Community College Week articles from June 2007

Community College Week archives from June 2007

Federal judge upholds firing of tenured ethics professor dismissed after conviction on embezzlement charge.(around the nation)
June 4, 2007... Hostos Community College was justified in firing a tenured business ethics and law faculty member convicted in 2000 of embezzling thousands of dollars from a church, a federal judge has ruled. That termination and felony conviction was not...

Proposal to change role of Fla. colleges denounced by critics.(around the nation)
June 4, 2007... TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- A proposal to shift the focus of certain state universities almost exclusively to undergraduate education is going nowhere after being harshly criticized by top state educators. Consultant Alceste Pappas had...

Search scrapped for new Mesa president.
June 4, 2007... MESA, Ariz. (AP) -- The chancellor of the Maricopa County Community College District has scrapped the current search for Mesa Community College's new president. Rufus Glasper said he felt that none of the three finalists would be a...

Wyoming employers prodding colleges to address emerging workforce needs.
June 4, 2007... SHERIDAN, Wyo. (AP) -- Representatives of the service, construction, mining and energy industries presented a wish list of workforce development needs to a state panel looking into how Wyoming community colleges train the state's workers. ...

Bosnian mom journeys to Iowa to witness daughter's graduation from college.(Reprint)
June 4, 2007... WATERLOO, Iowa -- Ismeta Abdagic sat in Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center, looking for her daughter among the hundreds of Hawkeye Community College graduates. She didn't understand what was said when Hawkeye President Greg Schmitz...

Alabama board backs state senator to lead troubled system after second interim chief quits.
June 4, 2007... MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- A two-term state senator and former member of the state school board is taking over the helm of the state's troubled two-year college system. Bradley Byrne was recommended for the post of chancellor by Gov. Bob...

Colleges in Alabama, Mississippi poised to play key roles in reviving sagging economies.
June 4, 2007... MONROEVILLE, Ala. (AP) -- The governors of Mississippi and Alabama say the economically depressed region along the border between the two states can benefit from recent announcements of new industries if workers can be trained to do the...

The next big boom: experts say clean-and-green industries could lead to an explosion of jobs--and to a prime workforce-training opportunity for community colleges.(Cover story)
June 4, 2007... A few years ago, officials at Mesalands Community College began to feel the winds blowing. Some prodding from a local environmentalist and several meetings with state policymakers and industry leaders convinced administrators at the...

Father graduates college with straight A's.
June 4, 2007... SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Six years after losing his job to cheaper labor in Mexico, a father of eight is turning the tassel on a milestone: a degree from Salt Lake Community College with straight A's. David Lopez Cuellar, 48, took college...

Kentucky college instructors add new strategies to improve teaching.
June 4, 2007... LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Fine arts professor Amy Stewart used to teach her students by lecturing and showing slides. Now, she uses a combination of strategies, from group activities involving writing and drawing to notetaking tips that help...

House approves extended benefits for soldiers, reservists.(dateline washington)
June 4, 2007... WASHINGTON -- The House approved the National Defense Authorization Act, which would expand education benefits for military enlistees. It would end a rule that says that members of the Selected Reserve--those in the Reserve and National Guard...

Report details revenues and enrollment at colleges.(CAPITOL briefs)
June 4, 2007... WASHINGTON -- The nation's public community colleges brought in nearly $42 billion in revenues in 2005, according to the latest report from the National Center for Education Statistics. Only 39.7 percent of the money, or slightly less than...

Bush veto stalls hurricane relief for Gulf state colleges.(CAPITOL briefs)
June 4, 2007... WASHINGTON -- About $30 million in additional relief for hurricane-affected colleges and universities remained in limbo after President Bush vetoed a comprehensive emergency supplemental bill because of deadlines for pulling troops out of Iraq....

House moves to reform student lending practices.(CAPITOL briefs)
June 4, 2007... WASHINGTON -- The House passed the bipartisan Student Loan Sunshine Act by a 414-3 vote. The bill is designed to clean up conflicts in the student lending industry. The legislation would require colleges and universities and lenders to adopt...

