Community College Week articles from December 2011

Community College Week archives from December 2011

All hail Valencia.(Figuring It Out: Statistics shaping the higher-ed landscape)
December 26, 2011... Valencia College was named the country's top community college by the Aspen Institute. Here are some statistics comparing Valencia to national community college averages: 3-Year Graduation and Transfer Rate For Full-Time Students Valencia ...

NJ's largest 2-yr. college issued warning.
December 26, 2011... PARAMUS, N.J. (AP) -- New Jersey's largest community college has been warned its "accreditation may be in jeopardy." The Middle States Commission on Higher Education says Bergen Community College has failed to show evidence that assessments...

Ill. college faculty OKs new contract.
December 26, 2011... GODFREY, Ill. (AP) -- Educators at a southwestern Illinois college have reached a strike-averting, three-year contract. The (Alton) Telegraph reports that educators at Lewis & Clark Community College in Godfrey ratified the deal. ...

Casino jobseekers in Ohio learning craft of dealing.
December 26, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) -- Dozens of unemployed and other workers hoping to get a spot behind a blackjack table when casinos come to Ohio are working to learn the craft of dealing and preparing for required auditions. More...

Wyo. Gov. calls 2-year colleges critical to economy.
December 26, 2011... CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) -- Community colleges play important roles in Wyoming's economy and quality of life, and local colleges must be able to react quickly to the needs of businesses in the state, Gov. Matt Mead said. Mead also said helping...

Closing the curtain on 2011 year in review.
December 26, 2011... Community college leaders generally eschew and resist all manner of rankings, believing their institutions are simply too diverse, their missions too different, to lend themselves to a qualitative analysis. But voices of dissent were few and...

Wells Fargo slashes student loan rates.(news & analysis)
December 26, 2011... NEW YORK (AP) -- Wells Fargo & Co. is lowering the interest rates on its student loans. But families should think twice before jumping at the offer. The bank said that the fixed interest rates on its basic loans for undergraduates will...

College grad bucks trend, leaves nest.(student spotlight)
December 26, 2011... DANVILLE, Ill. (AP) -- When Cortney Auter graduated from college and landed a job in her field of choice, she thought her "adult" life was starting off pretty good. She never thought she'd have to move back in with her parents because of...

$30m spent in 6 years on Kalamazoo scholarships.(student spotlight)
December 26, 2011... KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) -- An anonymously funded free college tuition program for high school graduates of the Kalamazoo Public Schools that was launched six years ago has spent more than $30 million on higher education for more than 2,300...

HCC professor retiring after 44 years of teaching.(faculty focus)
December 26, 2011... HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) -- "I think when you love something, it goes so quickly you don't realize it. I love it," psychology professor Vaughn Crowl said of his 44 years teaching, 41 of them at Hagerstown Community College. He has the distinction...

Raptor project at Iowa college returns owl to its natural habitat.(faculty focus)
December 26, 2011... DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) -- Jacob McCredie tumbled backward as the cage door opened part-way, and the inhabitant, a great homed owl, rushed out in a blur of wings. The bird flew off toward the trees where 10-year-old Jacob and a friend had...

Close shave: NC prison barber program survives budget cuts.(tracking trends)
December 26, 2011... WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) -- Around lunchtime on a Tuesday, a spectacled barber named James Hargrove invited a regular client, Anthony Hardwrich, into his shop for a haircut. With an already close-shaven look, Hardwrich only wanted a trim, something...

La. Tech signs transfer deal with Ark. College.
December 26, 2011... RUSTON, La. (AP) -- Louisiana Tech University has signed an agreement with South Arkansas Community College in an effort to create a smoother transition for students who want to transfer between the two institutions. A memorandum of...

Nevada regents extend contract of chancellor.
December 26, 2011... LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Nevada regents have renewed the contract for Chancellor Dan Klaich. The board meeting in Las Vegas unanimously endorsed Klaich by approving the five-year pact that runs from July 1 of next year through Jane 30, 2017. His...

Student settles lawsuit with Kan. College.
December 26, 2011... OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) -- Johnson County Community College has settled a lawsuit with a former student who sued after the school asked for $47,000 to meet an open records request. Marcus Clem and the Student Press Law Center sued the...

