Community College Emissary

WA CC Enrollment Numbers Surge - details

2009-02-08T23:35:00.000-08:00

As with everywhere else in the country, Washington state CC enrollment numbers are surging. Statewide enrollment was up 7.2% in Fall 2008 compared to the previous year, according to detailed statistics revealed by the State Board of Community and Technical Colleges.

The graph shows FTE (full-time equivalent) and Headcount numbers. One FTE is equal to 15 credits taken by one student.

I'm going to crunch some numbers and throw up some observations this week. I'm sure you will all be on the edge of your seat.

WA's Highline to close branch campus

2009-02-02T20:39:00.001-08:00

And the budget hits keep on coming.

According to the Tacoma News Tribune, Highline CC will close a branch campus in Federal Way just north of Tacoma.

Now, Washington's 8th largest city has no higher education in within city limits. Oh wait, they've still got DeVry.

Sigh.

NYC CCs big idea - is it really new?

2009-01-26T20:20:00.000-08:00

New York City's community college system is getting some attention for a new program. Part of the vast City University or NY (CUNY) system, NY's six community colleges began the Accelerated Studies in Associates Program (ASAP), a program which includes:
- Free tuition, books, and bus passes
- First pick for classes
- Twice-monthly counseling (mandatory)
- Summer orientation program (mandatory)
- Need remedial education? This isn't for you

ASAP has been very successful thus far: retention and GPA's are up, dropouts are down as compared to other students who don't require remedial classes. That's great news, this model surely works.

But is the model new? It doesn't appear so - it looks a lot like CC honors programs across the country. The NYC ASAP program proves that robust academic and financial support plus new student orientation helps student achievement. But we knew all that, didn't we?

Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge supporter of increased support for any select group of community college students. How about we give it a try for all community college students?

South Seattle CC hires ethically-challenged Oertli as interm Prez

2009-01-24T19:45:00.000-08:00

Gary Oertli: a face only a gangster could love.

Despite past ethical violations, Gary Oertli was hired as interm president by South Seattle Community College. While president of Shoreline CC (1995-2001), Oertli improperly used his position as SCC president to funnel state funds to a personal friend, Paul Mauel - founder of e-Werks. Seattle P-I (8/25/01) The charges led to a $40,000 fine in 2003.

[Oertli] promot[ed] a local software company because of his personal relationship with its founder. Six months after a $350,000 contract was signed between Shoreline and e-Werkz in December 1999 to provide online services, SCC President Gary Oertli left the college to work for the start-up. SCC was e-Werkz's first customer... In 2000, e-Werkz received $1.4 million from Shoreline, Bellevue and Spokane community colleges in return for 30-year contracts to provide integrated online course registration and bookstore services.

When e-Werkz failed to supply SCC with the product it had promised, e-Werkz founder Paul Mauel asked Oertli to alter the bid. Shoreline CC was forced to spend over $100K to fix the technical problems left in e-Werkz wake.

One year after signing the contract with e-Werkz, Oertli resigned as president of Shoreline CC, and accepted a position with Mauel's online company, e-Werkz, now Softcos, under an $184,000 salary in addition to an $80,000 signing bonus. Seattle P-I, (4/12/03).

My home institution was also sullied by this affair.

In 2003, while president of the University of Washington alumni board, Oertli was fined $40,000 for the his slippery ethics, the largest fine ever leveled on an individual by the WA State Executive Ethics Board.

Now, South Seattle CC has hired Oertli is interm president. Here's hoping that either Oertli cleans up his act, or SSCC finds a permanent president soon.

The second lady is the first CC professor

2009-01-20T20:58:00.000-08:00

America's new second lady, Dr. Jill Biden, has long taught English at the Delaware Technical Community College. Just because she's the second lady doesn't mean she's going to be able to pull a bunch of special favors for CCs. But having a CC advocate in the White House can't hurt.

By the way, she's looking for a gig.

DC finally gets a CC

2009-01-20T20:22:00.000-08:00

According to reports, Washington DC will open its first community college, fall 2009. The new community college will fall under the rubric of the University of the District of Columbia (UDC). UDC will turn SEU into a "workforce training oriented" CC, and UDC will become a "flagship university" and raise tuition (somebody has to pay for the flag.)

Press accounts are sketchy on the precise details (here, here, and here). But it appears that the public University of the District of Columbia will take over (or merge) with DC's private Southeastern University (SEU).

