The Harlan Daily Enterprise
February 9, 2005
Proposed budget cuts worry Ayers
The federal budget set before Congress on Monday, if passed, will cut funding
for three programs meant to help students make it to college.
Cutting just one of the three programs — Upward Bound, Gear Up or Perkins
Loan — would be a “terrible blow,” said Southeast Kentucky Community
and Technical College President Bruce Ayers.
All three, he said, would be “devastating.”
If the budget passes as is, SKCTC would lose over $1.5 million in programs and
funding, as well as 15 full-time and several part-time positions, according
to Ayers.
Upward Bound, a nationwide program which has been at the community college since
1965, was rated as “ineffective” due to a lack of data on key performance
measures and evaluation results by a government assessment. It found the program
has limited overall impact because services are not sufficiently well targeted
to higher-risk students.
Gear-Up received an “adequate” rating because it employs a number
of strategies that other studies have found to be effective, but no data is
available to measure progress toward long-term program goals.
The assessment found that the Perkins Loan program is not necessary as it duplicates
other student loan programs and serves a limited number of institutions.
The cuts would save a combined $685.1 million nationwide.
But contrary to the government assessment, Ayers said the programs have been
tremendously successful.
“I have seen students who were the first in their families to ever consider
going to college, to enroll and become very successful,” said Ayers. “We
have folks who have gone through the program all over the country — bankers,
lawyers and teachers, who can attest to the fact that (Upward Bound) has changed
their lives.”
Anitra Stocking, a 1996 graduate of James A. Cawood High School and former member
of Upward Bound, is one of those success stories.
The first person in her immediate family to complete college, she earned her
first degree in biology pre-med at Eastern Kentucky University, and then went
back to school and earned a second degree in nursing, graduating in December
2004. Next week, she begins work as a nurse at St. Joseph’s Hospital in
Lexington.
“I think it gave me that basic foundation that I needed and the confidence
I needed to strive for excellence,” said Stocking.
Carolyn Sundy is the director of the Upward Bound program at the Cumberland
campus, which has served 2,366 in Harlan and Bell counties. She said this isn’t
the first time the program has been in danger.
Sundy said former presidents Bush and Nixon, both Republicans, also proposed
eliminating the program, but it survived both times.
But this time the money isn’t disappearing; it’s being redirected.
The president’s new High School Initiative will provide $1.2 billion to
be used for high school intervention to help states hold high schools accountable
for teaching all students and to provide effective interventions for those students
who are not learning at grade level.
The administration claims the initiative will make taxpayer dollars work smarter
by removing programs with a narrow focus and programs that have not proven effective.
“I just think the president has gotten some bad advice from someone,”
said Ayers. “He’s proposing to put dollars back into similar programs
that have yet to be discussed. I can’t understand why you would take something
that has proven to be so successful and want to discard it.”
Hazard Herald
February 3, 2005
Hallie Bowling named Staff New Horizons winner at HCTC
Hallie Bowling of Hyden has been named the New Horizon staff award recipient
at Hazard Community & Technical College because of her years of dedicated
service, most recently as the assistant director of Enrollment and Diversity
Services, a position she has held since July 2003. The award includes an all-expense
paid trip to Austin, Texas to participate in the National Institute for Staff
and Organizational Development (NISOD) conference in May.
Mrs. Bowling first came to the college in 1993 where she worked in admissions
as the staff assistant. In 2001, she was promoted to the campus director of
the Leslie County Center.
Dr. Jay K. Box, HCTC president/CEO praised Mrs. Bowling. “At a time of
much change and transition in the Enrollment and Diversity Services area, Hallie
provided exceptional work and foresight in working with recruiters, establishing
and maintaining contacts in local schools, businesses, and agencies. Her contributions
to the college are greatly appreciated.”
“Hallie is a very dedicated employee who consistently uses student needs
as the foundation for all her decision making,” noted Germaine Shaffer,
director of Enrollment and Diversity Services, adding that Hallie is outstanding
in every job she undertakes. Those jobs included organizing the KCTCS Rotary
Day when 700 high school juniors came to the campus to learn about careers and
the Regional College Day where 30 colleges and eight area secondary schools
came to the college.
