Community College Week articles from March 2004

Community College Week archives from March 2004

Ariz. College Board draws fire from Hispanic leaders.(around the nation)
March 1, 2004... PHOENIX -- A board member's habit of maintaining an office on campus has gene from an arcane governance question to political controversy here, where Hispanic leaders are fed up with what they see as a pattern of micromanagement and...

Kan. Supreme Court: former instructor can't regain job.(around the nation)
March 1, 2004... TOPEKA, Kan. -- A former Coffeyville Community College instructor is not entitled to regain his job even if the board of trustees violated the Kansas open-meetings law when it voted against renewing his contract, the state Supreme Court has...

Report says N.C. Colleges key to expanding biotech work force.(around the nation)
March 1, 2004... RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- North Carolina must increase funding for community colleges and industrial recruitment to expand the state's biotechnology work force and capitalize on a fast-growing industry, according to a report just released. A...

Ariz. Colleges, university still working on partnership.
March 1, 2004... TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) -- Arizona State University and local community-college officials are still working out a partnership intended to make transferring to the university a seamless process by the fall. Four months after launching the...

Autopsy ordered in Mississippi's student's death.
March 1, 2004... CLARKSDALE, Miss. (AP) -- An autopsy has been ordered in the death of a Coahoma Community College student whose body was found last month in his dormitory. A campus security officer found the body of Tarik Bingham, 19, of Tunica, in the...

Adrift in uncharted waters.(point of view)
March 1, 2004... "Some of you may fail this class." This is a line I use when wrapping up my "It's-time-to-buckle-down-in-the-last-few-weeks-of-the-semester" speech in a developmental writing class. Students who are failing know who they are, because I've...

Securing the homeland.(point of view)
March 1, 2004... It is cliche to say that Sept. 11, 2001 changed the lives of Americans forever, but it's also true. As citizens of one of the most prosperous countries in the world, we demanded that our country never again be attacked so heinously. Our...

From here to there: America's community colleges and its secondary schools aren't talking enough, some educators say, and students are paying the price.(Cover Story)
March 1, 2004... I imagine that you've just graduated high school, and it's the fall semester of your first year at college--a time you've been eagerly awaiting. As far as you can tell, you've done everything you should to get ready, meeting all your...

Sen. Clinton unveils plan to help nontraditional students.(dateline Washington)
March 1, 2004... Nontraditional students trying to get their college degrees tend to get short shrift, according to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., who recently proposed legislation to help improve graduation rates among these students and tear down some...

Critics rail against Bush's education budget.(dateline Washington)
March 1, 2004... While President Bush has lately been touting his port for community colleges and their role in workforce training programs, some critics have said his election-year budget does little to help these schools--or the students in them. Over...

AACC, Peace Corps announce liaison.(dateline Washington)
March 1, 2004... The geographical bounds of the community college have suddenly expanded exponentially: On Feb. 10, during a joint press conference in Washington, D.C., officials with the American Association of Community. Colleges and the Peace Corps announced...

Texas crash kills two college basketball players.
March 1, 2004... PARIS, Texas (AP) -- A tractor-trailer rig broadsided a van carrying a junior college basketball team, killing two players and injuring the players and two coaches. Police said a preliminary investigation showed the drivers of two Navarro...

Ariz. students need remedial help, officials say.
March 1, 2004... TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -- The majority of new students at Pima Community College arrive unprepared for college-level work, school officials have said. More than 80 percent of new students in the fall needed remedial math education, 33 percent...

Oversight of Ky. College to shift.
March 1, 2004... LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) -- Despite the objections of students and faculty of Lexington Community College, University of Kentucky trustees voted last month to move the college from under the oversight of UK to that of the Kentucky Community and...

N.Y. student shoots teacher.
March 1, 2004... EAST GREENBUSH, N.Y. (AP) -- A 16-year-old high-school student, who was also enrolled at a local community college, was recently charged with attempted murder after he somehow got a shotgun into school and shot a special-education teacher in...

Nonprofit group targets Nev. colleges for swing votes.
March 1, 2004... RENO, Nev. (AP) -- Nevada ranks 45th in the nation for the number of younger people of voting age who actually cast ballots, but a nonprofit agency is hoping to reverse that. Nevada is one of six states targeted by the New Voters Project....

Study projects more high-school graduates, greater diversity.
March 1, 2004... WASHINGTON -- A study just released by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education projects that more than 3.2 million high-school students will graduate in 2008-2009. By the class of 2014, minority enrollments will surge by 43...

