THE INDEPENDENT VOICE COVERING COMMUNITY, TECHNICAL AND JUNIOR COLLEGES, SINCE 1988 A L L AUGUST 22 , 2011 T H I N G S C O M M U N I T Y www. ccweek.com C O L L E G E VOLUME 24, No. 1 Figuring It Out Statistics shaping the higher-ed landscape $3.50 S P E C I A L R E P O R T: Starting On the Right Foot Remedial Education Many students enter college unprepared and must take developmental courses. Here is the percentage of first-year undergrads who took a remediation courses by college category in 2008: PUBLIC Less than 2-year 32 2-Year 42 4-Year Non-Doctorate 39 4-Year Doctorate 24 ACADEMIC KICKOFF 2011-12 Intensive First Year Experience programs seek to set students on path to academic success Page 6 PRIVATE Less than 4-year,non-profit 33 4-year not-for-profit, non-doctorate 26 4-year not-for-profit, doctorate 22 Less than 2-year, for-profit 27 2 years or more, for-profit 29 PHOTO COURTESY NORTHERN VIRGINIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE SOURCE: NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS 3 Spending Spree Even as revenues dry up, Georgia’s university system spends lavishly. 8 Obama’s Initiative Progress on ambitious graduation goals encounters obstacles. o 14 For-Profits Respond Renewed scrutiny causes some career colleges to adjust. 18 Top Secret Training A Virginia college offers a “boot camp” for aspiring intelligence analysts. BECAUSE WE’RE BOTH IN THIS FOR STUDENT SUCCESS, WE OFFER... 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Together we can help students make the most of their time, and the most of their investment. That helps them reach their career and life goals sooner. Contact us today about forming a Community College Advantage Partnership. 877-253-7472 bellevue.edu/ccap Real Learning for Real Life A non-profit university, Bellevue University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools • www.ncahlc.org • 800-621-7440 Bellevue University does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or disability in the educational programs and activities it operates. 14269 - 11/10 14269 CC Week.indd 1 11/4/10 10:03:06 AM around the nation www.ccweek.com Index August 22, 2011 to news around the nation 8 5 2 13 6 7 11 9 14 12 3 10 1 4 1 ATLANTA 6 ANNAPOLIS, Md. 10 GAUTIER, Miss. 2 WARREN, Mich. 7 ST. LOUIS 11 CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. 3 4 5 Georgia universities have been on a spending spree even as billions of dollars have been cut from the state’s budget due to the recession. Page 3 Two years after President Obama announced his American Graduation Initiative, progress toward reaching its goals has been slow. Page 8 BATON ROUGE, La. The Louisiana legislature has decided to study the state’s higher education system yet again. Page 10 8 ATLANTA Georgia has been awarded a $1 million grant by Complete College America to boost college graduation rates. Page 10 SACRAMENTO, Calif. Under a bill signed by Gov. Jerry Brown, students who entered the country illegally can receive private financial aid to attend state colleges and universities. Page 12 9 Maryland college students and an immigrant services group are going to court in defense of a state law that would grant in-state tuition to some illegal immigrants. Page 12 The University of Southern Mississippi has no immediate plans to return to the Gautier campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. Page 17 For-profit colleges are making changes in the wake of criticism and renewed scrutiny from the Obama administration and Congress. Page 14 Piedmont Virginia Community College has joined in an effort to train workers for Central Virginia’s growing defense intelligence industry. Page 18 ST. PAUL, Minn. 12 AUSTIN, Texas The new chancellor of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system has already covered thousands of miles to learn about the system’s 31 colleges and universities. Page 15 The head of Texas’ colleges and universities says the time has come to “reinvent public higher education.” Page 20 13 BRUNSWICK, Maine LOS ANGELES Work has started on transforming a former Navy base into a branch of Southern Maine Community College. Page 21 Education is the key to breaking black men and youths out of a cycle of unemployment and crime, African American leaders said at the close of the annual NAACP convention. Page 16 14 RICHMOND, Va. Virginia undergrads will pay an average of 7.9 percent more this year in tuition and fees at public colleges and universities. Page 22 3 Ga. Colleges on Spending Spree Despite Economy A TLANTA (AP) — A newspaper investigation has found that the University System of Georgia has been on a spending spree even as billions have been cut from the state’s budget during the recession. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the state’s 35campus public university system has gone from $5.4 billion in spending in 2007 to a projected $7 billion this year. The spending includes lavish buildings, highprice administrators and top-ofthe-line technology, as well as new football teams and dozens of new academic programs. That’s at the same time that tuition has gone up by 50 percent since 2008, and students are paying 87 percent more in fees. Still, state support is lagging: perpupil funding is at 1994 levels this year. State lawmakers have become frustrated in recent years, saying that the system isn’t sharing the burden of state spending cuts. University system administrators say they have cut back but have to raise tuition to keep up with the cost of delivering a college education. Former Chancellor Erroll Davis, who retired June 30, said the system has cut hundreds of millions of dollars and is spending the money it has left wisely. But current Chancellor Hank Huckaby, a former state lawmaker, said there is “growing consensus” among lawmakers that the system needs to examine how it’s spending money. The newspaper’s probe found: — Pay to college deans, vice presidents and presidents increased 30 percent from 2007 to 2010. That’s faster growth than the pay for professors. — Institutions have added more than 40,000 beds in student housing since 1991, some with flat-screen HDTVs and apartment-style layouts. — As the state technical college system closed down multiple campuses and combined operations, the university system spent $200 million starting up Georgia Gwinnett College, the first new four-year college in more than a century in Georgia. — Two campuses — Georgia State University and Kennesaw State University — are adding football teams that cost millions in student-approved fees. — A decade ago, students paid just 25 percent of their education, while the state paid the rest. Now, students pay 46 percent of the cost. The state Board of Regents gives lump sums of funding to Georgia’s colleges and lets each administration decide how to spend it. By far, the most expensive cost is paying salaries for the system’s 40,000 employees. The system expects to enroll 400,000 students in the next decade. Huckaby said he aims to be “creative and responsive” rather than simply increasing tuition to cover the growing cost of educating that many students. He said he wants to limit the number of new building requests, while at the same time charging students less for classes held at night or on weekends. He said state funding must be increased, but the system can find ways to cut spending in the meantime. “The growing consensus is we’ve got to step back and look at what we’re doing and what it’s costing,” Huckaby told the newspaper. Comments: ccweekblog.wordpress.com newsbriefs SC College Offers New Energy Courses BEAUFORT, S.C. (AP) — The Technical College of the Lowcountry in Beaufort is offering courses on the installation of alternative energy geothermal heating and cooling systems. School spokesman Leigh Copeland told The Island Packet of Hilton Head the college begins training this month for accredited installers, designers, architects and building contractors. Geothermal systems use the earth’s relatively constant temperature to provide heating, cooling and hot water for homes and commercial buildings. The systems can generate substantial savings in energy use and cost. They circulate water or antifreeze solutions through pipes buried underground, carry- ing heat to a building in the winter and away from it in the summer. A $25,000 grant from the South Carolina Energy Office and contributions from local businesses paid for training an instructor and purchasing equipment. Ark. College To Buy Land for Satellite Campus LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — The University of Arkansas Community College at Hope has been given approval to buy land See Briefs, page 21, col. 1 point of view 4 August 22, 2011 www.ccweek.com THE INDEPENDENT VOICE COVERING COMMUNITY, TECHNICAL AND JUNIOR COLLEGES, SINCE 1988 For Colleges and Students, New Year Means Old Balancing Act J ulie, a friend at the gym where I huff and puff a few days a week has had a lot on her plate lately. It was just a few weeks ago that her mother passed away after a long illness. Days after returning from the funeral in Florida, she was stalking the aisles at Target, explaining the nuances of mattress pads and pillow cases to her eldest son, who is off to college at Virginia Commonwealth University. Next on the agenda: teaching him how to do laundry. And in perhaps the biggest transition of all, she is busy buying books and supplies of her own. She’s going back to college, preparing for her first semester at Northern Virginia Community College. After spending a couple of years on a waiting list, she finally secured a spot in the college’s massage therapy program. She turned to the college after learning that her undergraduate degree is psychology might help in dealing with transition and loss, but doesn’t count for much in a lousy economy, especially for someone who has been away from the workplace for years raising a family. In many ways, my friend is typical of many of the community college students who are returning to class for the 2011-12 academic year, or going to college for the very first time. She’s full of eager anticipation, yet nervous about what awaits her. She is aghast at the cost of textbooks, but knows they’ll be valuable additions to her library now and in the future. She’s bummed that the labs she got are so early in the morning, but ready to start the juggling act that characterizes students who must balance responsibilities of life and school. Two years from now, she figures, she’ll be going back to work. As the new academic year begins, community colleges around the country are striking a balancing act of their own. The lagging economy has served to accelerate a trend that has been under way for a decade. Community colleges today not only educate recent high school graduates, but also adults whose skills don’t give them the ability to capitalize on new job opportunities. There are now more than 8 million students enrolled in U.S. community colleges, about half of all college students in America. They are laid off workers, traditional students, employees who need more training, Baby Boomers seeking to change careers. The fact that community colleges have been so closely linked to the economic recovery represents a sea change and gives community college educators hope that their moment has arrived. But the reality falls far short of the rhetoric. Even as President Obama calls on community colleges to produce 5 million more graduates by year 2020, the tools for them to do so are slipping away. BY PAUL BRADLEY EDITOR, COMMUNITY COLLEGE WEEK Lawmakers have been busy disinvesting in community colleges and higher education, slashing budgets due to the lingering effects of the recession. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 43 states have cut funding to higher education in the current fiscal year. The problem, of course, is that even as funding for higher education has diminished, the demand has increased. The praise and attention won’t mean much if community colleges have to shut their doors to the people who depend on them. The implications are severe, and not only for the students who won’t be able to get that needed class or graduate on time, but also for college athletes, whose dreams have died as colleges are forced to choose between funding the classroom or the playing field. In a letter to the Orange County Register, Jerry Patterson, president of the It’s YOUR TURN Coast Community College District Board of Trustees, bemoaned the loss of $24 million in state funding. His words sum up the predicament facing community colleges from coast to coast. “There are no soft cuts left,” he wrote. “From here on it will be reductions in the quality of education, loss of vital resources and reduction of faculty and staff. It will mean fewer classes available, and with more students not being able to meet their scholastic and professional goals, time delays for those who remain will not meet our work force demands for viable economic growth and student success.” The long-term implications are more daunting still. The students of today are the underpinning of tomorrow’s economy. Workers without an education will be trapped in minimum skill, minimum wage jobs, earning barely enough to get by. They won’t buy goods and services or contribute to the country’s consumer economy. They won’t pay into a tax system that provides for the care of the elderly and disabled and funding for public schools. To their credit, community colleges are not shrinking from the challenge. Whether it’s late-night classes or more distance learning, colleges are figuring out ways to do their job against long odds. Colleges aren’t throwing up their hands. They are redoubling their efforts. As the 2011-12 academic years starts, Community College Week remains committed to chronicling the challenges and triumphs of community colleges. We’ll also keep an eye on students like my friend as she navigates her way. After all, she sees a light at the end of the tunnel. May the light at the end of your own tunnel be nothing but a bright new academic year. CCW wants to hear from you! What are your major aspirations Q for the 2011-12 academic year? Share your comments: ccweekblog.wordpress.com ALL THINGS COMMUNITY COLLEGE Published by Autumn Publishing Enterprises, Inc. Publisher Pamela K. Barrett Editor Paul Bradley Contributing Editor Tom Barrett Senior Writers Sara Burnett Scott Dyer Ed Finkel Marla Fisher Eric Freedman Ian Freedman Mark Lindsay Harvey Meyer Charles Pekow Director of Graphics and Production Mark Bartley Production Assistant Heather Boucher Additional production services provided by Autumn Publishing Enterprises, Inc. Advertising Director Linda Lombardo Community College Adviser Bob Vogt COMMUNITY COLLEGE WEEK (ISSN 1041-5726) is published biweekly, 26 issues per year, by Autumn Publishing Enterprises, Inc., PO Box 1305, Fairfax, VA 22038, (703) 978-3535. Single subscription: $52 per year; two years: $90. Canadian and foreign rates furnished upon request. Autumn Publishing Enterprises, Inc., reserves the right to refuse any advertisement. 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We welcome: * Letters to the editor, which should be brief. * Insightful commentaries, which can range up to a maximum of 1,000 words on topics of interest to community colleges. YES! WE COVER THE INDEPENDENT VOICE COVERING COMMUNITY, TECHNICAL AND JUNIOR COLLEGES, SINCE 1988 JUNE 13, 2011 www. ccweek.com VOLUME 23, No. 22 $3.50 Figuring It Out Statistics shaping the higher-ed landscape The Top Five Here are the five colleges which awarded the most associate degrees in 2009-10. INSTITUTION 1. NO. OF DEGREES University of Phoenix Online 33,499 Miami Dade College 9,090 3. Valencia Community College 6,303 4. American InterContinental University Online 5,485 Broward College 4,903 2. 5. SOURCE: CCWEEK ANALYSIS S P E C I A L R E P O R T TOP100 CCWeek’s ASSOCIATE DEGREE PRODUCERS | 2011 Students crowd into college health care programs despite tight job market Page 6 Teacher Education Science & Technology in Community Colleges Workforce Development Top 100 Associate Degree Producers Fastest-Growing Community Colleges Be visible in these special editions. Contact a Community College Week advertising representative at 703.385.1982 ads@ccweek.com IMPORTANT: Unsigned letters can’t be considered for publication, so be sure to include your name, address, phone number and e-mail. Please add your title and college, if applicable. Community College Week reserves the right to edit submissions for clarity, style and space. E-mail contributions to editor@ccweek.com. Be sure to include “Point of View” as the subject line. TECHNOLOGY VOTED MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED. 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CDW®, CDW•G ® and PEOPLE WHO GET IT™ are trademarks of CDW, LLC. • 6 August 22, 2011 www.ccweek.com S P E C I A L R E P O R T: A C A D E M I C K I C K O F F, 2 0 1 1 - 1 2 Orientation All Term Long First Year Experience Programs Guide Students on Path to Success BY PAUL BRADLEY PHOTO COURTESY NORTHERN VIRGINIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE I The annual convocation at Northern Virginia Community College welcomes students to a scholarly community and smooths the transition to college. t was the fall of 2008 and Kaity Delfin, having graduated from high school a few weeks earlier, was fretting about the upcoming semester at Glendale Community College when her cell phone rang. She peered at a number she didn’t recognize and hesitated. Should she answer or let it go to voice mail? She made a quick decision, punched the answer button and said hello. Three years later, the 20-year-old Delfin is glad she did. At the other end of the line that day was Susan High, a GCC faculty member and counselor, inviting Delfin to join a First Year Experience cohort — a central effort by GCC to orient new students to college, create a sense of community and set them on a path to success. “She personally called me,” Delfin said. “The fact that she reached out to me was amazing. I really don’t think I would have been as successful in college without the First Year Experience.” Delfin, a nursing student, earned her associate degree last spring with a 3.2 GPA. She is “I really don’t taking a couple of additional think I would courses this fall and then plans to have been as attend Northern Arizona successful in University to work toward her college without bachelor’s degree. She hopes the First Year eventually to become a nurseExperience.” midwife. Her’s has been a rewarding community college — KAITY DELFIN experience. STUDENT GLENDALE COMMUNITY COLLEGE As the 2011-12 academic year gets underway, community colleges around the country are devising and burnishing programs to welcome students to campus. It’s part of a growing effort to create a culture of academic success during that critical first year in college, and they are beginning to show some results in increasing academic performance and student retention. For students like Delfin, it has become a critical part of their college careers. She had, in fact, unsuccessfully tried to sign up for a different cohort, with some high school friends, but had been put on a wait list. That only increased her anxiety as she prepared to start her college career. Then High called. “A lot of students are intimidated by college,” she said. “You don’t know anyone on campus. You don’t know what classes you should be taking. I was scared to death going to college.” “I would recommend FYE especially to students who are new to college.” August 22, 2011 7 PHOTO COURTESY NORTHERN VIRGINIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE www.ccweek.com First Year Experience students at Northern Virginia Community College are encouraged to get to know college faculty and staff and forge personal and academic relationships. “Faculty members have told me this is a rewarding experience.” — DAVID GERKIN COUNSELING DEPT. CHAIR GLENDALE COMMUNITY COLLEGE The First Year Experience program at Glendale has been around since 2003, when it started with a single cohort of 20 students. It has since grown rapidly, and this year the college will have nine FYE cohorts with more than 200 students, said David Gerkin, chair of the college’s Counseling Department. ‘Too Easy To Disappear’ The Glendale FYE forms semester-long cohorts to smooth the transition to college for new students who otherwise might get lost. Throughout the fall semester, students take classes as a cohort, sharing the same three classes taught by a team of three instructors. The goal is to provide students in their first year of college with maximum guidance and feedback on assignments, increase opportunities to interact with professors, explore student success strategies and possible careers. “We are trying to connect the curriculum to students and faculty,” Gerkin said. “It makes for a more coherent academic experience. The more students are connected, the more likely they are to persist and succeed. It’s too easy for students to disappear.” Elite colleges have long seen the value of such intensive interventions. The top colleges and universities provide students early and often with all kinds of support on campus, even as they work with the most capable students. Community colleges, historically focused on access and struggling with resources, often offer the least in terms of support services. But under pressure to boost graduation rates, community colleges increasingly are seeing the value in the first-year programs, said Tanya C. Ingram, a counselor who heads the First Year Experience Program on the Woodbridge campus of Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA). “We have 20 years of research that show if we can engage students early on, if we can help them make that transition, they are more likely to stay,” Ingram said. “First Year Experience NORTHERN VIRGINIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE First Year Experience Program Retention rates for new student orientation attendees and all first-time NOVA students: Fall 2008 cohort Fall 2008 to Spring 2009 NSO Attendees Fall 2008 to Fall 2009 NSO Attendees Fall 2008 to Spring 2010 NSO Attendees 85.7% All Students 68% 70.2% All Students 49.3% 63.2% All Students 43.9% SOURCE: ACHIEVING THE DREAM programs are not new. But in recent years, it has really caught on. I think it will be a mainstay of higher education. It’s helping us answer the question, ‘how do you shape the experience of the firstyear student so they become a second-year student?” The NOVA program grew from student and faculty focus groups that showed that many incoming students lacked understanding of college expectations and had poor time-management and study skills. Research showed that students aged 18-21 were particularly vulnerable, with high rates of being placed in development courses and low rates of academic success. The First Year Experience program at NOVA is part of Achieving the Dream, the national nonprofit organization that works with colleges and foundations to help more community college students succeed. It consists of a new student orientation program, early academic advising, peer mentoring and social networking. FYE students in Woodbridge will be reading and discussing the nonfiction novel “Tuesdays with Morrie,” serving to bind the students and curriculum together. The approach is based on the three C’s: connection, critical thinking and community building. Building the community starts at the annual convocation, when incoming students are “pinned” and welcomed to a new academic community. That’s followed by meetings, in formal settings, with fellow students, faculty and staff. “The students take a scholarly pledge and get a pin,” Ingram said. “They become part of a community of scholars. We want them to know ‘you are no longer in high school, but in college. This is what it means to be in college.’” The effort is showing some results. Almost 86 percent of new students who participated in First See Orientation, page 8, col. 1 8 August 22, 2011 www.ccweek.com Two Years After Obama’s College Graduation Initiative, Major Obstacles Remain BY JON MARCUS, THE HECHINGER REPORT W ARREN, Mich.