Spring 2016
TO:
Student Services Commission and Councils
FROM:
Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, Student Services
RE:
2016 Spring State Board Report
Legislative News
Legislators wrapped up their 2016 special session and adjourned sine die late on March 29 after
agreeing to supplemental operating and capital budgets. In addition to budget work, legislators
confirmed six community and technical college trustees. They also reached final agreement on
17 bills impacting higher education and students.
Read the full blog post: http://www.sbctc.edu/blogs/legislative-news/2016/2016-04-06.aspx
The Legislative Outreach page is updated as information becomes available.
http://www.sbctc.edu/colleges-staff/programs-services/legislative-outreach/default.aspx
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Funding for State Board Priorities
o Increasing funding for existing MESA pilot projects ($450,000 in FY 2017):
Additional funding to bring pilot allocations to $125,000 annually and program
oversight/research to $110,000 annually.
Transition for Students with Disabilities
o SSB 6466: Creates a work group to develop a plan for removing obstacles for
higher education students with disabilities. Governor’s veto overridden by the
legislature. http://app.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=6466&year=2015
Reverse Transfer
o SSB 6354: Reverse articulation to allow eligible students to receive an associate
degree after transferring to a baccalaureate institution. Governor’s veto
overridden by the legislature.
http://app.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=6354&year=2015
Washington MESA Community College Program (MCCP)
SBCTC currently supports six community and technical colleges that operate a pilot
Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) program. These colleges seek to
increase under-represented student participation, completion, and transfer to bachelor’s
degree STEM programs (those in science, technology, engineering and mathematics). Our
system requested funds in the 2016 legislative session to expand the program to all 34 CTCs
across the state. We were not successful in achieving this expansion; however the final budget
does include increased funding for the six current MESA Community College Programs. The six
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current programs are at Columbia Basin, Edmonds, Highline, Olympic, Seattle Central, and
Yakima Valley.
Reverse Articulation Transfer Degrees and Agreements
SBCTC is coordinating a collaborative effort with interested CTCs and public universities about
reverse articulation/transfer. Known as the Washington Reverse Articulation Pilot Program
(WRAPP), this initiative allows students to earn their associate degrees after transferring to a
four-year institution. System-wide agreements with Eastern Washington University,
Washington State University and Western Governor’s University (WGU) are already in place, as
is an agreement between the Spokane Colleges and Eastern Washington University. Now that
Senate Bill 6354 has been enacted (see above), all the public universities are required to
develop policies and procedures to facilitate reverse transfer/articulation degree attainment.
For more information, please contact SBCTC Director of Transfer Education Joyce Hammer at
jhammer@sbctc.edu, or Student Services Director Joe Holliday at jholliday@sbctc.edu.
Technology
Follow the progress at ctcLink Connect.
College Bound Scholarship Program
Build your prospective student database with College Bound students! As a reminder, the
College Bound Scholarship students receive college tuition and a yearly $500 book allowance.
To qualify as a College Bound scholar, student must have a GPA of 2.0 or higher.
Begin recruiting the next class now. The Washington Student Achievement Council can provide
you with an EXCEL spreadsheet with the following information about the College Bound
Scholarship students in your area:
• Name (Last, First)
• Mailing address
• Email address
• High school attending
Please contact Chris Richmond, christinar@wsac.wa.gov or 360.753-7785 for your list of College
Bound students.
Working Student Success Network (WSSN)
Participants with the WSSN grant are now coming to the end of their second year of the grant.
This year the emphasis for these colleges is to commit to the collection of data centered on the
grant participants.
The State Board for Community and Technical Colleges has partnered with four community
colleges – Big Bend, Clark, Highline and Walla Walla – to help implement the strategy to
promote postsecondary completion for students whose economic challenges can thwart their
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academic and career goals. The strategy is used at more than 100 sites in the nation to help
low-income individuals and families achieve financial stability.
• Education and employment advancement—education, job readiness, training, and
placement;
• Income and work supports—access to student financial aid, public benefits, tax credits,
and free tax assistance; and
• Financial services and asset building—financial education and coaching linked to
affordable products and services to help families build self-sufficiency, stabilize their
finances, and become more economically competitive.
Guided Pathways Initiative
SBCTC will be launching a Guided Pathways initiative thanks to generous funding from College
Spark Washington. All of our colleges will be involved in this work at the initial stage, while 10
colleges will be selected in two implementation waves (5 colleges in 2016 and 5 colleges in
2018) for focused efforts. A Request for Applications was distributed system-wide, with an
application deadline of April 22.
Welcome Lisa Garcia-Hanson
SBCTC welcomes Lisa Garcia-Hanson to our staff as Director of the Student
Success Center. Coordination of the Guided Pathways initiative will be among
her responsibilities. Lisa comes to us from Southern Oregon University, where
she served as Associate Vice President for Enrollment and Retention. Prior to
that, Lisa spent over twenty years in Washington as Director of Admissions for
both Central Washington University and University of Washington-Tacoma.
Welcome home, Lisa!
Upcoming Conferences and Events
• Students of Color Conference at Yakima Valley Community College on April 21-23, 2016
• NASPA Community College Symposium at Highline College, May 13, 2016
• Washington Community and Technical Colleges Student Association, Student Voice, Green
River College, May 13 - 14, 2016
• PNACAC at St. Martins University, May 25-27, 2016
• WaACRAO, Tacoma, August 4, 2016