Preparing our nation's nurses.(publishing today)
March 1, 2004... Credentials, Curriculum, and Access: The Debate Over Nurse Preparation By Melinda Mechur Karp, Dr, James Jacobs an Katherine L. Hughes Community College Press, 2002 Paperback, $15.00 The recent New York Board of Nursing decision to...

Md. college graduates whiz kid.(around campus)
March 1, 2004... HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) -- Now that Sarah Keely, 16, has graduated from Hagerstown Community College as its youngest student ever, she is preparing for her next challenge: getting a driver's license. The license, which Sarah said she hopes to...

Truckee Meadows Community College.(Grants & Gifts)
March 1, 2004... Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, Nev., recently received a Congressional Award of $397,400 from the U.S. Department of Education for three initiatives: a new associate of applied science degree in manufacturing technology with two...

Ivy Tech State College-Central Indiana.(Grants & Gifts)
March 1, 2004... Ivy Tech State College-Central Indiana has received $3 million from the Fairbanks Foundation to create a state-of-the-art classroom and lab space for health students and as an endowment to fund technology acquisition and replacement for the...

Morrisville State College.(Grants & Gifts)
March 1, 2004... The Greater Norwich Foundation has given $250,000 to Morrisville State College in Morrisville, N.Y., to support the college's Norwich Legacy Campaign and help complete the campus' new academic building.

Forsyth Technical Community College.(Grants & Gifts)
March 1, 2004... Forsyth Technical Community College in Winston-Salem, N.C., has received $1,200 from the Ruritan National Foundation to help support and fund two scholarships for the year 2004-2005. Forsyth Tech also received a $10,000 grant from Sara Lee...

Lakeland Community College.(Grants & Gifts)
March 1, 2004... Lakeland Community College in Kirtland, Ohio, has received $675,000 for industrial skills training from the Ohio Board of Regents and the state of Ohio. The grant will be used to purchase training equipment and build a non-credit industrial...

Greenville Technical College.(Grants & Gifts)
March 1, 2004... Greenville Technical College in Greenville, S.C., and Clemson University have received more than $650,000 from the National Science Foundation to develop, test and implement a virtual reality model of the aircraft maintenance process for...

Sixty-five years after grammar school, 77-year-old Josephine Ferguson is preparing to take her GED.(around campus)
March 1, 2004... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Sixty-five years after grammar school, 77-year-old Josephine Ferguson is preparing to take her GED. With help from the Adult Education Program at Pellissipi State Technical Community College in Knoxville,...

William Patterson, a watercolor professor at the Collin County Community College District in Texas.(around campus)
March 1, 2004... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: William Patterson, a watercolor professor at the Colin County Community College District in Texas, is currently a featured artist at the Gerald Peters Gallery in Dallas. Some of this works on display are...

Computer freaked? Call in the geeks.(technology today)
March 1, 2004... Which high-tech products give you the most grief? Surprisingly, more people singled out TiVo and Replay digital recording systems than personal computers, according to a recent survey by Best Buy (http://www.bestbuy.com). Fully 9 percent...

President's space program could send Maryland students soaring.(Bits & Bytes)
March 1, 2004... LARGO, Md. -- For Prince George's Community College students enrolled in the college's space engineering technology program, President Bush's interest in expanding the space program may increase their marketability in the work force. "I...

Calif. colleges team up to close digital literacy gap.(Bits & Bytes)
March 1, 2004... OAKLAND, Calif. -- In an historical more, 26 Northern California community colleges are collaborating to close the state's digital literacy skills gap and better prepare students to compete in a global work force. Led by Cabrillo College, the...

Coming events.(Calendar)
March 1, 2004... March 10-13, Community Colleges. "Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator Training" workshop in Baltimore, League for Innovation in the Community College, National Council for Staff, Program, and Organizational Development, and Company of Experts.net....

Judge says Va. colleges can deny illegal immigrants admission.(around the nation)
March 15, 2004... ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) -- Colleges are within their rights to deny admission to illegal immigrants, a federal judge has ruled in a lawsuit against Virginia colleges and universities. The ruling by U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III dismisses...

Calif. Court: environmental study needed before college razes building.(around the nation)
March 15, 2004... FRESNO, Calif. -- Modesto Junior College must conduct an environmental study before demolishing a facility that formerly housed its shooting range, the California Court of Appeal has ruled. The Yosemite Community College District "skipped...

R.I. plan would help at-risk students.(around the nation)
March 15, 2004... PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -- The state Department of Education is considering a proposal for an alternative school that would blend high school and college and is designed for students who are in danger of dropping out. High-school students'...

Wachovia donation will help recruit teachers in N.C.
March 15, 2004... GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP) -- The largest corporate donation in East Carolina University's history will help recruit teachers in the eastern part of the state. Wachovia Corp. recently gave the school $1.25 million to provide scholarships and...

