Community College Week articles from November 2006

Community College Week archives from November 2006

College costs beat inflation again, but 2-year colleges remain a tremendous bargain, new report finds.(around the nation)
November 6, 2006... It's what passes for good news right now for students and parents: This year, the price of college went up only somewhat faster than the cost of everything else. A new report also says that public college costs in North Dakota were growing...

Calif. colleges want exemption from quake inspections.
November 6, 2006... LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The proposed $10 billion state school bond measure on the November ballot--Proposition 1-D--includes an earthquake clause that would exempt community colleges from California seismic inspection standards. Community...

Wyo. president opposes tuition reduction.
November 6, 2006... POWELL, Wyo, (AP)--The president of Northwest College doesn't like a plan to reduce tuition for certain out-of-state students at Wyoming's community colleges. Miles LaRowe said it would cost his college about $150,000 a year. Students...

At League's IT conference, educators cautioned that technology doesn't stop.
November 6, 2006... Charlotte, N.C. -- It's all about collaboration and community. As college educators look to apply rapidly-evolving technologies to improve and enhance learning, they must come to grips with how today's tech-savvy students use technology in...

Scrutiny of Alabama community colleges continues; report: bishop state missing records on $261,800.(The Alabama Case)
November 6, 2006... BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) -- Officials at Bishop State Community College can't provide records to document how employees spent $261,800 in school money that was supposed to be used to purchase used textbooks from students, The Birmingham News...

Scrutiny of Alabama community colleges continues; report: ex-chancellor directed two colleges to hire painters.(The Alabama Case)
November 6, 2006... BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) -- When he was chancellor of Alabama's two-year college system, Roy Johnson directed officials at two campuses to hire painters who had worked on his Opelika home, setting up two no-bid deals worth nearly $50,000 each, The...

Scrutiny of Alabama community colleges continues; fire college board severs ties with Ala. Poison Center.(The Alabama Case)
November 6, 2006... TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) -- Directors of the Alabama Fire College voted to sever ties with the nonprofit Alabama Poison Center, leaving the center's future up in the air amid questions of financial improprieties. The board took the action...

The times the are a changing: community college faculty members say their jobs are more demanding than ever--but also more exciting.(SPECIAL REPORT: RECRUITMENT & RETENTION)
November 6, 2006... When Perry Buckley landed his first community-college teaching job 27 years ago, the City Colleges of Chicago basically had two expectations: Have a master's degree and be able to teach English composition and literature. How times have...

Some community colleges persuading senior professors to log on instead of logging out.(SPECIAL REPORT: RECRUITMENT & RETENTION)
November 6, 2006... CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A few years back, professor Stephen I. Winter was seriously considering retirement after a distinguished teaching career that spanned four decades. Winter had done it all at Orange County Community College in Middletown,...

Census data gives education, employment snapshot.
November 6, 2006... Washington -- More associate's degrees fall into the occupational category than the academic category, according to new data released by the U.S. Census Bureau. A supplemental census report on social and economic trends, based on...

Pace of foreign enrollment declines.(CAPITOL briefs)
November 6, 2006... The American higher education community shouldn't necessarily count on a continued influx of foreign students to bolster enrollment, the American Council on Educa The Future of International Students in the United States students and will...

U.S. Census releases associate degree numbers.(CAPITOL briefs)
November 6, 2006... Some 7.07 million American women and 5.54 million American men had earned associate degrees six years ago, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, which just released the most detailed figures from the 2000 Census on education. (Figures are...

Higher ed groups react to new federal loan regulations.(dateline washington)
November 6, 2006... WASHINGTON -- The new rules governing some federal loan programs can cause some confusion and increase administrative burden if not clarified. That's what professional associations representing colleges and universities are telling the U.S....

Report details financial aid, tuition for 2- and 4-year colleges.(dateline washington)
November 6, 2006... WASHINGTON -- The use and cost of public community college varies widely by state. The National Center for Education Statistics released a report on student aid in 12 selected states based on data from the 2003-04 National Postsecondary Student...

