Community College Week articles from January 2007

Community College Week archives from January 2007

Study finds California community colleges struggling with high attrition, low graduation rates.(around the nation)
January 15, 2007... Community college students in California are not earning enough associate degrees, nor are they transferring frequently enough to four-year universities, according to a study recently released by the Public Policy Institute of California. ...

Wyoming lawmakers consider changes for community colleges.
January 15, 2007... CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) -- Lawmakers may consider a new direction for the state's community colleges when the state Legislature meets starting this month. Gov, Dave Freudenthal has proposed a blue-ribbon commission to study the future of the...

Louisiana names May to head state's rebuilding of community college system.
January 15, 2007... BATON ROUGE, La. -- The former head of the Colorado Community College System has been selected to take the reins of the eight-year-old Louisiana Community and Technical College System. Joe May was selected in December to fall the vacancy...

Federal education department reaching out to enlist Black colleges in aid program.
January 15, 2007... Facilities planners at Historically Black Colleges and University can expect to hear from the U.S. Education Department about becoming their banker. In response to a Government Accountability, Office report slamming management of the...

Connecticut religious discrimination suit moves closer to trial.
January 15, 2007... A religious discrimination suit against Naugatuck Valley Community College by a tenured business professor, who is also a priest, and his supervisor is moving closer to trial. A federal judge in Bridgeport, Conn., has ruled that Father...

Two-year enrollment topped 4.3 million in 2005, census finds.
January 15, 2007... Some 2.6 million students attended two-year colleges full-time in 2005, while another 1.7 million attended on a part-time basis, according to data recently released by the Census Bureau. The public two-year attendance totaled 2.3 million...

A new day: Democrats have pledged many reforms college officials have sought for years. But will the new majority be able to deliver on their promises?(Cover story)
January 15, 2007... WASHINGTON -- It's a new year and there's a new agenda in Congress with the ushering in of the Democratic leadership. But despite many promises from the newly-elected officials, how much will higher education really gain? The answer to...

Tuition, fees continue upward climb.(CAPITOL briefs)
January 15, 2007... Tuition for public community college students is rising about twice the rate of inflation, according a survey by the National Center for Education Statistics. Annual tuition and required fees at public two-year colleges for in-district...

Private loan information called lacking.(CAPITOL briefs)
January 15, 2007... The growth in the private education loan market is creating a demand for more and better information for students, according to the Institute for Higher Education Policy. In a report entitled The Future of Private Loans: Who Is Borrowing...

AAUP decries use of part-time faculty.(CAPITOL briefs)
January 15, 2007... Part-time faculty may provide cheap labor for community colleges, but they are also cheapening educational quality, according to the American Association of University Professors. The association issued a report slamming what it documents...

More cash won't resolve education woes, new study asserts.
January 15, 2007... Pumping more money into the country's education system won't fix its woes. Rather, if the nation is to compete in today's global marketplace, it must rebuild a system designed for another era. That is the dire warning contained in a...

Mississippi mulls more college spending.
January 15, 2007... JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- Universities and community colleges would split $200 million to fix leaky roofs, renovate academic halls and build new buildings, under a bond bill that has cleared a House committee. The bill moves to the full House...

Two-year tuition freeze proposed in Washington.
January 15, 2007... SPOKANE, Wash, (AP) -- Gov. Chris Gregoire has proposed freezing tuition at community colleges for the next two years and limiting annual tuition increases at Washington universities to no more than 7 percent. In the higher education budget...

Federal judge clears way for age discrimination lawsuit filed by former instructor at Joliet Junior College.
January 15, 2007... A former computer programming instructor at Joliet Junior College in Illinois, just south of Chicago, has been cleared to pursue an age discrimination lawsuit after the college failed to renew her teaching contract, moving her case closer to...

Today's personal printers are all that and much more.(technology today)
January 15, 2007... Just as personal computers have become more versatile over the years, so have personal primers. Multifunction primers combine printing with copying, scanning, and faxing in one unit, and sometimes phone, voice mail, and e-mail sending functions...

