Community College Week articles from February 2002

Community College Week archives from February 2002

Audit: former La. System president ignored state travel laws: lax college policies also let employee embezzle, gamble away thousands. (around the nation).(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... BATON ROUGE, La. -- Dr. Wayne Brown, the former president of Louisiana's Community and Technical College System, has come under attack by the state's legislative auditor for violating state travel regulations. Dr. Dan Kyle, the legislative...

Murder-suicide at Fla. college. (around the nation).(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... DAVIE, Fla. -- A man shot his ex-girlfriend to death last month at the community college she attended, then killed himself, authorities said. No one else was injured in the shootings just before 11 a.m. Jan. 18 at Broward Community...

Iowa College president, other top officials indicted.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... FORT DODGE, Iowa -- The president of Iowa Central Community College and three other top school officials have been indicted on charges of tampering with school records, falsifying public documents and official misconduct. The indictment,...

Government, Higher Ed. leaders at odds over reforms. (dateline washington).(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... The Bush administration is reviving plans to streamline federal education regulations, but some college leaders are unhappy with the government's approach. The U.S. Department of Education is moving ahead with Fed. Up, an effort to...

School-to-Work web site shuts down. (Capitol briefs).(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... The federal government has shut down its Web site on school-to-career programs, another byproduct of the termination of the federal School-to-Work Opportunities Act last fall. Congress and the White House agreed not to extend the 1994...

Bush seeks increased funding for Hispanic-serving institutions. (Capitol briefs).(president George W. Bush)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... President Bush will seek increased funding for Hispanic-serving institutions when he unveils his next budget in early February. Bush will include a 3.6 percent funding increase for Hispanic-serving colleges and universities, or institutions...

Senate expected to OK bill tightening foreign-student tracking. (dateline washington).(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... Congress is expected to overhaul the system that monitors international students in the United States. The reforms are part of legislation that seeks to bar would-be terrorists from entering the country. Although the U.S. House of...

What flavor is your president? (point of view).(Column)
February 4, 2002... A trustee once said during a search for a new president, "Once you get down to the three final candidates, the differences are so slim it doesn't really matter who is chosen -- only who `fits' the community and area best." But finding that fit...

Editor's desk.
February 4, 2002... Dear Reader, I invite you to become part of the two-year college world's newspaper of record. If you are familiar with Community College Week, you know that we feature opinion pieces by leaders and faculty in the college community. We...

Taking on tinseltown the movies.(community college students in motion picture production)
February 4, 2002... When the credits roll after the latest big movie, there's an increasing chance of seeing the name of a community college film program graduate at the top of the scrolling names. Mimi Leder, director of such blockbuster movies as "Pay It...

Prof. charged with assault in classroom scuffle.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... DETROIT -- A community college philosophy teacher has been charged with assault and battery for a classroom dispute with a student, reportedly over the Muslim religion. Authorities said John Azar, a teacher at Henry Ford Community College,...

Police search for mother of fetus found in college restroom.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... CHULA VISTA, Calif. -- Officers were called to a community college campus after a custodian found a dead fetus, police said. The fetus was found in a restroom last month in a building at Southwestern College, a few miles north of the...

Illegal immigrants face tuition hikes in N.Y., breaks in California.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... NEW YORK -- Almost a dozen students, professors and community activists staged a three-day fasting protest against the City University of New York's new policy raising the tuition of undocumented immigrant students. Almost simultaneously,...

Report reveals sloppy monitoring practices at Michigan college.(Lansing Community College)(academic performance and faculty performance unchecked)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... LANSING, Mich. -- Lansing Community College has not adequately monitored students in bad academic standing, kept track of faculty performance or documented its reasons for holding low-enrollment classes, according to a report by Michigan's...

N.C. college pipe bomb suspects in custody.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. -- Two men have been charged in the explosion of a pipe bomb at a local community college in September, federal officials said. One of the men, Russell Kenneth Powell, 30, has been in the Hoke County Jail since Jan. 5 on...

