Community College Week articles from May 2005

Community College Week archives from May 2005

Searching for seamless transfers in Oregon.(around the nation)
May 23, 2005... In the midst of a legislative session dominated by budgets, taxes and crime, lawmakers sitting on an Oregon Senate education sub-committee found time to address the dreams of Oregon high school students who want to broaded their educational...

Louisiana Community-College System reaches out to former students.(around the nation)
May 23, 2005... BATON ROUGE, LA. -- Louisiana ranks last in the nation in the percentage of residents between 25 and 64 years of age with two-year degrees, largely because the Bayou State was one of the last states to embrace the community-college concept....

Florida lawmakers praised for new budget.
May 23, 2005... TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- With billions extra to spend, state lawmakers recently passed a $63.1 billion budget that has thrilled school officials statewide. Lawmakers also cut taxes for investors, shoppers and farmers to the tune of $225...

Accountability for better results.(point of view)
May 23, 2005... Let's be honest. Most educators brace for an attack when they hear the word "accountability." The call for more accountability often seems little more than searching for a sure-fire way to place blame or to get better results on the cheap....

We must reauthorize HEA now.(point of view)
May 23, 2005... More than 2.5 million California community-college students are depending on 535 members of Congress to reauthorize the 1965 Higher Education Act. Admittedly, the California Community College system has a special interest in this bill. Our...

Same time, same place: looking back to last year's congressional deadlock, college leaders don't have high hopes for Higher Education Act reauthorization this time around.
May 23, 2005... Community-college leaders and advocates say that when--or if--the federal Higher Education Act of 1965 is reauthorized by Congress later this year, it will be both a year late and many dollars short for their campuses and students. The...

New Pell Grant formula would yield less for many.(dateline washington)
May 23, 2005... Students who are getting a reduced Pell Grant this upcoming academic year as a result of the Department of Education's updated formula will lose an average of $131. Or so the Government Accountability Office estimates, based on the...

Electronic grant applications slowly gaining momentum.(dateline washington)
May 23, 2005... Those who like to apply for grants electronically so far haven't been afforded as many opportunities as the Department of Education had hoped. The department has been participating in a government-wide effort to coordinate and streamline the...

Community College Week.(dateline washington)(Calendar)
May 23, 2005... 2004-2005 Publication Dates & Deadlines * During the 2004-2005 publication year, Community College Week will continue its 15-year tradition of special reports designed to examine the "hot topics" in American postsecondary education. ...

Senate budget adds and subtracts.(CAPITOL briefs)
May 23, 2005... A $100 increase in the maximum annual Pell Grant amount recently won congressional approval. Congress passed a budget resolution for fiscal year 2006 that includes $400 million to accommodate the Pell award increase, to a maximum of $4,150....

House passes Perkins Act.(CAPITOL briefs)
May 23, 2005... Maybe next year federal money will flow to smooth transfer between two-year and four-year colleges and to train automotive technicians at community colleges. And no state would have to worry about losing a share of funding if the Tech-Prep...

$125 million in grants up for grabs.(CAPITOL briefs)
May 23, 2005... Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao recently waved the green flag in the race for the first $125 million of President Bush's Community-Based Job Training Grants (see Community College Week, 3/14/05). Congress earmarked $250 million in last year's...

Robots bring factory-like conditions to auto repair class.
May 23, 2005... TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) -- Eight robots that made vehicles at Mercedes-Benz U.S. International's plant in Vance now sit huddled in a corner at Shelton State Community College. The robots, retired from assembling the M-Class, will be used to...

Community-college students get nearly a fourth of private scholarship funds.
May 23, 2005... Community-college students are receiving almost one quarter of all private scholarship donations, according to a newly released collaborative report produced by the Institute for Higher Education Policy, Scholarship America and the National...

Fast times at Greenville Tech: short, sharp programs give students a gateway to good jobs.(eye on the workforce)
May 23, 2005... The past five years have been tough in South Carolina. With 76,000 manufacturing jobs moving out of state and often out of the country, the Greenville area is increasingly filled with laidoff mill workers struggling to find new careers, and...

Board retains president, but wants improvement plan.
May 23, 2005... PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -- The embattled president of the Community College of Rhode Island is staying on, at least for now, despite a somewhat critical review of his tenure. The state Board of Governors for Higher Education recently...

