Community College Week articles from February 2007

Community College Week archives from February 2007

Texas governor proposes sweeping education reform package.(around the nation)
February 26, 2007... AUSTIN. Texas (AP) -- Gov. Rick Perry has outlined one of the most sweeping higher education reform proposals in the nation. calling for cash incentives for universities to push students to graduation and mandatory exit exams to track how...

Report says Calif. students falling short of academic goals.
February 26, 2007... SACRAMENTO (AP) -- Three out of four students at California community colleges did not meet their goals to transfer to a university or earn an associate degree or certificate within six years, according to a new report. Researchers at...

Amid corruption probe, chancellor ousts two Phoenix-area community college presidents.
February 26, 2007... MESA, Ariz. (AP) -- The presidents of Mesa and Estrella Mountain community colleges have been forced out of their jobs. Now, the late of the chancellor of the Maricopa County Community College District is uncertain. Chancellor Rufus...

Lawsuit filed by deaf student over disabled services heads to trial in California.
February 26, 2007... A federal magistrate judge has ordered a trial to determine whether College of the Redwoods did enough to accommodate a deaf student's disability, and what types of interpretive services the college must provide. Mahdi Hayden, who was...

Labor Dept. approves new job corps center at Iowa College.
February 26, 2007... DES MOINES. Iowa (AP) -- The U.S. Department of Labor has approved a proposal to build a Job Corps Center in Ottumwa, creating as many as 150 full-time jobs and 40 to 50 part-time positions. Job Corps, the nation's largest residential...

Web appeal: community colleges strive to master the medium.(Special Report: Technology at Community Colleges)(Cover story)
February 26, 2007... South Seattle Community College has much to offer its 8,000-member student body. Its 87-acre campus rests atop a hill overlooking Elliott Bay, offering a panoramic view of the city skyline and picturesque mountains. For those in need...

Learning on-the-go: use of MP3 players on rise at colleges.(Special Report: Technology at Community Colleges)
February 26, 2007... New York (AP) -- Lindleigh Whetstone wears headphones as she shoves clothes into the washing machine. Her classmate, Stepheno Zollos, wears them as he shops for groceries. An onlooker might assume the teens are listening to the latest top 40...

Bush budget would revamp student aid programs.(dateline washington)
February 26, 2007... WASHINGTON -- Needy students would be able to pay for "all tuition and Ices at an average public community or technical college." with federal grant money, according to the proposed fiscal year 2008 budget the Bush administration has...

Sallie Mae stock sale draws congressional inquiry.(CAPITOL briefs)
February 26, 2007... The chairman of the Student Loan Marketing Association sold more than $18 million in company stock during the first two days in February, prompting an inquiry from a pair of congressional Democrats. Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., and Pep....

Bill would OK short-term training for veterans.(CAPITOL briefs)
February 26, 2007... The GI Bill could pay for shorter-term job training than associate degrees at community colleges under legislation introduced in the Senate. Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., has introduced the Veterans Employment and Training Act, which would...

Education spending plan prompts questions, concerns.
February 26, 2007... WASHINGTON -- Will cutting some higher education financial aid programs to increase others better target the neediest community college students, as the Bush administration contends? Or will it just help some students at the expense of...

Lending tactics targeted by democratic legislation.(CAPITOL briefs)
February 26, 2007... Congressional Democrats have introduced legislation to halt what they call "unethical measures taken by private lenders to curry favor with colleges and universities--measures that can ultimately decrease student and parent borrowers' choice...

Report says number of female college heads rising.(CAPITOL briefs)
February 26, 2007... Harvard University has grabbed headlines for naming its first woman president after 370 years, but the country's oldest college lags far behind America's community colleges in promoting women to their top spots. The percentage of women...

Bipartisan bills aim to increase availability of student aid.(CAPITOL briefs)
February 26, 2007... Two bipartisan bills have been introduced to expand availability of student aid. The Student Aid Reward Act calls on the Department of Education to compare the efficiencies of the Direct Aid and Federal Family Education loan programs....