Ga. Tech schools approve plan to increase grads.
December 26, 2011... ATLANTA (AP) -- The Technical College System of Georgia has approved an agreement with the state university system to help increase the number of students who finish college. The technical college board OK'd the "Complete College Georgia"...

Dental training program gets ok in Maryland.
December 26, 2011... HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) -- The Maryland Higher Education Commission is upholding the creation of a new dental hygiene training program in Hagerstown over the objection of another western Maryland school. The commission ruled last week on an...

Ky. Colleges settle suit with fired president.
December 26, 2011... OWENSBORO, Ky. (AP) -- A settlement has been reached in a lawsuit brought by a former community college president against the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. Under terms of the settlement, former Owensbero Community &...

La. Colleges agree to merge departments.
December 26, 2011... MONROE, La. (AP) -- Louisiana Delta Community College and Northeast Louisiana Technical College say they'll consolidate eight departments to increase efficiency and save money at a time when there's more demand for their services. The...

Wyo. Colleges approve hike in college tuition.
December 26, 2011... CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) -- The Wyoming Community College Commission has approved a $4 per credit hour tuition increase for resident students. But the commission rejected charging for credits a student takes over the full-time 12 credit hours a...

Ex-workers climb aboard college express in Tenn.
December 26, 2011... DYERSBURG, Tenn. (AP) -- A new fast-track option at Dyersburg State Community College is being tapped by workers who lost their jobs when a Goodyear tire plant closed. The program, culled the College Express, allows students to earn an...

Mo. panel wants funding based on performance.
December 26, 2011... JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A Missouri task force is recommending that funding for state colleges and universities should be based partly on performance criteria such as graduation rates. The proposal being presented to the stale Coordinating...

Email communication has its own style and conventions.(technology today)
December 26, 2011... Email has been around forever, it seems. The first working email system was created before the Internet in 1965 to connect users at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The first popular email system for connecting corporate users across...

Around campus.(Looking Back at 2011)
December 26, 2011... AROUND CAMPUS 2011: A PHOTO RETROSPECTIVE [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 1 The 2011 Plymouth Ice Festival that took place in downtown Plymouth,...

The Community College of Rhode Island Foundation has received a grant to support a program that helps adult learners acquire the skills they need to pass General Education Development (GED) tests and persist in post-secondary education.(grants & gifts)
December 26, 2011... The Community College of Rhode Island Foundation has received a grant to support a program that helps adult learners acquire the skills they need to pass General Education Development (GED) tests and persist in post-secondary education. The...

Eastfield College, part of the Dallas County Community College District (Texas), has received a $97,698 Skills Development Fund grant from the Texas Workforce Commission.(grants & gifts)
December 26, 2011... Eastfield College, part of the Dallas County Community College District (Texas), has received a $97,698 Skills Development Fund grant from the Texas Workforce Commission. Eastfield, in turn, is partnering with a medical office consortium to...

Onondaga Community College(N.Y.) is one of eight community colleges to have been awarded an $80,000 research grant from the League for Innovation in the Community College to study the effects of social media on student success.(grants & gifts)
December 26, 2011... Onondaga Community College (N.Y.) is one of eight community colleges to have been awarded an $80,000 research grant from the League for Innovation in the Community College to study the effects of social media on student success. The project,...

Faculty lounge.(Looking Back at 2011)
December 26, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 1 Lorain County Community College's (Ohio) Distinguished Professor Jeffrey Mumford--a world-renowned composer -...

Bunker Hill Community College (Mass.).(honors & awards)
December 26, 2011... Bunker Hill Community College (Mass.) received two top awards from District One of the National Council for Marketing and Publications. NCMPR sets the standards for professionals working in the areas of communications, marketing, fundraising and...

Ariel Sturdivant, a student at Central Piedmont Community College.(honors & awards)
December 26, 2011... Ariel Sturdivant, a student at Central Piedmont Community College, recently received North Carolina Campus Compact's Community Impact Student Award. Sturdivant was one of 19 college students across the state who received the award for making...

