It’s a sign of the economic times that those who were once secure in their employment are now returning to college to improve their skills or to change careers altogether. These students often include those who are working one or more full-time jobs, as well as meeting family obligations, while trying to fit school in between. It’s a challenge that Washtenaw Community College is trying to help students meet by offering evening classes, both on the main campus and at extension sites in Brighton, Dexter, Hartland and Ypsilanti, as well as online classes. However, most courses offered are general requirement courses, with many overlapping in availability. For example, to meet a general-education requirement for any degree, you must take English Composition 1. This course is available on the main campus on evenings and weekends and online at three out of four of the extension sites. Publication and Design, on the other hand, required for a graphic design degree, is available on campus only, from 9-11:55 a.m., on Tuesdays and Thursdays; there are no alternative options. So how does a student who works daily from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. get that course and degree completed? “See your department chair,” said James Egan, dean of Distance Learning. “We really want to serve all students,” he said, adding that administration can’t help juggle schedules if they don’t know that there is a problem. According to Egan, WCC is looking to provide as many options as possible for its students. The highest-enrolled courses are the most likely to be added as distance-learning options first, due primarily to resources. However, many courses are being offered as blended, which is both online and face-to-face, giving yet another option to busy students. “Much of the nursing program is now online,” Egan said, “and we are working to get accreditation to offer more full programs online.” Accreditation is through the Higher Learning Commission, which certifies that online course content matches both the content and quality that is taught in traditional face-to-face courses. Adam Martin, a sociology student from Hartland who takes courses at both the Hartland and Brighton campuses, will likely take all of the courses he can take off-campus before transferring to another school. “I am able to get all of my basic classes out of the way for cheaper than I could get them done at another college,” said Martin, crediting the in-district discount. It’s easy to wonder, especially when walking through the halls of Brighton High School heading toward the WCC office, if distance-learning options offer the same education as those at the main campus, or if they are really just a repeat of high school, as the lockers and poorly maintained restrooms may indicate. Professor David Orr, who teaches courses in Brighton and on the main campus argues that while the course content is the same, the resulting education may not be. “The classes are more culturally diverse (on the main campus), and in teaching sociology, this is a great asset when it comes to discussions,” Orr said. And what of online courses? There are those who argue that face-to-face teaching will always trump that driven by technology. But, by requiring the Introduction to Online Learning Course or GPA requirements, WCC works to ensure that students who are well-prepared are able to enroll in online or blended classes. The short online class will determine if a student is not only able to handle the format, but also driven enough to manage their own progress. Between12-20 percent of students have at least one online course, while 4-10 percent are exclusively studying online, according to Egan. And those who are taking online classes meet or exceed the performance of those in face-to-face classes, he said. Professor Donna Wass-erman, who teaches her government classes both online and on campus, said that while more of her face-to-face students finish the course, the level of participation is higher in online classes. “I think the online sections force students to be more involved in the discussions because it is required,” Wasserman said. “In my on-campus class, I have many students who would prefer not to contribute at all to the class discussions.”
 Cyber Defense team members from left to right: team MVP Nick Maxwell, Max Ramirez, Kenji Aoki, Hans Kokx, Nick Clarke, Team Captain Rob Woolson, Mike Steklac, and John Parott. (Pete Anderson courtesy photo) At 5 a.m. on a Saturday in March, members from the student computer security organization, CompSec, packed themselves into a white van at Washtenaw Community College. Their destination was Grand Rapids, where they represented the college at Michigan’s Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition. The CCDC gives teams of full-time college students from across the country, from 2-year and 4-year institutions, the opportunity to test their ability to defend a computer network against trained computer security professionals. The Washtenaw team finished second, attributing its success to their preparation and no-quit attitude. The competition—one of several state, regional and national events, kicked off at 9 a.m. and the teams were supposed to be given approximately 30 minutes to secure their computers and network before the attacks started. “The premise was that a whole IT department just got fired,” said Rob Woolson, the president of CompSec studying computer security. “They are disgruntled