Proposal would forgive loans for teachers at tribal colleges.(CAPITOL briefs)
February 26, 2007... The Tribal Colleges and Universities Forgiveness Act has been approved by the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. The legislation would cancel loans under the Perkins, Federal Family Education and Direct Loan programs for full-time...

Banker convicted as part of probe into Alabama two-year colleges.
February 26, 2007... HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) -- A Jasper banker has been found guilty of a felony obstruction charge, but was acquitted on a charge of making false statements to agents investigating the state's two-year college system. Phillip Grace also was...

Mississippi colleges encouraging healthy diets, lifestyles.
February 26, 2007... ELLISVILLE, Miss. (AP) -- The aroma of Jamaican spices may seem an odd match with a life science building, but it's all part of a plan at Jones County Junior College. As nutritionist Anna Brashier pointed out while putting the finishing...

Wyo. panel OKs college commission.
February 26, 2007... CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) -- A House committee has approved a proposed commission that would study the future of Wyoming's community college system. The House Education Committee made only one minor change to a bill that has already passed the...

Funding for renewable energy is focus of bill.
February 26, 2007... WASHINGTON (AP) -- Community colleges would receive funding for programs that promote training in bioenergy and renewable fuels under legislation introduced by Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa. The National Endowment for Workforce Education in...

Iowa governor proposes more spending for colleges.
February 26, 2007... DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Gov. Chet Culver plans to pump millions of dollars into the state's colleges and universities next year, but some leaders worry the money won't lead to immediate tuition cuts. Culver has proposed an additional $40...

Illinois program would mean free college for students.
February 26, 2007... PEORIA, Ill. (AP) -- A privately-funded initiative is expected to allow some graduates of this city's public high schools to attend a local community college for free. Dubbed "Peoria Promise," the program would cover at least a portion...

Student died from alcohol poisoning, report finds.
February 26, 2007... MONROEVILLE, Ala. (AP) -- A 20-year-old Alabama Southern Community College student who passed out in a Monroe County, field after drinking vodka at a bonfire party died from alcohol poisoning, according to a forensics report. The report...

N.C. governor to embark on listening tour of colleges.
February 26, 2007... RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- University of North Carolina President Erskine Bowles plans to travel the state over the next 18 months with professors and system administrators for a listening tour to determine how the 16-campus system can best serve...

What to do when bad things happen to good computers.(technology today)
February 26, 2007... Someone once said, "A computer lets you make more mistakes faster than any other invention in human history, with the possible exceptions of handguns and tequila." Computers themselves can also make mistakes. Call them whatever you...

Burlington County College was the largest site in Southern New Jersey to host Give Kids a Smile, National Children's Dental Access Day.(around campus)
February 26, 2007... Burlington County College was the largest site in Southern New Jersey to host Give Kids a Smile, National Children's Dental Access Day. Forty dental hygiene students and 35 professional dental volunteers provided quality care to more than 130...

College of San Mateo in San Mateo, Calif., is preparing to officially introduce its new state-of the-art planetarium to the at a ribbon Cutting ceremony.(around campus)
February 26, 2007... College of San Mateo in San Mateo, Calif., is preparing to officially introduce its new state-of the-art planetarium to the at a ribbon Cutting ceremony. The only planetarium in San Mateo County and the only major operable astronomy facility...

Miami Dade College's North campus is now home to a prestigious collection of sculptures produced by renowned artists Alfredo Halegua, Rafael Consuegra, William King and Mario Felipe Almaguer.(around campus)
February 26, 2007... Miami Dade College's North campus is now home to a prestigious collection of sculptures produced by renowned artists Alfredo Halegua, Rafael Consuegra, William King and Mario Felipe Almaguer. The college is getting ready to inaugurate one of...