Nancy Sattler, dean of the Liberal Arts and Public Services Division at Terra State Community College (Ohio), has been elected president of the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges.(honors & awards)
December 26, 2011... Nancy Sattler, dean of the Liberal Arts and Public Services Division at Terra State Community College (Ohio), has been elected president of the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges. AMATYC is a national organization comprised...

The Edison State College.(professional notes: APPOINTMENTS)
December 26, 2011... The Edison State College (Fla.) Board of Trustees appointed Patricia Land acting district president after placing college President Kenneth Walker on administrative leave. Land has served as the Charlotte campus president since November 2002 and...

Raritan Valley Community College.(professional notes: APPOINTMENTS)
December 26, 2011... Catherine Hebson McVicker has been named the new chair of the Raritan Valley Community College (N. J.) Board of Trustees. The new chair was elected to a one-year term. McVicker has been a member of the RVCC Board of Trustees since 1986. She is...

Metropolitan Community College.(professional notes: APPOINTMENTS)
December 26, 2011... Metropolitan Community College (Neb.) announced the appointment of William K. Owen as the new associate vice president for academic affairs. Owen was previously the dean of applied technology for MCC. His experience includes leading community...

Owens Community College.(professional notes: APPOINTMENTS)
December 26, 2011... Owens Community College (Ohio) has named Randy Wharton as the new dean of the School of Technology. His responsibilities will include overseeing all academic programs, as well as various activities and instructional initiatives. Prior to his...

Wallace State Community College.(professional notes: APPOINTMENTS)
December 26, 2011... Johnny McMoy has been named college dean at Wallace State Community College. McMoy comes to Wallace State from Middle Georgia College, where lie served as director of Aviation Campus mid Director of Planning, Assessment, and Grants. He will...

Average salaries.(Figuring It Out: Statistics shaping the higher-ed landscape)
December 12, 2011... The average 9-month salary of instructional staff at colleges and universities varies greatly across educational sectors. Here is a glimpse at who makes what: SECTOR AVERAGE SALARY All Ranks) Private 4-yr. $80,061 Public 4-yr. ...

Tennessee community college buys .xxx websites.(around the nation)
December 12, 2011... COLUMBIA, Tenn. (AP) -- It may seem counterintuitive, but Columbia State Community College has purchased several websites trader the .xxx domain in order to protect its reputation. The idea is that the purchase prevents others from setting up...

Phony distance ed students take pima CC for $270K.
December 12, 2011... TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -- Out-of-state scammers who applied over the Internet and posed as online students took Pima Community College for nearly $270,000 in federal aid. The case is one of more than 100 reported nationwide this year in which...

Colleges back off changes in Miss. recruiting rules.
December 12, 2011... JACKSON, Miss, (AP) -- Mississippi community college presidents have hacked off a rule change that would have reduced the number of out-of-state scholarships a school could have given The Clarion-Ledger reports the 14 junior college football...

Ohio mill, union, college, collaborate on training.
December 12, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CLEVELAND (AP) -- With a revival of steel making in the Cleveland area and an aging mill workforce, a steellmaker, the Steelworkers union and a community college are collaborating to train future workers. At...

After 20 years on meth, woman becomes professor.
December 12, 2011... TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- Tulsa Community College professor Lynette Moreau's life includes two children, two grandchildren and three degrees, and she's proud of them all. It also features 20 years as an intravenous methamphetamine addict. "I...

The student voice: instilling confidence crucial to success.(Cover story)
December 12, 2011... In each edition, Community College Week strives to address the top issues affecting the thriving two-year college sector. We bring readers the views of top administrators, the stories of college faculty, and the activities of education...

This class is murder: course focuses on homicide.
December 12, 2011... ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- Kasey Quinn is afraid to turn off the lights at night. Cecilia Hewick doesn't like to walk alone anymore. And it's all because of a class they love at Anne Arundel Community College. But both women can't get...

Ariz. Community Colleges prepare for tobacco ban.
December 12, 2011... MESA, Ariz. (AP) -- A picture of untreated "hairy tongue," a jar of tar, another jar filled with green phlegm, a replica of stained teeth with ulcer-covered gums and tongue, a blackened lung, nail polish remover and rat poison all lined the...