— Estranged from his family at 17, Jake Boyd put himself through Macomb Community College in suburban Detroit by working nearly 100 hours a week: 12 hours a day, six days a week, at a car wash, followed by four-hour shifts as a security guard at an apartment complex. Homeless for a while, Boyd had to skip a semester when he ran out of money for tuition. It took him almost five years to earn his associate degree in law enforcement from Macomb, the campus where President Barack Obama announced his American Graduation Initiative in 2009, setting a goal of restoring the country to first place by 2020 in the proportion of 25- to 34-year-olds with college degrees. Despite the hurdles in his way, Boyd has resisted the urge to quit on his goal of going on to get a bachelor’s degree this fall, “if I can squeeze some more pennies together,” and ultimately joining the Peace Corps. Most students like him, however, do give up. Only one in five of those who enroll in community colleges graduates in three years, while only about half of students who go to universities get their bachelor’s degrees within six. That has helped to push the United States from first to 10th in the world in the proportion of the population that has graduated from college, threatening to make this generation of college-age Americans the first to be less well-educated than their parents. It’s a trend that Obama, in a speech at Macomb two years ago this week, promised to reverse. The president’s goal made community colleges—which enroll 43 Orientation, Year Experience were retained from fall 2008 to spring 2009, compared to a retention rate of 68 percent of first-time students who did not participate in the program. The fall 2008 to spring 2010 retention rate was 63 percent for First Year Experience participants compared to 44 percent for students who did not take advantage of the program. But for NOVA and other community colleges, a persistent challenge remains: how to bring such efforts up to scale. For all their successes, the First Year Experience programs reach a relative handful of students. And successful FYE programs can’t always be easily replicated. They are as distinct as the colleges themselves, said Trudy Bers, director of research, curriculum and planning at Oakton Community College. Biers also works with the National Resource Center for It’s YOUR from page 7, col. 5 The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, based at the University of South Carolina, which this fall will hold a conference focusing on community colleges. “There is no magic bullet,” Bers said. “It’s much more complex than anyone realized. There is no clear combination of programs that work. And the real challenge is taking what works to scale.” Both NOVA and Glendale are among the colleges contemplating making some parts of its voluntary FYE program mandatory for all students. But that would present a host of logistical problems and tax already dwindling resources, Gerkin said. Still, it would be a good idea, he said. The FYE program and its team-teaching approach has payoffs for both students and faculty. “Faculty members have told TURN percent of American students—a linchpin of this strategy, calling on them to increase their graduation rates by 50 percent, or five million more degree-holders, in under a decade. Yet conversations with dozens of experts and reviews of available data show that obstacles on the road to graduation have only gotten greater in the two years since TROUBLING TREND A review of available data shows that obstacles to graduation have only gotten greater over the past two years. me this a growing, learning experience,” he said. “The chance for a faculty member to work with someone in another discipline is very rewarding. They also get a chance to know their students on many different levels.” As part of his doctoral dissertation, Gerkin surveyed Glendale students on their attitudes about the FYE program. He found that students felt more closely connected to their college and believed FYE helped them make the transition from high school to college. Most importantly, he said, FYE equipped the students with knowledge and skills that last well beyond their freshman year. “I was very pleased to learn that,” Gerkin said. “The students told me they continue to use these skills. The whole aim of the program is not to just pass a course, but to be able to apply these skills for the rest of their academic careers.” CCW wants to hear from you! programs be made mandatory at Q Should First Year Experience community colleges? Share your comments via:ccweekblog.wordpress.com ALL THINGS COMMUNITY COLLEGE then. Few believe the 2020 target will be met. “The outlook is not good,” says Michael Lovenheim, an assistant professor of policy analysis and management at Cornell University and coauthor of an influential study that found students are taking more, not less, time to graduate. The study belied the common contention by universities that graduation rates are falling because students are arriving unprepared. American high-school graduates are, in fact, better prepared than ever, it found, but most go to unselective community colleges and public universities where budgets and services have been deeply cut, classes are large and per-student expenditures are low. Many of these students, like Boyd, have to work to pay quickly rising tuition and other costs, making it harder to get through school. Boyd sleeps three hours a night— four, if he’s lucky. “After five years, you get used to it,” he says. The researchers also found that the longer it takes students to finish their degrees, the more likely they’ll drop out. And a new study by the same team, scheduled to be published next year, Lovenheim says, will show that finishing college is now taking even longer. Several of the things that have historically conspired to push down graduation rates have gotten worse in the two years since the president announced his goal. First, $12 billion he promised to community colleges at the time ended up siphoned off to help get the contentious health-care bill passed. As a compromise, $2 billion was pledged to community colleges for career training through a program administered by the U.S. Department of Labor. It took until January of this year for the first $500 million to be made available—it won’t actually be handed out until the end of September—and the rest is in the sights of congressional budgetcutters. “The money didn’t happen,” says Jim Jacobs, who, as president of Macomb, welcomed Obama to the stage for his AGI announcement. “He gave a great speech and the program has now been reduced from $12 billion to $2 billion in $500 million chunks.” States have slashed billions of dollars from public higher education, and $5.3 billion in federal stimulus funds they got to prevent even deeper cuts has, or will soon, run out. The proportion of their budgets that states earmark for higher education fell from 11.4 percent when Obama called for higher graduation rates to 10 percent last year, according to the National Association of College and University Business Officers. The American Association of Community Colleges has said the president’s 2020 graduation goal will not be reached unless resources are “significantly increased.” Cuts in some states have been even more severe. California has slashed $2 billion from its public universities and $695 million from community colleges, the National Conference of State Legislatures, or NCSL, reports. Arizona sliced $198 million from state universities and $73 million from community colleges. Texas cut $439 million this year from public higher education and has authorized reductions of as much as $800 million more over the next two years. At Macomb, the budget is down 25 percent in the last five years, including a 4.3 percent cut this year. “There isn’t enough support for higher education, and there aren’t enough real resources for us to do the job” of raising graduation rates, says Jacobs. “There’s no question about that.” Adds Walter Bumphus, president and CEO of the AACC: “We’re looking at more mission, more work to do, and fewer dollars, and that’s not a good recipe long term.” States have also cut spending on the financial aid that many students need to pay these rising costs. Michigan reduced financial aid by 61 percent, and Illinois by $255 million, and New York reduced funding for both higher education and tuition assistance by $224 million, the NCSL reports. One consequence of having less financial aid available is that nearly two-thirds of community college students now work at least 20 hours a week to pay for school, the New York City-based nonpartisan think tank Demo found — a factor linked to increased chances of dropping out. “It’s ironic that as soon as students take us up on the offer of aspiring to higher education, we tell them, ‘Sorry, we’ve run out of money,’” says José Cruz, vice president of higher education practice and policy at the Education Trust. Key congressional Republicans deride the president for putting so www.ccweek.com much attention on graduating more students at a time of nagging unemployment. “A college degree doesn’t do any good if there aren’t any jobs,” says U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, RN.C., who chairs the House higher-education subcommittee and who has questioned Obama’s graduation goals. “I think it’s important that people finish college, if at all possible,” Foxx says. “But the major reason people go to college is to get a job. And I think the president should be focusing a whole lot more on creating an environment that allows for job creation.” Many students, Foxx says, go to school to get career skills, and don’t care about degrees. “The president has created a solution in search of a problem,” she says. As for cutting Pell Grants, Foxx says, “If you’re going to make cuts in federal spending, you have to go where the money is.” And Pell Grants, which took 35 years to reach a cost of $15 billion annually, have grown to double that in just the last four. That’s in part because enrollment continues to increase, despite rising tuition and fees, as students opt for college instead of trying their luck in the sagging labor market. A record 17.7 million students are enrolled in American colleges and universities, 35 percent more than in 2000, and 19.6 million are projected to be in school by 2020. The number of full-time students at cash-strapped community colleges is up more than 24 percent since 2007. And the crowding means that fewer can get into the courses required to complete their degrees on time—or ever. “The biggest problem with achieving the very ambitious goal the president set is that we have not backed up that goal with the resources necessary to accomplish it,” says Terry Hartle, a senior vice president at the American Council on Education. “What we’re trying to do in higher education is increase the number of students enrolling while simultaneously spending less money on it. And if that’s the way you’re going about it, the likelihood of success is very, very low.” Twenty percent of communitycollege students had trouble getting into at least one course they needed last fall, according to a survey by the Pearson Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the international media company. About 5 percent dropped out during the first few weeks of the semester, and 10 percent seriously thought about it. Students working full August 22, 2011 S TAY I N G T H E C O U R S E Enrollment continues to increase despite rising tution and fees as students opt for college instead of trying their luck in the sagging job market. time were among those most likely to have dropped out or considered it, and 20 percent said they couldn’t get the help they needed. “The difficult part for me was getting the courses I needed, and if you don’t get those courses, it sets you back six months or a year in some cases,” says Matt Dolengowski, a Macomb student who needed one last course, in Spanish—he had hoped to take it this summer, but it was canceled— before he transfers to Wayne State University for a bachelor’s degree. Higher-education officials say Obama’s graduation speech at least has focused attention on the obstacles to graduation. Governors and legislators in Arkansas, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and other states have followed suit by changing the way they dole out money to colleges and universities, allocating money based not simply on how many students they enroll—the tradi- tional practice—but on how many end up with degrees. “We’ve been paying colleges to enroll people, not to graduate people,” says Louis Soares, director of postsecondary education at the Center for American Progress, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank. Universities and colleges, he says, “get paid without any consequence when they don’t deliver.” State universities and community colleges “are rewarded based on their student count on a certain day in the first semester,” says Carol Lincoln, senior vice president of Achieving the Dream, which has been working to improve community-college graduation rates. “What we should be looking at is how many students were still in those seats the week before the course was over. We need to put the incentive on the end-game rather than the enrollment game.” Nicolette Ivezaj, whose parents immigrated from Montenegro, was the first in her family to get a degree when she graduated from Macomb this year. She’s been accepted to go on and get her bachelor’s degree at Michigan State this fall, but may not be able to afford it—even though her father, a tunnel engineer, is living in New York, away from his family, to make more money than he could around Detroit. “We’re still living paycheck to paycheck,” says Ivezaj, who hopes to become a nurse. Yet if she doesn’t pay her deposit soon, she’ll lose her place. “It’s driving me crazy,” Ivezaj says. “I’ve really hit a wall. I don’t think people realize how hard it is.” “All of these forces are conspiring against the students who have been traditionally underserved,” Cruz says. “Many kids say, ‘Well, I believe in myself,’ but when you get sick, or you can’t find the courses you need, at some point you have to come to the decision of whether to go on or not.” “We can’t meet the country’s collective goal and place all the burden on the individuals,” he says. “You can’t expect to have hundreds of thousands of heroes come along and save the day.” Comments: ccweekblog.wordpress.com Enroll now. LEARN AT OUR SCHOOL. LEAD AT YOURS. With 60–80 percent of community college leaders expected to retire in the next five to ten years*, faculty and administrators need to be ready to lead. Begin preparing for a leadership role today with a Doctor of Management (DM) in community college policy and administration from University of Maryland University College (UMUC). Our highly relevant curriculum includes dissertation courses, making the dissertation process more manageable for busy professionals. Ldg`^c\l^i]i]ZhVbZ\gdjed[9BXVcY^YViZh i]gdj\]djii]Zegd\gVbZcVWaZhndjidWj^aYV a^[Zadc\egd[Zhh^dcVacZildg` 8djghZhVgZd[[ZgZYdca^cZl^i]Vild"idi]gZZ"YVn gZh^YZcXnZVX]hZbZhiZg 6c^ciZgZhi"[gZZbdci]aneVnbZcieaVc^hVkV^aVWaZ! eajhÃcVcX^VaV^Y[dgi]dhZl]dfjVa^[n DOCTOR OF MANAGEMENT 9 -%%"---"JBJ8jbjX#ZYj$ccforward IN COMMUNITY COLLEGE POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION Program not available to Maryland residents. *Study by the American Association of Community Colleges. Copyright © 2011 University of Maryland University College 10 August 22, 2011 www.ccweek.com La. Lawmakers Decide To Study Colleges Again BY MELINDA DESLATTE, ASSOCIATED PRESS B ATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Government leaders love a good study group, and Louisiana lawmakers can’t seem to get enough of studying higher education. Can’t get an idea passed? Get some other experts to back it, hoping to gain traction for the proposal. Don’t like the first recommendations? Convene another group and try to get a new list. Don’t want to make a decision, or stuck in a stalemate? Revisit the debate with a panel of experts and talk about it some more. Study commissions can provide valuable insight, a way to delay decision-making or simply a chance for a lawmaker or other elected official to try to look like he’s doing something. But after a recent round of higher education reviews — and a commission of national and regional experts offering ideas last year that lawmakers only partially followed — does the state really need another study of the management of public colleges? Apparently so, according to lawmakers who agreed to create such a commission earlier this year “to study the governance, management and supervision of public postsecondary education.” The latest 18-member panel will have state leaders, rather than out-of-state ones. It includes lawmakers, higher education officials, business leaders and others. It is scheduled to meet monthly and required to submit recommendations about college governance two months before the 2012 legislative session begins in March. “We plan to provide the commission with national, regional and state research as well as testimony from experts to assist them both in analyzing our governance structure and in forming the best recommendations to strengthen Louisiana’s higher education system,” Commissioner of Higher Education Jim Purcell said in a statement. Maybe the study group should start by looking at the last round of recommendations and the reams of data reviewed by that commission. NO TRACTION The idea of going from five higher ed boards to two oversight boards failed to get traction with lawmakers. Last year, a nine-member panel called the Postsecondary Education Review Commission offered its ideas about ways to improve and restructure public colleges in Louisiana, adopting 22 proposals after six months of work. They recommended changing the way dollars are divvied up among campuses and reshuffling governance of the schools. The panel, filled with national and regional higher education experts, suggested cutting the number of college governing boards, raising admission standards at four-year campuses, rigorous reviewing of low-performing programs at schools and giving colleges more of a say in setting their tuition rates. Some of the ideas were embraced by lawmakers. But proposals by the Postsecondary Education Review Commission to substantially alter the governance and shrink the number of higher education management boards — the issue at the heart of the newest study group — were rejected in the Legislature. Louisiana currently has separate governing boards that manage the LSU System, the University of Louisiana System, the Southern University System and the Louisiana Community and Technical College System. The Board of Regents oversees them all. They have 75 board members combined. PERC’s members were divided about governance themselves, narrowly agreeing to a recommendation to merge the management boards for all