Community College Week articles from July 2005

Community College Week archives from July 2005

Louisiana Community College system may Join National Articulation and Transfer Network.(around the nation)
July 4, 2005... BATON ROUGE, La. -- Louisiana and the rest of the United States could learn a valuable lesson from Florida's ongoing efforts to make it easier for students to transfer from two-year colleges to four-year colleges. That was the message from...

Embattled Compton Community College loses accreditation.(around the nation)
July 4, 2005... COMPTON, Calif. -- In an unprecedented move, California's troubled Compton Community College will be stripped of its accreditation effective Aug. 19, apparently making it the first public college in the nation to lose its official approval,...

Dispute divides Missouri colleges.
July 4, 2005... POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. (AP) -- A feud between Three Rivers Community College and Southeast Missouri State University over jointly run regional sites has resulted in a permanent divide, as the community college is opening six new educational centers...

Florida: Bellwether of the future for the Community-College baccalaureate?(point of view)
July 4, 2005... Florida leaders have been key spokespersons both for and against the idea of authorizing community colleges to award the baccalaureate degree. Dr. Kenneth Walker, president of Edison Community College in Fort Myers, Fla., has been a strong...

Eliminating limitations.(point of view)
July 4, 2005... Discussion within the community-college system too often dwells upon technical versus transfer programs in terms of mission, quality of faculty and self-congratulation on how well we provide access. These attributes may once have been in...

Is an associate's degree good enough? Florida community colleges are playing an ever-increasing role in pushing students toward bachelor's degrees.(Cover story)
July 4, 2005... The demographic hurricane that continues to pound Florida, coupled with a need for higher education institutions to evolve to prepare students for the sweeping changes in 21st-century job skills, have created a challenging mix of roles for the...

GAO removes student aid programs from high-risk list after 15 years.(dateline washington)
July 4, 2005... First the good news: The U.S. Department of Education has made enough progress in cleaning up student aid programs that the Government Accountability Office removed them from its high-risk program list. Now the less good news: The student...

Capitol hill updates.(CAPITOL briefs)
July 4, 2005... High-school students of the future may be able to benefit from the same qualified state tuition plans as today's students, under pending federal legislation. Leaders of the Senate Finance Committee recently introduced the College 529 InvEST Act...

Honors programs spark controversy.
July 4, 2005... When she graduated from high school in 2004, Linda Diep had the grades to enroll in a private four-year college. But she didn't have the money. So she decided to spend her first two years at San Jacinto College in Houston. A few weeks into...

Dallas County Community Colleges to hike fees for slow course completion.
July 4, 2005... DALLAS -- In a move that is expected to make up for more than $2 million in lost state funding, the Dallas County Community Colleges District has announced plans to substantially increase the fees of any student who takes a class three times or...

Colorado seeks to ease access and boost retention with vouchers.
July 4, 2005... DENVER -- It has long been a maxim of community colleges that students vote with their feet. In Colorado that's taken on new meaning with the Legislatures plan to cerise de facto funding for state colleges and universities, instead allocating...

Nevada's booming economy means big bucks for community colleges.
July 4, 2005... CARSON CITY, Nev. -- Gambling paid off big for Nevada's community colleges this year, where a tourism boom helped fuel a state surplus and a surprise budget increase for the state's higher-education system. The state's budget is funded...

Albuquerque community college getting new name.
July 4, 2005... ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) Albuquerque's community college is getting a new name next year--possibly either Central New Mexico Community College or Community College of Central New Mexico. College President Michael Glennon said that in any...

New probe asked for Georgia Tech schools.
July 4, 2005... ATLANTA (AP) -- The inspector general has been asked to continue his probe of the state's technical colleges, as four more college presidents reported having relatives on the payroll. Mike Light, a spokesman for the Department of Technical...