Youngsters from Missouri and other mid-western states recently explored science and technology by using LEGO and robotics kits in special competitions at St. Louis Community College-Florissant Valley.(Bits & Bytes)
January 15, 2007... Youngsters from Missouri and other mid-western states recently explored science and technology by using LEGO and robotics kits in special competitions at St. Louis Community College-Florissant Valley. More than 200 students participated in the...

Sustainability has always been part of the culture at Butte College, in Oroville, Calif.(Bits & Bytes)
January 15, 2007... Sustainability has always been part of the culture at Butte College, in Oroville, Calif. Due to its remote location in north-central California, Butte College is in a small city that operates its own water system, processes its own sewage,...

Students are driving the sustainability effort.(Bits & Bytes)
January 15, 2007... Students are driving the sustainability effort. So far this year, students have conducted a number of events, established a sustainability center, established an umbrella organization--the Student Alliance for Sustainability, to coordinate...

It isn't Sesame Street.(around campus)
January 15, 2007... It isn't Sesame Street. A 13-foot, two ton Wounded Peace Dove sculpture is the cornerstone attraction of a 150-piece art exhibit by renowned artist, Nall, currently on display at Miami Dade College's Wolfson Campus in downtown Miami. His works...

Community college horticulture students from across the state of Virginia traveled to Richmond to help decorate the Executive Mansion for the holidays.(around campus)
January 15, 2007... Community college horticulture students from across the state of Virginia traveled to Richmond to help decorate the Executive Mansion for the holidays. First Lady Anne Holton stopped by to thank everyone for their assistance and hard work....

Central Florida Community College in Ocala, Fla., has been awarded a $23,000 grant for a service-learning pilot project.(Grants & Gifts)
January 15, 2007... Central Florida Community College in Ocala, Fla., has been awarded a $23,000 grant for a service-learning pilot project. The Life Legacy Partnership Project will be funded through Florida Campus Compact, and will allow CFCC students to work...

Springfield Technical Community College in Springfield, Mass., has received $240,990 from the National Endowment for the Humanities for a website project entitled "Shays' Rebellion and the Making of a Nation: From Revolution to Constitution.".(Grants & Gifts)
January 15, 2007... Springfield Technical Community College in Springfield, Mass., has received $240,990 from the National Endowment for the Humanities for a website project entitled "Shays' Rebellion and the Making of a Nation: From Revolution to Constitution."...

A three-year, $2 million Community-Based Job Training grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has been awarded to Gloucester County College in Sewell, N. J., and its partner in educational ventures, Salem Community College in Carneys Point, N.J.(Grants & Gifts)
January 15, 2007... A three-year, $2 million Community-Based Job Training grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has been awarded to Gloucester County College in Sewell, N. J., and its partner in educational ventures,...

State Sen. John Rafferty, R-44, presented a check for $500,000 to officials from Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell, Pa., and the Schuylkill River Heritage Area.(Grants & Gifts)
January 15, 2007... State Sen. John Rafferty, R-44, presented a check for $500,000 to officials from Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell, Pa., and the Schuylkill River Heritage Area. The money will go toward development of a Schuylkill Riverfront...

The Austin, Dallas and Upper Rio Grande areas of Texas will benefit from a $1,029,159 job-training grant administered by the Texas Workforce Commission.(Grants & Gifts)
January 15, 2007... The Austin, Dallas and Upper Rio Grande areas of Texas will benefit from a $1,029,159 job-training grant administered by the Texas Workforce Commission. American Achievement Corp., which has facilities in Austin, Dallas and El Paso, has...

J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College in Richmond, Va., has received a $1 million gift from the Richard S. Reynolds Foundation, in celebration of the qualities embodied in the late J. Sargeant Reynolds, for whom the college is named.(Grants & Gifts)
January 15, 2007... J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College in Richmond, Va., has received a $1 million gift from the Richard S. Reynolds Foundation, in celebration of the qualities embodied in the late J. Sargeant Reynolds, for whom the college is named. As one of...