Doug Fraley, Student Services vice president, praised Hallie’s contributions
to the college. “She has developed strong community relations that are
an asset to the college as a whole,” Fraley said, noting that the Leslie
County Center continues to grow and develop.
Thelma Morgan is enrolled at Hazard Community & Technical College and
praised Mrs. Bowling’s work with students. “She makes the students
her first priority. She is the one person that you can count on, regardless
of what she is doing; she always takes the time to stop and help. She demonstrates
an excellent attitude that inspires all the students,” Ms. Morgan said.
Service at the college has included her work with the Enrollment Management
Team, Mission Team, Goal Team, Marketing Team, selection committees for nursing
and physical therapy. Professional development includes membership in the Kentucky
Association of Secondary and College Admission Counselors and the Kentucky Association
of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers and the Southeast Counseling
Association.
She holds a master’s degree in business administration from Morehead
State University, where she also obtained a bachelor’s degree. She holds
three associate degrees from Hazard Community and Technical College.
Her interest in the community is expressed through her dedication to the Leslie
County Humane Society where she serves as treasurer and she is a member of the
Leslie County DARE Committee. She is a member of the Kentucky River P-16 Council.
Hallie and her husband, Billy, have three daughters--April, Crystal, and Heather.
Jackson Times
February 10, 2005
Parents and students--do you need assistance with completing the financial
aid application?
Hazard Community and Technical College (HCTC) will be hosting College Goal
Sunday on Sunday, Feb. 27, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Hazard Campus of Hazard
Community & Technical College. College Goal Sunday provides students and
their families the opportunity to get the 2005-2006 financial aid application
filled out with the assistance of a financial aid professional. There are no
fees for this service. If a student is planning to attend college starting August
2005, use this event to get the financial aid application completed and submitted
for processing.
Attendees should bring completed 2004 U.S. Income Tax Returns, W-2 statements,
and/or proof of income for the 2004 year. Financial Aid Professionals will be
on hand to assist with the completion of this extremely important application.
For additional information, call (800) 246-7521, extensions 73061 or 73060.
You may also email: chuck.anderson@kctcs.edu
The Chronicle of Higher Education
February 11, 2005
Community colleges go globe-trotting
2-year institutions are drawing more international students,
and recruiters are crossing oceans to meet them
On a Saturday afternoon in October, Tuba Gonel, her head scarf flowing behind
her, strides through the high-ceilinged atrium of a private high school in an
upper-class neighborhood of this city of domes and minarets.
A teacher at a Muslim high school, Ms. Gonel has eight female students in tow.
They have come to check out the offerings at a recruitment fair held by the
American Association of Community Colleges.
She reaches the table of Brookhaven College, a two-year institution in Dallas,
and pulls out a notepad and pen. Her questions, posed in cautious English, are
precise: How many Turkish students attend Brookhaven? What is the average amount
of financial support that they need? Are there any specific documents that applicants
must present?
Through an interpreter, the college's representatives respond with a sales
pitch not unlike those of the other two-year colleges at the fair.
"International students select us because our tuition rate is very reasonable
compared to universities," says Thomas I. Anderson, assistant to Brookhaven's
president. He notes that while the college has fewer than 10 Turkish students,
it enrolls some 700 international students in all, in a total enrollment of
just over 10,000. "Our class sizes are smaller" than those of four-year
universities, he says, and foreign students are more than welcome -- "we
do a lot to make them feel comfortable."
Answers like that have attracted a growing number of foreign students to community
colleges. In the decade from the 1993-4 through 2002-3 academic years, international-student
enrollments at the 1,200 U.S. two-year colleges shot up about 60 percent, from
just over 60,000 students to nearly 97,000. That figure is double the overall
growth for international students at all postsecondary institutions (see article
on Page A11).
Two-year institutions have tapped into a global market that is ripe for educational
alternatives, enrolling students from around the world who see advantages in
a cheaper route to a four-year degree, an environment much more forgiving of
English-language deficiencies, and student populations high in ethnic diversity.