Montgomery College campus to undergo name change.
July 4, 2005... SILVER SPRING, Md. -- The board of trustees for Montgomery College have voted to officially change the name of the college's Takoma Park campus to Montgomery College Takoma Park/Silver Spring, to reflect the expansion of the school into the...

Community college at a high-school price.
July 4, 2005... DENVER -- Two Colorado high schools are sending students through community college tuition-free. Students remain officially enrolled in high school through up to two years of full-time community-college study. The high schools pay their college...

Community College to station international observatory.
July 4, 2005... LAMAR, Colo. (AP) -- An international science group recently chose Lamar Community College as the site of a $50 million observatory to measure the cosmic rays that continually bombard the Earth. The Pierre Auger Collaboration said the...

Students, start your engines: NASCAR mania is fueling two-year motorsports technology programs.(workforce training)
July 4, 2005... NASCAR nation, indeed. Being part of a pit crew used to be a job you could get if you knew someone who knew someone, or if you hung out around the racetrack long enough. Now everything from certificate programs to associate's degrees are...

Community Colleges' ongoing identity crisis.
July 4, 2005... Community Colleges: A Reference Handbook By Dr. David L. Levinson ABC-CLIO 2005 Hardcover, $45 The 20th century consisted of 100 years of conflicting roles for community colleges, and the 21st century will consist of another 100 years...

High-tech "SimMan" gives students a taste of trauma.(Bits & Bytes)
July 4, 2005... It's alive! No, not really, but SimMan is life-like enough to provide a unique training experience for the students in Prairie State College's nursing program. The newly acquired patient care simulator mannequin can talk, breathe, have an...

Open source: free software at a price.
July 4, 2005... The personal computer revolution is all about freedom of choice, but ironically, software companies typically try to tightly control what you do. You license a program instead of buying it outright. You can use it on only one or a specified...

The nature of a nation.(Pictures and Praise)
July 4, 2005... Photojournalist Matt Moyer has spent more than a decade traveling the world, bringing the day's news stories to life through the lens of his camera. The Philadelphia-based photojournalist recently appeared at Onondaga Community College in...

Breaking through barriers.(Pictures and Praise)
July 4, 2005... When Jessica Kell started college eight years ago, she was quickly disappointed to learn that her small private college didn't have the facilities to help her achieve her goals. A frustrated Kell, who is blind, enrolled at the College of...

Thomas Nelson Community College in Hampton, Va., has been selected to receive a four-year TRIO Student Support Services grant totaling $880,000 from the U.S. Department of Education.(Grants & Gifts)
July 4, 2005... Thomas Nelson Community College in Hampton, Va., has been selected to receive a four-year TRIO Student Support Services grant totaling $880,000 from the U.S. Department of Education. The grant will fund a variety of programs to support...

Baltimore County has earmarked an additional $3.3 million for the Community College of Baltimore County in the 2006 fiscal year budget.(Grants & Gifts)
July 4, 2005... Baltimore County has earmarked an additional $3.3 million for the Community College of Baltimore County in the 2006 fiscal year budget. The 9.2 percent increase will eliminate the need for the college to increase in-county tuition.

Prairie State College, in Chicago Heights, Ill., will receive an additional $180,000 in state funding in the 2006 fiscal year.(Grants & Gifts)
July 4, 2005... Prairie State College, in Chicago Heights, Ill., will receive an additional $180,000 in state funding in the 2006 fiscal year. PSC is one of only four community colleges in the state to get extra funds for the upcoming fiscal year.

Palm Beach Community College recently received a $1 million donation from philanthropist Countess Henrietta de Hoernle for its new Countess Henrietta de Hoernle Humanities & Technology Building.(Grants & Gifts)
July 4, 2005... Palm Beach Community College recently received a $1 million donation from philanthropist Countess Henrietta de Hoernle for its new Countess Henrietta de Hoernle Humanities & Technology Building. The four-story building will feature design...

