Community College Week articles from December 2005

Community College Week archives from December 2005

Colleges consider use of eminent domain to solve expansion dilemmas.(around the nation)
December 5, 2005... Responding to growing student enrollment, officials with Vista Community College in Berkeley, Calif., long dreamed of building their own permanent facility, but wondered where it would go. "We have always served an area that is very urban...

Energy conservation keeps Florida schools seeing green.(around the nation)
December 5, 2005... With a helpful nudge from one of the state's power companies, Florida community colleges are realizing that saving money can be as simple as turning off a light. So, purchasing energy-efficient equipment and upgrading fighting systems are some...

A post-Katrina story of compassion in Baton Rouge.(around the nation)
December 5, 2005... BATON ROUGE, La. -- Crystal De'Mesme's life was turned upside down when Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29, but like thousands of other displaced college students, she turned to another college to get her life back on track. ...

Colleges should help students access financial aid.(point of view)
December 5, 2005... It is critical to the mission and financial health of community colleges for their leaders to understand why so many of their students are not completing financial aid applications. The issue was highlighted in a study the American Council...

Academic freedom: if it ain't broke ...(point of view)
December 5, 2005... A recent movement by several state legislatures across the country is purported to guarantee the academic freedom of everyone in higher education institutions within their states. In states like Ohio, Florida and others (approximately 14 to...

Their cups runneth over: the nation's fastest-growing community colleges face good and bad news, as many often struggle with funding for new buildings and adequate student services.(Top 50: Fastest-Growing: Public Two-Year Colleges)
December 5, 2005... Last year, approximately 18 million students were enrolled in classes or programs that offer a degree or that award credit at postsecondary institutions. More than a third of these students--nearly 6.5 million--were enrolled at two-year...

Katrina evacuees benefit from UCAT's open entry, open exit policy.
December 5, 2005... SALT LAKE CITY -- Michael Couture is trying to rebuild the life that Hurricane Katrina nearly destroyed. As a student at the Utah College of Applied Technology's Mountainland campus, the Louisiana native is now studying business technology...

Program boosts community colleges' role as career broker.
December 5, 2005... A federally funded initiative is working to solidify the historical interaction between community colleges and high schools, universities and employers by making these sometimes-fragmented pathways more navigable for two-year students. The...

Sixteen colleges to participate in adult education grant program.(workforce training)
December 5, 2005... Sixteen community college will be participating in "Breaking Through," a national initiative to increase job opportunity and incomes among low-skilled adults. The program is jointly administered by the National Center for Workforce Education...

Number of international students on the rise again.(workforce training)
December 5, 2005... The number of community college students coming to study in the United States from abroad rose 11.3 percent last year, reversing two years of decline. About 84,400 foreign students attended two-year colleges in the 2004-2005 academic year,...

Disaster relief aid available.
December 5, 2005... The U.S. Department of Education has announced criteria for reallocating student aid under the Natural Disaster Student Aid Fairness Act. Under the new criteria, colleges that enroll students who lost homes or jobs because of hurricanes Rita or...

Congress mulls education budget.
December 5, 2005... The level of federal funding remains the same for at least a little more time. Congress approved a second temporary funding bill for Department of Education programs, this one through Dec. 17. The legislature still could not agree on competing...

Sallie Mae alters loan policy.
December 5, 2005... Sallie Mae, the largest provider of college loans, announced it will pay the 3 percent origination fee on all Stafford Loans it makes during the 2006-2007 academic year. The move applies to all its subsidiaries: Academic Management Services,...

Louisiana Colleges facing cuts, layoffs.
December 5, 2005... Colleges and universities in Louisiana are facing a $71.4 million budget cut as the state tries to deal with the economic impact of hurricanes Katrina and Rita Gov Kathleen Blanco ordered the cuts as part of a $431 million budget reduction...

Citrus College in Glendora, Calif., and the University of La Verne, have received a $2.5 million cooperative grant from the U.S. Department of Education to help prepare underrepresented students to enter the teaching profession.(Grants Gifts)
December 5, 2005... Citrus College in Glendora, Calif., and the University of La Verne, have received a $2.5 million cooperative grant from the U.S. Department of Education to help prepare underrepresented students to enter the teaching profession. Citrus will...

Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, Calif., has received a $1.39 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor.(Grants Gifts)
December 5, 2005... Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, Calif., has received a $1.39 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. The grant will be used to develop an online program for nursing students. SMC is one of only three community colleges in the...

City College of San Francisco has received a three-year $750,000 grant from the Advanced Technological Education Program of the National Science Foundation.(Grants Gifts)
December 5, 2005... City College of San Francisco has received a three-year $750,000 grant from the Advanced Technological Education Program of the National Science Foundation. The grant will fund the development of the Institute for Convergence of Optical and...

The child care center at Monroe Community College in Rochester, N.Y., has received a $631,840 Federal CCAMPIS Grant.(Grants Gifts)
December 5, 2005... The child care center at Monroe Community College in Rochester, N.Y., has received a $631,840 Federal CCAMPIS Grant, which is aimed at helping students and prospective students who are parents pay for child care. The four-year grant was awarded...

