Clark College Libraries Acquisitions Specialist Sally Demos

Congratulations to Sally Demos, recipient of the 2014 Spring Quarter Classified Staff Excellence Award!

Sally Demos has provided excellent service to the Clark College Community for the past 29 years. She currently holds the position of Acquisitions Specialist for the Clark College Library. A current member in the Shared Integrated Library, she has also served on the Clark College Foundation Employee Campaign Committee, is a convener for the Library of the Future Committee, a member of the library’s Floor Plan Work Group, and the Classified Staff Representative for the Library Leadership Team.

Sally frequently goes above and beyond her basic job responsibilities, displaying her earnest work ethic and commitment to the Clark College Mission. She has been described by her colleagues as “the epitome of efficiency,” and her supervisor states that Sally is “thorough, organized and succinct, meeting all deadlines and is often early in finishing her work.”

Sally exemplifies lifelong learning by participating in many staff and professional development training opportunities. Her excellent communication skills and wealth of information is a great asset to Clark College, its students, and staff.

Congratulations to all of the spring quarter nominees:

Kate Cascio: Kate has been an exemplary program assistant. She has brought a new level of professionalism to the office. Her ability to work individually to accomplish projects is outstanding. She is quick to take on several additional special projects and duties above and beyond her required assignments. Kate exceeds what is expected of her in all areas of her work.

Vanessa Meyer: Vanessa is doing an excellent job! She is supremely competent. She is organized and handles her responsibilities quickly and efficiently, assuring faculty members do not miss anything that is required. She is not just always pleasant and polite, but always in a good mood.

Brendan Pust: Brendan provides excellent customer service and does everything he can to help. He goes above and beyond each day to provide the best support for students and staff. Brendan never leaves any employee behind. He does his very best to train his employees to provide quality support for students. He has a positive and professional attitude.

Derald Richards: Derald consistently performs at a level above and beyond the scope of his job. Derald is very professional and courteous with his co-workers, students and the general public. Derald is continually looking for ways to complete a task more efficiently. He has been quick to submit ideas and solutions on various issues and will then take the lead on certain projects.

Denise Rotellini: Denise is all about quality work, continuous improvement, and excellent customer service. She does an exceptionally thorough job of managing departmental documents, libraries, and processes. Denise’s knowledge of the college structure, policy and procedures is exemplary. She is always willing to help solve a problem, figure out an answer, or provide support. Denise is always looking for a way to make everyone’s job easier and more efficient.

Billie Trimbo: Billie has a certain flair for bringing out the creative and empathetic qualities in others around her. She has been available to us when we needed information, and helpful in problem solving to get the job done. She always goes above and beyond in her work for our department! Billie is spontaneous with her friendship to her coworkers and friends.

Heather White: Heather’s performance is the very definition of “excellence.” Heather regularly checks in with other coworkers to see how she can help them. She is friendly and helpful to everyone that comes into our office. She works with the office to provide the best possible service to students. She is clear and concise and speaks to people kindly and considerately. She always listens actively and looks at each person as an individual. Heather has the utmost respect for fellow workers and students.

The College Community will celebrate all 2013-2014 nominees and recipients at the Annual Ice Cream Social held in September.

The Classified Staff Excellence Award was established in 2005 and recognizes classified staff who have demonstrated exemplary work performance, outstanding customer service, a positive and cooperative spirit, and special achievements or contributions to the college community. Thanks to the support of the Clark College Foundation, each quarter’s recipient receives a $400 cash award.

Karen Ferguson submitted this article. Photo: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Washington State Supreme Court Justice Susan Owens, standing, answers questions from students in Clark’s Business Law class, which she visited with Chief Justice Barbara Madsen and Associate Chief Justice Charles Johnson.

In 2012, the Clark College Law Club took a field trip to Olympia, where they visited both the State Legislature and the State Supreme Court. While there, paralegal student Richard Thomas got the chance to chat with then-Justice James Johnson, who retired from the court last month.

“Justice Johnson and I were talking, and I asked him, ‘Does the court ever go out and visit places around the state?'” recalled Thomas. “And he said, ‘Yes! We love going on the road. The problem is, we have to be invited.’ So I came back here the next day and started trying to get this going.”

Clark Law Club member Richard Thomas helped make the Washington Supreme Court’s visit a reality.

Two years later, Thomas’s efforts—along with those of the rest of the Law Club and the college itself—resulted in the Washington State Supreme Court spending two days at Clark College. The nine justices visited classrooms, met with members of the community, and heard three cases during their time at the college. Justice Mary Yu, who had been appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee but not yet sworn in at the time of the visit, also attended many of the events, including an open forum.