By all accounts, SEU was failing and flailing; it was forced to discontinued a number of programs this fall.
Rather uniquely, SEU offered associate degrees in addition to bachelors and masters degrees.

Questions remain about UDC's ability to take a private university and turn it into a community college. Neither institution is centrally located within DC - might they both offer community college classes?

Whatever the case, a CC in DC is long overdue. To my knowledge DC is the only state (um, pseudo state) in America without a community college system. Glad to see that change.

Final note: as I predicted (#3), another private university bites the dust. Not to gloat...

Lead us well, President Obama

2009-01-19T20:00:00.000-08:00

The American people have chosen, and wisely. The Emissary will be watching closely to make sure Obama honors and supports this great nation's finest institutions: community colleges.

For now, Americans can stand tall after an eight-year slouch. We can again hold our heads high when we go abroad. And once again, we can savor the feeling of being cool.

Lead us well, BHO.

WA stimulus package - $364m for education buildings

2009-01-17T17:04:00.001-08:00

In this time of budget crisis, all American politicians have unified around the simple creed: we must build things. We could debate the macroeconomic merit of such a creed, but educational institutions across the nation will definitely benefit from the consensus. As with state education budget cuts, educational building priorities will reveal the relative importance each state places on CC education.

The Emissary believes that investing in community colleges is essential, particularly during the current economic crisis. Philosophers are great, but America most needs 21st-century skills: principally technology, 'green', computer, and health care skills. Those skills are most efficiently gained at community colleges.

WA Gov. Gregoire proposed a deluge of spending (about $1.2 billion) for construction, infrastructure, and unemployment insurance. Higher education received the lion's share of the construction money ($364m or 85%). Virtually all the money went to classroom buildings.

Some breakdown of the governor's proposal.

Community colleges hold their own
WA CCs won 38% of all new construction money, or $140m. That was slightly less than the $142m won by WSU and UW (39%), but way more than the $82m won by regional universities.

Project size and college type
Research universities won just three projects, but the average project tops $47m (compared to $20m and $14m for CC and regional projects, respectively). The largest project was UW's Molecular Engineering building ($69.6m). The smallest research university project was larger than the largest CC project (Spokane CC's $32.3 Tech Ed building)

Winners and losers
The UW system was the largest single recipient of funds, with $104m in projects, followed by the CC district of Spokane ($66.4m). Only 5 of the WA's 34 CCs won any money at all (both Green River and Columbia Basin snagged big projects; Everett won $2m for "infrastructure"). Evergreen State was the only 4-year not to win any projects, though WSU main Pullman campus didn't either (WSU Vancouver did). EWU Cheney won just $6.4m in "Minor Works". The Westside received 37% of the funding, the Eastside won 37%.

Close to home
My colleges - CCs of Spokane - did particularly well, earning 23% of all funds designated for high ed, and 61% of the community colleges pie. CCS has designated vast energies to winning new buildings and has been remarkably successful. Sasquatch nation is pleased.

Unless otherwise mentioned, percentages refer to the percent of construction money designated for higher education.

University of Phoenix in trouble?

2009-01-15T23:52:00.000-08:00

Apollo Group (parent company of U of Phoenix) has recently been sued, which may endanger the companies business model.

Apollo's trouble stems from default rates on its Title IX loans. Title IX loans are federally guaranteed. In order to maintain good standing with the feds, colleges must limit student defaults (the so-called Cohort Default Rate), among other requirements.

The plaintiffs were former UofP students and Title IX loan recipients who dropped out of classes after the deadline for getting all their money back. Instead of receiving payment from the Title IX loan, the UofP returned the money to the feds and sent collection agencies after the students for the money they owed (receivables.)

From the article: Why would the UOP surrender cash in hand that is rightfully theirs, in exchange for a hard-to-collect receivable, plus collection costs and risks? Why would UOP intervene in a lender/borrower relationship that they actually helped facilitate?

Lets get this straight – the action UOP chooses here is financially worse for the company, worse for their students, and better for the US Government... Has anyone ever heard of a company voluntarily giving up money in hand for a questionable receivable?

This lawsuit lays out a rationale... UOP is not only trying to deceive their clients, but more importantly, the Department of Education and investors through manipulation of their reported numbers. By removing these early-withdrawing students from their loan rolls, this lawsuit suggests understatement of Cohort Default Rates...