New rules would require more data for career education.(CAPITOL briefs)
June 4, 2007... WASHINGTON -- The Office of Vocational and Adult Education plans to require states to break down student enrollment data by career cluster and demographics this year for the Vocational Technical Education Annual Performance and Financial...

Dole bill aims to improve college links with workforce.(CAPITOL briefs)
June 4, 2007... WASHINGTON -- Sen. Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C., introduced the Higher Education Affordability, Access and Opportunity Act of 2007, which she says is designed to strengthen ties between community colleges and the workforce. The bill calls for...

Congress focusing on better STEM education.(CAPITOL briefs)
June 4, 2007... WASHINGTON -- Congress will be examining how to improve training in science, technology, engineering and math, or the STEM fields, this year. Chairman Brian Baird, D-Wash., of the House Science and Technology Subcommittee on Research and...

Virginia Tech massacre spurs focus on campus safety.(CAPITOL briefs)
June 4, 2007... WASHINGTON -- Many campuses already have procedures in place that would help prevent disasters such as the mass murder at Virginia Tech, witnesses told Congress. Regular meetings of safety or crisis groups keep colleges aware, Janet...

Oregon community colleges to share in benefits of rosy revenue forecast; $152 million in new revenue expected.
June 4, 2007... SALEM, Ore. (AP) -- Higher education prevailed, and business groups exhaled, after word came that the state will have $152 million more than expected to spend over the next two years thanks to a spike in income tax collections and money raised...

Plan would consolidate Arizona health programs.
June 4, 2007... TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -- Voters in Pima County may be asked to approve a community-college campus that would consolidate 24 programs that educate thousands of students in nursing and other. health-related fields. If approved, Pima Community...

Construction workers protest hotel for colleges.
June 4, 2007... FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) -- Officials broke ground on a hotel that will serve as a training ground for hospitality and culinary students as laborers protested, saying they were concerned the developer will underpay workers. Officials from...

Revisions sought in N.C. teacher training law.
June 4, 2007... CHARLOTTE, N.C (AP) -- North Carolina community college leaders have asked state lawmakers to revise a 2005 law designed to help train more classroom teachers. Only about 25 students have enrolled in the program, which offers classes and...

Tax hike approved for new Arkansas program.
June 4, 2007... ASHDOWN, Ark. (AP) -- Voters in Little River County supported raising the sales tax by a quarter of a cent to fund a civil engineering program at the Ashdown campus of Cossatot Community College, Voters approved the tax in an election by a...

Balance form and function for distinctive Web design.(technology today)
June 4, 2007... Designing a Web site is much like any other design project, from a brochure or a book to a bridge or a skyscraper. You want the form to promote the function and the function to be highlighted by the form. Whether you're putting together a...

Congress takes on teacher education.(CAPITOL briefs)
June 4, 2007... WASHINGTON -- Seven years ago, teacher education programs were "intellectually incoherent," unproven in effectiveness, and despite "well-organized efforts at reform," they remained unchanged, according to a Carnegie Corporation project on...

Biden bill would replace HOPE Credit.(CAPITOL briefs)
June 4, 2007... Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., introduced the College Access Act of 2007, which he says will pay for the average cost of tuition and fees at a public two-year public college. The bill would replace the HOPE Credit and tax deduction for tuition...

Prairie State College.(around campus)
June 4, 2007... The forensics team at Prairie State College in Chicago Heights, Ill., captured four individual gold medals at the Phi Rho Pi National Forensics Tournament in Houston, Texas. Josh Razavi placed first out of 100 students in the categories of oral...

Anne Arundel Community College.(around campus)
June 4, 2007... The women's lacrosse team at Anne Arundel Community College in Arnold, Md., captured the National Junior College Athletic Association's national championship for the second consecutive year. The team has made it to the national championship...

Greenville Technical Community College.(around campus)
June 4, 2007... The third annual Brashier-fest, a firefighter's competition, was held recently at Greenville Technical Community College's Brashier campus. Greenville Tech is the only college in South Carolina offering firefighter training. To show...

