Academics News

* Grads get great send-off at Commencement 2013

Graduates pour out of the gymnasium to greetings of friends, familiy, faculty an staff. More photos

Community and perseverance were the themes at the Shoreline Community College Commencement for the Class 2013.

Comments by the speakers at the June 9 event - student William C. Holmes III, faculty member Mimi Harvey and State Rep. Cyrus Habib – all focused on the idea that when personal strength is combined with societal support, great things can happen for both the individual and community.

Holmes said he was a high school dropout who re-engaged through the Career Education Options program. He went on to lead the college’s DECA team that recently returned from an award-winning effort at the national and international competition for business, marketing and entrepreneurship. Holmes emphasized that his accomplishments came with the help and support of many.

Harvey, who teaches Communications Studies, focused on the concept of community, but then asked the soon-to-be-graduates and audience to make that concept a reality. “Look around you, really, look around,” Harvey implored. “This is community, this is coming together.”

Habib’s own story is inspirational on its own. The 31-year-old legislator from Kirkland was blinded by cancer by age 8. He went on to become a Rhodes Scholar, Truman Scholar and graduate of Columbia University (Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa), Oxford University and Yale Law School where he served as editor of the Yale Law Journal.

“It would be easy for me to say ‘I did that, it was all me,’ and that might make me feel really good about myself,” Habib said. “Except it isn’t true.”

Habib said he did go to “all those fancy schools, but I started at what was then Bellevue Community College, which is why I’m so honored to be here today.” He went on to recount all the other assistance he received, both from supportive parents and public institutions, which has allowed him to be successful.

Also at the event, Professor Emeritus awards were given to three retiring faculty members, including Ed Harkness, English; Carla Hogan, Accounting; and Hermein Watkins, Nursing.

College President Lee Lambert presented Student Service awards to Walter Davis, Alex Peterson and Joice Pranata.

SCC/Jim Hills

* Innovation-fund awards to six faculty members

The first awards from the new innovation fund at Shoreline Community College will help six faculty members bring new knowledge, classes, programs and partnerships to students.

“I’m very excited about these proposals and the impacts they will have on our students,” said James Jansen, Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs. “These are wonderfully gifted and dedicated faculty members looking to expand what they can bring to the classroom.”

The six faculty members and their areas of study are: Rachel David, Women’s and Gender Studies; Tony Doupe, Film/Video; Tim Payne, Economics; Nirmala Savage, Mathematics; Neil Vasishth, English, and Brooke Zimmers, Communication Studies.

The innovation fund was established by the Board of Trustees in October, 2012 as part of a comprehensive package of reserve funds. The Innovation and Opportunities Reserve was established with a $2 million allocation at the direction of the board. Any future allocations are dependent upon the college’s overall financial health and made by the president. While the president ultimately approves of fun expenditures, the trustees are to receive semi-annual reports on those expenditures.

“One requirement for these awards is that we must measure the impact of this important work,” Jansen said, adding that total investment on all six projects is just shy of $200,000. Most of the money is for release time, paying for associate faculty to take over the teaching load during these projects. “The faculty members will have some assistance from our Department of Institutional Assessment and Data Management to determine how to most appropriately assess each project.”

The projects are:

Rachel David, Women’s and Gender Studies

David will spend this coming winter quarter developing a new course in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual studies. She intends to help form a bridge with Gay-Straight Alliance clubs at local high schools and potentially increase in retention of LGBTQ students at Shoreline.

Tony Doupe, Film/Video

Doupe will use this coming winter and spring quarters to develop three new courses: Webisodic Production, Business of Film and International Film Studies. In addition, he will continue his work to establish the Shoreline Film Office in collaboration with the City of Shoreline. He will be making connections with outside professional production companies to establish partnerships/student internships. In addition, Doupe will work on a system for in-house video production needs.

Tim Payne, Economics

Payne will use this fall quarter to create a new global studies certificate program. To help inform his efforts, Payne will work as an intern with an international foundation to increase his knowledge of international development, poverty reductions and sustainable agriculture.

Nirmala Savage, Mathematics

Savage is aiming at two targets during the next three quarters. First, she will create a new online version of Math 142 (Pre-calculus II) using open educational resources (OER) in the Canvas learning management system. Then, Savage will work toward infusing the entire mathematics curriculum with music applications that target liberal arts/humanities students

Neil Vasishth, English

During this fall and winter quarters, Vasishth will create a new English course that includes a service-learning component and affiliated assignments. The course will include optional credits attached to the service-learning component and a team-teaching possibility. Vasishth’s course will strengthen community engagement by developing One Campus, One Theme focus on food and hunger. The goal is to create a series of student community projects that support the college-wide internationalization initiative and specifically relate to South Asian and Indian cultures. The course will focus on Indian art forms and support the new Global Studies Certificate program proposed by faculty member Tim Payne.