and upset so they left a lot of ways to get back on the network. They want to screw up the new team that is coming in to defend the network, which was what our team represented.” “Our whole game plan got thrown out of whack because they started messing with our routers within the first 15 minutes of the competition,” said Jon Parothan, a computer security student from Westland. Also, Parothan said they were bombarded with attacks throughout the day. However, the team adapted all of the situations it found itself in. Throughout the competition the team of hackers took down computers, network devices and added suspicious accounts to stations. Ultimately, they brought down every team’s network. At 6:15 p.m., the competition was called to a close and it was followed by a ceremony where they teams learned how the performed. “I was shocked to find that we came in second because we got beat on pretty hard and pretty fast,” said Nicholas Maxwell, a WCC computer security student from Freeland. “We had machines going down from 10 a.m. in the morning until 6 p.m., except for the 45-minute lunch break, and it didn’t stop until they called time.” “Nobody was able to completely defend against the attacks of the professional hackers,” said Neil Gudsen, a WCC computer information security program manager. “The reasons for our team’s success were that our team hung in there and they kept their cool, they prioritized well, they split up their responsibilities well, and they stayed in the game even when things got tough.” WCC had not sent a team to this competition for several years. Also, none of the current members of CompSec had participated in a CCDC event. “Most of us have not been in a situation where we had been attacked or defended a network,” Woolson said. To prepare, they used the Friday night CompSec meetings to plan and prepare for the CCDC event. “We were meeting every Friday for about a month prior to the competition, and we worked on replicating the infrastructure at the competition,” Maxwell said. Two WCC computer security instructors, Mike Galea and Doug Cox, volunteered their time to help fill in the gaps of knowledge in defending a network. “Doug and Mike gave the students a framework for prioritizing the first half hour of the competition before their started to get slammed by the professional hackers,” Gudsen said. “The two of them guided the students as far as researching vulnerabilities and suggesting strategies for protecting the systems.” Already, they are gearing up for a CCDC event slated for next fall. “We came away with a breadth of knowledge that you don’t receive in class, possible defenses and attacks,” Maxwell said. “This really showed us what it would be like in a work place.” CompSec meets Friday from 6-10 p.m. in TI 240. For more information, contact Woolson at rwoolson@wccnet.edu.
Kayaking. Sunburns. Shorts. Sunglasses. Coolers. Pontoon Boats. Grills. Michigan in…March? According to The National Weather Service, this March was the warmest on record for southern Michigan, breaking the previous record, from 1945, by several degrees. That year had record-setting 70-degree temperatures, but 2012 had highs in the 80s. And fun was had by all! That short span of warm weather was welcome after such a long, hard winter. Wait, we didn’t get much of that either, not hitting below freezing many days and getting more rain accumulation than snow. Which is terrific for commuters and warm-blooded Michiganders. Not so much for ice fisherman. Or for farmers. “We depend on cold winters and snow-cover to kill off insects and diseases,” said Mike Hildebrand, of Hildebrand Farms in Berrien Springs. The winter of 2011–2012 was within the top-ten warmest on record for Michigan, resulting in very wet ground for an extended period of time, a great breeding ground for fungus, which can do heavy damage to crops. In addition, the insects that usually die off didn’t, creating concern that the population will be twice as heavy this growing season. Of even greater concern is the impact on the bees. Most bees are not prepared for flight so early in the season, leaving the pollen lingering for those with allergies and many plants un-pollinated. For the large farms, there just aren’t enough bees to go around at this time of year. “Because we’re so early, the bees in the south aren’t done with what they need to do there,” Hildebrand said. “We went from no crop development to bloom in nine days. There was no way we could move fast enough.” Beekeepers start in Florida, with the citrus fruits and work their way north, pollinating the crops as they go. The weather created a bee-panic and now there is no way to know what got pollinated until the fruit starts showing up. Or doesn’t. The pollination guessing game is secondary at this point, for most farmers. With such a warm stretch of weather, many plants bloomed early, leaving them vulnerable to frost and even freeze, for a much longer period than normal. Bruce Upston, of Wasem Fruit Farms in Milan, worries about freeze at least until the middle of May. “I’ve have had freezes on Mother’s Day weekend that took out a lot of crop,” Upston said. With six more weeks to hold their breath, farmers have a lot to lose and a lot of time to wait. Depending on the area of the state, most tree fruits are still in danger from the erratic temperatures, as well as berries and grapes, which have a more tender plant tissue. Most crops are three-to-five weeks ahead of schedule, which