Well done, Clark College!

It’s Day Five of the ctcLink conversion, and I’m so proud of our ctcLink team that has put in such long days this week to help the college through the transition. This has been a herculean task requiring patience, perseverance, flexibility, creativity, humor and grace. Please, as you see them, join me in thanking them for their extraordinary work:

• Susan Maxwell, myClark ctcLink Project Director
• Sabra Sand, Director of Business Services and Financial Management Pillar Lead
• Mirranda Saari, Associate Dean of Enrollment Services and Registrar and Campus Solution Pillar Lead
• Guisela Eberle, Human Resources Assistant Director and Human Capital Management Pillar Lead
• Genevieve Howard, Associate Vice President of Instruction and Instructional Lead
• Andy Barsotti, Director of Data Services and ITS Lead
• Tanya Kerr, ctcLink Internal Controls and Business Analyst (Campus Solutions and Financial Management)
• Jennifer Ward, Program Manager for myClark ctcLink
• Shanda Haluapo, Associate Vice President of Planning and Effectiveness and myClark ctcLink Executive Sponsor

This really is a team sport. I thank everyone who has made this our No. 1 priority this week. I know it’s been consuming. The long-term benefits to our staff and our employees will be significant.

We also have student resources you can help share with students as they log onto their new and improved MyClark. It’s vitally important they’re in the system by next week. Registration for winter term starts next Friday. Thank you to our faculty, our staff, our Student Ambassadors, and Tech Hub crew for helping students make the jump onto our new platform.

Well Done, Penguins Soccer Team!

Congratulations to our amazing Clark College women’s soccer team! They concluded their 2019 regular season on Saturday, October 26. They have gone 64 league games without a loss, dating back to October 2014; claimed their fourth Southern Region title in a row; and have earned a bye for the first round of the NWAC soccer tournament.

We are set to host the NWAC quarterfinal round at Kim Christensen Field at noon on Saturday, November 9. We will be host to the winner of the Tacoma CC vs. Columbia Basin CC game set for next week. You will be hearing more about showing your Penguin spirit with a new cool scarf that will be available soon. Go Penguins!!

Columbia Writers Series next week

This looks like an interesting lunchtime event next Thursday on campus: The Clark College Columbia Writers Series kicks off its 2019-2020 season with “The Female Gaze” featuring 2019 National Book Awards Fiction long-listers Kali Fajardo-Anstine (Sabrina & Corina) and Kimberly King Parsons (Black Light). This event, which is free and open to the public, will be held on Thursday, November 7, from noon to 2:00 p.m. in PUB 161.

The event includes a reading and discussion on building buzz around debut short story collections and highlighting the many faces of contemporary female identity in literature. It will feature brief readings, a moderated conversation, and question-and-answer session followed by a book signing.

“The Female Gaze” is presented by the National Book Foundation and Clark College in a new partnership. Information about the Columbia Writers Series is available at www.clark.edu/cc/cws.

Reflections from this past week

Once again, I want to share my appreciation for the Clark ctcLink team who have done an amazing job throughout the goLive conversion. I am inspired by the dedication of the leadership team and the problem-solving that I’ve seen across the campus in Finance, HR, Student Services, Instruction, Planning and Effectiveness, and IT throughout the week. Change is hard, and this amazing team has risen to the challenge. The whole state community college system has been watching us to see how this is done. Congratulations again, Penguin Nation. You’ve got this!

Thanks, Oswald, for stopping by in your “penguin burger” costume to share some treats with us yesterday. I enjoyed seeing some very creative costumes as I walked across the campus yesterday.

I’m looking forward to celebrating Indigenous cultures at our Annual POWWOW tonight with the Dreamcatcher Scholarship recognition and Grand Entry with drummers and dancers. It should be a great way to end the week.

Finally, I’ve walked 152,926 steps this Walktober around the college and on the weekends in my neighborhood. Don’t forget to turn in your steps to vneal@clark.edu to help Clark win the Walktober Challenge. Keep on walking, Penguin Nation!