Clark College presented its annual State of the College address in a new video format featuring messages from Clark College President Dr. Karin Edwards, members of the Executive Cabinet, and ASCC President Gurraj Singh Dhami. The address highlights key achievements across the college and reinforces Clark’s commitment to student success.

Looking ahead, Clark College remains steadfast in its mission to advance education and equity while nurturing student success and driving economic growth in Southwest Washington.

President Edwards said, “In light of the current challenges facing higher education, we must remain true to our mission, values, students, and the community we serve.”

Watch the State of the College Video

2024 Highlights

Enrollment

• Increased by 1,000 students in 2024 and approaching pre-pandemic enrollment
• Our five Bachelor of Applied Science programs have greatly exceeded predicted enrollment.
• 23% of Clark students are high school students enrolled in Running Start
• More than 55% of our students plan to transfer to a four-year college, with the majority heading to Washington State University Vancouver.

Program Milestones

• Bachelor of Applied Science in Teacher Education (BASTE) program celebrated the graduation of its first cohort in spring 2024.
• Medical Assisting program earned accreditation in 2024.
• On-campus student activities signaled the rebound of a vibrant student life, with the Associated Students of Clark College (ASCC) reporting a 54% increase in participation from 2023.

New Programs for In-demand Fields

Working with community employers and listening to our students, Clark has developed programs that are key for the growth and economic vitality of Southwest Washington. New academic and workforce program developments include new bachelor programs, healthcare pathways, and technology.

Three new programs and one new campus launching this fall include:

• Surgical Technology — Students can begin taking foundational classes in spring and summer terms.
• Bachelor of Science in Computer Science — Clark’s first Bachelor of Science degree.
• The Advanced Manufacturing program will be housed in our new Advanced Manufacturing Center (AMC) at our Boschma Farms campus in Ridgefield. The program is undergoing final approval.
• The AMC building will have a soft launch on April 7 and an official opening in fall term.

Supporting Success for Students

Clark College recognizes that our students need more than access to higher education. We also support our students through essential programs and wraparound services.

• 35% of Clark students are from low-income backgrounds
• 47% are the first in their family to attend college

To further support our students

• Clark launched a new Basic Needs Hub in 2024.
• Clark’s Penguin Pantry distributed over 54,000 pounds of food to 800 students’ families in 2024.

Other Initiatives outlined in the State of the College

Investments in improvements in technology provided data-driven decision-making and included a new, automated solution for identifying fraud, and the completion of a multi-year project for evaluating software accessibility.

Student financial aid support: Clark’s Financial Aid office distributed more than $31 million in federal aid to Clark students despite federal delays related to the FAFSA last year.

Stable college finances: In 2024 Clark earned more revenue and spent less than expected, contributing to an increase of $1.8 million in the available fund balance which allowed for funding 6 new positions, increasing the instructional adjunct budget, and adding funding for tutoring and security improvements.

Clark College Foundation celebrated 50 years of supporting Clark’s success. Clark College Foundation has contributed $90 million to Clark initiatives since its inception and rolled out two new funds to support student success and college innovation.

Clark’s accreditation renewal is happening this fall. More than a requirement for federal financial aid, accreditation is a rigorous evaluation of quality and continuous improvement, ensuring that our college fulfills its mission and meets the highest standards to deliver exceptional educational opportunities to our students.

Community invitation: President Edwards invited the community to visit our lovely campus with wildflowers in the bee gardens, cherry trees in the Japanese Friendship Garden, and a robust offering of arts, theater, athletics, and community events.

Thank You: On behalf of Clark College, President Edwards expressed gratitude to the board of trustees, students, faculty, staff, community partners, and legislative representatives for their contributions to the college’s mission to ensure that education remains equitable and accessible to all who seek to learn and grow. Through education, empowerment, and opportunity, Clark College continues to elevate individuals in achieving their personal and professional goals.

Zach Lattin, Clark College’s IT accessibility coordinator, engaged the audience with his thought-provoking presentation (including playing his guitar!) at the winter Students with Disabilities Luncheon on March 6. Hosted by the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the free, public event provided both meaningful conversation and a delicious free lunch. This time, students from the small-group communications class served the food.

Lattin, who tests software for accessibility standards and teaches students how to use assistive devices, spoke plainly about the advances and challenges of making a college education accessible for all.  

Drawing from his own experiences navigating accessibility challenges as a student at the University of Washington, Lattin emphasized the importance of equitable access in higher education.

He said, “I didn’t always have access at UW.”

Pushing Back on Inspiration Porn

Lattin discussed how historically, the stories of people with disabilities have been used for “inspiration porn”—a term coined by disability activists Stella Young and Lydia X. Brown.  

