Community College Week articles from November 2007

Community College Week archives from November 2007

California education sectors divided over proposal to reform state's community college funding formula.(around the nation)
November 19, 2007... Opposition has been building to a statewide initiative in California that would cut student fees at community colleges by 25 percent and reform the way the colleges are financed. While taxpayers have shown their support for the state's...

Vandalism at Md. College linked to smoking ban.
November 19, 2007... FREDERICK, Md. (AP) -- Vandals suspected of stealing toilet paper and trashing men's bathrooms at Frederick Community College have given administrators an ultimatum: lift the campus smoking ban and the vandalism will stop. Instead, the...

N.M. College to pay legal fees of former president.
November 19, 2007... LAS VEGAS, N.M. (AP) -- Luna Community College has agreed to pay the legal bills of its former interim president, who in return will drop any possible claims he may have against the college, said its current interim president, Sigfredo...

Joint flight training center hangar opens in North Carolina.
November 19, 2007... GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) -- The University of North Dakota's flight school and a community college in North Carolina have opened a new hangar in Lumberton, N.C. Officials from the UND Aerospace Foundation and Robeson Community College in...

Mass. Bay faculty members give president no-confidence vote; trustees voice support.(around the nation)
November 19, 2007... The faculty of Massachusetts Bay Community College has denounced college president Carole Berotte Joseph, marking a new low point in a relationship that has been eroding for several months. In a non-binding but symbolic vote, faculty...

Split decision: judge upholds part of Oregon gender discrimination lawsuit.(around the nation)
November 19, 2007... A federal judge has upheld part of a former computer instructor's lawsuit against Linn-Benton Community College alleging gender discrimination because she is a woman. However, U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Coffin also dismissed claims of...

Detroit partnership forges pathway from high school to college and high-growth health care jobs.
November 19, 2007... A new dual-enrollment initiative allows high school students to take college-level healthcare courses and prepares them for in-demand jobs in the health care field. The Detroit Allied Health Middle College Program--a collaboration of the...

Getting engaged: as CCSSE celebrates five years, the engagement survey highlights improved use of data.
November 19, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] For Edison College, a two-year institution in southwest Florida, the research finding was not encouraging: Students had comparatively low levels of interaction with faculty members. Given the part-time status of...

Rankled by rankings.
November 19, 2007... Earlier this year, Washington Monthly magazine did something no one had really done before: Relying mostly on data from the Community College Survey of Student Engagement, the magazine ranked community colleges nationally and held their...

Wash. college class turns cooking oil into biodiesel fuel.(around the nation)
November 19, 2007... EVERETT, Wash. (AP) -- As gasoline prices keep rising, Lyle Rudensey laughs all the way to his garage. That's where Rudensey, a 52-year-old Seattle resident, uses a 15-gallon plastic water tank and an old electric water heater to brew...

At Colo. College, a different way to learn--one class at a time.(around the nation)
November 19, 2007... LAKE GEORGE, Colo. (AP) -- It's a silly old expression, but Professor Eric Leonard says it's true: The best geologist is the one who's seen the most rocks. Which is why, on a crisp fall morning, Leonard was driving a van full of sleeping...

Governor seeking major boost in Colorado College funding.(around the nation)
November 19, 2007... DENVER (AP) -- Saying it's time to restore some of the cuts of the past five years, Gov. Bill Ritter released a higher-education spending proposal that would increase funding for state colleges and universities by 8 percent, providing them an...

Study Ranks 1 in 10 high schools as 'dropout factories'.(around the nation)
November 19, 2007... WASHINGTON (AP) -- It's a nickname no principal could be proud of: "Dropout Factory," a high school where no more than 60 percent of the students who start as freshmen make it to their senior year. That dubious distinction applies to more...

Wyoming College gets $7.4 million construction commitment.(around the nation)
November 19, 2007... SHERIDAN, Wyo. (AP) -- Whitney Benefits Inc. has pledged $7.4 million to help build new classrooms, labs and student housing at Sheridan College. Whitney Benefits Board President Tom Kinnison presented a commitment letter to Sheridan...

N.M. Wind turbine to meet college's energy needs.
November 19, 2007... TUCUMCARI, N.M. (AP) -- A wind turbine to be installed at Mesalands Community College is expected to offset nearly all of the eastern New Mexico college's electricity requirements and provide a training center for the next generation of...

Va. officials take issue with college board report.
November 19, 2007... RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Virginia higher education officials are taking issue with a national report that cites the costs of attending college. Virginia Community College System officials, along with the State Council for Higher Education...