Brooke Zimmers, Communication Studies

Zimmers will use the coming winter and spring quarters to redesign the Communications Studies 101 class to incorporate open educational resources (OER). She will also look to build technology across the entire Communications Studies curriculum. Another goal will be to increase internationalization efforts across campus by expanding knowledge of cross-cultural communication and create connections with new Global Studies Certificate.

SCC/Jim Hills

* Shoreline signs MOU with Chinese college

Above: Shoreline President Lee Lambert (left) Ningbo City College of Vocational Technology President Li Taiwu after signing a memorandum of understanding that could bring Ningbo students to Shoreline.

Below: Lambert and Bo Fu of Shoreline outside the Geely automotive plant.

Shoreline Community College and a college in China are working on a collaborative program that would expand the connections that are bringing Chinese students to Shoreline.

Shoreline President Lee Lambert recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Ningbo City College, located in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, just south of Shanghai. “I first met Li Taiwu, President of Ningbo City College about a year ago,” Lambert said. “This MOU, I hope, will become the third international program under our relationship with Tsinghua University.”

This past October, Shoreline signed agreements with Tsinghua and Qingdao universities for a “1 +1 +2” plan. After their first year, students from the two Chinese universities can come to Shoreline for the second year toward a two-year associate’s degree from Shoreline. With a Shoreline degree in hand, those students could then apply for admission to a four-year university in the U.S.

The MOU with Ningbo City College includes a similar arrangement for their students.

Ningbo City College is a public full-time post-secondary college that focuses on employment-and-ability-based education. Programs at the college are closely tied to business and industry needs in the surrounding area.

A port city, Ningbo has been an important trade and commercial hub since the Tang and Song dynasties. It is one of the three biggest industrial centers in Zhejiang Province. It has the biggest deep-water harbor and the port moves the most cargo in China. Industries include textile, fashion, machinery, petrochemical, steel, electric power, papermaking, electronic information, mechatronics and biotech. The Ningbo municipal government is working develop high-end modern services to meet the needs of the increasingly foreign-based economy.

Ningbo City College has 428 full-time faculty and staff serving a total of 7,818 full-time students. The college offers 37 diploma programs of higher vocational education and four bachelor degree programs. They also have a cooperative agreement with Western New Mexico University.

Lambert has made a number of additional stops on this trip, too.

“During a brief stop in Seoul, Executive Director of International Education Diana Sampson and I met with our partners from Ajou Motor College,” Lambert said. “This is a partnership was established in 2006 when I accompanied Washington’s former Gov. Chris Gregoire on a trade mission to Korea. Boryeong, Ajou’s hometown, is also a sister city to the City of Shoreline. We host a group of about 20 Ajou students during the summer to learn about applied automotive service.”

Lambert said the Korean Ministry of Education has designated Ajou Motor College as a "World Class College." This means in part they will provide a greater leadership role to other Korean colleges in building and establishing international partnerships and relationships, he said.

From Seoul, Lambert met up with Shoreline’s Assistant Director for International Outreach Bo Fu in mainland China.

“We visited the city of Cixi, invited by the mayor to discuss U.S. higher education partnerships,” Lambert said. “While there, we visited a technical high school where the students receive a stipend to attend.”

Lambert said they saw the school’s CNC machining and electrical training programs which appeared to be quite advanced. “Many of the students will graduate and go directly to the workforce. A smaller number will go on to a Vocational College or University,” Lambert said. “The principal was interested in setting up an English language training program.”

While in Cixi, Lambert and Fu toured the Geely automotive plant. Geely is the company that bought Volvo and sells passengers cars under three other brand names, including, Emgrand, Englon and Gleagle.

“Bo and I also travelled to YuYao city where we have an established international program with the top high school in the city,” Lambert said, adding that the program was established through a partnership with the Heibei Study Abroad Institute of Tsinghua University.

“I met with a group of more than 20 students. At least half are planning to attend Shoreline,” Lambert said. “We visited another high school in YuYao and are hoping this will become the site of another international program. We also visited an experimental middle school to meet with parents interested in sending their children to the international program at YuYao high school and potentially on to Shoreline.”

Lambert also visited the Nanjing Institute of Technology.

Nanjing officials have visited Shoreline with the Vocational Education and Leadership Training program sponsored by the American Association of Community Colleges and the China Education Association for International Exchange. While here, Nanjing expressed interest in Shoreline’s world-renown Professional Automotive Training Center. Now, Nanjing officials are interested in a diagnostics and torque training program that could start as early as this summer. That training is available as part of Shoreline’s participation with the National Coalition of Certification Centers (NC3) and its industry partners, including Snap-on Corp. Lambert currently serves as president of NC3.

“They wanted to reassure me that they are seeking support from the Chinese Ministry of Education to bring this long anticipated program into reality,” Lambert said.