four-year public colleges and put all two-year campuses under the control of the community college system. The vote was 5-4 from the commission. The idea of going from five higher education management boards to two oversight boards failed to gain traction with lawmakers last year, despite the backing of Gov. Bobby Jindal and House Speaker Jim Tucker. And a proposal to merge all the higher education boards into one didn’t get support this year. Such a change would require an amendment to the Louisiana Constitution. That’s a steep hurdle because a constitutional change needs support from two-thirds of lawmakers and a majority of voters to pass. It also faces strong opposition from higher education leaders, who say the changes wouldn’t improve school performance and wouldn’t save money. The real talking that needs to be done is through the legislative debate. Either lawmakers want to change college oversight or they don’t. Another study group’s recommendations won’t change the arguments. Comments: ccweekblog.wordpress.com Ga. Receives $1 Million College Completion Grant BY SHANNON MCCAFFREY, ASSOCIATED PRESS A WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Community College Week has provided this blog site to augment and enrich your online experience while you get your fill of higher education news and views. Topics for discussion sometimes come from CCW’s bi-weekly issues. Check us out and Leave your Comments: CCWEEKBLOG.WORDPRESS.COM TLANTA (AP) — Georgia has been awarded $1 million by Complete College America to help more students in the state finish their degree. Gov. Nathan Deal announced the grant when he unveiled his plan to help more students in Georgia get a college diploma. Roughly three out of five students graduate from Georgia’s public colleges within six years. Deal said the state must do better. “By 2018, more than 60 percent of job openings in Georgia will require some form of postsecondary education. To meet this demand, we must increase the number of students with access to higher education and ensure that these students graduate with postsecondary degrees in a timely manner,” Deal said. Deal’s plan would create system-wide and campus-level college completion plans in the state’s public universities. It calls for the university system and the technical college system to work together to make it easier for students to transfer among institutions. The Republican governor also wants to focus on remediation programs, with the College of Coastal Georgia and Georgia Gwinnett College, along with Athens Technical College and DeKalb Technical College, taking the lead. They will implement technology-based diagnostic assessments to determine how much remedial help each student requires. Deal wants to restructure some programs at the state’s technical colleges to provide more support for students who work while taking classes. And he would create a needs-based scholarship program that would identify low-income middle school students with college potential and provide them with help through high school. Students who complete the program will receive a tuition scholarship. “With changes to federal grant funding and the ongoing recession, now more than ever, our students need alternative methods to pay for their postsecondary education,” said university system Chancellor Hank Huckaby. “The board and I are ecstatic that the governor will be creating a needs-based aid scholarship program to help make certain that access to education is affordable to all who wish to attend.” Additionally, Deal will issue an executive order setting up the Higher Education Finance Commission, which will consider changes to the state’s funding formula for colleges and universities. It’s been more than three decades since the formula was revamped. That commission could provide financial incentives to those colleges which boost their graduation rates, Deal said. Georgia is one of just 10 states to receive a grant from Complete College America, which received funding support for the awards from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Earth & Planetary Science Molecular Biology Applied Geochemistry Medicinal Chemistry Fuel & Energy Epilepsy & Behavior Ocular Toxicology Forensic Science Artificial Intelligence Applied Mathematics & Computation Mechanics & Physics of Solids Rheumatoid Arthritis Political Geography Clocking the Mind Geovisualization Air & Space Europe Knowledge Acquisition Quality and Quantity with every Query SciVerse ScienceDirect College Edition: Easy Access to a Wealth of Information. The ability to assess an infinite field of knowledge and then collect, organize and deliver the most relevant articles therein is something ScienceDirect has down to, well, a science. 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UÊ Ease of Access: Find what you need, when you need it with a user-friendly interface available around the clock from any computer, laptop or wired device with Internet access. tracking trends 12 August 22, 2011 www.ccweek.com Law Opens Private Aid To Illegal Calif. Students BY JUDY LIN, ASSOCIATED PRESS S ACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill that will let students who entered the country illegally receive private financial aid at California’s public colleges, even as debate continues over a more contentious bill that would allow access to public funding. The Democratic governor signed AB130 at Los Angeles City College. It is the first of a two-bill package referred to as the California Dream Act, which is aimed at getting financial aid for college students who entered the country illegally. “It’s crucial that we invest in every child that lives and is born in this state. Signing this Dream Act is another piece of investment in people because people drives the culture, the economy,” Brown told a crowd of about 100 students and community leaders who gathered inside the city college’s library. “This is another piece of a very important mosaic which is a California that works for everyone.” The governor did not address the second bill in the package, which is more contentious because it would allow illegal 4,300 Apply For 60 Jobs At Tenn. Solar Plant C HATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — A new solar plant in southeastern Tennessee received more than 4,300 applications for its first 60 jobs. Wacker Chemical Corp. spokesman Bill Toth said that applicants who were not picked for the first jobs will be considered as hiring continues. The $1.5 billion plant to be finished in 2013 in Bradley County will make polysilicon for the solar-panel industry. The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports that a Wacker executive said at the first day of orientation for the new hires that up to 700 jobs may be created. The trainees for lead chemical operator jobs will spend six months training at Chattanooga State Community College and another six in Germany. immigrants to receive tions to its citizens right IN SUPPORT state-funded scholarnow,” Donnelly said. ships and financial aid. “The people, who if State colleges That bill, AB131, is in they’re lucky enough to and universities the state Senate. have jobs, certainly The legislative packwould like those limited support the bill, age authored by state resources to go to their noting that it Assemblyman Gil Cedilchildren or grandchillo, D-Los Angeles, difdren. They certainly affects less than 1 fers from the federal wouldn’t want that to go percent of their Dream Act, which would to people who come here include a path to citizenstudent population. illegally.” ship for those bought to Cedillo said he the country illegally as admired the students children. without legal status because of the obstaCritics of the package say granting pub- cles they have had to overcome. He said lic or private financial aid to illegal immi- allowing students to qualify for private grants will force citizens and students who scholarships and financial aid is one step are here legally to compete with them for that will help them get through college. limited resources. Assemblyman Tim Don“Public education in this great state and nelly, R-Twin Peaks, said California’s pub- this great country is a great equalizer of lic colleges and universities have already society,” he said. had to raise tuition fees in the face of recent California’s community college and budget cuts. public universities systems support the bill, “Bottom line is California doesn’t have noting that it affects less than 1 percent of enough money to take care of its obliga- their student population. According to the University of California, fewer than 80 students across its system of more than 220,000 students would be affected by the bill signed Monday. The California State University estimated that some of the 3,600 students who have permission to pay in-state tuition rates even though they lack legal documentation could be affected by the new law. The CSU system enrolls about 440,000 students. At least one student who stands to benefit from the California Dream Act said an education will improve his perspective and quality of life even if he’ll still have trouble finding work out of college. Rigoberto Barboza, a 21-year-old from Mexico who studies sociology at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, Calif., said the new law could help him take more courses and finish sooner. “Education is the only way to free from oppression — this oppression we illegals live with,” he said. “Education allows me to see which laws affect us and how.” Comments: ccweekblog.wordpress.com Lawsuit Filed To Allow Illegal Immigrant Tuition in Md. BY BRIAN WITTE, ASSOCIATED PRESS A NNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland college students and an immigrant services group are going to court in defense of a state law that would grant in-state tuition to illegal immigrants. Opponents of the law have launched a petition drive that will put the law on the ballot in 2012 for voters to decide. Because the petition drive was certified by the state elections board, the law has yet to take effect. Attorneys for groups that favor the law filed a lawsuit that challenges the certification of the petition drive. Joe Sandler, an attorney for the plaintiffs, contended the legislation cannot be put to a referendum because it provides government funding for education. “Maryland’s constitution forbids subjecting that kind of law to a referendum, precisely to prevent the kind of disruption in government programs and operations that the filing of this petition has caused,” Sandler said during a news conference outside Anne Arundel County Circuit Court. Sandler also argued that the board improperly validated thousands of signatures gathered online that he says are susceptible to fraud. Last month, the Maryland State Board of Elections validated 108,923 signatures collected in the petition drive. Opponents of the legislation needed 55,726 to put the measure on the ballot. However, Sandler argued that more than 57,000 signatures should not have been validated. Of them, nearly 44,000 were written on forms in which information like name, date of birth and address were computer-generated. “There’s no safeguard to make sure that they’re the person . . . whose name is appearing on the form,” Sandler said. Sandler, who is representing students, teachers and the immigrant service group Casa de Maryland, also said another 3,800 people signed forms that did not contain a summary or the text of the law, and more than 8,000 failed to meet other requirements under state law and regulations. Opponents of the legislation described the lawsuit as frivolous. “This is 2011, not 1911, and the Internet is used all over the country for various petition campaigns, including some supported by Casa,” said Delegate Patrick McDonough, R-Baltimore County. Wendy Hercules, a 16-year-old Silver Spring student at Spring Brook High School, said she has been a student activist in support of the legislation because she has family and friends who have come to the United States looking for the American dream. “We look forward to winning this lawsuit and getting youth into college,” she said. The legislation was approved by the General Assembly this year and would have taken effect July 1 if not for the petition drive. Now, it’s on hold until voters weigh in next year or a judge issues a ruling. The measure would allow illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition at public colleges under certain conditions. First, a student must have attended a secondary school in Maryland for at least three years and have graduated from a high school in the state. Students also would have to show that either they or their parents have filed Maryland income tax returns annually for three years while they attended a high school in Maryland during any period between graduation and registration at community college. The lawsuit points out the measure’s financial significance to students. For example, one student would be able to pay $3,030 to attend Baltimore City Community College, based on 30 credit hours per year. However, because the law has not taken effect, the student would have to pay $6,690 instead next year to attend. Comments: ccweekblog.wordpress.com Data Source: nano.gov Does Your Nanotechnology Curriculum Stack Up to the Future? Help Meet the Rapidly Emerging Demand for Nanotech Workers nanoPROFESSOR TM Hands-On Nanotechnology Education NanoProfessor is an exciting and comprehensive Nanoscience Education Program combining cutting-edge desktop nanofabrication instruments with a stimulating curriculum. 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Call 1-847-679-NANO or visit our web site at: NanoProfessor.net A Division of NanoInk, Inc. | 8025 Lamon Avenue | Skokie, IL 60077 | +1.847.679.NANO (6266) | NanoProfessor.net | NanoProfessor@NanoInk.net tracking trends 14 August 22, 2011 www.ccweek.com For-Profit Colleges Respond To Increased Scrutiny BY ALAN SCHER ZAGIER, ASSOCIATED PRESS AP PHOTO/JEFF ROBERSON S T. LOUIS (AP) — They gather in a generic suburban office park, workingclass students chasing a fast track to success: a college degree. But the message at the University of Phoenix orientation is not quite what these secretaries, mental health aides, working moms and single dads expect. “We want you to decide if this is right for you,” says Sam Fitzgerald, director of academic affairs at the school’s four St. Louis campuses. “We’re here to help you figure it out.” That candor would have been anathema not too long ago in the lucrative world of for-profit colleges, where recruiters received hefty bonuses and often oversold career prospects. Yet these are new times for the industry that now accommodates one in every eight American college students, either in class or online. Lawmakers in Congress are probing its excesses, from high loan default rates to reports of exploitative sales pitches to wounded veterans. The Obama administration in June unveiled new rules that could cut off government aid for programs where too few students repay their loans or acquire decent-paying jobs. Disenchantment — and lawsuits — continue among both former students and skittish investors. “They have a huge bulls-eye on them,” said Kevin Kinser, an associate professor at the State University of New York at Albany who studies the industry. “They can’t risk business as usual anymore.” The for-profit industry, which prefers the term “career colleges” or “proprietary” schools, grew rapidly over the last decade amid renewed calls to increase the nation’s college graduation rate and a need to help laid-off workers find new careers. The private sector’s slice of federal aid money grew from $4.6 billion to more than $26 billion between 2000 and 2010. Now, the industry will see if it can still make healthy profits from its challenging demographic — low income workers, older students and those with spotty academic backgrounds — while being much more accountable for its results. The changes are most apparent at the University of Phoenix and its corporate parent, Apollo Group Inc., which, with nearly 400,000 students, ranks atop the industry. The school has created its own social network, PhoenixConnect, Carl Tabb takes apart a computer at his home in St. Louis. Tabb is a 36-year-old father of 10 who hopes to earn a bachelor’s degree in information technology from the University of Phoenix while continuing to work full-time for the Missouri Department of Mental Health and moonlighting from home repairing computers. to better link its far-flung students as well as 600,000 alumni who could help those students and graduates find jobs. It boasts of new alumni association chapters, hundreds of student clubs and mentorship programs. The three-week orientation program is now required of all prospective students with fewer than 24 college credits. The program is free, but those who don’t pass can’t continue. The company scrapped its financial incentive program for enrollment counselors and there’s less reliance on outside sales companies to generate leads, and more emphasis on finding corporate partners willing to help pay for their employees’ education. The results have been dramatic. New student enrollment has declined by nearly half, and the company reported $159 million less in net revenue after the first three quarters of fiscal year 2011 compared to the previous year. Officials expect further enrollment declines and more short-term financial pain but insist the approach will pay off with fewer dropouts, higher graduation rates and lower federal loan default rates. “We have made a conscious decision to make sure the students coming through the door are more likely to be successful,” said Mark Brenner, senior vice president for external affairs. Change is also afoot at Kaplan University, which is owned by A N E W D AY These are new times for the industry that now accommodates one in every eight American college students. Congress is probing its excesses, from high loan default rates to reports of exploitative sales pitches to wounded veterans. The Washington Post Co. and serves about 62,000 students. Another 50,000 students study at Kaplan Higher Education career colleges, which focus more on specific trades. Stung by a series of whistleblower lawsuits by former employees and a Florida attorney general’s investigation, Kaplan created a program that allows new students to attend classes for four or five weeks at no cost before deciding whether to continue. Kaplan also stopped paying incentives to recruiters. The company reported a 48 percent decline in new enrollments as of April and an attrition rate of 25 percent. Of the latter group, 60 percent are dismissed by Kaplan for lack of academic progress. The for-profit industry’s staunchest defenders include Donald Graham, chief executive officer of The Washington Post Co. “If we are to be guided only by those factors — student gradua- tion rates and how much debt they incur — we would probably close down all, or almost all, of the institutions of higher education — whomever they may be run by — that serve poor students,’’ Graham said at the company’s annual meeting in May. A committee led by Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, has held multiple hearings on for-profit colleges over the past year — most recently in early July, after the Obama administration issued its new “gainful employment” rules. Those rules require schools to meet at least one of three conditions to continue receiving Pell Grants and other federal paidtuition: a loan repayment rate by former students of least 35 percent; annual loan payments of no more than 30 percent of an average student’s discretionary income; or annual loan payments that don’t exceed 12 percent of a typical graduate’s salary. Regulators say those conditions are needed to ensure that for- profit graduates won’t face crippling debts, which combined with low-paying jobs could lead to more loan defaults. The Senate committee found an average dropout rate of 57 percent within two years of enrollment at 16 unnamed for-profit schools. More than 95 percent of students at two-year proprietary schools, and 93 percent at fouryear schools, took out student loans in 2007, the committee found. That compares to fewer than 17 percent of community college students and 44.3 percent of students at four-year public schools. Students at for-profit schools also account for nearly half of all student loan defaults, the committee found. “Some for-profit schools are efficient government subsidy collectors first and educational institutions second,” the committee concluded in its report. In contrast to most nonprofit colleges, proprietary colleges have emphasized expanding their student rolls, regardless of the academic prospects of those enrolled. “State institutions might like to grow, but they can’t afford to. Elite schools define themselves by the fact they don’t grow,” said industry analyst Trace Urdan, the managing director of Signal Hill Capital Group. “This is a place where growth is the essence of the institution.” Harkin, the industry’s most vocal critic, recently compared the high default rates to the subprime mortgage loan meltdown. He remains skeptical that the sector has mended its ways. The conversations in Washington and Wall Street mean little to Carl Tabb, a 36-year-old father of 10 who hopes to earn a bachelor’s degree in information technology from the University of Phoenix while continuing to work full-time for the Missouri Department of Mental Health and moonlighting repairing home computers. “I really was not the best student when I was in school,” he said. “I always thought I wouldn’t make it to college.” Fitzgerald, a former Price Waterhouse consultant, said nontraditional students such as Tabb deserve just a chance to earn a degree and a shot at better future. “Yeah, we’re a for-profit. But that doesn’t mean we’re in it for the wrong reasons,” she said. “We want to set up our students for success.” Comments: ccweekblog.wordpress.com www.ccweek.com August 22, 2011 15 New Chancellor Takes Over at Minnesota College System S T. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The new chancellor of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system has been on the job just a few weeks, but already has covered thousands of miles to learn more about the system’s 31 colleges and universities. “I’ve been on the road for about four months, and I have logged about 4,000 miles,” Chancellor Steven Rosenstone told Minnesota Public Radio News. After spending 15 years at the University of Minnesota, Rosenstone has been giving himself a crash course in the disparate system that includes the sort of vocational training he didn’t often see at the university. Take Southeast Technical, a typical MnSCU technical college, which offers auto body repair, nursing, accounting and massage therapy. The school also offers distinct programs, Steven Rosenstone such as musical instrument repair, that are only available in a few places around the country, President Jim Johnson said. “Chancellor Rosenstone’s biggest challenge is going to be to get to know the different levels of institutions within our system,” he said. Rosenstone, who was appointed chancellor in February by the Board of Trustees, has promised to help Minnesota’s two higher education systems work more closely together, but he doesn’t plan to try to remake MnSCU in the image of the state’s flagship university. “We have very different missions and very different roles to play in the state of Minnesota,” Rosenstone said. Instead, he said his goal is to improve the quality of every school in the system. He wants MnSCU’s four-year universities to be at the top of the wish list for graduating seniors, not as fallbacks in case they don’t get into the University of Minnesota. “That our colleges and universities become the destination of choice,” he said. “It’s the place (students) want to go for their college education.” Winona State University President Judith Ramaley said she supports Rosenstone’s vision of making MnSCU universities a “destination of choice,” but said there’s more to it than distinctive academic programs. Winona State markets atmosphere alongside its programs, including a new residence hall that looks more like a hotel than a college dorm. “They care about the course of study. But they care more about what it means to be here,” Ramaley said. “How beautiful is the campus? How friendly are the people? How good is the reputation of the school?” Darrell Downs, a political science professor at Winona State, said he thinks there’s a developing image problem for the system. Too often the public and lawmakers treat the 31 universities, colleges and technical schools as one entity, he said, not as separate institutions with separate missions. “If we continue to go along kind of a one-size-fits-all way of thinking from the top down, it’s not going to be successful for anybody,” Downs said. Downs’ challenge for Rosenstone was to identify the strengths and needs of each of the MnSCU colleges. Be supportive, he said, but don’t get in the way. Leading by decree isn’t his style, Rosenstone said. “They’re not conversations that will occur by a lightning bolt coming out of the new chancellor’s office,” Rosenstone said. “Instead they’re conversations that will occur by people working together across the system to find the best way to move forward as partners on behalf of Minnesota’s future.” Comments: ccweekblog.wordpress.com 16 August 22, 2011 www.ccweek.com NAACP: Education Critical In Breaking Cycle of Poverty BY CHRISTINA HOAG, ASSOCIATED PRESS Here we Grow Again AP PHOTO/NICK UT L OS ANGELES (AP) _ Education is the key to breaking black men and youths out of a vicious cycle of crime and unemployment, African-American leaders said at the close of the annual NAACP convention. The plight of black males, which have above average rates of joblessness, incarceration, HIV infection and lower rates of educational achievement, was one of the themes of the six-day convention, which was attended by more than 5,000 members of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. ``We are losing a generation of our children,’’ said Sandre Swanson, who heads the California Assembly’s Select Committee on the State of Boys and Men of Color, at a panel discussion. ``These young men need help and to know we care.’’ Panelists noted that the problem originated with the loss of manufacturing jobs that minorities relied on for decades. Moreover, government jobs, which employ 21 percent of blacks, are also now shrinking with government cutbacks, political analyst Jamal Simmons said. The result is that minority youth have turned increasingly to crime. About 10 percent of black men born in the 1940s have served time in prison during their lives, said Yale University law professor James Foreman Jr. That figure doubles for black men born in the 1960s. African-American males now comprise 40 percent of the nation’s prison population. Swanson noted that 70 percent of parolees return to prison because they are paroled to isolated communities where there are few jobs, or schooling or training opportunities. ``We have to get as much education in front of them as we can,’’ Derrick Johnson, the Mississippi State Conference president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, speaks at the NAACP's 102nd annual national convention in Los Angeles. he said, adding that he is sponsoring a bill to get community college classes in prisons. ``The most successful tool against recidivism is education.’’ The national unemployment rate in July for black males is 17.9 percent, as compared to 8.1 percent for white males and 11.9 percent for Hispanic males. For college-educated black males, the figure drops to 6.5 percent, which is still higher than the 2.9 percent rate for college-educated whites. Foreman, who noted that the overwhelming majority of prison inmates are high school dropouts, D I S PA R I T Y The national unemployment rate in July for black males was 17.9 percent, as compared to 8.1 percent for white males. said that besides pushing black students to graduate, the quality of urban schools must be improved in order to give youths the skills they need in today’s high-tech job market. Half of black high school students do not have access to advanced level courses, such as S P E C I A L calculus, physics and advanced placement English, he said. Even if students do not go on to college, they need higher level courses to develop essential critical thinking skills. ``The employment question is fundamental,’’ he said. ``There are no more jobs on the line at the R E P O R T FASTEST-GROWING COMMUNITY COLLEGES, 2011 Ford plant. Those kids have to be educated to go to college, even if they don’t go to college.’’ Swanson said he is also working with labor unions to offer more apprenticeships to minority youth and to employ more ex-felons. Simmons urged the audience to mentor youth, saying the successful people he knows credit one person in their lives who encouraged them to pursue their aspirations. ``The doors of opportunity are open to black people but it can still be challenging to go through them,’’ he said. Advertising opportunities: (703) 385-1982; ads@ccweek.com AdvertisingDeadline: Nov. 10 Issue Date: Nov. 28 THE INDEPENDENT VOICE COVERING COMMUNITY, TECHNICAL AND JUNIOR COLLEGES, SINCE 1988 www.ccweek.com August 22, 2011 17 University Has No Plans to Return to Miss. Campus G AUTIER, Miss. (AP) — The University of Southern Mississippi has no immediate plans to return to the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s Gautier campus. That has some Jackson County leaders wishing they could reverse last year’s rebuff of the University of South Alabama, The Hattiesburg American reports. “As far I’m concerned we were misled,” said Jackson County District Five Supervisor John McKay. He backed Southern Miss when school officials complained last year about an agreement that would have given South Alabama free building space for a year at the campus, because he believed Southern Miss would eventually return to Gulf Coast. Southern Miss President Martha Saunders says that could happen — maybe next academic year. “Right now, we’re out,” Saunders said. But she said she was talking with Mary Graham, the Gautier campus’s new president, about returning a pilot program there. But, she added, “I don’t want to give promises that I don’t Research Lab in S AV I N G S keep.” Ocean Springs, citing Graham, who took declining enrollment After 25 years in office July 1, said she and growing lease Gautier, Southern hadn’t talked specifics payments as major with any universities reasons. The move Miss moved its about locating on the would save $200,000 a classes to the Gulf campus. But she said year, university offiCoast Research she is interested in cials said. “creative ways” to County officials, Lab, citing declinaccommodate fourhowever, said the lab ing enrollment and is less accessible and year institutions at all Gulf campuses. offers fewer courses. growing lease “As a new presiAccording to payments. The dent, I do not believe school data, university that it is beneficial to enrollment at GAUTImove would save discuss what might ER fell by 250 stu$200,000 a year. have been in regard to dents from fall 2004 to the university offer2009. The number of ings in Jackson Coununiversity students ty,” Graham said. taking classes exclusively at Gautier McKay and other local officials declined from 174 in fall 2004 to 64 in believe Jackson County residents were fall in 2008 to 32 in fall 2009. hurt. After Southern Miss departed, Gulf “We’re left holding the bag over Coast forged a three-year agreement in here. That’s how I feel about it,” said 2010 with South Alabama, located in Supervisor Manly Barton. Mobile. Under the pact, South Alabama After 25 years in Gautier, Southern would pay for renovations the first year, Miss moved its classes to the Gulf Coast and pay rent the following two years. State auditor Stacey Pickering and some other state officials suggested the rent agreement was illegal. Attorney General Jim Hood approved the agreement, but South Alabama pulled out, citing “unanticipated discord” in Mississippi. Its position has not changed, said David Johnson, South Alabama’s vice president for academic affairs. “If we see evidence that we’re welcome and there is no significant discord, then we are willing to look at returning,” he said. Johnson said his school would have offered engineering and several needbased programs such as computer science and business, and could have recruited engineering students to Mobile. “We would need to be convinced that there is a need in order to come back,” Johnson said. For McKay, that need exists now. “We backed Southern Mississippi, and in the process, backed South Alabama out of the picture,” McKay said. ``We’re definitely open to South Alabama coming back if Southern (Miss) is not.” Comments: ccweekblog.wordpress.com 2011 Leadership Symposium on the San Antonio Riverwalk New Day. New Promise. New Era for Hispanic Leadership We invite you to attend the 2011 National Community College Hispanic Council (NCCHC) Leadership Symposium September 22-24, 2011 at the Embassy Suites Riverwalk – Downtown in San Antonio, TX. Our hosts, Alamo Community College District and Laredo College, are planning an exciting and informative symposium with relevant topics that will assist you in thriving as a leader in these challenging times regardless of your cultural background. You will experience many opportunities to hear from nationally recognized keynote speakers, participate in dynamic sessions that address issues of concern to our Latino community, develop leadership skills, and network with seasoned professionals. SPEAKERS: You will experience many opportunities to hear from nationally recognized keynote speakers, participate in dynamic sessions that address issues of concern to our Latino community, develop leadership skills, and network with seasoned professionals. Additionally, we will offer a total of 15 breakout sessions at the conference. Look for further details at www.ncchc.com. x x x Our keynote speakers and general sessions are: x Sarita E. Brown, President, Excelencia in Education Henry Cisneros, Executive Chairman, CityView Smart Capital for Smart Growth President's Panel: Growing Latinos in Leadership Roles NCCHC Fellow’s Panel: Lessons Learned REGISTRATION: Go to www.ncchc.com for registration details and additional information including a basic conference agenda. Website will be updated periodically between now and the conference, so keep checking back! ENHANCEMENTS: The Hispanic culture and flavor of San Antonio will weave through the conference including: x x x Fabulous Mariachi entertainment at opening reception follows by a river taxi ride Tours of the Alamo Colleges Mobile GO Center (MGC), an extension of the College for All Texans campaign’s efforts to achieve the student participation and success goals of the Closing the Gaps initiative by 2015. Exceptional Latin band “Colao” & dancing at Award Dinner Join us! 18 August 22, 2011 www.ccweek.com Va. College Launches Intelligence Training Program BY BRYAN MCKENZIE, THE DAILY PROGRESS C HARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Getting a job in Central Virginia’s growing defense intelligence community is a difficult proposition for most area residents without a security clearance, but Piedmont Virginia Community College is working to change that. The college, in cooperation with an Ohio-based nonprofit, has opened a training program to provide the skills locals need to qualify for careers in the expanding defense industry and to help residents obtain the coveted clearances. The 10-week “analyst boot camp” will put hopefuls through an intense program designed to prepare them for the industry. Two introductory courses are available for those interested in such careers, but the actual career training will be through boot camps, officials said. The boot camp, with its eighthour classroom days, carries a $15,000 tuition tag. “It’s 400 hours with intensive training and students are expected to work on homework and projects in the evenings, so it’s a big investment of time,” said Valerie Palamountain, dean of workforce services at PVCC. “It’s not a program for everybody. It’s not the kind of program that you get into thinking, ‘I’m not sure what I want to do, so I’ll try defense analysis.’ The people who will do well are those who are already interested in the career.” PVCC’s program came about after nationwide consolidation of military bases brought the Defense Intelligence Agency and about 800 employees to the Rivanna Station military base north of Charlottesville last fall. The base houses the National Ground Intelligence Center and the Joint Use Intelligence Analy- sis Facility in which the DIA is headquartered. The DIA is relocating much of its intelligence analysis function to the Albemarle County facility and area research and office parks are attracting private contractors associated with the intelligence community. The jobs feature salaries ranging from $26,000 for a security officer to $75,000 for an intelligence analyst, according to federal documents. Unfortunately for most area residents, many of the DIA and contracting agencies are looking to fill jobs that require specific abilities, training and security clearances that most locals don’t have. The Piedmont program is designed to rectify that. “Although DIA has no involvement in the new PVCC course, we are interested in programs that contribute to the defense of the nation,” said Lt. Col. Thomas F. Veale, DIA spokesman. The PVCC curriculum comes from the Ohio-based Advanced Technical Intelligence Center for Human Capital Development, also known as ATIC. The center was founded by a federal grant in 2006 for the specific purpose of training new intelligence analysts. ATIC’s chief executive, Hugh Bolton, said the course is important now to help fill national intelligence positions and will likely continue to be important into the future. “When you look across the defense intelligence community, more than 50 percent of the current analysts are eligible to retire. Many are staying because of patriotism and the economy, but those positions will eventually need to be filled,” Bolton said. Bolton said that foreign languages — especially Chinese, Arabic and other languages spoken in countries developing into world powers or players — are important. So are technical and scientific skills. “We’re actually graduating more foreign nationals from our colleges in technical fields,” he said. “We don’t, however, plan to outsource our national security to foreign countries.” In its four years, ATIC has developed programs with several community colleges in Ohio to help create qualified intelligence analysts for contractors and government agencies near WrightPatterson Air Force Base. “We partner with academic and government agencies to develop programs that are tailored to specific needs in specific communities. Our job is to provide the curriculum, not the instruction,” Bolton said. BOOT CAMP Comments: ccweekblog.wordpress.com AP PHOTO/THE DAILY PROGRESS, MEGAN LOVETT The 10-week “analyst boot camp” will put hopefuls through an intense program to prepare them for the industry. With its eight-hour classroom days, the program charges $15,000 in tuition. Piedmont Virginia Community College students hang out in the Bolick Student Center between classes. Getting a job in Central Virginia’s growing defense intelligence community is a difficult proposition for most area residents without a security clearance, but PVCC is working to change that. Call for Proposal Deadline: September 16, 2011 M ARRIOTT P HILADELPHIA D OWNTOWN Hosted by Community College of Philadelphia, The conference provides opportunities for colleagues to showcase their model programs, share lessons Bucks County Community College, and learned, and look to the future by experiencing a wide Montgomery County Community College array of new ideas through the Conference Streams: Join us in Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly ★ Learning and Teaching Love, a historic and modern city where iconic ★ Leadership and Organization landmarks and cultural hot spots create a vibrant ★ Workforce Preparation and Development tapestry for exploration, and cultural and ★ Student Services and Activities educational institutions support an unmatched ★ Basic Skills and Developmental Education platform for learning. Innovations 2012 is the ★ Resource Development and Foundation Management League’s premier event for professionals ★ Research, Assessment, and Accountability dedicated to improving teaching and learning, ★ Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and discovering new approaches for enhancing ★ Sustainability the community college experience. ★ Open Educational Resources @InnovationsConf www.facebook.com/LeagueINN Request exhibitor information at hennessey@league.org www.league.org/i2012/cfp 20 August 22, 2011 www.ccweek.com Head of Texas Colleges Calls for Reinventing Public Higher Ed BY REEVE HAMILTON, THE TEXAS TRIBUNE THE TEXAS TRIBUNE T exas Higher Education Commissioner Raymund Paredes told reporters that the state was coming to “the painful realization that improving access is not enough” and that the time had come to “reinvent public higher education.” His remarks were made on a conference call in anticipation of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s release of its annual progress report on a 10-year-old initiative focused on bringing educational achievement levels in Texas up to parity with comparable states — or “closing the gaps,” as its referred to — by 2015. Paredes said that, based on the current rates of improvement, Texans will have a “mostly positive story to tell” when the deadline hits in four years, though it won’t meet all of its targets. The state is ahead of its 2010 targets for its two chief goals: increasing success (the number of degrees conferred) and participation (the number of Texans Texas Higher Education Commissioner Raymund Paredes enrolling) in higher education, especially the latter. With record numbers of Texans signing up for colleges and universities, the emphasis has increasingly been on getting those students through the system with degrees. The state’s current overall six-year graduation rate is only slightly more than 57 percent. Still, there are significant lags in participation among some groups, particularly Hispanics and African-American males, and success rates in both the Hispanic and African-American communities are also below target. Some remaining gaps are so significant that there is virtually no chance of them being closed in the next few years. Notable among these, with significant ramifications for the state’s future, is the number of teacher certifications, particularly in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields, which are well below target. “I don’t think there’s any question that we’d like to be successful in every area of Closing the Gaps,” Paredes said, acknowledging that that would not ultimately be the case despite what he generally