Ex-head of defunct college pleads guilty to fraud.
May 23, 2005... DETROIT (AP) -- The former president of a defunct nondenominational Christian college pleaded guilty to all 23 counts of an indictment charging him with defrauding a student financial aid program, said U.S. attorney Stephen Murphy in a...

Budget cuts shut down Calif. college newspaper.
May 23, 2005... VENTURA, Calif. (AP) -- Eighty years of chronicling life at Ventura College ended with May's final edition of the student-run campus newspaper, a victim of budget cuts. "They hit us with no warning," Ventura College Press editor-in-chief...

Legislature approves pay raises, education budget.
May 23, 2005... MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- Gov. Bob Riley has promised to veto a 6 percent pay raise for school employees and the education budget to fund it, but he expects the Legislature to override his vetoes. House Speaker Seth Hammett, D-Andalusia,...

Berkshire Community College trustees fire president.
May 23, 2005... PITTSFIELD, Mass. (AP) -- Berkshire Community College President Bryan K. Blanchard has been fired after less than two years on the job. Citing concerns over his leadership, management style and communications abilities, trustees voted 7-1...

The law school dilemma.(publishing today)
May 23, 2005... Should You Really Be A Lawyer? The Guide to Smart Career Choices Before, During & After Law School By Deborah Schneider, J.D. and Gary Belsky Decision Books, 2005 Paperback, $21.95 Any self-respecting person should be able to answer...

Sending large files without mucking up the works.(technology today)
May 23, 2005... E-mail has never been a fool-proof way of sending information, and lately it has gotten even hairier, with well-meaning but overzealous anti-spam filters often blocking even legitimate messages. If you're sending something crucial, it...

$12 million solar field lighting up Cerro Coso.(Bits & Bytes)
May 23, 2005... RIDGECREST, Calif. -- Cerro Coso Community College is the home of the second largest solar farm in California, a photovoltaic field that sits on 6.5 acres at the southeast end of the Ridgecrest campus. The nearly $12 million power...

Chromed out.(around campus)
May 23, 2005... Shawnee Community College In Ullin, Ill., recently held Its 15th annual car show on the parking lot of the college's main campus. The cars were Judged in 46 classes, with three trophies awarded per class. Previous car shows have brought in...

Visually striking.(around campus)
May 23, 2005... Montgomery College in Rockville, Md., opened the doors of its Technical Center Building to the college's advertising art students to display their varied and inventive compositions. The exhibit ran from May 2 to May 20 and featured...

The Community College of Baltimore County in Towson, Md., has been allocated an additional $3.4 million by Baltimore County in the recommended budget for fiscal year 2006.(Grants & Gifts)
May 23, 2005... The Community College of Baltimore County in Towson, Md., has been allocated an additional $3.4 million by Baltimore County in the recommended budget for fiscal year 2006. The 9.4 percent increase would eliminate the need to increase tuition...

Tidewater Community College in Norfolk, Va., has been awarded $1,071,944 over four years by the U.S. Department of Education to fund the school's TRIO/Student Support Services Open Door Project.(Grants & Gifts)
May 23, 2005... Tidewater Community College in Norfolk, Va., has been awarded $1,071,944 over four years by the U.S. Department of Education to fund the school's TRIO/Student Support Services Open Door Project. The project provides opportunities for academic...

Nassau Community College in Garden City, N.J., will receive $2.5 million from the Nassau County legislature to upgrade its student and financial computer information systems.(Grants & Gifts)
May 23, 2005... Nassau Community College in Garden City, N.J., will receive $2.5 million from the Nassau County legislature to upgrade its student and financial computer information systems. The state of New York will provide matching funds, totaling $5...

The Bill J. Priest Institute for Economic Development in Dallas received a $471,250 grant from the Texas Workforce Commission's Self-Sufficiency Fund.(Grants & Gifts)
May 23, 2005... The Bill J. Priest Institute for Economic Development in Dallas received a $471,250 grant from the Texas Workforce Commission's Self-Sufficiency Fund. The grant will be used to train 125 area workers who are receiving public assistance or are...

The Phoenixville Community Health Foundation will provide up to $100,000 towards partial tuition for students in the Phoenixville Area School District who choose to attend classes at Delaware County Community College in Media, Pa.(Grants & Gifts)
May 23, 2005... The Phoenixville Community Health Foundation will provide up to $100,000 towards partial tuition for students in the Phoenixville Area School District who choose to attend classes at Delaware County Community College in Media, Pa. The...