Lakeland Community College in Kirtland, Ohio, has received a grant of $26,600 from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation to expand the college's science, engineering, mathematics and aerospace academy for school children.(Grants & Gifts)
July 4, 2005... Lakeland Community College in Kirtland, Ohio, has received a grant of $26,600 from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation to expand the college's science, engineering, mathematics and aerospace academy for school children. The grant will be used...

Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, Calif., has received a $42,000 grant from the George Hoag Family Foundation of Santa Monica to purchase a baby simulator for its school of allied health.(Grants & Gifts)
July 4, 2005... Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, Calif., has received a $42,000 grant from the George Hoag Family Foundation of Santa Monica to purchase a baby simulator for its school of allied health. OCC will be the only community college in the nation...

Santa Fe Community College in Santa Fe, N.M., will receive a $2.2 million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation as part of a national rural entrepreneurship development initiative.(Grants & Gifts)
July 4, 2005... Santa Fe Community College in Santa Fe, N.M., will receive a $2.2 million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation as part of a national rural entrepreneurship development initiative. The college will work with a coalition of organizations that...

Monroe Community College in Rochester, N.Y., has received a $1,194,559 grant from the U.S. Department of Education's TRIO Program.(Grants & Gifts)
July 4, 2005... Monroe Community College in Rochester, N.Y., has received a $1,194,559 grant from the U.S. Department of Education's TRIO Program. The award ensures the school's student support services program will operate until August 2010.

Seven-figure life lessons.(faculty lounge)
July 4, 2005... While some people are out to make their first million dollars, Dr. Richard Semmler, a mathematics instructor at Northern Virginia Community College's Annandale campus, wants to give his away as fast as he can earn it. The 32-year NVCC veteran...

Charles Carman.(Honors & AWARDS)
July 4, 2005... Charles Carman, an accounting professor at Delaware County Community College in Media, Pa., has been awarded the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation's Distinguished Tea-ching Award. The award honors full-time faculty members who...

Jodi Youmans Jones.(Honors & AWARDS)
July 4, 2005... Casper College dance instructor Jodi Youmans Jones recently received the first Judith Bailey Scully Award. The award was established by Marlan O. Scully in honor of his wife, Judith. Youmans Jones teaches a variety of dance forms, including...

Darice Palmier.(Honors & AWARDS)
July 4, 2005... Darice Palmier, an assistant professor of music at Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville, Ill., was recently named Faculty Member of the Year. Palmier was honored for her service, responsiveness and dedication to students.

Two faculty members at Tunxis Community College in Farmington, Conn., were honored recently by the Connecticut Community College System.(Honors & AWARDS)
July 4, 2005... Two faculty members at Tunxis Community College in Farmington, Conn., were honored recently by the Connecticut Community College System. Dr. Frances O'Neil, a professor of psychology, and Stephen Ersinghaus, an assistant professor of English,...

Five faculty members at Springfield Technical Community College in Springfield, Mass., have received recognitions of excellence from the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) in the Community College Leadership Program.(Honors & AWARDS)
July 4, 2005... Five faculty members at Springfield Technical Community College in Springfield, Mass., have received recognitions of excellence from the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) in the Community College Leadership...

Salt Lake Community College.(PRESIDENTS & RETIREMENTS)
July 4, 2005... Salt Lake Community College in Salt Lake City, Utah, has selected Dr. Cynthia A. Boiteau as its seventh president. She most recently served as vice president for instruction and chief academic officer of Forsyth Technical Community College in...

Brookhaven College.(PRESIDENTS & RETIREMENTS)
July 4, 2005... Dr. Sharon Blackman has been named president of Brookhaven College in Farmer's Branch, Texas. Blackman was previously president of the Auburn Hills campus of Oakland Community College in Auburn Hills, Mich. She earned her bachelor's and...

Georgia Perimeter College.(PRESIDENTS & RETIREMENTS)
July 4, 2005... Dr. Jacquelyn M. Belcher recently retired from Georgia Perimeter College in Decatur after 10 years at the helm. She was the first minority female president in the University System of Georgia and the first minority president of a nonminority...