described as “substantial and significant progress.” The coordinating board is currently in the process of developing a new plan to implement the Does your college employ HIGH-IMPACT practices? CCCSE surveys provide data on effective educational practice and student engagement from a variety of sources: students faculty administrators Registration for 2012 survey administrations is now open online: www.cccse.org CCCSE Center for Community College Student Engagement Learn more about opportunities for participating in a CCCSE national study at www.cccse.org “Closing the Gaps” initiative ends in four years. Paredes said it would focus on making Texas a higher education leader, and it would do more than simply adopt more ambitious targets in the same areas as the current initiative. “We want to place more emphasis on innovation,” Paredes said. In his vision, Texas would also become a leader in areas like cost efficiency, continuous improvement and offering various pathways to degrees — including low-cost options. Paredes has previously said that a $10,000 bachelor’s degree, as proposed by Gov. Rick Perry, is “entirely feasible.” The actual plan won’t be released until closer to 2015. In the meantime, there will be another legislative session. Paredes shared some of the priorities he is preparing for 2013. These include creating a comprehensive system that allows students to attain four-year degrees by starting in community colleges and transferring, restructuring financial aid, improving developmental education, continuing to push for the implementation of outcomes-based funding, and better aligning college outputs with workforce needs. Admission standards need to take into account a university’s ability to actually help the students it admits succeed, Paredes Briefs, said. And students should be encouraged to consider the future needs and opportunities of the job market when they select a major. As for the need to reconsider the financial aid process, Paredes noted that the state’s main needbased aid program, known as TEXAS Grants, recently suffered a budget cut for the first time — immediately following an increase in higher ed enrollments last fall of 84,000, the secondlargest in the state’s history. Some view the cuts as an opportunity for reinvention. “We must not use this relative decline in state funding to say that we cannot do anything differently right now,” Paredes said. The backdrop to much of this discussion is the ongoing — as Paredes put it — “controversy and consternation” about the value, efficiency and purpose of the state’s institutions of higher education, brought on by a controversial set of proposals for changing higher education promoted by Perry and his conservative allies. Paredes said the debate, which has dominated higher ed headlines in recent months, was unfortunate because it “distracted from some of the real accomplishments of the last ten years.” Comments: ccweekblog.wordpress.com from page 3, col. 1 in Texarkana, Ark., for a satellite campus. The University of Arkansas Board of Trustees voted to allow the college to buy 8.7 acres near Interstate 30 for about $80,000 and an adjacent 15½ acres for about $31,000. Establishing the campus will allow the college to reach students who don’t want to make the 40 minute drive from Texarkana to Hope, school officials said. The two colleges currently in Texarkana, Texarkana College and Texas A&M University at Texarkana, are both on the Texas side of the city. “Miller County is extremely important to southwest Arkansas,” said Chris Thomason, chancellor of the community college. “We see this as an opportunity for us to totally engage the power of higher education in a regional approach to economic development,” he told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Texarkana Mayor Wayne Smith told the Texarkana Gazette that having the campus will help keep the city’s high school graduates in Texarkana. “We’ve got an opportunity to put a stop to the brain drain that’s been occurring here,” he said. The process is in its beginning stages, Thomason said when asked about the number of buildings planned or the number of students expected to attend the satellite campus. He said he hopes to see the campus open by the fall of 2012. Mid-Plains Opens New Campus in Central Neb. BROKEN BOW, Neb. (AP) — Mid-Plains Community College has officially opened its new extended campus in Broken Bow. See Briefs, page 21, col. 1 www.ccweek.com Briefs, August 22, 2011 21 from page 20, col. 5 Gov. Dave Heineman was on hand for the grand-opening celebration. He says the campus will bring jobs to the area and improve education in central Nebraska. Mid-Plains has been offering classes in Broken Bow since 2001. The new campus will help MidPlains expand the offerings there. The project cost $1.3 million. Mid-Plains contributed $200,000, with the rest coming through donations. Six Colleges Picked for Green Energy Program CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — Six colleges in the Tennessee Valley Authority region have been picked for a Green Campus Network that will pay student interns to help develop the pilot energy efficiency program. The campuses in the Tennessee Valley Authority-Alliance to Save Energy partnership are the University of Memphis; Sewanee: The University of the South; Western Kentucky University; Calhoun Community College at Decatur, Ala.; the University of Alabama in Huntsville; and the University of Mississippi. The Green Campus Network will involve students, faculty, administrators and support staff in cutting energy use on college campuses. It also encourages students to pursue careers in sustainability and increases energy efficiency awareness. TVA funding will cover the program startup and wages for student interns. The alliance has had a green campus program in California. NM College Gets Funds for Energy Job Training SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Clean energy job training and other environmental workforce programs at Santa Fe Community College will get a boost thanks to funds from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. U.S. Sen. Tom Udall says the college will receive $300,000 that can be used to teach job skills to unemployed veterans and Native Americans in fields with an environmental benefit. The New Mexico Democrat calls it a “worthy investment” in New Mexico’s economy. The college will use the grant funding to train participants in solid waste management, energy efficiency technologies and renewable energy preparation and installation. It will also offer training in hazardous waste operations, emergency response training, underground storage tank leak preven- tion and renewable energy technologies awareness. After 180 hours of training, the recruits will be placed in jobs in the area. Maine College Starts Work on New Campus BRUNSWICK, Maine (AP) — Southern Maine Community College is marking the start of renovation work at its new Midcoast Campus, at the former Brunswick Naval Air Station. The South Portland college held a ceremony Tuesday to mark the transfer of deeds for two former Navy buildings that will become part of SMCC’s satellite campus in Brunswick. In all, the college will take over five buildings on the site. SMCC President James Ortiz swung a sledgehammer signifying the start of renovations to one of the buildings, which will be turned into the Maine Advanced Technology & Engineering Center. The first classes at the campus will be offered in one of the buildings this fall. The entire campus is slated to open in the fall of 2012. IG Report Says Delgado Wrongly Paid Instructor BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A Delgado Community College instructor was paid for classes she did not teach, one of several instances in which employees were paid hourly wages while also being improperly compensated through teaching contracts, according to an inspector general’s report. Inspector General Stephen Street’s review covered his office’s investigation of the college’s School of Allied Health in New Orleans and its fitness centers. Street said instructor Gay Dawson received $6,000 in 2009 and 2010 to teach six classes she didn’t teach, with the knowledge of a supervisor who devised the contracts. The report says Dawson acknowledged the fraudulent contracts but said the compensation covered extra work in semesters for which she was not paid, including leading a fitness class and writing a fitness manual. But Street’s report says if Dawson did extra work, she should have been paid at her normal hourly rate — not through a teaching contract. Street said investigators found several employees of the Delgado fitness centers being paid hourly like Dawson while also getting money through teaching contracts. After investigators began looking into the payments, “Delgado management halted this practice and instituted a new policy to prevent its occurrence,” the report says. In a written response, Delgado’s acting chancellor, Deborah Lea, says that Delgado administrators told supervisors that contracts must accurately represent the duties to be performed and the hours worked and that the university was considering disciplinary actions against Dawson and her supervisor. SC Students Offered $966M In Scholarships COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina Education Department says the class of 2011 was offered a record $966 million in college scholarships. That tops the amount offered to last year’s public high school seniors by $49 million. Education Department officials said the total brings the amount offered over the past five years to more than $4 billion. The total includes scholarships not accepted by students. It represents all scholarships offered to students as they considered which two- or four-year college to attend. Ken. Colleges Receive $1M Completion Grant FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky has received one of 10 $1 million grants to increase college completion. Gov. Steve Beshear’s office says the state will use the funds to improve developmental education opportunities for adults in the Learn on Demand online program offered through the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. A total of 33 states applied for the grants in a competition established by Complete College America, a national nonprofit organization. American Public University When your graduates succeed, your college does too. And you’re one click away from making it happen. I ntroduce your talented graduates to an affordable online education that will take them to the next level. American Public University has been nationally recognized by the Sloan Consortium for best practices in online education. To provide your students with a seamless pathway, contact us about APUS’s block transfer partnership agreement. Learn more about one of the best values in online education at studyatAPU.com/ccw APU is a member of the regionally accredited American Public University System (APUS). Text “APU” to 44144 for more information. Message and data rates may apply. Art & Humanities // Business // Education // Management // Public Safety & Health // Science & Technology // Security & Global Studies money tree 22 August 22, 2011 www.ccweek.com Va. Undergrads To Pay 7.9 Percent More R ICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia undergraduates will pay an average of 7.9 percent more this year in tuition and mandatory fees to attend state public colleges, according to a report released by State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. In-state undergraduates will pay an average of $704 more, while community college students will pay about $285 more. Virginia students at the two-year Richard Bland College will pay $250 more, SCHEV says in its annual report. Among individual institutions, the increases range from 5.7 percent at Old Dominion University to 12 percent at the University of Mary Washington. The overall increase is less than last year, when tuition and fees went up an average of 10.6 percent. SCHEV said the governor and the 2011 General Assembly allocated an additional $97 million in general funds to public colleges, allowing institutions to impose smaller tuition and fee increases this year. “This amendment to the original budg- et provided some much-needed relief, but could not prevent our colleges and universities from suffering a fifth straight year of state general fund operating budget reductions,” the report says, adding that the annual declines “have put the affordability and accessibility of Virginia’s nationally acclaimed system of public education at risk.” On one key measure of affordability, the average cost for an in-state undergraduate student living on campus is estimated at an unprecedented 43.7 percent of per capita disposable income. The percentage has crept steadily higher since dipping to 32.2 percent in 2002. SCHEV also says the state’s contribution to the cost of education has fallen to an all-time low of 51 percent, with students footing 49 percent of the bill. The state’s goal is for it to pay two-thirds of the cost for in-state undergraduates. Ten years ago, the state was paying 77 percent of the cost. Out-of-state undergraduates pay more than the full cost of their education. Comments: ccweekblog.wordpress.com Tapping Future INTO THE THE INDEPENDENT VOICE COVERING COMMUNITY, TECHNICAL AND JUNIOR COLLEGES, SINCE 1988 By the year 2025, nearly one-quarter of all college-aged population will be Hispanic. Yet not enough are earning college degrees. In our Hispanic Focus issue, Community College Week takes a look at how colleges are doing. Community colleges are assuming a prominent role in efforts to increase college completion. 2011 hispanic focus Ad Deadline: Sept. 1 Issue Date: Sept. 19 Bonus distribution: National Community College Hispanic Council and National University Technology Network conferences Advertising opportunities: (703) 385-1982; ads@ccweek.com www.ccweek.com technology today August 22, 2011 23 Good News Websites May Counter Negativity BY REID GOLDSBOROUGH A n international crisis or two involving war, terrorism, monetary instability, famine, and natural disasters always seems to be happening somewhere in the world. National problems surrounding the deficit, employment, housing, the environment and consumer affairs never end. Local troubles including crime, government corruption, labor issues, fires, and road closures seem to be an everyday reality. It’s no wonder that daily newspapers appear at times to be filled with bad news. The reality also is that people enjoy reading about the troubles of others and that doing so can sometimes prevent you from having troubles yourself. But people have also always complained about what they regard as the overemphasis on negativity in the news, and this applies today as well, regardless of how you get your news, from a printed newspaper, television, radio, personal computer or mobile device such as a Smartphone. If you want to balance what you see as negativity with positivity, places exist on the Web today where you can read only good news. Good News Stories (www.goodnewsstories.org) is a free ad-supported site that gathers positive news stories from around the world. According to its “About” page, “This site was born out of a frustration with mainstream news sites only reporting negative news in the main instead of focusing on the positive side of things. Good news stories will only report on happy and upbeat news to put a smile on the face of people worldwide.” The site’s opening page presents you with a selection of what’s regarded as the most important stories. You can also find stories according to geographic location and such categories as business, education, health, and politics. As with many news sites, you can leave comments, but first you have to register with the site, which is free. Good News Network (www.goodnewsnetwork.org) presents positive news stories through both text and video. Its mission is “to provide a ‘Daily Dose of News to Enthuse.’” Like Good News Stories, it acts as a news aggregator, collecting upbeat news from around the globe. The news stories in its “Most Popular” section are free, but to read other articles you need to subscribe, which starts at $2 per month. “Negative news is an important staple of any well-informed citizenry and necessary for society’s evolution,” according to Geri Weis-Corbley, the site’s editor and publisher. “But today we are in dire need of a wellbalanced media diet. Local TV news, especially, has been continually feeding us junk food. We need to be informed by a world view that is not dripping with sensationalism and attuned to the police scanner.” Happy News (www.happynews.com) isn’t updated as frequently as the two previous sites, but it’s also a good repository of feel-good information. Its emphasis is on “virtue, goodwill, and heroism,” and it collects news of this nature among other ways through “citizen journalists” who report from around the world. This free ad-supported site also includes video clips, optimistic quotations from philosophers, regular columnists, and how-to tips on subjects ranging from quitting smoking to saving for college. A “Happy Products” section offers news of products such as chocolate and Earth-friendly candles. As with the two previous sites, news is categorized, into areas such as national, health, and heroes. With HelpOthers.org (www.helpothers.org), the emphasis is more on deeds than words. Site visitors share stories of “real-life acts of kindness,” with the object being to inspire others and “pay it forward.” The site also includes “kindness ideas” regarding things you can do for others to help make them happy. The site features an “Idea Contest” in which you’re asked what you would do to bring more kindness to your community if you had an extra $100. Each month the person who is judged to have submitted the best idea wins $100. If you have any questions about anything at the site, YES! you can send a message to one of its “kindness experts.” HelpOthers.org doesn’t feature ads or require subscriptions to gain access to extra content. For funding it relies on donations, which individuals can make through PayPal or by mailing a check, and on contributions from companies and foundations. As with anything on the Web, not everything is always as it seems, even though the intentions may be quite good. A lot of “good news” sites are religious in nature, spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. This may be very good news to you, but the content at these sites isn’t news in the conventional sense -- at least it hasn’t been for close to two thousand years. Reid Goldsborough is a syndicated columnist and author of the book Straight Talk About the Information Superhighway. He can be reached at reidgold@comcast.net or www.reidgoldsborough.com. IT’S ON THE HORIZON SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY SPECIAL REPORT & SUPPLEMENT, FALL 2011 Nanotechnology is the foundation for emerging technologies which are projected to create more than 2 million new jobs in coming decades, and a growing number of community colleges are devising associate degree programs to meet the demand. Read about some of them in Community College Week’s Fall 2011 Science & Technology Special Report Oct. 3. > Science and Technology in Community Colleges Technology Supplement: Ad Deadline: Sept 13, 2011 Issue Date: Oct. 3, 2011 > Sicence in Community Colleges Special Report: Ad Deadline: Sept. 15, 2011 Issue Date: Oct. 3, 2011 THE INDEPENDENT VOICE COVERING COMMUNITY, TECHNICAL AND JUNIOR COLLEGES, SINCE 1988 CALL OR CLICK TODAY: 703-385-1982; ads@ccweek.com 24 August 22, 2011 www.ccweek.com Congratulations 2011 NISOD Excellence Awards Recipients ALABAMA Bevill State Community College Tim Estes Kris Gravitt Maurice Ingle Rebecca Vanzant Calhoun Community College Randy Cross Willie King Gadsden State Community College Wayne Findley Kelley H. Pearce Ann Wheeler Melinda White Shelton State Community College Deborah Bonner Annette Cook Claude Lake William Stringfellow Cochise College Dan Guilmette George Self Trevor Smith Estrella Mountain Community College Rebecca Baranowski Natalie Rivera Chris Zagar Glendale Community College Brandon E. Cleworth Belgica QuirosWinemiller North Arkansas College Southwestern College Daytona State College Pensacola State College Julia Angel Carri L. Butcher Stacie Klott Kevin Parker Surian Figueroa Sylvia Garcia-Navarrete Andrew MacNeill Michelle Lee Theresa A. Moore L. Jane Rosati Jeffrey Zahnen Northwest Arkansas Community College Christian Raia Rene Sanchez Amanda Pollitt Joyce Rollins Amy Compton-Horner Travis Herr Donna Mathias Debra Ryals Mary Turner Stephen White Karen Young Florida Gateway College Polk State College Christine Boatright John B. Hawes Gayle P. Hunter Williema Mohan Kimberly R. Stearns Cliff Bennett Logan Randolph Santa Fe College Florida State College at Jacksonville South Florida Community College Sondra Evans Youlanda Henry Jose G. Lepervanche Andrea McKeon Reta Roberts James D. Simpson Elizabeth Andrews Deborah Milliken Dianne Phillips Pulaski Technical College Pikes Peak Community College South Arkansas Community College CONNECTICUT Carolyn Langston Dennis Dodt Maria Enciso Patricia Finkenstadt Eddie Genna Robin Ozz Bonnie Petterson Julie Stiak Steve Thorpe University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville Amy Qualls Jennifer Sinele University of Arkansas Community College at Hope Karen O’Dell Snead State Community College Pima Community College Becky J. Moore Meredith Jackson Roberta Lemons Jarrod Shields Marie Smith