Community College Week articles from August 2011

Community College Week archives from August 2011

Remedial education.(Figuring It Out: Statistics shaping the higher-ed landscape)
August 22, 2011... Many students enter college unprepared and must take developmental courses. Here is the percentage of first-year undergrads who took a remediation courses by college category in 2008: PUBLIC Less than 2-year 32 2-Year ...

Ga. colleges on spending spree despite economy.(around the nation)
August 22, 2011... ATLANTA (AP)--A newspaper investigation has found that the University System of Georgia has been on a spending spree even as billions have been cut from the state's budget during the recession. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that...

SC college offers new energy courses.
August 22, 2011... BEAUFORT, S.C. (AP) -- The Technical College of the Lowcountry in Beaufort is offering courses on the installation of alternative energy geothermal heating and cooling systems. School spokesman Leigh Copeland told The Island Packet of Hilton...

Ark. college to buy land for satellite campus.
August 22, 2011... LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) -- The University of Arkansas Community College at Hope has been given approval to buy land in Texarkana, Ark., for a satellite campus. The University of Arkansas Board of Trustees voted to allow the college to buy 8.7...

For colleges and students, new year means old balancing act.(point of view)
August 22, 2011... Julie, a friend at the gym where I huff and puff a few days a week has had a lot on her plate lately. It was just a few weeks ago that her mother passed away after a long illness. Days after returning from the funeral in Florida, she was...

Orientation all term long: first year experience programs guide students on path to success.(SPECIAL REPORT: ACADEMIC KICKOFF, 2011-12)
August 22, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It was the fall of 2008 and Kaity Delfin, having graduated from high school a few weeks earlier, was fretting about the upcoming semester at Glendale Community College when her cell phone rang. She peered at a number...

Two years after Obama's college graduation initiative, major obstacles remain.
August 22, 2011... WARREN, Mich. -- Estranged from his family at 17, Jake Boyd put himself through Macomb Community College in suburban Detroit by working nearly 100 hours a week: 12 hours a day, six days a week, at a car wash, followed by four-hour shifts as a...

4,300 apply for 60 jobs at Tenn. solar plant.(tracking trends)
August 22, 2011... CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) -- A new solar plant in southeastern Tennessee received more than 4,300 applications for its first 60 jobs. Wacker Chemical Corp. spokesman Bill Toth said that applicants who were not picked for the first jobs will be...

New chancellor takes over at Minnesota College system.
August 22, 2011... ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- The new chancellor of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system has been on the job just a few weeks, but already has covered thousands of miles to learn more about the system's 31 colleges and universities. ...

University has no plans to return to Miss. campus.
August 22, 2011... GAUTIER, Miss. (AP) -- The University of Southern Mississippi has no immediate plans to return to the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College's Gautier campus. That has some Jackson County leaders wishing they could reverse last year's...

Va. college launches intelligence training program.
August 22, 2011... CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) -- Getting a job in Central Virginia's growing defense intelligence community is a difficult proposition for most area residents without a security clearance, but Piedmont Virginia Community College is working to change...

Head of Texas colleges calls for reinventing public higher ed.
August 22, 2011... Texas Higher Education Commissioner Raymund Paredes told reporters that the state was coming to "the painful realization that improving access is not enough" and that the time had come to "reinvent public higher education." His remarks were...

Mid-plains opens new campus in Central Neb.
August 22, 2011... BROKEN BOW, Neb. (AP) -- Mid-Plains Community College has officially opened its new extended campus in Broken Bow. Gov. Dave Heineman was on hand for the grand-opening celebration. He says the campus will bring jobs to the area and improve...

Six colleges picked for green energy program.
August 22, 2011... CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) -- Six colleges in the Tennessee Valley Authority region have been picked for a Green Campus Network that will pay student interns to help develop the pilot energy efficiency program. The campuses in the Tennessee...

NM college gets funds for energy job training.
August 22, 2011... SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) -- Clean energy job training and other environmental workforce programs at Santa Fe Community College will get a boost thanks to funds from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. U.S. Sen. Tom Udall says the college...

Maine college starts work on new campus.
August 22, 2011... BRUNSWICK, Maine (AP) -- Southern Maine Community College is marking the start of renovation work at its new Midcoast Campus, at the former Brunswick Naval Air Station. The South Portland college held a ceremony Tuesday to mark the transfer...

IG report says Delgado wrongly paid instructor.
August 22, 2011... BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- A Delgado Community College instructor was paid for classes she did not teach, one of several instances in which employees were paid hourly wages while also being improperly compensated through teaching contracts,...