By returning the money to the government, they are effectively prohibiting that person from being factored in their cohort default rate. This manipulation is a clear violation of the mandates of HEA.

Make no mistake, if Apollo loses its access to Title IX grants, it's done. UofP competes directly with CCs, but we shouldn't relish their possible demise. We are in no condition to enroll their 250,000 students.

Predictions for CCs during the economic crisis

2009-01-15T22:54:00.000-08:00

Across the country, community colleges are facing a plethora of challenges: budget cuts, tuition increases, ballooning enrollment. Below are three facts an my predictions for their consequences. Next, I gaze into the crystal ball for two medium-term predictions and their consequences.

1. HS graduates flock to CCs. Facing university-price sticker shock and shrunken college savings plans, new HS grads are picking community colleges in record numbers.
Consequences:
- Transfer programs will balloon.
- Average age of transfer students will fall.
- Universities will be unprepared to accept a wave of transfer students which will begin in 2010.

2. Unemployed and underemployed workers swell CC ranks. It's a cliché because it's true; workers seek improved skills during crappy economic times.
Consequences:
- Career and tech programs will fill up and average ages will rise.
- Waiting lists will become common.
- Proportion of CC students with bachelor's degrees will rise as 'educated' students seek more useful skills.

3. Cost becomes increasingly important factor in student choice.
Consequences:
- CC tuition will increase by 5% on average nationwide.
- Pell Grants will increase faster than CC tuition in absolute terms (thank you, Obama).
- Pell Grants will increase slower than university tuition in absolute terms.
- 80+ private universities will close before fall 2009.

Predictions for the medium term (1-4 years)

4. CCs will neglect investment. How can they invest during budget cuts? Why invest when you have all the students you can handle?
Consequences:
- State funding for technology will shrink.
- For-profits will continue to eat CC's lunch in online learning.
- CCs will suffer when the economy rebounds.

5. Foreign countries will seek to reproduce the community college model in their countries.
Consequences:
- International consulting gigs for your scribe.

Stupid Criminals - take one

2009-01-14T23:29:00.000-08:00

We all have guilty pleasures - stupid criminals are mine. The first in a series.

Marcus Schrenker was the man who had everything: beautiful wife, tons of money, chiseled physique. Unfortunately, he was victimized by the global financial crisis and his own greed and he got in trouble with the feds for fraud. Plus, his wife was divorcing him and somebody keyed his Lexus.

What's a charming daredevil to do? Head for the hills, of course. And luckily, he had a brilliant plan - he would fake his own death in a fake plane crash, and get away scott free. What could possibly go wrong?

Plenty - let's catalog the stupidity.

1. He alerted the aviation authorities that his plane was in trouble. Why is alerting the authorities part of your get-away plan? Why not crash (or land) the plane in the wilderness give yourself a couple of days for the getaway?

2. He bailed out of the plane too early. His best shot was to dump his plane in the Gulf of Mexico, which may have been his plan. If so, why jump out in Harpersville, AL, 250 miles from the sea? His plane didn't make it to the sea, it crashed in the FL panhandle so everybody could see he didn't really die.

3. He hitched a ride to his getaway with the cops. Apparently, he stumbled out of the swamp and flagged down a cop to give him a ride to his getaway motorcycle. Come on man, are you trying to get caught?

4. When you're on the lam, don't contact friends to complain of negative press. That's how they caught him, he sent an email from a public library terminal. Apparently they can track emails now, who knew?

5. If you're gonna kill yourself, do it like you mean it. He attempted to kill himself by slashing his wrist in a public campground. Maybe it was just a plea for help.

Way back in the good ol' days of 2008-09

2009-01-13T18:54:00.000-08:00

It reminds me of my West Coast 9/11 experience. I arrived at work hours after the towers fell w/out hearing what had happened until I arrived. As always, I bought a coffee and newspaper and got on the bus. When I arrived at work, I stashed my newspaper and left work to watch CNN. Weeks later, when the world changed, I found the September 11th, 2001 newspaper and it described a world that no longer existed.

Thus it is with this Chronicle of Higher Education state-by-state budget analysis.

The Chronicle of Higher Ed published a surreal piece comparing 2008-09 higher education budgets to 2007-08, and lamenting meager growth. This brand-new analysis is obsolete at birth.

The map shows increases in most states' higher education budget. Since then, many states' higher ed budgets have been slashed in the current year, and will be torn asunder next year.

This map will be redder next year. Good to know how the past might have been.

