Innovations
December
2015
Established over thirty years ago to recognize significant community college innovations, the League’s Innovation of the Year awards are designed to honor faculty, staff, and administrators at member institutions who have created and implemented innovative programs, practices, partnerships, policies, and activities that improve the college’s ability to serve students and the community.
The following descriptions of four 2015 award-winning innovations reflect the diversity of programs and projects honored last year, which range from improving student success and promoting sustainable education...
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December
2015
The Maricopa Community Colleges has announced a new program that will help children who are aging out of the foster care system to get into and complete college. The Bridging Success Initiative, funded by the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust, was introduced at an event with partners from across the Valley.
The initiative advisory board has representatives from Arizona State University (ASU), Children's Action Alliance, Arizona's Children Association, Arizona Friends of Foster Care, College Success Arizona, College Depot, Florence Crittendon, and the Arizona Department of Child Safety.
The...
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November
2015
Onondaga Community College (OCC), in Syracuse, New York, began educating the next wave of nuclear energy industry workers in the fall of 2013 when it became one of only 36 colleges in the country to offer an A.A.S. degree in Nuclear Energy Technology (NET). The program was created in direct response to a workforce demand brought to the college by the nuclear energy industry. It estimates approximately half of its workforce will be eligible to retire during the next 10 years. The program and its curriculum were funded initially by a grant from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and a gift...
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November
2015
The League for Innovation in the Community College has two awards programs each spring that recognize and celebrate community college innovation and excellence. League Alliance member institutions are encouraged to participate in this year’s awards season to showcase outstanding faculty, staff, and administrators and the creative programs and practices they have developed.
Innovation of the Year
Submission Deadline: April 18, 2016
www.league.org/ioy
Established over 30 years ago, the League’s Innovation of the Year award was devised as a way to recognize significant innovations at Alliance...
November
2015
Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD) is having tremendous success in promoting completion and transfer among talented science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students through the DCCCD STEM Institute. The Institute focuses on a crucial leakage point in the STEM pipeline—the freshman and sophomore years of college. Much of the movement out of STEM majors occurs in these pivotal first two years. Since its initiation in 2009, the STEM Institute has evolved to include comprehensive extracurricular support for students preparing to complete a bachelor’s degree or...
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November
2015
We had an exciting time at our recent STEMtech 2015 conference, held this year in sunny Phoenix at the beautiful Arizona Grand Resort. While at the conference, we had an opportunity to meet many of you and capture your thoughts on video for our Faculty Voices VLOG project. Please click on the hyperlinks below to check out the latest faculty VLOGS as your colleagues share their thoughts and challenges, as well as our screen shots below from our social media chat.
Samantha Snavely, El Centro College, Biology Instructor, Student mentoring and the flipped classroom
Paul Pasichnyk El Centro...
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October
2015
The Wind Energy Department at Cloud County Community College (CCCC), Concordia, KS, held a two-day, 12-hour Introduction to Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Community Enrichment class in June 2015. The class gave any interested community member the opportunity to gain hands-on experience flying, configuring, and taking photos with UAVs. Those attending also had the opportunity to learn about the current FAA regulations for UAVs. Monte Poersch, CCCC wind energy instructor, taught the class.
CCCC Wind Energy instructor demonstrates how to fly a drone
The Wind Energy Department at CCCC has...
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October
2015
Sandburg Educational Network (SEN) is a technology partnership between Carl Sandburg College and the K-12 schools located in Carl Sandburg College District 518. Historically, the partnership consisted primarily of an annual Cyber Camp hosted and facilitated by the college for K-12 teachers. In 2014, the camp’s 13th year, the format was changed to include administrators and feature presenters from the K-12 district. Most of the schools within the district were moving to one-on-one initiatives which became the focus of the event. Attendance nearly doubled, and attendees requested that similar...
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October
2015
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September
2015
Wharton County Junior College (WCJC) students will soon have a cutting-edge career path to follow, thanks to an ongoing collaboration between the college, Tenaris, and the Bay City Community Development Corporation (BCCDC).