SC students offered $966m in scholarships.
August 22, 2011... COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- The South Carolina Education Department says the class of 2011 was offered a record $966 million in college scholarships. That tops the amount offered to last year's public high school seniors by $49 million. ...

Ken. colleges receive $1m completion grant.
August 22, 2011... FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) -- Kentucky has received one of 10 $1 million grants to increase college completion. Gov. Steve Beshear's office says the state will use the funds to improve developmental education opportunities for adults in the Learn on...

Va. undergrads to pay 7.9 percent more.(money tree)
August 22, 2011... RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Virginia undergraduates will pay an average 7.9 percent more this year in tuition and mandatory fees to attend state public colleges, according to a report released by State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. ...

Good news websites may counter negativity.(technology today)
August 22, 2011... An international crisis or two involving war, terrorism, monetary instability, famine, and natural disasters always seems to be happening somewhere in the world. National problems surrounding the deficit, employment, housing, the environment and...

Congratulations 2011 NISOD excellence awards recipients.(NISOD Learning Together)
August 22, 2011... ALABAMA Bevill State Community College Tim Estes Kris Gravitt Maurice Ingle Rebecca Vanzant Calhoun Community College Randy Cross Willie King Gadsden State Community College Wayne Findley Kelley H. Pearce Ann...

2011 NISOD excellence awards recipients.(NISOD Learning Together)
August 22, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] GEORGIA Albany Technical College Maranda Lee Jill Mash Teresa Mitchell Darton College Shani Clark Sherry Koster Ken Veilands Mary R. Washington DeKalb Technical College Lesley Bowick ...

Children attending Ohio's Owens Community College Child Care Center will display their artistic qualities, creative impressions and imaginative masterpieces as part of the seventh annual Children's Art Show this summer.(around campus)
August 22, 2011... Children attending Ohio's Owens Community College Child Care Center will display their artistic qualities, creative impressions and imaginative masterpieces as part of the seventh annual Children's Art Show this summer. This year's show is being...

This year, 938 area children made 2011 a summer of learning and fun at Lewis and Clark Community College (Ill.), including 11 who attended College for Kids on scholarships funded by local businesses.(around campus)
August 22, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This year, 938 area children made 2011 a summer of learning and fun at Lewis and Clark Community College (Ill.), including 11 who attended College for Kids on scholarships funded by local businesses. The popular summer...

McHenry County College (Ill.) student Erin Brown is looking forward to working with her "first patients" as she participates in a three-day workshop at Indiana University School of Medicine-Northwest in Gary, Ind.(around campus)
August 22, 2011... McHenry County College (Ill.) student Erin Brown is looking forward to working with her "first patients" as she participates in a three-day workshop at Indiana University School of Medicine-Northwest in Gary, Ind. She will learn how to prepare...

Pioneer Natural Resources USA, Inc. was honored at a ceremony at Coastal Bend College in Texas for a $25,000 charitable donation.(grants & gifts)
August 22, 2011... Pioneer Natural Resources USA, Inc. was honored at a ceremony at Coastal Bend College in Texas for a $25,000 charitable donation. Pioneer representatives presented the check to college President Thomas Baynum. New chairs and tables will be...

Erie Community College.(grants & gifts)
August 22, 2011... Erie Community College (N. Y.) has been awarded $1.1 million funding from the New York State Department of Education under the federal Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act. Slated to receive funding for new equipment and technology...

Durham Technical Community College (N.C.) has received its first National Science Foundation Advanced Technical Education grant award through the Advanced Technological Education grant program in the amount of $199,458.(grants & gifts)
August 22, 2011... Durham Technical Community College (N.C.) has received its first National Science Foundation Advanced Technical Education grant award through the Advanced Technological Education grant program in the amount of $199,458. The award will fund a...

As an entire industry's workforce is preparing to retire, decades and sometimes a century's worth of experience go with them.(faculty lounge)
August 22, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As an entire industry's workforce is preparing to retire, decades and sometimes a century's worth of experience go with them. While this will create numerous job openings nationwide, many employers are having difficulty...

Myra M. Medina, a professor in the Department of ESL and Foreign Languages at Miami Dade College's North Campus, will join the ranks of notable scholars and professionals in the U.S. recently selected for the prestigious Fulbright Specialist Program.(faculty lounge)
August 22, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Myra M. Medina, a professor in the Department of ESL and Foreign Languages at Miami Dade College's North Campus, will join the ranks of notable scholars and professionals in the U.S. recently selected for the...