The three types of “inspiration” stories identified as “inspiration porn” include:

• Disabled person does something extraordinary, and it’s presented as inspiring because the person is disabled, not because 99% of the general population could not have achieved it.
• Disabled person does something mundane, and it’s presented as inspiring because it’s assumed disabled people are incapable of doing anything at all.
• Disabled person does something not overtly negative to disabled person, and it’s presented as inspiring because it’s supposedly magnanimous and saint-like to be nice to someone with a disability.

He said, “It’s about framing how our stories are told… If a story of yours is being framed in one of those three ways, feel free to push back on it.”

Understanding Models of Disability

Lattin discussed the issues with the charity model of disability and the medical model of disability, and talked about why we should push toward the social model of disability.

• In the charity model, people with disabilities are treated as objects of charity and pity.
• In the medical model, people with disabilities are viewed as sick with a need to be cured.
• Meanwhile, the social model focuses on how systemic and environmental issues create the primary barrier to success for people who are disabled.

On the social model, he said, “I personally believe this is what we should be moving towards.”

Lattin added, “I personally do not view my blindness as something to be cured. I see it as a lifestyle, a way that I exist, and part of my identity.”

Challenging Assumptions

To illustrate the importance of social models of disability, Lattin shared a story about his team testing the accessibility of automotive software in Clark’s mechanic shop. He asked the luncheon attendees what percent of the software they thought was accessible.

The guesses were similar: “None! Five percent!”

Surprisingly, Lattin said, the software was 95% accessible. “This tells me that the barriers to access for automotive are not technology—it’s other barriers.” It challenged even his own assumptions.

He used to have techno-utopian attitudes, believing that technology would solve access problems. But now he believes “we need to be doing more than solving problems with technology… We need to address systemic barriers.”

Ending on a High Note

Lattin gave a mini concert, playing his guitar and singing an original song. Laughing, Lattin explained the song was written for two folks on a bus who, speaking in Spanish, thought he couldn’t understand them when they said demeaning things about his disability. When they both arrived at the courthouse, they found out that Lattin would be their translator.

Further Reading

Lattin suggested multiple texts for further reading, including:

• “Disabled people are not your feel-good back-pats” by Lydia X. Z. Brown
• Models of Disability Tip Sheet from Mobility International

Connect with the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI):

• In-person: Diversity Center, Gaiser Hall 214
• Phone: 360-992-2292
• Email: diversity@clark.edu
• Website: www.clark.edu/cc/diversity

Photos: Clark College/Carly Rae Zent

Mia Beightol earned NWAC Runner of the Year after finishing first in her 3K run at the Fall 2024 Women’s Cross-Country Championships. She finished the run with a time of 18:18:4, winning by over 14 seconds.

Beightol’s win helped catapult the entire Penguins women’s cross-country team to second place at the championships overall. She was also the Southern Regional Champion with a time of 18:35.6.

She was recognized with a championship ring at the Clark Board of Trustees’ meeting on February 26. Clark President Dr. Karin Edwards presented her the ring as an audience full of supporters and her parents watched over Zoom.

While Beightol herself was humble, the women’s cross-country coach Owen Frasier—who also received the 2024 NWAC Southern Region Men’s Coach of the Year—made sure the trustees understood what an accomplishment this was.

With emotion in his voice, he shared with the trustees that Beightol was not only an excellent athlete but academically accomplished, with a 3.7 GPA. He also shared that his own daughter looks up to Beightol for being a great, kind person.

This is the second year in a row that Clark College won the honor of NWAC Runner of the Year, the 2023 honoree was Sydnee Boothby.

Congratulations, Mia Beightol!

About NWAC

The Northwest Athletic Conference is the parent organization for thirty-six (36) community colleges located in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia, Canada. It is the mission of the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) to foster athletic participation in an environment that supports equitable opportunities for student-athletes consistent with the educational objectives of member colleges. (From NWAC’s website)

Photos: Clark College/Carly Rae Zent

Getting the beautiful native wildflowers that bloom across campus in spring requires the help of many hands to spread seeds.

Despite rescheduling due to snowy weather, volunteers from throughout Clark College donned boots, gloves, and warm clothing to sow wildflower seeds in the cold at several bee garden locations on campus on February 19 and 20. Even the softball team organized to come out.

They sowed a variety of native seeds including yarrow, camas, lupine, Oregon sunshine, Clarkia, checker mallow, blue-eyed Mary, western burnet, and desert parsley. The gardens receiving fresh seeds this year are the ones that required re-tilling. Most of the time, the wildflowers will self-seed, leaving seeds on the ground to grow the following year.

