The Tuesday before Thanksgiving is often a sleepy time at Clark College, as students and faculty prepare to take time off for the long weekend. But this year, it was abuzz with activity, as students, staff, and faculty all worked to provide their community with holiday meals.

The event was a collaboration between the college’s Phi Theta Kappa chapter, the culinary arts programs, Student Life, the Penguin Pantry, and the Clark College Alumni Association. Many Clark College employees donate funds for the project each year through Clark College Foundation.

Volunteers provided 333 Thanksgiving meals prepared by Cuisine Management students, baked goods from the Professional Baking program, bread donated by sponsors Meineke, as well as to the regular monthly food boxes provided to Penguin Pantry recipients. In total, 122 students and their households–481 people in all–were provided with 4,326 pounds of food.

Established four years ago, the Penguin Pantry provides Clark College students with food, other basic goods, and connections to resources. Learn more at www.clark.edu/cc/penguinpantry.

The day before, Cuisine Management professor Earl Frederick and his students worked to make Thanksgiving meals for families with a member in hospice. Read the Columbian article about the project.

After a nationwide search, Clark College has announced the hiring of two new members of its Executive Cabinet. Dr. Michele Cruse was named Vice President of Student Affairs and Paul Wickline was named Vice President of Instruction. Dr. Cruse is starting in the position in November and Paul Wickline will begin on January 3, 2022.

“These are two crucial roles at the college, overseeing the two units with the most direct contact with our students—either in class settings or through student services,” said Clark College President Karin Edwards. “Michele and Paul are both highly qualified professionals who will be able to provide leadership and stability to the college.”

Both positions were filled after nationwide job searches and extensive interviews with hiring committees, college leadership, and open forums with the college community.

About Dr. Michele Cruse 

Dr. Michele Cruse has been serving as Interim Vice President of Student Affairs at Clark College since October 2020. Prior to coming to Clark, she served as Vice President and Dean of Student Affairs and Associate Dean of Student Affairs and Experiential Education at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford in Pennsylvania. A native Pittsburgher, Dr. Cruse earned her associate degree from the Community College of Allegheny County, her bachelor’s degree in public administration from the University of Pittsburgh, her master’s degree in public administration and nonprofit management from Portland State University, and her doctorate in community college leadership from the Oregon State University.

Dr. Cruse’s work experience includes both faculty and staff positions at Portland Community College, including dean of student development. She has owned her own business and served as co-founder of an organization focused on workshops and education for community members, women, disenfranchised youth, and those in alternative education.

At Clark College, Dr. Cruse leads Student Affairs, a unit that includes a wide range of services and programs including enrollment services, athletics, career services, international programs, financial aid, disability support, the Veterans Resource Center, and the Counseling and Health Center, among others.

Dr. Cruse lives in Vancouver with her husband, Michael. They have three adult children.

“I am very excited and feel very honored to work alongside dedicated Clark College leaders as the Vice President of Student Affairs,” said Dr. Cruse. “It’s my ultimate goal to ensure that we provide students with a campus environment where every student feels valued, respected, and included while pursuing their academic goals.”

About Paul Wickline 

Paul Wickline brings with him many years of experience in both teaching and leading in a variety of educational settings. He began his educational journey at Edmonds Community College studying vocal music. From there, he went on to earn a Bachelor of Education degree from Western Washington University and his Master of Education degree from Central Washington University. He is currently working on his doctoral dissertation in the Higher Education Leadership program at Portland State University.

Wickline began his teaching career as a high school English and drama teacher in Walla Walla, Washington. He then began teaching theatre at Walla Walla Community College. In 2008, he moved to the College of the Canyons in Southern California, where he served in a series of roles that brought increased leadership: faculty member, department chair, faculty outcomes and assessment coordinator, Academic Senate President, dean of the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Assistant Vice President of Educational Pathways, and finally Associate Vice President of Instruction. He is a past faculty fellow of the Association of American Colleges and Universities Collaborative Project and a mentor in the Association of California Community Colleges Association mentorship program.

Wickline and his wife, Karol Matson, are relocating to the Vancouver area this winter.

“I am humbled and honored to serve alongside the exceptional faculty, staff, and administrators as the next Vice President of Instruction at Clark College,” Wickline said. “Clark College has an outstanding reputation for providing students with quality career and academic preparation to meet the evolving needs of community, business, and industry. I look forward to collaborating with Clark colleagues to best support our students.”

This article originally misidentified the institution where Dr. Cruse earned her doctorate. It was corrected on Nov. 22.

