Community College Week articles from February 2006

Community College Week archives from February 2006

"Difficult Dialogues" grants prompt open discussion of sensitive subjects.(around the nation)
February 13, 2006... Topics usually confined to private conversations will soon be discussed openly on three community college campuses. The schools have each won highly competitive $100,000 grants from the Ford Foundation that promote campus environments where...

Transferring to universities in N.Y. may get harder if budget passes.(around the nation)
February 13, 2006... It may become harder for the huge State University of New York system to absorb the thousands of community college transfer students who annually enter the state's four-year colleges if the fiscal year 2006 budget proposed by Gov. George Pataki...

Budget bill cuts student aid.(CAPITOL brief)
February 13, 2006... The House of Representatives gave final approval to a controversial budget bill that authorizes a new academic Competitive Grants Program (see Community College Week, Jan. 30, pg. 9) and removes the ban on student aid for students with past...

Your board of trustees needs your support!(point of view)
February 13, 2006... The nation's 1,200 community colleges are governed by 650 boards of trustees, are composed of men and women who generously give their time and talent to lead their community colleges. Whether elected or appointed to their positions, community...

A trustee's tale.(point of view)
February 13, 2006... Someone once told me that in politics, you have to be a workhorse before you can be a showhorse. In other words, you have to put your head down and do the work before you can expect attention and recognition. Thankfully, community college...

Working group and education department look at how to boost adult education.(dateline washington)
February 13, 2006... These students bring "tremendous needs... low skills and difficulty in envisioning completion of a full certificate or degree program." says Joan Athens's paper. The needs of adult education programs nationwide recently were addressed by...

Joliet professor touts software that helps students focus.(technology today)
February 13, 2006... JOLIET, Ill. -- When Rich McNeil left life in the business world to teach at Illinois' Joliet Junior College, his first challenge was to keep his students' attention during long lessons on complex technical content. He found many students...

California must ease transfer barriers to universities, report says.
February 13, 2006... California should do a better job of transferring community college students into four-year universities, according to a new report from the state Legislative Analysts Office. The report found that one reason students find it difficult to...

Not your average volunteers: community college trustees make policy and raise money. How are they navigating budget crunches without stepping on toes?(Cover story)
February 13, 2006... In St. Petersburg, Fla., community college trustees grappled with whether to award baccalaureate degrees; in Collin County, Texas, trustees faced heat when cutting athletic programs to keep pace with state budget cuts; in San Francisco,...

Black history month celebrations.(around campus)
February 13, 2006... Camden County College celebrated Martin Luther King Day at its Camden Technology Center, Camden City Campus, by "Revisiting the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott: A Tribute to Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr." Activities included a living...

Joliet Junior College.(APPOINTMENTS)
February 13, 2006... Dr. Eugenia Proulx was named president of Joliet Junior College in Joliet, Ill., effective July 1. She currently serves as executive vice chancellor of the Community College of Baltimore County. Proulx earned a doctorate from the State...

College of DuPage.(APPOINTMENTS)
February 13, 2006... Dr. Patricia Coleman was appointed associate dean of adult basic education, adult secondary education and ESL for the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn. Ill. Coleman previously served as dean of adult education and workforce services at McHenry...

Yavapai College's Prescott Valley.(APPOINTMENTS)
February 13, 2006... Susan Howery was named dean of Yavapai College's Prescott Valley, Ariz., campus. Howery previously directed the college's paralegal program. She earned a bachelor's degree from Western Michigan University and a master's degree from Kalamazoo...

Schenectady County Community College Foundation.(Grants & Gifts)
February 13, 2006... The Schenectady County Community College Foundation in Schenectady, N.Y., received a $1 million bequest, the largest gift in the school's history, from widow of Owen instrumental in the hotel into Schenectad College. The college plan endowment,...

Prince George's Community College.(Grants & Gifts)
February 13, 2006... Prince George's Community College in Largo, Md., recieved a $23,100 grant from the Verizon Foundation for Technology to fund equipment for the school's new High Technology Center.

Dutchess Community College.(Grants & Gifts)
February 13, 2006... Dutchess Community College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., was awarded $2,500 by The Johnson Controls Educational Achievement Giving Program in order to continue hosting, for a third year, the 10-week Intercollegiate Energy Internship, during which...

AACC awards service learning grants.(professional notes)
February 13, 2006... Henderson Community College in Henderson, Ky., has announced that the American Association of Community Colleges awarded the school one of eight $47,000 "Project Reach" grants to create service learning opportunities for students with...

Coming events.(Calendar)
February 13, 2006... Community College Week February 10-14, 2006 American Council on Education 88th Annual Meeting "Working in the Public Interest: Exploring Solutions'" Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel Los Angeles, Calif. February 11-14, 2006 ...

