Community College Week articles from July 2011

Community College Week archives from July 2011

Highest tuition.(Figuring It Out: Statistics shaping the higher-ed landscape)
July 25, 2011... Highest Tuition Tuition averages $2,567 at U.S. community colleges, though rates vary tremendously. Here are the five colleges with the highest tuition: 1. University of Pittsburgh-Titusville $10,430 2. Marion Military Institute...

Va. defrauded ex-students, jury rules.
July 25, 2011... ROANOKE, Va. (AP) -- A Roanoke County jury has sided with 16 former Virginia Western Community College nursing students who claimed they were misled after the school didn't inform them that it lost its national nursing accreditation. They're...

Oregon college sued over pothole in lot.
July 25, 2011... EUGENE, Ore. (AP) -- A former Lane Community College student has filed a lawsuit against the college over a parking lot pothole. Carla Redding is disabled with a bone disease and had a handicapped parking space. She says she was walking next...

Ind. college faculty getting pay raises despite tough times.(around the nation)
July 25, 2011... INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Despite dwindling state funding, faculty at Indiana's seven public colleges and universities are getting pay raises this year, with Indiana University leading the way with a 5.5 percent salary hike for some of its...

Colleges must comply with new federal rules on service animals.(point of view)
July 25, 2011... The American Disabilities Act used to allow any animal to qualify as a "service animal" as long as it was trained to do a task for an individual with a disability. In the early 1990's, when the Department of Justice originally issued its...

Spokane summer workshop promotes aviation jobs.(tracking trends)
July 25, 2011... SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) -- Need a career, kids? Consider the aerospace industry. Spokane educators and industry leaders created a three-week aerospace workshop that gives area high school students a taste of careers in aviation maintenance,...

Popular education programs fall victim to Okla. budget axe.(money tree)
July 25, 2011... OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) --Of all the cuts made to Oklahoma education since 2010, none have drawn more rancor, scorn or criticism than the $18 million slashed from a fund filled with special programs endorsed by lawmakers. The high-profile programs...

Wash. staffers undertake whale of a science project.
July 25, 2011... TACOMA, Wash. (AP) -- A whale that beached itself and died in Seattle last year is slowly taking shape--bone by giant bone--in a vacant Tacoma storefront. Marine biologist Rus Higley, his Highline Community College staff and a volunteer team...

La. expanding educational options.
July 25, 2011... BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- Louisiana is expanding its efforts to ease the process for adults to return to college and for community college students to seamlessly transfer to universities. The Board of Regents is growing its websites for the...

W. Va. colleges mark 40th Anniversary.
July 25, 2011... PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (AP) -- Two West Virginia community colleges are celebrating 40 years since legislation allowed the development of the state's community college system. The legislation that became effective July 1, 1971, enabled the...

College sells just 70 copies of Fla. official's book.
July 25, 2011... TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos is known as a dealmaker, but he's not proving to be a bestseller. An official at Brevard Community College said that a book titled "Florida Legislative History and Processes"...

La. student joins state community college board.
July 25, 2011... LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) -- South Louisiana Community College student Warren Gachassin has been sworn in as a student member of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System's Board of Supervisors. For the next year, LCTCS students will be...

Maine college aims to produce more engineers.
July 25, 2011... SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine (AP) -- Southern Maine Community College says it will offer an associate degree program in preengineering starting in the fall at both the South Portland campus and its new Midcoast Campus at Brunswick Landing. The...

2 Ga. colleges merge to reduce costs, spending.
July 25, 2011... SANDERSVILLE, Ga. (AP) -- Two Georgia technical colleges are merging into one institution. Sandersville Technical College and Heart of Georgia Technical College in Dublin officially became Oconee Fall Line Technical College. The merger is...

Md. college doubles fees for senior citizens.
July 25, 2011... ARNOLD, Md. (AP) -- Senior citizens taking non-credit courses at Anne Arundel Community College this fall can expect to see their fees double. College spokesman Dan Baum says the school's Board of Trustees has voted to raise the fee for...

CCRI gets grant to reduce dropout rates.
July 25, 2011... WARWICK, R.I. (AP) -- The Community College of Rhode Island is being awarded nearly $477,000 in federal funding for a program that helps middle and high school students stay in school and pursue post-secondary education. U.S. Sen. Jack Reed...