When the Clark College Jazz Band holds its fall concert this Saturday, November 20, it won’t just be celebrating the work of modern composers and swinging tunes; it will be holding the college’s first live, in-person music performance in almost two years.

“It is so exciting for the musicians to be rehearsing in person again after an 18-month-long hiatus,” said music professor and Jazz Band director Dr. Doug Harris. “We’re looking forward to performing some great jazz tunes for an in-person audience!”

The performance is only the first of a whole series of fall concerts: The college’s string orchestra, chorale, concert choir, and concert band all will be performing live during the first week of December.

Each performance will include enhanced safety practices to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Guests will need to wear masks, follow social distancing guidelines, and provide information to a contact-tracing form.

When the college moved to remote operations in March 2020, faculty had to get creative to make virtual classes that worked for what is traditionally an in-person learning experience. They rallied to the challenge, but one thing they couldn’t provide was the experience of performing together before a live audience.

Music department chair Dr. Don Appert said that it was important to get students back to performing onstage as soon as it was safe to do so. “Music is a shared experience between the performers and the audience,” he explained. “There is no substitute for live music-making, and concerts are the culmination of the preparation by the musicians.”

All concerts are free and open to the public. Donations to the college’s music program are accepted at the door.

To see a full roster of Clark College music events, visit www.clark.edu/cc/music.

For more than a decade, Clark College has honored the cultures and traditions of indigenous peoples with an annual celebration and powwow held in early November. This year, as in 2020, that celebration needed to be held virtually due to COVID-19. A video including interviews with community leaders and images from past celebrations has been posted on the college’s web page devoted to the event. It is also posted below.

Registration for both winter and spring terms at Clark College opens on Tuesday, November 9. Students can check their specific registration time and date via their ctcLink account.

More than 40 percent of the approximately 1,200 classes on offer for winter term will include an in-person component—either as a fully face-to-face class, or as part of a hybrid model in which some class activities take place in person while others are completed online. Approximately 8,000 students were enrolled in Clark College in the 2021 fall term, and about one-quarter of all fall classes had an in-person component. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the college has provided free loaner laptops and other support for its online learners.

This winter, the college will be offering additional cohorts of some of its most sought-after degree programs, including a winter cohort in Welding Technologies, and spring cohorts in Pharmacy Technician and Cybersecurity. Winter will also see expanded course offerings in the college’s Management program, including MGMT 120, “Supervisor as a Trainer Coach.”

Additionally, the college will transition to being a fully vaccinated campus, meaning that all students participating in in-person classes, activities or services must be fully vaccinated or have an accepted medical or religious exemption on file before the beginning of the term. As in fall term, masks will continue to be required inside all college facilities. Learn more about the college’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including vaccination and exemption guidelines, at www.clark.edu/covid-19.

“Data shows that the equity gaps in vaccination are closing, and we know that vaccinations are the best way to protect our community from COVID-19,” said Clark College President Karin Edwards. “That’s why we are becoming a fully vaccinated campus in winter term. I’m excited to welcome more students safely back to campus in 2022.”

Winter term classes begin January 3, 2022. Spring term classes begin April 4, 2022. All students must complete the enrollment process before registering for classes. Visit www.clark.edu/getstarted to learn more.  

On September 9, Clark College hosted a free workshop for women interested in advanced manufacturing and the mechanical trades on the college’s main campus. More than 30 women attended the event, which included hands-on activities and tours of the college’s Automotive, Diesel, and Welding labs, as well as the chance to speak with professors.  

The following video, narrated by Interim Dean of Workforce Professional Technical Education & STEM, captures some of the excitement from the event as well as the motivation behind it. Properly trained  technicians are in high demand in the advanced manufacturing and mechanical industries, and these careers can be rewarding both financially and professionally. However, a recent study found that only 1 in 3 manufacturing professionals are women. 

Two $1,800 scholarships will be made available to students who attend this event and enroll in a Clark College Automotive, Diesel, or Welding program by fall 2022. One scholarship was made available by Madden Industrial Craftsmen, the other through an anonymous donor.  

See more photos from the event on the college’s Flickr site.

Five employees received annual awards in three categories at Clark College’s 2021 Opening Day event, held virtually on September 13.

Awards announced included:

• Exceptional Administrative Exempt Award
• Exceptional Classified Staff Award
• Lora Whitfield Social Equity Award

Additionally, the Exceptional Faculty Awards, which were announced during Commencement, were recognized a second time. Employees were also recognized for their years of service, with one employee, David Sims of IT Services, honored for 40 years of service to the college.