Morton College, in Cicero Ill., hosted a series of workshops last fall devoted to involving adjunct faculty in the assessment and educational process.(faculty lounge)
January 15, 2007... Morton College, in Cicero Ill., hosted a series of workshops last fall devoted to involving adjunct faculty in the assessment and educational process. The workshops focused on getting adjunct faculty to incorporate critical thinking into their...

Two instructors with ties to MiraCosta College, in Oceanside, Calif., have been selected to participate in a four-month Mars mission simulation.(faculty lounge)
January 15, 2007... Two instructors with ties to MiraCosta College, in Oceanside, Calif., have been selected to participate in a four-month Mars mission simulation. Instructional associate Kathy Bywaters and former instructional associate Shannon Rupert will take...

Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, N. C., held a 100th birthday celebration for long-time friend, supporter and retiree of the college, Powell Majors.(faculty lounge)
January 15, 2007... Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, N. C., held a 100th birthday celebration for long-time friend, supporter and retiree of the college, Powell Majors. The college also announced results of a scholarship fundraising effort in honor...

Kim Green.(Honors & AWARDS)
January 15, 2007... The Community College Business Officers Association has named Kim Green, associate vice chancellor of business affairs for the Dallas County Community College District, as international outstanding business officer for 2006. The award,...

Connecticut's 12 community colleges have received a U.S. Department of Labor grant for their Bridges to Health Careers Initiative.(Honors & AWARDS)
January 15, 2007... Connecticut's 12 community colleges have received a U.S. Department of Labor grant for their Bridges to Health Careers Initiative. The colleges were rewarded for their efforts and achievements in workforce development. The $2 million...

Los Angeles College District.(Honors & AWARDS)
January 15, 2007... Capping a year of local leadership in promoting sustainable building practices, the Los Angeles Community College District was honored with the United States Green Building Council--Los Angeles Chapter's Sustainable Future Award at the 2nd...

Calendar.(Calendar)
January 15, 2007... JANUARY January 31, 2007 AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF COMMUNITY COLLEGES Workforce Development Institute San Diego, CA www.aacc.nche.edu/WFI January 31-February 2, 2007 NACADA Assessment of Academic Advising...

Butte College.(APPOINTMENTS)
January 15, 2007... Butte College in Oroville, Calif., has named Andy Suleski as vice-president of administration. Suleski has 21 years of experience in fiscal services and budget management, including 17 years in the community college system. Suleski has served...

Corning Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
January 15, 2007... Joan Ballinger has been named executive director of workforce development and community education at Corning Community College in Corning, N.Y. In her new job, she'll be responsible for oversight of workforce development, community and...

Central Maine Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
January 15, 2007... The new dean of student services at Central Maine Community College in Auburn, Maine, is Randall E. Lee. Selected after a nationwide search, Lee is graduate of East Central Community College in Decatur, Miss. He also earned bachelor's and...

Northwestern Michigan College.(APPOINTMENTS)
January 15, 2007... Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City has hired Cathy Jones, as its new vice president of finance and administration, the chief financial officer of the college. Jones comes to NMC from Georgetown University School of Law, where she...

Anoka-Ramsey Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
January 15, 2007... DeBorah Zackery has accepted the position of dean of educational services at Anoka-Ramsey Community College in Cambridge, Minn. In this position, Zackery will oversee the departments of English, journalism, reading studies, study skills,...

Agencies fixing regulatory gaze on Career Education Corp.(around the nation)
January 29, 2007... One of the largest for-profit providers of postsecondary education increasingly is drawing the attention of regulators for a long list of questionable financial and educational practices. Career Education Corp., a multi-billion dollar...

Fla. officials agree to limited 4-year programs.
January 29, 2007... TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Leaders of two boards overseeing higher education in Florida have agreed that community colleges can offer four-year degrees but only in the fields of nursing, teaching and applied sciences, education officials...

Teacher preparation needs to be a comprehensive endeavor.(point of view)
January 29, 2007... The critical question for community colleges still stands. Are we part of the problem or part of the solution? We endeavor to help curtail the national teacher shortage by playing a larger role in educating and certifying teachers. Indeed,...