Many students from Clark’s highly regarded Paralegal program attended the open forum, gaining career advice from the member of the highest court in the state. The justices were emphatic about the importance of paralegals in their work.

“A paralegal really is part of the team,” said Justice Mary Fairhurst, who spent 16 years working in the Washington Attorney General’s Office before becoming a judge. “We couldn’t do our job without them.”

“A good paralegal is a little bit like a fortune teller,” added Justice Yu. “Somebody who knows which deadlines are coming and makes sure everything’s taken care of to meet them. That is so helpful to the lawyers.”

The court heard three cases in Gaiser Student Center on the second day of their visit: one on whether or not drug court staffing should be presumptively open to the public; the disciplinary case of a lawyer; and a case questioning whether or not past acts of domestic violence were admissible evidence in assessing the credibility of an alleged victim. Joining the court to hear these cases was Justice Pro Tem Joel Penoyar, who was temporarily filling Justice James Johnson’s seat until Justice Yu was sworn in.

Clark paralegal student Becky Pomaville listens as Washington State Supreme Court justices answer her question about appellate law.

The justices took questions from the courtroom audience after two of the hearings. “There are hardly any lawyers in this area who practice appellate law,” said Clark paralegal student Becky Pomaville. “What is it that makes it so difficult?”

“That’s true, though of course there are some,” replied Justice Debra Stephens, who practiced appellate law for many years. “The beauty of being an appellate lawyer is that you don’t often have to go to court very often. You can do it from your deck chair, so to speak. … What makes an excellent appellate lawyer is a study of where the court is headed. If you’re interested in that, I hope you do pursue it.”

Afterward, Pomaville said she was heartened by Justice Stephens’ words. She hopes to continue on to law school after graduating from Clark, hopefully in spring 2015, and to specialize in appellate law. Surprisingly, just six months previously, Pomaville hadn’t even considered going to college. “When I graduated from high school, I got a bunch of scholarships, but I didn’t complete college,” she said. “I joke that I got my ‘MRS’ degree instead.”

But when the recently single mother of eight stopped by Clark’s Career Center for some job-hunting help, she noticed a poster for the college’s Eligibility Programs that mentioned tuition assistance for displaced homemakers.

“I hadn’t even thought of the possibility of coming here,” she said, but stopped by Eligibility Programs and quickly found herself enrolled for winter quarter. Now she is thriving in the Paralegal program. “I am learning a lot. Last term I took a criminal law course and it was really tough—and I enjoyed every minute of it.”

The justices heard three real cases during their visit to Clark.

For paralegal student Richard Thomas, whose offhand question during a field trip resulted in this visit, the event was a fitting way to end his time at Clark; he anticipates graduating this quarter and is hopeful that his current internship may turn into a full-time job. Looking every inch the professional in his suit and tie, he said he valued the opportunity to not only witness the justices hearing cases, but also to spend time socializing with them during private receptions organized by the college during the visit.

“When you have a chance to rub elbows with those who are at the pinnacle of your profession, I think it’s incumbent on you to absorb their experience and their wisdom,” he said. “But then at the same time, once you get to talk with them one-on-one, you realize they’re real people, too.”

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley. For more photos from this event, visit our Flickr album. 

Not even an accidental fire alarm could stop the festivities at this year’s Día del Niño/Día del Libro celebration, held in Gaiser Student Center on May 9. Approximately 225 guests enjoyed the evening-long celebration of Latino culture and literature, which included a bilingual puppet show performed by Clark Spanish language students, dance performances by Olincalli Ballet Folklorico, free food from Panadería Cinco de Mayo, and hands-on activities for children. Oswald the Penguin was on hand to greet children and pose for pictures–even when the party moved outdoors temporarily after an inquisitive toddler managed to pull a fire alarm. The celebration quickly moved back inside to continue the festivities, which are held each year around April 30, the date of Mexico’s Día del Niño (“Day of the Child”) and the American Library Association’s Día del Libro (“Day of the Book”).

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Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Clark College announced today the purchase of land that will become the location of a new campus serving the northern portion of the college’s service district.

The purchase was made possible with the strong partnership of the Clark College Foundation, which finalized the purchase of nearly 60 acres through a generous $3.1 million gift from the Boschma Family LLC. Additionally, the foundation will pay $6 million for the land. The acreage is located in Ridgefield on the east side of North 65th Avenue, north of Pioneer Street and northeast of the Interstate 5 and Pioneer Street interchange.