World of website addresses poised for dramatic expansion.(technology today)
July 25, 2011... The geeky business of website addresses just got a lot more geeky, and a lot more interesting. In June the organization responsible for the .com, .org, .edu, and other extensions of Web "domain names" approved a plan to introduce what could...

Vocalists from Lewis and Clark Community College (Ill.) had the experience of a lifetime recently in New York City: they got to rehearse with world-renowned composer John Rutter and perform at Carnegie Hall.(around campus)
July 25, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Vocalists from Lewis and Clark Community College (Ill.) had the experience of a lifetime recently in New York City: They got to rehearse with world-renowned composer John Rutter and perform at Carnegie Hall. A total of...

The Arizona Game and Fish Department are salvaging threatened Chiricahua leopard frogs by bringing them to Glendale Community College's (Arizona) new riparian habitat.(around campus)
July 25, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Arizona Game and Fish Department are salvaging threatened Chiricahua leopard frogs by bringing them to Glendale Community College's (Arizona) new riparian habitat. More than 50 of the rare frogs and 62 tadpoles were...

Students and faculty at Olive-Harvey College, one of the City Colleges of Chicago, are working hard this summer to ensure their campus provides a healthy habitat for its scaled, webbed, furry and feathered inhabitants.(around campus)
July 25, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Students and faculty at Olive-Harvey College, one of the City Colleges of Chicago, are working hard this summer to ensure their campus provides a healthy habitat for its scaled, webbed, furry and feathered inhabitants....

The Texas State Energy Conservation Office awarded Collin College a $133,626 grant to develop a new industry-recognized energy certification.(grants & gifts)
July 25, 2011... The Texas State Energy Conservation Office awarded Collin College a $133,626 grant to develop a new industry-recognized energy certification. The certification is targeted to new and current commercial and residential energy sector employees....

The Circle of Friends recently donated $4,390 to Minnesota's Riverland Community College Foundation to sponsor an endowed scholarship that honors the memory of Elizabeth Ann Moen.(grants & gifts)
July 25, 2011... The Circle of Friends recently donated $4,390 to Minnesota's Riverland Community College Foundation to sponsor an endowed scholarship that honors the memory of Elizabeth Ann Moen. Circle of Friends members Brad Reuter, John Moen, Gauher (Mo)...

Flathead Valley Community College (Mont.) received a gift of $4 million from the Broussard family, the largest gift ever given to the college.(grants & gifts)
July 25, 2011... Flathead Valley Community College (Mont.) received a gift of $4 million from the Broussard family, the largest gift ever given to the college. The funds will be used to build a Nursing and Health Education Center as a tribute to the late Rebecca...

Lone Star Corporate College (Texas) instructor Dave Lenzi has co-authored a new machining technology workbook that has been endorsed by a national metalworking governing body.(faculty lounge)
July 25, 2011... Lone Star Corporate College (Texas) instructor Dave Lenzi has co-authored a new machining technology workbook that has been endorsed by a national metalworking governing body. The "Precision Machining Technology Workbook and Project Manual" is...

"The Silk Road," an exhibition on the culture and people of China's western Silk Road by Tunxis Community College (Conn.) faculty member Christina Gotowka is on display in the Wallace Barnes and Barbara Hackman Franklin Art Gallery at the college through the end of July.(faculty lounge)
July 25, 2011... "The Silk Road," an exhibition on the culture and people of China's western Silk Road by Tunxis Community College (Conn.) faculty member Christina Gotowka is on display in the Wallace Barnes and Barbara Hackman Franklin Art Gallery at the...

NASA has selected the planetarium at Seminole State College (Fla.) to help create an interactive video presentation that will be paired with a science curriculum available to teachers nationwide.(faculty lounge)
July 25, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] NASA has selected the planetarium at Seminole State College (Fla.) to help create an interactive video presentation that will be paired with a science curriculum available to teachers nationwide. Planetarium Director...

Bunker Hill Community College.(honors & awards)
July 25, 2011... Bunker Hill Community College has been acknowledged nationally at the 5th Annual American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment summit meeting. BHCC is a charter signatory of the ACUPCC Climate Commitment. The college received...