Budget cuts send Mass. colleges scrambling for funds.(Massachusetts)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- State budget cuts have left 17 public colleges in Massachusetts scrambling to cover tuition costs for high school students who took their courses last fall. "This comes as a complete shock," said Dr. Kevin Drumm, vice...

Report: two-year Wis. colleges cut crime.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... WAUKESHA, Wis. -- Wisconsin two-year colleges save taxpayers an estimated $45 million a year from reduced crime, unemployment, welfare and health care costs associated with alcohol abuse and smoking, a report claims. The study commissioned...

Court finds trustee's speech "ugly" but protected.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... MARYSVILLE, Calif. -- A lawsuit brought by a former official against the Yuba Community College District and a former trustee has been rejected by California's Court of Appeals. In dismissing a verbal harassment suit, the court ruled that...

Tyree declines N.C. State chair for Univ. of Florida post.(Larry Tyree)(North Carolina State University's College of Education )(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... RALEIGH, N.C. -- Dr. Larry Tyree, who was to have assumed the Joseph D. Moore Chair in Community College Leadership, will not be joining the North Carolina State University's College of Education faculty, the school's dean has confirmed. ...

Student basketball player dies on court.
February 4, 2002... WACO, Texas -- McLennan Community College forward Bogdan Konontsuk, who died during a game last month, was honored recently at a memorial. Konontsuk, 20, died during McLennan's game with Grayson County College. He fell to the court about...

Nev. system head suggests ending sale of student info. to credit card companies.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... LAS VEGAS -- University system Chancellor Jane Nichols wants the state's schools to stop releasing information on students to credit card companies. Nichols was to make her recommendation during a January regents' meeting in Las Vegas. ...

Wisconsin college teacher pitches in at New York's Ground Zero. (faculty lounge).(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... WAUSAU, Wis. -- A college teacher returned from helping with the cleanup at Ground Zero in New York with a red, white and blue hard hat signed by people affected by the tragedy, including a woman whose husband died in the Sept. 11 terrorist...

Florida professor establishes Afghan language hotline. (faculty lounge).(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- A professor has come up with an innovative solution to the sudden need to learn Afghanistan's Pashto language: a free telephone translation service. Steven Donahue, a linguist and English language professor at...

Now and then.(art exhibition)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... A retrospective of paintings and other work by prominent artist and Montgomery College art instructor Robert S. Cohen includes two self-portraits -- one from 2001, at right, and one from 1976, at far right. The exhibition, which runs through...

Honors & awards.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education has named Sylvia Sorkin of the Community College of Baltimore County as the 2001 Maryland Professor of the Year. A full-time...

Software detects cheating in students' work. (technology today).(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... ATLANTA -- A software program designed by Georgia Institute of Technology professors to detect cheating in students' computer programming homework turned up 186 possible violators there, school officials said. The students, enrolled last...

Recherche robotics.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... Teams of New Jersey high school students recently went head to head in Middlesex County College's Building for Tomorrow Games, otherwise known as RoboRocks. The students not only had to build a workable robot, they had to be able to articulate...

History in the wiring. (Bits & Bytes).(online education)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... NEWTOWN, Pa. -- Bucks County Community College has established Pennsylvania's first online course in historic preservation. To take the three-credit course -- history and theory of historic preservation -- students need access to e-mail and...

Fashion Institute launches Tech Center (Bits & Bytes).(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... NEW YORK -- The Fashion Institute of Technology recently launched its Enterprise Technology Center. The center will serve as an educational resource for small businesses and individuals in New York, teaching them how to integrate technology...

Going it alone: self-employment in the information age. (technology today).(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... Be your own boss. Work in the comfort of your own home. No more 9-to-5. With the dawn of the information age and its increased reliance on computers, self-employment has become easier than ever before. With a computer, you can handle...

Grants & gifts. (around campus).(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... Somerset Community College in Somerset, Ky., has received a $20,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Centers for Excellence program, which recognizes institutions that promote economic development in rural, underserved...

Miami -- former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno recently visited the honors college at Miami-Dade Community College in Miami.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... MIAMI -- Former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno recently visited the honors college at Miami-Dade Community College in Miami. Speaking about leadership and her experiences in public service, Reno touched on the importance of higher education...