The leadership gift from the Boschma family was key in being able to move forward on this project. In making the more than $3.1 million gift, Hank and Bernice Boschma said they were excited to be a part of expanding educational opportunities for students in the region, including first-generation and immigrant students.

In April, the Washington State Board of Community and Technical Colleges prioritized building projects for the upcoming biennium. According to that prioritization, the North County Campus building will receive design funding in the 2017-2019 budget, and likely receive construction funding in the 2019-2021 budget.

The gift and acquisition help realize the long-term vision for the growth anticipated at Clark College. The college’s 2007 Facilities Master Plan identified North County as a growth area based on projections from regional economists, and the most recent update of the Facilities Master Plan reinforced the need for a facility in this part of Clark’s service area.

“It’s a really great, interactive relationship where you’re able to talk to someone about what you’re going through,” says Clark student Kassidy Quade, left, about her experience with First Year Experience mentor Cindy Magallanes.

When Princeton McBride started classes at Clark College in fall 2013, he knew he could use some help getting adjusted. Not only was he new to college, but he was new to the area, having moved to Vancouver from his native South Carolina shortly after graduating from high school. The move itself was a major adjustment, the 18-year-old says: “I didn’t even own a rain jacket.”

So when McBride saw a message in his student email about the opportunity to be connected with a mentor through Clark’s First Year Experience program, he jumped at the chance. “I immediately knew that I needed someone who would guide me throughout my first year of college,” he said.

As luck would have it, McBride didn’t wind up with just any mentor–he was paired with Matt Rygg, Clark’s Dean of Student Success and Retention. The two began meeting regularly, sharing doughnuts and coffee as they discussed the challenges of moving across country and tackling new coursework, as well as McBride’s newly discovered passion for helping the homeless. Rygg shared his encouragement and his knowledge of the college’s systems and services with McBride, helping him navigate the challenges of his first year–a time when many students become overwhelmed and wind up dropping out. It worked: Today McBride is well on his way to completing his prerequisites to enter Clark’s highly competitive nursing program, and is also starting a new student club called Through the Eyes of Poverty that aims to create a stronger connection between the Clark community and the homeless community. He hopes to eventually earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing and to then transition to medical school to become a doctor of emergency medicine.

Princeton McBride, right, says his First Year Experience mentor, Matt Rygg, helped him “find the right path” during his first year at Clark.

“I have been really proud of the ways Princeton has invested himself on campus,” Rygg says. “He is doing well in his classes and has made good friends here. I recently walked by the fountain outside Gaiser Hall on the way to a meeting, and I saw Princeton sitting with a group of friends enjoying the sunshine and each other’s company. It made my heart glad to see him integrating so well into the Clark community.”

This is the goal of the FYE Mentor Program: Students get one-on-one support and advice from someone at the college, and college employees get the personal connection to students’ success that can sometimes get lost in day-to-day administrative work. It’s a win-win situation–one that research is showing can help keep students in school. Janette Clay, First Year Experience & Outcomes Assessment Support Specialist, says FYE has surveyed the students who have been part of the mentor program. This research found that the fall 2012 cohort of mentees (the program’s first cohort) fared significantly better than their peers. They earned a C or higher in 90.7 percent of their first-term courses, compared to 76 percent for first-term, degree-seeking students without mentors. And while 20 percent of all first-term, degree-seeking students didn’t return to Clark for winter quarter, 100 percent of the mentees did.

“Although the mentee cohorts have been relatively small so far, they do fare better in their courses and retain at higher rates than those students without a mentor,” says Clay. “As the program grows, we hope to see the effects of the positive relationships and the support that is provided by the mentors spread even further across the college.”

Kassidy Quade is immensely grateful to have met her FYE mentor, baking instructional technician Cindy Magallanes. “I’d been out of school for three years, I’d gotten my GED in January,” she says, sitting next to Magallanes in Gaiser Student Center, where the two met at least weekly during Quade’s first quarter. “With Cindy, I can talk to someone who’s a part of the school and who knows the school–which I don’t. And she’s always encouraging me. When I was writing my essays for English class–I’m horrible at writing–”

“But you aren’t horrible at writing,” interrupts Magallanes, laughing. “You did fine, right?

“I try to encourage her and give her that boost: ‘You can do it! I know you can!’,” Magallanes adds. “I remember being a student here and not knowing anyone at the college, and how scary that was.”