Education groups appeal federal wiretaps order that could cost colleges billions.(around the nation)
February 27, 2006... A federal order requiring all two- and four-year colleges to enhance their Internet communication systems is being challenged by a wide coalition of education groups, who say the new requirements may be invasive and could carry with them a...

Louisiana community college enrollment rebounds from drop after hurricanes.(around the nation)
February 27, 2006... Baton Rouge, LA. -- The Louisiana Community and Technical College System was looking to set a new enrollment record last fall before Hurricanes Katrina and Rita displaced 43 percent of its students. In all, eight campuses were forced to suspend...

Standardized testing at community colleges.(point of view)
February 27, 2006... How much is learned by students in public education continues to be the subject of heated debate across the country. For instance, John Stossel's recent show on ABC, "Stupid in America," was just another shot across the bow of public education,...

Letter to the editor.(Letter to the editor)
February 27, 2006... Dear Editor, As the Executive Director of the Community College Baccalaureate Association, I'd like to address some of the issues raised by Dr. John Garmon in a previous Point of View [see Community College Week, Jan. 16, p. 6]. As...

AACC names "Project Reach" recipients.(Point of View)
February 27, 2006... The American Association of Community Colleges announced Feb. 14 the grant awards for its Project Reach initiative, a three-year grant program encouraging service inclusion for community college students with disabilities. (See Community...

Oil and gas revenues fuel colleges' hopes in small states.(around the nation)
February 27, 2006... High gas and oil prices are straining budgets everywhere. But energy-producing states gain revenue, and small ones get a big bang for the extra bucks. The legislatures of small, or sparsely populated energy-producing states are all putting...

N.M. Senate oks capital financing.
February 27, 2006... SANTA FE (AP) -- The New Mexico Senate unanimously approved a measure to finance nearly $144 million worth of capital improvements for universities, colleges, senior citizen centers and libraries. The bill passed authorizes general obligation...

New dairy farming school planned.
February 27, 2006... WAUSAU, Wis. (AP) -- Future dairy farmers could get a hands-on learning experience at a proposed school modeled after a working farm in central Wisconsin. A group of farmers, business people and educators wants to build a $10.2 million...

Test anxiety: given the differences between the goals of community college students and those of students at four-year colleges, standardized tests given by universities may not be appropriate at community colleges.(Cover story)
February 27, 2006... Standardized tests given by community colleges run the gamut, from tests used to assess student knowledge, to vocational tests, to those that are used for institutional improvement. "It's a mixed bag," said Jeff Seybert, director of...

Work programs aren't working, Ed. Department says; proposed administration budget slashes student loans.(dateline washington)
February 27, 2006... Traditional federal aid to education will face a lean year next year if the administration gets its way. The Bush administration proposed an education budget for fiscal year 2007 that would eliminate funding for vocational and adult education...

McKeon to chair House Education Committee.(CAPITOL Briefs)
February 27, 2006... Republicans in the House of Representatives have selected a new leader for the committee responsible for community college issues. Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-Calif., won final approval Feb. 15 to take over the Education and the Workforce...

Community colleges off warning list.
February 27, 2006... HONOLULU (AP) -- Only Windward Community College remains on accreditation warning status in the University of Hawaii system after the removal of Honolulu and Hawaii community colleges. The Western Association of Schools and Colleges'...

A North Carolina primer on how to go after federal grants.(the money tree)
February 27, 2006... Raleigh, N.C. -- Community college leaders in North Carolina learned all about applying for federal grants on January 23 at the North Carolina Economic Development Summit. U.S. Sen. Richard Burr organized the summit to help the colleges gain...

Coach sentenced in student aid scandal.(the money tree)
February 27, 2006... Wichita, Kan. (AP) -- A former junior college basketball coach was sentenced Monday to three years probation for falsifying federal work-study timecards so athletes would get paid for work they never did. David "Soupy" Campbell, former head...

Dixie State football coach fired.(the money tree)
February 27, 2006... St. George, Utah (AP) -- Citing concerns over the football team's academic performance, officials of Dixie State College of Utah have fired coach Greg Croshaw, whose teams over 24 seasons had a record of 214-56-1 with 17 conference wins and two...

Louisiana colleges get software to help high school students displaced by hurricanes.(technology today)
February 27, 2006... Baton Rouge, La. -- With help from software producer SAS, the Louisiana Community and Technical College System is launching an outreach program that will use some high-tech study tools to help high school students displaced by Hurricanes...

Only one loan program may save money.(CAPITOL Briefs)
February 27, 2006... The federal government could potentially save billions of dollars by restricting consolidation loans to the Federal Direct Loan Program. But it's impossible to say for sure because no one can predict how much loan money students will take out...