Allegheny audit shows president followed college policy.
November 6, 2006... PITTSBURGH (AP) -- After coming under financial scrutiny, an audit shows Community College of Allegheny County is m material compliance with board of trustees' policies, college officials said. The audit looked at travel, entertainment,...

New welfare requirement hard on single-parent college students.
November 6, 2006... LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- A new federal rule that limits welfare payments to single parents m college could hurt their efforts to get out of poverty, advocates say. The change requires them to work 20 to 30 hours a week in addition to their...

Oregon college plans expanded facility.
November 6, 2006... McMinnville, Ore. (AP) -- Chemeketa Community College plans a new campus at McMinnville if voters in its four-county service area approve an $89 million bond request in November. The 20-year bond measure includes money for a health sciences...

Memories of 9-11 spur growth in homeland security programs.
November 6, 2006... East Hartford, Conn. (AP) -- After losing 11 firefighter friends in the 2001 terrorist attacks, Hartford Fire Capt. Edward Casares found himself wondering how to prepare his community and firefighting crews to avert other potential...

Electronic system takes the fear out of class.(Bits & Bytes)
November 6, 2006... ALBANY, Ore. (AP) -- Bore& bashful and befuddled students all dread the moment when a teacher calls on them in class. But at many colleges and universities today, students no longer have to pray that the more prepared students will raise their...

Keeping up, with really simple syndication.(technology today)
November 6, 2006... Imagine having delivered to you just the information you need as soon as it becomes available. That's always been the Holy Grail of the Information Age. Since the Internet became the Internet, people have tried to come up with better ways...

Sixteen participants in a short-term HVAC program at the Perkinston Campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College will receive OSHA and a nationally recognized certificate of training this week for successful completion of training.(around the campus)
November 6, 2006... Sixteen participants in a short-term HVAC program at the Perkinston Campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College will receive OSHA and a nationally recognized certificate of training this week for successful completion of training. The...

Scottsdale Community College, of Scottsdale, Ariz., has announced that The Independent Film Channel has selected Scottsdale student Brock Brown as the featured director for October.(around the campus)
November 6, 2006... * Scottsdale Community College, of Scottsdale, Ariz., has announced that The Independent Film Channel has selected Scottsdale student Brock Brown as the featured director for October. Brown, who in 2004 began his own production company, Matter...

Sarah Chasin isn't a student, but she isn't a Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College employee, either.(around the campus)
November 6, 2006... * Sarah Chasin isn't a student, but she isn't a Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College employee, either. Sometimes it's hard to define the 19-year-old's role at the college. However, one thing that can't be mistaken is her devotion to...

Bunker Hill Community College in Boston, Mass., has been awarded a five-year grant worth nearly $2 million from the United States Department of Education.(Grants & Gifts)
November 6, 2006... Bunker Hill Community College in Boston, Mass., has been awarded a five-year grant worth nearly $2 million from the United States Department of Education. The Title III grant, for a project called "Building the Engaged Campus," will be used to...

Owens Community College in Northwest Ohio has been selected as one of only 34 academic institutions nationwide to receive a $1,647,756 Title III, Part A, Strengthening Institutions Grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Education.(Grants & Gifts)
November 6, 2006... Owens Community College in Northwest Ohio has been selected as one of only 34 academic institutions nationwide to receive a $1,647,756 Title III, Part A, Strengthening Institutions Grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of...

Edmonds Community College in Lynnwood, Wash., received a $30,000 grant from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation.(Grants & Gifts)
November 6, 2006... Edmonds Community College in Lynnwood, Wash., received a $30,000 grant from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. The grant was matched by $25,000 from students and $5,000 in private donations raised by the Edmonds Community College Foundation...

Lake City Community College in Lake City, Fla., has received a $241,500 National Science Foundation Robert Noyce Scholarship grant to fund alternative certification preparation for math and science professionals from North Central Florida.(Grants & Gifts)
November 6, 2006... Lake City Community College in Lake City, Fla., has received a $241,500 National Science Foundation Robert Noyce Scholarship grant to fund alternative certification preparation for math and science professionals from North Central Florida. The...

