In 2016, Bellevue College received permission to become the first community college in the state to offer a bachelor’s degree in computer science. Five students signed up for the initial cohort. The college is now admitting 84 students a year spread over three quarters. Some of the state’s other colleges are looking to follow Bellevue’s lead and create similar programs. North Seattle College is launching its program in the fall of 2022.
While it has grown quickly, Bellevue College still has a relatively small program — which means it can be nimble like a tech startup.
“We can adjust very quickly,” said Fatma Cemile Serçe, Computer Science program chair at Bellevue College. “We want our students to be ready for the current industrial needs.”
The program, for example, is collaborating with Amazon to bolster its cloud computing instruction and also offers instruction in machine learning.
With its proximity to Amazon and Microsoft, Bellevue draws on talent from the tech giants for its educators. Faculty, who are still required to have either a master’s degree or Ph.D., often include current or former tech professionals. Once students are admitted to the program, they’re assigned a faculty advisor who can help with career planning, resume building, and collaborating with other faculty.
Since Bellevue College doesn’t have advanced computer science degrees, there are no graduate student teaching assistants providing instruction. “There is not a layer between students and faculty,” Serçe said.
In the years following the abolishment of chattel slavery in the U.S., African American English presented itself proudly in Black expression, says Ron Holland, associate professor of English at Bellevue College. He pointed to movements like the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s and the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s as examples of the impact of Black language.
“The vernacular presented itself in music, in poetry, in literature, in speeches, in sermons,” Holland said. “Even to this day, we are descendants of that vernacular.”
Amazon is adding partnerships with more than 140 colleges and universities to provide a cost-free college education to its hourly employees—bringing the number of schools Amazonians can attend debt-free to 180. Bellevue College is one of these institutions.
Amazon, the second-largest U.S.-based retailer, also unveiled that the program will now be available to employees who have been with the company for just 90 days.
Two virtual town halls are set this week to gather community input on the future of Bellevue College as part of the Priorities Project, an initiative launched by the college’s board of trustees to identify the priorities and values that will guide the college through the next three to five years.
The project will help the college focus on what’s most important to the campus as well as the greater Bellevue community, according to a news release. Additionally, the project will explore criteria to identify the best candidates in the upcoming search for a permanent president at the college.
Town halls will occur via Zoom at 7 p.m. Tuesday and 10 a.m. Friday.
EdReformer has curated a list of some of the best institutes in the US that offer degrees in the field of Interior Design. Studying at these colleges, students can successfully land a job that will pay them handsomely. Bellevue College is ranked #2 in the nation.
Free ai generated art image, public domain art CC0 photo.
Bellevue College is responding to industry need for more graduates trained in artificial intelligence (AI) by offering a new degree next fall — a Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) with a concentration in AI.
“Advisory committee members, including those that work at Microsoft, Amazon and Facebook, have recommended adding an AI concentration, and are excited about this new addition to the curriculum,” Alysa Kelsey, program manager for the college’s information technology programs, said in a news release.
“The first Asian governor of Washington state and Bellevue College’s interim president gave the keynote speech on Oct. 18 at the Eradicate Hate Global Summit, a virtual conference dedicated to “honor the global victims of hate by breaking down silos, exchanging ideas, and engaging in prioritized actions against hate.” In his speech, Locke discussed the importance of fighting hate after the history of anti-Asian sentiment in the U.S. and his own experience overcoming hate as an Asian American.”
“Supporting the workforce development pipeline between employers, Bellevue College, the University of Washington, and coding schools is vital, as is training and retraining adults..”
“Bellevue College (BC) students will get more opportunities to earn Amazon Web Services (AWS) certifications and pursue internships and employment with AWS customers and partners under a new collaboration announced this week between the Bellevue College Foundation and Amazon.”
“The University of Washington has multiple campuses in the region serving more than 60,000 students and supplying graduates to fill entry-level programming, research and data analytics jobs. Seattle University, Bellevue College, a network of community colleges and others add to the pipeline.”
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