The West Valley-Mission Community College District in Saratoga, Calif., will receive a deferred bequest with a current value of $2.5 million from Alan and Bonnie Aert.(Grants & Gifts)
May 23, 2005... The West Valley-Mission Community College District in Saratoga, Calif., will receive a deferred bequest with a current value of $2.5 million from Alan and Bonnie Aert. The funds will be used to create the Educational Opportunities Scholarship...

Quinsigamond College in Worcester, Mass., has received a $1 million gift from the Francis A. and Jacquelyn H. Harrington Foundation for a new building and to fund campus renovations.(Grants & Gifts)
May 23, 2005... Quinsigamond College in Worcester, Mass., has received a $1 million gift from the Francis A. and Jacquelyn H. Harrington Foundation for a new building and to fund campus renovations. The gift is the single largest contribution in the history...

Saddleback College professor's lifelong bee hobby pays off.(faculty lounge)
May 23, 2005... MISSION VIEJO, Calif. -- Saddleback College English professor Robert Cosgrove might hear a buzzing in his ears, but it's not because people are talking behind his back. When he's not teaching students about Herman Melville on the...

Anne M. Pinkerton.(Honors & Awards)
May 23, 2005... Tidewater Community College in Norfolk, Va., has honored anatomy and physiology professor Anne M. Pinkerton with the college's 2005 Professor of the Year Award.

Nina Tamrowski.(Honors & Awards)
May 23, 2005... Political science professor Nina Tamrowski of Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, N.Y., was named one of 15 finalists for the prestigious 2005 Thomas Ehrlich Faculty Award for Service Learning. She was the only community-college professor...

Mike Burke.(Honors & Awards)
May 23, 2005... Mike Burke, a math professor at the College of San Mateo in San Mateo, Calif., has been named a 2005 Carnegie Scholar by The Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Burke was one of 21 faculty members selected from more...

Chikao Tsubaki.(Honors & Awards)
May 23, 2005... Baltimore City Community College English professor Chikao Tsubaki has been named the Distance Educator of the Year for 2005 by the Maryland Distance Learning Association and the College of the Air Distance Education Consortium. Tsubaki earned...

Dr. Alan Chandler.(Honors & Awards)
May 23, 2005... Dr. Alan Chandler, chair of the political science department at Mission College in Santa Clara, Calif., has been awarded a "Landmarks of American Democracy" summer fellowship by the National Endowment of the Humanities.

Dr. Tom Reeves.(Honors & Awards)
May 23, 2005... Biology professor Dr. Tom Reeves of Midlands Technical College in Columbia, S.C., has been awarded the Governor's Award for Excellence in Science.

Los Angeles Community College District.(APPOINTMENTS)
May 23, 2005... Darroch "Rocky" Young has been named the new chancellor of the nine-college Los Angeles Community College District. He had served previously as the president of Los Angeles Pierce College. Young holds a bachelor's degree from the University...

San Juan College in Farmington.(APPOINTMENTS)
May 23, 2005... San Juan College in Farmington, N.M., has named Dr. Sandra Spence Tracy assistant vice president for learning outreach. She had served as dean of education at the National University in La Jolla, Calif. Tracy earned a bachelor's degree from...

University and Community College System.(APPOINTMENTS)
May 23, 2005... Jim Rogers has been named the new chancellor of the University and Community College System of Nevada. He had previously been chief executive of Sunbelt Communications Co. and interim chancellor of the system. Rogers holds a bachelor's degree...

Virginia Community College System.(APPOINTMENTS)
May 23, 2005... Dr. Monty Sullivan has been named vice chancellor for academic services and research for the Virginia Community College System. He served previously as vice chancellor for academic and student affairs for Louisiana Delta Community College in...

Orange Coast College.(PRESIDENTS)
May 23, 2005... Orange Coast College has named Robert V. Dees the ninth president of the Costa Mesa, Calif. institution. He had previously served seven years as OCC's vice president of instruction. Dees holds a bachelor's degree and a master's degree from...

Los Rios Community College District.(PRESIDENTS)
May 23, 2005... The Los Rios Community College District board of trustees recently appointed David Viar president of American River College in Sacramento, Calif. He was previously chief executive officer for the Community College League of California. He...

San Diego Mesa College.(PRESIDENTS)
May 23, 2005... Dr. Rita Cepeda has been selected as the new president of San Diego Mesa College. Previously, she had served as president of Santa Ana College in Santa Ana, Calif. Cepeda earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from California State...