Fifteen community colleges from across the country were awarded a total of $73,500 in the Elevator Grant competition funded by The Coleman Foundation and the John E. and Jeanne T. Hughes Foundation at the 2007 National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship Conference, held in Orlando, Fla.(Grants & Gifts)
February 26, 2007... Fifteen community colleges from across the country were awarded a total of $73,500 in the Elevator Grant competition funded by The Coleman Foundation and the John E. and Jeanne T. Hughes Foundation at the 2007 National Association for...

Northampton Community College.(Grants & Gifts)
February 26, 2007... The Electrotechnology Applications Center at Northampton Community College in Bethlehem. Pa., has been awarded a $200,000 grant from the commonwealth of Pennsylvania to support its work in helping manufacturers across the state improve...

Piedmont Virginia Community College in Charlottesville has received a $1,479,497 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to expand its Construction Academy and meet the increasing demand for construction workers in the college's service region.(Grants & Gifts)
February 26, 2007... Piedmont Virginia Community College in Charlottesville has received a $1,479,497 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to expand its Construction Academy and meet the increasing demand for construction workers in the college's service...

Thanks to a faculty travel grant issued by the Center for Intercultural Understanding at Bergen Community College in Paramus, N.J., two child development instructors will join the Monarch Teachers Network in a February expedition to the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuaries in Mexico.(faculty lounge)
February 26, 2007... Thanks to a faculty travel grant issued by the Center for Intercultural Understanding at Bergen Community College in Paramus, N.J., two child development instructors will join the Monarch Teachers Network in a February expedition to the...

Tim Allen, instructor of history and religion at Randolph Community College in Asheboro, N.C., has been selected to participate in the 2007 Oxford Round Table in Oxford, England.(faculty lounge)
February 26, 2007... Tim Allen, instructor of history and religion at Randolph Community College in Asheboro, N.C., has been selected to participate in the 2007 Oxford Round Table in Oxford, England. The Round Table event is by invitation only. Forty scholars and...

Community members had the opportunity to view the diverse and vibrant work of some of Northwest Ohio's finest artists as Owens Community College' Center for Fine and Performing Arts hosted the fourth annual Faculty Art Showcase this month.(faculty lounge)
February 26, 2007... Community members had the opportunity to view the diverse and vibrant work of some of Northwest Ohio's finest artists as Owens Community College' Center for Fine and Performing Arts hosted the fourth annual Faculty Art Showcase this month....

Santa Ana College.(Honors & AWARDS)
February 26, 2007... Santa Ana College, in Santa Ana, Calif., received the Exemplary Program Award sponsored by the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges. The award was given for the college's innovative noncredit student development program. The...

Charles Errico.(Honors & AWARDS)
February 26, 2007... Charles Errico, a history professor at Northern Virginia Community College's Woodbridge, Va., campus, received the Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia in recognition of his superior...

Lois and Dave Anderson, owners of Bay and Bay Transfer Company of Rosemount, Minn., have been named the 2007 E-Myth Worldwide Entrepreneur of the Year.(Honors & AWARDS)
February 26, 2007... Lois and Dave Anderson, owners of Bay and Bay Transfer Company of Rosemount, Minn., have been named the 2007 E-Myth Worldwide Entrepreneur of the Year. The award recognizes entrepreneurs and the community colleges they have attended. E-Myth...

Corning Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
February 26, 2007... H. Richard Dozier was appointed vice president and dean of student development of Corning Community College in Corning, N.Y. In this role, Dozier will be responsible for the oversight of admissions, athletics, advising, counseling, and...

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.(APPOINTMENTS)
February 26, 2007... John Pickelman, chancellor of the North Harris Montgomery Community College District in Texas has been elected chair of the Board of Trustees of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools for 2007. The 10-member board manages the...

Portland Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
February 26, 2007... Portland Community College in Portland, Ore., has chosen Linda Gerber to be the next president of the Sylvania Campus. Gerber was a research evaluation coordinator for the Portland district from 1989 to 1994. She also was director of Portland...