Magallanes enrolled at Clark in 2000 because she wanted to start her own bakery. At the time, one of her nieces was working at Lower Columbia College. “She called me the first night after classes and asked, ‘How’d it go?’ She called me the second night, too, and she just kept calling. She really wanted to make sure I kept going. I remember how important that was for me, how helpful. For me, the FYE mentoring program is a great way to pay that forward.”

Even after Quade’s and Magallanes’s mentoring partnership officially ended at the end of winter quarter, the pair continue to keep in touch. Quade, who is now in her second quarter of Clark’s paralegal program, says she would recommend the mentoring program to any student new to Clark.

“I think it’s a great program,” she says. “I say, get involved.”

 Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Still from John, a short film by student Anni Becker to be shown at the Clark College Student Video Festival on May 29.

Clark College will hold its first public screening of student videos at the historic Kiggins Theatre on Thursday, May 29, at 6 p.m. in an event that will be free and open to the public.

The 90-minute program will feature more than two dozen short-form videos (between one and ten minutes long) produced by students in Clark’s Time-Based Art and Web Video Production classes, as well as a selection of work from students at other area educational institutions including the Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland State University, Washington State University Vancouver, and the Northwest Film Center.

“This event will feature the best video and time-based artwork from Clark College students,” said Clark College art professor Lisa Conway. “These exciting art forms push the boundaries of traditional gallery or print-publication settings, and we are thrilled to have a venue like the Kiggins Theatre in which to showcase this work. Hopefully this is the start of an annual event for the college, our students and the larger community—one that will continue to grow as our course offerings in this area grow.”

Clark College has offered classes in Time-Based Art and Web Video Production for the past three and two years, respectively. The Web Video Production class was introduced two years ago when Clark transitioned its Graphics Communication and Printing program into a redesigned Computer Graphics Technology program, which teaches valuable modern-day skills like web design and computer animation. The Time-Based Art class was developed three years ago with the start of new Associate of Fine Arts degrees in Graphic Design and in Studio Art.

The students’ videos range from whimsical works of stop-motion animation to emotional mini-documentaries and personal stories.

Kiggins manager Dan Wyatt said he was pleased to host this event. “As a former student of film, I not only enjoy supporting other student filmmakers, but think it is important that their works be screened in the best possible environment conducive to evaluating film–a movie theatre,” he said. “Some of the best learning and growth as artists happens while screening your project and getting feedback from peers.”

The Kiggins Theatre is located at 1011 Main St. in downtown Vancouver, Wash. (Phone number: 360-816-0352.)

Individuals who need accommodation due to a disability in order to fully participate in these events should contact Clark College’s Disability Support Services (DSS) Office at 360-992-2314 or 360-991-0901 (VP). The DSS office is located in room 013 in Clark’s Penguin Union Building.

Almost 800 people attended the 2014 Career Days job fair, which hosted representatives from 50 different employers.

The numbers are in from this year’s Career Days, and they show what many at the college and in the community already knew: Clark College’s week-long program for job-hunters is growing stronger every year. This year, more than 1000 job-seekers attended one or more Career Days events, which included workshops, clinics, job and transfer fairs, panel discussions, and expert presentations.

As always, events began before the official April 21 – 24 run of Career Days with the opening of the Career Clothing Closet the Thursday and Friday of the week before. This year, more than 200 students received free interview outfits of gently worn professional clothing donated by members of the community.

Officially, however, Career Days kicked off on Monday, April 21, with an employer panel featuring representative from Adidas, The Boeing Company, and Madden Industrial. The Ellis Dunn Community Room in Gaiser Hall was filled with students and guests ready for tips on what these employers were looking for. One key need: skilled technicians in fields like machining, welding, and carpentry. “There’s a shortage here in the Portland area,” said Randy Shelton of Madden Industrial.

Visitors at the 2014 Career Days job fair had a chance to speak directly with representatives from employers in the region.

Michael Lushenko of Boeing agreed. “There’s a shortage of people who know how to make parts,” he said. “Our engineers tend to have at least a bachelor’s degree, but machining is an area where we are happy to look at people with two-year degrees.”

Lushenko cautioned that the job market has become more competitive recently, in part because of the increasing popularity of the Pacific Northwest as a place where people from other parts of the country would like to move. “I’ve been hiring for 15 years,” he said. “It used to be a I got a lot of local residents applying. Now I’m getting a lot of applicants from the East Coast and the South.”

