Last night at the Seattle Town Hall meeting on the Greater Good campaign we heard about the tremendous impact of higher education on individuals and our state. All six of Washington state’s public university presidents spoke out about the risks of continued cuts – our state now ranks 48th in per capita enrollment in public baccalaureate programs. A second panel of leaders from The Boeing Company, Microsoft, and REI reinforced the message that the cuts are hurting job creation and expansion.
It is clear that our future is at risk because of the state’s disinvestment in higher education. By the end of evening, there was no doubt that higher education is absolutely critical to our quality of life and to our state’s economy. And yet, with proposed and actual reductions, state funding for our community colleges has been cut by one-third since 2007.
We are so fortunate to have world-class universities and businesses in our state and to have their flagship operations in our neighborhoods. Their representatives also made the case for the four-year state colleges.
But here’s the rest of the story – 40% of students who get a bachelor’s degree in our state start at a community college. Why? They are placebound, they work, they have families, they have limited resources, they need flexibility, and for many of the first-generation students, community college is a better match. Community and technical colleges across the state are highly diverse, and most of our students live nearby. For those who are born and raised in a community, the community college is a first choice on their way to a degree, or job training and careers.
Another part of the story is that community colleges are the first choice for workforce training, particularly the thousands of people who have been laid off, or need to change careers, or want to move up in their careers. In Seattle last year, we had 17,000 students enrolled in workforce programs, and one-fifth of those held bachelors’ degrees or higher. An example is nursing – where one-third of our students hold a BA degree or higher – and allied health. In this occupational cluster, our colleges awarded more than 1,000 degrees and certificates last year in programs ranging from Certified Nursing Assistant and Medical Assistants to Dental Hygienists and RNs.
We heard from Boeing that 50% of their engineers and production workers will be eligible to retire in less than five years. Our colleges play key roles in educating and training for the aerospace industry. For example, we have Aviation Powerplant (A&P) Mechanic at South Seattle, an FAA Partnership at North Seattle to train workers for air traffic control electronic systems, and STEM (science, math, engineering and technology) programs at all three colleges. More than one-third of the STEM students at our state’s four-year colleges started at community and technical colleges.
Support for four-year and two-year colleges is more important than ever before to the future of our community, our state, and our residents. Last night, WSU president Elson Floyd said to the audience, “We need strong supporters in the community, our alumni and business partners, to be a voice for higher education.” We couldn’t agree more.
We all have our definition of the American Dream, and I believe that community colleges are the key. Are there other stories that you can share? I would like to hear from you.
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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
International Service Learning
The Seattle Community Colleges are making a difference in the lives of people in developing countries around the world through Global Impact, a service learning program presented in partnership with Seattle-area medical, education and service organizations. Each summer, volunteer students, faculty, health care professionals and other community members provide healthcare and other volunteer services, and are themselves changed by their experience. Global Impact was inspired by the international programs of the Seattle Community Colleges, which serve students from more than 100 countries around the world; by the region’s leadership in health care; and by the health care education focus of the colleges, whose combined programs comprise the largest health care education provider in the region.
“These elements provide the foundation for taking our education programs to the next level of development and significance,” according to Global Impact program administrator Dr. Andrea Insley, district-wide coordinator of International Programs. Program destinations for 2008 include Vietnam, Peru and Tanzania.
For more information visit www.seattlecolleges.edu/globalimpact
A coalition of community partners was instrumental in creating a unique training facility that meets the region’s need for workers in high-demand fields, including training for new generations of green jobs. Representatives of education, business, labor, government, economic development organizations and community groups helped spur a land swap that doubled the size of the Duwamish branch campus of South Seattle Community College, located in the heart of the region’s industrial-manufacturing corridor. The coalition then identified critical workforce needs and educational services for the facility, which set the foundation for the Puget Sound Industrial Excellence Center, new construction and a newly renamed Georgetown Campus, reflecting the new strategic direction and community focus. Dedicated in 2008, the PSIEC serves as a focal point for economic development, educational opportunities, family-wage jobs and global competitiveness, and it has won statewide and regional awards.