Bill tackles campus violence.(CAPITOL Briefs)
February 27, 2006... A new source of federal aid to help students afflicted by violence was approved by Congress. An authorization bill for the Justice Department creates a Grants to Combat Violent Crimes on Campuses program for institutions of higher education and...

Two-year students often financially independent.(CAPITOL Briefs)
February 27, 2006... Two-thirds of community college students supported themselves during the 1999-2000 school year. And, students without family financial support not surprisingly tended to favor the cheapest form of education, public two-year schools. Fifty-six...

Committee urges study abroad.(CAPITOL Briefs)
February 27, 2006... According to the Commission on the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship Program, 1 million American students are likely to be studying overseas by the 2016-2017 academic year. Of that number, the commission says a healthy portion will likely...

New senator introduces student aid bill.(CAPITOL Briefs)
February 27, 2006... The newest member of the Senate may become an advocate for students and their parents trying to pay for college. As one of his first acts as senator, Robert Menendez, D-N.J., appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Sen. Jon...

Education and entertainment: a harmonious duet.(faculty lounge)
February 27, 2006... It's challenging enough to be good at one profession, but Dr. Russell Davis, vice president of student services at Gloucester County College in Sewell, N.J., excels in two: education and entertainment. Davis has taught for 27 years, and while...

Michigan Student Financial Aid Association.(Honors & AWARDS)
February 27, 2006... Josephine Cassar, financial aid director for St. Clair County Community College in Port Huron, Mich., has been elected to the Michigan Student Financial Aid Association board of directors as the group's public two-year sector representative....

Robert M. Keener.(Honors & AWARDS)
February 27, 2006... Robert M. Keener, professor of marketing and director of international education at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio, has received the Dr. Werner Kubsch Award from the Community Colleges for International Development, Inc. Keener was...

Inez Williams.(Honors & AWARDS)
February 27, 2006... Inez Williams, site director of Central Texas College's Continental Campus at Camp Pendleton, Calif.. has received the William Kennedy Award for outstanding service in military education. Over the past six years, Williams has developed programs...

Counties may pay for new schools.(faculty lounge)
February 27, 2006... Boise, Idaho (AP) -- Local government officials are worried by Gov. Dirk Kempthorne plans to help pay for community colleges with county money. Kempthorne has drafted a plan to create new community colleges across the state, but wants...

Haywood Community College in Clyde, N.C., is the recipient of a $1.69 million Community-Based Job Training grant from the U.S. Department of Labor.(Grants & Gifts)
February 27, 2006... Haywood Community College in Clyde, N.C., is the recipient of a $1.69 million Community-Based Job Training grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. The grant, which will target the North Carolina forest industry--including forestry,...

Seminole Community College in Sanford, Fla., was recently awarded a $25,000 grant from the College Board to enhance its College Reach-Out Program.(Grants & Gifts)
February 27, 2006... Seminole Community College in Sanford, Fla., was recently awarded a $25,000 grant from the College Board to enhance its College Reach-Out Program. The CROP program allows colleges to encourage students in grades 6 through 12 to enroll in...

NorthWest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville, Ark., has received a $1.89 million Community-Based Job Training grant from the U.S. Department of Labor.(Grants & Gifts)
February 27, 2006... NorthWest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville, Ark., has received a $1.89 million Community-Based Job Training grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. The funds will be used to combat the nursing shortage in northwest Arkansas by...

Corning Community College in Corning, N.Y., will be able to endow its Ernest E. Johnston Memorial Scholarship, courtesy of a $100,000 gift from CCC alumnus Lawrence R. Johnston.(Grants & Gifts)
February 27, 2006... Corning Community College in Corning, N.Y., will be able to endow its Ernest E. Johnston Memorial Scholarship, courtesy of a $100,000 gift from CCC alumnus Lawrence R. Johnston. The scholarship will be awarded to a Corning high school student...

Colorado Northwestern Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
February 27, 2006... John C. Boyd has been appointed president of Colorado Northwestern Community College in Denver. Boyd was most recently interim provost of the Grand Strand Campus of Horry-George town Technical College in Galivants Ferry, S.C. He holds a...

Scottsdale Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
February 27, 2006... Dr. Osaro Ighodaro has been appointed associate dean of student services at Scottsdale Community College in Scottsdale, Ariz. Ighodaro was most recently the director of the Freshman Year Experience program at Arizona State University. He earned...

Southeastern Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
February 27, 2006... Dr. Morgan Phillips has been named vice president of curriculum instruction at Southeastern Community College in Whiteville, N.C. He was most recently academic dean for the mathematics/statistics division at Valencia Community College. Phillips...

Anne Arundel Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
February 27, 2006... Laura E. Weidner has been named executive director of the Center for Workforce Solutions at Anne Arundel Community College in Arnold, Md. She previously been executive director of community and professional programs there. Weidner earned a...