Steven Clark, Bee Campus Project Manager, said “I love having volunteers because while bees are wonderfully self-sufficient, this is our opportunity to help them to be happy in our gardens. We broadcast the seeds by hand and it’s a fun activity to do here and to do in your own yard.”

Enjoy strolls across campus and see the Bee Campus gardens from late May to early July, peaking in June, following the flowering of the Shirofugen cherry trees in April.

Map of Bee Campus gardens

Certified Bee Campus

In April 2023, Clark College earned certification as a Bee Campus affiliate, becoming the fifth college in Washington to earn that distinction. A Bee Campus USA affiliate is a college campus that includes a bee habitat.

In the spring of 2023, students, staff, visitors, and, importantly, bees, saw native flowers sprouting up in gardens across campus. These flowers and natural areas where bees can make nests and lay eggs are helping Clark establish this bee habitat. Clark College—and other Bee Campus USA affiliates—show that the built environment (such as campuses, neighborhoods, city parks, and even roadsides) can feature a thoughtful design that allows bees to thrive in shared areas.

Learn more at Clark’s Bee Campus webpage here.

Photos: Clark College/Carly Rae Zent

The large, blooming gardens of native wildflowers that pop up each spring on Clark’s campus don’t happen by accident, but through careful maintenance by Bee Campus Project Manager Steven Clark, the Bee Committee, and the help of our community.

We need volunteers to sow wildflower seeds at several bee garden locations on campus on Thursday, February 13 and Friday, February 14. Consider it your Valentine’s gift to native bees and other pollinators.

Although the flowers from last year scattered their own seed, a couple gardens this year need re-tilling, which means we need to plant fresh seeds in a few spots. The seeds are sown now, in the winter months, so they can take root in the soil and grow.

If you wish to volunteer, wear shoes and clothes appropriate for muddy, chilly conditions and prepare to walk over uneven terrain.

• Thursday, February 13: Meet at the Japanese Garden fountain at 1:00 pm (https://maps.app.goo.gl/gWvN3oRPdQpbZ8QK8)
• Friday, February 14: Meet in front of Hanna Hall on the north side at 1:00 pm (https://maps.app.goo.gl/d29CJEfDQQEQ63uZ9)

Clark who coordinates the college’s Bee Campus initiative has led the college in planting native wildflowers, to make the campus more attractive to bees and other pollinators. These flowers and natural areas where bees can make nests and lay eggs are helping Clark establish this bee habitat.

Pollinators—including mason bees, bumblebees, butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, and hummingbirds are essential for the planet. They are responsible for the reproduction of almost 90% of the world’s flowering plant species and 30% of our food.

Depending on the weather, look out for flowers to start popping up in April with full bloom in mid-May.

About Bee Campus

In April 2023, Clark College earned certification as a Bee Campus affiliate, becoming the fifth college in Washington to earn that distinction. Clark joined 165 other college campuses and 179 cities across the country united to make their landscape attractive to pollinators.

Bee City USA and Bee Campus USA are initiatives of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, a Portland-based nonprofit. Bee City USA’s mission is to galvanize communities and college campuses to sustain pollinators by providing healthy habitat, rich in a variety of native plants that are free of pesticides.

A Bee Campus USA affiliate is a college campus that includes a bee habitat. Clark College—and other Bee Campus USA affiliates—show that the built environment (such as campuses, neighborhoods, city parks, and even roadsides) can feature a thoughtful design that allows bees to thrive in shared areas.

Learn more:

• Clark College’s Bee Campus USA initiative
• Bee Campus USA
• Four simple ways to help pollinators

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

The NERD Girls and GEEKs, an ASCC student program, hosted an “experiment social” on Tuesday, January 28 in the STEM Building Collaboratorium, inviting the Clark STEM community to come together to hang out and explore by doing hands-on science experiments. The student-led club is directed by professors Tina Barsotti and Carol Hsu.

At the social, attendees created stress balls, made wildflower seed paper, and “elephant toothpaste,” (using dish soap to trap oxygen gas bubbles and create a foam that looks like toothpaste). Some projects were more successful than others, but the students kept trying and approached the experiments in different ways to achieve better results.

Professor Barsotti said, “The best part of the social experiment was how it brought students together for hands-on experimentation—proving that failure is just part of the journey in science and engineering. One student thought they had made a mistake when making their stress ball, but upon completion, they realized it was exactly what they intended.”

According to its mission statement, the student program “strives to provide opportunities for diverse learners to achieve their educational goals by promoting social connectedness through peer support, volunteering, professional interaction, and mentoring. By providing these opportunities, the program encourages students to continue their path in the STEM fields.”

