, 62, is accused...

Alabama colleges hire background firm; double-dipping ban derailed by judge.(ALABAMA UPDATE)
April 21, 2008... MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- The Alabama community college system has hired a company to perform criminal background checks on its employees, but the state's teacher's union says it's concerned that not enough is known about the company itself. ...

Retirements mean no more female college presidents in N.D.
April 21, 2008... FARGO, N.D. (AP) -- The first two women to lead college campuses in North Dakota are retiring in June, leaving no females in a president's role. Both Lake Region State President Sharon Etemad and Valley City State President Ellen Chaffee...

Ohio plan aims to boost enrollment, reduce college costs.
April 21, 2008... COLUMBUS (AP) -- The cost to attend an Ohio college or university would be among the lowest in the nation within a decade under goals aimed at reversing the state's high tuition and lower-than-average college attendance. Lowering the costs...

Mich. college helps wedding: include far-flung loved ones.
April 21, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) -- "We do." That happy declaration rolled out over cyberspace recently as Tim Athan and Karen Garrison, their minister and a handful of guests crowded into the small studio of Orchard Radio, the...

Colo. lawmakers must choose: $1.5m for roads or colleges.
April 21, 2008... DENVER (AP) -- Senators are considering whether they should take $1.5 million the state planned to spend on road construction to provide more money for renewable energy programs at community colleges. The House voted to move the money to...

Fla. colleges learn spending cuts less than forecast.
April 21, 2008... TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Florida's education system got good news as lawmakers released anticipated spending cuts that were less than feared. Various budget proposals envisioned by lawmakers include higher tuition and take money away from...

Gun-on-campus bill fizzles in Okla. Senate.
April 21, 2008... OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Bowing to strong protests, Oklahoma Senate leaders decided to shelve a bill to allow military veterans and others with firearms training to carry concealed weapons on college campuses. Sen. Mike Johnson, a Republican,...

Clarity sought on weapons ban on S. Dakota campuses.
April 21, 2008... MITCHELL, S.D. (AP) -- Two state representatives have informally asked Attorney General Larry Long to issue an opinion on the Board of Regents' ban on firearms on the state's six public university campuses. State Rep. Tom Brunner believes...