Exceptional Administrative Exempt Award

Mike See, Director of Safety and Security

Mike See joined Clark College in November 2016 as its emergency manager. He was named Interim Director of Safety and Security in September 2017 and was named permanently to the position in December of that year. A retired captain with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, See brings to Clark College extensive experience in law enforcement, institutional safety, and emergency management.

See’s nominators said, “His approach helps to build bridges around campus, and helps to break down silos. It makes people feel like their work and department matter to more than just their little piece of the pie. That helps to breed pride in work and helps people to take ownership of their work product. 

“Mike is open to doing whatever he needs to do to make the college work better. I have rarely met an employee at any level of the college in my 24 years who is more dedicated to making this a better place to be for students, faculty, staff, and visitors.”  

Congratulations to all the other nominees for the 2021 Exceptional Administrative Exempt Award:

• Wendé Fisher, Advising 
• Renee Schiffhauer, Advising 
• Brenda Walstead, Dean of Business and Health Sciences  
• Nicole Rogers Marcum, Office of Instruction 
• Julie Robertson, Grant Development  
• Abby Thompson, Enrollment Services 
• Cindi Olson, Student Affairs 
• Jennifer Lea, Business Division 
• Katlyn Viers, Advising 
• Angela Ford, IT Services  

Exceptional Classified Staff Award

Jordan De Van, Program Specialist, Enrollment Services

Jordan De Van is a Program Specialist in Enrollment Services. Comments from her nomination include: 

• “Jordan has one of the strongest senses of customer service and how it should be demonstrated. She not only responds quickly to inquiries from students and other departments, she responds happily despite her busy workload.”  
• “Jordan is always helpful and understanding when assisting others outside of her department. Instead of rushing through issues that arise with tracking student grades in the database system, she takes the time to investigate, and assists instructors to better prepare them if the issue were to arise again in the future.” 
• “Jordan’s knowledge, expertise and sense of humor always makes working with her a pleasure.” 
• “She assists each individual in a way that they can understand the steps of the process and provides them with direction that helps them along further in the process—all with a smile on her face.” 

Damon Grady, Campus Security Sergeant, Security and Safety Services

Damon Grady has been with Clark College’s Security and Safety Department since 1997. He served as a Campus Security Officer for 20 years before being promoted to the sergeant’s rank in January of 2018. Comments about Grady include: 

• “He frequently takes after-hours calls and adjusts his shifts so that his people get the support they need. Managing the schedule for 17 people, half of whom are part-time, to provide 24-hour coverage is a difficult and complicated endeavor.”  
• “Damon has gone beyond his role. When he noticed the decrease in on-campus staff presences, he purposefully expanded his knowledge on all the student-facing services and learned how they work to best support Clark students so he would be prepared to answer students’ questions during the COVID-19 pandemic.”  
• “Damon works closely with his subordinates to ensure they have the training and guidance necessary to be successful in their respective roles.” 
• “Damon responded to a medical call that involved a person with a life-threatening injury. He was quick to respond while properly assessing the situation and keeping those involved safe and calm until EMS arrived.”  

Congratulations to all the other nominees for the 2020-2021 Exceptional Classified Award:

• All Classified Staff 
• Dan Ellertson, Retail Clerk Lead, Bookstore 
• Darci Feider, Program Coordinator, Student Life  
• Jerry Horn, Secretary Senior, WPTE + STEM UNIT 
• Jen King, Program Specialist 2, Financial Aid 
• Christy Lewis, Fiscal Technician 3, Information Accounting Services 
• Malissa Pierce, Program Specialist 2, Transitional Studies Division 
• Tiffany Saari, Secretary Senior, WPTE + STEM UNIT 
• Karina Sanchez, Program Specialist 3, Financial Aid 
• Kayla Escott, Program Manager, Financial Aid 
• Jenny Shadley, Graphic Design Supervisor, Communications & Marketing 
• Everett Yu, Equipment Technician 3, Grounds 

Lora Whitfield Social Equity Award

Hanan Al-Zubaidy, Director of Clark College at Larch

Hanan Al-Zubaidy is Director of Clark College at Larch Corrections Center. A nominator had this to say about her: “In winter of 2021, when COVID ran rampant through Larch Corrections Center, Hanan prioritized accommodating our students through the outbreak, if faculty felt comfortable entering, and worked with Department of Corrections administration to provide learning materials to eager students, rather than making them wait. Students were able to graduate during a month-long lockdown as a direct result of Hanan going above and beyond to manage a student-centered approach in even the most challenging and stressful of circumstances. We have watched Hanan overcome the misogyny, racism and ignorance that exists within the ranks of the DOC, and she rose anyway from graduate student intern, to Reentry Navigator, to Director.” 

