With the launch of bachelor degree programs in software development and network administration and security, Green River College is striving to create a strong tech presence in the South Sound. Small class sizes, project-based learning opportunities, peer mentorship, career preparation services, flexible day and evening schedules in Auburn and Kent, along with an attractive cost of attendance, have made Green River a destination for a variety of students.Bachelor’s degrees are also part of an effort to address the lack of diversity in the tech industry’s hiring pipeline.Green River’s Technology Scholars Program was made possible by funding from the National Science Foundation. It is designed to broaden access to STEM careers for under-represented minorities, women and veterans by offering comprehensive scholarships to those pursuing a technology degree at Green River College.In 2014-15, the program awarded 17 scholarships with awards as high as $9,000 per student. The program projects to offer a record-high 28 scholarships in 2015-16. One-third of the scholarship recipients are women and all recipients meet federal low-income guidelines to qualify for financial aid.
Community Meetups
The Technology Program at Green River College also organizes two popular collectives on Meetup.com to create community engagement around technology, diversity and education.Women in Technology was established to advance the role of women in tech through guest speaker events and professional networking activities. WIT currently boasts a membership of 120 and meets monthly in Auburn and Kent.Kent Station Web and Mobile Developers explores topics around mobile and web technologies through guest speakers and student presentations. KSWMD currently boasts a membership of 95 and meets once a month at Green River’s Kent Station campus.
High School Boot Camps
Green River’s Technology Program also conducts on-campus coding and information security boot camps for students from surrounding high schools.Boot camps feature coding and security activities and also include campus tours, prize giveaways and all-you-can-eat pizza. More importantly, they expose high-schoolers to careers in IT and the suite of degree programs at Green River that will help get them there.In 2014-15, more than 100 high-schoolers from Enumclaw to Kent attended on-campus boot camps. The Technology Program expects to serve even more students in the coming academic year to create a robust pipeline of prospective technology college students.Those interested in earning a bachelor’s degree in information techology can email itdegrees@greenriver.edu.
Two programs stay, two being discontinued
Green River College announced in mid-July that it will retain two of the four programs scheduled for closure, Parent-Child Education and Carpentry Technology. Geographic Information Systems and Auto Body Technology will close due to the costs associated with the operation of each program.The GIS program underwent the program review process during the 2014-15 academic year. The program review indicated that there is a lack of employment available for GIS students who have earned an associate degree.The Auto Body Technology program proposed adding an additional section of 15 students, to increase enrollment and create cost savings for the college. It was determined that even with the potential addition of an extra section, the program would run at a deficit and would not be financially viable for the College.These program closures, along with other savings proposed by faculty, will reduce the potential college deficit by nearly $300,800. This figure amounts to roughly 30 percent of the instructional reductions that the college needed to make over the past year.Green River is in the beginning stages of implementing a new prioritization process to determine the viability of each area of campus. The process will involve stakeholders from each area of the college, and will examine instructional services, student services, and institutional support.