may not seem like much but Duke Donahee from Donahee Farms in Salem, northeast of Ann Arbor, helped put it in perspective. “We don’t usually see our first heavy snowfall until the first week in December,” Donahee said. Just imagine if it were winter coming three weeks earlier, instead of spring. Good point. We likely wouldn’t all be enjoying that as much, would we? The Michigan asparagus crop, the third largest in the country, has already taken a heavy hit, with most growers expecting to lose up to 25 percent of their produce. And what does survive is coming so fast, they hardly have time to get the staff lined up to harvest. Most local retail farms, like those run by Donahee and Upston, hire locals to harvest, keeping a small staff year-round and hiring a few extras during the peak season. But the larger farms, which often sell wholesale, depend on travelling seasonal workers. Most of those workers are still in the southern states, and, like the bees, they aren’t quite done with that work yet. On the bright side of the warm spring, Annie Elder, of Community Farm of Ann Arbor, a biodynamic community supported agriculture project, says that it may get twice the produce from some crops. “A number of crops that we would normally let die off during the winter, like cilantro and green onions, survived, and we are getting a second harvest from them now,” Elder said. So, it’s not all doom and gloom. In order to be a farmer, you have to be willing to roll with the punches. “In every business and in life you get thrown curve balls. You just pick up the pieces and you figure it out,” Hildebrand said. Upston agrees. “Any long-time farmer really has to be an optimist. If not, you will stress yourself out about what you can’t control,” he said. Those who love the fresh produce from farmers’ markets and roadside stands will be happy to know that retail prices are not expected to rise substantially. The supply, though, may not be what it usually is and the times that certain fruits and vegetables are available will be different, and shorter. Commercial growers and gardeners alike are on the edge of their seats, watching the skies and the weather forecasts for frost and freeze warnings. “It’s a slow-motion natural disaster,” Hildebrand said. “A tornado comes through and touches down for 10 minutes and you know pretty quickly what the damage is. This just goes on. It’s like a pink-slip: You know you still have to do the work and that you are going to lose money, you just don’t know how much yet.”
Chain emails forwarded by friends inform us of little-known secrets that may inspire, create fear or evoke outrage. Spiders living under public toilet seats can bite and kill you. Drinking Mountain Dew causes men’s testicles to shrink. Children’s TV host, Mr. Rogers was a soldier in Vietnam and is credited with dozens of kills. Dr. Ruth Westheimer, the 4-foot-7-inch sex adviser, served as a sniper in the Israeli army.
Only one of these amazing “facts” is true. Dr. Ruth was a sniper. Then there is the political disinformation. No fellow students from schools that Obama allegedly attended in his youth can remember him. Obama’s State Department has given away seven Alaskan islands to the Russians. Welfare programs caused greater damage to Detroit than the bomb caused in Hiroshima. All of these have a political agenda, and are false. There may be hints of mendacity, but we can’t know for sure without careful research. Fortunately, fact-checking websites do much of this work for us.
Two sites went on line in the 1990s to help assess the truth of urban legends and Internet rumors: Snopes.com and TruthorFriction.com. Barbara and David Mikkelson started Snopes when the Internet was young. They used color-coded circles to rate stories as “true,” “false,” “multiple truth values,” “undetermined” and “unclassifiable veracity.” They also provided commentary on why a rating is given. TruthorFiction.com was started in 1999 by Rich Buhler, an author, broadcast journalist, and pioneer of Christian talk radio. Buhler and helpers at Branches Communications, Inc. provide nuanced assessments of highly forwarded emails as well as simple true and false ratings. But for help deciphering the glut of questionable information put forth in political campaigns other websites are more appropriate. One of these is PolitiFact.com, a business unit of the Tampa Bay Times. PolitiFact was created to fact check statements in the 2008 Presidential campaign, at the urging of Bill Adair, Washington bureau chief for the newspaper. “Back then, fact-checking was not done by many people in the news media,” Adair said. “Most of the mainstream media, including my own paper, was focused more on writing about the horse race, and to some extent the issues, than checking the facts.” There had been an earlier emphasis on fact-checking championed by David Broder of the Washington Post in the late 1980s, but that movement had lost its momentum, Adair said. Politifact.com and a few other sites were to become the go-to sites for fact-checking in the Internet age. PolitiFact has three fulltime reporters and two editors that are employees of Tampa Bay Times. Beyond their national office, however, they have partnerships with news organizations in 10 states. With these remote reporters who have been trained in Politifact’s style of journalism, the organization has 35 full-time journalists. Adair takes pride in this successful extension of fact-checking to the local and