Fortunately, Career Days offered local job-hunters many opportunities to gain an edge over other competitors. One popular presenter was Bobby Castaneda, director of business development at the Vancouver-based ACS Professional Staffing. “He was a participant on our employer panel last year,” said Career Services Program Specialist Sarah Weinberger, who chaired the Career Days committee. “Attendees enjoyed his role on the panel, so we brought him back this year to present his own workshop.”

Attendees also flocked to hear Joshua Waldman, author of Job Searching with Social Media for Dummies. The biggest draw of the program, however, remained the job fair, held April 23. Nearly 800 job-seekers attended the event, which for the second year in a row was at full capacity with 50 employers represented; employers included Boeing, Columbia Machine, C-Tran, EarthLink, and Evergreen School District 112. The fair also included a photo booth where job-hunters could get a professional photo taken to use on their LinkedIn profiles. This feature was back for the second year in a row, as was the Penguin Passport, an incentive for visitors to attend multiple events. Passport prizes this year included an iPad Mini, a Fit Bit Flex, free pizza for a year from Papa Murphy’s, and gift baskets from local companies.

Vancouver resident Patti James stands in the Career Center after receiving advice on her resume during Career Days 2014.

The program also included a drop-in resume clinic, during which job-seekers could have their resumes reviewed by trained human-resources professionals. Anne-Marie Rupert, a human resources professional who is currently a stay-at-home mother, was one volunteer reviewing resumes at the clinic. She said one of the key mistakes many job-seekers made was not understanding how much experience they actually have.

“What I’ve realized is that their resumes are brief, but what they’ve actually accomplished is impressive,” she said. “So helping them to get their accomplishments on paper has been the key thing I’ve been doing.”

Patti James, a Certified Nursing Assistant who was looking to change careers, said she came to Career Days specifically for help with her resume. “I haven’t done a resume for so long,” said the mother of five. “I was in my last job for 19 years.”

James said she had a completely new resume after speaking with Rupert. “She actually helped me to create a resume with the right keywords,” she said. “I didn’t realize you could create a resume that talked exactly about the skills an employer was looking for. And she made me realize I had more experience than I thought.”

While the majority of Career Days attendees are Clark College students, the college hosts the program as a service for anyone in the community who could use help in finding a job. James, who lives in Vancouver, is not a student; she saw an ad for the event on Craigslist and decided to visit.

“I think it’s wonderful that they have this event for all of us who are looking for work,” she said. “I was scared they’d throw me out when I said I wasn’t a student. I said, ‘I’m nobody, can I still be here?’

“Instead they just laughed and said, ‘You’re somebody! Come on in!'”

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Author Karen Russell will appear in the spring 2014 installment of the Columbia Writers Series on May 29. Photo credit: Michael Lionstar

During the spring installment of its renowned Columbia Writers Series, Clark College will welcome writer Karen Russell, author of Swamplandia!, Vampires in the Lemon Grove, and St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves.

This event is part of “Subtext,” a three-day festival of words and literary arts. Other events include a free book exchange and a reading by students and faculty, including Clark County poet laureate Christopher Luna. All of these events are free and open to the public.

Karen Russell, a native of Miami, won the 2012 National Magazine Award for fiction, and her first novel, Swamplandia! (2011), was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. She is a graduate of the Columbia MFA program, a 2011 Guggenheim Fellow, and a 2012 Fellow at the American Academy in Berlin. In 2013, she was a recipient of a MacArthur Foundation “Genius Grant.” Her short stories have been featured in The Best American Short Stories, Granta, The New Yorker, Conjunctions, Oxford American, and Zoetrope.

“We are extremely pleased to be able to host Karen Russell for our spring reading since she is not only a fabulously talented fiction writer, but has been nationally recognized by critics as an American author of true significance,” said Clark College English professor James Finley, director of the Columbia Writers Series. “It is not every day that we can bring a writer of this stature to Clark. Her writing–with all its cleverness, jaunty energy, and searing insights into the human condition–are a perfect match for college-age audiences, and I hope Clark students and the community at large take advantage of the opportunity to hear Russell read from her work in a live setting.”

Russell will read from some of her works and discuss her writing process from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 29, in Foster Auditorium. The book exchange takes place in the Cannell Library commons area on Wednesday, May 28, 10 a.m. to noon. Crossroads, the student/faculty reading, takes place Friday, May 30, noon to 1 p.m. The theme for this year’s Crossroads is “Plants and Animals.”