The alternate route: colleges are offering new paths into school classrooms.(SPECIAL REPORT: TEACHER EDUCATION)(Cover story)
January 29, 2007... Tamara Turner-Ottkey never really planned to become a teacher. As a highly-educated molecular biologist, and the mother of two children, she had a full life and a good job in suburban Washington, D.C. But last year she made a career...

Idaho plan for new community college must get past tax panel.
January 29, 2007... BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter's plan to lower the biggest obstacle to building the first new Idaho community college in four decades is running into opposition from lawmakers on a conservative-leaning panel that often slams...

Warrants served at 3 Maricopa colleges as part of probe.
January 29, 2007... PHOENIX (AP) -- The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office is investigating allegations of corruption at community colleges in Arizona. Deputies earlier this month served search warrants at three community colleges and at the Maricopa Community...

Former adjunct loses appeal of bribery conviction for attempt to gain confidential college personnel records.
January 29, 2007... Despite the unsuccessful appeal of his bribery conviction, a former part-time faculty member at Oxnard College remains a man on a mission, insisting that he's an innocent victim of blind justice. A jury in Ventura County., Calif., convicted...

Enrollment in Va. continues growth.
January 29, 2007... RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Enrollment at the state's community colleges continues to rise, with a record number of students taking courses at the two-year institutions, the Virginia Community College System said. Community-college enrollment...

New Congress gets down to work on education legislation.(dateline washington)
January 29, 2007... Washington -- The push to cut interest rates on student loans occupies center stage of the new Congress. But Senate Democrats are working behind the scenes on plans to reauthorize the Higher Education Act, including raising the limits on...

A happy and prosperous New Year, from Autumn Publishing.(dateline washington)
January 29, 2007... As we embark on another new year, we at Autumn Publishing Enterprises and Community College Week want to extend good wishes to our readers for a successful 2007. Last year at this time, we outlined our goals for circulation and editorial and we...

Annual report card adds new measures.(CAPITOL briefs)
January 29, 2007... WASHINGTON -- The federal Department of Education is adding persistence to its annual report card on community colleges serving Native American and Hispanic populations. Starting this year, the department will include graduation and...

Panel starts rewrite of rules on loans.(CAPITOL briefs)
January 29, 2007... WASHINGTON -- How should federal rules address the discharge of student loans when a borrower's identity is stolen? And what kind of inducements should Federal Family Education Loan program lenders be barred from offering prospective...

OPM revising loan benefits for federal workers.(CAPITOL briefs)
January 29, 2007... WASHINGTON -- The Office of Personnel Management wants to revise rules federal agencies follow to offer student loan repayment benefits to federal employees. Officials are trying to make the rules easier to use and administer, as well as...

Judge dismisses Illinois counselor's discrimination lawsuit.
January 29, 2007... A federal judge has tossed out a tenured counselor's racial discrimination and retaliation suit against Elgin Community College, finding insufficient evidence for trial on claims. involving the tenure evaluation process and teaching...

Ex-campus president pleads guilty to embezzlement.
January 29, 2007... BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) -- The former president of a South Texas vocational institution pleaded guilty to embezzling thousands of dollars in financial aid from students. Reynaldo Garcia, 45, pleaded guilty earlier this month to failing to...

Wyoming bill would set up state higher education council.
January 29, 2007... CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) -- A lawmaker is sponsoring a bill that would set up a state higher education council to oversee and coordinate higher education in Wyoming. The council would have five voting members appointed by the governor: one each...

Podcasting is thrusting a once alien technology firmly into the audio mainstream.
January 29, 2007... Podcasting is a perfect computer term. It's has both a technological and science fiction aura to it. In the aerospace industry, a pod is detachable compartment on a spacecraft for carrying personnel or instruments. A pod person, in at least two...

The Metropolitan Community Colleges, in Omaha, Neb., has a Utility Line Technology program that recently acquired a new digger/derrick truck.(around campus)
January 29, 2007... The Metropolitan Community Colleges, in Omaha, Neb., has a Utility Line Technology program that recently acquired a new digger/derrick truck. The truck raises the equipment standard to new heights, giving students entering the pro gram the...