CALIFORNIA South Mountain Community College Cerro Coso Community College Wallace State Community College Mark Bolin Tammy Gipson Rebecca Reeves Tomesa Smith Yavapai Community College Matthew Pearcy Richard Peters Denise Woolsey Clifford Davis Donald Rosenberg Cypress College Carolee Freer Liana Koeppel Long Beach City College ARIZONA ARKANSAS Sem Chao Charlotte Joseph Ron Lebfrom Arizona Western College Arkansas State University-Newport Los Angeles Community College District Fabiana Bowles Penelope J. Cooper Lauryn J. Geritz Lee C. Gibbs Zoe A. Hawk Christina A. Hawkey Central Arizona College Kenneth Cook Mary MarrinanMenchaca John C. Owens Wayne Pryor Janna Ellis Michael Hill Sherri Smith Edward Pai Kimberly A. Perry Mid-South Community College Gary Long Jason D. Carmichael Jason C. Carr LaToya M. Roberson Deborah S. Webb David Atencio Kate Fourchy Adelfa Lorenzano Michelle Stricker National Park Community College Carol Stonecipher COLORADO Johnny Dollar Sheila Glasscock Brandi Hutsell Phoenix College Saralea Kinsey Sian Proctor Elizabeth Warren West Hills College Mt. San Antonio College Reedley College William N. Clarke Manchester Community College Michael DiRaimo Barbara Fox James Gentile Richard Harden Negussie Tirfessa Naugatuck Valley Community College Jaime Hammond Laurie Hornbecker Elaine Milnor Ronald Picard Beth-Ann Scott Karen Erwin Taylor Northwestern Connecticut Community College Caitlin Boger-Hawkins Todd M. Bryda Steven Minkler Edward H. Nash Norwalk Community College Jonathan McMenaminBalano Susan Seidell FLORIDA Broward College Lulrick Balzora Joe Castillo Jacqueline Donovan Kelli Hammer Marina Polyakova Joyce Walsh-Portillo Edison State College Hillsborough Community College Paul Flaherty Peter Germroth Denys Harasymiak Robert J. King Michele Martinez Indian River State College Veronica Tempone Miami Dade College N. Fred Hart Heidi Lannon St. Petersburg College Manuel Gerakios Michele Gerent Gail Lancaster Steve Meier Carol Weideman State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota Melodie C. Dickerson Bonnie J. Hesselberg Michael Rogers N. James Thaggard Tallahassee Community College Dorothy Avondstondt Lyle Culver Valerie De Angelis Mario Ortega Steven Ritter Mona Hamilton Missy James Moana Karsteter Shayn Lloyd Susan Wessner Palm Beach State College Valencia Community College Eileen C. Doran Elizabeth I. Horvath Pasco-Hernando Community College Deborah Nastelli Sheridan Park Eric Wolters Gisela Acosta Lindi Kourtellis Walter Martin Joshua Murdock Kristy Pennino Julie Phelps Jorge Soto Santa Rosa Junior College Jerald P. Miller There is no greater joy than teaching and helping students achieve their dreams. —Barbara James, Bossier Parish Community College (LA) www.ccweek.com August 22, 2011 25 2011 NISOD Excellence Awards Recipients Waubonsee Community College Lawrence M. Modaff INDIANA Ivy Tech Community College-Central Indiana GEORGIA Albany Technical College Maranda Lee Jill Mash Teresa Mitchell Darton College Shani Clark Sherry Koster Ken Veilands Mary R. Washington DeKalb Technical College Lesley Bowick Brian Lovell Keith R. Sagers Karen Sills Gainesville State College Preston Coleman Julie Glenn Sheree Gravenhorst Garry Merritt Ed Standera John Williams Georgia Perimeter College Deborah T. Huntley Kari Miller H. Elizabeth Thornton South Georgia College Frank Holiwski Leonard A. Steverson Heartland Community College Debbie Chiaventone Kathy Mathewson Nick Schmitt Illinois Central College Paula Ahles Bonnie Allen Pamela Jackson Joliet Junior College Timothy Bucci Lincoln Land Community College Janice Nobbe Jennifer Ramm David Sykes McHenry County College Donald Curfman Theodore Erski Katherine Midday Moraine Valley Community College Michael Renehan Nick Thomas Morton College Edie Fabiyi Oakton Community College John Carzoli Jay Cohen Hollace Graff Julia Hassett Jan Thompson-Wilda Sherrill Weaver James Barney Charity Bowling Sikha Chatterjee Thom England Kenneth C. Jones Janet Teeguarden Barton Updike Ivy Tech Community College-Lafayette Amy L. Kauffman Ivy Tech Community College-Southwest Daniel J. Dickman Karen L. Mutschler Thomas E. Savage Ivy Tech Community College-Wabash Valley Region Cathy Cole IOWA Iowa Central Community College Barton Community College Wynn Butler Ed Chandler Stephannie Goerl Jane Howard Ghazi Jahay Shanna Legleiter Judy Miller Jeff Mills Dan Myers Anibal Pacheco Charles Perkins Amanda Poe Dee Ann Smith Steven “Ray” Willis Mandy Greenfield Nita Jackson Lisa Parsons Cloud County Community College Lucas Brown Cathy Castle Patrick Sieben Cowley County Community College Joe Clasen Amy McWhirt Hutchinson Community College Iowa Western Community College Christine Buta Beth Gulley Jennifer Kennett Bill Sheldon Johnson County Community College Kansas City Kansas Community College Donyel H. Williams Julie Hernandez Northeast Iowa Community College College of Lake County Southeastern Illinois College Timothy Doffing Linnae Scheffel Barbara Clark-Evans Heidi Garvey Marisa Gray Carla Green Pamela Hall Theresa Holliday Elisabeth Kasckow Connie Northup Mario Ramos-Reyes Lesley Strohschein Sandy Wallace Bill Yeazel Ed Fitzgerald Cathryn Jones Karla Lewis Pam McCuan Stacy Moore Jennifer Roehm Ed Rose Western Iowa Tech Community College Neosho County Community College IDAHO College of Southern Idaho Joseph S. Gardner Dianne E. Jolovich ILLINOIS City Colleges of Chicago Mary Ann Bretzlauf Michelle Carter Frank A. Zera Danville Area Community College Maggie E. Hoover Elgin Community College Lori M. Clark Nicole Scherger Leticia Starkov Katherine “Katie” Storey Laurel Vietzen Parkland College Gina Walls Rock Valley College Triton College Joe Beuchel Lorelei Carvajal Joan L. Libner Kirkwood Community College Lisa Dutchik Catherine Finch M.J. Klemme Mark Pelzer Josh Troutman Kendra Bergenske Lynne Fleury Rosanne Lienhard Marie Gardner Jon Seibert KANSAS James “Koko” Davis Jared P. Haas Allen County Community College Karen McKarnin Kentucky Community & Technical College System Sydney Baseheart Ryan Kelly Becky Mathewson Ginger Porter Laurel Tinker Ashland Community & Technical College Larry Ferguson Aschalew Mengistu James C. Schmidt Ella Smith Big Sandy Community & Technical College Butler Community College Clayton Case Jennifer L. Berte Julie A. Ehresmann Dale D. Eldridge Robert D. Hepperle Terri L. Schmitt Kathryn Hagen Kristin Smith Barbara Stuckey Brent Welsch KENTUCKY Seward County Community College Billie Jean Cole Juanita M. Parsons Greta Slone Kenneth R. Slone Pamela J. Sykes Thomas Vierheller Bowling Green Technical College Mark Garrett Eugenia Scott Pamela Wilson Jefferson Community & Technical College Luanne Goldsby Wayne Trueblood Terri Wood Madisonville Community College Sharon Allen Cathy Vaughan Roger Warren Maysville Community & Technical College Jason Butler Juston Pate Mary Jane Sharp Owensboro Community & Technical College Mary Kinney Nicole Nacey Shawn Payne Somerset Community College Christine Adams Linda Ballard Linda Bourne Southeast Kentucky Community College Josh Brooks Brenda Morris Elizabethtown Community Ann Schertz & Technical College Judy Akers Jerry Clemons Joella Spataro Gateway Community & Technical College Linda Brandenburg Susan Chaney Amber Decker Hazard Community & Technical College Vickie Combs Brad Dyer Misty Feltner Henderson Community College Michael Knecht Steve McCarty Saundra L. Ross Hopkinsville Community College Vernell Larkin Jason Lee Tony Nelson West Kentucky Community & Technical College Mellisa Duncan Edna Pierce William Wade LOUISIANA Baton Rouge Community College Erica Burrell Janet Daniel Raven Dorá Wes Harris Barbara Hasek Wanda Henderson Steven Mitchell Tawna Pounders Kathryn Seidel Esperanza Simien Bossier Parish Community College Tara Breeland Kathryn DefattaBarattini Barbara James Kristi Lobrano I don’t try to teach a class; I try to teach each individual student. It may be more difficult, but the rewards are greater. Nothing is more motivating than realizing that you have just reached another student. It’s what keeps me going. —Paul Flaherty, Hillsborough Community College (TX) 26 August 22, 2011 www.ccweek.com 2011 NISOD Excellence Awards Recipients LOUISIANA (cont.) MARYLAND MASSACHUSETTS Delgado Community College Allegany College of Maryland Bristol Community College Kurt W. Hoffman Milton Clement José Costa Lisa Delano-Botelho Susan Shannon Marilyn Ciolino Susan Hague Lisa Hollis Jennifer Louis Christine Mitchell Donna Pace Jon Petrie Renee Randall Wendy Rihner Kenneth Ripberger Miguel Romar-Manuel Amanda Rosenzweig Patricia Smart Kellye Deel Soto Betty Vicknair Janet Vila Louisiana Delta Community College Ann Deas South Louisiana Community College Ihssan Alkadi Richard Ledet Southern University at Shreveport Latanya Brittentine Major Brock, Jr. Martin Fortner Stephanie Graham Rosalyn Holt Joseph Orban Shelia Swift Olden Wright Sowela Technical Community College Tracy Beaugh Todd Carrere Woody Fruge Bob Groth Patricia Guillory Paula Hellums Barry Humphus David LaFargue Mark Peeples Thomas Richard Kristine Stout Cheryl Trahan MAINE Southern Maine Community College Joan DeCosta Ed Fitzgerald Susan Garrett Valerie Green Tom Joyce Diane Scott Patrick Underwood Robert Vettese Anne Arundel Community College Mary Jo Bondy Patricia A. Brady Kirsten A.L. Casey Elise M. Couper Barbara A. D’Anna Marlow A. Henderson Jennifer V. Irwin E. Joseph Lamp Robert R. Lowe, III Jessamy J. Rango Roy D. Van Horn Gregory C. Wagner Schoolcraft College Caroline H. McNutt Bradley D. Stetson St. Clair County Community College James H. Berry MINNESOTA Bunker Hill Community College Century College MaryBeth Barton Meghan Callaghan William Hoover James Rogash Irene Sancinito Paula Velluto M State Cape Cod Community College Nancy Wiley Mike Mendez Andrew Nesset Jennifer Rassett Nandini Banerji Loren Haagenson Jennifer Jacobson Normandale Community College MISSOURI North Central Missouri College Paul Bruinsma Ozarks Technical Community College Edward McGuire Denise Chambers Joseph McCulloch Tom Tollman College of Southern Maryland Middlesex Community College North Hennepin Community College St. Louis Community College Paula Martino Thomas Russ Margaret Bleichman Nora Linskey Sarah Quast Mary Ewert-Knodell Susan Nyhus Julien Phillips North Shore Community College Riverland Community College Baltimore City Community College Massachusetts Bay Community College Vicki Bolden Frederick Community College Theresa Conko Chad Heupel Cindy Osbon Joe Osmann Harford Community College Karry Hathaway Christopher Jones Margaret Mary Kindsvatter Timothy Schneider Montgomery College Donna Amokomowo Bradley Beckman Jeff Chyatte Eileen Cotter Burcu Crothers Teresa Delisi Sandra Ellis Audrey Hill Windy Jefferson-Jackson Lisa Johnson Sarah Kimbrough Carroll Ngo Mary Owens Stephanie Pepin Zeporia Smith Sharon Tabb Nevart Tahmazian Jorinde van der Berg Catherine Wilson Steven Wolf Jay Yu Irene Fernandez Martha “Marty” Rodweller Scott Stimpson Northern Essex Community College James Brown Isabelle Gagne Ethel Schuster Ruth Young MICHIGAN Delta College David Bledsoe James Gleason Jackson Community College Angel Fonseca Heather Ruttkofsky Macomb Community College Lisa Bone Lori Chapman Jeanne Collins Jean Francois Faloppa Ronald Hood Jonathan Lathers Carl Seitz Northwestern Michigan College Diane Emling Linda Rea Garyn Roberts Stephen Siciliano Jane Zlojutro Pat Parsons Pamm Tranby Tom Wilker Rochester Community and Technical College Gerald Casper Catherine Egenberger MISSISSIPPI Copiah-Lincoln Community College Nicole Donald Mary Warren East Central Community College John Everett Susan Fox-Smith Itawamba Community College Janet Armour Betty Jo Maharrey Harold Plunkett Bob Swanson Cynthia Hinds Nancy Collier Cindy Epperson Patricia Finnell Joanne Galanis Julie Graul Gail Hafer Robert Hahn George Heth Casey E. Shiller Thomas A. Zirkle Three Rivers Community College Kevin Wheeler MONTANA Montana State UniversityGreat Falls College of Technology Renata Birkenbuel Jason Harding Gregory Paulauskis Lawrence Vaccaro University of MontanaHelena College of Technology Nathan Munn Candace Pescosolido NEBRASKA Meridian Community College Metropolitan Community College Lynne Anderson Charles Cogar Amy Forss Robert Gronstal Terry Gutierrez Darlene Hatcher Chris Tarr Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Chris DeDual John Poelma Laurie Taft-McIlrath Mid-Plains Community College Marjorie Kouba Cathy Nutt Western Nebraska Community College Rebecca Kautz Linda Mattern Ritts NEVADA Truckee Meadows Community College Patty Avila-Porter Erin Frock Armida Fruzzetti Ted Lambert Ted Plaggemeyer John Reid Maria A. Sefchick Chris Westin Jim Winston NEW JERSEY Bergen Community College Brian Altano Brookdale Community College Ann Tickner Jankowski Anita Voogt Sussex County Community College Priscilla Orr NEW MEXICO Clovis Community College Shirley DeMaio Valerie Kyle Carolyn Lindsey Doña Ana Community College John Carter Joaquin Tadeo Sr. Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell Dawn Boston Darlene Klassen New Mexico Junior College Joel Keranen Stephen Townsend www.ccweek.com August 22, 2011 27 2011 NISOD Excellence Awards Recipients NEW MEXICO (cont.) New Mexico State University-Alamogordo Jan Starr Lynette Wedig New Mexico State University-Carlsbad Shannon Vallejos Santa Fe Community College Patty Armstrong Susan Dugan Kathryn Nowlin Margaret Peters Andre Ruesch Teresa Schweitzer Diane Tintor NEW YORK Erie Community College Pablo Pichardo Adrian Ranic Michael Rogers Alfred Stelmach David Zaccaria Genesee Community College Pamela M. Duttweiler Catherine Hogan Marie E. Mandiak John R. Molyneux Maria L. Sebastian Karen E. Todd Monroe Community College Donna M. Augustine Jason D. Flack Susan P. Thompson Westchester Community College Robert R. Barnes Julia A. Daniels Linda Kalfayan Timothy M. Magee Jose Quinones Paul E. Robinson NORTH CAROLINA Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Jan C. King Paula W. Trilling Carteret Community College Doree M. Evans Central Piedmont Community College Kara Allara Linda Dunham College of the Albemarle Community College of Beaver County Sharon S. Brown Angela R. GodfreyDawson Robin D. Harris Stephen R. Danik Judy A. Garbinski Harrisburg Area Community College Davidson County Community College Kathleen Doherty Suzanne O’Hop Marian Yoder Jennifer Sink Forsyth Technical Community College Lehigh Carbon Community College Tracy Baggett David Black William M. Marion Gaston College Lori Metcalf Kimberly Wyont Guilford Technical Community College Lorrie Campbell Samuel J. Chinnis Pamela Coldwell Thomas R. English Chad Phillips Halifax Community College Daniel Bennett Betsy Tom Brown Edwin Imasuen Daniel Lovett Shaun Stokes Nash Community College Angela D. Blankenship Faye A. Cahoon Holly E. Carmichael Lisa T. Cooper Brian G. Fowler Rita B. Joyner Stanley A. Shields Tammie W. Webb Southeastern Community College Sharon Mendenhall Travis Paul Darian Ransom Paul Van Gilder Vance-Granville Community College Angela Ballentine Jean Blaine Marian Dillahunt LaTonya Steele Wake Technical Community College Donna Corbett Olga Harris Linda Hill Steven Hitchner Mary Pearce Walter Rotenberry Helen Spain Lee Wittmann Judith K. Ehninger Brad D. Prutzman OHIO Clark State Community College Jim Anderson Sandra Horn Dee Malcuit Jerome Murray Columbus State Community College Tina Berry Adam Keller Bert Vonderahe John Wallace Cuyahoga Community College Ashlee Brand Pamela Hardman John Ndefru Lorain County Community College Vincent Granito Jennifer Kukis Sinclair Community College Connie Beal Jennifer Day Mary Dudash-White Eric Dunn Laurel A. Mayer David Meyer Richard Morales Zane State College Tyler Brown Peg Earhart OKLAHOMA Northern Oklahoma College Bart Cardwell Glenn Cope Tammy Davis Brad Matson Starla Reed Audrey Schmitz Kathi Shamburg Oklahoma City Community College Bruce Cook Lori Farr Jason Ferguson Linda Knox Greg Mellott Raul Ramirez Akram Taghavi-Burris Cindy Williams Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology-Okmulgee Kelly Kerr DeLois Middleton Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City Don Connel Loretta Hatchett Guinise M. Marshall Barbara Perry Edward Vezey OREGON Portland Community College Holli Adams Michael Marciniak Karen Sanders Treasure Valley Community College Kent Banner Gerry Hampshire PENNSYLVANIA Community College of Allegheny County Jean A. Aston John G. Dziak Roderic Farkas Joanne Jeffcoat Lisa E. McCormick Janet N. Moynihan Harry J. VanRiper Ping An Wang Luzerne County Community College Karen A. Flannery Alexandria “Sandy” Hollock Laura Katrenicz John Kulick Gary Mrozinski Martha Pezzino Westmoreland County Community College Piedmont Technical College Suzy Murray Technical College of the Lowcountry Ashley Gess York Technical College Jyron Baxter TENNESSEE Chattanooga State Community College Lulu Copeland Shirley Kilgore Cleveland State Community College Ann Cunningham Jason Sewell Columbia State Community College Joni Lenig Kaye Richards Candace Warner Cindy Komarinski Dyersburg State Community College RHODE ISLAND Andrea Franckowiak Robert Martin Community College of Rhode Island Hilary S. Jansson Raymond Kilduff Richard G. Pendola Pamela J. Wood SOUTH CAROLINA Greenville Technical College Robin Baumgarner Ricky Perry Sheryn C. Robinson Lori Trumbo Patrick Wagner Gene Wilson Midlands Technical College Wesley Abercrombie Dianne BouFawaz Devin J. Henson Gregory J. Mancini Bruce Martin Stephen McMillion Julie Nelson Ivelisse Ortiz-Hernandez Kathy Patnaude Bruce Prunty Anthony Scotti Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College Tracy Dibble Amy Ott Melissa Plummer Motlow State Community College Michael Mehlman (Deceased) Judith Russell Northeast State Community College Joshua Crowder Garry Grau Angela Huddle Pellissippi State Community College Barbara Bailes Judy A. Gosch David S. Key Regina D. McNew Rebecca A. Napier Laxman Nathawat Norman P. Riddle Tracy B. Smith Gregory Walters Roane State Community College Kristi L. Beason Vickie F. Harris Lesha A. Hill Michael D. Hill Deborah L. Miles Diane Raines Kristi Roberson-James Beverly J. Rogers Peter A. Souza Excellence is doing not only what is required of you, putting forth all your effort and going above the call of duty. Lead by example to show students how to believe in themselves and exceed expectations. —Dawn Cunningham, Texas State Technical College 28 August 22, 2011 www.ccweek.com 2011 NISOD Excellence Awards Recipients TEXAS Alamo Colleges Margaret L. Quintanilla Veronica Reyes Sherry Toliver Austin Community College Marilyn Burke Christie Carr James Hanson Cynthia Lovick David Lydic Michael Martino Véronique Mazet Lisa McCartney Grant Potts William Brian Voss Blinn College Amanda Chau Douglas Peck Olympia Sibley Connie Youngblood Brazosport College Kathy Cannon Donald Payne Brookhaven College Christi Carter Melinda Franklin Charlie Warnberg Cedar Valley College Mikal McDowell Del Mar College Barbara Finnegan Eastfield College Michael G. Noble Carlos S. Ojeda El Centro College Constance Bennett Linan Bo Catherine M. Carolan Hollie D. Carron Bob Chambers Reenu Eapen Jason W. Fletcher Catherine M. Henon Charles I. Holloway Megan J. Howard Dudley L. Knox Joseph T. Lawley Betty W. Moran Jermain C. Pipkins Pamela J. Posey Eddy Rawlinson Nickie N. Ray Delia L. Seaman Charles R. Senteio Donna Strain Anand B. Upadhyaya Cindy A. Valles Joshua Woods El Paso Community College Lone Star College-Montgomery Dennis Brown Patricia Duran Jan L. Eveler Myshie Pagel Ernst E. Roberts Debra Tomacelli-Brock Richard Yanez Karen Buckman Jared Cootz Danny Kainer James Zipperer Galveston College Michael Berberich Larry Blomstedt Janene Davison Hill College Brian Bennett Kathleen Miller Houston Community College Mahmoud Basharat Roger Boston Katherine Chirinos Linda Daigle Herbert Jackson III Glenn “Mel” McQueary Kilgore College Bennie Brown Lucy Carroll Bettye Craddock Mary Kates Cindy J. Lavine Wendy McKinnon Julie Payne Mary Weirich Lamar Institute of Technology Luke Bourgeois William C. Holton Stephanie Lanoue Tina Swiniarski James Allen Welch Laredo Community College Virginia Avila Sergio Lujan Sara Thompson Lee College Amma Davis Gregg Lattier Evan Richards Corbett L. Taylor Lone Star College-CyFair Sharon Bippus Heather Gamber Maria Sanders Venancio Ybarra Lone Star College-Kingwood Anne E. Amis Noel C. Bezette Lee A. Jerls Susan Ouren Lone Star CollegeNorth Harris Gary M. Conners Theresa Kurk McGinley Shelley W. Penrod Jennifer L. Travis Palo Alto College Ann Bolton-Brownlee Carolyn DeLecour Camille Fiorillo Ruth Ann Gambino Edgar Gonzalez Diane N. Lerma Chuck Squier Elizabeth Tanner Panola College Karen McClellan Ranger College Lone Star College-Tomball Jerry Glidewell Greg Oaks Terra Ruppert Rachel Whitten Bruce Zarosky John Gresham Terry Johnson Roger Jones Dava Washburn McLennan Community College Richland College Derek Clapp Ken Culver Tammy Thompson Stas Voskoboinikov Midland College Nicholas Elderkin Robert Weidmann Mountain View College Vonice Champ Janice Franklin David Kirkland Marcy Miller Navarro College Pamela Jordan Mary Ruth Neal Beverly Pearson Renee Ramsey Amy Young Northeast Lakeview College Wes Adams Diane Beechinor Stephanie Burns Tangila Dove Kathleen Johnson-Hodge Susan Kazen Cheryl LeGras Julie Nichols Lisa Strain Northwest Vista College Suzanne Bravo Andrea Cordaway Julie Hoshizaki Gary Johnson Robert Marbut Bobby Martinez Odessa College Wende Ramos Irma M. Rosales Francisco Salinas, Jr. Southwest Texas Junior College Jill Coe St. Philip’s College Maria Botello Maureen Cartledge Jessica A. Cooper Lauri Humberson Warren A. Parker Tarrant