Dutchess Community College.(around campus)
June 4, 2007... The artwork of three Dutchess Community College students has been selected for inclusion in the 2007 Best of State University of New York Student Art Exhibition at the New York State Museum in Albany. The 2007 Student Art Exhibition showcases...

City Colleges of Chicago have received $240,000 from the former Meatchem Youth Center.(Grants & Gifts)
June 4, 2007... City Colleges of Chicago have received $240,000 from the former Meatchem Youth Center. The gift has been deposited into the newly-created Mother Rose Meatchem Scholarship endowment fund in the City Colleges of Chicago Foundation. The money will...

A state grant will fund two years of classes for displaced homemakers at Clark College in Vancouver, Wash.(Grants & Gifts)
June 4, 2007... A state grant will fund two years of classes for displaced homemakers at Clark College in Vancouver, Wash. The $110,000 grant, provided by the Displaced Homemakers Advisory Committee of the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, will...

Madison Area Technical College in Madison, Wis., has received two grants, one a $2 million federal grant to train 435 workers for laboratory technician positions with local bioscience companies.(Grants & Gifts)
June 4, 2007... Madison Area Technical College in Madison, Wis., has received two grants, one a $2 million federal grant to train 435 workers for laboratory technician positions with local bioscience companies. The college will work with employers to create...

Caledonia Greene and St. Clara Jordan presented a $240,000 check to the City Colleges of Chicago Foundation.
June 4, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Caledonia Greene (seated) and St. Clara Jordan presented a $240,000 check to the City Colleges of Chicago Foundation. Standing from left to right are Vice Chancellor Michael A. Mutz; Board of Trustees...

Michael Traister.(faculty lounge)
June 4, 2007... Michael Traister, a 1991 graduate of Asheboro, N.C.'s, Randolph Community College photographic technology curriculum, recently won best in show in the inaugural Southeastern Photography Triennial, a juried photography exhibition open to artists...

Richard Nowack and John Rowley will bring a combined 50 years experience to the Weitendorf Agricultural Education Center at Joliet Junior College in Illinois, when they begin teaching a storm water management/erosion control course there this summer.(faculty lounge)
June 4, 2007... Richard Nowack and John Rowley will bring a combined 50 years experience to the Weitendorf Agricultural Education Center at Joliet Junior College in Illinois, when they begin teaching a storm water management/erosion control course there this...

Donna Gentry.(Honors & AWARDS)
June 4, 2007... Donna Gentry, a mother of five, has much to celebrate this spring. She graduated this month from Olive-Harvey College in Chicago with a 3.9 grade point average, earning her associate degree in African-American studies education, with a minor in...

Linda S. Bowman.(Honors & AWARDS)
June 4, 2007... The Colorado State Student Advisory Council Annual Awards Program recently presented Linda S. Bowman, president of the Community College of Aurora, with its President of the Year Award. Bowman joined the state's community college system in 1992...

Tammy Dunford.(Honors & AWARDS)
June 4, 2007... Arapahoe Community College business administration student Tammy Dunford, a former elementary school teacher with a master's degree, has been named a Wall Street Journal 2007 Student Achievement Award winner. The chair of the college's...

Diana Van Der Ploeg.(Honors & AWARDS)
June 4, 2007... Diana Van Der Ploeg, president of Butte College in Oroville, Calif., has received the 2007 Shirley B. Gordon Award of Distinction from Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society of the Two-Year College. Van Der Ploeg supported the chapter by...

Massachusetts Community College Trustees Association.(APPOINTMENTS)
June 4, 2007... Carl Cruz, secretary to the Bristol Community College Board of Trustees, has been elected to serve as secretary of the Massachusetts Community College Trustees Association. Cruz, an alumnus of Bristol's class of 1969, has served on the...

Estrella Mountain Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
June 4, 2007... Ernie Lara has been named president of Estrella Mountain Community College, part of the Maricopa Community Colleges in Phoenix, following a nationwide search. Lara earned an associate degree from Glendale Community College, also part of the...