Collin College.(honors & awards)
August 22, 2011... The nursing program at Collin College has been named a Center of Excellence in Nursing Education by the National League of Nursing. The college's nursing program, which officially will be recognized for this prestigious designation at a national...

The triple-digit heat and humidity may have played a part in turning Glenn DuBois' face red as he walked into what he thought was a routine dinner with the 15 members of his state board.(honors & awards)
August 22, 2011... The triple-digit heat and humidity may have played a part in turning Glenn DuBois' face red as he walked into what he thought was a routine dinner with the 15 members of his state board. More likely, his blush and big smile was his reaction to...

Tennessee state senators Kerry Roberts and Mae Beavers recently honored Volunteer State Community College students who worked on the award-winning student magazine, The Pioneer.(honors & awards)
August 22, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Tennessee state senators Kerry Roberts and Mae Beavers recently honored Volunteer State Community College students who worked on the award-winning student magazine, The Pioneer. They presented the students with a...

Tidewater Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
August 22, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Tidewater Community College (Va.) announced the appointment of James P. Toscano as vice president for institutional advancement, a new position at TCC. With more than nine years of experience in community and government...

Bakersfield College.(APPOINTMENTS)
August 22, 2011... Michele Bresso, director of California's Kern Community College District Leadership Academy and professor of communication at Bakersfield College, has been named associate vice chancellor of governmental and external relations. In her new role,...

Seminole State College.(APPOINTMENTS)
August 22, 2011... Elizabeth Bhimjee, a marketing executive with more than two decades of project management and new business development experience, has been named the director of development for the Foundation for Seminole State College (Fla.). Bhimjee has...

Texarkana College.(APPOINTMENTS)
August 22, 2011... Kim Jones has been hired as chief financial officer of Texarkana College (Texas). Jones began her post-secondary education at Texarkana College and went on to complete a bachelor's degree in business administration with a major in accounting...

Kim Osteen-Petreshock.(APPOINTMENTS)
August 22, 2011... When Kim Osteen-Petreshock was in high school and a member of Central Arizona College's Bell Choir Ringers, she was taken under the wing of Kim Freyermuth who oversaw the vocal music at CAC. Osteen-Petreshock remembers developing an admiration...

Calendar.(Calendar)
August 22, 2011... SEPT., 2011 Sept. 11-14 NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF TRANSFER STUDENTS Creating Pathways for STEM Transfer Student Success Asheville, N.C. www.transferinstitute.unt.edu Sept. 17-20 COMMUNITY COLLEGE BUSINESS OFFICERS...

States with most pell grant awards.(Figuring It Out)
August 8, 2011... Statistics shaping the higher-ed landscape States with Most Pell Grant Awards Nearly $30 billion in Pell Grants were disbursed by the US Education Department in 2009-10. Here are the states that had the greatest Pell Grants award...

Bank of America giving $50m to workforce ed.
August 8, 2011... CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Bank of America's charitable foundation says it will give $50 million over the next three years to education programs that help improve the nation's workforce. Bank of America's announcement comes as the...

Schumer seeks $50m grant for SUNY colleges.
August 8, 2011... ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer says he's confident New York's community and technology colleges will win a $50 million federal grant to expand job training programs tailored to employers' needs. Schumer says his push to secure...

Earning an associate degree: the achievement that lasts a lifetime.(point of view)
August 8, 2011... On May 12, a record number of awards were handed to proud graduates of Snead State Community College. The number of these hard-earned achievement milestones (both associate degrees and certificates) has actually doubled in the past four years....

Aid at Risk: Pell Grants Threatened as Congress Wrangles over Spending
August 8, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As the 2011-12 academic year draws ever closer, growing numbers of students have little clue about what aid they might receive. And financial aid officers at colleges are in no position to tell them. Blame it on the...

Climbing default rates at Ky. schools raises concern.(tracking trends)
August 8, 2011... FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) -- When Donald and Stacey Lee quit school last year, they had racked up about $70,000 in federally insured student loans while attending private, for-profit Daymar College's campus in Paducah, where they live. Donald...

Kansas college becomes hub of African art instruction.
August 8, 2011... HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) -- Students from across the U.S. were recently in Hutchinson to learn from four West Africa artisans who traveled there to share their talents in the ancient arts of weaving, pottery, bead making and bronze casting. The...