Art exhibition reflects pop culture.(faculty lounge)
November 6, 2006... Artist Peter Williams, who has been a full-time art instructor at Kellogg Community College in Battle Creek, Mich., since 1992 is exhibiting his solo show, Home Entertainment Systems: Works by Peter Williams at the Overbrook Art Gallery at...

Evergreen Valley College.(Honors & AWARDS)
November 6, 2006... Evergreen Valley College in San Jose, Calif., was recently named one of three California community colleges to win the John W. Rice Diversity and Equity Award, a highly-coveted honor bestowed upon community colleges by the California Community...

Dr. Dolores J. Gunn.(Honors & AWARDS)
November 6, 2006... Dr. Dolores J. Gunn, M.D., member of the St. Louis Community College Board of Trustees, recently received the Health-Care Heroes Community Outreach Award. Sponsored by the St. Louis Business Journal, awards were presented to 22 individuals for...

E. Ann McGee.(Honors & AWARDS)
November 6, 2006... E. Ann McGee, president of Seminole Community College in Sanford, Fla., has been named the top community college CEO for 2006 from among the nation's 1200 community colleges. The Association of Community College Trustees in Orlando presented...

Niagara County Community College Board of Trustees.(APPOINTMENTS)
November 6, 2006... Joan Wolfgang was elected chairwoman of the Niagara County Community College Board of Trustees in Niagara County, N.Y. Wolfgang has been a member of the Board of Trustees since 1982. She is a member of several area civic organizations,...

Lake City Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
November 6, 2006... Linda P. Croley has joined Lake City Community College in Lake City, Fla., as dean of student services. Croley most recently served as the vice president for student services at Cleveland State Community College in Cleveland, Tenn. She earned...

County Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
November 6, 2006... Darla Silverman, assistant professor of psychology at Sussex County Community College in Newton, N.J., has taken the newly created position of executive assistant to the vice president of academic affairs. In this role, Silverman will work...

Calendar.(Calendar)
November 6, 2006... Event listings are free! NOVEMBER November 8-11, 2006 COUNCIL ON INTERNATIONAL EDUCATIONAL EXCHANGE (CIEE) 2006 ANNUAL CONFERENCE Seville, Spain conference2006@ciee.org www.cice.org/conference November 9, 2006...

Michigan audit finds that eight community colleges fumbled data reporting and record-keeping.(around the nation)
November 20, 2006... LANSING Mich. -- Eight Michigan community colleges failed to keep accurate records, the state's auditor general reported, citing inaccuracies that, among other things, affect the colleges' funding and budgets. The auditor general's office...

Broward Community College president quits.
November 20, 2006... FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -- The president of Broward Community College has abruptly resigned after less than three years on the job. Larry Calderon, 56, said a poor relationship with two members of the Board of Trustees was the reason for...

Shelton State president placed on leave.
November 20, 2006... TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) -- Shelton State Community College President Rick Rogers has been placed on paid administrative leave amid a fraud investigation. Interim two-year college Chancellor Thomas Corts said Rogers will continue to receive...

As Dems take Congress, what can higher education expect?(FROM THE HILL)
November 20, 2006... WASHINGTON -- Before the votes were all counted, Democrats and advocates for federal support for college aid were licking their chops. Democrats who, while in the minority in Congress, were bashing Republicans for cutting the value of student...

Federal officials turn aside major changes in distance learning, direct assessment rules.(FROM THE HILL)
November 20, 2006... Anyone hoping for major changes in rules for telecommunications courses, distance learning and direct assessment will be disappointed by new regulations recently issued by federal authorities. In its final roles governing changes in student...

Report: 2-year degree pays for itself quickly.(CAPITOL briefs)
November 20, 2006... WASHINGTON -- An associate degree to a young person pays for itself rather quickly. Median earnings for a two-year college graduate stand at $7,300 a year over a high school graduate for people in the 25-34 age range. And it increases to $9,900...