Yavapai College in Prescott, Ariz., has been awarded an $80,000 school readiness grant by the Arizona Governor's Office.(Grants Gifts)
December 5, 2005... Yavapai College in Prescott, Ariz., has been awarded an $80,000 school readiness grant by the Arizona Governor's Office. The grant is earmarked for the college's Early Childhood Education program, and will feature $35,000 in direct scholarships...

LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, N.Y., has received a $168,480 grant from the New York State Department of Labor to establish a full-service career center that offers free services for displaced homemakers who plan on entering the workplace.(Grants Gifts)
December 5, 2005... LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, N.Y., has received a $168,480 grant from the New York State Department of Labor to establish a full-service career center that offers free services for displaced homemakers who plan on entering...

Middlesex Community College in Lowell, Mass., has been awarded a three-year $853,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor.(Grants Gifts)
December 5, 2005... Middlesex Community College in Lowell, Mass., has been awarded a three-year $853,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. The President's Community-Based Job Training Grant will be used to develop and implement educational training programs...

Oklahoma City Community College.(professional notes)
December 5, 2005... Dr. Paul W. Sechrist has been named president of Oklahoma City Community College. He had been serving as acting president and was most recently provost at the college. Sechrist earned his bachelor's and master's degrees at Nazarene University...

Monroe Community College.(professional notes)
December 5, 2005... Dr. Dianna G. Phillips has been appointed dean for technical education at Monroe Community College in Rochester, N.Y. She was most recently director of the Center for Workforce Development at Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES. Phillips earned a bachelor's...

Grossmont College.(professional notes)
December 5, 2005... Dr. Roger Owens has been appointed dean of the communication and fine arts division at Grossmont College in El Cahon, Calif. Owens was most recently program coordinator for professional programs for international students at the University of...

Dr. Susan Glenn, assisistant professor of biology at Gloucester County College in Sewell, N.J., is the recipient of the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation Award for Distinguished Teaching by the GCC board of trustees.(Honors & AWARDS)
December 5, 2005... Dr. Susan Glenn, assisistant professor of biology at Gloucester County College in Sewell, N.J., is the recipient of the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation Award for Distinguished Teaching by the GCC board of trustees. The award is...

Hazard Community & Technical College.(Honors & AWARDS)
December 5, 2005... Mathematics professor Dianne Adams of Hazard Community & Technical College in Hazard, Ky., has been named the Developmental Educator of the Year by the Kentucky Association for Developmental Education. Adams has previously won the John Brown...

Dr. Linda C. Watkins, president of San Jacinto College South in Houston, was recently presented with the San Jacinto College Association of Educational Office Personnel 2005 Boss of the Year Award.(Honors & AWARDS)
December 5, 2005... Dr. Linda C. Watkins, president of San Jacinto College South in Houston, was recently presented with the San Jacinto College Association of Educational Office Personnel 2005 Boss of the Year Award. The support association chose Watkins for her...

Coming events.(Calendar)
December 5, 2005... December 8-10, 2005 Association for Career and Technical Education Annual Convention and Career Tech Expo "Connecting Education and Careers" Kansas City Convention Center Kansas City, Mo. http://www.acteonline.org/convention/index.cfm ...

SUNY students lead fundraiser to set up wireless network on campus.(around the nation)
December 19, 2005... MIDDLETOWN, N.Y. -- Members of the Orange County Community College's computer club are a close-knit group. They spend hours together studying and discussing the latest aspects of computer technology. Dissatisfied with the college's computer...

Paving the way for online accreditation.(around the nation)
December 19, 2005... ATLANTA -- What types of courses should not be taught online? What safeguards are necessary in recruiting students off-site? The Council on Occupational Education (COE) is grappling with issues such as these, which are unique to distance...

NSF grant opens door to cybersecurity major in Maryland.(around the nation)
December 19, 2005... ARNOLD, Md. -- The new "Information Assurance" major at Anne Arundel Community College in Arnold, Md., is packing the classrooms. Better known as "cyber-security" or "computer security," the field of study combines computer science,...

Committee questions pathways to engineering education.(around the nation)
December 19, 2005... WASHINGTON -- If the nation is to have enough engineers in coming years, it must turn community colleges into developmental gateways for the engineering profession. And community colleges will be able to perform that role only if they work much...

Ensuring that high school students are ready for college.(point of view)
December 19, 2005... Recent high school graduates flood community college campuses at the beginning of every term. But are they ready to jump into college-level courses from day one? My school, Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio, is ready and willing to...

Following the money to Washington, D.C.(point of view)
December 19, 2005... Getting information on federal grant opportunities to two-year college personnel is what the Council for Resource Development's Federal Funding Task Force does. The task force, started 29 years ago, is composed entirely of volunteers from CRD,...

Correction.(point of view)(Correction notice)
December 19, 2005... In the "People On the Move" section of the Nov. 21 issue of Community College Week, Dr. George L. Sanchez was incorrectly noted as being appointed vice president of institutional development at Bronx Community College. He was appointed vice...