Clowning around is part of program for some students.
December 12, 2011... FLINT, Mich. (AP) -- It's a classroom where students trade daytime personas for the names "Beano," "Messy" and "Sunshine." They decorate faces in red paints, droopy eyelashes and big noses and wear tall hats and baggy pants. Their homework:...

Kan. College says energy program grads in demand.(tracking trends)
December 12, 2011... HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) -- A renewable energy technology program started last year at Hutchinson Community College with federal stimulus money has filled up quickly with students, who are already in demand from employers. Students with an...

Virginia college wants to offer childcare.
December 12, 2011... CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) -- Officials at Piedmont Virginia Community College are hoping they'll soon be able to offer childcare services for students who are parents. PVCC President Frank Friedman tells the Daily Progress that school...

Maine governor touts community college system.
December 12, 2011... AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) -- Gov. Paul LePage says Maine's community college system plays a vital role in preparing students for the jobs that will help revitalize the state's economy. In a weekly radio address, the governor says community colleges...

Iowa colleges see small dip in enrollment.
December 12, 2011... DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- The Iowa Department of Education says enrollment is down a bit at the state's 15 community colleges. The 0.6 percent decline in fall enrollment compared to last year is the first drop since 1994. The Department of...

NM Gov. calls for moratorium on construction.
December 12, 2011... SANTA FE, N.M (AP) -- New Mexico's Higher Education Department secretary, says Gov. Sustain Martinez doesn't want to see anymore colleges or learning centers created until she gets an accounting of how the current ones are working. Secretary....

Kan. Colleges share $500k in training grants.
December 12, 2011... TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- Six community and technical colleges are sharing $500,000 in job training grants from the Kansas Department of Commerce aimed at partnerships with private companies. One grant will help Neosho County Community College m...

Neb. college plans to add more housing.
December 12, 2011... BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) -- Southeast Community College in Beatrice has announced plans to add more student housing KWBE reported the proposal to add a third housing unit is expected to go before the school's board in the next month or two. ...

Latest in web email: polling shows similarities and a few notable differences.(technology today)
December 12, 2011... Web-based email had its genesis at the same time the Web exploded into popular consciousness, in the mid-1990s. Compared to using an entail program that resides on your own computer, called an email client, with Web-based email or Webmail you...

Calendar.(Calendar)
December 12, 2011... JANUARY, 2012 Jan. 11-13 DEPARTMENT CHAIR INSTITUTE-DCI[R] Summerlin--Las Vegas, NV (702) 228-4699 www.companyofexperts.net Jan. 25-27 NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF TRANSFER STUDENTS 10th Annual Conference ...

Wallace Community College (Ala.) radiologic technology student Anastassia Baker assisted a new friend on the carousel at the National Peanut Festival fairgrounds on Special Citizens Day.(around campus)
December 12, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Wallace Community College (Ala.) radiologic technology student Anastassia Baker assisted a new friend on the carousel at the National Peanut Festival fairgrounds on Special Citizens Day. An annual tradition, students of...

When a nationally recognized art Festival asks you to participate, there is usually a pause of disbelief and a gasped "yes" that follows.(around campus)
December 12, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When a nationally recognized art Festival asks you to participate, there is usually a pause of disbelief and a gasped "yes" that follows. Felicia Leach, assistant professor of art and GAFA gallery director at Moberly...

Families are often concerned with the high costs of a college education.(around campus)
December 12, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Families are often concerned with the high costs of a college education. But few have faced the predicament of the Pooles this fall: covering tuition and fees for four freshmen. The family enrolled their quadruplets in...

Georgia Piedmont Technical College received top honors from the Technical College System of Georgia for the greatest number of students awarded U.S. citizenship during the system's 2011 Fall Adult Education Conference.(around campus)(Conference news)
December 12, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Georgia Piedmont Technical College received top honors from the Technical College System of Georgia for the greatest number of students awarded U.S. citizenship during the system's 2011 Fall Adult Education Conference....

Arkansas State University-Mountain Home.(grants & gifts)
December 12, 2011... Arkansas State University-Mountain Home has received one of two grants awarded in Arkansas from the United States Department of Agriculture to address health care needs. The award was $303,303. With these funds, ASU-Mountain Home will finance...