Flaws inherent to direct comparisons between CC-student and university-student success

2009-01-11T14:56:00.000-08:00

I experienced a visceral and negative reaction to this blog and particularly to this ridiculous statement, “Choosing a two-year college could actually harm students' long-term prospects.” The blog cites (and misinterprets) an excellent study on the topic. The study itself has some potential flaws as well.

First, I’ll discuss the study, then I’ll comment on the blog.

This excellent study by Harvard’s Bridget Terry Long and UC Davis’ Michal Kurlaender starts with the simple fact: Ohio students who begin transfer programs at CCs don’t earn as many bachelor’s degrees as students who start at universities. They attempt to decide whether CC students fail because CCs do a poor job of educating students, or because external risk factors harm students’ chances. They conclude that the former is at fault, harming students’ chances by 14.5%. I humbly disagree.

Retort #1: Long and Kurlaender define ‘success’ too narrowly.

This paper identifies ‘success’ too narrowly for the CC reality. The only possible ‘success’ in this paper is completed bachelor’s degree attainment, therefore relegating any other outcome as “failure.” At a university, success and failure is binary – graduate or don’t. But it isn’t that simple at a CC. Indeed, many positive outcomes for students would be classified as failures by this study. Students can change majors and switch from transfer to career/technical programs. Students can achieve meaningful careers after completing just a “transfer associate degree.” And short of any degree or certificate, students can secure living wage jobs after obtaining high-demand skills.

My tech guy at work is an example of the last ‘positive failure’. He is several classes short of finishing his Information Technology degree. He works full time for my CC’s IT department and make $60k per year. Conversely, the guy that made my latte this morning has a master’s degree in sociology. We could argue about which of these two made wiser academic choices, but I'd be wary about classifying my tech guy as a CC failure.

Certainly, bachelors degree attainment signifies a successful outcome for a CC transfer student. But it’s not the only potential successful outcome.

Retort #2: Long and Kurlaender fail to adequately consider all risk factors which disproportionately affect CC students.

In their paper, Long and Kurlaender acknowledge that selection bias (apples to oranges) is a problem with any study that attempts to compare CC and university students.

“[S]imple comparisons between two-year and four-year students, which suggest students who initially enroll at a community college do far worse, should be treated with caution. Additionally, unobservable differences between students appear to be important.”

As compared to university students, CC students tend to have increased risk factors which preclude them from finishing degrees: low income, first generation, full time jobs, poor academic preparation, etc. This study does a better job than most papers of its type, since it factors, “degree intent information from the college application and details about family income, high school preparation and achievement, and high school type.” It fails to adequately address additional risk factors including: working full time, having dependents, being a parent, attending part-time.

The study attempts to sidestep this research problem by comparing only CC students and “non-selective university” students, arguing that the difference between these students is negligible.

“As discussed above, previous empirical work suggest that community college students enter postsecondary schooling with lower academic credentials on average than their counterparts at four-year institutions (as measured by high school grade point average and ACT scores). However, the differences are not large between students at nonselective four-year universities in Ohio and those at community colleges. Thus, for most of our analysis we focus more explicitly on students at nonselective, four-year institutions as the main comparison group to community college students.”

Perhaps Ohio CC and non-selective university students are similar enough to be considered statistically identical. But in Washington state, such an assumption defies logic. And CC students have been found to be hugely different in this study of Boston’s educational system: “61% of community college enrollees were required to take developmental courses compared to… 25% of enrollees in 4-year institutions.”

Again, the researchers go to great lengths to adjust for these biases, but to a certain extent, we’re still comparing apples to oranges.

Retort #3: The blog entry shows clear design bias; it exaggerates the researchers’ findings and fails to incorporate the researchers’ cautions.

Here’s the ridiculous statement that set me off: “Choosing a two-year college could actually harm students' long-term prospects.” But never fear, by following the blogger’s advice, “students can take advantage of the low-cost classes at community colleges and still make it through to a prestigious degree.” The blogger raises the bar on worthwhile education; a mere bachelor’s degree isn’t enough to avoid failure. To be successful, one must earn a “prestigious degree” that will allow CC students to handle, “upper-class assignments at universities.”

Upper-class indeed.

The researchers warn in the abstract, “The results suggest that straightforward OLS (ordinary least squared) estimates are significantly biased.” In other words, suggesting that CCs harm student prospects is unwarranted and absurd.