Kushlani de Soyza, Professor of Women’s Studies

Kushlani de Soyza joined Clark College as a tenured professor of women’s studies in 2013. A nominator said this about her: “Kushlani is committed to ensuring her students feel safe in class and at Clark in general. For example, as the college periodically suggests changes that will impact instruction–[such as] how, what, and where we teach–Kushlani doesn’t shy away from standing up for her students by emphasizing that their needs are paramount and that changes that impact our ability to serve students from marginalized groups should be made cautiously.” 

Other nominees for the Lora Whitfield Social Equity Award:

• Cath Busha, Dean of Student Engagement
• Connor Cantrell, Amanda Brown and Tasha Robertson, Clark College Libraries Access Services
• Mike Godson, Professor of Automotive Technologies
• Tre Sandlin, Teaching and Learning Center

Learn more about Clark College’s employee awards on our Human Resources web pages.

Have questions about COVID-19 and vaccinations? Biology professor Steven Clark created an informative video lecture on the virus, vaccines, and immunity. Watch until the end to catch a question-and-answer session conducted with Clark College employees who attended Professor Clark’s Zoom seminar.

UPDATE: This event was canceled due to low enrollment.

Clark College, WPEA and CCAHE are holding a vaccination clinic on Wednesday, September 1 from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Clark College in the STEM Building. Sign up for an appointment here.  

Rite Aid will be providing the first dose of the Moderna Covid-19 Vaccine.  

On August 18, Governor Inslee announced a mandate requiring all educators, including higher education workers, be vaccinated against COVID-19 by October 18, 2021. This mandate applies to all higher education workers whether working remotely or in person, and whether part-time temporary or full-time. It also applies to student workers.  

In order to be fully vaccinated, people need to receive two doses of the Moderna vaccine spaced weeks apart. The second-dose vaccination clinic will be held on Wednesday, September 29 from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.  

This event is free. You do not have to pay for the vaccine. The event is being held for Clark College employees and students, but other members of the public are welcome to make appointments as well.

For more information contact CCAHE President Suzanne Southerland at ssoutherland@clark.edu.

Clark College is hosting a free workshop for women interested in advanced manufacturing and the mechanical trades on Thursday, September 9 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Clark College’s main campus. 

This roll-up-your-sleeves event is designed specifically for women to learn about the exciting career opportunities that are available in the mechanical and advanced-manufacturing fields. Guests will be able to tour the college’s Automotive, Diesel, and Welding labs, participate in hands-on activities, and speak with professors.  

Closed-toe shoes and long jeans are required; long-sleeved shirts are recommended. Safety goggles and masks are required and will be provided. 

Properly trained technicians are in high demand in the advanced manufacturing and mechanical industries, and these careers can be rewarding both financially and professionally. However, a recent study found that only 1 in 3 manufacturing professionals are women. 

“We know that, even in this day and age, women can be discouraged from pursuing careers in fields like automotive technology and welding,” said Armetta Burney, Clark College Interim Dean of Workforce Professional Technical Education and STEM. “And yet for years we’ve seen our female students succeed in these programs and enter the workforce. The college is holding this event in hopes of showing women the range of career opportunities available to them.” 

Two $1,800 scholarships will be made available to students who attend this event and enroll in a Clark College Automotive, Diesel, or Welding program by fall 2022. One scholarship was made available by Madden Industrial Craftsmen, the other through an anonymous donor.  

Women interested in attending the event can learn more at https://tinyurl.com/yfb6e6qk or contact Hernan Garzon at hgarzon@clark.edu. The event is free and open to the public, though prior registration is encouraged. Guests will meet in the Automotive Technology lab on Clark College’s main campus (near the Orange 1 parking lot), 1933 Ft. Vancouver Way. Maps and directions are available at www.clark.edu/maps. If you need accommodation due to a disability in order to fully participate in this event, you should contact Clark College’s Disability Support Services Office at 360-992-2314 or 360-992-0901 VP, as soon as possible.   

Clark College expressly prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, perceived or actual physical or mental disability, pregnancy, genetic information, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, creed, religion, honorably discharged veteran or military status, citizenship, immigration status, or use of a trained guide dog or service animal in its programs and activities. Learn more at www.clark.edu/nds.