San Diego Miramar College.(PRESIDENTS)
May 23, 2005... Dr. Patricia Hsieh was recently named president of San Diego Miramar College. She had previously served as interim president of Sacramento City College. Hsieh received a bachelor's degree from Chengchi University in Taiwan, a master's degree...

New Mexico college unveils program for nontraditional students.(around the nation)
May 9, 2005... New Mexico's Santa Fe Community College recently announced an innovative program of intensified financial, academic and social support for select nontraditional students. The "Contract for a Better Tomorrow" program will supplement...

Female faculty still chasing salary equity.(around the nation)
May 9, 2005... Women and non-tenure-track faculty continue to lose out on the salary scale, according to the annual compensation study from the American Association of University Professors. Women's average income is approximately 80 percent of their...

California court: former employees may sue college district.(around the nation)
May 9, 2005... COMPTON, Calif. -- Three former employees of the Compton Community College District have won the right to pursue claims against the district for sex discrimination and harassment, constructive discharge and retaliation. A three-judge...

President or CEO?(point of view)
May 9, 2005... Now that the 85th Annual Convention of the American Association of Community Colleges, held in Boston, has ended, I feel compelled to discuss the ever-growing phenomenon of community college presidents referring to themselves as "CEO's." What...

Graduation: promises kept.(point of view)
May 9, 2005... The call came on Saturday. The voice said "Go to OCC's web site--the graduation photos. Look at the third one. You're in it!" Carol's excitement punctuated every sentence. Carol was often excited these days: She'd recently become, after...

Letter from the editor.(point of view)
May 9, 2005... Dear Readers, After more than four years at Community College Week, I will be stepping down as editor May 4. I have accepted an editing job at a publication covering congressional policy, something I've long wanted to do. Coming...

Humor 101.(Cartoon)
May 9, 2005... "I've become a more effective teacher with 'distance learning.'" [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Going the distance: online learning programs reach beyond the community college to high schools, employers--and other community colleges.(Cover Story)
May 9, 2005... Although still mostly populated by those who have difficult reaching their own community college campuses, such as rural residents or working parents, distance-learning programs have expanded their reach during the past several years,...

Efficiencies of knowledge in West Virginia.
May 9, 2005... The 10-college Community and Technical College System of West Virginia signed a memorandum of understanding in February to become part of Project SAIL It's offering six distance-learning programs this spring: wastewater treatment from...

Grant process still stuck in the swamp.(dateline washington)
May 9, 2005... Five years after the federal government was supposed to coordinate grantmaking online, many goals remain just that--goals. The Federal Financial Assistance Management Improvement Act of 1999 instructed federal agencies to work together to...

Educators spar over Higher Education Act.(dateline washington)
May 9, 2005... Is the Higher Education Act really making college more affordable? Republicans on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, who control the writing of a new version of the bill due this year, armed themselves with some testimony...

New Pell formula means less money for students.(CAPITOL briefs)
May 9, 2005... Students who are getting a reduced Pell Grant this upcoming academic year as a result of the Department of Education's updated formula will lose an average of $131. Or so the Government Accountability Office estimates, based on the...

College-university partnerships gaining momentum.
May 9, 2005... If all goes according to plan, the new university center on the main campus of Bellevue Community College in Bellevue, Wash., may become the most visible symbol yet of the increasing cooperation between the nation's two- and four-year...

New wellness center to serve N.D. Native American community.
May 9, 2005... BISMARCK, N.D. -- With traditional tribal blessings and patriotic songs, officials and students of the United Tribes Technical College broke ground for a new wellness center last month that will help the college expand its outreach to the...

College at Ground Zero dedicates new student commons.
May 9, 2005... NEW YORK (AP) -- Officials at Borough of Manhattan Community College, which scrambled for space after losing a building in the 2001 attack on the nearby World Trade Center, cut the ribbon recently for a new student commons built with $1.5...

N.C. college approves degrees for illegal immigrants.
May 9, 2005... WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) -- Forsyth Technical Community College will allow illegal immigrants to study in degree programs and not just attend classes, the school announced recently. The 12-member board of trustees voted unanimously to...

School newspaper faces prior review for sex advice column.
May 9, 2005... NEW BERN, N.C. (AP) -- A sex-advice column has prompted the president of Craven Community College to propose that a panel of students and staff members review the content of the student-run newspaper and make changes before the paper is...