Eleven community colleges came away from the 9th Annual Conference of the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship with a total of $84,000 in Elevator Grants provided by the Coleman Foundation, a long-time NACCE supporter.(grants & gifts)(Conference news)
December 12, 2011... Eleven community colleges came away from the 9th Annual Conference of the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship with a total of $84,000 in Elevator Grants provided by the Coleman Foundation, a long-time NACCE supporter....

Thomas W. Murphy, chair of the Anthropology Department at Edmonds Community College, was named Washington Association of Conservation Districts' Conservation Teacher of the Year Award.(faculty lounge)
December 12, 2011... Thomas W. Murphy, chair of the Anthropology Department at Edmonds Community College, was named Washington Association of Conservation Districts' Conservation Teacher of the Year Award The award recognizes a K-12, college, technical or trade...

Graves Growth Alliance of Mayfield and the Rotary Club of Paducah were among 35 of the state's leading individuals, business, and foundations.(faculty lounge)
December 12, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Graves Growth Alliance of Mayfield and the Rotary Club of Paducah were among 35 of the state's leading individuals, business, and foundations recently recognized for their generous philanthropic and voluntary support to...

New Jersey's Camden County College dean of communications and enrollment development is serving as president of the Gloucester Township Rotary Club.(faculty lounge)
December 12, 2011... New Jersey's Camden County College dean of communications and enrollment development is serving as president of the Gloucester Township Rotary Club. Rosemary Schamp joined Rotary five years ago as a representative of the college. She says Rotary...

Central Arizona College.(honors & awards)
December 12, 2011... For the second straight year, Poston Butte High School has won the Pinal County High School Culinary Arts Competition hosted by Central Arizona College. The competition's trophy, which has been in the school's possession for the last year, will...

Karen Wyrick, associate professor of mathematics at Cleveland State Community College (Ohio), recently received the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges Teaching Excellence Award This award is intended for educators who have made outstanding contributions to mathematics or mathematics education at a two-year college.(honors & awards)
December 12, 2011... Karen Wyrick, associate professor of mathematics at Cleveland State Community College (Ohio), recently received the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges Teaching Excellence Award This award is intended for educators who have...

Magda Kieliszek, an English as a Second Language instructor at New York's LaGuardia Community College's Center for Immigrant Education and Training, has been named the 2011 Outstanding Education Instructor by the Continuing Education Association of New York.(honors & awards)
December 12, 2011... Magda Kieliszek, an English as a Second Language instructor at New York's LaGuardia Community College's Center for Immigrant Education and Training, has been named the 2011 Outstanding Education Instructor by the Continuing Education Association...

Ronald Winthers, chair of the Burlington County College (N. J.) Board of Trustees Chair and outgoing chairman of the New Jersey Council of County Colleges, has been honored by the establishment of an annual award in his name.(honors & awards)
December 12, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Ronald Winthers, chair of the Burlington County College (N. J.) Board of Trustees Chair and outgoing chairman of the New Jersey Council of County Colleges, has been honored by the establishment of an annual award in his...

Chemeketa Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
December 12, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Chemeketa Community College (Ore.) has assigned Patrick Lanning to be campus president of its new Yamhill Valley campus in McMinnville. Chemeketa district president Cheryl Roberts promoted Lanning, who has served as...

Ohio's Cincinnati State Technical and Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
December 12, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Carla Chance has been named executive vice president at Ohio's Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, providing leadership for human resources, student services, technology, facilities and security. She...

York County Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
December 12, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] John Rainone, of York County Community College (Maine). has been named the 2012 National president for the Council for Resource Development. CRD represents about 1,700 community college resource development officers at...

Owens Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
December 12, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Owens Community College (Ohio) has named Cynthia Spiers as associate vice provost for student services and enrollment management. Her responsibilities include overseeing administrative leadership, coordination and...

Lisa May Evans has been named to the new position of director of organizational development & legal compliance at Ohio's Cincinnati State Technical and Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
December 12, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Lisa May Evans has been named to the new position of director of organizational development & legal compliance at Ohio's Cincinnati State Technical and Community College. In this role, she will lead the college's...