County College District John C. Carmichael Judy N. Cline Joe Cortina Donna M. May Jennifer D. Millspaugh William B. Neal Barbara L. Oakes Raj P. Seekri Doreen R. Stewart David J. Wozniak Michael J. Wright Ashley Alfaro Regina Cannon Betty Dalton David Dollar Lori Fowler Altheria Gaston Vicky Gatewood Peter Hacker Gerald Handley Thomas Kemp Paul Luyster Elise Price Allison Randolph Jim Schrantz Bobbi Stringer Mary Williams San Antonio College Temple College Jeff Hunt Denise Ingledue Conrad D. Krueger, Sr. Francisco E. Solis Dehlia Wallis Toni Cuellar Lesley Keeling-Olson Anna Machalek Alicia McQueen Valerie Peyer San Jacinto College District Texas State Technical College System Tom Arrington Suzanne DeBlanc Serita Dickey Teri Fowle Kathy Miller Kelly Simons Randy Snyder Stasi Stewart Connie Taylor Susan Titus Laurel Williamson Kaye Moon Winters South Texas College Mike A. Ayala Christie M. Candelaria Richard Coronado George A. Garcia Liza E. Gonzalez Christopher Peter Leonard Arturo Montiel Joann Ordaz Arnoldo Perez Kelly E. Peterson Pedro L. Pompa Robbie Anderson Tad Baird Gina Cano-Monreal Dawn Cunningham Armando Duarte Terry Ehrhardt Susan Hash Christine Kinslow Jason Mallory Sarah-Jane Menefee Roger Miller Ronnie Pitts Keith Plantier Jane Thompson Aurelio Torres University of Texas at Brownsville/Texas Southmost College Thomas Britten Jose Davila-Montes Carlos Figueroa David Fisher Celia Flores-Feist Adiel Garcia Vanessa Garza Olivia Gutierrez Mark Horowitz Mari Huerta Noor Islam Michelle Keck Genaro Lopez Mostafa Malki Carol McNabb Ana Pena-Oliva Mary J. Radford Reynaldo Ramirez Angela Reyes Richard Urbis Taeil Yi Vernon College Linda Haney Scott McClure Sharon Winn Weatherford College Beau Black Carolyn Boggs David Daniel Andrew Ha Kim Hopkins Cal Lewiston Nina Maniotis Kay Meredith Shanna Moody Paula Roddy Erin Sagerson Allison Stamatis Brad Tibbits Wharton County Junior College Sean Amestoy Connie J. Bibus Linda Clark James Kelley Amelia Maretka Sharon Prince Robert Sanchez Sharla Walker Tyler Junior College Mandy L. Palmer Compasses are useful tools, pointing the way through choppy waters and uncharted territory. My teaching compass is a mental snapshot: two little boys fingering each other’s very different hair, amazement and delight on their faces. This thrill of discovery is the journey’s end I seek for all my students. —Elise Couper, Anne Arundel Community College (MD) www.ccweek.com August 22, 2011 29 2011 NISOD Excellence Awards Recipients UTAH WASHINGTON CANADA Salt Lake Community College Centralia College ALBERTA Brandon Alva Melaney Birdsong Farr Rolayne Day Luther Giddings VIRGINIA Blue Ridge Community College Debra Stevens Fitzgerald Germanna Community College Leigh Hancock Cheryl Huff Patti Lisk Sarah Somerville Lord Fairfax Community College Frank E. Borleske Mary Anne Keefer Mountain Empire Community College Chris Jones Stephen Norton Bob Peters Ken Rakoz Cheryl Williams Kelly Hollowell Northern Alberta Institute of Technology David Arnold Anita Smith Limin Zhang Highline Community College Richard Bankhead III Pierce College District Denise Arnold David Lippman Tom McCollow Leslie Watts Skagit Valley College Northern Virginia Community College Regina Daigneault Paul Safstrom Diane Mucci Nan Peck Spokane Falls Community College Southside Virginia Community College Josh Westermann April Hess Georgia Householder Teresa S. Jewell Lanna M. Lumpkins Gwendalyn Slone Sandra Stephenson David Witt ONTARIO Clover Park Technical College Daniel Graber Southwest Virginia Community College Medicine Hat College Clayton Bos Marla Middleton Freitag James E. Bates Sarah J. Gilliam James W. Mullins Bernadette Battle Shannon Feinman Dic D. Charge Dawn M. Keith Henri Bureaud Rebecca Jacobson Holly Martin Bruce McMaster Dan Obradovic Lethbridge College Columbia Basin College South Seattle Community College New River Community College Waukesha County Technical College Karen L. Carter-Harvey Sharon K. Evans Linda O’Connor Edward J. Wierzbicki Pierpont Community and Technical College WYOMING Gerald L. Bacza Vijay Raol Chris Toothman West Virginia Northern Community College Purnima Sharma West Virginia University at Parkersburg David Lancaster Randy A. Oldaker Dave Thompson Stacey Watkins WISCONSIN WEST VIRGINIA Blackhawk Technical College Bridgemont Community and Technical College Gateway Technical College Daniel Harrigan James Dickerson Norm Mortensen Alicia Syner Al Gomez Mary Jane Pyszka Donald Zakutansky Kanawha Valley Community and Technical College Madison College Leah Wells Casper College Jared Bowden Scott Nolan Marilee Pickering Garth Shanklin Laurie Weaver Holly Wendt Thomas Ball Donna Brown Cliff Chapman Dave Critchley Daniel Cunningham Ronan Murray Len Sperling Jeff Strangman SAIT Polytechnic Elizabeth Cates Courtney Green Miranda Miller Volker Baumann Lori Cucheron Darryl Ficht Steve Janz Danny Miller Paul Norris Shashi Persaud Judith Pond Pat Robson Stephen Smith BERMUDA BRITISH COLUMBIA Bermuda College Camosun College Northern Wyoming Community College District Barrington Brown Phyllis A. Caisey Selkirk College Algonquin College Melissa Brasch Garry Carter Andy Cockburn Celine Perrier Michel Philion Cynthia Poulin Jovica Riznic George Shirreff Julie Viau Centennial College Allan Richardson Confederation College Peter Isosaari Barbara Morrison Ronald Vopni Sheridan College Cathy Coulthard Dhanna Mistri Tim Onyschuk Tanya Philp Linda Edmond Faye Martin Bruce McCormack Doreen Provencher Susan Smigel Philip T. Gasper Kristine G. Held Christine K. Yero About the NISOD Excellence Awards Since its inception in 1978, the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) has emphasized the importance of teaching and leadership excellence in institutions of higher education. NISOD has worked to serve, engage, and inspire teachers and leaders through our conferences, publications, web services, partnerships, programs, and more. In 1989, in connection with a University of Texas national study of teaching excellence, NISOD hosted its first ceremony, held in conjunction with our annual International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence, honoring and naming the individuals featured in this study as recipients of the NISOD Excellence Award. The response to that ceremony was so positive that we decided to begin what has become a celebratory tradition. We are indebted to NISOD institutions for their continuing support of this annual celebration. The Excellence Awards tradition allows us the distinct privilege of honoring so many of the world's best in higher education. The deadline to submit names to receive the 2012 NISOD Excellence Awards is December 1, 2011. www.nisod.org The NISOD Excellence Awards are a membership service of the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) Community College-FBEFSTIJQ1SPHSBN$$-1 t$PMMFHFPG&EVDBUJPOtɩFUniversity of Texas at Austin around campus 30 August 22, 2011 www.ccweek.com ConocoPhillips provided five scholarships to the Lewis and Clark Community College Engineering Explorers camp this summer, held at the National Great Rivers Museum in Alton, Ill. C hildren attending Ohio’s Owens Community College Child Care Center will display their artistic qualities, creative impressions and imaginative masterpieces as part of the seventh annual Children’s Art Show this summer. This year’s show is being held for the fourth time in Owens’ Walter E. Terhune Art Gallery. Young artists ages 4 months to 5 years are showcasing a variety of works, including multiple 3-D sculptures, paintings, drawings and self-portraits. The art exhibit is the culmination of a year of artistic training at the College’s Child Care Center. The Children’s Art Show was inspired by the Reggio Emilia educational philosophy. The Owens child care instructors utilize the Reggio Emilia philosophy in their art curriculum, inviting the children’s interests to guide artistic cre- ations. Books and other literature incorporated into the art education program influenced many of the masterpieces. The mission of Owens’ Child Care Center is to provide quality child care for the children of employees, students and the surrounding communities. T his year, 938 area children made 2011 a summer of learning and fun at Lewis and Clark Community College (Ill.), including 11 who attended College for Kids on scholarships funded by local businesses. The popular summer learning program geared toward area youths, presented by the college’s Corporate and Community Learning division, offered more than 80 non-credit classes this year on topics ranging from math and science to cooking, horseback riding, sports, performing arts and outdoor exploration. Scholarships were awarded to recipients identified with help from the Madison County Urban League and 100 Black Men of Alton, based on need. Scholarship funding was provided by Newquist & Schulmeister P.C.; The Bank of Edwardsville; Mormino, Velloff, Edmonds and Snider, P.C.; the Madison County Urban League; and ConocoPhillips. M cHenry County College (Ill.) student Erin Brown is looking forward to working with her “first patients” as she participates in a three-day workshop at Indiana University School of MedicineNorthwest in Gary, Ind. She will learn how to prepare cadavers for anatomy and physiology classes. She is the only community college student chosen for this train- International Human Cadaver Protection Program student Erin Brown. ing. The workshop is sponsored by the International Human Cadaver Protection Program. It is facilitated by Ernest Talarico Jr., assistant professor of anatomy and cell biology at Indiana University School of Medicine– Northwest. It is reportedly the only workshop of its kind in the country. Brown is finishing up some classes at MCC this fall toward her associate in science degree and will concurrently be enrolled at Roosevelt University as an allied health/nuclear medicine major with a minor in psychology. She plans to work in research for childhood cancers. Artwork made of tiles and stones and a “Young Artists” chalk drawing wall welcome visitors at the entrance to the Owens Community College’s Walter E. Terhune Art Gallery. grants&gifts Pioneer Natural Resources USA, Inc. was honored at a ceremony at Coastal Bend College in Texas for a $25,000 charitable donation. Pioneer representatives presented the check to college President Thomas Baynum. New chairs and tables will be purchased for the Petroleum Industry Training Room, which is used for continuing education. Part of the donation will go to the purchase of equipment to outfit mobile classrooms that will be taken to field training sites throughout the region. Coastal Bend College partnered with Pioneer Natural Resources almost a year ago to train new employees. They come to CBC for four days where they spend 10-12 hours each day in the training center. The session includes a 30-hour OSHA certificate; an 8-hour certificate for spill responders; classroom instruction on safety; prepara- Pioneer Natural Resources USA, Inc. presented Coastal Bend College with a $25,000 equipment donation. From left are Joey Hall, PNR vice president; David Wood, geoscience specialist and CBC graduate; CBC President Thomas Baynum; and Louis Goldstein, PNR vice president. tion for forklift operator’s licensing; and a medical questionnaire required for those who will have to wear respirators for work. More than 300 Pioneer Natural Resources employees from across Texas and Louisiana have gone through eight sessions with a ninth group coming in early October. Erie Community College (N. Y.) has been awarded $1.1 million funding from the New York State Department of Education under the federal Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act. Slated to receive funding for new equipment and technology under this grant are college’s culinary arts, graphic arts, construction technology, computer repair, electrical engineering technology, health information technology, industrial technology and students services. The grant will also be used to implement and coordinate service learning projects in career and technical education programs, while strengthening and sustaining community partnerships. Grant activities will focus on increasing the number of CTE programs that offer a course with service learning requirements. Durham Technical Community College (N.C.) has received its first National Science Foundation Advanced Technical Education grant award through the Advanced Technological Education grant program in the amount of $199,458. The award will fund a project designed to use computers from traditional training labs as a virtual machine platform that students can access through the Internet. Specialized platforms already exist for this type of remote access, but this one will specifically involve regular classroom PCs. Students will be able to work on specific technical class assignments directly from home or other locations, rather than scheduling their time around available computer lab hours. Durham Tech President Bill Ingram said that the NSF grant award is a milestone for the college. faculty lounge www.ccweek.com August 22, 2011 Workforce Education Curriculum Model V Workshop coordinators Don Perry from Dallas Community College (standing left) and Deana Savage from Midland College lead discussions with energy industry representatives on improving core curriculum for technical education programs in Texas. The workshop was held at San Jacinto College. A s an entire industry’s workforce is preparing to retire, decades and sometimes a century’s worth of experience go with them. While this will create numerous job openings nationwide, many employers are having difficulty finding a new generation of employees to take on these jobs. Recently, San Jacinto College (Texas) hosted a twoday Workforce Education Curriculum Model V Workshop on expanding energy pathways, which developed a proposal for a new career foundation core to submit to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. As part of the THECB Perkins-Funded Leadership Project 2010–11, spearheaded by Tarrant County College, faculty and various industry partners from all over Texas met to discuss industry needs for incoming new hires and what changes to make in the current core curriculum for twoyear associate degrees. As the fiscal agent for the project, TCC has organized previous workshops and meetings, continuing to analyze and improve technical education programs throughout Texas. The cause for concern comes from industry employers who have come to the consensus that, year after year, their employment pool is shrinking. Technical education programs are not seeing as much growth within the younger student population. With the current workforce in industries such as petrochemical, oil and gas, power generation, instrumentation and other technician-heavy employment sectors beginning to retire, many energy companies are questioning how they will fill those positions if young people simply aren’t taking notice of these fields. By reintroducing these industries to high school and college students, faculty and administrators hope to meet the needs that industry partners continue to emphasize. By presenting earning opportunities, 31 Myra M. Medina, a professor in the Department of ESL and Foreign Languages at Miami Dade College. job placement programs, and job stability statistics, perhaps it will be worth a second glance to new students. M yra M. Medina, a professor in the Department of ESL and Foreign Languages at Miami Dade College’s North Campus, will join the ranks of notable scholars and professionals in the U.S. recently selected for the prestigious Fulbright Specialist Program. Medina will spend three weeks at Universidad APEC in the Dominican Republic, where she will present lectures on language acquisition theories, conduct workshops on second language learning methodology, and consult with administrators and faculty on the faculty evaluation process. Universidad APEC, a private university located in the city of Santo Domingo, has one of the best language programs in the nation, with courses taught in six different centers throughout Santo Domingo and other parts of the country. Medina’s visit will play a significant role in the area of faculty development, which is part of the objectives in the university’s strategic plan. Some of the goals of the Fulbright Specialist Program are to increase the participation of leading U.S. scholars and professionals in Fulbright academic exchanges and to promote connections between U.S. institutions and non-U.S. degree granting academic institutions. honors&awards The nursing program at Collin College has been named a Center of Excellence in Nursing Education by the National League of Nursing. The college’s nursing program, which officially will be recognized for this prestigious designation at a national ceremony in September, becomes Texas’ first and only Center of Excellence in Nursing Education. Of the more than 1,800 college nursing programs nationwide, only 19 have earned the Center of Excellence designation. The New York Citybased NLN invites schools to apply for Center of Excellence status based on their demonstrated sustained excellence in faculty development, nursing education research, student learning and professional development. Programs must also have a proven commitment to continuous quality improvement. Specifically, Collin College earned the designation in the categories of professional development and enhancing student learning. July 1, 2001. He is the second longesttenured chancellor in VCCS history. Left to right: Vol State Assistant Professor Clay Scott; Rep. Debra Maggart; Sen. Mae Beavers; Sen. Kerry Roberts; Samantha Hearn, editor; Josh Deardorff, photographer and writer; Matt Phillips, writer; and Vol State President Warren Nichols. The triple-digit heat and humidity may have played a part in turning Glenn DuBois’ face red as he walked into what he thought was a routine dinner with the 15 members of his state board. More likely, his blush and big smile was his reaction to the 150 colleagues and friends who came to surprise him with a celebration of his first decade serving as the chancellor of the Virginia Community College System. The surprise event was hosted by the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education and raised more than $130,000 for the Glenn DuBois Student Success Fund, which was created to help students in the VCCS Middle College program Tennessee state senators Kerry Roberts and Mae Beavers recently honored Volunteer State Community College students who worked on the award-winning student magazine, The Pioneer. They presented the Glenn DuBois celebrated 10 years students with a resoas chancellor of the Virginia’s lution from the legisCommunity College System, where lature, sponsored by he has initiated a number of programs to make higher education Roberts and co-sponmore accessible. sored by Beavers. The resolution recognized the students with minor emergency expenses and faculty advisor Clay Scott, that could otherwise derail a stu- for being selected as national dent’s higher education pursuit. finalist in the “Best Magazine” DuBois was toasted through the category of the 2010 Society of evening by colleagues, former Professional Journalists’ Mark of board members and a former gov- Excellence Awards. The Pioneer ernor. DuBois was hired to lead is written, edited and produced Virginia’s community colleges on entirely by Vol State students. professional notes 32 August 22, 2011 www.ccweek.com APPOINTMENTS James P. Toscano Michele Bresso Tidewater Community College (Va.) announced the appointment of James P. Toscano as vice president for institutional advancement, a new position at TCC. With more than nine years of experience in community and government relations, communications and marketing, Toscano served most recently as vice president for public affairs and communications and chief communications officer for Hampton Roads Transit (HRT). Toscano holds a bachelor of science degree in communications from Old Dominion University and a master’s in public policy and management from the University of London. Kim Jones has been hired as chief financial officer of Texarkana College (Texas). Jones began her postsecondary education at Texarkana College and went on to complete a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a major in accounting from Stephen F. Austin State University. She is currently serving as the assistant superintendent of business operations for Elizabeth Bhimjee, a marketing executive with more than two decades of project management and new business development experience, has been named the director of development for the Foundation for Seminole State College (Fla.). Bhimjee has bachelor’s degrees in art and sociology from Western State College of Colorado. Before transitioning to the nonprofit and education sectors, she specialized in consumer products and marketing, representing corporations such as Sony and Magnivision.. Liberty-Eylau School District. When Kim OsteenPetreshock was in high school and a member of Central Arizona College’s Bell Choir Ringers, she was taken under the wing of Kim Freyermuth who oversaw the vocal music at CAC. OsteenPetreshock remembers developing an admiration and respect for Kim Jones Kim Osteen-Petreshock Freyermuth who engaged students by visiting area schools and scouting for talent. Fast forward to the present day and it is Osteen-Petreshock who is now in the leadership position. OsteenPetreshock, who earned her doctorate of musical arts degree from Arizona State University, has been handed the reins to CAC’s vocal music department as a pro- fessor of choral studies and the college choral director. OsteenPetreshock doesn't intend on trying to be the second coming of her mentor, but she does hope to put forth that same level of effort in her new position. Like her mentor, she said she will be on the lookout for high school students and community members who are musically inclined. An International Organization of more than 850 Member Colleges and 160 Corporate Partners Dedicated to Catalyzing the Community College Movement. Conferences, Institutions, Projects, Web Resources, Research, Publications, and Partnerships. 