Louisiana Court says college violated professor's rights.(eye on the courts)
May 9, 2005... LAFAYETTE, La. -- A Louisiana Court of Appeal has ruled that Louisiana Technical College-Lafayette violated the rights of a former tenured instructor who was denied notice and a chance to be heard before his unpaid suspension. "The...

Running your own online discussion groups.(technology today)
May 9, 2005... At their best, online discussion groups expand your business and social contacts, exposing you to information, opinion and worldwide camaraderie you wouldn't find otherwise. In one discussion group I frequent, the camaraderie was recently...

All the news that's fit to post.(around campus)
May 9, 2005... McCOOK, Neb. (AP)--About 18 months ago, a small group of incoming McCook Community College freshmen voiced their discontent with the lack of a venue where writers, poets and artists could share their work with the campus cyber community. ...

Close encounter of the first kind.(faculty lounge)
May 9, 2005... COSTA MESA, Calif. -- Dennis Kelly is obsessed with orcas, better known as killer whales. He writes about them, teaches his students about them and, for a long time, even tried recording their movements off the coast of Southern California....

Dr. Anthony Gambino.(Honors & awards)
May 9, 2005... Dr. Anthony Gambino, chairman of the natural science department at Manatee Community College in Bradenton, Fla., is the recipient of the 2005 International Exemplary Leadership Award from the college's Chair Academy.

Frank Longbottom.(Honors & awards)
May 9, 2005... Frank Longbottom, General Motors automotive technology instructor at Camden County College in Camden, N.J., has received the 2004 GM-ASEP /BSEP National Award of Merit from General Motors.

Dr. Tom Reeves.(Honors & awards)
May 9, 2005... Biology instructor Dr. Tom Reeves of Midlands Technical College in Columbia, S.C., has received the Governor's Award for Excellence in Science.

Dr. Gayle Childers.(Honors & awards)
May 9, 2005... Mathematics professor Dr. Gayle Childers of J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College in Richmond, Va., has received a 2005 Virginia Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. She is the only...

Lynda Durham.(Honors & awards)
May 9, 2005... Lynda Durham, chairwoman of the foreign language department and Spanish instructor for Casper College in Casper, Wyo., has been selected as the National Vice President of Alpha Mu Gamma for 2006.

Coast Community College District.(RETIREMENTS)
May 9, 2005... Gene J. Farrell, the eighth president of Orange Coast College, in Costa Mesa, Calif., retired recently. He served 34 years in the Coast Community College District. Previously, he had worked as a consultant with the Ventura Community...

Polk Community College.(RETIREMENTS)
May 9, 2005... Dr. J. Larry Durrenee of Polk Community College in Winter Haven, Fla., will leave his post early in 2006. Durrence has been president of Polk since 1998 and plans to retire at the end of January. Before serving at the helm of PCC, Durrence...

American Association of Community Colleges.(APPOINTMENTS)
May 9, 2005... President Barry W. Russell of Midlands Technical College in Columbia, S.C., has been elected to the board of directors for the American Association of Community Colleges. Before taking the presidency at Midlands, Russell served as president...

West Valley-Mission Community College District.(APPOINTMENTS)
May 9, 2005... The board of trustees for the West Valley-Mission Community College District in Saratoga, Calif., recently tapped Jack Mahrt as the district's new vice chancellor of administrative services. Mahrt was most recently the chief financial officer...

Collin County Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
May 9, 2005... Douglass Willis has been named associate dean of students at Collin County Community College in Texas. Willis previously served as instructional technology coordinator at the Krum Independent School District. He earned a bachelor's degree...

St. Johns River Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
May 9, 2005... Dr. Harry T. Albertson has been named the new vice president for research and planning at St. Johns River Community College in Palatka, Fla. Albertson recently stepped down as chief executive officer of the Florida Association of Community...

Polk Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
May 9, 2005... Polk Community College in Winter Haven, Fla., has tapped Rob Claneey to lead its corporate college program. Clancey most recently served as executive director of Business Institute at Bellevue Community College in Bellevue, Wash. He earned a...

Coming events.(Calendar)
May 9, 2005... May 18-21 2nd National Conference of Minority Professionals in Alternative Dispute Resolution "Promoting Opportunities for Minorities in the Field of ADR" Capital University Law School Greater Columbus Convention Center Columbus, Ohio...