state level. PolitiFact is known for its iconic “Truth-o-Meter,” with ratings of: “true,” “mostly true,” “half true,” “mostly false,” “false” and “pants-on-fire!” In addition, the website provides the “Obameter” and “GOP Pledge-o-meter,” to evaluate how politicians follow through on their promises. It also evaluates flip-flopping of politicians on issues with “Flip-o-Meter” ratings of: “no flip,” “half flip” and “full flop.” PolitiFact provides extensive commentary and references for every issue it evaluates, explaining how it chose its rating. Of course there are fact checkers checking the fact checkers. PolitiFact receives criticism from both sides of the political spectrum accusing them of bias. This criticism reveals deeply passionate feelings reflective of our country’s partisan divide. “We take the criticism seriously,” Adair said, “If we get something wrong, we correct it. If we decide we made a bad judgment we’ll change our rating.” In spite of the flak, Adair believes the site has made a difference. He believes that members of congress pay attention to PolitiFact ratings and are motivated to be more accurate. But the mission of PolitiFact is not to make politicians honest. “The goal is to empower democracy,’ Adair said. “We are trying to inform people so they can make smarter decisions about their elected officials.” PolitiFact is not alone in this business. FactCheck.org was started by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania in 2003. This was actually the first website to specialize in analysis of political TV ads, debate points, speeches and assorted political content with the goal to reduce confusion and deception. FactCheck.org is a group effort, having six employees. Though it doesn’t sport a graphic truth-rating scheme like PolitiFact, it does provide insightful analysis and references to source material. Another fact-checking site that is part of a newspaper is Fact-Checker in the Washington Post (washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker). Fact-Checker was started by Glenn Kessler in 2008 and is a one-man operation. Like PolitiFact and FactCheck, Kessler focuses on statements by politicians, pundits and political ads. He rates the truth of their pronouncements with a system similar to movie ratings. The highest mark is the coveted “Geppeto checkmark,” while degrees of falsehood are rated with one to four Pinocchios (nose extended). The ratings are coupled with expert news reporting. The three major political fact-check sites usually agree when they evaluate the same issue, Adair says. Disagreements do occur, but they are usually minor. For example, Fact-Checker may award a statement four Pinocchios while PolitiFact only rates it “false,” not “Pants-on-fire!” Much is said in political campaigns that reverberates through the echo chamber of the Internet. A trusted friend may send an incredible email that cries out to be forwarded. Fortunately, fact-checking websites are there to test the truth of the story before the send button is struck. These sites can save a lot of embarrassment—and empower democracy.
The music of Motown Records is considered to be the most hallowed soul and R’n’B sound to come out of Detroit’s rich sonic history. The songs, however, are often hard to play for beginners. With the help of WCC guitar instructor John E. Lawrence, students in his Jazz Guitar classes have learned to make it look easy.
“I actually make it look harder than it is,” said David Daly, 15, a Washtenaw Technical Middle College student, shortly after playing an impressive one-man version of the classic Stevie Wonder tune “I Wish.” In order to teach the complex arrangements on guitar, Lawrence recently wrote two books exploring the compositions in a solo format. With the Motown Solo Guitar I and II books, which Lawrence has taught from this year, his students have been able to put the songs together themselves, playing melodies, rhythm parts and bass lines all at the same time. Although the books came in handy, Lawrence thought that a CD accompanying them would help his classes learn faster. But why hear it, when you could see it as well, Lawrence asked. “A lot of the students didn’t remember the songs, so I thought a DVD would do better,” Lawrence said. “This way they can see my fingers, hear it and then play the music.” The DVDs are still in the editing process, but once they’re ready Lawrence plans on packaging the books and DVDs for sale to other colleges and worldwide as standalone teaching tools. Other Washtenaw students have helped out in the process as well. The DVDs were even filmed by digital film student Jeremy Liesen, making the musical dissection an entirely WCC-driven affair. While the DVDs won’t be released until later in the year, Lawrence’s students had a chance to get a sneak peek. According to Daly, the DVDs offer exactly what they were made to. “John teaches in a very visual way, but even with the books it’s hard to get the timings down,” Daly said. “You need to hear it and see it. And with all the cool melodies, he simplifies them but he doesn’t hold back either.” Aside from seeing his students understanding the famous tunes, Lawrence enjoys their enthusiasm while jamming most of all. “I like seeing them playing because they’re doing it in a whole new way,” he said. “I tell them ‘I’m only giving you a guideline. Once you’ve mastered it, you have to alter it and make it your own. It’s really cool having a chance to see them do it.”