South Arkansas Community College.(PRESIDENTS & RETIREMENTS)
July 4, 2005... Dr. Alan Rasco has been named president of South Arkansas Community College in El Dorado, Ark. Rasco was previously vice president of academic affairs and student services at Galveston College in Galveston, Texas. He earned two associate's...

Onondaga Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
July 4, 2005... Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, N.Y., has named Dr. Agatha Awuah director of institutional research and planning. She was most recently a research analyst with SUNY Binghamton. Awuah holds two bachelor's degrees from the University of...

Palo Alto College.(APPOINTMENTS)
July 4, 2005... Maria Catherine "Cathy" A. Obien has been appointed assistant to the president at Palo Alto College in San Antonio. Obien was most recently the compliance specialist and special assistant to the vice president for university advancement at the...

Re-energizing the community college as a corporate mediator.(around the nation)
July 18, 2005... Washington -- While business-to-campus partnerships and customized training are crucial staples for the community college, many are heralding a new model: the community college as broker to help businesses leverage competition. This new...

Teachers' unions: shaking the money tree for community colleges.(around the nation)
July 18, 2005... New York -- Madison Square Garden was rocking. On stage and simulcast on television screens around the stadium, singer-songwriter Richie Havens was re-enacting his 1969 Woodstock performance of "Freedom." In the stands, more than 20,000...

Big money gifts offer big dividends and potential traps for colleges.(around the nation)
July 18, 2005... Gifts of more than $1 million from a single donor are a thrilling catch for any college fundraiser, and recently community colleges are beginning to be the recipients of such gifts. But big money donations have their unique challenges as well....

Construction courses scramble to keep pace with booming industry.(around the nation)
July 18, 2005... A four-year carpenter apprenticeship got Trevor Eggleston in the door. He then spent another four years working day-to-day in his trade. But he says he realized he was never going to ascend to the level of project manager unless he went back to...

UW struggling to accommodate all transfer students.
July 18, 2005... SEATTLE -- Transferring from a Washington community college to a four-year university used to be a matter of numbers. Have the right grade-point average and the right piece of paper and you were in. All that changed a year ago, when the...

America's promise compromised.(point of view)
July 18, 2005... The 21st century has arrived, and it is certainly fulfilling the promise of economic and social change. Information technology continues to lure us into a realm of unimagined convenience and complexity. As individuals and organizations struggle...

Community colleges and the formation of 'social capital'.(point of view)
July 18, 2005... Community colleges increasingly find themselves competing with other sectors of higher education for dwindling public financial support. While the breadth and depth of educational services provided by community colleges steadily increases,...

What's all the fuss about?(Letter to the editor)
July 18, 2005... I must say that I just don't get all the fuss over vocational or technical education "versus" a liberal education in community colleges, as highlighted in your June 6 issue. Most of higher education is vocational in nature and is becoming...

Misunderstood? With expenses multiplying and funding still sinking, community colleges are trying to better communicate to their constituencies and to their states why they are worth the money.
July 18, 2005... Paying the bills at community colleges has never been easy. But in this age of state funding cuts, schools are driven more and more to find creative means to make ends meet. The reasons for shrinking state support are many. And even where...

Capitol briefs.
July 18, 2005... Institutions serving specific demographic populations got a few potential funding boosts from Congress recently. First, the Senate approved the Minority Serving Institution Digital and Wireless Technology Opportunity Act of 2005, which...

WIA boards displeased with community-college training.(dateline washington)
July 18, 2005... Most local workforce boards are complaining that they can't judge how well training providers are doing. And most also gripe that community colleges only provide training by the academic calendar--which doesn't fit the needs of many...

Student overcomes many odds to earn degree at 38.
July 18, 2005... El Cajon, Calif. -- Dawn Monday never thought she would attend college; she didn't even think she would graduate from high school. She remembers "sitting at graduation rehearsal trembling with fear; I just knew at any moment I would be called...