Whittier, Calif. -- three new board members were recently sworn in at Rio Hondo College.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... WHITTIER, Calif. -- Three new board members were recently sworn in at Rio Hondo College, establishing the first all-Hispanic Board of TSrustees in the history of California community colleges. The new board members, Andre Quintero, Michelle...

Memphis, Tenn. -- Warren Jackson, a student at Shawnee Community College in Ullin, Ill., and Phi Theta Kappa's 2001-2002 international president, recently carried the Olympic Torch here.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Warren Jackson, a student at Shawnee Community College in Ullin, Ill., and Phi Theta Kappa's 2001-2002 international president, recently carried the Olympic Torch here. Selected by the Coca-Cola Co. to pass the torch, Jackson...

Perri appointed president of Cuyamaca. (Presidents).(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... Dr. Geraldine Marie Perri has been appointed president of Cuyamaca College in El Cajon, Calif. Perri comes to Cuyamaca from San Diego Mesa College, where she served as vice president of instruction since 1998. She has an associate's degree from...

Knaack is interim president at Highland. (Presidents).(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... Craig R. Knaack has been named interim president of Highland Community College in Freeport, Ill. Knaack has been with Highland since 1986, most recently serving as the vice president of academic services. Knaack has a bachelor's degree from...

Downs named interim president at Northern Virginia. (Presidents).(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... Dr. Charles L. Downs has been selected as interim president of Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale, Va. Downs was tapped to fill in until a successor is named for Dr. Belle S. Wheelan, who was appointed secretary of education in...

Dr. Ann Ackerman has been appointed vice president for economic and community development at Oklahoma City Community College.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... Dr. Ann Ackerman has been appointed vice president for economic and community development at Oklahoma City Community College in Oklahoma City. Ackerman, who has been with OCCC for more than 25 years, was previously the associate vice president...

Gregory Dlabach is the new dean of instruction at Waubonsee Community College.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... Gregory Dlabach is the new dean of instruction at Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove, Ill. Before becoming dean, Dlabach was Waubonsee's associate dean for technology, mathematics and physical sciences. He has a bachelor's degree from...

William Peacy has been named associate dean of technology, mathematics and physical sciences at Waubonsee Community College.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... William Peacy has been named associate dean of technology, mathematics and physical sciences at Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove, Ill. Peacy most recently served as a chemistry professor at Triton College in River Grove, Ill. He has a...

Dr. Lenny Stone, president of Scott Community College in Davenport, Iowa, is retiring after 36 years at the school.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... Dr. Lenny Stone, president of Scott Community College in Davenport, Iowa, is retiring after 36 years at the school. Stone was working as a computer programmer with two years of training when he became an instructor at the Davenport Area...

Dr. Carl H. Rolf, president of Northwest Iowa Community College in Sheldon, Iowa, has announced that he will retire on June 30.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... Dr. Carl H. Rolf, president of Northwest Iowa Community College in Sheldon, Iowa, has announced that he will retire on June 30. During his 12-year tenure, Rolf was successful in turning the technical college into a comprehensive community...

Coming events. (Career Connections).
February 4, 2002... Feb. 9-11, Reading. "Literacy for Every Child," conference, Reading Recovery Council, in Columbus, Ohio. Contact: Anita Gibson, (614) 292-7111, ext. 2, gibson.313@osu.edu Feb. 1, Education. Regional meeting, College Board, at Westin Hotel,...

College president who sued his district becomes chancellor. (around the nation).(Raghu Mathur, South Orange County Community College District, California)(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... MISSION VIEJO, Calif. -- A college president who sued his own district and survived faculty votes of no confidence has been appointed chancellor by the trustees he once took to court. The South Orange County Community College District's...

California colleges win some, lose some in governor's budget. (around the nation).(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Amid a nearly $12 billion budget shortfall, California's 108 community colleges are stated to reap a big gain in state funding under a proposal by Gov. Gray Davis. But while community college officials praised the...