Ogeechee Technical College.(APPOINTMENTS)
February 26, 2007... Ben Thompson, founding director of the School of Economic Development at Georgia Southern, has been named vice president of economic development at Ogeechee Technical College in Statesboro, Ga. Thompson received a juris doctorate from the...

Carol D'Amico.(APPOINTMENTS)
February 26, 2007... Carol D'Amico the former assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Vocational .and Adult Education and the current executive vice president of Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana, has received notification of...

League for Innovation in the Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
February 26, 2007... R. Thomas Flynn, president of Monroe Community College in Rochester, N.Y., has been named chairman of the Board of Directors of the League for Innovation in the Community College. As chairman, Flynn coordinates the activities of the board and...

Calendar.(Calendar)
February 26, 2007... MARCH March 2, 2007 NACCTEP "New Beginnings and All That Jazz in College Teacher Education Programs" New Orleans, LA www.nacctep.org March 2-4, 2007 CCBA Seventh Annual International Conference "Frontiers...

Report blasts Florida colleges, calls for major changes.(around the nation)
February 12, 2007... TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Florida's public universities have concentrated too much on glitzy research and professional programs while slighting undergraduates, according to a highly-critical study that recommends sweeping but politically...

Maricopa Colleges strive to retain students.
February 12, 2007... PHOENIX (AP) -- Officials at the Maricopa Community College District are searching for ways to keep students in class. Three-quarters of the college's first-time, full-time students do not earn two-year degrees or certificates or transfer...

Education Department lifts ban on Career Education Corp., but monitoring continues.(around the nation)
February 12, 2007... WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Department of Education has lifted a ban on Career Education Corp. which had prevented the for-profit education giant from acquiring new domestic campuses since June 2005. The department had imposed the ban because...

New law has immigrant students in Arizona bracing for higher tuition, fees at colleges.(around the nation)
February 12, 2007... PHOENIX (AP) -- Illegal immigrants who are students at Arizona public universities and community colleges are regrouping in the face of a new law that denies them cheaper in-state tuition and financial assistance provided by the state. ...

Poor academics lead to suspension of Minn. football program.(around the nation)
February 12, 2007... HIBBING Minn. (AP) -- Hibbing Community College has suspended its football program indefinitely because of the poor academic performance of its players. The college will use the $50,000 to $60,000 it has spent each year on football to...

Community colleges go green: from building design to curriculum enhancements, many colleges are making adjustments to become environmentally friendly.(around the nation)(Cover story)
February 12, 2007... At Cape Cod Community College in Massachusetts, it's not uncommon to hear the distinct hmmmmmmm of electric-powered service vehicles tooling about the 125-acre grounds. The pesticide- and fertilizer-free natural meadows around the campus...

Washington lawmakers consider bolstering student-press rights.(around the nation)
February 12, 2007... OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) -- The First Amendment rights of high school and college journalists are being debated in Washington state, as lawmakers consider whether young scribes should have the same free-press rights as their professional...

Soaring costs sending more students to second-choice colleges.(around the nation)
February 12, 2007... A growing percentage of students are settling for their second and third choices for college, according to a new national survey. But that's not necessarily because they were not admitted to the institutions at the top of their lists. ...

Alabama board adopts ban on nepotism at two-year colleges.(around the nation)
February 12, 2007... MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- The Alabama Board of Education has adopted a policy severely restricting the hiring of relatives of board members and of top officials in the state's two-year college system. Acting chancellor Thomas Corts called...

Congress moves to fulfill promises on higher education.(dateline washington)
February 12, 2007... WASHINGTON -- The Democratic-controlled Congress is moving quickly to deliver on at least some of its promises to make higher education more affordable. Leaders have reached agreement on a budget bill that would increase annual Pell...

Judge rules Pennsylvania professor entitled to promotion because of college's failure to respond to grievance.(dateline washington)
February 12, 2007... An assistant professor is entitled to promotion with tenure because Luzerne County Community College didn't respond on time to a union grievance when the Board of Trustees failed to promote him, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court has ruled....