Patricia Sims, dean of instructional and student services at J. F. Drake State Technical College (Ala.) has received the Othel L. Washington Student Affairs Officer of the Year award.(honors & awards)
July 25, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Patricia Sims, dean of instructional and student services at J. F. Drake State Technical College (Ala.) has received the Othel L. Washington Student Affairs Officer of the Year award. Presented each year by the Alabama...

Jessica Rieger thrives on student success.(honors & awards)
July 25, 2011... Jessica Rieger thrives on student success. Her passion for helping others achieve is just one of the reasons she's been named the 2011 recipient of the Earl C. and Doris F. Helms Excellence in Teaching Endowment at North Carolina's Johnston...

College of Central Florida.(honors & awards)
July 25, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Emergency Medical Services at the College of Central Florida has been recognized as the top EMS program in Florida. The 2011 Excellence in EMS Award for Educator of the Year was presented by the Florida Department of...

The San Diego (Calif.) Community College District's Board of Trustees.(APPOINTMENTS)
July 25, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The San Diego (Calif.) Community College District's Board of Trustees has confirmed the selection of Bonnie Ann Dowd as the district's new executive vice chancellor for business services. Dowd is currently the assistant...

Montgomery County Community College (Pa.).(APPOINTMENTS)
July 25, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Montgomery County Community College (Pa.) announced that Victoria L. Bastecki-Perez, has assumed the role of vice president of academic affairs and provost. She served in the capacity of interim vice president since...

National Council on Student Development.(APPOINTMENTS)
July 25, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Susan Edwards, dean of academic affairs and honors programs for Phi Theta Kappa, was recently elected to serve on the Board of Directors for the National Council on Student Development. NCSD is an affiliate council of...

Fashion Institute of Technology N.Y.(APPOINTMENTS)
July 25, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Giacomo (Jack) Oliva has been named vice president for academic affairs at the Fashion Institute of Technology N.Y.) Oliva comes to FIT from the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts at the University of...

Washtenaw Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
July 25, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Rose B. Bellanca, provost and chief operating officer of Northwood University, will become the new president of Washtenaw Community College (Mich.), replacing retiring president Larry Whitworth. Bellanca becomes the...

States with high CC enrollment.(Figuring It out: Statistics shaping the higher-ed landscape)
July 11, 2011... States with High CC Enrollment Community colleges account for nearly half of the nation's higher education enrollment, but some states have higher proportions of community college enrollment. Here are the states with the greatest percentage of...

Reorganization prompts departure of Conn. community college chief.(around the nation)
July 11, 2011... HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- The longtime chancellor of Connecticut's community colleges explained his sudden plans to step down, saying he decided to retire earlier than expected after the General Assembly approved a plan to change how much of the...

La. lawmakers OK tuition hike.
July 11, 2011... BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- Lawmakers have agreed to raise tuition rates for students at most community and technical colleges across Louisiana, one of the only college tuition increases to win passage this session. The measure, given final...

Volunteers will train at Oahu CC.
July 11, 2011... HONOLULU (AP) -- The Hawaii Host Committee for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation has selected an Oahu community college to train volunteers and workers for November's conference in Honolulu. The committee said Kapiolani Community College...

How can technology support today's community college students?(point of view)
July 11, 2011... In the current economic climate, where budget cuts and increasing enrollments are daily headlines, students and colleges alike continue to face challenging financial times. Additionally, a growing number of students no longer fit within the...

Commission will take new look at community college mission.(TIMING)
July 11, 2011... WASHINGTON -- Community colleges are preparing to take a fresh look at their broad and growing mission with the naming this week of the 21st-Century Commission on the Future of Community Colleges. Appointed by the American Association of...

Latino residents sue over Compton college voting areas.
July 11, 2011... COMPTON, Calif. (AP) -- Two residents of the Compton Community College District sued the district over its voting areas, charging the boundaries are preventing Latinos from fairly participating in governing board elections. Alex and Luis...

Finding and funding what works: next generation initiative aims to expand technological innovations.
July 11, 2011... By now, the statistics and trends about American education have become a deflating drumbeat of bad news and unrealized expectations. Despite billions of dollars in spending at federal, state and local levels, educational achievement levels in...