Though some community colleges have stepped up their recruitment efforts --
especially to compensate for a slight drop in international enrollments after
September 11, 2001 -- other factors are contributing to the enrollment explosion.
Many officials credit the increase to word of mouth. After all, the majority
of community colleges with large international enrollments do not actively recruit
at all.
Recruiters and international-education organizations say financial downturns
both in the United States and throughout Asia -- which accounts for the most
foreign students in American colleges -- have forced many prospective students
to seek a less-expensive American degree.
The experts also note that the rise of the Internet has allowed foreign students
to learn more about the two-year-college sector, which bills itself as American
higher education's best-kept secret.
Soaring foreign enrollment also coincides with a 50-percent drop over the past
five years in the enrollments of students at private English-language institutes
in various countries. Those institutes have fallen out of favor because of their
high tuition rates and the U.S. government's growing reluctance to issue visas
to students, particularly those who just want to study English in the United
States.
And there is the cachet factor: Community colleges are increasingly popular
among American undergraduates as well, some 50 percent of whom attend them.
"The fact that Americans are doing it makes it more attractive to international
students," says Zepur Solakian, vice president for global marketing and
communication at Edmission, a California-based company that helps American colleges
market themselves abroad.
The Pitch
Twenty-two colleges sent representatives to Europe this fall, on a tour that
included not only Turkey but also Bulgaria, Poland, and Sweden. Istanbul was
the last stop on the trip, by the end of which the community-college officials
had talked to more than 500 prospective students, their parents, and U.S. embassy
and consular officials.
Here in Istanbul, college representatives meet students like Andre Can Fulton,
18, and his friend Sedat Serttos, 17, who want to attend college in the United
States because, they say, they love American culture. The two Turkish teenagers
would like to study tourism, preferably at a college where they can also play
intercollegiate basketball and soccer.
Mr. Fulton, about 6 feet tall and scrawny, sports a Los Angeles Lakers warm-up
jacket. It does not take long for him and Mr. Serttos to find the booth for
Los Angeles City College.
A poster for the college is decorated with film strips and pictures of palm
trees. It also lists some key facts: Two years of study at the college plus
two more years at a four-year institution equals a bachelor's degree; students
can major in fields like cinema, music, and theater; tuition and fees for one
year add up to just $4,290, compared with more than $10,000 in the California
State University System, $14,000 in the University of California system, and
$22,000 at some private colleges.
Reginald Brady, director of the Los Angeles college's international-student
center, welcomes the students and asks them to write down their names and contact
information on a form. To attend the college, he explains, they will have to
provide proof of a high-school diploma, as well as bank statements verifying
that they have at least $10,000 to finance their study and living expenses.
The college also requires that international students provide scores from the
Test of English as a Foreign Language, but Mr. Brady says that because he can
tell that they speak English well, they will not have to take the test.
Then he moves on to meatier topics. "So this wasn't the Lakers' year,"
the recruiter says, chuckling. Mr. Fulton, whose father is American, nods his
head and laughs. Mr. Brady also touts the virtues of the college's environs:
beaches, blue skies, and a diverse population.
Asked later what they think of Los Angeles City College, Mr. Fulton says, "I'm
sold."
Good Investments
Community colleges are sold on the benefits of international students: When
given the proper support by a college, students from other countries generally
have higher retention rates than domestic students, and they are less likely
to take their education for granted, officials say.
And since foreign students must prove that they have financial support before
getting their visas -- 81.4 percent pay their way with family and personal funds
-- many of them do not work once they arrive in the United States, and so are
able to immerse themselves in campus activities.
International students put a lot of change into a college's piggy bank. In
most states, community colleges get to keep revenue from tuition paid by foreign
students instead of handing it over to the state. International students spend
some $13-billion a year on tuition and living expenses in the United States,
and the community-college association estimates that two-year colleges get about
$2-billion of that pot.
The association, which started its foreign recruitment trips three years ago,
cites increased enrollment and tuition revenue as good reasons for colleges
to spend the $4,000 to $7,000 apiece to sign up. The fee does not include airfare,
lodging, and meals -- but for most colleges, just two international enrollees
would cover the entire tab.