Lambert may also meet in Beijing with former NBA star, Seattle SuperSonic and Washington State University basketball player James Donaldson. “I just learned that (Donaldson) would like to meet with me while in Beijing,” Lambert said. “James is a member of the Washington State Chinese Chamber of Commerce, which I am now on the board, overseeing the Chamber's educational initiatives. He would like to discuss teacher training as he is involved with the NBA in China.”

Lambert said he has additional stops scheduled to visit a partner high school in Zouping, Qingdao University in Qingdao and Chongqing to speak with financial participants in the proposed privately funded student housing project.

SCC/Jim Hills

* Shoreline aligns with new UW online degree

Shoreline Community College has always had strong ties to the University of Washington and today’s announcement of the UW’s first online-only degree reinforces that relationship.

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“The UW’s new degree program aligns perfectly with our expansion of online offerings,” Shoreline President Lee Lambert said, adding that Shoreline’s mainstay, two-year Associate of Arts degree is already available online. “Students will now be able to start online at Shoreline and achieve a four-year, University of Washington degree, completely online.”

The UW on Wednesday, March 27, 2013 announced its first online-only bachelor's degree, the Early Childhood and Family Studies program. While final approval is still pending, UW officials expect the program to start fall quarter, 2013, with applications opening May 7 and classes starting Sept. 25.

"This is a very exciting development in the use of technology to meet critical educational needs that otherwise might be difficult to do in a more traditional educational setting," UW President Michael K. Young said at a news conference in Seattle. "The country is moving toward better education, training – and certification – for the teachers of our youngest students. This is an optimal way to ensure they have access to high quality education in a place and at a cost that makes sense for them.

“We will be doing more of this."

In addition to being available online, the new UW degree will cost $160 per credit for the 84 course-credit degree, significantly less than regular tuition rates. Shoreline’s cost is even less, generally ranging from about $86 to $117 per credit for online classes, not including fees. Students would generally complete the new UW course credits over two years, but must have a minimum of 70 college credits to be accepted.

“We share the UW’s vision that online degrees are a great way to expand access to quality higher education,” Lambert said. “We know there are about a million Washington residents with some college, but no degree. It is vision and cooperative efforts like this that can help bring people the education they need for a better life.”

In addition to aligning with the UW program, Shoreline is also offering a “reverse transfer degree” to students who leave for the UW before completing a 90-credit, two-year community college degree.

“The University accepts our credits as part of their degrees, there’s no reason why Shoreline shouldn’t accept UW credits for our degrees,” said James Jansen, Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs. The reverse transfer concept is new, Jansen said, adding that Shoreline is currently developing an application and transcript review process.

UW Educational Outreach will administer the new program and received a Next Generation Learning Challenges grant partially funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help offset costs of developing the degree. The grant includes offering several core classes in early childhood education free to the public, as Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) on the Coursera platform.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 25 percent growth from 2010 to 2020 in the employment of preschool teachers. Head Start requires 50 percent of its teachers to earn bachelor's degrees, while other national and state programs use teachers' degrees to gauge the quality of their early education services.

At Shoreline, in addition to the general transfer degree online, a number of education-oriented degrees and certificates are offered online.

“Our Associate in Arts Elementary Education degree is online and part of the state’s direct transfer agreement with the UW and most other in-state colleges and universities,” said Ann Garnsey-Harter, director of Shoreline’s Virtual College. “We also have an Early Childhood Educator/Paraeducator Associate in Applied Arts and Sciences degree, a Child Care Professional certificate and a Child Care Basics certificate. All of those are available online, right now.”

In addition, Shoreline has the Parent-Child Learning, an operating day-care center that also serves as a learning lab for students, and seven parent cooperative preschools across the north end of King County. Parents in the co-ops earn college credit for their participation.

SCC/Jim Hills

* Cadwell and Walker gain tenure

Erin Walker (center) with trustees and President Lee Lambert.

Ellen Cadwell (center) with trustees and President Lee Lambert.

Ellen Cadwell and Erin Walker were each awarded tenure as faculty members at Shoreline Community College by unanimous votes of the Board of Trustees at the March 20, 2013 regular board meeting.

“It is just outstanding that Shoreline has such high caliber talent,” Trustee Gidget Terpstra said.

Cadwell is Director of the Health Informatics and Information Management (HIIM) program. The innovative program is completely online, one of the few such programs in the U.S. and has students from across the country. As health-care records have become increasingly computerized, employees in the field must be trained and certified. The HIIM program prepares students to take national certification exams and many go on to work in a variety of health-care settings including hospitals, long term care facilities, clinics and others.

Walker has worked in the International Education office since 2002. She has had various immigration and advising duties, but definitely finds advising to be the most rewarding. Walker holds bachelor's and master's degrees in Music from the University of Idaho. Besides advising international students, Walker also enjoys travelling and has visited 18 other countries and is looking forward to more.

SCC/Jim Hills