Father of N.C. Community College System dies at 90.(dateline washington)(Obituary)
February 12, 2007... RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- Dallas Herring, a two-decade chairman of the North Carolina Board of Education who nurtured the state's community college system from its inception, died last month. He was 90. While working as chairman of the state...

Kansas colleges forge online collaboration.(dateline washington)
February 12, 2007... HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) -- Hutchinson Community College and Fort Hays State University are joining forces to help online students obtain four-year degrees in about a dozen fields. The institutions plan to set up a common Web site, which...

A college tries to build community, from the ground up.(dateline washington)
February 12, 2007... BRISTOL TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- To any visitor curious enough to ask, James H. Sell eagerly unrolls three-foot-by-five-foot architectural drawings on the floor of his cramped office at Bucks County Community College's Bristol Center. "Once you...

Mississippi Delta agrees to ownership of education center.(dateline washington)
February 12, 2007... MOORHEAD, Miss. (AP) -- Trustees of Mississippi Delta Community College have agreed to rake over management of the Greenville Higher Education Center, but only if the state legislature guarantees continued funding. The center is...

Community college bill clears Wyoming Senate committee.
February 12, 2007... CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) -- A bill that would provide state funding for four community college projects, including a proposed $36.8 million technical education center at Gillette College, has cleared the state Senate Education Committee. The...

Ohio educators gather for brainstorming session.
February 12, 2007... COLUMBUS. Ohio (AP) -- Gov. Ted Strickland recently took some of Ohio's most educated leaders to school, gathering dozens of college and university presidents for a daylong brainstorming session on a Columbus campus. The meeting, held at...

Wyoming lawmakers question fairness of college funding.(dateline washington)
February 12, 2007... CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) -- Some legislators want the state to examine the fairness of the current funding system for the state's community colleges. Rep. Pete Illoway, R-Cheyenne, said seven of the state's 23 counties that are home to...

Alabama banker's trial involves fired chancellor.(dateline washington)
February 12, 2007... HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) -- The trial of a Jasper banker for allegedly obstructing justice in the two-year college system probe "has included testimony about accusations that Fired Chancellor Roy Johnson's children and others were paid for work...

Tech talk: Internet creating new language for digital age.(technology today)
February 12, 2007... How we say things is often as important, or more important. than what we say. It can speak volumes about our character and personality, where we grew up and what kind of education we received. whether we're anchored in the past or...

Around campus.
February 12, 2007... In the 1960s, college students flocked to the South to try and spur on the civil rights movement. In 2007, students representing 25 colleges and universities in Louisiana and Mississippi are taking the same approach to a new challenge: making...

Edison Community College in Piqua, Ohio, recently received $1 million from Emerson Climate Technologies, Inc., helping the college exceed their Phase One campaign goal of $9 million.(Grants & Gifts)
February 12, 2007... Edison Community College in Piqua, Ohio, recently received $1 million from Emerson Climate Technologies, Inc., helping the college exceed their Phase One campaign goal of $9 million. The money will be used to finish construction on a health...

Lane Community College in Eugene, Ore., has received a $1.97 million gram from the U.S. Department of Labor to develop regional dental hygiene training to address workforce needs in Oregon and Idaho.(Grants & Gifts)
February 12, 2007... Lane Community College in Eugene, Ore., has received a $1.97 million gram from the U.S. Department of Labor to develop regional dental hygiene training to address workforce needs in Oregon and Idaho. The grant is one of 72 awards made from...

Bronx Community College, in the Bronx, New York, will receive $100,000 from The Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation to train local residents in the building trades.(Grants & Gifts)
February 12, 2007... Bronx Community College, in the Bronx, New York, will receive $100,000 from The Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation to train local residents in the building trades. The 20-week training program will begin this month. The college's...

