The 19-credit program consists of four classes: Introduction to Sustainable Business Practices, Introduction to Carbon Footprint & Resource Economics, Communication for Sustainable Business Practices, and Sustainable Business Analysis.

Developed with involvement from the business community, the program is designed to teach students to identify and build a business case for operating practices that would not only be more ecologically sound but that could also increase a company’s financial return.

Students will study such topics as eco-efficiency, life-cycle analysis, carbon footprint calculations, energy efficiency, waste and water management, “triple-bottom-line” accounting (which adds measures of societal and economic success to the traditional profit/loss statement), green supply-chain issues, and corporate communications and training.

The program was developed after Bellevue College conducted a “Green Survey” among 16 Puget Sound companies, large and small, to identify and assess the work-force skills employers need to operate successfully today and in the future.

Leaders of the participating companies expressed an increasingly urgent need for professionals who understand how to integrate sustainable practices into all aspects of their operations.

For the convenience of working students, all classes will include a mix of evening, in-class sessions and more flexible online study.

Those wishing further information may visit http://bellevuecollege.edu/fallschedule/bsust/, call  425-564-5716, or attend an informational open house on Sept. 9 at 6:00 p.m. in room 201 of the college’s N Building (at the south end of the Bellevue College main campus).

Those interested in registering for the class should please contact Julie Griffin at jgriffin@bellevuecollege.edu.

Working in teams with peers from other Washington community colleges, and in collaboration with scholars from Carnegie Mellon University, the ten Bellevue College representatives will help to create a first-of-its-kind global educational resource:  a library of course content for 80 of the most heavily enrolled first- and second-year college courses, for use free of charge by instructors not only in Washington but around the world.

The modules will be constructed to enhance student success by using best practices in course design and by dramatically reducing costs for textbooks and other course materials. The goal for each course is to cost students no more than $30 for books and materials. Currently, students often pay $100 to $200 or more for books in any one course.

Known as the Washington State Student Completion Initiative and directed by the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, the project has awarded Bellevue College a grant of $110,000 to fund the participation of its faculty and staff.

Participants from Bellevue College are:

·       Chemistry Instructors Jennie Mayer, of Seattle; Jacqueline Drak, of Bellevue; Dan Mitchell, of Newcastle; and Gina Fiorini, of Bellevue; all working on a Chemistry II course;

·       Business Instructor Leslie Lum, of Bellevue, working on an introductory Business course;

·       Mathematics Instructor Dale Hoffman, of Bellevue, working on three courses: Calculus I, II and III;

·       Philosophy Instructor Mark Storey, of Shoreline, working on a course in Logic;

·       Librarians David Oar, of Renton, and Nicole Longpre, of Issaquah, who will join other librarians in helping faculty identify and acquire instructional materials and integrate information-literacy content and problem-based learning techniques into the courses.

·       Bookstore Manager Kristen Connely, of Renton, who will work to make course materials more affordable.

The 15-month project is supported by grants of $5.3 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and $800,000 from the Ford Foundation.

Its goal is to achieve student completion rates of 95 percent in the 80 highest-enrollment courses that Washington community college students must take to earn a degree.

Together, these “gateway” courses draw more than 400,000 enrollments annually.

The award, to be presented at the chapter’s May 18 Spring Luncheon, honors Floten for making education more accessible by bringing baccalaureate degrees to Bellevue College.

Known nationally for its innovative programs, Bellevue College offers two baccalaureate degrees: a Bachelor of Applied Sciences in Radiation and Imaging Sciences, launched in 2007, and a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Interior Design launched in January of this year.

Bellevue College was awarded accreditation as a bachelor degree-conferring institution earlier this year by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, which sets standards for all four-year institutions in Washington and nearby states.

Floten joined Bellevue College as president in 1989. Since then, the college has grown to become the third largest educational institution in Washington state, serving approximately 35,000 students annually.

The college was listed by Yahoo Finance in March as one of “15 Fantastic Higher Education Values” nationally.

A series of national, regional and local awards have recognized Floten’s contributions to higher education, most recently including an Honorary Doctor of Letters degree, conferred by City University; the Shirley B. Gordon Presidential Award of Distinction, from Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society; and the John L. Blackburn Award for Exemplary Models of Administrative Leadership, from the American Association of University Administrators.

Floten serves on the Educational Testing Service national advisory board, the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and the Key Bank Advisory Board.

She earned Master of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees from Portland State University.

Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most widely known academic honor society, encourages and supports academic excellence in the liberal arts and sciences. Its Pathfinder Award honors people “who encourage others to seek new worlds to discover, pathways to explore, and untouched destinations to reach.”

Gunn will serve a five-year term, replacing Lee Kraft, a Bellevue attorney and former King County Superior Court Judge, who served two terms on the Bellevue College board.Gunn retired from banking in 2007, after a 38 year career with Bank of America and Seafirst Bank.  During her career she held management positions in retail banking, business banking, human resources, community development and quality of service.

An active community volunteer, Gunn has served on the boards of YWCA, Alliance for Education, United Way of King County, Partnership for Learning and Washington Round Table.

She was recognized as a Puget Sound Woman of Influence by the Puget Sound Business Journal in 2005.

She currently chairs the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network annual gala.

The 9^th to 12^th grade students from public, home and private schools will work individually or in teams to conduct independent research in one of 18 science, math and engineering categories.

Information for students who wish to take part is available online at http://scidiv.bellevuecollege.edu/sami/scifair/ . Registrations are being accepted through March 10.

The public is invited to view the projects from 10 a.m. to noon on March 20, free of charge, in Bellevue College’s C Building (next to the fountain on the college’s main campus).

Winners will be announced at 2 p.m., with first, second and third-place ribbons awarded in separate science, math and engineering categories.  An overall winner will also be announced.

Projects will be judged on their creativity, depth of content, thoroughness and clarity, among other criteria.

The science fair is sponsored by the Bellevue College’s Science and Math Institute (SAMI) and Science Division.

For further information about the fair, contact Kathryn Souza at kathryn.souza@bellevuecollege.edu or (425)564-3055.

Bellevue College’s main campus is located at 3000 Landerholm Circle S.E., Bellevue, at the intersection of S.E. 28th St. and 148th Ave. S.E..

ABOUT SAMI

The Bellevue College Science and Math Institute, or SAMI, was launched in 2008 to interest more students of all ages in science and mathematics, on campus and in the surrounding community. Its activities range from “Science to Go” programs that bring hands-on science to middle- and elementary-school classrooms, to internship opportunities for science students and an annual, one-week Summer Science Camp for 5^th and 6^th-graders.

For further information about SAMI, email kathryn.souza@bellevuecollege.edu or phone (425) 564-3055.

ABOUT BELLEVUE COLLEGE’S SCIENCE DIVISION

Serving more than 20,000 students each year, Bellevue College’s Science Division offers a comprehensive curriculum of more than 100 courses within four general program areas:  Engineering, Life Sciences, Mathematics and Physical Sciences.

Highly unusual for a two-year college, the Division engages students in ongoing, original genomic research. Students in the project, known as ComGen, are analyzing the genetic makeup of a bacterium not yet studied anywhere else in the world, which holds the potential to protect wheat and barley from root disease.

The college’s science facilities include its new, three-story, 64,000 square-foot S Building, which houses five high-tech classrooms, 16 advanced laboratories and a Science Study Center. Another key asset is the Willard Geer Planetarium, the only planetarium in the region to use the advanced, computer-based Digistar 3 system to project and move images. The 60-seat planetarium is almost constantly in use as a college classroom or a field-trip destination for 1,600 K-12 students each year.