Eyeing growth, Ky. college adds recruiter, magazine.
August 8, 2011... OWENSBORO, Ky. (AP) --In the year since Jim Klauber took over as president of Owensboro Community & Technical College, the school has added a student recruiter and a magazine to inform potential students about its offerings. When he...

New Mont. college building is mix of the old and new.
August 8, 2011... BROWNING, Mont. (AP) -- The new math and science building at the Blackfeet Community College has been designed to reflect tradition and the future in its architecture. It's become the first tribal building in the nation and the first...

Interim BRCC chancellor sets sights on expansion.
August 8, 2011... BATON ROUGE, La. (AP)--Interim Baton Rouge Community College Chancellor Jim Horton has only been on the job one week and he's already discussing expansion. "We're going to have to figure out how to expand our reach," Horton said. Horton...

New Miss. leaders expects growth over next decade.
August 8, 2011... GAUTIER, Miss. (AP) -- Mary Graham, who became the 12th president of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College on July 1, said she hopes the college's enrollment grows by 35 percent to 45 percent in the next 10 years. The college, with eight...

Plan to relocate La. college moving forward.
August 8, 2011... BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- The groundwork is about to begin to relocate River Parishes Community College to Gonzales. The newly signed, $2 million purchase agreement allocates 43 acres of a planned Edenborne community development to the River...

Lottery earnings in Ark. result in 12k scholarships.
August 8, 2011... LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) -- The Arkansas Higher Education Department has awarded more than 12,000 lottery-funded college scholarships for the fall semester. Department interim director Shane Broadway said the 12,377 scholarships awarded so far...

Pima releases records on suspension.
August 8, 2011... PHOENIX (AP) -- The community college that the Tucson shooting rampage suspect had attended released records detailing a meeting over his suspension from the school just three months before the attack. In an Oct. 4 meeting with school...

Judge orders probation in Ala. college case.
August 8, 2011... BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) -- A federal judge has sentenced the former owner of a Walker County educational software firm to probation and home detention for his guilty plea in the bribery of former Alabama two-year college chancellor Roy Johnson. ...

Ore. college seeks cure for 'sick building'.
August 8, 2011... EUGENE, Ore. (AP) -- Officials at Lane Community College are trying again this summer to find out what is causing health problems for people who work in one of its buildings. The Register-Guard reports that for years, some people who work in...

Miss. college starts film and video program.
August 8, 2011... PEARL, Miss. (AP) -- Hinds Community College will launch its new film and video technology program at its Rankin County campus in Pearl this month. David Campbell, dean of career and technical education for the Rankin campus, says the program...

Experts advise on moderating online discussions.(technology today)
August 8, 2011... It's no secret that you can find some of the best and the worst in human nature in online discussions, whether in Yahoo Groups or Google Groups discussion lists, company Web forums, personal blogs, online communities, or elsewhere on the...

Earlier this summer, 4-year-old Madison Brainard of Naylor, Mo., suddenly told her mother she wanted to cut her hair and donate it to "Lots of Love.".(around campus)
August 8, 2011... Earlier this summer, 4-year-old Madison Brainard of Naylor, Mo., suddenly told her mother she wanted to cut her hair and donate it to "Lots of Love." "I had to correct her: 'You mean Locks of Love, sweetheart?'," said Amanda Brainard, a Three...

Thanks to the discoveries of two major fossils, the Tate Geological Museum at Casper College (Wyo.) has seen a significant increase in visitors.(around campus)
August 8, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Thanks to the discoveries of two major fossils, the Tate Geological Museum at Casper College (Wyo.) has seen a significant increase in visitors. The discoveries, a large Columbian Mammoth, known scientifically as a...

Emilia Reyna isn't your typical mother and grandmother; she's also a proud Eastfield College (Texas) student.(around campus)
August 8, 2011... Emilia Reyna isn't your typical mother and grandmother; she's also a proud Eastfield College (Texas) student. She's a standout student, but not because of how many clubs she's in or how good her grades are. This summer, she was enrolled in...

Hill College and Sabre Tubular Structures recently received a grant from the Texas Workforce Commission totaling $463,187 to provide job training in Johnson County, Texas.(grants & gifts)
August 8, 2011... Hill College and Sabre Tubular Structures recently received a grant from the Texas Workforce Commission totaling $463,187 to provide job training in Johnson County, Texas. According to TWC, the Skills Development Fund Grant will be used to train...

