Community College Week articles from October 2006

Community College Week archives from October 2006

California legislature equalizes funding for community colleges.(around the nation)
October 23, 2006... SACRAMENTO -- After seven years of trying, California officials have finally rewritten the funding formula to bring financial equality among the state's 72 community college districts, eliminating the previous system that left some districts...

Court sides with Illinois college after professor sues for violation of free speech rights.(around the nation)
October 23, 2006... GALESBURG, Ill. -- A federal appeals court has upheld Carl Sandburg College's decision not to renew the contract of a cosmetology instructor who distributed anti-gay religious brochures to a gay student, an act the college deemed sexual...

Illinois community colleges sue inspector general over ethics.
October 23, 2006... CHICAGO (AP) -- Illinois community-college officals who say the state is medling in their institutions' affairs are suing the inspector general in protest. At issue is a legal ruling by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan saying that...

Two-year colleges in Alabama found to have paid 36 legislators or kin.(The Alabama Case)
October 23, 2006... BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) -- Alabama's two-year college system has paid more than 36 state lawmakers or their relatives in recent years, records show, including several legislators with paychecks from two different colleges. Most of those jobs...

Mother, daughter arrested on theft charges at Ala. Fire College.(The Alabama Case)
October 23, 2006... BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) -- A mother and daughter who both worked at the Alabama Fire College have been and theft arrested on federal conspiracy charges as part of an ongoing investigation at the school, officials said earlier this month. ...

Bishop State student aid probe brings new theft arrests.(The Alabama Case)
October 23, 2006... Mobile, Ala. (AP) -- The Bishop State Community College student aid investigation led to theft by deception charges earlier this mouth against a teacher, a school secretary, her son and her husband, plus additional charges against a business...

Premium placed on technical training: community colleges assuming growing role as science incubator.(Science At Community Colleges)(Cover story)
October 23, 2006... Thumb through the U.S. Labor Department's Occupational Outlook Handbook and there it is in black and white. The job prospects for students with scientific and technical backgrounds are exceedingly bright. Physical therapists, forensic...

List of Alabama legislators, relatives with two-year college pay.(The Alabama Case)
October 23, 2006... BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) -- Dozens of state lawmakers, their relatives or businesses received payments from Alabama's two-year college system since 2002, when the current Legislature was elected, according to The Birmingham News. At least 26...

Congress closes school-as-lender loophole in student loan programs.(dateline washington)
October 23, 2006... Washington -- Colleges and universities can no longer get around the school-as-lender restrictions in loan programs. Congress just closed a loophole that institutions have been using by forming dummy corporations that served "eligible...

Lender charged with improper student loan collections.(CAPITOL briefs)
October 23, 2006... A Nebraska-based lender is collecting hundreds of millions in improper student loan payments, the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Education has charged. Nelnet, a publicly-traded company based in Lincoln, violated law,...

Proposal would expand education benefits for soldiers' families.(CAPITOL briefs)
October 23, 2006... Families could get Survivors and Dependents Education Benefits while wounded soldiers remained in the service during convalescence under legislation before the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity. Rep. Steve Buyer...

Government audit finds Federal Student Loan program plagued by lax oversight and monitoring.
October 23, 2006... Monitoring of the Federal Family Education Loan program is unacceptably weak and doesn't comply with federal law, according to the U.S. Education Department's Office of Inspector General. A recent audit report states that the Office of...

Former Miss. president convicted of embezzlement.
October 23, 2006... LEXINGTON, Miss. (AP) -- Former Holmes Community College President Starkey Morgan has been convicted of two counts of embezzlement after allegedly using college money to buy tires and school employees to do wedding preparations at his house....

Lansing Community College fires lawyer who questioned spending.
October 23, 2006... LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- An in-house lawyer for Lansing Community College has been fired less than two weeks after reporting to the state that the college's interim president misused thousands of dollars. Interim President Judith Cardenas,...

Community College of Vermont faculty reject union.
October 23, 2006... MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) -- Instructors at the Community College of Vermont have decided not to join a union. The faculty voted 260-144 earlier this month against joining the American Federation of Teachers. The vote ends an organizing...

Mississippi officials spell out funding needs.
October 23, 2006... TUPELO, Miss. (AP) -- It's time for Mississippi's two-year colleges to be funded per student midway between public schools and the states smaller universities, community-college leaders say. Itawamba Community College President David Cole,...

Lawmaker questions community college transition.
October 23, 2006... LITTLE ROCK (AP) -- A state senator is exploring whether proper procedures were followed in converting the Westark Community College into a four-year campus of the University of Arkansas. Sen. Dave Bisbee, R-Rogers, has asked the state...

Steps can ease glitches of traveling with technology.(technology today)
October 23, 2006... Airline rules continue to change, regarding carryon toiletries as well as carry-on laptop computers. Some airlines banned the batteries of some laptops because of the risk they might explode mid-air. As of this writing, rules for each were...