The Anheuser-Busch Foundation has pledged $300,000 over three years, to the St. Louis Community College Foundation to support construction of the new William J. Harrison Education Center.(Grants & Gifts)
February 12, 2007... The Anheuser-Busch Foundation has pledged $300,000 over three years, to the St. Louis Community College Foundation to support construction of the new William J. Harrison Education Center. The planned facility is 30,000 square feet and will...

Owensboro Community & Technical College in Owensboro, Ky., has been awarded $825,000 from the U.S. Department of Labor.(Grants & Gifts)
February 12, 2007... Owensboro Community & Technical College in Owensboro, Ky., has been awarded $825,000 from the U.S. Department of Labor. The only community college in the Kentucky Community and Technical College System that offers an associate degree in...

National Park Community College in Hot Springs, Ark., has received a $1.5-million donation from Frederick M. Dierks.(Grants & Gifts)
February 12, 2007... National Park Community College in Hot Springs, Ark., has received a $1.5-million donation from Frederick M. Dierks. The money will help fund the Frederick M. Dierks Center for Nursing and Health Sciences, which is in the preliminary planning...

City Colleges of Chicago is the lead institution on a five-year $2.7 million National Science Foundation Undergraduate Research Collaborative award.(Grants & Gifts)
February 12, 2007... City Colleges of Chicago is the lead institution on a five-year $2.7 million National Science Foundation Undergraduate Research Collaborative award. The award is one of only five funded projects in the nation and the only one headquartered at...

When Andy Blinn was just 16 years old, in 1981, he put the finishing touches on a unique mural in a stairwell of what was then The Donald Douglas Museum and Library at Santa Monica Airport.(Honors & AWARDS)
February 12, 2007... When Andy Blinn was just 16 years old, in 1981, he put the finishing touches on a unique mural in a stairwell of what was then The Donald Douglas Museum and Library at Santa Monica Airport. Nearly 26 years later--and a year after Blinn's...

Lydia Lyons.(Honors & AWARDS)
February 12, 2007... Lydia Lyons, director of the Honors Institute at Hillsborough Community College, in Tampa, Fla., has been elected to the executive leadership of the National Collegiate Honors Council. Lyons will serve in executive leadership positions for...

Proposal aims to stem brain drain.
February 12, 2007... Norwalk Community College in Norwalk. Conn., hosted a January press conference announcing a proposal to help the state's college students save for a home and at the same time stern the state's "brain drain." Rep. Lawrence Cafero Jr., House...

The Alamo Community College District.(APPOINTMENTS)
February 12, 2007... The Alamo Community College District has named Adena Williams Loston the new president of St. Philip's College in San Antonio, Texas. Loston was most recently the director of education for NASA and has worked in higher education for 30 years....

San Juan College in Farmington.(APPOINTMENTS)
February 12, 2007... J. Pernell Jones has been named vice president for business services at San Juan College in Farmington, N.M. Jones' higher education career includes 11 years as vice president for administration and chief financial officer at College of the...

Houston Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
February 12, 2007... Mary Spangler, currently the head of Oakland Community College in Michigan, has been named the seventh chancellor of Houston Community College. She will start at Houston in March. Spangler is a longtime community college teacher and...

York Technical College.(APPOINTMENTS)
February 12, 2007... Greg Rutherford has been appointed president of York Technical College, in Rock Hill, S.C. Rutherford is currently the vice president for economic and workforce development at Haywood Community College in Clyde, N.C. Rutherford succeeds...

Montgomery College.(APPOINTMENTS)
February 12, 2007... Brian K. Johnson has been named as the next president of Montgomery College in Montgomery County, Md. Johnson currently serves as chief executive officer of the Allegheny Campus and system senior vice president of student and community...

Calendar.(Calendar)
February 12, 2007... FEBRUARY February 24, 2007 AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES FOR TEACHER EDUCATION Annual meeting and exhibits New York, NY; www.aacte.org February 28, 2007 AMERICAN TECHNICAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION National...