An In-Depth Guide to Choosing the Right Community College

Metal is a material that has been used for the construction of many of our buildings and much of our infrastructure today. As this substance corrodes over time, it creates serious safety, environmental and financial concerns across the globe. The industry of corrosion technology is a relatively new field committed to preserving construction projects of all kinds with corrosion prevention and repair. Now community colleges are coming onboard this exciting new field to train up a new generation of workers committed to preserving the hard work of generations past.

Seward County Community College

What is a Corrosion Technician?

According to the Kilgore College website, corrosion technicians work in both indoor and outdoor settings, installing, maintaining and inspecting properties of all kinds. Structures of concern for corrosion technicians might include massive underground pipelines, industrial equipment and storage tanks. The technician might also work in transportation, maintaining airplanes, boats and other vessels.

The corrosion technician must have a background in chemistry, metallurgy and electricity. These professionals may specialize in a particular area of corrosion technology, such as coating inspection or material selection, but others may work in a more generalized setting. According to a report at Pay Scale, the average salary for corrosion engineers ranges from just under $40,000 annually to more than $100,000, depending on the level of skill, training and experience. The field is a growing one, with an increasing demand for corrosion technicians as current infrastructure ages, and few workers trained and ready to

Heading to class and the mall may sound like two different adventures. Still, a few community colleges nationwide are merging the two into a single trek that benefits everyone involved. Mall space is often an economical alternative for community college expansion, providing necessary space in a convenient location for students. Several community colleges nationwide are taking classes at the mall during upcoming school years.

Renovation Plans Send Displaced Students into Retail Space

Austin Community College in Texas has big plans for its students over the next few years, as the campus plans for significant expansion in hopes of meeting future enrollment projections. However, as the campus undergoes the upheaval typical of construction projects, many feared that a student cutback would be necessary until the expansion was complete. Fortunately for Austin, that problem was easily solved by purchasing “swing space” at a nearby mall.

According to a report at Community Impact Newspaper, the college plans to buy former Dillard’s and Macy’s buildings at the Highland Mall until the campus expansion plan is complete. Bonds will fund the renovations of the mall property from a 2013 or 2014 election and will provide additional space to Austin Community College for the next 12 years.

This is not the only mall purchase the college has made recently. According to a report at the Austinist, the college also purchased 173 acres, including the former J.C. Penney building, for $15.7 million. Last year, the school bought 18.5 acres, consisting of

While some community college students focus on a two-year vocational program to launch their careers, others look ahead to additional education to make their desired career path a reality. Many community colleges nationwide are teaming up with four-year universities to streamline the transfer process to make the second path more efficient. While this pattern has been gaining steam, new community colleges are joining the ranks this year to offer even more options to community college graduates. We’ll look at some of the latest community college transfer programs launching nationwide.

The Big Transfer Push in California

One of the biggest transfer programs to make headlines this year is in California. Currently, the state has 112 community colleges. Of that number, more than half have developed an associate degree program designed for transfer to CSU schools. According to a report in the Sacramento Business Journal, the plan's goal is to provide guaranteed associate degrees for transfer at every community college in the state. Chancellor of California Community Colleges, Jack Scott, said that the new program is still in the early stages and that much more is planned. Students currently enrolled in participating community colleges, and have taken 60 credit hours in an approved associate degree program, will be able to transfer to a CSU school with a similar major and junior standing.

According to California Community Colleges, the transfer program will save the system $160 million yearly when it is fully up and running since it

Community college students in California who are struggling to make ends meet and pay their tuition bills may get a boost this academic year. The Foundation for California Community Colleges has set up a permanent scholarship fund of nearly $68 million to provide students with the financial aid they need to continue their education. The endowment fund is a culmination of three years of fundraising work that started with a gift from the Bernard Osher Foundation.

About the Scholarship

Three years ago, the Bernard Osher Foundation gave the Foundation for California Community Colleges a gift of $25 million to begin a scholarship fund for community college students. According to a press release on the Foundation for California Community Colleges website, the Bernard Osher Foundation was founded in 1977 by Bernard Osher to support higher education and the arts. In addition to the initial gift, the foundation also promised to match the colleges' funds.

The L.A. Times reports that California’s 112 community colleges worked together for three years to raise $28.5 million for the scholarship fund. This allowed the Bernard Osher Foundation to contribute an additional $14.2 million to the endowment, which brought the grand total in the scholarship fund to $67.7 million. The scholarship fund is designed to provide financial aid to thousands of California community college students annually.

According to a San Francisco Business Times report, this fund is the biggest system-wide community college endowment in the United