Number of women presidents jump.(CAPITOL briefs)
November 20, 2006... WASHINGTON -- The number of women heading community colleges increased 51.6 percent over the decade between 1995 and 2005. Meanwhile, the number of male community college presidents fell 11.1 percent. Men still outnumbered women at the helm by...

A rising concern: a rash of recent surveys suggest community colleges may have escaped academe's grade inflation craze--but is that the whole story?(Cover story)
November 20, 2006... The numbers don't lie: GPAs at community colleges nationally have remained remarkably steady over at least more than two decades, according to U.S. Department of Education records. Moreover, studies in at least two states, including California...

Law aimed at helping soldier-students remains confusing.
November 20, 2006... WASHINGTON -- It remains a mystery as to how many eligible enlistees are getting education benefits they're entitled to under legislation passed specifically for them. The Higher Education Relief Opportunities Act, enacted in January 2002, is...

Federal rules changes mean more aid for college students.(FROM THE HILL)
November 20, 2006... More students will be eligible for federal aid under rules changes approved by the U.S. Department of Education. In new regulations approved earlier this month, the DOE backed off its requirement that said only students in receipt of a Pell...

Most federal financial aid programs bypass community colleges, according to college board report.
November 20, 2006... Loans, merit scholarships, savings plans or tax benefits play a minimal role in federal support for community college students. And the Pell Grant program is "the only federal student financial aid program from which two-year public college...

College President, administrators work phones to keep students in school.
November 20, 2006... SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Students thought she was joking. "What can I do to get you back in school?" Salt Lake Community College President Cynthia Bioteau said she asked them. Bioteau said she and other administrators worked the phones...

Arizona lawmakers target Maricopa travel expenses.
November 20, 2006... PHOENIX (AP) -- State legislators overseeing higher education are planning to investigate the Maricopa Community College District's use of about $324,000 of taxpayer money to pay for 16 international trips in the past five years. Sen....

Ex-Ala. Fire College official agrees to plead guilty to fraud charges.
November 20, 2006... MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- A former deputy director at the Alabama Fire College has agreed to plead guilty to federal conspiracy and fraud charges, becoming the fifth official at the Tuscaloosa school to be charged in an ongoing probe of...

Instructor gives students taste of Arabic culture.
November 20, 2006... SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) -- Seventeen students in a classroom at the College of Santa Fe straggle to pronounce a foreign sound. "Haa," they tried to say. Their teacher, Yusra Al-Hasani, from Oman, tells them to pronounce the Arabic letter from...

Out-of-state tuition reduction rejected in Wyoming.
November 20, 2006... POWELL, Wyo. (AP) -- The Wyoming Community College Commission has rejected a proposal that would have dramatically cut the tuition rate for out-of-state students. Jim Rose, the commission's executive director, said the idea was to attract...

Evergreen State faculty members vote to form union.
November 20, 2006... OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) -- Faculty members at The Evergreen State College have voted to form a union, the fourth at a four-year college in the state. About 82 percent of those eligible, full-time professors who teach at least eight credits and...

Enrollment jumps in Texas, especially at two-year colleges.
November 20, 2006... AUSTIN (AP) -- Enrollment at Texas colleges and universities has grown by more than 27,000 students this fall, with most of the increases coming at two-year schools, state officials said. More than 586,000 students are enrolled at...

Bits & bytes.(technology today)
November 20, 2006... Stark State College of Technology in North Canton, Ohio, is the new headquarters of the Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell Systems Inc., a unit of the majority-owned Rolls-Royce subsidiary, Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell Systems Limited. Mark Fleiner,...

Don't get hooked by burgeoning e-mail 'phishing' expeditions.(technology today)
November 20, 2006... Dear Reader, Can you help me? I'm nearly finished writing what's bound to be a best-selling book about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. To pay my rent and support my invalid wife, our two special-education children, and my...

BCCC hosts visit from S. Korean educator.(around campus)
November 20, 2006... Baltimore City Community College, in Baltimore, Md., played host last month to Dr. Byong-Sun Kwak, president of South Korea's Kyungin Women's College. The visit was sought by Kwak after he researched American institutions with offerings...