California college joins iTunesU.(Bits & Bytes)
October 23, 2006... After successfully launching an educational podcasting pilot program this summer, Santa Monica College in California has now announced "SMC on iTunes U," making a wide range of podcasts available to students and the public alike." "SMC on...

Wyoming community college students assist low-income family by helping to build-new house.(around campus)
October 23, 2006... Five students in Sheridan College's Construction Technology program are helping build a new house for a low-income family in Sheridan, Wyo. "This is great," said Sheridan College construction tech student Matt Neer. "We get to spend the...

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)
October 23, 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...

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Sierra College in Rocklin, Calif., secured a grant from the Bernard Osher Foundation to continue offering courses for older adults without homework or tests.(Grants & Gifts)
October 23, 2006... The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Sierra College in Rocklin, Calif., secured a grant from the Bernard Osher Foundation to continue offering courses for older adults without homework or tests. The $100,000 grant will be used to establish...

Rose State College in Midwest City, Okla., "has received a five-year, $499,364 grant from the National Science Foundation for a Cyber Security Scholarship program.(Grants & Gifts)
October 23, 2006... Rose State College in Midwest City, Okla., "has received a five-year, $499,364 grant from the National Science Foundation for a Cyber Security Scholarship program. The RSC Cyber Security Scholarship program will serve 30 students each program...

Oakton Community College in Des Plaines, Ill., is the recipient of a four-year, National Science Foundation grant worth $999,988 to enhance the success of students enrolled in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics known collectively as STEM--programs.(Grants & Gifts)
October 23, 2006... Oakton Community College in Des Plaines, Ill., is the recipient of a four-year, National Science Foundation grant worth $999,988 to enhance the success of students enrolled in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics known collectively...

Five Iowa professors receive endowed chairs.(faculty lounge)
October 23, 2006... Five faculty members of Kirkwood Community College have received awards from Kirkwood's Endowed Faculty Chair program. This program was created to honor former college president, Norman Nielsen on his retirement in December 2004. The five...

Donald Appert.(Honors & AWARDS)
October 23, 2006... Donald Appert, music professor at Clark College in Vancouver, Wash., has received the ASCAPLUS Award, presented by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, known as Ascap. This is the second consecutive year that he has...

Audrey Styer.(Honors & AWARDS)
October 23, 2006... Audrey Styer, Dean of Accreditation and Technology at Morton College in Cicero, Ill., received Morton College's inaugural Academic Affairs Outstanding Service Award. Over the last year, Styer devoted hours of service as the dean of...

Jennifer Melendez.(Honors & AWARDS)
October 23, 2006... Jennifer Melendez, a student from Miami Dade College in Florida has been awarded the EV Clay/PRSA scholarship from the Public Relations Student Society of America. Melendez, a mass communications major at the college, is one of four students...

Lake City Community College: Linda P. Croley.(APPOINTMENTS)
October 23, 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...

Morton College: Stephanie Hawley.(APPOINTMENTS)
October 23, 2006... Stephanie Hawley has been appointed vice president of academic affairs at Morton College in Cicero, Ill. She previously was the director of professional development at Oklahoma City University. Hawley has a Ph.D. in educational administration...

Lake City Community College: Tracy D. Hickman.(APPOINTMENTS)
October 23, 2006... Tracy D. Hickman has been appointed the dean of occupational programs for Lake City Community College in Lake City, Fla. Hickman was the former executive director of the Academy of Teacher Preparation Programs for the college. She has a...

Middlesex Community College.(APPOINTMENTS)
October 23, 2006... Greg Kline has been named the new director of institutional development for Middlesex Community College in Lowell, Mass. Kline, who comes to the college with more than 20 years of experience in development and related fields, is looking forward...

Morton College: Leslie Navarro.(APPOINTMENTS)
October 23, 2006... Leslie Navarro has been appointed vice president of administration at Morton College in Cicero, Ill. She previously was an associate professor and head librarian at Austin Community College in Texas. Navarro has a Ph.D. in educational...

North Carolina Community College System's BioNetwork.(APPOINTMENTS)
October 23, 2006... Matthew Meyer has been named the new director of the North Carolina Community College System's BioNetwork in Raleigh, N.C., the state's flagship education and training initiative for the biotechnology industry sector. Meyer is currently dean of...

Berkeley City College.(President)
October 23, 2006... Judy E. Walters has been named the president of Berkeley City College in Berkeley, Calif. Walters had served since July 2004 as interim president, first of Vista Community College, and continued in that position when the college;s name was...

Calendar.(Calendar)
October 23, 2006... OCTOBER October 26, 2006 SUCCESSFUL TEACHING CONFERENCE INSTITUTE FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGES Cornell University (in collaboration with teaching and learning centers of Broome, Corning and Tompkins-Cortland community colleges) 607-254-2797...