Court rules college should have sold TV station to televangelists.(dateline washington)
July 18, 2005... Santa Ana, Calif. -- A California court of appeals has invalidated the Coast Community College District's attempt to sell its PBS station to the station's own foundation, saying the district should have accepted a larger bid from a...

U of I, Kirkwood could move into Iowa City mall.
July 18, 2005... IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The University of Iowa and Kirkwood Community College could add some life to a downtown Iowa City mall that has lost several stores in recent years. University of Iowa officials plan to rent 68,000 square feet in the Old...

New Orleans is site of 'Southern hub' of customer service training.(workforce training)
July 18, 2005... New Orleans, La. -- Just across the street from the Louisiana Superdome, in one of this city's biggest shopping malls, Louisiana Technical College is working with several public and private partners to teach customer service skills. "It...

The next link in the chain?(publishing today)
July 18, 2005... The Community College Baccalaureate: Emerging Trends & Policy Issues Edited by Dr. Deborah L. Floyd, Michael L. Skolnik & Dr. Kenneth P. Walker Stylus Publishing 2005 $65 cloth Has the two-year college become obsolete? The strength and...

It's just rocket science.(Bits & Bytes)
July 18, 2005... When the U.S. government shelled out $1.95 million apiece to purchase two TF-34-GE-400B jet engines from General Electric, officials expected them to be quickly fitted onto two of the Armed Forces' most effective warplanes, the Navy's S-3...

Does paying to be listed on search sites pay?(technology today)
July 18, 2005... When you pick up a magazine or a newspaper, often you want to know whether what you're reading was written to inform you or to sell you something. It has long been a publishing tradition to clearly separate editorial material from advertising...

Eclectic expressions.(around campus)
July 18, 2005... Broome Community College in Binghamton, N.Y., recently unveiled its annual student art exhibit in the atrium of the college's applied technology building. The one-week judged competition drew artwork ranging from the contemporary to surrealist...

Howard Community College in Columbia, Md., has received a $250,000 donation from Leroy M. Merritt.(Grants & Gifts)
July 18, 2005... Howard Community College in Columbia, Md., has received a $250,000 donation from Leroy M. Merritt, chairman of Merritt Properties, to support Project Access, a program to help students with disabilities make successful transitions from high...

Pasadena City College in Pasadena, Calif., has received an annual $278,000-per-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education for the college's Program for Academic Support Services.(Grants & Gifts)
July 18, 2005... Pasadena City College in Pasadena, Calif., has received an annual $278,000-per-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education for the college's Program for Academic Support Services. The PASS program serves low-income, first-generation and...

Miami Dade College has received a $150,000 donation from Baptist Health Systems of South Florida to sponsor scholarships in nursing and allied health fields.(Grants & Gifts)
July 18, 2005... Miami Dade College has received a $150,000 donation from Baptist Health Systems of South Florida to sponsor scholarships in nursing and allied health fields. The contribution is the fourth that Baptist Health Systems has made to MDC since 2001,...

Madison Area Technical College in Madison, Wis., has received a $450,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to help support the development of a new biotechnology certificate for individuals who have already earned a bachelor's degree in biology or a related field.(Grants & Gifts)
July 18, 2005... Madison Area Technical College in Madison, Wis., has received a $450,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to help support the development of a new biotechnology certificate for individuals who have already earned a bachelor's degree...

The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded a two-year $3.5 million grant to the state of Alabama and Calhoun Community College to establish a regional Center for Manufacturing Innovation, which will be located at CCC's Decatur campus.(Grants & Gifts)
July 18, 2005... The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded a two-year $3.5 million grant to the state of Alabama and Calhoun Community College to establish a regional Center for Manufacturing Innovation, which will be located at CCC's Decatur campus. The grant...