Perhaps the author would have been better served by a less prestigious, more practical degree.

Bad news for job seekers

2009-01-08T00:03:00.000-08:00

Conventional wisdom has it that now is a bad time to be looking for a job in education. Anecdotal evidence suggests that many of our campus human resource departments have stopped hiring. But now, here's some numerical proof that there really are less jobs advertised in www.higheredjobs.com.

I've used the "Wayback Machine" at www.archive.org to search the archives of higheredjobs.com. Higheredjobs.com is the most frequented job source for job seekers (at least, the one I like best.) I search there because most colleges advertise there - way more than monster.com or chronicle jobs.

Above is a graph of the number of jobs advertised in higheredjobs.com around January 7th of each year since 2001. As you can see, higheredjobs.com has become more popular with HR departments since it's inception in 2001. It has had a steady rate of growth... up until this year.

This year, the number of jobs advertised not only broke the steady upward, it actually fell. And as more and more states cut education money, the number of jobs will continue to fall.

Last words: 1. The Wayback Machine is sweet. 2. I should go back to grad school.

Wayback Machine: Sweet research tool

2009-01-07T23:12:00.000-08:00

I just found the coolest web research tool - the Wayback Machine at archive.org.

Ok, ok, I didn't "find" it. I heard it on NPR. But still, it is a wealth of knowledge for those who don't think the web has enough information. Now you can go back in time and discover obsolete information!

Stay tuned for an impromptu research demonstration, brought to you by the Emissary.

Snow shuts CCs of Spokane for 6th day in 2008-09

2009-01-05T13:25:00.000-08:00

The ongoing deluge of snow has shuttered CCs of Spokane for the 6th full or partial day of the school year. Spokane has suffered through record snowfall in the month of December. And it's expecting more snow in the next couple of days, then rain and possible flooding.

Whew.

The most recent shutdown was unique because it was ordered by Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich (unofficially known as the sheriff with the coolest name in the west.)

Knezovich's statements suggest that he was less concerned about the colleges than the K-12 schools. The sheriff was concerned that buses would get stuck and kids wouldn't be able to scale the snow drifts and ice berm.

Crazy days. And for this educator, another day off.

CCs brace for enrollment booms - here's why

2009-01-04T20:06:00.000-08:00

This week, community colleges across the country will open with sharply higher enrollment, according to news stories from WA, MN, VA, NH, and CA.

CC enrollments are known to be counter-cyclical, they increase when the economy hits a rough patch. CC enrollment increases for three common reasons, plus a fourth that's appears to be novel with this downturn.

1. Unemployment Recessions force people out of work. Unemployed people seek new skills to get back into the workforce. The unemployed are particularly tempted by...

2. Short-term programs CCs offer a range of short-term options that attract re-tooling workers. CC certificates are available in as little as one quarter. And often, students get what they need w/out completing certificates - a welding class or CAD intro.

3. Low cost Obviously, CCs are the least expensive retraining option in America. This should give CCs a boost over for-profit institutions, but doesn't always.

4. Withering 529s Last and novel, CCs are benefiting from the crashing stock market, which didn't spare college savings accounts known as 529 plans. Since their inception in 1998, 529 plans have been increasingly popular since their inception in 1998 because, like a Roth IRA, they are free of capital gains taxes.

But 529s have suffered along with all stocks in the current recession - down a third this year alone, with more to come. Suddenly, mom and dad's saving isn't going to be enough for junior to attend State U, much less Private College. Economic realities may well alter the thinking (and the economic reality) of the class of 2009.

The 529 bust is a novel event. Very few students were enrolled during the last downturn (the dot com bust of 2000-1). And the effects of the 529 bust probably haven't been felt yet. 529s were doing well back in May when students were picking colleges; the stock market was still up around 13,000 (the DOW has fallen by an incredible 33% since then). We all know what's happened since.

The 529 issue will strain CCs to the breaking point in Fall 2009. All the more reason that CCs need to be protected from state budget cuts.

Texas CCs eye budget increase

2009-01-02T15:40:00.000-08:00

Bucking the nationwide trend, Texas community colleges are banking on an increase in state funding for the next biennium. TCCs are asking for a a 25% increase ($595million), bringing the total state support to $2.3billion.

Unlike most states, Texas is flush with cash and has a $9billion rainy day fund.

Let's hope they use it wisely.