4505 E. Chandler Boulevard Suite 250 Phoenix, Arizona 85048 480.705.8200 www.league.org Michele Bresso, director of California’s Kern Community College District Leadership Academy and professor of communication at Bakersfield College, has been named associate vice chancellor of governmental and external relations. In her new role, Bresso will plan, organize and direct strategies to inform and influence public policy at the county, state and federal levels on issues of interest to KCCD. Bresso holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif. She holds a master’s in management/organizational leadership from Regis University in Denver, and a master of arts in human development from Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, Calif. Elizabeth Bhimjee Appointments Submissions Guidelines Submissions should be brief and include the following information about the individual: Name Description of new position His or her most recent job (before taking new position) Educational background, including degrees earned and institutions from which they were earned. Please send information to Community College Week using the following e-mail address: editor@ccweek.com Affordable, Quality Degree Programs. 100% Online. Get Started Today. 877-777-9081 studyatAPU.com/cc BETTER JOBS BETTER LIFESTYLES The Baccalaureate Degree The Community College Baccalaureate Association strives to promote better access to the baccalaureate degree on community college campuses, and to serve as a resource for information on various models for accomplishing this purpose. www.accbd.org www.ccweek.com August 22, 2011 CCWeek: A Valuable Information Source CALENDAR SEPT., 2011 Sept. 11-14 NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF TRANSFER STUDENTS Creating Pathways for STEM Transfer Student Success Asheville, N.C. www.transferinstitute.unt.edu Sept. 17-20 COMMUNITY COLLEGE BUSINESS OFFICERS 2011 CCBO Annual International Conference Louisville, Ken. www.ccbo.org September 22-24 NATIONAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE HISPANIC COUNCIL NCCHC 2011 Leadership Symposium San Antonio, Texas www.ncchc.com Sept. 25-27 CUPA-HR National Conference and Expo Orlando, Fla. www.cupahr.org Sept. 26-28 NATIONAL UNIVERSITY NETWORK 2011 NUTN Conference Fort Worth, Texas www.nutn.org/network2011 Sept. 26-28 RURAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE ALLIANCE 2011 RCCA Conference Oklahoma City, Okla. www.rualccalliance.org OCTOBER Oct. 2-5 NATIONAL ACADEMIC ADVISING ASSOCIATION 2012 Annual Conference Denver www.nacada.ksu.edu Oct. 2-5 LEAGUE FOR INNOVATION IN THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE STEMtech Indianapolis www.league.org Oct. 5-7 THE NATIONAL COALITION OF ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY CENTERS NCATC 2011 Fall Conference Chattanooga, Tenn. www.ncatc.org Oct. 9-12 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGE ENTREPRENEURSHIP NACCE 9th Annual Conference Portland, Ore. www.nacce.com Oct. 12-14 DEPARTMENT CHAIR INSTITUTE – DCI© Summerlin - Las Vegas (702) 228-4699 www.companyofexperts.net Oct. 12-14, 2011 THE RP GROUP 2011 Strengthening Student Success Conference San Francisco www.rpgroup.org Oct. 12-15, 2011 ASSOCIATION OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE TRUSTEES 43rd ACCT Annual Leadership Congress Dallas www.acct.org/events Community College Week provides an independent voice for faculty, administrators, and trustees at the nation’s 1,250 community, technical, and junior colleges. More than 30,000 readers routinely turn to Community College Week for information they need and trust on subjects ranging from funding to the impact of developments unfolding in Washington. News and hot topics may change, but our commitment to higher education never will. 24 issues - one year: $52 48 issues - two years: $90 Call (800) 475-4271 SUBSCRIBE TODAY! plug in, connect, stay informed communitycollegejobs.ccweek.com jobbing made easier! Employers & Employees Search, Find or Post Yours Today! 33 34 Career Connections August 22, 2011 www.ccweek.com 2011 Advertising Deadlines CCW ON THE WEB www. ccweek .com E A S Y Reach more community college readers. When you want to attract the best-qualified pool of candidates for your professional position, make Community College Week the “must buy” in your media selection. Community College Week is published every other Monday and read by more than 30,000 community, technical and junior college professionals. C O N V E N I E N T Community College Week covers state and national news affecting community, technical and junior colleges. It highlights exemplary programs, features opinions from leading authorities and decision-makers and furnishes a classified marketplace for conferences, workshops and product services. Community College Week also provides a recruitment section, Career Connections, which is exclusively devoted to two-year institutions. G R E A T V A L U E Advertising in Community College Week is easy and convenient. There is no additional charge for typesetting your ad. Community College Week Advertising Department PO Box 1305 Fairfax, VA 22038 ADVERTISING RATES: Connections Display: $67 per column inch (boxed) 4-color rates: available on request For more information, call (703) 978-3535 FAX (703) 978-3933 Mail, fax or telephone your ad to: Dean for Communications and Human Studies Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA),one of the most dynamic and fastest growing institutions in the nation, seeks an experienced and energetic academic leader to serve as the Dean for Communications and Human Studies at the Loudoun campus. Spanning 93 acres across Sterling, Virginia, the campus is an exciting academic environment and has a thriving artistic culture. NOVA Loudoun features five main buildings with one under construction and another in the planning stages, two greenhouses, an art gallery, and a theater, and serves 11,000 students annually. The Communications and Human Studies Division, one of two large academic divisions at the Loudoun campus boasts 18 programs of study that encompass the arts, humanities, and social sciences, as well as distinctive programs in Geography and Geospatial Technology, Communication Design, Music Recording Technology, Interior Design, Early Childhood Education, English as a Second Language, and Historic Preservation. NOVA Loudoun provides comprehensive preparation for students to transfer into four-year institutions, or move directly into the workforce. The campus employees approximately 90 full-time and 200 part-time teaching faculty, and approximately 45 staff. Located close to the nation’s capital, Northern Virginia Community College is Virginia’s largest institution of higher education and one of America’s largest community colleges. NOVA serves the higher and post-secondary educational needs of students from over 170 nations, who matriculate in more than 100 degree and certificate programs. The College meets the educational and training needs of the region and its people with excellent and affordable courses and programs, offered by an inspired and inspiring faculty. NOVA is an integral part of a region that is steeped in history and tradition, yet serves as the global crossroads of information technology, important biotechnology centers, and progressive biomedical facilities. With excellent public schools, extensive cultural amenities, and historical U.S. landmarks in nearby Washington, DC, the region boasts an enviable quality of life. For more information visit www.nvcc.edu. E-mail: ads@ccweek.com Web: www.ccweek.com Issue Date Ad Deadline Sept. 19 Oct. 3 Oct. 17 Sept. 1 Sept. 15 Sept. 29 DEADLINES To ensure placement, copy and artwork must be received by 5:30 p.m. on the deadline dates shown. Typewritten copy is acceptable. Minimum display ad accepted: 1 column by 1 inch. No cancellations or changes will be accepted after the deadline closing (5:30 p.m. EST). V.P., ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES LOS ANGELES COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT $136,613 to $160,406 per annum The Los Angeles Community College District is seeking experienced administrators to fill the positions of Vice President, Administrative Services at two of its nine college campuses: Los Angeles Mission College and West Los Angeles College. The ideal candidates will be accomplished business professionals with records of success in an educational environment. Excellent benefit package, 15 paid holidays/yr, PERS Retirement & more. Call (213) 891-2129 for an application or apply Online at: https://employment.laccd.edu LOS ANGELES MISSION COLLEGE : Deadline: 9/02/11 WEST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE: Deadline: 9/23/11 A Great Place to Work! REQUIREMENTS The Dean for Communications and Human Studies will report directly to the campus Provost, who is the chief executive officer of the campus. The Dean will be responsible for the complete oversight, planning, and accreditation of academic programs in the division. He/she should have a strong background in balancing relationships between faculty, students, and administration, while possessing an energetic, motivated, and customer-oriented personality. The selected candidate will demonstrate a successful background in academic administration and enhance the level of quality education by establishing and maintaining strong relationships with the Loudoun County business and education communities. The Dean will possess a strong commitment to enhancing student success, and, to the education of a diverse and multi-cultural student population. The successful candidate will have a track record of supporting faculty innovation, new program creation, and professional development for faculty and staff. A Master’s degree is required, and a Doctorate is preferred. Both understanding of and commitment to NOVA’s mission is essential. Application: For a confidential discussion or to make a nomination, please call Brian Bustin at RPA Inc., 800-992-9277.Applicants may submit a letter of application and resume only to novachs@rpainc.org, using NOVA Dean for Communications and Human Studies in the subject line. Additional materials will be solicited as needed. The first review of candidates is September 5, 2011. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. NOVA is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Qualified woman and minorities are encouraged to apply. The ten Maricopa Community Colleges, located throughout Phoenix, Arizona, are lifelong learning institutions with excellent career opportunities and full benefits. Job opportunities exist in faculty positions (part-time and full-time), management, technology, support staff, facilities, and other areas. For additional information, employment opportunities and application, visit us online at: www.maricopa.edu/jobs or visit Maricopa Community Colleges District Office 2411 W. 14th Street, Tempe, Arizona 85281, 480.731.8444 The Maricopa Community Colleges are EEO/AA Institutions ALL APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED ONLINE. MCCCD is an EEO/AA Institution. Career Connections www.ccweek.com FILL MORE POSITIONS! Showcase your Higher Ed Vacancies online communitycollegejobs.ccweek.com PRESIDENT VICE PRESIDENT FACULTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR INSTRUCTOR and many more! Stark State College Stark State College provides quality, high-value associate degrees and professional development in a student-centered learning environment. The College offers more than 230 programs of study in academic and workforce development disciplines to 15,500 credit students, 4,579 noncredit students and serves the culturally and economically diverse population of Stark County (population 380,000) and surrounding counties in northeast Ohio. Through its main campus in North Canton and through satellite sites across the county and distance learning modalities, SSC plays a vital role in providing educational and economic development opportunities. Through public-private partnerships with organizations such as the Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell program and the Gates Foundation “Completion by Design” program, SSC is in the van-guard of national initiatives while it remains focused on serving the educational needs of area citizens and businesses of Stark County. The Board of Trustees of Stark State College seeks an experienced higher education administrator to serve as a dynamic, innovative and energetic leader of SSC. The successful candidate will maintain and enhance Stark State College’s growing leadership in national higher education initiatives, lead the College’s strong commitment to student success and position it as the primary resource for academic opportunities in Stark County. Applicants are encouraged to submit a complete application no later than September 12, 2011 for consideration. For confidential inquiries, nominations or additional information contact Narcisa Polonio, ACCT (202) 276-1983, npolonio@acct.org or John Steinecke, ACCT, (202) 384-6539, jsteinecke@acct.org In compliance with Federal and State laws, Stark State College is an equal opportunity employer and Stark State College prohibits discrimination in employment because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability or veteran status. Applications are considered for all positions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital or veteran status, or the presence of a non-job related medical condition or disability. Executive Searches http://www.acctsearches.org Vice President, Student Affairs Edison State College seeks an accomplished Vice President to provide strategic vision, leadership and direction for the College’s comprehensive student affairs division. Celebrating nearly 50 years of excellence, Edison State College is Southwest Florida’s largest, most accessible and most affordable institution of higher education. As one of Florida’s State Colleges, Edison delivers learning from collegiate charter high schools through bachelor’s degrees. Edison’s diverse student population of 25,000 may pursue one of more than 60 associate degrees and 10 bachelor degrees on our Charlotte, Lee or Collier campuses, the Hendry Glades Center or through Edison Online. Each of our campuses is uniquely positioned to address the needs of its community and the voice and spirit of its individual counties. Beginning with the Fall 2012, Edison will become a residential college with the opening of its first student housing building on the Lee Campus. The Vice President of Student Affairs serves on the President’s Cabinet and is responsible for the development of partnerships, programs and policies to achieve the College’s strategic initiatives related to students in collaboration with campus leadership. Working closely with the Cabinet, the Vice President will develop initiatives in support of student success. Functional areas of responsibility include admissions and registration, advising, assessment, counseling, judicial affairs, student life, student support services, and adaptive services. The successful candidate will hold an earned doctorate from a regionally accredited higher education institution, a substantial record of accomplishments in a senior level student affairs position and a strong commitment to advocacy for students to insure every student has the opportunity to be successful and achieve their educational goals. Salary is commensurate with education and experience. For additional information and to apply for this position, please visit the Edison employment page at: jobs.edison.edu. This position is open until filled, however, to receive full consideration your online application and resume should be submitted by September 11, 2011. Inquiries may be directed to Pamela Fairfax, Vice President-Human Resources, at 239.489.9495. Community College Week and ccweek.com offer advertisers a degree of penetration in the community college marketplace not available elsewhere. Community College Week’s 20+years of relationship building deliver an array of merchandising possibilities. The range and extent of these relationships encompass all geographic and special interest areas in this unique market segment. Chancellor Baton Rouge Community College (BRCC) invites nominations and applications for the position of Chancellor. The Chancellor reports to the president of the Louisiana Community & Technical College System. The System is comprised of seven community colleges, two technical community colleges and seven technical colleges all offering world class programs. Each college has its own character with consistent System goals and plays an important role in expanding Louisiana’s workforce by offering degrees and certificates to meet the needs expressed by their communities and that complement the local community. Baton Rouge Community College is located in the state capital about 80 miles northwest of New Orleans, a city rich in culture, entertainment, and heritage. Baton Rouge has a population of approximately 230,000. Established in 1998, BRCC has evolved into a major center of education. The enrollment has grown to approximately 8,500 students that reflect a growing statewide, national and international representation. Located on a 60 acre campus, the college has 13 buildings that are less than 12 years old, with an additional location near downtown Baton Rouge. At BRCC, students have a choice of over 17 associate degrees and ten certificates. It is a fully accredited institution with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and has continuously developed world-class curricula in traditional and new disciplines, utilizing state-of-the-art technology to facilitate learning. The mission of Baton Rouge Community College is to identify and meet the educational and workforce needs of our community through innovative, accessible and dynamic programs. To learn more about BRCC and the position, please visit www.mybrcc.edu. Required qualifications for the position include: A minimum of five years high level executive experience with demonstrated performance of exceptional quality, preferably in a comprehensive community college. An earned doctorate with a background in high education administration is preferred. Administrative experience in other disciplines will also be considered. For a full position description and the application procedures, you may also visit: www.lctcs.edu or www.acctsearches.org Contact a Community College Week representative at (703) 385-1982 (703) 978-3535 or ads@ccweek.com 35 PRESIDENT For a full position description and application procedures, visit: www.starkstate.edu/presidential-search or www.acctsearches.org CHANCELLOR August 22, 2011 Salary and benefits are competitive. The review of the applications will continue until the position is filled. Candidates are encouraged to submit a complete application prior to: Wednesday October 5, 2011 An Association of Community College Trustees Assisted Search Confidential inquiries regarding the application process or nominations should be directed to Dr. Narcisa Polonio, ACCT Vice President for Research, Education and Board Leadership Services at (202) 276-1983 mobile, (202) 775-4670 office or npolonio@acct.org. ***An ACCT Search*** www.acctsearches.org REGISTER TODAY! 2011 … Where the Rubber Meets the Road! October 2-5, 2011 JW Marriott Indianapolis Indianapolis, Indiana Join us in Indianapolis at the beautiful JW Marriott as we gather for the second annual STEMtech conference. This interactive learning experience will help educators ramp up their STEM programs and curricula, as well as increase their effective use of technology across the institution. STEMtech features timely tracks focused on STEM disciplines — science, technology, engineering, and mathematics — in general education and workforce training. In addition, STEMtech continues the 25-year legacy of the League’s Conference on Information Technology as the place to explore the intelligent application of information technology in community and technical colleges. OPENING KEYNOTE SPEAKER David Thornburg Founder and Director Thornburg Center CLOSING KEYNOTE SPEAKER Jim Brazell Technology Forecaster and Strategist Are you unable to travel to Indianapolis for the conference this year? Save your travel dollars and register for STEMtech Online, our new virtual offering that provides numerous opportunities for collaboration, education, and networking! Visit www.league.org/stemtech/online for additional information about the most exciting professional development opportunity to come along in some time. Register online at www.league.org/2011stemtech/reg Early registration deadline: September 9, 2011 GROUP DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE www.league.org/2011stemtech Hosted by Ivy Tech Community College Follow STEMtech on: @LeagueSTEMtech #11STIN www.facebook.com/LeagueSTEMtech Request exhibitor information at hennessey@league.org