Jese Marcum works hard both in her second term as liberal arts transfer student and at her part-time job. Money is always tight for the 18-year-old from Clinton, so she looks for ways to stretch her dollars – by arming herself with her student ID from Washtenaw Community College. “I just purchased a Mac at the Apple Store and got a student discount,” Marcum said. The Apple Store is not the only place students can find a discount on a computer or software. The campus bookstore, Barnes and Noble, has options available for purchasing discounted computers from manufacturers like Dell and others. Software packages, including a greatly discounted full edition of Microsoft Word, are also available from the campus bookstore at a student discount. You, too, can save more of your hard-earned money by doing very little extra. Getting the student-discount benefit you’re entitled to will add cash to your pocket and is as simple as pulling out your student ID with your cash or payment card. For WCC students, that little plastic card with your photo and student number on it is your ticket to savings from movies and music to food and even perhaps a new (to you) sofa. The Ark, Pizza House and the Ann Arbor PTO are just a few places you can save a buck, or two or more, just for being a WCC student. Any time you pay for something in the Ann Arbor area, you may be missing an opportunity at saving yourself some money. Many stores offer discounts of 10-15 percent or more, but may not be openly advertising the discount. Be sure to ask if the store offers any kind of student discount; the worst they can say is “no”. Not every discount offered around town is of great value, but saving a buck is saving a buck. The Ark, home to some great live music in downtown Ann Arbor, offers $1 off to students at the upstairs concession stand, according to Tom Stoll, box office employee. On the other end of the spectrum, the Ann Arbor PTO store offers one of the most generous student discounts in the area. Every Saturday, your current student ID will earn you a whopping 25 percent off your purchase. The Ann Arbor PTO store is a resale shop that supports the Ann Arbor Public School Parent-Teacher Organization as well as other area 501(c)3 non-profit organizations. The Ann Arbor PTO store has furniture, books, music, electronics, appliances and material for a home remodel, repair and much more. Another local establishment offering student discounts is Pizza House. General Manager Chris Brotz says that Pizza House gladly accepts any current college ID for any of the discounts offered including a free garlic bread appetizer with any large traditional or deep-dish pizza. “Eatblue.com is the best place for your readers to go to find discounts offered,” Brotz said. The website eatblue.com hosts current discounts and the most accurate, up-to-date information for restaurant deals in the Ann Arbor area and is a great resource for students. Brotz said upcoming specials, not just student discounts, are a big part of eatblue.com. Pizza House is a regular contributor to the site. Marcum also uses the student discount at Joanne Fabrics and is planning on using her WCC ID for some University of Michigan sporting events in the future. The discount Marcum received on the computer at the Apple Store in Briarwood Mall also came with a deep discount on the software she needed for school.
Social media enthusiasts, prepare your résumés! Twitter has announced that it is opening its first Michigan office in Dan Gilbert’s “M@dison” building in downtown Detroit.
“Detroit’s emerging mix of automotive and digital cultures made it a natural location for Twitter’s newest office,” said Adam Bain, Twitter’s president of global revenue. “We’re excited to work face-to-face with the city’s most established brands and happy to play a role in downtown Detroit’s digital renaissance.” Gilbert fittingly gave welcome to Twitter in a tweet saying, “Welcome @Twitter! Twitter opening office in #Detroit’s M@dison building on technology booming WEBward Avenue. Detroit 2.0 is the real deal.” The move is widely viewed as a significant addition to the rapidly growing tech district forming in downtown Detroit. “Twitter coming downtown is exactly the kind of innovative company Detroit needs to advance our vision of becoming one of the most exciting high-tech and web-centered corridors of growth and activity found anywhere,” Gilbert said. “Twitter chose Detroit because of the city’s growing, young and energetic environment. This is further proof that the country is starting to wake up and take notice – if you want to create a thriving, growing tech business, downtown Detroit is one of the best places to be,” Gilbert added. Other tech companies have also moved into the region in recent years. Google, the Web search giant, has offices in both Birmingham and Ann Arbor. The Ann Arbor office serves as the headquarters for AdWords, the company’s advertising system and largest revenue source. Google promised the state that it would generate 1,000 jobs over the next few years as part of a tax-break deal. Since opening its doors in Sept. 2006, only an estimated 300 workers have filled the office. The company’s personnel growth slowed due to the global financial crises in recent years. Facebook is also among the budding list of large tech companies expanding into Michigan. Its Birmingham office focuses on the auto industry, banking, retail apparel and quick service restaurants. Jason Withrow, Washtenaw Community College Internet Professional instructor, welcomes the social media powerhouses. “I think it’s a positive when any technology company relocates to this area,” Withrow said. “With Twitter coming here, who knows what other companies may open a Detroit office.” Twitter expects to hire more employees as it develops its Detroit presence. Job openings will be posted at http://twitter.com/jobs as they become available.
