Teaching and writing, before dawn
An award-winning poet and novelist, Javier Ávila teaches five English classes at Northampton Community College in Pennsylvania. He writes from midnight to 4 a.m., goes to sleep and wakes up for a 10 am class, reports the Chronicle of Higher Education. A tenured literature professor at the University of Puerto Rico, Ávila was being groomed for an administration [...]
Go to college, but go cheap
Too many students are going to college, some argue. Many end up with lots of debt for a low-value bachelor’s degree — or no degree at all. Zac Bissonette of Daily Finance has practical advice: Start at a low-cost community college. During the first four months of 2009, fewer than half of four-year college graduates under [...]
Can college ban cursing?
Kicked out of class and given 12 demerits for saying in a discussion after class that a bad grade would “f— up” his GPA, 29-year-old Isaac Rosenbloom argues Hinds Community College in Mississippi has no right to punish disrespect or cursing. Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) Vice President Robert Shibley calls the policy unconstitutional [...]
The green degree
North Shore Community College is going green, reports the Boston Globe. The three-year-old Green Curriculum Project encourages faculty members “to integrate environmental topics into their traditional courses, in subjects ranging from English to math.” “We are trying to ‘green’ the college curriculum,’’ said English professor Joseph Modugno, who with natural sciences professor Gregory Reppucci coordinates the [...]
So you want to teach community college
Getting a job as a community college instructor is tougher than ever, writes Rob Jenkins on the Chronicle of Higher Education. He explains why: As they hire more and more faculty members on contingent contracts, community colleges are creating ever deeper pools of “homegrown” talent. While it’s often said that being an adjunct for too long can [...]
Students without papers
Should community colleges educate illegal immigrants? North Carolina’s policy is seesawing wildly. Last September, the State Board of Community Colleges decided to admit undocumented U.S. high school graduates, if they don’t displace a U.S. citizen and pay out-of-state tuition, about $7,700 a year, compared to the in-state rate of $1,600. Now community college system President [...]
Pakistanis go to U.S. community colleges
Pakistani professionals can study at U.S. community colleges under a special program, reports The International News. The United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP) is funding 60 students this year to study agriculture, applied engineering, business management and administration, media and tourism and hospitality management. Saadia Khan, who studied tourism and hospitality at a U.S. community college in [...]
CCs say: Show us the money
Community college leaders agree on the need to boost degree and certificate completion rates, writes David Moltz on Inside Higher Ed. But the completion agenda — improving student success rates by 50 percent over the next decade – can’t happen without funding, they say. And most are trying to meet more demand with less money. Ron Wright, chancellor [...]
In defense of general ed
Don’t lower general education requirements for all students to make transfers easier for community college students, writes the American Council of Trustees and Alumni in a letter to University of Arkansas trustees. The university is responding to a state law designed to facilitate transfers and boost graduation rates.
Engineering students told to transfer
Even if engineering students can get a job with a two-year degree, they should take more time to earn a bachelor’s degree. That’s the advice Greenfield Community College in western Massachusetts is giving students, reports Inside Higher Ed. Ten years ago, Greenfield phased out certificates in computer-aided design and surveying, and associate degrees in industrial technology and [...]