This mission can be summarized by one student’s answer to the question: “What do you like about the club?” The student smiled, pointed at her friend, and said, “Well, I met her.”

Clark NERD Girls and GEEKs hosts events throughout the year. Last December, they hosted the Second Annual Free Holiday Market that gives students and their families an opportunity to shop for holiday gifts for their families and themselves—for free. Read more about that here.

Learn more

NERD Girls posts about upcoming events on its Instagram. You can also reach out to Tina Barsotti and Carol Hsu for more information.

Photos: Clark College/Carly Rae Zent

Hundreds of Clark College students and their family members flocked to the STEM Building for the Second Annual Free Holiday Market on the afternoon of December 4. This well-received event that was first offered last year is back by popular demand.

The Free Holiday Market gives students and their families an opportunity to shop for holiday gifts for their families and themselves — without the financial burden. Started in 2023, the annual event invites students and family members to shop at more than 50 tables laden with items donated by generous staff, faculty, and administrators.

This year, more than 350 students and guests shopped for gifts. Before the event even began, students eagerly lined up, and the steady flow of shoppers continued throughout the event. Parents helped children pick out toys, students scanned items looking for gifts for their families and friends, and staff working the tables helped students find gifts that might be a good fit for their recipients in mind.

The planning committee expanded the market’s offerings by handing out snacks and including more children’s crafts activities. A new free clothing table was also a popular addition. They even hosted a new door prize, which pulled tickets throughout the event for the opportunity to win large items.

Chef Alison Dolder, head of the Professional Baking & Pastry Arts program, first had the idea to host a free student holiday market and was on the planning committee. She said, “I think it was really nice to see a real sense of community and to see Clark show students how much we care.” Referencing the COVID-19 pandemic that drove the community off-campus, she added, “It was nice to see everyone in one place again.”

How it works

• Students registered to participate as shoppers. Upon arrival, shoppers were given free tickets so they could shop.
• Students also get a special ticket for a door prize drawing for big-ticket items like giant penguin plushies or waffle irons.
• Employees ran the event and students from various student groups volunteered to help at the event.
• Staff, faculty, and administrators donated new or gently used gift items such as toys, games, puzzles, books, clothing, jewelry, craftwork, and household items. Every item can be ‘purchased’ with free tickets.
• Departments and individuals from around the campus hosted gift tables.
• Representatives from various support services were present.

Ongoing opportunities to give to students

• WES Giving Tree: Collecting new hats, gloves, scarves, hand warmers, socks, and throws for students and their families through January 10, 2025, in GHL 215.
• Basic Needs Hub: Donate here to this brand-new hub designed to connect students with essential resources for student success.
• Clark College Foundation: Check out the many ways our Foundation has set up to support our students through payroll deduction or one-time donation to any specific causes.

Special Acknowledgments

This year’s event is sponsored by the ASCC club, NERD Girls & GEEKS, along with the Engineering program and the McClaskey Culinary Institute.

Thank you to this year’s organizing committee:

Tina Barsotti
Alison Dolder
Judi Georgeades-Tambara
Stephanie Hall
Carol Hsu
Fay Shorten
Lucy Winslow

Fall term’s Engineering Design Competition featured an edible building material: Pasta!

Teams constructed towers with dry pasta. They could use any type of pasta, and the towers ranged from round rigatoni beauties to tall, elegant lasagna sculptures. And there’s another catch: the towers had to have spaces for two small toy penguins to stand.

On the day of the competition, towers were tested for their ability to withstand force. They used an “Instron machine” to test the towers, which imposed increasing load on the towers. Some of the pasta towers burst with the force, making for an exciting minor pasta explosion.

The goal of the pasta towers was to reach a minimum of 20 Newtons of force, but many towers achieved taking hundreds of Newtons of force and some even hit over 2700.

Carol Hsu, an engineering professor who led the project, said “Watching the towers get crushed is always exciting, especially when it is catastrophic! In this competition, the students were challenged to design towers capable of withstanding a specified range of loads. Every team rose to the challenge with their pasta towers. Their success was largely due to prototype testing. Great job!”

Tina Barsotti, another engineering professor, explained that the project was devised by the students themselves. “Really what we’re teaching is the engineering design process.”

Student Life’s enthusiastic group of student leaders, headed up by Sami Lelo and Sarah Gruhler, runs the Penguin Pantry. Every month, the Penguin Pantry provides one of the most vital basic needs to students: monthly food boxes. But every year for Thanksgiving, they bring holiday magic to Clark families by arranging something extra special. On November 19, they held a Thanksgiving-themed food distribution.