Community Colleges spared Louisiana budget ax

2008-12-30T17:24:00.000-08:00

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal proposed 3% cuts across the board except for community colleges. More cuts will be coming; Jindal's cuts got Lousiana halfway towards closing a $341million budget deficit. By law, the LA governor is only allowed to chop 3% off the budget without legislative approval.

Jindal spared community colleges (much to the glee of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System). In doing so, he followed the lead of WA Gov Kris Gregoire and differed from Oregon Gov Kulongoski - as I've written about.

Jindal understands what Kulongoski doesn't - CCs are vital during economic downturns if a state expects to retool its citizens for the eminent economic upswing.

Obama and the Community Colleges

2008-12-28T16:21:00.000-08:00

Obama and the community colleges

The Obama administration comes to power in perilous times. To deal with the economic crisis, Obama has promised an economic stimulus package that could top $775 billion to boost the economy. How will community colleges benefit from that funding? More specifically, will CCs receive more or less than 4-year universities?

With three-quarters of a trillion dollars being doled out, CCs will certain get something in the stimulus. But CCs aren’t alone in demanding a slice of the economic stimulus package: banks, auto makers, roads and bridges, health care, K-12 education, etc. The question is, what support does Obama believe CCs deserve during the current economic downturn? And how much will CCs receive vis-à-vis 4-year universities?

The stimulus package will cast Obama’s higher-ed priorities into sharp relief. Because CCs and universities educate approximately the same number of students, an equal payout between CCs and universities would indicate no preference between the two.

However, during the economic downturn many voices in the press are calling for extra consideration for CCs: USA Today, Leader-Call, and Canada’s Burnaby Now. Their arguments revolve around the fact that unemployed workers are best served by retraining for new careers, and CCs are the best place for that training. I concur.

Obama’s campaign documents proposed the “Community College Partnership Program” (see Community College Times and American Assn. for Community Colleges for a reviews of Obama’s campaign promises. Also, Obama's own campaign propaganda see page 11).

The CCPP is vague, at least in documents I’ve found. It proposes support for: (a) analysis of local industry needs (b) programs for “emerging industry and technical career demands” and (c) “rewards” for increasing degree attainment. All these are fine ideas, but much too vague to be of real value. Furthermore, on the President Elect’s website, he makes no mention of the Community College Partnership Program.

At any rate, we won’t have to wait long for our first indication of President Obama’s support for community colleges. His stimulus package will be waiting on his desk on day one.

Tale of two guvs: Washington and Oregon diverge on higher ed funding priorities

2008-12-27T01:06:00.001-08:00

Washington’s governor loves community colleges. Oregon’s doesn’t.

Across the country, state governors are proposing dismal budgets for the upcoming biennium. In the Pacific NW, OR Governor Ted Kulongoski and WA Governor Chris Gregoire made their proposals facing deficits of 10% (OR) and 17% (WA). Obviously, both guvs were forced to announce painful cuts in worthwhile programs. Their higher education budgets show that WA Gov. Gregoire values community colleges more than OR Guv Kulongoski.

Some background: State budget cuts are particularly painful to higher ed for two reasons. First, states must balance their budget every year – they can’t run a federal-style deficit. Second, in most states, certain programs are ‘protected’ by federal mandate or state constitution – programs like Medicare and K-12 education.

Excluding protected programs from cuts punishes unprotected programs… like higher ed. Ultimately, governors’ proposals must be approved (and altered) by state legislatures before they become law.

Facing cuts, Oregon’s Kulongoski spared university systems at the expense of community colleges. Washington’s Gregoire did the opposite. Kulongoski lavished Oregon’s universities with 9% increases while saddling Oregon’s CCs with 3% cuts. Oregon’s CCs are not pleased. In WA, Gregoire faced deeper cuts, but favored CCs over universities. CCs will suffer 6% cuts, but universities will grapple with 13% cuts. WA’s CCs are relieved, if not thrilled.

Gregoire’s approach makes more sense. She understands that CC role in retraining workers for tomorrow’s jobs. To be charitable, Kulongoski spared Oregon’s CCs from the much deeper cuts faced by criminal justice, health services, and transportation. But his higher ed priorities are clear, and misguided.

WA 2009-11 budget proposal
OR 2009-11 budget proposal

In response to dismal K-16 education report, the Boston Globe scapegoats community colleges

2008-12-23T23:17:00.000-08:00

The Boston Globe editorial board apparently believes all educational woes radiate out from three small community colleges. The Globe was responding to a report by the Center for Labor Market Studies (CLMS) at Northeastern University, which was deeply critical of all levels of Boston public education.