Individuals who need accommodation due to a disability in order to fully participate in these events should contact Clark College’s Disability Support Services (DSS) Office at 360-992-2314 or 360-991-0901 (VP). The DSS office is located in room 013 in Clark’s Penguin Union Building.

The Columbia Writers Series was launched at Clark College in 1988, bringing local, national and international authors to the college and the region.

Television journalist Byron Pitts will deliver the keynote speech at Clark College’s 2014 Commencement. Photo courtesy of Greater Talent Network.

Byron Pitts, who overcame a childhood marked by illiteracy and poverty to become an award-winning television journalist and book author, will be sharing his story with the Clark College Class of 2014 as the college’s Commencement keynote speaker on June 19.

Appropriately for an event that celebrates academic accomplishment, Pitts’ life story is a testament to the power of education. As a child, Pitts suffered from a debilitating stutter that made him so quiet and shy that the adults in his life never discovered his other obstacle: He was functionally illiterate. Only in his teens did he learn to read and write, but with the help of his mother and several kind strangers, Pitts entered a field that requires strong written and oral communication skills: broadcast journalism. Today he is Chief National Correspondent for ABC Evening News.

“Byron Pitts has a powerful story of overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds to get to where he is today,” said Clark College President Robert K. Knight. “It was through education that his life was turned around. I believe he will make a strong connection with our students.”

Pitts was originally scheduled to speak at Clark’s 2013 Commencement ceremony, but had to decline in order to cover the illness of South African leader Nelson Mandela.

About Byron Pitts

Known for his thought-provoking coverage and his commitment to exceptional storytelling, Byron Pitts is a multiple Emmy Award-winning journalist. He has been recognized for his work under fire as an embedded reporter covering the Iraq War and was CBS’ lead correspondent at Ground Zero immediately following the September 11 attacks. A news veteran with over 20 years of experience, other major stories he has covered include the war in Afghanistan, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the military buildup in Kuwait and the refugee crisis in Kosovo, to name but a few. Pitts was named a Contributing Correspondent to CBS’ 60 Minutes in 2009. In 2013, Pitts became an anchor and the Chief National Correspondent at ABC Evening News. He is also the author of a memoir, Step Out On Nothing: How Family and Faith Helped Me Conquer Life’s Challenges.

Pitts’ many achievements are all the more extraordinary when he tells of the many obstacles he faced as a child. Raised by a single mother in a working-class neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland, Pitts was illiterate until the age of 12 and had a persistent stutter. Capitalizing on his desire to play football, his mother mandated he receive B’s or above in school in order to play. With that focus, Pitts learned to read and went on to attend Ohio Wesleyan University. With the help of his roommate and a professor, Pitts found the support and encouragement necessary to pursue a career in broadcast journalism. Overcoming both his odds and his disability, he graduated in 1982 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Speech Communication.

Pitts’ grit and determination shone throughout his illustrious career, garnering him several prestigious awards, including a national Emmy Award for his coverage of the Chicago train wreck of 1999, a National Association of Black Journalists Award, and a second national Emmy Award for individual reporting of September 11. He is also the recipient of four Associated Press Awards and six regional Emmy Awards.

Pitts lives with his wife in Upper Montclair, New Jersey.

Vice President of Instruction Dr. Tim Cook, far left, congratulated newly tenured faculty Dr. Gene Biby, Dr. Amanda Crochet, Suzanne Southerland, Adam Coleman, Erin Staples, Elizabeth Donley, Katie Donovan, Valerie Cline, and Dr. Robert Schubert at the 2014 Tenure Reception. Not pictured: Lisa Aepfelbacher and Steven Clark.

Ten outstanding educators are the newest members of the tenured faculty at Clark College. Lisa Aepfelbacher (nursing), Gene Biby (theatre), Steven Clark (biology), Adam Coleman (computer technology), Amanda Crochet (chemistry), Elizabeth Donley (English), Kathryn Donovan (nursing), Robert Schubert (anthropology), Suzanne Southerland (communication studies), and Erin Staples (health/physical education) were all honored at a reception on April 28 in Clark’s Gaiser Student Center. Nursing professor Valerie Cline, who received tenure in June 2013, was also honored at the reception.

Tenure is awarded by the college’s Board of Trustees based on professional excellence and outstanding abilities in their disciplines. The granting of tenure is based on the recommendations of tenure review committees to the vice president of instruction, which are then forwarded to the president, who presents a final recommendation to the Board of Trustees. Recommendations are based on self-evaluations, tenure review committee evaluations, student evaluations, supervisory evaluations, and peer evaluations. The final decision to award or withhold tenure rests with the Board of Trustees.