After a series of focus-group sessions throughout the community, Washtenaw Community College officials came to an alarming conclusion: The college has an image problem. For too many students considering college as an option, WCC doesn’t exist, according to one local school principal.
That must change, WCC administrators vowed after getting an earful in the December and January sessions. “It became apparent that to the school districts, the superintendents, the principals that Washtenaw does not have a presence in those schools,” said Linda Blakey, associate vice president of Student Services. “I was sitting in one of those sessions and a principal said to me: ‘You don’t exist in our schools. Even the military has a presence. You guys are like, not there.’ We need to address this lack of presence.” As part of a new strategic initiative, administrators are looking to re-tool the college’s marketing program to better connect with traditional students coming from high school, hoping to establish WCC as a more viable option. “WCC is not often even on the radar,” Blakey said. “We need some sort of marketing push.” Blakey is excited about the college releasing a publication similar to WCC’s “Career Focus,” entitled: “College Focus.” This magazine would be geared towards high school seniors in the midst of making decisions regarding higher education, according to Blakey. She also looks forward to a possible alumni campaign to inform potential students of past successes had at WCC. She even mentioned another publication featuring stories about successful alumni: “Alumni Focus.” Their stories could even be told on bus signage, she added. “When people have had a positive experience, they want to talk about it,” Blakey said. “The point is to make the community, as a whole, aware of the classes and services we offer, so that you can get an affordable, quality education.” Interim Marketing Director Wendy Lawson explained that past pushes have been primarily to promote how the college can fill certain jobs with its academic and vocational programs. She believes students coming in from high schools have been ignored in the shuffle for job placement and that a campaign focusing on enrollment is now necessary and imminent. “In the past, we have only advertised specific programs,” Lawson said. “To be honest, we haven’t done a campaign based on enrollment like this.” Lawson looks to President Rose Bellanca as having led the charge this year toward better interactivity with possible customers of the college. “We have a new president who is very engaged in the community,” Lawson said. “She is very interested in creating partnerships and being the community college for the community.” Trustee Richard Landau is convinced that the college must now deploy more fashionable and communicative means of reaching future students via multiple forms of media. “What we’re looking for is trying to speak more directly with potential constituents,” Landau said. “And in a way that encourages them that WCC is a first choice.” Landau charged the college to be more aggressive in bringing in new students and contended that the days of relying on recommendations from guidance counselors be brought to an end. “From billboards to social media, we need things that speak more directly to people rather than relying on other schools’ administrators to tout us,” Landau said. “It’s time that we tout ourselves. Sometimes, the best way to get a kid on the bus is to take his hand.” Lawson intends to take that hand on as many platforms as possible, even turning over social media efforts to select, interested “student ambassadors.” “We will use Facebook, tweeting and blogs for this,” Lawson said. “Our ambassadors will be tweeting and blogging about their experiences to create a good image for the college.” To other administrators, an evolving marketing campaign follows an ever-shifting tide of student inclinations and will continue to evolve over time. “As the demographics change, so do their interests,” said Board of Trustees Chair Pamela Horiszny. “Things tend to get stale. Sometimes you have to shake things up.”