Conn. College enrollment breaks record again.
November 19, 2007... HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- For the sixth straight year, enrollment at colleges and universities in Connecticut has set a new record. Student enrollment at public and private schools reached a high of 178,855 students for this fall and...

Alabama College moves to fire business manager.
November 19, 2007... MOBILE, Ala. (AP) -- The business manager at Bishop State Community College has been placed on administrative leave and is in the process of being terminated for various reasons, including failure to effectively manage her office. ...

Poisoning of boar confounds Calif. College officials.
November 19, 2007... REDDING, Calif. (AP) -- Romeo, wherefore art thou killers? The apparent poisoning death of the 800 pound, prizewinning boar has generated a storm of controversy at Shasta College. Romeo was found dead two months ago in his pen at a...

Education Dept. investigating Colorado students loans.(around the nation)
November 19, 2007... DENVER (AP) -- Federal investigators are looking into whether the Community College of Denver made loans to students who were ineligible. The investigation began after the Colorado Community College system notified the U.S. Department of...

Regents' approval means Utah tuition is headed upward.(around the nation)
November 19, 2007... LOGAN, Utah (AP) -- Tuition at the state's public colleges and universities likely will increase as much as 5.4 percent under a plan that received preliminary approval from the state Board of Regents. Actual increases likely will be more,...

When it comes to digital photos, bigger not always better.(technology today)
November 19, 2007... Every year personal computers get faster and more capable. Digital cameras are governed by a similar trend, with new models capable of taking photos made up of more and more pixels, the dots or squares a picture consists of. Even inexpensive...

The North Harris Montgomery Community College District in Texas is shedding its lengthy name after 16 years in favor of one that unites all the five colleges, leaves the district room for growth, is simple enough for everyone to recognize, and draws upon its historical roots.(around campus)
November 19, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The North Harris Montgomery Community College District in Texas is shedding its lengthy name after 16 years in favor of one that unites all the five colleges, leaves the district room for growth, is simple enough...

Elgin Community College's.(around campus)
November 19, 2007... Elgin Community College's newest ensemble, ECCxplosion! Improv!, will explode with spontaneous wit and contagious charm when they perform in the lobby of Elgin Community College's Visual and Performing Arts Center, in Elgin, Ill. The...

Community College of Allegheny County.(around campus)
November 19, 2007... The partnership was a natural. With Pittsburgh ranking third in the nation in the number of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified buildings, Local 95 of the International Union of Operating Engineers knew it needed to...

LaGuardia Community College, in Queens, N.Y., was awarded three competitive grants totaling more than $4.5 million from the U.S. Department of Education to build upon and further develop teaching innovations.(grants & gifts)
November 19, 2007... LaGuardia Community College, in Queens, N.Y., was awarded three competitive grants totaling more than $4.5 million from the U.S. Department of Education to build upon and further develop teaching innovations. The largest award--a $2.7 million...

The Albert G. Pierce Foundation has presented Bristol Community College a $517,000 grant to support its Health Sciences programs.(grants & gifts)
November 19, 2007... The Albert G. Pierce Foundation has presented Bristol Community College a $517,000 grant to support its Health Sciences programs. To recognize the gift, the College Board of Trustees named the main wing of the Siegel Health Technologies...

Central Florida's Seminole Community College has received a $65,806 grant that will be used to help educate child-care professionals and help improve early childhood literacy and math skills.(grants & gifts)
November 19, 2007... Central Florida's Seminole Community College has received a $65,806 grant that will be used to help educate child-care professionals and help improve early childhood literacy and math skills. The grant, from the Early Learning Coalition of...

Fred Behrens.(faculty lounge)
November 19, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Columbia State Community College in Columbia, Tenn., has announced that one of the college's first faculty members, Fred Behrens, will have his art on display in the Pryor Art Gallery in Columbia. Behrens' approach...

Carole Bucy.(faculty lounge)
November 19, 2007... Writing can be tough. You have to know your subject. You need a great story to tell. Imagine if your subject covers more than 200 years and features a cast of thousands. That was the prospect facing Volunteer State Community College Professor...

Christie Hairston.(honors & awards)
November 19, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Hard work and perseverance are paying dividends for Lexington, N.C.'s Davidson County Community College student Christie Hairston during the 2007-08 academic year. Those dividends come in the form of three national...

Michelle Pacansky-Brock.(honors & awards)
November 19, 2007... Michelle Pacansky-Brock, fulltime professor of art history, teaches online classes for Sierra College in Northern California. In addition to teaching online, Pacansky-Brock is involved with the Sierra College Distance Education Committee,...