The Heartland Community College (Ill.) Board of Trustees voted to move forward with the purchase and installation of an energy-producing wind turbine on the college's Normal campus.(grants & gifts)
August 8, 2011... The Heartland Community College (Ill.) Board of Trustees voted to move forward with the purchase and installation of an energy-producing wind turbine on the college's Normal campus. Over the past three years, the college has conducted a...

The Community College of Allegheny County (Pa.) has been awarded a $1.21 million Nursing Diversity Grant by the Health Resources and Services Administration.(grants & gifts)
August 8, 2011... The Community College of Allegheny County (Pa.) has been awarded a $1.21 million Nursing Diversity Grant by the Health Resources and Services Administration. The three-year grant will expand CCAC's RN Achievement program, which is designed to...

Steve Cunningham, professor of English as a Second Language for Academic Purposes at Valencia College's Osceola Campus, (Fla.) has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to teach in Russia during the 2011-12 academic year, according to the U. S. State Department.(faculty lounge)
August 8, 2011... Steve Cunningham, professor of English as a Second Language for Academic Purposes at Valencia College's Osceola Campus, (Fla.) has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to teach in Russia during the 2011-12 academic year, according to the U. S....

Community College of Beaver County (Pa.) President Joe Forrester has accepted a request to serve as a member of the American Association of Community Colleges Commission on Research, Technology, and Emerging Trends.(faculty lounge)
August 8, 2011... Community College of Beaver County (Pa.) President Joe Forrester has accepted a request to serve as a member of the American Association of Community Colleges Commission on Research, Technology, and Emerging Trends. There are six commissions...

Southwest Tennessee Community College and the Department of Nursing at University College Lillebaelt in Denmark have formalized a Memorandum of Understanding, an agreement that encourages and develops co-operation and exchange in all faculty areas of mutual academic interest.(faculty lounge)
August 8, 2011... Southwest Tennessee Community College and the Department of Nursing at University College Lillebaelt in Denmark have formalized a Memorandum of Understanding, an agreement that encourages and develops co-operation and exchange in all faculty...

Twenty-two DeKalb Technical College (Ga.) students competed in the 47th annual National Leadership and SkillsUSA Conference.(honors & awards)(Conference news)
August 8, 2011... Twenty-two DeKalb Technical College (Ga.) students competed in the 47th annual National Leadership and SkillsUSA Conference. Collectively, DeKalb Tech took gold medals in two categories, two silver medals and a bronze. SkillsUSA is a career and...

While sitting down for breakfast and contemplating what the day ahead may bring, most of us would never imagine that we'd be faced with the challenge of putting our lives on the line for a total stranger.(honors & awards)
August 8, 2011... While sitting down for breakfast and contemplating what the day ahead may bring, most of us would never imagine that we'd be faced with the challenge of putting our lives on the line for a total stranger. It was just a normal day in June when...

Hill College in Texas.(APPOINTMENTS)
August 8, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Long-time educator Rex Parcells is the new vice president of instruction at Hill College in Texas. Parcells comes to Hill with 34 years of community college experience. He began his career as a professor in the physical...

Rancho Santiago Community College District (Calif.).(APPOINTMENTS)
August 8, 2011... Rancho Santiago Community College District (Calif.) announced the appointment of Aracely Morn as vice president of academic affairs at Santiago Canyon College. In this role, Mora serves as the college's chief instructional officer. Her overall...

Washington's Clark College.(APPOINTMENTS)
August 8, 2011... Kevin Kussman, a corporate leader in strategic planning and marketing, is the new associate vice president of corporate & continuing education at Washington's Clark College. Kussman came to Clark from Hewlett-Packard, where he served as...

Industrial, Construction, And Engineering Technologies.(APPOINTMENTS)
August 8, 2011... Terry Gilbert has been named division chair for the Industrial, Construction, And Engineering Technologies program at Guilford Technical Community College. (N.C.) For the past five years, Gilbert was a lecturer and undergraduate laboratory...

Palm Beach State College.(APPOINTMENTS)
August 8, 2011... Anita Kaplan, who recently served as president of the Miami Dade College Medical Center Campus, has joined Palm Beach State College as its new dean of bachelor's degree programs. She will oversee the implementation of the new bachelor of science...

Calendar.(Calendar)
August 8, 2011... AUGUST, 2011 August 16-19 APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY FACILITATOR TRAINING--AIFT UNR; Reno, Nevada (702) 228-4699 August 22-25 APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY FACILITATOR TRAINING--AIFT Cape Town, South Africa (702) 228-4699 SEPT., 2011...