As the admissions recruiter for Washtenaw Community College, Julie Killich spends a lot of time these days visiting high schools throughout the county and conducting multiple tours as part of an initiative to strengthen WCC’s presence. “From the standpoint at the high school, I let the prospective students know that a two-year college can be viable option upon graduation,” she said. “They don’t realize they can get all of the same things at WCC rather than a university.” While the program was put into effect this winter, WCC has also invited all of the Washtenaw County public high schools to offer sections of courses on their high school campuses. “We’ve been contacting the high schools because when we had met with the superintendents and principals, a message that came through clearly was that we could best partner with them by offering classes on the high school campus,” said Linda Blakey, associate vice president of Student Services In addition to the initiative, Killich is also working with the high school students on the possibility of enrolling into dual-enrollment classes whether they are at the WCC main campus or one of the extension sites. “They are coming to the campus, taking the compass test and seeing if they’re ready for dual enrollment,” she said. “There are even talks of possibly offering a class on how to be a dual-enrolled student.” While visiting area high schools, Killich is often asked about WCC’s sports department and class sizes. “The students support the small class sizes,” she said. “A lot of students are interested in knowing that we have Club Sports at the college level. They think they have to go straight to university for that.” Although the Admissions Department is becoming more aggressive in the recruiting process through high schools, Trustee Richard Landau believes that resources like social media such as Facebook and Tumblr are being under used. “We rely largely on guidance counselors who may be focused on placing students in four-year colleges rather placing students at WCC,” he said. “We have all of these students at the college who have tremendous contacts, and I’ve always thought our students are our greatest ambassadors.” And while Killich has confirmed that social media can be a viable option when recruiting high school students, Landau also believes that WCC will see more customers with the increase in dual enrollment sections. “I think social media is a viable option and it’s a direction we’re heading,” Killich said.
As Board of Trustees Chair Pamela Horiszny considers who should be given Washtenaw Community College’s most prestigious award, she now includes “rock star” as a pre-requisite. “I would want someone who can really connect with the graduates,” Horiszny said. “Someone who students would consider a role model or an inspiration. I want someone who is really a rock star in the community.” With a proposed change to the title and distinction of the college’s Award of Merit, the board could expand its choices to members outside of the fabric of WCC. Each year before commencement, trustees and college administrators choose an outstanding member of the community who has made a lasting impact on the environment or culture at WCC. The individual chosen would then receive the college’s Award of Merit during the graduation ceremony. Common choices in the past have been primarily former or existing board members, faculty, staff and other outside parties involved in exemplary community service. The award is considered the college’s most esteemed honor, however explaining the importance of the prize to the prospective recipient has become an unnecessary challenge, according to Trustee Richard Landau. “One of the problems we’ve had whenever approaching a potential recipient is that we kind of have to explain what the award of merit is,” Landau said. “You wouldn’t think that would be a difficult thing, but it is. We have to say this really is that important and significant of an award. This is something that we bestow on very few people. “There is a certain amount of preamble we have to take in order to make the pitch.” Picking the recipient has also become a bit of an obstacle, as well, he added. With time phasing out the founders and early leaders of the college, a new generation of movers and shakers within the community are now worthy options. By changing the title of the rewarded honor from “Award of Merit” to “Honorary Associate’s Degree in Community Service,” Landau hopes to expel any needless confusion surrounding what the award represents when presenting the offer. But what’s in a name? A lot, Landau said. “This award carries a lot of weight,” said Landau, who in addition serves on the award’s governing board. “The key distinction that we want to make with an honorary associate’s degree is truly recognizing someone who has made a contribution to the college as a graduate at commencement. It has the effect of creating a type of intimacy between that person and the college.” Even though the title may receive a facelift, what is required of the awarded recipient will remain the same. These qualities include “outstanding contributions to the advancement of Washtenaw Community College, dedication and devotion to the idea of education for all people, and extraordinary achievement in a vocation which directly relates to the mission it represents.” Changing the award to an honorary degree, much like the awards given to politicians or other figures who speak at university commencements, however, does not offer any sort of educational achievement outside of an award. What it will do is expand the types of potential candidates. Landau expressed a will among the deciding parties to extend these offers to politicians, activists or other political figures. “This allows us to not be necessarily confined to internal candidates. We’re looking for more external candidates as well,” he said. While succinctly outlined to narrow down a list of potential candidates, trustees have their own ideas on what qualities deserve the merit. “I would still want to choose someone involved with the college,” said Trustee Stephen Gill. “If not WCC, at least someone who is an advocate for community colleges. Changing these requirements is terrific, because no matter who we pick, it’s another way of saying a degree from a community college is a respected recognition.” An individual who has helped improve the quality of life in Washtenaw County and its economy additionally topped Gill’s bill. For Horiszny, the deciding factor will rest on the ability for the honoree to wow Washtenaw’s departing population. But don’t expect any members of Mötley Crüe sending them off, either. “I want to bring someone in who is going to empower and excite our graduates,” she said. “What I’m looking for is someone who can show students that they can be anything that they want to be.”
|
|