In a recent editorial, the valiant Globe editors singled out community colleges for criticism:

“college was a bust for almost two-thirds of Boston high school graduates in the class of 2000. Students attending two-year community colleges - the least-expensive option - fared the worst… with an abysmal 12 percent graduation rate… Roxbury Community College fell flat…Quincy College, a low-profile, two-year college on the South Shore, did comparatively well (but not good enough)… Bunker Hill Community College… yielded a 14 percent graduation rate.”

The study should put an end to common claims by community college officials that their graduation rates don't reveal much because many of their students transfer to four-year colleges before earning associate degrees. In this study, a student merely needed to earn a diploma or certificate from any institution of higher education, not just the original college… Rationalizations are now off the table.”

Where to start with the criticism of this ill-informed, one-sided piece?

The Globe’s diatribe was misguided for three reasons

1. Boston Public (K-12) schools do a poor job of educating those students most likely to attend community colleges.

2. Massachusetts gives precious little support to education, and community colleges are particularly starved for funding.

3. Boston Public students struggle in all institutions of higher education, so it’s wrong to single out the community colleges.

1. Boston Public (K-12) schools do a poor job of educating those students most likely to attend Community colleges.

Despite the bold – and largely unsubstantiated - claim that, “Boston is one of the best, arguably the very best, large urban school district in the nation…” Boston city schools don't succeed at educating the below average students. According to the CLMS report, Boston’s 8^th graders fared poorly on the National Assessment of Educational Progress math tests; only 29% of all students scored “sufficient” in Math, and only 12%. Only 20% of black and Latino students scored "sufficient" on the math test.

These “insufficient” students end up at Boston’s community colleges. According to the CLMS report, “61% of community college enrollees were required to take developmental courses compared to the national average of 42%.” Worse than the national average, by far.

In other words, Boston Public Schools don't successfully prepare 'lower tier' students for college success. When students arrive at community colleges unprepared to succeed, it’s no surprise that they fail.

2. Massachusetts gives precious little support to education, and community colleges are particularly starved for funding.

As stated in the CLMS report, “Massachusetts’ per capita state spending on public higher education is estimated at 46th among 50 states.” And spending is shrinking: “Massachusetts state funding for public higher education in 2008 was 13% lower than in 2002 [sic].”

Of course, community colleges receive smallest slice of that funding. According to the Massachusetts department of Higher Education , community college students receive 30 cents in state funding for every per dollar a UMass student receives.

Unwilling to fund public higher education, Massachusetts places the burden on community college students, “annual tuition and fees for fall 2008 at MA community colleges: $3,480 2007 national average $2,361.” (CLMS report) Massachusetts is also very stingy with need based aid. According to the National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs (NASSGAP), MA ranks 36^th among states in grants given per full time student.

Money won’t solve all of Massachusetts’ educational problems, but the Bay State would do well to invest in student success.

3. Boston Public Schools students struggle in all institutions of higher education, so it’s wrong to single out the community colleges.

The Globe singles out community colleges because 70% of Boston Public students dropped out after 7 years. But 4-year public college students dropped out at a 50% rate, despite much higher state funding. And at 4-year private schools, only 56% of students graduated in the same time period.

Boston Public Schools face grave challenges. Those challenges cannot be met if ill-informed pundits lay the blame solely on community colleges.

Alabama's corrupt CC system recovering w/ out-of-state leaders

2008-12-22T20:06:00.000-08:00

Intelligent people can disagree about which state is most corrupt:

Illinois' "Pay-for-play" Guv Rod Blagojevich?
Alaska's "they built if for me, but I didn't want it" Ted Stevens?
Louisiana's "cold, cold cash" William Jefferson?

But there's little debate about which state's CC network is most corrupt: Alabama. Way back in January 2008, the former chancellor AL's two-year college system pleaded guilty to 15 federal felony counts for bribery.

""Roy Johnson, a once-powerful lawmaker who served as chancellor of the Department of Postsecondary Education for four years until his dismissal in 2006, agreed to plead guilty to 15 felony counts. They involve six separate conspiracies to send business to companies that provided money, home furnishings and jobs for his two children and their spouses. In exchange, the companies made millions supplying the state's two-year schools with items including computer software and furniture. "Johnson used his position as chancellor to build a power pyramid on a foundation of corruption," said U.S. Attorney Alice Martin." Gladson Times

Johnson was just the first of several prominent Alabama CC presidents, state legislators, and private businessmen, all brought down in a spiral of corruption, 'double-dipping', contract fixing, and nepotism. Meanwhile, Alabama's two-year colleges have been paralyzed by the turmoil.

