BRIEFLY IN THE NEWS

Orange Coast, Coastline colleges to lower feesSchools in the Coast Community College District, including Orange Coast College and Coastline Community College, will be among California’s 109 community colleges reducing their enrollment fees for the 2007 winter intersession, following legislation signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Starting early next year, the cost per unit will decrease from $26 to $20 a unit. The reduction becomes effective on Jan. 1, and will also be effective for the spring semester.

OCC spokesman Jim Carnett said the cut might boost enrollment numbers, which have fallen off in recent years as college grew more expensive.

“I think, for some students, it’s very significant,” Carnett said. “When you put it over the course of a semester or a school year, it adds up. A lot of our students work or live on their own or are single parents, so I think any reduction in fees is going to make a substantial difference.”

UC Irvine architect wins national awardRebekah Gladson, an associate vice chancellor and campus architect at UC Irvine, won a prestigious national award this week for her contributions to the design and construction industry.

At its national conference in Nashville, Tenn., the Design-Build Institute of America presented Gladson with its Brunelleschi Lifetime Achievement Award. The award’s namesake, Italian Renaissance architect Filippo Brunelleschi, designed the cathedral dome in Florence, Italy.

Gladson has overseen design at UCI for two decades, leading the development of 30 buildings and more than $1 billion in construction. She is at work on the campus’ new seven-story, $412-million medical center.

“I am deeply honored to be the latest recipient of this significant award and thank my colleagues for such a prestigious tribute,” Gladson said in a release. “I also extend my immense gratitude to our partners in the design-build industry who have worked diligently to help UC Irvine achieve its tremendous growth and success.”