Bush's plan to change Pell irks some educators.(dateline Washington)
March 15, 2004... A proposed rule change to the Pell Grant program in President Bush's budget aims to guard against future budget shortfalls, according to officials at the U.S. Department of Education. But critics say it's just a way to cap or slash the maximum...

HEA renewal faces roadblocks.(dateline Washington)
March 15, 2004... Although it has been billed as one of the top legislative tasks of the 108th U.S. Congress, the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act may be postponed until next year due to stalled action in Congress and diversions posed by the upcoming...

Cell phones in class--this, too, shall pass?(point of view)
March 15, 2004... I have been reading the stories in the American press about what you call cell phones and what we (in England) refer to as mobile phones. The stories, as you are very aware, concern their use in schools and colleges. Your columnists are getting...

Using technology to take down plagiarism.(point of view)
March 15, 2004... Many articles have come and gone about students' lack of morality and disrespect for authority, about the ease of access and ubiquitous technology, all of which it is said fosters rampant plagiarism activity on college campuses. But practically...

Thinking outside the box: technology programs are vital to the long-term success of two-year colleges and their students--but how can the schools keep a firm hold on technology while navigating choppy financial seas?
March 15, 2004... FRESNO, Calif. -- California's rich farm land--sometimes called the breadbasket of the world--basks in the constant glow of sunshine, and the mercury often climbs past 100 degrees. Though a prime clime for crop growing, it kicks up more than a...

Nevada lawmaker resigns teaching post to avoid legal conflict.
March 15, 2004... LAS VEGAS (AP) -- A veteran lawmaker resigned from his longtime college teaching post recently to avoid a legal conflict over state employees serving in Nevada's part-time Legislature. Sen. Ray Rawson, R-Las Vegas, announced his decision at...

Bill could beef up Wyoming's colleges, supporters say.
March 15, 2004... CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- A proposed endowment fund that has won initial approval would mean more scholarships, better visiting professors, improved training and other benefits for Wyoming's seven community colleges, supporters say. Mirroring a...

Amendment would shift control of W.Va. colleges.
March 15, 2004... CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Control of West Virginia's community colleges would shift from the Higher Education Policy Commission to an independent governing council under an amendment adopted recently by the House Education Committee. The...

Mich. colleges lobby to keep funding.
March 15, 2004... LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Michigan s community colleges are lobbying to preserve their state funding. Officials at the two-year schools say they've been hammered by budget cuts in recent years and can't afford any more decreases. Under terms...

Enrollments soar at Mo. colleges.
March 15, 2004... JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) -- Enrollment in Missouri's two-year community colleges is likely to continue to increase as long as four-year colleges raise their tuition to counter cuts in state funding, community-college representatives said. Two-year...

Ariz. colleges consider tuition hike.
March 15, 2004... PHOENIX (AP) -- It may soon cost students more to attend Maricopa County's community colleges. Maricopa Community Colleges are considering raising tuition and fees by $4 per credit hour, district officials said. The colleges face...

Utah college grapples with lawsuits.
March 15, 2004... SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A company contracted by Salt Lake Community College to manage the school's computer and technology systems is facing allegations of civil rights violations. The lawsuit is the latest legal problem facing the college,...

Two Missouri students killed in crash.
March 15, 2004... ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Two teens died after they wore ejected from a car during a crash, and one of them was thrown over a bridge rail into the Meramec River. The victims have been identified as 18-year-old Christopher Larocca and 19-year-old...

Kansas weighs tuition break for immigrants.
March 15, 2004... TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- A bill lowering the cost of attending college for some illegal immigrants or their children won first-round Senate approval last month after inspiring a lengthy and passionate debate. The measure would permit qualified...

Police cleared in hostage incident at Tenn. college.
March 15, 2004... DYERSBURG, Tenn. (AP) -- Police officers acted properly when they shot and killed a man during a Sept. 17, 2003 hostage standoff at Dyersburg State Community College, an internal investigation has concluded. "We found our special response...

Nevada nursing shortage draws attention.
March 15, 2004... RENO, Nev. (AP) -- Nevada's nursing shortage has been drawing attention throughout the state, most recently with Rep. Jim Gibbons touting a $750,000 federal grant to recruit and train nurses, and Nevada State College at Henderson preparing to...

Pa. Corp. donates land to college.
March 15, 2004... NESQUEHONING, Pa. (AP) -- Lehigh Carbon Community College has received 37 acres of reclaimed wetlands in Nesquehoning, valued at about $425,000, from a county business. The Kovatch Corp. sold the plot along Route 54 to the college...

The theater at Tallahassee Community College in Tallahassee, Fla., recently held an encore presentation of their production "A Piece of My Heart".(around campus)
March 15, 2004... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: The theater at Tallahassee Community College in Tallahassee, Fla., recently held an encore presentation of their production "A Piece of My Heart" (above). Written by Richard Ford, it tells the story of two...

Students donate $25,000 for summer classes.(around campus)
March 15, 2004... VENTURA, Calif (AP) -- Students at Ventura College are chipping in 25,000 to keep summer classes operating. Budget cuts threatened to cancel summer classes, but the Associated Students of Ventura College unanimously approved a $25,000 donation...

Camden County College in Blackwood, N.J., has received a $7,000 grant from the New Jersey Council.(Grants & Gifts)
March 15, 2004... Camden County College in Blackwood, N.J., has received a $7,000 grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities to underwrite the college's free public lecture series on works by Irish author James Joyce and his novel "Ulysses."

Verizon has awarded $1.6 million to a 10-college consortium headed by Springfield Technical Community College in Springfield, Mass., to continue the New England Next Step program through the end of 2008.(Grants & Gifts)
March 15, 2004... Verizon has awarded $1.6 million to a 10-college consortium headed by Springfield Technical Community College in Springfield, Mass., to continue the New England Next Step program through the end of 2008. Through the program, Verizon employees...

Washington State Community College in Marietta, Ohio, recently received a $615,000 non-credit training grant from the Ohio board of regents to construct new classroom and laboratory space and add new equipment for two technology programs.(Grants & Gifts)
March 15, 2004... Washington State Community College in Marietta, Ohio, recently received a $615,000 non-credit training grant from the Ohio board of regents to construct new classroom and laboratory space and add new equipment for two technology programs. With...

Morrisville State College in Morrisville, N.Y., has received a $400,000 gift from the Roger Follett Foundation Inc. to support the Norwich campus' legacy campaign during the next four years.(Grants & Gifts)
March 15, 2004... Morrisville State College in Morrisville, N.Y., has received a $400,000 gift from the Roger Follett Foundation Inc. to support the Norwich campus' legacy campaign during the next four years. Officials also announced that the new Norwich campus...

Two faculty members from Schenectady County Community College in Schenectady, N.Y., have received state scholarships worth $3,000 to expand their appreciation and knowledge of wine and wine products from The Donald P. Lancella Memorial Wine Education Scholarship Fund.(Honors & Awards)
March 15, 2004... Two faculty members from Schenectady County Community College in Schenectady, N.Y., have received state scholarships worth $3,000 to expand their appreciation and knowledge of wine and wine products from The Donald P. Lancella Memorial Wine...

In a national competition, two professors were recently recognized for their use of advanced technologies to enhance learning among minority disabled and other underserved students.(Honors & Awards)
March 15, 2004... In a national competition, two professors were recently recognized for their use of advanced technologies to enhance learning among minority disabled and other underserved students. Kathleen Proietti, chair of the computer information sciences...

Patti Tana.(Honors & Awards)
March 15, 2004... Patti Tana, a professor of English at Nassau Community College in Garden City, N.Y., has been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in Poetry for her book, "Make Your Way Across This Bridge: New & Selected Writings" (Whittier Publications, 2003).

Jean Trounstine.(Honors & Awards)
March 15, 2004... The New England Board of Higher Education recently presented "The Changing Lives Through Literature Program" and Jean Trounstine, a humanities professor at Middlesex Community College in Bedford and Lowell, Mass., with its 2004 Higher Education...

Miami Dade College in Florida recently honored several instructors with its 2003 Endowed Teaching Chairs.(Honors & Awards)
March 15, 2004... Miami Dade College in Florida recently honored several instructors with its 2003 Endowed Teaching Chairs. The recipients were: Teresa Maria Rojas, professor of drama; Giselle Sin, professor of computer science; Carolina Hospital, professor of...

Fla. school's Tech Center gets magic touch.(Bits & Bytes)
March 15, 2004... MIAMI -- Basketball star Earvin "Magic" Johnson launched the 12th Magic Johnson/HP Inventor Center at the Mattie Koonce Learning and Technology Center last month at Miami Dade College as part of a multimillion-dollar campaign to end technical...

Computers can be a real pain.(technology today)
March 15, 2004... Despite the promise of voice recognition and the allure of HAL, the talking (and listening) computer from the film "2001: A Space Odyssey," the vast majority of us still peck at a keyboard and push around a mouse to get our computers to do what...

Owens Community College.(Appointments)
March 15, 2004... Mark Durivage is the new dean of the industrial and engineering technologies division at Owens Community College in Toledo, Ohio. With the college since 1998, he was most recently interim dean. Durivage holds an associate's degree from Owens, a...

Tallahassee Community College.(Appointments)
March 15, 2004... Dr. Glendon S. Forgey has been appointed vice president for administration and chief financial officer at Tallahassee Community College in Tallahassee, Fla. He previously served in a variety of positions for the Oklahoma State Regents for...

Lakeland Community College.(Appointments)
March 15, 2004... Dr. Marilyn Jones is the new dean of learning resources and support services at Lakeland Community College in Kirtland, Ohio. Jones comes from Notre Dame College, where she served as vice president of academic affairs. She earned her bachelor's...

Bunker Hill Community College.(Appointments)
March 15, 2004... Beryl Davis has been appointed as the new dean of nurse education and health professions at Bunker Hill Community College in Boston. Most recently, she served as director of outpatient services at Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport, Mass....

Queensborough College.(Appointments)
March 15, 2004... Ellen Hartigan has been appointed vice president of student affairs at Queensborough College in Bayside, N.Y. Before taking this post, she was vice president for student affairs and alumni development at Polytechnic University. Hartigan...

Cuyahoga Community College.(Appointments)
March 15, 2004... Dr. Jacquelin A. Joseph-Silverstein has been named executive vice president of academic and student affairs at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland. She comes from the University of Connecticut, where she was associate vice chancellor....

Rhodes new head of J. Sergeant Reynolds.(Presidents)
March 15, 2004... Dr. Gary L. Rhodes is the new president of J. Sergeant Reynolds College in Richmond, Va. He was previously president of Riverland Community College in Austin, Minn. Rhodes received his bachelor's degree from Southeast Missouri State University,...

Fullerton names Hodge president.(Presidents)
March 15, 2004... Dr. Kathleen O'Connell Hodge has been appointed president of Fullerton College in Fullerton, Calif. She was most recently a professor of psychology at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, Calif. She earned an associate's degree from Citrus...

Box takes helm at Hazard College.(Presidents)
March 15, 2004... Dr. Jay K. Box recently took over as the third president of Hazard Community and Technical College in Hazard, Ky. He was previously vice president for instruction at McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas. He earned an associate's degree...

Coming events.(Calendar)
March 15, 2004... March 26, Science. "Scientific Modeling From Abstraction to Reality," symposium, St. Edward's University, in Austin, TX. Contact: Mia M. Allen, (512) 448-8740, mias@admin.stedwards.edu, www.stedwards.edu/science/lucian March 26-27, Women....

Educating the 21st century work force.
March 15, 2004... Considering socio-economic trends, technology, and the evolving requirements for learning, there is a call for educational reform to include a set of educational experiences for students targeted to employment needs. Fueled by the economy and...

From paper stacks to a streamlined system.
March 15, 2004... At Monroe Community College, curriculum is the foundation of the college's ability to remain responsive to the community's evolving needs. The traditional curricular change process at MCC, like at most higher-education institutions, was...

2+2+1 = good math for Maryland.
March 15, 2004... Pick up any newspaper or watch any television broadcast and you will very likely read about issues of concern regarding the state of education: whether it be student readiness, reduced state budgets requiring the elimination of valuable...

Digital literacy is a mandate for the future.
March 15, 2004... A recent release from the U.S. Technology administration stated that "America's competitiveness in the knowledge-based economy depends on the skills and abilities of our workforce... Advanced technologies have the potential to boost the...

Datatel program gives power to the people.
March 15, 2004... Western Iowa Tech always has placed great emphasis on using technology to enhance the learning experience. More than a decade ago, at the dawn of the Internet revolution, we recognized the need to expand and upgrade our IT environment. We...

ACCUPLACER eases assessment tasks.
March 15, 2004... Can you remember a time when we did not have access to the world via the Internet? Today, everything we do is linked to the Internet and with this unlimited access to vast amounts of information comes some challenges. Security, more...

Online courses offer key to adjunct training.
March 15, 2004... Community Colleges and Career Schools have a dilemma on their hands Student enrollments are up and the demand for online learning has increased, fueling the need for additional instructors. Educational institutions often turn to part-time or...

Keep teaching skills fresh.
March 15, 2004... Become an Active Learner. Thomson Delmar Learning's Strategies for Active Learning online module discusses the concept of active learning and its importance in adult education. It describes characteristics of excellent learning activities and...

'Used' doesn't necessarily mean used up.
March 15, 2004... Riddles are time-honored educational tools that are often used to entertain students while teaching them the value of critical thinking. They often require the kind of "outside the box" inductive and deductive reasoning that is so valued in the...