Luckily, things are looking up in Alabama. Since January, nine new CC presidents have been hired, 7 from out of state. Mobile Press Register. Not a moment too soon, Alabama community colleges seem to be getting the leadership they deserve.

technorati

2008-12-21T18:27:00.000-08:00

Technorati Profile

Gregoire’s 2009-11 Budget: CCs dodge a bullet

2008-12-21T11:08:00.000-08:00

Community colleges got off easy in WA Governor Chris Gregoire’s 2009-11 budget proposal. If the governor's proposal is approved by legislature (a big if), CCs will face a 6% cut in state funding, which compares favorably to the 13% cuts imposed upon WA public universities and deeper cuts elsewhere in the state budget. Apparently, the guv deems CCs more vital to WA's struggling economy.

It certainly could have been worse.

Back in November, all public colleges and universities in WA were told to plan for 20% cuts. 20% cuts would have been draconian - college officials discussed closing programs, canceling summer classes, layoffs, furloughs, etc. By threatening 20% then pulling back, the governor was shrewd. She scared everybody silly with a 20% boogie man, then made 6% cuts seem like an xmas present; an excellent tactic for delivering bad news.

CC Presidents across the state breathed a sigh of relief.

"It could have been worse," Everett Community College President David Beyer said. MSNBC.
Columbia Basin College President Rich Cummins is breathing a cautious sigh of relief after comparing Gov. Chris Gregoire's proposed biennial budget to the drastic cuts he was asked to prepare for last month. "This is a much less severe scenario than we would have predicted," Cummins said of Gregoire's proposal to cut 6 percent of the funding for the state's community and technical college system. We are hopeful this budget will remain largely intact and be the one that gets passed in the spring," he said. "The college will have to make some pretty substantial cuts, but (less than) compared to the 20 percent scenario." Tri-City Herald
YVCC President, Dr. Linda Kaminski says she has been planning for the worst case scenario. "We were actually expecting a far greater cut and at 20%, it would have just devastated the college, and would have sent thousands of students away. So this is good news for us, it's still a cut and we will have to deal with it," Dr. Kaminski says. KIMA-TV

Conversely, WA universities were grumbling. UW President Mark Emmert was complainer in chief, and he intends to fight the proposal.

"And while it is clear that she attempted to spread the pain, it nevertheless is substantial for the University. The Governor has proposed a 13 percent cut in funding to the state's 4-year colleges and universities for the upcoming biennium. For the UW, this would mean a reduction of $116 million for the biennium...present our case that protecting the University's fiscal well-being is critical to the future of our state. We have a very strong case, and we will deliver it in Olympia as forcefully and aggressively as possible." Seattle P-I

Cuts are indeed painful, it it's clear that education got off easier than many other areas of the state budget. In choosing where to make cuts least deep, the governor chose wisely in sparing the community colleges.

Community colleges are countercyclical - their enrollment increases when economic times are tough. Furthermore, CCs provide the quick (3-, 6- & 36-month) training that out-of-work adults need to retool for tomorrow's economy. Universities make the same arguments, but Gov. Gregoire agrees with me that the CC case is stronger when times are tougher. Additionally, CCs have less fat to cut off their budgets than universities - particularly well-funded research universities like UW and WSU (sadly, that's less true at regional universities like EWU, Central, etc. They'll be in a tough spot.)

Now, the budget will progress through legislative machinations, and the 6% cut is by no means set in stone. However, for now, WA community colleges are breathing a sigh of relief.

A community college voice

2008-12-21T01:35:00.001-08:00

This is Community College Emissary's first entry.

American higher education is standing on a precipice. Across the country, our community colleges are facing drastic cuts in state funding. Community colleges must be nimble and wise so they can emerge strong and serve students well. This blog endeavors to support that effort.

After a cursory search of the blogosphere, I found precious few that dealt exclusively with issues effecting community colleges. What follows is my humble attempt to shine light on the largest sector of American education.

At this critical moment in American economic history, America needs technicians who do more than thinkers who ponder. This blog is for thinkers who understand the previous sentence.

Welcome to Community College Emissary.