The Marine Corps Coordinating Council of the Capital (N.Y.) Region has presented a $30,000 gift to Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, N.Y., to establish a scholarship for Marine Corps reservists who enroll at the school.(Grants & Gifts)
July 18, 2005... The Marine Corps Coordinating Council of the Capital (N.Y.) Region has presented a $30,000 gift to Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, N.Y., to establish a scholarship for Marine Corps reservists who enroll at the school. The gift is in...

A life loving the fast lane.(faculty lounge)
July 18, 2005... Terry LaCroix was never even supposed to be near a college. As a student at John Muir High School in Pasadena, Calif., LaCroix admits he had only two interests--cars and girls. His love affair with motor vehicles has been with him as long as he...

Daniel C. Hebert.(Honors & AWARDS)
July 18, 2005... Dr. Daniel C. Hebert, professor of law enforcement/ criminal justice at Springfield Technical Community College in Springfield, Mass., is the 2005 recipient of the college's Faculty Member of the Year Award.

Richard Wheeler.(Honors & AWARDS)
July 18, 2005... Richard Wheeler has been honored with the 29th annual Kisser Award at Pasadena City College in Pasadena, Calif. Wheeler is an instructor in the engineering and technology division. The award, named after former social science instructor and...

Bob Bottger.(Honors & AWARDS)
July 18, 2005... The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics recently named Bob Bottger Central Region Athletic Director of the Year for Junior/ Community Colleges. Bottger controls the athletics department at the St. Louis Community College's...

Ida Danzey.(Honors & AWARDS)
July 18, 2005... Ida Danzey, assistant dean of health sciences at Santa Monica College, has received the first Saint John's Health Center Chair of Excellence in Nursing. She will receive $5,000 a year for the next three years to fund projects of her choice to...

Georgia Perimeter College.(PRESIDENTS & RETIREMENTS)
July 18, 2005... Dr. Robert E. Watts has been named interim president of Georgia Perimeter College in Atlanta. He is currently senior policy advisor for the University System of Georgia and is serving as interim director of the Gwinnett University Center. Watts...

Scott Community College.(PRESIDENTS & RETIREMENTS)
July 18, 2005... Dr. Thomas G. Coley was recently appointed president of Scott Community College in Bettendorf, Iowa. Coley is currently vice president for instruction and student services at Black Hawk College in Moline, Ill. He earned a bachelor's degree from...

Dr. Phil Randolph.(PRESIDENTS & RETIREMENTS)
July 18, 2005... Dr. Phil Randolph, president of Glendale Community College in Tempe, Ariz., recently announced his retirement. Randolph was named president in February of 2003. He had previously been the GCC's vice chancellor of human resources. Randolph...

Monroe Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
July 18, 2005... Dr. R. Bruce Way has been named the new dean of humanities/social sciences at Monroe Community College in Rochester, New York. He was most recently the dean of arts and sciences at Owens Community College in Toledo, Ohio. Way earned a...

Dallas County Community College District.(APPOINTMENTS)
July 18, 2005... Dr. Andrew C. Jones has been named vice chancellor of educational affairs for the Dallas County Community College District, where he will serve as the district's chief instructional officer. He had most recently been president of the Community...

Oakland Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
July 18, 2005... Dr. James J. Berry has been appointed dean of academic and student services at the Orchard Ridge campus of Oakland Community College. Berry has worked as an instructor at the campus since 1969. He earned an associate's degree from Merritt City...

College of Southern Maryland.(APPOINTMENTS)
July 18, 2005... Dr. Frederico J. Talley has been named dean of the Leonardtown campus of the College of Southern Maryland. He was the founding dean of the McMaster School for Advancing Humanity and dean of enrollment management at Defiance College. Talley...

Coming events.(Calendar)
July 18, 2005... September 18-21 Council for Opportunity in Education 24th Annual Conference "'Higher Education Act of 1965 & The Federal TRIO Programs: Continuing America's Commitment to Low-Income and Disabled Students" Washington Hilton and Towers...