For more information visit georgetown.southseattle.edu
Seattle Central Community College is located on Capitol Hill, a vibrant neighborhood that reflects the diversity and activity of the city. The campus is minutes from downtown Seattle and accessible from every part of the city via public transportation.
Seattle Central is an educational home for its students, who come from all backgrounds and cultures, and from more than 50 countries around the world. Seattle Central was recently included in a New York Times “Education Life” article that featured ten top transfer programs across the nation.
The college has also received national recognition for its innovative student services and academic programs. Its team-taught, multi-disciplinary Coordinated Studies curriculum was among the country’s first at a two-year college, and is the longest continually running program of learning communities. The college’s 30 workforce education programs range from Apparel Design to Wood Construction and include the renowned Seattle Culinary Academy. Seattle Central is also among the first colleges in the state to offer a baccalaureate degree, with a new Bachelor of Applied Behavioral Science degree.
The campus continues to expand in its urban neighborhood and beyond. The college recently opened a landmark Science and Math Building and a Creative Arts Academy for students in the Graphic Arts, Photography and Publishing Arts programs. In the next few years, the college plans to add a $26 million facility at its Wood Construction Center and an $18 million project at the Seattle Maritime Academy on the Lake Washington Ship Canal.
Located in a residential neighborhood five miles north of downtown, the North Seattle Community College campus includes environmentally sensitive wetlands which have inspired a college-wide commitment to sustainability.
North is the starting point for many students who complete their bachelor’s degrees at top universities across the country, including Dartmouth, Penn State and University of California at Berkeley. Strong academic preparation, small classes, an innovative integrated studies program, broad e-Learning options and a variety of partnerships with four-year schools facilitate transfer and support student success. North consistently ranks among the highest community colleges in number of transfers accepted at UW Seattle, and graduates fare as well as or better than other transfers or students who started at UW as freshmen.
North also provides outstanding career training in more than 50 certificate and degree programs, many in emerging fields such as Nanotechnology, Anesthesia Technical Services, and Green Real Estate. In response to the growing demand for healthcare workers, North has expanded access to training and opportunities for advancement, incorporating the I-BEST teaching model, which helps students develop literacy, basic skills and workplace skills at the same time. The college partners with hospitals, non-profits, and trade and labor organizations to present programs on and off-campus. North has also been selected for “Military-Friendly School” designation by GI Jobs Magazine for two years in a row.
South Seattle Community College overlooks downtown Seattle and Elliott Bay from an 87-acre wooded campus in West Seattle. The college is distinguished by its innovative professional-technical programs, a new University Center, and one of the state’s first four-year degree programs.
South’s Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) degree in Hospitality Management is the only one of its kind in Western Washington, preparing students for management-level positions or enhancing their career skills. The Northwest Wine Academy features an on-campus winery where students consistently produce award-winning vintages.
The main campus features a six-acre Arboretum used by Landscape Horticulture students and adjacent to the landmark Seattle Chinese Garden. The Georgetown Campus houses the Apprenticeship & Education Center, Puget Sound Industrial Excellence Center, and the Labor Education & Research Center.
The college is a leader in instructional innovation: South pioneered the I-BEST curriculum, which incorporates English skills development into course content, an approach that has been widely adopted across the country.
In 2008, South was awarded a $2.4 million federal grant to support student retention and success, with a special focus on Asian-American and Pacific Islander students. In Fall 2010, the college competed successfully for a five-year $2 million Strengthening Institutions grant from the U.S. Department of Education, involving strategies to help students achieve the 45-credit benchmark that is a strong indicator of graduation.
Seattle Vocational Institute, located in the city’s Central District, is a division of Seattle Central Community College and collaborates with all the colleges in the district as well as with business, labor, government and community-based organizations.
SVI has developed the area’s largest delivery system for short-term workforce training and education leading directly to employment. The training center is focused on providing its diverse student body, primarily adults, with –
Every year, more than 1,400 students are enrolled in the Business Computer, Medical, Dental, Cosmetology, and Multiple Trades programs. SVI also offers English as a Second Language, Adult Basic Education, and GED preparation. Special programs assist students with the basic skills necessary to begin training, attain an education and become employed.