Instructor takes musical talents overseas.(around campus)
November 20, 2006... Bill Hanna's classroom at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, N.C., is a meeting ground where students who are passionate about music can not only increase their knowledge of and their talent in jazz music, but can realize their...

Dental students help needy in Honduras.(around campus)
November 20, 2006... Dental hygiene students Kristen Chabala and Angie Derstine, of Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell, Pa., spent a week in July helping to provide dental care to residents in San Francisco de Yojo, Honduras. The students were...

Vance-Granville Community College.(Grants & Gifts)
November 20, 2006... Vance-Granville Community College, in Vance County, N.C., has received a $49,994 grant from the North Carolina Community College System BioNetwork, the State Board of Community Colleges recently announced. The grant was one of 42 approved...

Cupertino-De Anza College.(Grants & Gifts)
November 20, 2006... Cupertino-De Anza College and the Community Foundation Silicon Valley announced a $1.08 million gift through the foundation's Silicon Valley Scholars Scholarship Fund that will enable De Anza to educate an additional 66 nurses over the next...

South Texas College.(Grants & Gifts)
November 20, 2006... South Texas College, in McAllen, Texas, has been awarded a three-year, $559,773 grant from the U.S. Department of Education Office for Postsecondary Education as part of its Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program. The grant...

Camden County College, in Blackwood, N.J., recently conducted a "topping off" ceremony for its Madison Connector Building, which is the first new construction begun under the $83 million Blackwood Campus transformation project announced by CCC and the Camden County Board of Chosen Freeholders in 2005.(faculty lounge)
November 20, 2006... Camden County College, in Blackwood, N.J., recently conducted a "topping off" ceremony for its Madison Connector Building, which is the first new construction begun under the $83 million Blackwood Campus transformation project announced by CCC...

California's Santa Monica College is celebrating International Education Week with a festival of food, music and dances from throughout the world.(faculty lounge)
November 20, 2006... California's Santa Monica College is celebrating International Education Week with a festival of food, music and dances from throughout the world. Dancers from the student troupe Folklorico de SMC were scheduled to perform pieces from around...

Professor William McCarthy.(Honors & AWARDS)
November 20, 2006... Professor William McCarthy of Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester, Mass., is the recipient of the 2006 Sloan Consortium Excellence in Online Teaching Award for his online course, "Response to Terrorism." The Sloan Consortium is a...

Dr. Monique Robinson-Wright.(Honors & AWARDS)
November 20, 2006... Dr. Monique Robinson-Wright of Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin, Tenn., was honored with the 2006 June Anderson Award by the Women in Higher Education in Tennessee. The award recognizes contributions in promoting equality for women...

Doreen Margolin.(Honors & AWARDS)
November 20, 2006... Doreen Margolin, chair of the Portland Community College Board of Directors, has been honored with a Howard Cherry Award by the Oregon Community College Association. Margolin was cited by the organization as having made significant...

Burlington County College.(APPOINTMENTS)
November 20, 2006... Dr. Kathleen Carter has been appointed vice president for academic programs at Burlington County College in Burlington County, N.J. In her new post, Carter will be responsible for leadership, administration, and management of the academic...

Owens Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
November 20, 2006... Ann Savage is the new executive director of fund development at Owens Community College in Toledo and Findlay, Ohio. Savage's responsibilities will include overseeing all facets of the college's fundraising initiatives and activities. ...

Community Development and Student Services.(APPOINTMENTS)
November 20, 2006... Dr. Chris Bustamante, dean of academic affairs at Rio Salado College of Tempe, Ariz, has been named vice-president of Community Development and Student Services, effective Dec. 16. He has worked as a college dean and as a lobbyist, assistant...

Calendar.(Career Connections)(Calendar)
November 20, 2006... Event listings are free! Send entries to: Community College Week P.O. Box, Fairfax, VA 22038 FAX: (703) 978-3933 or via E-mail: ads@ccweek.com NOVEMBER November 30, 2006 ASSOCIATION FOR CAREER AND TECHNICAL...