New technology, standards and practices are all a reality in the modern world of banking and is creating a demand for bank tellers.(around campus)
January 29, 2007... New technology, standards and practices are all a reality in the modern world of banking and is creating a demand for bank tellers. People interested in becoming bank tellers can get a leg up on the competition with a new five-week evening...

Dutchess Community College, in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., will exhibit the work of renowned sculptor Concetta Scarvalione at the Mildred I. Washington Art Gallery in a exhibit that will run from the end of February through the end of March.(around campus)
January 29, 2007... Dutchess Community College, in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., will exhibit the work of renowned sculptor Concetta Scarvalione at the Mildred I. Washington Art Gallery in a exhibit that will run from the end of February through he end of March. The show's...

South Texas College in McAllen, Texas, was one of 72 community colleges from across the nation recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor's Community-Based Job Training Grant.(Grants & Gifts)
January 29, 2007... South Texas College in McAllen, Texas, was one of 72 community colleges from across the nation recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor's Community-Based Job Training Grant. The college was awarded $708,476 to support training in computer...

Butte College in Oroville, Calif., has received a five-year, $469,000 federal grant from the Child Care Access Means Parents in School Program.(Grants & Gifts)
January 29, 2007... Butte College in Oroville, Calif., has received a five-year, $469,000 federal grant from the Child Care Access Means Parents in School Program. The program provides low-income students with child-care services to allow them to attend college....

With the announcement in late December 2006 that the U.S. Department of Labor had awarded Casper College in Casper, Wyo., a grant worth more than $1 million establishing a degree program to train power plant operators for a regional market, the college is now in the process of moving the program forward.(Grants & Gifts)
January 29, 2007... With the announcement in late December 2006 that the U.S. Department of Labor had awarded Casper College in Casper, Wyo., a grant worth more than $1 million establishing a degree program to train power plant operators for a regional market, the...

Harry Butowsky.(faculty lounge)
January 29, 2007... Harry Butowsky, a senior historian with the National Park Service and long-time observer of the United States and Soviet space programs, will be teaching a 12-week class on Sputnik and the Space Age at the Northern Virginia Community College...

Ron Clark.(faculty lounge)
January 29, 2007... Ron Clark, a well-decorated teacher and best-selling author, recently paid a visit to Central Florida Community College, in Ocala, Fla., to give a speech to students in the college's education program. Clark, who reluctantly took a teaching job...

Lincoln Land Community College.(Honors & AWARDS)
January 29, 2007... President Charlotte J. Warren, of Lincoln Land Community College, in Springfield, Ill., was promoted to the rank of colonel during a ceremony at Oglethorpe Armory in Ellenwood, Ga, earlier this month. She serves in the Georgia Army National...

Laura Moore.(Honors & AWARDS)
January 29, 2007... Laura Moore, director of alumni relations at Owens Community College, in Toledo Ohio, has been chosen to receive the college's fourth annual Presidential Citation Award for outstanding dedication and service to higher education. The...

Baltimore City Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
January 29, 2007... Baltimore City Community College has appointed E. Daniel Kapraun as the new vice president of student affairs. Kapraun, a 20-year veteran of higher education, will oversee student development, enrollment and the college's off-campus centers...

San Jose City College.(APPOINTMENTS)
January 29, 2007... Michael Burke has been appointed president of San Jose City College in San Jose, Calif. Burke will assume the presidency this spring. He was previously president of North Idaho College, a two-year college in Coeur d'Alene, and he also spent 13...

Lamar Institute of Technology.(APPOINTMENTS)
January 29, 2007... Pat O'Connor, a veteran technical college administrator and instructor, was named chair of the technology department at Lamar Institute of Technology in Beaumont, Texas. O'Connor comes to Lamar institute of Technology from Texas State Technical...

Calendar: event listings are free!(Calendar)
January 29, 2007... Send entries to: Community College Week, P.O. Box, Fairfax, VA 22038; FAX: (703) 978-3933 or via E-mail: ads@ccweek.com FEBRUARY February 10-13, 2007 ACE 89th Annual Conference "The Access Imperative" Omni Shoreham Hotel...