Capital void: Washington, D.C., with one of the highest unemployment rates among major U.S. cities, is the only one with no public community college: is there a connection?
December 19, 2005... Every major city in every state in the country has a community college, as do U.S. territories such as Guam and Puerto Rico. President Bush, Alan Greenspan and civic and business leaders of all stripes are increasingly talking up community...

Injured student peace officer loses negligence appeal.
December 19, 2005... ROCKLIN, Calif. -- A former Sierra College student cannot collect damages from the school for negligence stemming from his participation in a police training course because he knowingly assumed the risk of injury, a state appellate panel has...

LCTCS construction program awarded $5m by U.S. Dept. of Labor.
December 19, 2005... The U.S. Department of Labor has approved a $5 million grant to fund the Louisiana Community and Technical College System's Reconstruction Centers of Excellence. System officials hope the program will help thousands of displaced Gulf Coast...

Florida vet tech programs helping ease technician shortage.(workforce training)
December 19, 2005... COCOA, Fla. -- Nurses are in high demand in America's hospitals. But America's pets also need "nurses"--or rather, veterinary technicians. The two-year veterinary technician program at Brevard Community College has been turning out...

Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell, Pa., recently received a gift of 15 sculptures from the family of renowned artist Leon Sitarchuk.(Grants & Gifts)
December 19, 2005... Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell, Pa., recently received a gift of 15 sculptures from the family of renowned artist Leon Sitarchuk. The pieces, donated by Sitarchuk's widow, Peggy, and son, Eric, will become part of the...

The Leslie County Fiscal Court recently approved the donation of the Leslie County Center to Hazard Community and Technical College in Hazard, Ky.(Grants & Gifts)
December 19, 2005... The Leslie County Fiscal Court recently approved the donation of the Leslie County Center to Hazard Community and Technical College in Hazard, Ky. The 72-year-old building will house courses of the college's Bluegrass and Traditional Music...

The nursing program at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, Calif., has received two grants totaling $51,000 from local hospitals.(Grants & Gifts)
December 19, 2005... The nursing program at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, Calif., has received two grants totaling $51,000 from local hospitals. Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center has provided $34,000 and Citrus Valley Health Partners contributed $17,000 to...

Bronx Community College (N.Y.) received a $900,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to develop and implement a new Energy Services Technology associate's degree program.(Grants & Gifts)
December 19, 2005... Bronx Community College (N.Y.) received a $900,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to develop and implement a new Energy Services Technology associate's degree program. The grant money will be used to purchase materials, equipment...

Jamestown Community College in Jamestown, N.Y., has received $2 million in grants from three western New York foundations.(Grants & Gifts)
December 19, 2005... Jamestown Community College in Jamestown, N.Y., has received $2 million in grants from three western New York foundations. The Ralph C. Sheldon Foundation contributed $1 million for the renovation of the campus's science laboratories; the...

Santa Monica College.(professional notes)
December 19, 2005... Dr. Chui L. Tsang has been appointed superintendent/ president of Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, Calif. He had previously served as president of San Jose City College. Tsang attended Contra Costa College in San Pablo, Calif., earned a...

Houston Community College System.(professional notes)
December 19, 2005... Dr. Doretha Eason has been named deputy to the chancellor of the Houston Community College System. A 17-year veteran of HCC, she has held several positions at the college's northwest campus, including supervisor of the office occupations...

Bellevue Community College.(professional notes)
December 19, 2005... Dr. Laura E. Saunders has been named vice president of administrative services at Bellevue Community College in Bellevue, Wash. She had served for 15 years in a similar role at Highline Community College in Des Moines, Wash. Saunders holds a...

Orange Coast College.(Honors & AWARDS)
December 19, 2005... Leon G. Skeie, professor of physical education and athletics at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, Calif., has been named as the college's faculty member of the year. Skeie, a 32-year veteran of OCC, has won numerous state and national...

Miami Dade College's Wolfson Campus.(Honors & AWARDS)
December 19, 2005... Dr. Ana M. Cruz, a professor of business studies at Miami Dade College's Wolfson Campus, has been named professor of the year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teachers and the Council for the Advancement and Support of...

Peg Lower.(Honors & AWARDS)
December 19, 2005... Peg Lowery, executive director of the Foundation for Manatee Community College in Bradenton, Fla., recently won the college's vice president's academic excellence award. Her name will be included in nominations for the 2006 National Institute...

Dr. Eugenia I. Proulx.(Honors & AWARDS)
December 19, 2005... Dr. Eugenia I. Proulx, executive vice chancellor at the Community College of Baltimore County, is the recipient of the 2005 Administrator of the Year Award from the Maryland Association of Education Office Professionals. Her selection makes her...

Coming events.(Calendar)
December 19, 2005... January 9-12, 2006 Company of Experts.net Department Chair Institute 2006 Palm Springs, Calif. http://www.departmentchairinstitute.net January 17-20, 2006 American Association of Community Colleges and Company of Experts.net Appreciative...