Education

WMU med school plans enter new phase

Battle Creek college starts registration for leadership program

New fund will help students in need

Fire and ice under one roof in Benton Harbor

Presidents takes steps to move Arcadia Commons West project forward

Champions for Change a sign of what’s new in twin cities

A popular saying these days is be the change you want to see in the world. A new initiative launched in the twin cities of Benton Harbor and St. Joseph asks people to let others know you're the one making a change.The initiative, led by the Cornerstone Chamber of Commerce, is expected to last at least two years. The Chamber hopes that by increasing the visibility of volunteer work that is leading to positive change there will be an increased sense of pride and encourage even more people to volunteer.When a volunteer effort is under way, groups or businesses are encouraged to use the Champions for Change logo to show how such work is making a difference in the community.Anyone gives of their time and talent to make the community better is a Champion for Change.The program will do well if participants "talk about it, believe it, live it," Chamber organizers say. They hope participants will encourage others to be a "Champion" and then join them on Facebook at the Champions for Change page.  "The Michigan's Great Southwest community is truly blessed to have so many individuals willing to give of their time to make a difference in the area. This community is full of Champions for Change," says Volunteer Center of Southwest Michigan Executive Director Doris Higgins.For more information contact the Cornerstone Chamber of Commerce staff. The staff of Cornerstone Chamber of Commerce is serving as the driving force behind this community initiative. The staff also can be readched by e-mail or telephone. Contact  Pat Moody, at 269-757-0216 or Regina Ciaravino,  at 269-757-0227.Writer: Kathy JenningsSource: Jamie Balkin, Cornerstone Alliance

Both Portage high schools make Newsweek list of nation’s best

Newsweek says Portage Central and Portage Northern high schools are in the top 6 percent of all high schools in the nation.The Challenge Index is designed to honor schools that have done the best job in persuading average students to take college-level courses and tests, Newsweek reports. There were 33 schools in Michigan to make the list.The ranking is based on the total number of Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate or Cambrdige tests give at a school each year divided by the number of seniors graduating in June. Schools also are ranked on what the listmakers call Equity and Excellence -- a percentage of all graduating seniors, including those who have never taken an AP course, who passed at least one AP test. The average Equity and Excellence rate in 2009 was 15.9 percent. At Central 45 percent passed  at least one AP test and Northern 39 percent did so.Excerpt:Each year, Newsweek picks the best high schools in the country based on how hard school staffs work to challenge students with advanced-placement college-level courses and tests. Just over 1,600 schools — only 6 percent of all the public schools in the U.S. — made the list. Check out the profiles by clicking on the name of any school in the list.Source: Newsweek

Exporting the Kalamazoo Promise to help other communities grow

Community leaders interested in finding out more about the Kalamazoo Promise and similar programs are in Kalamazoo this week for the third annual PromiseNet.The conference is designed to bring together representatives of  communities that are investing in education and economic development through scholarship programs."Investing in Youth for Community Transformation," this year's theme, is aimed at helping other cities accomplish the same kind of transformation the Promise has created in Kalamazoo.Conference speakers include: • Nationally renowned economist, author and commentator Dr. Julianne Malveaux, president of Bennett College for Women. • Kalamazoo investor William D. Johnston, president and chair of Greenleaf Companies.• Gregory M. Darnieder, special assistant to the U.S. Secretary of Education and advisor on the secretary's Initiative on College Access. Conference sessions are being led by a number of individuals connected with the Promise and Promise-type initiatives. They include Kalamazoo Public Schools Superintendent Michael Rice and school officials affiliated with similar initiatives in Arkansas, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Wisconsin and other states."The goal of PromiseNet 2010 is to connect communities that are working together to transform themselves,"  executive director of the Kalamazoo promise Dr. Janice Brown says. "The conference is designed to bring together individuals from all over the United States who are invested and engaged in education-based economic renewal like Kalamazoo, as well as those in the planning stages."The conference comes on the heels of  President Barack Obama's national attention given to The Kalamazoo Promise, a college tuition guarantee for graduates of the Kalamazoo Public Schools.  During his commencement address for Kalamazoo Central High School's Class of 2010, the president praised the Promise initiative, saying: "I think that America has a lot to learn from Kalamazoo about what makes a successful school in this new century."Writer: Kathy JenningsSource: Cheryl Roland, WMU

Community garden takes root at Kalamazoo College

IIn the backyard of a Kalamazoo College-owned house on Academy Street a community garden is growing.It represents the coming together of three campus events.Kenneth Mulder, a K-College alumnus, came to campus to speak about social justice and community gardens. He is Farm Manager and Adjunct Assistant Professor for Environmental Studies at Green Mountain College in Vermont.Shea Howell, professor of communications at Wayne State University, visited to talk about social justice.Jeanne Hess, professor of physical education, had put together a class: "Gardening for Fitness." It filled immediately.Energized by the speakers and discussions fostered by outreach and debate on the new Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership on campus, staff members with interests in gardening, food, and justice started meeting together and momentum for the project took them from winter planning stages into spring planting.The college garden has been dug and planted by students in Jeanne Hess' physical education class, and those who simply want to be involved. Staff and alumni also were involved. Hess, professor of physical education, applied for and received a small grant from ACSJL, so the project is now equipped. In the fall, another physical class may harvest the vegetables and ready the garden ready for the following spring.Now, the harvest will go to students, through Sodexo, the college food service, and members of the greater Kalamazoo community, through distribution by a local food bank.The backyard where the garden grown is fairly small, lacks visibility, and may prove too shady. It is anticipated it could be moved in the future if a better, permanent home is found. School gardeners see a time when community gardening could grow to include science, art, business, philosophy, sociology, psychology, education and environmental sciences.  Writer: Kathy JenningsSource: Jane Hoinville, Kalamazoo College