Community Colleges

As a readily accessible labor pool, student workers have long been an integral part of most institutions’ human resource planning, as well as a basic component of financial aid work-study programs. At Oakton Community College (Ill.) orientation sessions, new student employees get a crash course in business etiquette. 

Sharing information on the go is second nature to today’s college student. That reality is pushing higher ed leaders to leverage that connectivity to build a more interactive learning environment. In fall 2012, Dodge City Community College (Kan.) began requiring every student to have an iPad. The idea grew from conversations about how to boost retention. And every suggested strategy seemed to boil down to engagement and how to keep students interested.

College presidents in the Los Angeles Community College District will get a lower car allowance, but a higher salary under a plan approved Wednesday by the Board of Trustees. The action by the governing board was approved on a vote of 6 to 1, with Trustee Scott Svonkin dissenting.

Vance-Granville Community College
Henderson, N.C.

Northland Community & Technical College
East Grand Forks/Thief River Falls, Minn.

June 10-12, 2013
Orlando, Fla.

June 9-12, 2013
Chandler, Ariz.

Inver Hills Community College (Minn.) President Tim Wynes will serve as the interim president of Dakota County Technical College (Minn.) effective July 1. Wynes will serve as the president of both institutions while a permanent replacement is sought for current DCTC president Ron Thomas. According to a press release from MNSCU, the search for a permanent replacement will begin this fall.

Gov. John Kitzhaber has put forth a budget that earmarks $428 million for Oregon’s 17 community colleges for the 2013-2015 biennium. Those of us associated with the state’s community colleges have appreciated the positive direction of this budget—up from $395 million in the 2011-2013 biennium.

Since “Kirkwood Secret Admirer” was founded on March 28, over 1,600 Facebook members have liked the page and nearly 400 secret messages have been posted. However, despite being devoted to secret crushes, many of the messages posted on the Kirkwood page have been overtly sexual, inappropriate, spiteful or unabashedly mean.