System News | Opinion
WA Lawmakers consider rural nursing education
Lawmakers determined to address nursing shortages across the state have proposed a
new bill to establish a remote nursing education program for rural students. [Big Bend Community College]
Columbia Basin Herald, Feb. 5, 2025
State Board to hear legislative session update at February meeting
Members of the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges are slated to hear an update on the 2025 legislative session during their regular
board meeting Thursday, Feb. 6.
Suburban Times, Feb. 5, 2025
Welcome to the PNW College Food Locker
On Jan. 23, Pierce County marked a significant milestone by becoming home to the first
climate-controlled, 24-hour access food locker on a college campus in the Western
United States that provides healthy, locally sourced food to students who struggle
to afford meals due to school costs. [Bates Technical College]
Tacoma Weekly, Feb. 3, 2025
Big Bend Community College Viking Food Pantry fills a need
For Big Bend Community College students, the Viking Food Pantry can help them bridge a crucial gap. Food Pantry
Director Tara McCoy said there aren’t a lot of options out by the campus for students
who don’t have transportation to the grocery store – or who might lack the resources
for food.
Columbia Basin Herald, Feb. 3, 2025
Higher Education and Politics
Bill pitches scholarships for 2-year cybersecurity programs
To help fill a huge gap in the nation’s cybersecurity workforce, the chair of the
House Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday reintroduced a bill that would provide
full scholarships to college students pursuing a two-year cyber degree in exchange
for government service.
Community College Daily, Feb. 5, 2025
Education Department removes nonbinary gender option on FAFSA
The U.S. Education Department is eliminating the nonbinary gender identity option
from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, according to a Tuesday news release.
The option will not appear on future forms and will be removed from the current form
effective immediately, and the question formerly about gender identity will now refer
to applicants’ sex.
Inside Higher Ed, Feb. 5, 2025
A guide to what the U.S. Education Department does (and doesn't) do
Over and over, President Donald Trump and his colleagues have pointed to the U.S.
Education Department as a poster child for government overreach. In fact, Republicans
have been calling for the department's dissolution ever since its birth.
NPR, Feb. 4, 2025
Trump preps order to dismantle Education Dept. as DOGE probes data
President Donald Trump is preparing an executive order aimed at eventually closing
the Education Department and, in the short term, dismantling it from within, according
to three people briefed on its contents.
The Seattle Times, Feb. 3, 2025
