Noteworthy scholarship programs at Seattle Community Colleges recognize students' hard work and difficult circumstances. The growing expense of college requires higher-education institutions to keep a strong commitment to student aid. The three institutions that are the Seattle Community Colleges are making a strong investment with a laudable scholarship program.
This PBS video spotlights STEM training at community and technical colleges under the auspices of the National STEM Consortium, which operates in 10 states. South Seattle Community College's Aviation Composites program is prominently featured as a national model of certificate programs which prepare or retrain students for manufacturing jobs requiring some degree of scientific, technical, engineering and/or mathematics (STEM) skills. South's primary coverage begins at 5:59 of the 12:30 video.
A bill signed into law May 2 by Gov. Jay Inslee will make employee training more affordable for Washington small businesses... [and] makes it easier for small businesses to train employees in partnership with community and technical colleges Keith Zeiler, Vaupell general manager, [shared] Vaupell’s success after using the Job Skills Program for its workforce. “In the past two years I’ve hired 145 people … 250 employees have gone through 70,000 hours of Lean training which has led to productivity improvements … [Vaupell] could not have done any of this without the support of North Seattle Community College.”
South Seattle Community College celebrated its annual “Friends of the College Dinner” on Thursday May 2 honoring students and thanking donors and education supporters.... South alumnus John Titus, President and CEO of Aero Controls Inc., was recognized with the 2012-2013 Outstanding Alumni Award.... Titus made a surprise announcement that he will establish an endowment scholarship for aviation students at South.
The Seattle Promise Scholarship will assist adults returning to school who keep a 3.0 GPA and attend school full time, said Adam Nance, executive director of Seattle Central Foundation. It will fill in the gap after federal and state grant money and other scholarships are taken into consideration, so students will not have to pay any tuition.
The Mary Mahoney Professional Nurses Organization (MMPNO) will present ten community nursing students of African descent with scholarships at their 64th Annual Nursing Scholarship Reception this Sat., Apr. 27.... Included are two North Seattle Community College nursing students, Selamawit “Selama” Workie and Yohannes T. Taye....
If anything can be perceived by looking at Chris Peterson's first releases for Avennia, then Washington wine lovers are in for a treat. Peterson...was among the first graduates of the Walla Walla Community College winemaking program. [His business partner] Marty Taucher...began taking winemaking classes at South Seattle Community College. They created Avennia in 2010....
Like a whale upon the sand, awesome yet helpless, the majestic Pacific Medical Center that crowns Beacon Hill is desperate to find a tenant willing to call this strikingly handsome art deco-style structure home.... The future of the building, a designated city landmark since 1992, is up in the air, and has been since last summer when Seattle developer Wright Runstad...defaulted on the loan.... Seattle Central Community College is mulling over the possibility of leasing about half of the Pacific Tower...for Allied Health programs...
Seattle Central Community College is trying to win state support for a deal to occupy about half of the iconic, but mostly empty, Beacon Hill landmark popularly known as the PacMed Center — but it’s running out of time.
Hundreds of community college faculty, staff and administrators have participated in several days of collaborative and motivational sessions at the American Association of Community Colleges’ Annual Conference.... Rosie Rimanda-Chareunsap, vice president of Student Services at South Seattle Community College, spoke about the steps her school took to meet the needs of their growing population of Asian-American students in spite of stereotypes.
Lincoln, Seattle's second high school, opened in Wallingford in 1911, the year Seattle High changed its name to Broadway and first opened night classes. ... After the space was sold in 1966 to Seattle Community College, Dr. Ed Erickson, the school's president ...
Gov. Jay Inslee has decided to replace half of the Washington Student Achievement Council, surprising state lawmakers and raising questions about the direction of a newly formed board charged with writing a road map for higher education.... The four replaced members were Baird; former Seattle Community College District Board Chairwoman Constance Rice; former state Academic Achievement and Accountability Commission chairman José Gaitán; and Jay Reich, former deputy chief of staff to Gary Locke....
At a recent public hearing in Olympia, testimony on House Bill 1817 highlighted contrasting perspectives and opinions about whether to invest in students we have educated in our K-12 schools.... At the hearing, the pro side was ably represented by a panel of educators – a Seattle community college president [North Seattle President Mark Mitsui], two school district superintendents and three panels of mostly undocumented students. The students spoke eloquently of being lawyers, engineers and computer scientists in the future.
Green for the 21st Century in Seattle
Innovations in curriculum and operations have earned the 2009 Green Washington Award for the Seattle Community Colleges – Central, North and South. All three colleges are active members of the Seattle Climate Partnership and North was an early signer of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment. A district-wide Chancellor’s Sustainability Initiative provides energy, focus and a forum for emerging training and initiatives.
Sustainability is infused into programs ranging from urban agriculture at Central to environmental science, real estate and building management across the district. Students have funded a sustainability coordinator. Campus activities include reducing the carbon footprint and promoting recycling and energy conservation, which earned a “Recycler of the Year” award for South. Last year, the college culinary operations diverted 31 tons of materials to a regional composting facility – which returned the compost to “green” the college landscape.
For more information visit www.seattlecolleges.edu/green
Helping displaced workers to ‘Start Next Quarter’
During the economic downturn, thousands of displaced workers turned to the Seattle Community Colleges at the same time regional employers reported a need for skilled workers to fill jobs in the new economy. To help both potential workers and employers, the Seattle Community Colleges developed Start Next Quarter (SNQ), a two-part initiative designed to improve the success of dislocated workers who enroll in technical education programs. SNQ invites prospective students to assess their eligibility for workforce funding online and connects them to a comprehensive two-day college success workshop held at each campus. The workshops are based on a model developed at one of the district campuses. Students who complete the workshop are more likely to complete their training programs and to obtain jobs using their new skills. The project was developed in part through a grant from the League for Innovation, funded by the Walmart Foundation Bright Futures project to serve displaced workers.
Visit www.startnextquarter.org
A Model for the Region
The Opportunity Center for Employment and Education at North Seattle Community College is a regional resource and the first integrated service center of its kind in Washington state. Since the OCE&E opened its doors in spring 2011, more than 40,000 people have come for one-stop help in finding a new job, career retraining or to sign up for public assistance benefits. Founding partners were the state Departments of Social and Health Services and Employment Security, the college, and the Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County. The campus and the new LEED Gold Certified 45,000-square foot facility are in the heart of Seattle’s north end and close to a major transit hub. House Speaker Frank Chopp and Rep. Phyllis Gutierrez Kenney (sponsor of the legislation and a former Seattle District trustee) championed the OCE&E in the state legislature. The center aims to provide streamlined services in a positive environment, helping clients succeed in the next stage of their lives.