Fort Scott Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
June 4, 2007... New Fort Scott Community College, president Clayton Tatro toured the campus on his first day of work, with outgoing president Jim Miesner. Tatro has served in the Kansas Council of Instructional Administrators since 1998 and is currently its...

Wildwood campus.(APPOINTMENTS)
June 4, 2007... George Wasson, acting dean of the business division at St. Louis Community College-Meramec, has been appointed administrative dean for academic and student services at the college's new Wildwood campus, which will open for classes in August. In...

Wake Technical Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
June 4, 2007... Bryan Ryan has been named vice president of curriculum education services of Wake Technical Community College in Raleigh, N.C. Prior to this appointment, Ryan was director of planning and research at Wake Tech, in which he led the college's...

Calendar.(Calendar)
June 4, 2007... JUNE June 10-12, 2007 NATIONAL UNIVERSITIES Telecommunications Network "Future Directions in Distance Learning Key Trends to Watch" www.nutn.org/annual_event/index.html June 13-15, 2007 COLBY COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND US AIRFORCE...

California statewide chancellor leaves job to go back to L.A.(around the nation)
June 18, 2007... Who says you can't go home again? The chancellor of the 109-college California Community College System might disagree. Marshall "Mark" Drummond, 65, said he plans to go back to his old job in Los Angeles after three-and-a-half years in...

Montana college backers criticize university plans.
June 18, 2007... MILES CITY, Mont. (AP) -- University of Montana President George Dennison has outlined a preliminary plan to create a higher education center in Hamilton, drawing fire from backers of a proposed community college in the same area. Dennison...

N.C. eases path for college transfers by aligning courses.
June 18, 2007... RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- Students at North Carolina's community colleges who want to get a four-year degree will have an easier time doing so through a program at Western Carolina University. The university in Cullowhee announced an agreement...

Virginia colleges reviewing campus safety plans.
June 18, 2007... RICHMOND, Va (AP) -- Last month's shooting rampage at Virginia Tech has prompted Virginia's 23 community colleges to review their emergency procedures. The leader of the state community-college system said committee will study current...

Ivy Tech settled potential suit from D'Amico in order to move forward, key personnel say.(around the nation)
June 18, 2007... Both the board secretary and the departing president at Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana say the institution reached a settlement with a former Bush administration official who was passed over as the college's next president in order to...

New Ivy Tech President embarks on listening tour before taking helm.(around the nation)
June 18, 2007... SELLERSBURG, Ind. (AP) -- Ivy Tech Community College's incoming president has spent much of his time in recent weeks traveling the state as he prepares to take charge of the system. Thomas Snyder met with teachers and staff members along...

La. gov. proposes big increases for community-college system.(around the nation)
June 18, 2007... BATON ROUGE, LA. -- Armed with a massive revenue surplus spawned by hurricane recovery efforts, Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco is pushing state lawmakers to make a major investment in education this year that includes $57 million in new money...

Measuring performance: as state and federal regulators demand accountability, college officials debate whether graduation rates are the best indicator of their success.(SPECIAL REPORT: TOP 100 associate degree producers 2007)
June 18, 2007... All over the country this spring, community-college graduates of all stripes donned caps and owns and marched into auditoriums to the strains of "Pomp and Circumstance" to receive their hard-earned diplomas. They smiled, they chatted on...

Associate degrees: all disciplines.(SPECIAL REPORT: TOP 100 associate degree producers 2007)
June 18, 2007... ASSOCIATE DEGREES: All Disciplines WHITE 2006 RANK INSTITUTION STATE TOTAL NO. PERCENT Two-Year Institutions 3 VALENCIA...

Analyzing the data.(SPECIAL REPORT: TOP 100 associate degree producers 2007)(Cover story)
June 18, 2007... Community Colleges are involved in the business of many things: offering associate-degree programs and one- and two-year certificates, preparing students to transfer to four-year colleges, vocational training, personal enrichment, community...

Technology touted as solution to soaring textbook costs.(dateline washington)
June 18, 2007... WASHINGTON -- A national digital marketplace would help ease the current crisis in textbook prices, a congressionally requested report suggests. Current efforts, such as selling more used texts, providing consumer education, putting more...

