Community College Week articles from January 2003

Community College Week archives from January 2003

Newspaper: questionable courses rake in millions for Calif. colleges. (around the nation).
January 6, 2003... SANTA ANA, Calif. -- Community colleges across California are receiving millions of dollars in state funds by inflating their enrollment figures with high school students who get college credit for team practices, a newspaper has reported. ...

Former Ohio college employee loses reverse-discrimination suit. (around the nation).
January 6, 2003... CLEVELAND -- Cuyahoga County Community College has won another round in a reverse discrimination suit by a longtime administrative employee who was repeatedly denied promotions, disciplined several times and finally fired. Carol Ekstrom...

Ariz. student arrested for threat after shootings.
January 6, 2003... TUCSON Ariz. -- A community college student was arrested for allegedly threatening a shooting spree at the University of Arizona's main library two days after three nursing professors were slain, police said. Raymond Rodden III, 23, is...

Colleges seek homeland-security role. (dateline Washington).
January 6, 2003... With the federal government launching a new department of homeland security, community colleges are hoping to play a leading role in programs that will by sponsored by the new department. Community college systems "are the best equipped and...

GOP revamps education budget. (Capitol briefs).(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Building on the momentum of their victories in the midterm elections, Republicans will try to bring the federal spending bill that funds education and labor initiatives in line with White House goals. Last summer, Democrats in the U.S....

NSF grants promote gender diversity. (Capitol briefs).(National Science Foundation)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Through new grant competitions aimed at colleges and K-12 schools, the National Science Foundation is seeking to promote gender diversity in science and technology. NSF plans to award 15 to 20 grants under the Gender Diversity in Science,...

From Capitol Hill to the classroom. (dateline Washington).(US Reps. David Bonior and Lynn Rivers)
January 6, 2003... Departing U.S. Reps. David Bonior and Lynn Rivers plan to teach college students next year, taking their legislative experience and passion for liberal causes from Capitol Hill to the classroom. Bonior is discussing a position with Wayne...

It's an honor. (point of view).(honors programs)(Editorial)
January 6, 2003... Honors programs are on the rise at community colleges. About half of two-year colleges now support honors programs--an increase of almost 50 percent over the last decade. But despite this trend, the debate continues about whether selective...

Something for everyone, or nothing for anyone? (point of view).(financing of community colleges)(Editorial)
January 6, 2003... Given the economic realities of a post-modern society, should counter-cyclically funded community colleges begin viewing their missions differently? By counter-cyclically I mean that, as our enrollments tend to rise during economic...

Clarification.(community college statistics)(Correction Notice)
January 6, 2003... It has come to our attention that some colleges' Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System enrollment reports to the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics may have contained inaccuracies. Specifically,...

The honorable thing to do? Community college honors programs are popular and getting more so. But are they eroding colleges' commitment to accessibility?
January 6, 2003... DEARBORN, Mich. -- Carol Nini hadn't even heard of such a thing as a community college honors program until she bumped into one by accident. Sniffing out leads for a possible career change two years ago, the 48-year-old wife, mother, community...

New York college could lose accreditation.(Erie Community College)
January 6, 2003... BUFFALO, N.Y. -- An accrediting organization for colleges and universities said Erie Community College could lose its accreditation because local elected officials have too much control over key college functions such as budgeting and hiring....

Ore. college files funding lawsuit against Oregon.(Central Oregon Community College )
January 6, 2003... BEND, Ore. -- Central Oregon Community College has filed suit against the state, charging that its money for education is unfairly distributed. The lawsuit filed recently in Salem asks that community colleges be able to keep 100 percent of...

Just bearly.
January 6, 2003... JUST BEARLY. Amy Shapira's photo of "Swimmer," a grizzly bear she captured on film on Alaska, has ended up in countless mailboxes, thanks in part to Colorado Mountain College's Small Business Development Center in Glenwood Springs, Colo. The...

Former college security guard charged with arson.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... ALBANY, N.Y. -- A part-time security guard faces federal arson charges in connection with a fire set at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he worked, authorities said. Stephen C. Lee was accused of setting a July 13, 1994, fire at the...

Recession knocks college building efforts down, but not out.(George's Community College)
January 6, 2003... ARGO, Md. -- George's Community College is finding itself between a rock and no place these days. No place, that is, where a new building was supposed to go. To meet the growing interest in high-tech careers, the college had proposed...

Amid sliced budgets, California college faces dicey future.
January 6, 2003... As soon as Dr. Philip R. Day Jr. learned that California was facing a monumental budget crisis, he knew it would mean trouble for his school. "Education is one of the first things to take a whack when a state gets in trouble," observed...

La. colleges still grappling with computer glitches.
January 6, 2003... BATON ROUGE, La. -- Some members of Louisiana's Community and Technical College System Board of Supervisors are having second thoughts after pouring $6 million into a new PeopleSoft computer system. After three years, there are still...

Ore. college trustee ordered to pay stepson in abuse suit.(Denise Miller)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... ASHLAND, Ore. -- A member of the Rogue Community College Board of Education has been ordered to pay $140,000 for allegedly sexually abusing her stepson more than 20 years ago. A Jackson Country jury awarded the money to Gregg Miller after a...

Tenn. Regents to cut, consolidate higher ed. programs.
January 6, 2003... BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Board of Regents voted recently to cut or consolidate dozens of university and community college programs and to create a universal core curriculum for freshmen and sophomores. "This was not lightly...

Proposal to take public college private dies.(Oregon Institute of Technology )
January 6, 2003... LAMATH FALLS, Ore. -- One year after businessman Dic Wendt offered $75 million to the Oregon Institute of Technology if it would go where no modern college has gone before--from public to private--the idea is going nowhere. What killed it...

For retired instructor, life's a sleigh ride. (faculty lounge).(Bill Engel)
January 6, 2003... DENVER, Mo. -- Dashing through the snow, in a one-horse open sleigh. O'er the fields we go, laughing all the... Hold on. When was the last time anyone dashed anywhere like this? "At Christmas we sing `Over the River' and `Jingle...

Honors & Awards.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Two faculty members at Lakeland Community College in Kirtland, Ohio, recently won awards at the 30th annual Juried Exhibit and Competition at The Valley Art Center in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Fine arts instructor Chris Berry placed first for his...

Georgia college finds a better way. (Bits & Bytes).(Georgia Perimeter College)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... CLARKSTON, Ga. -- Imagine sitting down to your first online class, only to find that your computer software belongs with the dinosaurs. Thanks to a new computer program, students at Georgia Perimeter College won't be hampered by such hassles in...

N.J. college helps university master the IT universe. (Bits & Bytes).(Camden County College)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... BLACKWOOD, N.J. -- One of the 20 `most wired' universities in the United States has become the latest client of Camden County College's technology mentoring program. Known for integrating technology into every aspect of the educational...

HTTP://WWWhat? (A Tech Perspective).
January 6, 2003... Last September, a report was released from the Pew Internet & American Life Project titled, "The Internet Goes to College: How Students Are Living In The Future With Today's Technology." As a librarian, information literacy issues are of great...

Reducing the risks of PC purchasing. (A Tech Perspective).
January 6, 2003... Buying a personal computer--whether it's your first or your fifth, whether for yourself, your children or your company--can be a crap shoot. Will the computer work, or will it be dead on arrival? Will it work initially, but flatline after...

For love of the game? (around campus).(sports at Mesa Community College)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... MESA, Ariz. -- Mesa Community College has fired its football coach, days after players and fans erupted in violence at the end of the team's season-ending game against rival Scottsdale Community College. MCC did not draw a direct...

Oregon city swaps land for college classes. (around campus).(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... THE DALLES, Ore. -- The Dalles has given Columbia Gorge Community College 4.5 acres of land in exchange for free college classes for city workers. The rectangular chunk of land is located at the western border of the college. The school...

Former student becomes pinup for government waste. (around campus).(Chris Bagger)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... PORTLAND, Ore. -- Chris Bagger doesn't attract a lot of attention in his everyday life as a video poker machine repairman for the Oregon Lottery. But Bagger recently opened the newspaper to find a very different description of himself as...

From Russia with music.(conductor Valery Gerglev)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Valery Gerglev, conductor of the Kirov-Marlinsky Theatre Opera of St. Petersburg, Russia, helped kicked off "RussiaFest" at Santa Monica College in California last fal. A three-month celebration of Russian cultural heritage, "RussiaFest"...

Grants & Gifts.
January 6, 2003... The Boeing Company Charitable Trust has given a $15,000 donation to Rose State College in Midwest City, Okla. Of the $15,000, $10,000 will support scholarships in the college's engineering and science division, and $5,000 will help fund an...

Tarrant County College. (Appointments).(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Dr. Leonard McCormick is the new dean of instruction at the Southeast Campus of Tarrant County College in Fort Worth, Texas. McCormick served most recently as chairman of the school's humanities division. He earned a bachelor's degree and a...

Tidewater Community College. (Appointments).(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Dr. Quintin B. Bullock has been named provost of the Norfolk Campus of Virginia's Tidewater Community College. Before becoming provost, Bullock had served as the executive dean of the Damon City Campus of Monroe Community College in Rochester,...

San Jacinto names interim chancellor. (Presidents).(William Lindemann)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Dr. William Lindemann has been appointed interim chancellor of the San Jacinto College District in Pasadena, Texas. Lindemann has served as executive vice chancellor of instructional programs and services for SJC since 1997. He has a bachelor's...

Parker is new president of Delaware County. (Presidents).(Jerome S. Parker)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Delaware County Community College in Media, Pa., has named Dr. Jerome S. Parker president. He served most recently as the college's vice president for community and corporate education. He has a bachelor's degree from Wesleyan University, a...

Martinez appointed Alamo's acting chancellor. (Presidents).(Ernest A. Martinez)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Dr. Ernest A Martinez has been named acting chancellor of the Alamo Community College District in San Antonio. Previously, Martinez was the district's executive vice chancellor. He has a bachelor's degree from New Mexico Highlands University, a...

Ross to head Leech Lake. (Presidents).(Lenee Ross appointed president of Leech Lake Tribal College)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Lenee Ross recently was named president of Leech Lake Tribal College in Cass Lake, Minn. The college's second president, Ross served most recently as the executive director of the American Indian Resource Center at Bemidji State University,...

Instructor indicted for sending money to Iraq. (around the nation).
January 20, 2003... ST. LOUIS -- A U.S. magistrate has declined to release a community college instructor held since last month in an alleged scheme to funnel money to Iraq. Calling it a difficult decision, U.S. Magistrate Audrey Fleisseg nonetheless refused...

No bail for student who allegedly made bombs.
January 20, 2003... HOLYOKE, Mass. -- A community college student who allegedly made bombs in his basement is behind bars after he was denied bail. Jacob B. Miller, 20, was arrested last month when authorities said they uncovered a sophisticated bomb-making...

Court backs former student in univ. false-advertising suit.
January 20, 2003... MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- A former Alabama State University student who accused administrators of advertising courses for his major that were never offered has won a battle in his lawsuit against the school. The Alabama Supreme Court recently...

Firm claims college stiffed legal bill.(Wood and Bender LLP sues Ventura County Community College District)(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... VENTURA, Calif. -- A Camarillo law firm that investigated spending by former Ventura County Community College District Chancellor Philip Westin is suing the district for costs of the probe. The Superior Court suit filed by Wood and Bender...

Rural community colleges are losing their voice. (point of view).
January 20, 2003... It's easy to forget that while more students are enrolled in urban and suburban community colleges, the plurality of two-year colleges serve rural America. These institutions--mostly part small, isolated and resource-starved--serve communities...

Give students a running start. (What Others Are Saying).(community college in Washington state)
January 20, 2003... From The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Wash.) The worse the news gets for Washington state's economy, the more we need a well-funded community college system. But when the economy drains revenue from Washington state's budget, the...

Performance under pressure: who could argue with funding schools according to their performance? But what happens when the money runs out? And how do you define `performance' anyway?
January 20, 2003... Flash back to the 1990s: "Accountability" was the reigning buzzword, and state legislatures were becoming increasingly concerned about the amount of money being spent on higher education--particularly at community colleges. The solution...

Colleges seek federal support to expand Perkins programs. (dateline Washington).
January 20, 2003... Following a nationwide push for the Carl Perkins Act, community college advocates are asking the new U.S. Congress to provide continued funding for existing Perkins services and additional dollars for a new post-secondary initiative within the...

Congress expected to act on education funding bill. (Capitol briefs).(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... Funding for higher education programs was high atop the U.S. Congress' to-do list when it returned to work Jan. 7, especially because the legislators adjourned last fall without finalizing a spending bill for the fiscal year that runs through...

North Carolina students dig into history.
January 20, 2003... MORGANTON, N.C. -- Some students at Western Piedmont Community College have recently been eagerly digging into history--the kind that gets your hands dirty. Helping excavate an archaeological site 15 miles from the school, the students have...

Two-year certificate in W.Va. earns more than doctorate.(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... CHARLESTON, W. Va. -- A West Virginian holding a doctorate degree in 2001 earned an average of nearly $3,300 less per year than a resident with a certificate from a community college, according to figures just released. The state's Higher...

In the navy now?
January 20, 2003... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Military-inspired styling dominated the run-way at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology last month. Its biannual student fashion show included designs by FIT students Anastasia S. Jancu (left) and Kira...

Maryland college program offers police trainees free degree.
January 20, 2003... FREDERICK, Md. -- Become a state trooper and get a free college degree? For some students, it's an offer they can't refuse. "I could not pass that up," Trooper Ronald J. Prematta said. "I'd have to be a fool not to take advantage of it."...

Florida colleges have highest graduation rates in South. (publishing today).
January 20, 2003... ORLANDO, Fla. -- Florida's community colleges have the highest graduation rate in the South because they encourage students to transfer to four-year colleges, officials said. A new survey by a nonprofit organization monitoring schools and...

Michigan program eases transition to college. (around campus).
January 20, 2003... WARREN, Mich. -- Timothy Rucha, a fifth-year senior at Fitzgerald High School, is spending a lot of time at Macomb Community College. The 18-year-old is enrolled in a program that allows students an extra year of high school while they...

Emmy Award-winning actor and activist Edward James Olmos recently visited Morton College in Cicero, Ill. (around campus).(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... Emmy Award-winning actor and activist Edward James Olmos recently visited Morton College in Cicero, Ill., as a guest of the college's Hispanic American Leadership Organization and Student Activities Board. During his visit, Olmos discussed the...

Grants & Gifts.
January 20, 2003... The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has contributed $200,000 to help build Edmonds Community College's Center for Families in Lynnwood, Wash., which expands childcare, provides parent education and serves as a training center for...

Online tool helps universities, colleges fight plagiarism. (technology today).
January 20, 2003... IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Diaz-Duque, a University of Iowa lecturer in Spanish and Portuguese, used to do Internet searches on his students' papers if he questioned the authenticity of their work. Now, he's one of eight faculty members conducting a...

The sky's the limit, virtually. (technology today).(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: The latest in computer simulation technology is at the heart of the new aviation training center at the Homestead Campus of Miami-Dade Community College. Above, aviation student Fernando Bustamante gives...

Ohio college sets up Online Information Technology Academy. (Bits & Bytes).(Owens Community College)(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... TOLEDO, Ohio -- Owens Community College's Workforce and Community Services Division and Penta Career Center's adult education division are co-establishing the Online Information Technology Academy to provide educational and computer training in...

Texas college District launches first `Convergence Lab'. (Bits & Bytes).(Collin County Community College District)(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... PLANO, Texas -- Collin County Community College District officially opened the doors to its new "Convergence Lab" in a special ceremony for higher education officials, business representatives and community leaders. The lab is the first of its...

What's so funny? (A Tech Perspective).(jokes about computer technology)
January 20, 2003... We laugh, but there's always some truth lurking behind the humor, insights that can be illuminating. That's why the best humor is self-deprecating. By poking fun at ourselves we reveal our humanity. Other jokes poke fun at those we collectively...

Palo Alto College. (Appointments).(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... Palo Alto College in San Antonio has named Dr. Thomas Baynum vice president of academic affairs. He was previously the dean of the arts and sciences division at Richland Community College in Decatur, Ill. Baynum received a bachelor's degree and...

Dr. Adolfo R. Barrera has been named vice president of student affairs at Palo Alto College in San Antonio. (Appointments).(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... Dr. Adolfo R. Barrera has been named vice president of student affairs at Palo Alto College in San Antonio. Previously, Barrera was the assistant vice president for student affairs and director of multicultural student affairs at Southwest...

Brevard Community College. (Appointments).(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... Brevard Community College in Cocoa, Fla., has named Dr. Barbara Ake associate vice president of allied health. Ake, who has been Brevard's dean of allied health since September 2001, has a registered nursing degree from the Wascana Institute of...

Ozarks Technical Community College. (Appointments).(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... Ozarks Technical Community College in Springfield, Mo., has chosen Dr. Steven Bishop to be interim dean of the allied health division. Before taking this position, Bishop had been an instructor for the college's respiratory therapy program. He...

Paul D. Camp names president. (Presidents).(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... Dr. Douglas W. Boyce recently assumed the presidency at Paul D. Camp Community College in Franklin, Va. He was previously vice president of instruction at Southwest Virginia Community College in Richlands, Va. Boyce has a bachelor's degree from...

San Jacinto South picks interim president. (Presidents).(Linda Watkins)(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... Dr. Linda Watkins has been appointed interim president at San Jacinto College South in Pasadena, Texas. Before taking the interim post, Watkins was vice president of instruction and student services at San Jacinto College South. She received a...

Pfeiffer to head St. Louis' Florissant Valley campus. (Presidents).(Marcia Pfeiffer)(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... Marcia Pfeiffer has been named president of the Florissant Valley campus of St. Louis Community College in St. Louis. Pfeiffer had been interim campus president since January 2002. She has a bachelor's degree and a master's degree from Kansas...