“Our tenured faculty members have a very special role at our college,” said Clark College President Robert K. Knight. “They are passionately committed to excellence and student success. They have made a career commitment to our college and our community.”

Dr. Tim Cook, Vice President of Instruction, said “Earning tenure is a professional milestone. I’m proud to congratulate these talented professionals for their accomplishments, their focus on student success, and their dedication to teaching and learning.”

The professors receiving tenure are:

Lisa Aepfelbacher, Nursing

Lisa Aepfelbacher earned her bachelor’s degree in both Nursing and Rehabilitation Counseling from Boston University, and her master’s degree in Nursing through the Adult Nurse Practitioner Program at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. She has previous work experience at Linfield College, Quincy College, Massachusetts Bay Community College, Advanced Practice Rotations, Meridia Hillcrest Hospital, Touro Infirmary, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Beth Israel Hospital.

Aepfelbacher serves on the college’s Shared Governance Oversight Committee, the senate of the college’s faculty union, and the nursing department’s Readmission Committee.

Aepfelbacher said, “I believe in the potential of each of student and want them to actively participate in the learning. I am also learning with them and enjoy sharing my expertise.”

Gene Biby, Drama

Gene Biby earned his bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts and his master’s degree in Speech Education from Murray State University. He received his Ph.D. in Theatre History/Speech Education from Southern Illinois University. He has previous work experience at the University of Wisconsin, City of Murphysboro, John A. Logan College, Southern Illinois University, Murray State University, and Vincennes University.

As the Program Director of the Clark College Drama Department, Biby oversees play selection and production for each academic quarter. He also works with the wider theatrical community to find and develop new ways to strengthen the college’s drama program and maintain its visibility. He is currently working to build a summer program at the college.

“My highest priority is offering academic and intellectual challenges to our students, but providing theatre engagement opportunities to the college and community is also important,” said Biby. “I strongly believe that theatre education should combine practice and scholarship. This philosophy not only champions the liberal arts ideal, but also prepares prospective theatre artists for material they are likely to encounter in future careers.”

Steven Clark, Biology

Steven Clark earned his bachelor’s degree in Psychology/Religion from Linfield College. He also earned a Master of Special Education at Lewis & Clark College and a Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Resources at Portland State University. He has previous work experience at the Washington School for the Deaf, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Clark College.

Clark has served on the senate of Clark’s faculty union and is about to begin his tenure on the college’s Student Retention Committee. Additionally, he is an active volunteer in his community: providing dog-training workshops at a local animal shelter, leading nature tours for the Columbia Land Trust, and providing research for organizations that include Washington Rare Plant Care, the Xerces Society, and the Native Plant Society. Every summer he takes Clark students with him to the Columbia River Gorge to study that area’s pika. Additionally, he volunteers at his granddaughter’s elementary school and serves as a lay minister at his church.

Clark said, “I design my classes to be places where students read and study—that’s the hard part. I also design my classes so that the class sessions are rich with interaction. The interaction helps students build friendships and it increases the in-class accountability of attending to what is being presented.”

Valerie Cline, Nursing

Valerie Cline earned her associate degree in nursing in 1999 from Clark College, her bachelor’s degree in nursing in 2003 from WSUV, and her master’s degree in nursing in 2009 from Walden University. She has previous work experience at Peace Health Southwest, Providence St. Vincent, the Hopi Indian Reservation Hospital in Arizona, Linfield College, and Clark College.

At Clark, Cline serves on the Nursing Scholarship, Nursing Curriculum, and the ACEN Accreditation Standard 3 committees, and is the co-advisor for the Student Nurse Association of Clark College. She is a member of the national League for Nursing and the Association for Women’s Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nursing. She continues to practice nursing part-time with a pediatric home health agency and regularly attends conferences and workshops to improve her teaching.

Cline said, “I believe in students taking an active role in the learning process, with the instructor serving as the facilitator who helps students bring all of the pieces together and link theory to practice.”

Adam Coleman, Computer Technology

Adam Coleman earned his associate degree with a double major in Data Networking and Computer Networking at Clark College and his bachelor’s degree in Computer Technology at Eastern Washington University. He has previous work experience at SEH-America and Clark College.

Coleman serves on the college’s Network Advisory Committee and volunteers as a mentor with the college’s First Year Experience program. Additionally, he continues to help develop partnerships between the college and both the Clark County Skills Center and the local nonprofit EmpowerUp. He has been central in developing and implementing new courses designed to help students earn their Microsoft Technology Associate certification. An avid bike rider, Coleman will be representing the college in the American Diabetes Association’s annual Tour de Cure for the fifth year in a row this July.