Improvements planned for online financial aid tool.(CAPITOL briefs)
June 18, 2007... WASHINGTON -- Come September, a new online tool to assist students and families in calculating the cost of college will be improved, after just five months of service. The online tool, http://www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov/, which was launched...

Report projects 12 percent enrollment increase.(CAPITOL briefs)
June 18, 2007... WASHINGTON -- Can your college handle a 12 percent enrollment increase by the year 2016? That's what the National Center for Education Statistics is projecting for two-year colleges. It reports that community college enrollment fluctuated...

House passes bill to create STEM database.(CAPITOL briefs)
June 18, 2007... WASHINGTON -- The House passed the National STEM Scholarship Database Act, which would create a national database on financial assistance for studying science, technology, engineering and math. The bill calls on the Department of Education...

Measure allows more NSF money for Green grants.(CAPITOL briefs)
June 18, 2007... WASHINGTON -- The House Science and Technology Committee approved the Green Energy Education Act of 2007, which would allow the Department of Energy to send an unspecified amount of money to the National Science Foundation to improve...

Delaware VP with 'behavioral problems' loses discrimination suit against college.
June 18, 2007... Delaware Technical and Community College didn't violate the First Amendment and due process rights of a former top-level administrator fired because of behavioral problems and misusing a college-issued credit card, a federal court has ruled....

Associate degrees: all disciplines--non-minority.(SPECIAL REPORT: TOP 100 associate degree producers 2007)
June 18, 2007... ASSOCIATE DEGREES: All Disciplines--Non-Minority 2006 2004-2005 RANK INSTITUTION STATE TOTAL Two-Year Institutions 1 VALENCIA...

Associate degrees: all disciplines--American Indian.(SPECIAL REPORT: TOP 100 associate degree producers 2007)
June 18, 2007... ASSOCIATE DEGREES: All Disciplines--American Indian 2006 2004-2005 RANK INSTITUTION STATE TOTAL Native American Associates Rank...

Families can protect more assets after adjustment.(CAPITOL briefs)
June 18, 2007... WASHINGTON -- Students and families will get to protect 2.8 percent more of their assets when figuring out their Expected Family Contributions for the 2008-09 academic year. The Department of Education revised the tables for the coming year...

FTC to look into student loan marketing practices.(CAPITOL briefs)
June 18, 2007... WASHINGTON -- The Federal Trade Commission is investigating possible unfair and deceptive practices lenders use to market student loans and related products. The commission will see if marketing tactics violated consumer fraud and debt...

Colleges in Gulf hurricane zone get more aid.(CAPITOL briefs)
June 18, 2007... WASHINGTON -- Colleges in the hurricane zone will get $30 million in additional aid this year after all. President Bush signed a compromise supplemental appropriations bill providing the money to help colleges defray costs caused by hurricanes...

Bill funding health, IT programs gets house OK.(CAPITOL briefs)
June 18, 2007... WASHINGTON -- The House approved the 10,000 Trained by 2010 Act which would authorize grants from the National Science Foundation to colleges and universities for degree and certificate programs in healthcare informatics. The intent is to...

House-passed bill would bolster benefits for veterans.(CAPITOL briefs)
June 18, 2007... WASHINGTON -- The House passed the Veterans Outreach Improvement Act of 2007, which would provide $25 million a year for three years in grants to states to help veterans and their survivors get benefits they're entitled to, including education....

Senate passes name change for Voc-Ed office.(CAPITOL briefs)
June 18, 2007... WASHINGTON -- The Senate passed legislation that would rename the Education Department's Office of Vocational and Adult Education as the Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education. The measure is pending before the House Education and...

Associate degrees: all disciplines--Asian American.(SPECIAL REPORT: TOP 100 associate degree producers 2007)
June 18, 2007... ASSOCIATE DEGREES: All Disciplines--Asian American 2006 2004-2005 RANK INSTITUTION STATE TOTAL Two-Year Institutions 1...