Next Generation Learning Challenge grant winners.
July 11, 2011... The first wave of funding under the Next Generation Learning Challenges was announced last year and focused primarily on postsecondary education. Grant-seekers were asked to address four challenges: deployment of open core courseware; scaling of...

Colleges coveted as training sites for new casinos in Ohio.
July 11, 2011... COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- A company building casinos in Columbus and Toledo wants local colleges to train blackjack dealers and slot-machine technicians for the gaming operations. An increasing number of colleges nationwide are adopting...

First class in funeral service graduates from Wash. College.(tracking trends)
July 11, 2011... KIRKLAND, Wash. (AP) -- One student was painting a mustache, completing the process of turning a wax-covered skull into the image of Walt Disney. Another was crafting the elongated ears of poet Allen Ginsberg. Randi Cloud had chosen to create...

Cyberspace is the next (and current) theater of war.(technology today)
July 11, 2011... If you thought that cyber warfare was the stuff of science fiction, think again. A number of recent events point to its current reality, and how it will become an increasing presence in the future. In the name of the new civil defense as well...

Maricopa CCs OK tax increase.
July 11, 2011... PHOENIX (AP) -- The Maricopa County Community College District governing board has approved a 3 percent increase in the county property tax. The district says it was forced to raise the property tax to offset a big decrease in state aid. The...

Lawsuit aims to save CC garden.
July 11, 2011... SAN MATEO, Calif. (AP) -- A lawsuit has been filed in an effort to save part of a Northern California college garden from being turned into a parking lot. Friends of the College of San Mateo Gardens say in a lawsuit filed that San Mateo...

Grants to aid Ind. veterans.
July 11, 2011... WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind (AP) -- Twenty-five Indiana colleges and universities are receiving a total of more than $1 million in grants to provide services for the state's student service members, veterans and their families. Purdue University's...

PRCC will not increase tuition.
July 11, 2011... POPLARVILLE, Miss. (AP) -- The Board of Trustees has approved a $32.4 million budget that does not raise tuition for students at Pearl River Community College. Full-time, in-state students at PRCC will continue to pay $1,000 per semester in...

Mo. students to rebuild lodge.
July 11, 2011... JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- College students will help rebuild a historic lodge that burned down at Lake of the Ozarks State Park. Gov. Jay Nixon said that an agreement is being finalized in which students from State Fair Community College in...

College balloon festival ending.
July 11, 2011... KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The Pellissippi State Community College Hot Air Balloon Festival has become a victim of its own success. College President Allen Edwards told faculty and staff members in an email that the event will be stopped....

Four outstanding students from California's Santa Monica College have been selected for the prestigious Dale Ride Internship Program and are serving this summer in Congress and with various organizations in Washington D.C.(around campus)
July 11, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Four outstanding students from California's Santa Monica College have been selected for the prestigious Dale Ride Internship Program and are serving this summer in Congress and with various organizations in Washington...

The 8th Annual Creativity Expo 2011, featuring the creative works of people with traumatic or acquired brain injury, will be held this month at Raritan Valley Community College in New Jersey.(around campus)
July 11, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The 8th Annual Creativity Expo 2011, featuring the creative works of people with traumatic or acquired brain injury, will be held this month at Raritan Valley Community College in New Jersey. The exhibition will feature...

Gina Grasty now has another name for her father: fellow graduate.(around campus)
July 11, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Gina Grasty now has another name for her father: fellow graduate. David and Gina Grasty graduated from Salem Community College (N.J.) last month. David earned an associate of science degree in business administration...

The Texas Workforce Commission has approved a $1.2 million grant to the Lamar Institute of Technology, the largest in LIT's history.(grants & gifts)
July 11, 2011... The Texas Workforce Commission has approved a $1.2 million grant to the Lamar Institute of Technology, the largest in LIT's history. LIT is the fiscal agent for the Texas Workforce Commission Skills Development Fund Healthcare Consortium Grant....

Texarkana College has partnered with HUMCO Holding Group Inc. to provide job training, using a $179,454 Skills Development Fund grant from the Texas Workforce Commission.(grants & gifts)
July 11, 2011... Texarkana College has partnered with HUMCO Holding Group Inc. to provide job training, using a $179,454 Skills Development Fund grant from the Texas Workforce Commission. The grant will be used to provide training that will help increase...

Lone Star College System (Texas) has been awarded an incentive of more than $200,000 from the School Conserving Resources Program (SCORE).(grants & gifts)
July 11, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Lone Star College System (Texas) has been awarded an incentive of more than $200,000 from the School Conserving Resources Program (SCORE). The incentive funds come from CenterPoint Energy and Entergy Texas Inc. to boost...

Ann Marie Donohue, assistant professor of psychology, was recognized as winner of the 2011 Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award during Pennsylvania's Montgomery County Community College commencement ceremony.(faculty lounge)
July 11, 2011... Ann Marie Donohue, assistant professor of psychology, was recognized as winner of the 2011 Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award during Pennsylvania's Montgomery County Community College commencement ceremony. Each year, a faculty member is...

Cynthia Gilliam, chief financial officer for Lone Star College System (Texas), has been recognized by the Houston Business Journal as the region's 2011 best CFO in the large nonprofit category.(faculty lounge)
July 11, 2011... Cynthia Gilliam, chief financial officer for Lone Star College System (Texas), has been recognized by the Houston Business Journal as the region's 2011 best CFO in the large nonprofit category. The Best CFO of the Year Award luncheon recognized...

Tony Fontes of Bunker Hill Community College has been invited to present the college's first student-run, sustainable business at the annual conference of the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship.(faculty lounge)(Conference news)
July 11, 2011... Tony Fontes of Bunker Hill Community College has been invited to present the college's first student-run, sustainable business at the annual conference of the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship. Fontes is an assistant...

College of Southern Maryland.(honors & awards)
July 11, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The College of Southern Maryland has been designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance 2-Year Education by the National Security Agency and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The...

Mount Wachusett Community College.(honors & awards)
July 11, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mount Wachusett Community College (Mass.) has been nationally recognized with a Climate Leadership Award from Second Nature, the supporting organization of the American College and University Presidents' Climate...

Eddie Triste, president of Allan Hancock College's Associated Student Body Government, was recently chosen by the Student Senate for California Community Colleges as the President of the Year for the Southern Region of California.(honors & awards)
July 11, 2011... Eddie Triste, president of Allan Hancock College's Associated Student Body Government, was recently chosen by the Student Senate for California Community Colleges as the President of the Year for the Southern Region of California. It was an...

Las Positas College.(PROFESSIONAL NOTES)
July 11, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Kevin Glen Walthers has been named president of Las Positas College in Livermore, Calif. Walthers currently serves as the vice chancellor for administration for the West Virginia Community and Technical College System...

Southern Maine Community College.(PROFESSIONAL NOTES)
July 11, 2011... Ronald G. Cantor, associate vice president and dean at Mohawk Valley Community College, has been appointed president of Southern Maine Community College. Previously he served as an associate dean at Jefferson Community College in Watertown,...

Community College of Beaver County.(PROFESSIONAL NOTES)
July 11, 2011... The Community College of Beaver County (Pa.) announced that Melissa Denardo is the new vice president for learning and student success/provost. Denardo most recently served as the assistant campus dean for Kent State University in Salem, Ohio, a...

John Wood Community College.(PROFESSIONAL NOTES)
July 11, 2011... Pam Foust recently joined John Wood Community College (Ill.) as dean of career, technical and workforce education. Prior to joining JWCC, Foust was a workforce education manager at Cascadia Community College in Bothell, Wash., and a workforce...

North Idaho College.(PROFESSIONAL NOTES)
July 11, 2011... John Martin, vice president for community relations and marketing at North Idaho College, has announced his retirement, effective Dec. 31. Martin was appoint ed to the position in August 2008 on a temporary basis to fill the position vacated by...

Calendar.(Career Connections)(Conference news)(Calendar)
July 11, 2011... JULY, 2011 July 9-12 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY BUSINESS OFFICERS * 2011 Annual Meeting Tampa, Fla. www.nacubo.org July 25-28 HI-TEC * High Impact Technology Exchange Conference San Francisco ...