Last year, they distributed pre-made meals crafted by the McClaskey Culinary Institute. This year, they fundraised for “everything but the Turkey” boxes, stuffed to the brim with Thanksgiving staples, pantry items, and pumpkin pies. The boxes also came with Safeway gift cards to allow households to purchase additional wanted items.

15 volunteers served 309 households a total of 6,798 pounds of food, thanks partially to the over $5,800 fundraised for the event. That’s a huge increase over the 222 households served last year. You can still donate to contribute to Penguin Pantry’s future efforts.

Gruhler said, “It was cold and wet during the drive-thru distribution, but everyone was very excited and thankful, so that makes it all worth it.”

About Penguin Pantry

The Penguin Pantry supports a healthy college community by reducing hunger on campus and connecting students to essential resources. Any enrolled Clark student is eligible to receive monthly boxes, and they can sign up for each box in MyClark.

• Interested in volunteering to distribute boxes? Email penguinpantry@clark.edu.
• Wish to donate? Visit the Penguin Pantry’s Clark College Foundation fundraiser.

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

The Advanced Manufacturing Center at the Boschma Farms campus in Ridgefield has officially finished construction. To celebrate, developer and design-builder Mortenson officially presented Clark College with the keys this past Tuesday, November 19.

The ceremony, held in the new building, welcomed around 100 guests, including the Clark College Foundation and Board of Trustees, the City of Ridgefield, and on-site workers and trade partners. After speeches by project leadership, Clark’s mascot Oswald the Penguin helped accept the symbolic key presented by Mortenson.

Speakers:  

• Dr. Karin Edwards, President, Clark College
• Sabra Sand, Vice President of Operations, Clark College
• Carolyn Sizemore, Market Director, Mortenson

Clark College will begin moving into its first building, the Advanced Manufacturing Center, over the next few months and readying the space for classes to begin in 2025. General education classes will be held there in Spring 2025; five general education classrooms and one computer lab will accommodate a future capacity to serve up to 1,200 students per term. 

By Fall 2025, the complex will become the hub for the college’s advanced manufacturing program which is currently in development. When completed, the program will provide an initial enrollment of 32 students in two cohorts of 16, with plans to eventually serve 48 students across three cohorts. A grand opening is planned for 2025 when the college officially opens its doors.

Located on a 10-acre property east of the Ridgefield Junction, the 49,000-square-foot Advanced Manufacturing Center features a vast open manufacturing floor, collaboration zones, satellite instructional facilities, classrooms, laboratories, offices, and more. The 35,000 square feet dedicated to manufacturing training includes three industry-specific classrooms, four labs, five manufacturing cells, and a vast open manufacturing floor. The remaining 14,000 square feet houses the five general education classrooms, along with faculty and student amenities.

Manufacturing and classroom spaces in the Advanced Manufacturing Center are designed for multiple delivery modes including lecture, collaborative, project-based learning, and hybrid models implementing online content and classroom application. The facility’s acoustic design ensures that unamplified voice communication will carry above ambient machine noise. The flexible design of the structure is envisioned to accommodate future growth and will serve students, Ridgefield, and other north Clark County communities.

“This milestone marks an incredible step forward for Clark College and the Ridgefield community,” said Dr. Edwards. “We are committed to delivering an education environment that fosters innovation, collaboration, and workforce readiness. The Advanced Manufacturing Center will provide invaluable opportunities to develop critical skills in a growing field, allowing us to support the region’s workforce and expand educational access in north Clark County.”

Mortenson’s Market Director, Carolyn Sizemore emphasized the project’s unique attributes. The LEED Silver-certified Advanced Manufacturing Center meets state energy performance standards, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and improves operational efficiencies. The progressive design-build construction delivery method used on the building was spearheaded by Mortenson in collaboration with Henneberry Eddy Architects; this delivery method proved instrumental to the successful implementation of the use of prefabrication in this project and the resulting efficiencies.

Mortenson is a U.S.-based builder, developer, and engineering services provider serving the commercial, institutional, and energy sectors. Their portfolio of integrated services helps its customers move their strategies forward, resulting as a turnkey partner, fully invested in the business success of its customers.

“The Advanced Manufacturing Center is a stunning testament to what can be achieved when stakeholders come together with a shared vision,” said Sizemore. “Clark College envisioned a sustainable, future-ready facility adaptable for growth in the Ridgefield community. We are proud to deliver this anchor building on the Ridgefield campus and we are confident that it will exceed the aspirations of Clark College and the Ridgefield community.”

View more photos from the event on our Flickr page. https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBSpxw

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley