August 13, 2021 - Volume 4 Issue 1
Affordability and Access

Sonny Ramaswamy, NWCCU President

College access, affordability, and success. A topic of significant local to national conversations, with responses ranging from hand wringing to proposals for tangible actions, including free college and partial to complete loan forgiveness, along with myriad efforts on campuses to mitigate cost of education.
Skagit Valley College’s new Early Learning and
Childcare Center
Skagit Valley College and Skagit Valley College Foundation celebrate the groundbreaking of the Sue Krienen Early Learning and Childcare Center in Mount Vernon, WA.

Clatsop Community College educator rides 1,600 miles on a bicycle to raise money for students’ textbooks.
Fernando Rojas Galván rode his bike to raise money for students’ textbooks while raising awareness about the work that is done to support students at each of the Oregon community colleges.

Linn-Benton Community College creates the Rebound Scholarship to encourage students to return after the pandemic
Linn-Benton Community College is offering a Rebound Scholarship to any student coming this fall who was previously enrolled at LBCC in credit classes, but had to drop out because of the pandemic.
Welcome New NWCCU Commissioners!
Meet the newest Commissioners: Jake Rivera, Nevada Representative; and Mark Calvert, Public Representative.
Updated NWCCU Policies
Updated NWCCU Policies and visits to be virtual for Fall 2021.
Rural Communities and Access to Education
Selena M. Grace, PhD, NWCCU Senior Vice President

We talk a lot about academic preparation and financial barriers. And, related to these things we talk a lot about access. However, one area of research related to access that continues to be under- evaluated is how rural communities are impacted by lack of educational opportunities.
Welcome New Presidents
Join us in welcoming the new presidents in the Northwest! Learn who is new to Bastyr University, College of Western Idaho, Seattle Pacific University, Shoreline Community College, Southern Utah University, The Evergreen State College, University of Alaska Anchorage,University of Portland, UW Tacoma, and Western Oregon University!
Reminders & Events

NWCCU Beacon Award deadline extended

Check Out Upcoming Events & Save the Dates! 
Thank you
The Beacon is NWCCU's quarterly newsletter intended to inform its member institutions and other stakeholders of updates, news, resources, and information pertaining to accreditation and higher education issues. Please send any feedback or ideas to info@nwccu.org.

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