Marta Dragomir.(honors & awards)
November 19, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Marta Dragomir of Clark College in Vancouver, Wash., has been named as a 2007 "Accomplished & Under 40" honoree by the Vancouver Business Journal. Dragomir serves as executive assistant in the Communications and...

I Have a Dream Foundation-Oregon.(APPOINTMENTS)
November 19, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Debra Jenkins, chair of the Early Childhood Education Department at Clark College in Vancouver, Wash., has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the I Have a Dream Foundation-Oregon. The foundation is an...

Camden County College.(APPOINTMENTS)
November 19, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A longtime faculty member at Camden County College in New Jersey has been named dean of the institution's Division of Business, Computer and Technical Studies. Melvin Roberts took over the position permanently in...

Rancho Santiago Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
November 19, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Rancho Santiago Community College District in Orange County, Calif., has appointed Mark C. Liang, as associate dean of financial aid at Santa Ana College. With experience in community college administration and...

North Carolina Community College System.(APPOINTMENTS)
November 19, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Willa Dickens has just completed her first three months on the job as vice president for Economic and Workforce Development for the North Carolina Community College System. Dickens came to the system office in...

Rockland Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
November 19, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Rockland Community College in Suffern, N.Y., a part of the State University of New York system, has appointed Nathaniel Holmes to the position of director of the office of disability services. Holmes provides...

Calendar.(Career Connections)(Calendar)
November 19, 2007... Event listing are free! Send entries to: Community College Week P.O. Box 1305 1918, Fairfax, VA 22038 FAX: (703) 978-6933 or via E-mail: ads@ccweek.com NOVEMBER November 28.30, 2007 3RD INTERNATIONAL FORUM FOR...

Agreement restores some funding vetoed by Texas governor.(around the nation)
November 5, 2007... Community colleges in Texas have averted, at least temporarily, a potential fiscal disaster with the announcement of an agreement that calls for the state to return $154 million in health care funds that had been stripped away by the...

N.H. colleges looking for new name suggestions.
November 5, 2007... MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) -- New Hampshire's community colleges want to change their names, and they are looking for some suggestions from the public. At least six of the seven colleges in the state's system are looking for suggestions this...

S.D. president announces plans to step aside.
November 5, 2007... SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) -- The president of Kilian Community College in Sioux Fails, Bob Smallfoot, said he will step down from his job next summer. "My intent was to give them (Kilian Board of Trustees) time to search for the next...

Denver audit finds fraudulent aid, other problems at Community College.
November 5, 2007... An external audit of the Community College of Denver found several areas of concern, from the college handing out fraudulent financial aid to its former president having staff run her personal errands and working for another business while on...

Report: colleges must meet diverse learning, funding needs of older adult students.
November 5, 2007... Adults 55 and older who participate in higher education might be stereotyped as upper middle class individuals doing so for their own enjoyment and edification. Although this picture is not entirely inaccurate, older adults return to...

Study says dual enrollment programs benefit high school students.
November 5, 2007... Increasingly popular but little understood, dual enrollment programs can propel high-school students to graduation and help students obtain college degrees, according to a new study. The Postsecondary Achievement of Participants in Dual...

Stemming the tide: while many community colleges struggle to recruit and retain faculty members in the sciences, a handful are seeing success.(SPECIAL REPORT: Science At Community Colleges)
November 5, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Inside the Wenger Engineering Center at Itasca Community College, the halls are dotted with small, individualized pieces of granite--each one a symbol of success. Before leaving the Grand Rapids, Minn.,...

Dearth of diversity in science education demands action.(SPECIAL REPORT: Science At Community Colleges)
November 5, 2007... We need more scientists and more scientists of color in order to maintain and expand the scientific workforce, according to Congress, the National Science Board, and federal funding agencies. Their attention is on the inadequacy of math and...

Virginia college students drink in bartending course.
November 5, 2007... HARRISONBURG, Va. (AP) -- A small corner of Dukes Plaza seems like it's shaking with nightlife. Tucked away at the south end of the shopping center in a narrow room, a handful of folks sit at a bar. They're listening to rock music and...

Alabama College foundation cleared of wrongdoing.
November 5, 2007... MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- State school board members recently got to hear something different about the two-year college system: good news. Auditors said a suspicious system foundation that had been established unbeknownst to the board was...

SEC seeks financial records from Ala. 2-year colleges.
November 5, 2007... BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) -- The Security and Exchange Commission is reviewing two-year college records relating to an investment bank that handled bond business for colleges and has ties to the system's former finance director. SEC lawyers...