Ark. High Court: Community Colleges immune from lawsuits.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Community colleges that get the bulk of their funding from the state are immune from lawsuits, Arkansas' Supreme Court has ruled, rejecting a man's claim that Westark Community College failed to accommodate his carpal...

Would Dr. King approve? (point of view).(ethnic clubs in high schools and colleges)(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... Ethnic clubs in high schools and colleges -- clubs such as the Filipino Club, the Black Students' Union, the Latino Club, the Korean Club and so forth -- have worried me for the 31 years I've been teaching. Yes, there are those who...

Mind over millinery: from the Bozeman Daily Chronicle (Bozeman, Mont.). (What Others Are Saying).(University System public relations)(Brief Article)(Reprint)
February 18, 2002... Montana's Board of Regents has approved a plan to hire someone to polish the University System's image. The price tag: $80,000. The move came at the urging of Commissioner of Higher Education Dick Crofts, who said the goal is to help lawmakers,...

Humor 101.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... "Steiner, you always think we should take it from the slush fund."

A community college life: after decades of work and study focused on community college leadership. Dr. George Baker has hung up his mortar board. In an interview shortly before his retirement late last year, Baker talked about his experiences, observations and hopes for what he calls the greatest educational invention of the 20th century.(Interview)
February 18, 2002... When he first walked onto a junior college campus in the early 1950s, Dr. George A. Baker III was a typical student. He worked in the classroom and in campus jobs to earn credits toward his journeyman-electrician's license. After more than two...

Wrangling continues over student visa reforms. (dateline washington).
February 18, 2002... WASHINGTON -- Since Sept. 11, higher education officials and law makers have stepped up efforts to restructure the system that tracks foreign students -- a system both groups have acknowledged is disorganized and outdated. But higher education...

Bush budget proposes small funding increase for Hispanic-serving colleges.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... Two-year colleges with a large population of minority students would get small funding increases under President Bush's budget. For the fiscal year 2003, funding for Hispanic-serving institutions would increase to $89.1 million, a 3 percent...

Budget plan preserves GEAR UP program.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... In spite of proposed cuts to the education budget, the Bush administration has backed away from an earlier proposal to cut funding for GEAR UP, a program that works with disadvantaged middle school students and encourages them to attend...

Change in tax law could help college employees grow retirement savings.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... Changes made last year to federal tax laws could help community college employees bump up their retirement savings, but some important details in the legislation might have been overlooked by community colleges, according to a financial service...

Bush budget would freeze higher education spending. (dateline washington).(President George W. Bush)(education budgets cut)(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... Citing wartime needs to boost spending on defense and homeland security, the Bush administration has proposed cutbacks in the education and job-training budgets, with funding freezes and cuts for dozens of programs. The maximum Pell Grant...

Debate escalates over future of Indiana colleges.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... INDIANAPOLIS -- Simmering tensions and turf wars over Indiana's fledgling community college system have escalated into a public dispute among legislators, the Commission for Higher Education and Gov. Frank O'Bannon. O'Bannon recently...

Court: faculty association not required to hire lawyer for adjunct.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... AUSTIN, Texas -- A voluntary organization representing community college faculty had no duty to hire a lawyer to represent a part-time instructor in an employment dispute with Austin Community College, a state appeals panel has ruled. The...

College officials plead innocent to transcript-faking charges.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... DES MOINES, Iowa -- The president of Iowa Central Community College and three other officials from the school in Fort Dodge have pleaded not guilty to charges that they falsified student records. College President Robert Paxton, Tom Beneke,...

Calif. Gov. hopeful calls for 2-year colleges to train teachers.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Jones says California community colleges should help middle-aged career changers become teachers. Jones, addressing the Community College League of California this month, said...

Professor wins $20,000 literature fellowship. (faculty lounge).(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... NORTH PLATTE, Neb. -- A North Platte author and community college instructor who writes about small town Nebraska life has been awarded a $20,000 literature fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. "Everyone knows that you...

"Invisible people: the sketchbook series" is a 2D mixed-media exhibit of work by Gaye Cooksey, professor of applied graphic design technology at Collin County Community College.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... "Invisible People: The Sketchbook Series" is a 2D mixed-media exhibit of work by Gaye Cooksey, professor of applied graphic design technology at Collin County Community College. The art, focusing on people in everyday life who are overlooked by...

Honors and awards.(community college teachers appreciated)(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... Janet Heck, an instructor of special programs at Coastline Community College in Fountain Valley, Calif., recently received the Excellence in Providing Institutional Leadership Award from the Instructional Telecommunications Council. Wanda...

Interim head of Roxbury named.(Roxbury Community College)(college president selected)(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... BOSTON -- Dr. Randolph William Bromery has been named interim president of Roxbury Community College, succeeding Dr. Grace Brown, who resigned last fall after state auditors criticized the college's financial management. Bromery, a former...

Calif. Prof. who offended Muslim students returns to class.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... COSTA MESA, Calif. -- A professor suspended for three months after his remarks about terrorism offended Muslim students returned to class earlier this month, drawing applause when he told his critics to "get a life." "Every opinion is...

The ABCs of buying a new PC. (technology today).(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... The only constant with computer technology is change. No matter how comfortable you are with your current personal computer, at some point you'll need to get a new one. Maybe you want to use programs that won't run on your old PC. Or you...

Preservation programs give students tools to keep the past intact.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... From bustling big cities to serene small towns, there is mounting momentum in the United States to preserve historic buildings, and a handful of community colleges are leading the way. Offering programs that cover almost every angle of historic...

Ortiz is Del Mar's first Hispanic president. (Presidents).(Gustavo R. Valadez Ortiz )(Del Mar College )(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... Dr. Gustavo R. Valadez Ortiz has been named president of Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas. Ortiz, the first Hispanic to assume the presidency in the 67-year history of the college, was most recently the president of St. Louis Community...

Tyree to head Jefferson. (Presidents).(Larry W. Tyree )(Jefferson Community College )(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... Dr. Larry W. Tyree has been named interim president of Jefferson Community College in Louisville, Ky. Tyree will also be the chief executive officer of the Jefferson Community and Technical College District. Tyree recently retired as president...

Rhodes named president of El Paso. (Presidents).(Dr. Richard M. Rhodes, El Paso Community College)(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... Dr. Richard M. Rhodes has been appointed president of El Paso Community College in El Paso, Texas. Rhodes comes to El Paso from Salt Lake Community College in Salt Lake City, where he was the vice president of business services. He has a...

Claeys named president of Scott Community College. (Presidents).(Dr. David Claeys)(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... Dr. David Claeys is the new president of Scott Community College in Bettendorf, Iowa Claeys taught and was an administrator at Scott for 17 years until moving to the Eastern Iowa Community College District office in Davenport in 1994. There, he...

Sussex County Community College.(Dr. Thomas A. Isekenegbe, new vice president of academic affairs and enrollment services at Cumberland County College, Vineland, New Jersey)(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... The new vice president of academic affairs and enrollment services at Cumberland County College in Vineland, N.J., is Dr. Thomas A. Isekenegbe. He was most recently the associate dean of academic affairs at Sussex County Community College in...

St. Philip.(Gregory Hudspeth, new dean of arts and sciences at St. Philip's College, San Antonio, Texas)(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... St. Philip's College in San Antonio has named Gregory Hudspeth dean of arts and sciences for the community college. Hudspeth, who has been a faculty member at St. Philip's for 24 years, began his career at the college in 1978 as an associate...

Waubonsee Community College.(Dr. Wayne G. Stone, new vice president)(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... The new vice president of institutional effectiveness, planning and external affairs at Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove, Ill., is Dr. Wayne G. Stone. Before taking the position at Waubonsee; Stone was the dean for social sciences and...

Springfield Technical Community College.(Dr. Janet Wanczyk, new vice president of administration)(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... Dr. Janet Wanczyk, a former administrator at the University of Massachusetts, is the new vice president of administration at Springfield Technical Community College in Springfield, Mass. Wanczyk has an associate's degree from Springfield...