Last modified on
A Great Chance to Travel and Learn: A Call for Field Readers
The Office of the Community College Liaison Office, in cooperation with the Office
of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE), is actively recruiting individuals to
serve as reviewers/field readers for a new discretionary grant program to be administered
by the OVAE. The program, called Community Technology Centers (CTC), is designed
to establish and promote technology centers in economically distressed urban areas
and rural areas. Approximately $10 million dollars have been appropriated for
the CTC program this year; further, there is a possibility of additional funds
next year.
While all other operational details of this new program have not been finalized, it is clear that the Department will need a substantial pool of potential proposal reviewers. Community college faculty and administrators will be considered as will other individuals who have knowledge of and/or experience with adult, elementary, and secondary education programs, and/or technology and technology management. Selected individuals will be asked to review proposals for three or four days, most probably in July of 2001. Travel, housing, per diem, and hopefully a modest honorarium will be provided.
If you would like to be considered for this activity or would like to recommend individuals for consideration, please send me a resume, including a social security number, at this address:
Dr. Allen Cissell
Office of the Community College Liaison
Switzer Building, Room 5070
US Department of Education
Washington, DC 20202
Other Grant Reading Opportunities
In addition to seeking readers for the CTC program, the department is looking
for qualified educators and practitioners to serve as field readers for the following
programs:
GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and readiness for Undergraduate Programs)
http://www.ed.gov/gearup/Teacher Quality Enhancement Programs
http://www.ed.gov/inits/FY99/tchqep.htmlPreparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology
http://www.ed.gov/teachtech/Demonstration Projects to Ensure Students with Disabilities Receive a Quality Higher Education
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/OHEP/demo.htmlChild Care Access Means Parents in Schools
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/OHEP/campisp
Distance educators face regular challenges, ranging from changing technology, to system reliability, to meeting distance students' 24 hour a day needs. If you teach an online class, you might benefit from a new Web site, the Wellspring. This site offers chat sessions, guest speakers, ongoing debates, and research information as well as a monthly newsletter. The Wellspring is located at http://wellspring.isinj.com.
The recent reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, signed in October by President Clinton, offers important help to all college students in the form of larger Pell Grants and lower student loan interest rates. However, changes in loan default rules pose a threat: colleges may lose access to grant and loan programs if their default rates are above 25%. A more thorough discussion of the Act can be found in the October 19th issue of Community College Week.
Looking for Faculty Development Opportunities? Keep in mind the Fulbright-Hays programs: Summer Seminars, Group Projects Abroad, General Projects Abroad, and Scholar Exchange Programs. The contact phone number is 202.401.9798.
"Workforce Development" and "Business Partnerships" are current catch phrases at most community colleges. Most of these programs focus on local community business development. However, the U.S. Department of Education's "Business and Industry Education Program" has a different slant: "The purpose of the program is to promote education and training that will contribute to the ability of United States business to prosper in an international economy." Interested? Contact the Program Officer, Sarah Beaton at 202.401.9778 or sarah_beaton@ed.gov.
Speaking of International Affairs and Business, a series of state-wide and/or regional conferences on global education are being held for teams of community college faculty and staff. Sponsored by the Stanley Foundation, the American Council for International and Intercultural Affairs, the Community College Liaison Office of the U.S. Department of Education, and others, the conferences focus on the compelling needs for an international perspective for students in America's community colleges, as well as the resources available to assist in developing such a perspective. The most recent conference was held at Collin County Community College in Plano, Texas, with an emphasis on the colleges of the North Texas Community College Consortium. Other conferences this year have been held in South Carolina and Minnesota.
Additional conferences will be held in 2001, including two more in Texas, one in Houston and one in Lubbock. Check this site for dates and details when they become available.
© CCFA 2001. All rights reserved.