Presidential candidates propose college affordability plans.(dateline: Washington)
November 5, 2007... PLYMOUTH, N.H. (AP) -- Recalling her own days as a lonely freshman, presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton has proposed a range of initiatives aimed at making it easier for college students to pay for and complete their education. ...

Gulf colleges could get added financial relief.(capital briefs)
November 5, 2007... WASHINGTON -- Some colleges affected by the 2005 Gulf hurricanes would get even more relief under new legislation. U. S. Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., introduced the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Katrina and Rita Relief...

More funds proposed for job training.(capital briefs)
November 5, 2007... WASHINGTON -- An additional $25 million may come for the Community-Based Job Training Program this year. The Senate approved an appropriations bill for education for the current fiscal year after approving an amendment increasing funding...

2-year college costs rise more slowly.(capital briefs)
November 5, 2007... WASHINGTON -- The rise in costs at four-year colleges over the last decade largely did not extend to community colleges, according to a report from the College Board. In the decade between the 1997-98 and 2007-08 academic years, tuition...

Confusion over education benefits bedevils military reservists.
November 5, 2007... WASHINGTON -- Military reservists who are called to active duty and put in years of service are often frustrated by a lack of understanding of their educational benefit system, a congressional committee has been told. Unlike members of...

Some warn Mass. casino brings risk for college students.
November 5, 2007... BOSTON (AP) -- Harrah's Entertainment pitched a proposed Rhode Island casino to college students as a place "to have fun when they're taking a break from studying." In Connecticut, home to two of the world's largest resort casinos, a...

Miss. colleges to share in $7.25 million training grant.
November 5, 2007... ELLISVILLE, Miss. (AP) -- Three Mississippi junior colleges will share $7.25 million to train workers in advanced metal work and construction. The training centers will be built in phases--the first two at Jones County Junior College and...

Bill would create teacher training Institutes.(capital briefs)
November 5, 2007... WASHINGTON -- Eight Teacher's Professional Development Institutes could start over the next five years under proposed legislation. Connecticut's senators, Independent Democrat Joseph Lieberman, and Democrat Christopher Dodd, introduced...

Extension of tuition tax break sought.(capital briefs)
November 5, 2007... WASHINGTON -- Because the tax deduction for tuition and related expenses expires at the end of the year, U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Penn. introduced legislation to extend it another year. His legislation went to the Ways and Means...

Student immigration bill fails in Senate.(capital briefs)
November 5, 2007... WASHINGTON -- Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin, D-Ill., introduced the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act of 2007. But the measure fell short of the votes needed to be considered on the Senate floor. ...

Posse foundation honored for building student success.
November 5, 2007... NEW YORK (AP) -- Deborah Bial was running youth leadership workshops in New York City public schools when she met a young man who had attended college but dropped out. "'He said he never would've dropped out of college if he had his...

University of Wyoming seeks partnerships with 2-year colleges.
November 5, 2007... GILLETTE Wyo. (AP) -- University of Wyoming officials are interested in establishing a research partnership between the new School of Energy Resources and Gillette College. "We want to look to better support your efforts," UW President...

Indian longhouse opens at Wash. College.
November 5, 2007... PORT ANGELES, Wash. (AP) -- About 500 people were on hand for the opening of the Peninsula College longhouse at the community college in Port Angeles. The Native American longhouse--believed to be the first in the nation at a community...

Idaho college will miss Jan. target for opening.
November 5, 2007... NAMPA, Idaho (AP) -- Idaho's newest community college will not open as early as administrators had hoped. The College of Western Idaho is now expected to start regular classes next August, eight months behind the January 2008 target date...

N.C. might raise college admission standards.
November 5, 2007... RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- Getting into a University of North Carolina school could get tougher. Officials are considering raising the minimum admission standards to a 2.0 grade point average and 700 SAT score for all students beginning in...

President of Kansas College dies at age 61.(Obituary)
November 5, 2007... INDEPENDENCE, Kan. (AP) -- Terry Hetrick, president of Independence Community College, has died. Hetrick, 61, died at his home south of Independence, the college announced. A cause of death wasn't immediately known, but Hetrick had a...

Florida bill would peg tuition hikes to inflation.
November 5, 2007... TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Legislation that would raise community college and state-university tuition by 5 percent in January also includes automatic increases in future years tied to inflation, as well as a technology fee for universities....

Education department seeks input for rules on new student financial aid law.
November 5, 2007... WASHINGTON -- Now that the College Cost Reduction and Access Act has become law, the Department of Education is seeking input for the rule-writing process. The department is seeking members of the higher education, lending and related...