Associate degrees: all disciplines--Black.(SPECIAL REPORT: TOP 100 associate degree producers 2007)
June 18, 2007... ASSOCIATE DEGREES: All Disciplines--Black 2006 2004-2005 RANK INSTITUTION STATE TOTAL Two-Year Institutions 2 BROWARD...

Growth at University of Phoenix slumps as competition rises.
June 18, 2007... PHOENIX (AP) -- University of Phoenix founder John G. Sperling made himself a billionaire luring students away from traditional night schools during the past 30 years. His for-profit campuses offered an attractive alternative: diplomas...

Associate degrees: all disciplines--Hispanic.(SPECIAL REPORT: TOP 100 associate degree producers 2007)
June 18, 2007... ASSOCIATE DEGREES: All Disciplines--Hispanic 2006 2004-2005 RANK INSTITUTION STATE TOTAL Two-Year Institutions 2 EL PASO...

Alabama executive agrees to guilty plea in two-year college investigation.
June 18, 2007... BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) -- An executive with a company that did more than $9 million in business with Alabama's two-year colleges agreed to plead guilty in a bribery scheme involving former Chancellor Roy Johnson, whom prosecutors said received...

A bright idea: solar-powered house to meet its own energy needs.
June 18, 2007... SHORELINE, Wash. (AP) -- Mike Nelson stood in his new office, where walls of corrugated metal clash with silky-smooth floors and walls of sustainably harvested eucalyptus. "Very soon, the old ways are going," Nelson, director of the...

Top 50 associate degrees: business, management, marketing & related support services.(SPECIAL REPORT: TOP 100 associate degree producers 2007)
June 18, 2007... TOP 50 ASSOCIATE DEGREES: Business, Management, Marketing & Related Support Services 2005 2003-2004 RANK INSTITUTION STATE TOTAL ...

Top 50 associate degrees: communication technologies/technicians & support services.(SPECIAL REPORT: TOP 100 associate degree producers 2007)
June 18, 2007... TOP 50 ASSOCIATE DEGREES: Communication Technologies/ Technicians & Support Services 2005 2003-2004 RANK INSTITUTION STATE TOTAL ...

Top 50 associate degrees: communication, journalism & related programs.(SPECIAL REPORT: TOP 100 associate degree producers 2007)
June 18, 2007... TOP 50 ASSOCIATE DEGREES: Communication, Journalism & Related Programs 2005 2003-2004 RANK INSTITUTION STATE TOTAL Two-Year...

Top 50 associate degrees: computer and information sciences & support services.(SPECIAL REPORT: TOP 100 associate degree producers 2007)
June 18, 2007... TOP 50 ASSOCIATE DEGREES: Computer and Information Sciences & Support Services 2005 2003-2004 RANK INSTITUTION STATE TOTAL Two-Year...

Tennessee bill seeks to reduce cost of college textbooks.
June 18, 2007... CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) -- A bill making its way through the state Legislature would require the University of Tennessee and Tennessee Board of Regents to develop policies for minimizing the costs of textbooks for students. Sen. Roy...

Top 50 associate degrees: criminal justice.(SPECIAL REPORT: TOP 100 associate degree producers 2007)
June 18, 2007... TOP 50 ASSOCIATE DEGREES Criminal Justice 2006 2003-2004 RANK INSTITUTION STATE TOTAL Two-Year Institution 1 EVEREST COLLEGE--RANCHO ...

Top 50 associate degrees: education.(SPECIAL REPORT: TOP 100 associate degree producers 2007)
June 18, 2007... TOP 50 ASSOCIATE DEGREES: Education 2006 2003-2004 RANK INSTITUTION STATE TOTAL Two-Year Institutions 3 SOUTHWEST TEXAS JUNIOR COLLEGE Texas...

Top 50 associate degrees: engineering-related technologies/technicians.(SPECIAL REPORT: TOP 100 associate degree producers 2007)
June 18, 2007... TOP 50 ASSOCIATE DEGREES: Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians 2006 2003-2004 RANK INSTITUTION STATE TOTAL Two-Year Institutions 2 ...