Los Angeles City College, whose booth is one of the most popular on the tour,
generates about $3.8-million annually in tuition from its 950 international
students. Bunker Hill Community College, in Boston, which also draws large crowds
at the fairs, gets about $3.75-million annually in tuition from its 500 international
students.
The recruitment trips are designed not only as fishing expeditions but also
as opportunities to foster better understanding of the American community-college
system among international students.
For the recruiters, the low profile of American community colleges is at once
a hindrance and an advantage. Community-college officials must repeatedly explain
that, unlike in other countries, students may transfer the credits from their
two-year associate degrees to four-year institutions. At the same time, officials
say, most foreign students do not have the bias against community colleges that
some Americans do.
Judith Irwin, director of international programs and services at the American
Association of Community Colleges, says she is still sniffing out the international
markets to determine which ones hold the most promise. In some areas of the
world, community colleges have been slow to generate much interest. Last fall
the association held a fair in Latin America, but turnout was low, she says.
The association will continue to hold two tours a year, one in Asia each spring
and the other probably alternating between Latin America and Europe in the fall.
This fall's trip to Europe was the first there, and recruiters were pleasantly
surprised by the turnout.
In European countries where rigid systems of higher education force students
to choose a college major as early as high school, the flexibility of American
community colleges appeals to some students. In Sweden many high-school students
want to come to the United States for only a year or two, to brush up on their
English and to experience another culture. With relatively few exchange programs
between Swedish and American institutions, community colleges have become an
attractive option.
Welcoming Students
It is not certain how many community colleges actively recruit overseas. In
a 2000 survey by the community-college association, comprising responses from
307 colleges, 41 percent said they send representatives to other countries or
advertise overseas. Ms. Solakian, the private marketing official who coordinates
the fairs for the association, thinks the figure is much lower. She estimates
that only about 25 percent of the 800 community colleges with visa-holding students
do some form of recruiting, even if it is just circulating study-abroad brochures
and advertising their college on the Web.
In the New York City and the Washington areas, home to some of the colleges
that enroll the highest numbers of international students, most officials say
they have not lifted a finger to attract them.
Outside Washington, Maryland's Montgomery College has about 900 visa students,
a number that college officials say has risen steadily over the past decade
despite their not having sent recruiters to other countries. Like many other
two-year institutions, the college has made itself welcoming to foreign students,
setting up an international center, holding multicultural campus events, and
helping students secure visas and housing.
Charlene R. Nunley, the college's president, says that if Montgomery were in
financial straits, she might consider recruiting abroad. But because it is financed
by local tax dollars, she says, her "first priority needs to be making
sure I'm doing the very best I can to serve the local community."
In fact, she adds, some local politicians have expressed concern about the
growth in international enrollment. She has been glad to be able to tell them
that the college does not recruit abroad.
In recent years, the issue has come up in races for seats on the boards of
California community colleges, which do a lot of international recruiting but
have turned away tens of thousands of local students because of budget constraints.
At Riverside Community College (which sent a representative on this fall's tour),
one board candidate recently blasted the board of the Southern California institution
because of its heavy recruitment abroad.
Not every international student who takes a look at American community colleges
ends up enrolling, of course. Many of the students who visit the recruitment
fairs are just window-shopping. Derya Akay, 16, came to the fair in Istanbul
to learn more about product-design programs at community colleges. The programs
are less expensive than those at four-year institutions, but he was not sure
they were up to par.
"Universities have a history in the field that I think makes them much
stronger," says Mr. Akay, who hopes to attend the Parsons School of Design
at the New School University. "If I didn't get into a good university,
then a community college would be my last choice."
Ms. Gonel, the teacher from the Muslim high school in Istanbul, knows that
many of her students will apply directly to American universities. She has brought
them to the fair anyway, to remind them that they have options.
"It's about awareness," Ms. Gonel says. "Many of them can afford
Harvard and would like to go. But I want them to know that they do not need
to pay too much money. Education in the U.S.A. is itself very good. Whether
they start at a community college doesn't matter."
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