Beware e-mail scams seeking your financial information.(technology today)
November 5, 2007... You know not to do it. You don't respond to those emails asking you to update your Social Security number or credit card, bank, or other financial information or verify your password at eBay, PayPal, or other e-commerce Web sites. You...

Guilford Technical Community College came up with a unique way to raise money for the college's Lady Titans volleyball team--a motorcycle poker run of 120 miles followed by a chili cook-off.(around campus)
November 5, 2007... Guilford Technical Community College came up with a unique way to raise money for the college's Lady Titans volleyball team--a motorcycle poker run of 120 miles followed by a chili cook-off. The event got under way when volunteer...

The Early College High School at Mountain View College in Dallas, Texas, has become a model for academic success and a source of inspiration to many in just its second academic year.(around campus)
November 5, 2007... The Early College High School at Mountain View College in Dallas, Texas, has become a model for academic success and a source of inspiration to many in just its second academic year. In fact, educational leaders from across the state...

Students in Seminole Community College's automotive program are preparing for a future that doesn't include gasoline.(around campus)
November 5, 2007... Students in Seminole Community College's automotive program are preparing for a future that doesn't include gasoline. The college hosted at its new automotive center on the Sanford/Lake Mary Campus a seminar aimed at teaching automotive...

Oakton Community College in Des Plaines, Ill. and other institutions in Illinois are the recipients of a $400,000 grant to enhance the skills of manufacturing employees throughout the state..(grants & gifts)
November 5, 2007... Oakton Community College in Des Plaines, Ill. and other institutions in Illinois are the recipients of a $400,000 grant to enhance the skills of manufacturing employees throughout the state. The grant was awarded to the Northern Illinois...

Casper College.(grants & gifts)
November 5, 2007... A partnership between Dixon Brothers, Inc., Cummins Factory & Cummins Rocky Mountain LLC has resulted in the donation of a Cummins ISX Signature Series training engine to Diesel Power Technology program at Casper College in Wyoming. The Dixon...

U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings has announced the award of 30 new grants to benefit postsecondary schools throughout the country enrolling a high percentage of Hispanic students.(grants & gifts)
November 5, 2007... U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings has announced the award of 30 new grants to benefit postsecondary schools throughout the country enrolling a high percentage of Hispanic students. Miami Dade College's Hialeah Campus is slated to...

The Community College of Baltimore County in Maryland is making its registered nursing program available online, thanks to a three-year grant totaling more than $754,000 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources Services Administration.(grants & gifts)
November 5, 2007... The Community College of Baltimore County in Maryland is making its registered nursing program available online, thanks to a three-year grant totaling more than $754,000 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources...

Anoka-Ramsey Community College.(faculty lounge)
November 5, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Aspiring glassblowing artists not only have Anoka-Ramsey Community College as the only accredited college in Minnesota to pursue an associate in fine arts degree, they now may qualify for financial assistance,...

Montgomery County Community College.(faculty lounge)
November 5, 2007... Each October, an unusual celebration takes place in the Chemistry Department at Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell, Pa. Celebrated annually on Oct. 23, from 6:02 a.m. to 6:02 p.m., "Mole Day" commemorates not the pesky rodent,...

Virginia Knapp.(honors & awards)
November 5, 2007... Virginia Knapp, director of corporate training for Elgin Community College, in Elgin, Ill., has been named 2007 Illinois Community College Economic Workforce Development professional of the year. Knapp serves on the workforce development...

Howard County Community College.(honors & awards)
November 5, 2007... As a tribute to Howard County Community College's third president, who retired in May, the Board of Trustees will name a building on campus in Columbia, Md., the Mary Ellen Duncan Hall for English, Languages & Business. Under Duncan's...

Portland Community College.(honors & awards)
November 5, 2007... Portland Community College in Oregon received the National Equity Award from the Association of Community College Trustees. The award was based on the college's efforts to hire a more diverse workforce and to ensure opportunities for access...

Central Arizona College.(honors & awards)
November 5, 2007... In a competition battle for excellence from the Southwest to the Pacific Rim, a trio of Central Arizona College most visible community publications have been stamped with gold or silver honors by the National Council for Marketing & Public...

Northeast Iowa Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
November 5, 2007... Dan Avenarius was named dean of business and computer science at Northeast Iowa Community College. Previously, Avenarius was employed by the city of Dubuque Police Department. Avenarius holds a bachelor's degree from Loras College and a...

Bowling Green Technical College.(APPOINTMENTS)
November 5, 2007... Nathan Hodges, president of Bowling Green Technical College in Bowling Green, Ky., has named Al Barringer to serve as the new chief economic development, community and workforce development officer and director of the college's new Franklin...