Through WCJC’s new Manufacturing Technology Program—which kicks off this fall—students will be able to obtain one of three different certificates or complete a two-year associate of applied science degree in Manufacturing Technology.
Students participating in the program will be well versed in the skills necessary for a host of industry-related fields, said Dr. Amy LaPan...
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September
2015
San Jacinto College veteran educator Dr. Karen Hattaway was selected by the League for Innovation in the Community College to author The Cross Papers, Number 18, a scholarly, in-depth monograph that will help to shape teaching strategies in many of the nation’s community colleges.
The format for The Cross Papers was established by K. Patricia Cross, a retired educator and scholar of educational research who wrote the first seven issues. Since the release of the inaugural issue in 1997, The Cross Papers have been designed to provide faculty with a body of useful, proven, practical strategies...
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September
2015
Workforce programs have long been acknowledged as centers of innovation on every community college campus, and now a new evaluation system can help college workforce leaders demonstrate the learning quality of their instructional programs.
The Workforce Education Implementation Evaluation (WEIE) framework, developed by SRI International in Menlo Park, California, is based on a six-year case study supported by the National Science Foundation of five workforce education programs across the United States. It features tools and concepts that make it possible for program leaders to assess the hard...
August
2015
As community colleges prepare for classes to begin in coming weeks, the League congratulates the 2014-2015 Innovation of the Year award recipients, and invites participation in the 2015-2016 Innovation of the Year awards program.
Launched more than three decades ago to recognize significant innovations at member colleges, the awards are designed to recognize faculty, staff, and administrators at member colleges who have created and implemented innovative programs, practices, partnerships, policies, and activities that improve the institution's ability to serve students and the community....
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August
2015
Many Norwalk Community College (NCC) students work full-time and care for their families while attending college. It's a constant juggling act with hurdles to overcome, including taking care of sick children, squeezing in study time between doctor's appointments, and coping with rising food costs.
NCC realizes that having determination and a sterling work ethic aren't enough for some students to succeed. That's why, in addition to the requisite financial aid and career services, NCC offers two uncommon support services that provide students with free medical care and free groceries, right on...
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July
2015
Onondaga Community College's (Syracuse, NY) commitment to environmental responsibility earned it Green College status from the prestigious Princeton Review in April 2015. A total of 861 colleges applied for the classification and OCC was one of only 353 selected.
Green College status is based on academic offerings and career preparation for students, campus policies, initiatives, and activities. The Princeton Review helps students get ready for college by offering test preparation, admission services, tutoring, and online courses.While reviewing and evaluating OCC's dedication to...
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July
2015
This webinar provides information for community college personnel interested in developing community college programs in Public Health and Health Navigation. It is applicable to the League for Innovation's 2015 and 2016 Calls for Planning Community College Programs in Public Health and Health Navigation.
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July
2015
Every college campus has a feel, an atmosphere, that is all its own. Having spent the last 16 years working in metropolitan community colleges, I have had the opportunity to see all types of students interact with one another in that atmosphere, as well as with faculty and staff from all backgrounds. All students are on campus to learn, and when the learning mission is disrupted, it's important to know two things: why it was interrupted and how the college can stop the interference from reoccurring. One issue facing today's college campuses is how to comply with federal Title IX guidelines....
June
2015
Minnesota State Community and Technical College (M State) has announced an ambitious and exciting initiative that uses the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA+) as a tool to identify student achievement. CLA+ is a performance-based assessment that measures critical thinking, complex reasoning, and written communication and mechanics.
Up2U
Up2U is an incentive-based program that supports student learning, increases persistence and motivation, and advances achievement in degree completion. Students who participate in Up2U are driven to finish school on time and with a high level of academic...
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June
2015
Graduating high school students across the nation are faced with deciding whether to continue their education or enter the workforce. Many seek higher education in order to improve career opportunities and gain economic prosperity and social mobility (Blackwell & Pinder, 2014). The College Board claims that the average annual income for individuals who have a baccalaureate degree is $53,976. The unemployment rate among these graduates is 4.7 percent, which is lower than the U.S. unemployment rate of 6.7 percent (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2014). While these statistics look promising, the...
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