Coleman said, “A teacher’s role is to guide and providing access to information rather than acting as the primary source of information. I feel there is a need for considerate, strong, and dedicated individuals who are excited about working with students.”

Amanda Crochet, Chemistry

Amanda Crochet earned her bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from Tulane University and her Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley. She has previous work experience at the University of California, California State University, Portland Community College and Clark College. She also has research experience with Chemica Technologies Inc., University of California and Tulane University.

Crochet manages the college’s general chemistry open lab. She also volunteers at the Elementary Science Olympiad, which bring local elementary students to the college’s main campus for a day of science competitions, as well as at Community Resources for Science and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. Currently Crochet is working to make Clark part of a new partnership with Portland State University that would create opportunities for scientific research for students at colleges without research programs of their own.

“I work to make my classroom a supportive, engaging and active environment for students to learn chemistry,” said Crochet. “My goal is to provide students with more than just content knowledge. I hope the skills they learn in my classroom translate to success in future classes and in their intended careers.”

Elizabeth Donley, English

Elizabeth Donley earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science with a minor in Italian at DePaul University and a Master of Arts in English and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at Chapman University. She has previous work experience at San Miguel School, Chapman University, The Art Institute of Los Angeles, Warner Pacific College, Clackamas Community College, United Sports Academy, Langmuir Atmospheric Research Laboratory, McCormick Tribune Foundation, and Clark College.

Donley serves on the college’s eLearning Committee and the English Department’s Professional Writing and Distance Learning committees. She is also faculty co-advisor for Phoenix, the college’s award-winning arts and literary journal. She has presented at many college events, including International Week, faculty orientation, Techtoberfest, and TechBytes.

“My teaching philosophy starts with inspiration,” said Donley. “I want to inspire my students to want to learn. I do this through meticulous course preparation, energetic teaching, and dedication to my students. I’m always available for extra help, and my classroom is an open, supportive environment where students are exposed to new ideas, experiences, and works of literature.”

Kathryn Donovan, Nursing

Kathryn Donovan earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Marquette University and her master’s degree in nursing from Washington State University Vancouver. She has previous work experience as an RN since 1992. She has eight years’ experience in adult critical care and two years in Neonatal ICU. Kathryn has worked in numerous states as full-time staff and as a travel nurse. She worked at Kaiser Northwest for nine years, which included Urology and Chronic Pain Management Clinics.

Donovan serves on the college’s Library, ACEN Standard IV, Student Handbook, Curriculum, and Health Experience Advising committees. She is the lead faculty member for the first quarter of the college’s highly competitive Nursing program. Outside of the college, she volunteers with East Park Church, Compassion Vancouver, and “whatever sport/activity my children are involved in at any given time.”

Donovan said, “I believe that educators should use as many tools as they can to try to reach learners where they are in their learning process and in the ways that they are able to best learn. There is no ‘one size fits all’ method. I think it is important for the student to not only connect with the material to be learned but also to connect with their peers and instructors. A student who is engaged and feels that they are valued and belong is more likely to tough it out through the challenges that are inherent in nursing school.”

Robert Schubert, Anthropology

Robert Schubert received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois with a double-major in Spanish and Anthropology. He completed his master’s and doctorate degrees at Ohio State University. His academic research has taken him to study primate behavior and biology in Central America, Japan, and West Africa. He has previous work experience at Ohio State University and Columbus State Community College.

In addition to his responsibilities as chair of the Anthropology Department, Schubert serves on the college’s Retention Committee and has volunteered as a First Year Experience mentor to incoming students. He was the guest lecturer at the winter 2013 installment of Clark’s respected Faculty Speaker Series. He developed and now teaches a new anthropology course, Primatology. Outside the college, he volunteers at the Oregon Zoo and with Partners in Careers.

“College can be intimidating, but I find that when students engage with material, the academic stress becomes much more manageable,” said Schubert. “To that end, I try to bring the energy and the excitement that got me engaged when I was a student with me to every class I teach. Whether through pictures, videos, bone replicas, kinesthetic activities or just by myself physically acting things out (I’m becoming well known for my monkey calls), I try to provide information in as many forms as possible.”

Suzanne Southerland, Communication Studies

Suzanne Southerland earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1999 from the University of Portland and worked for various newspapers including the Portland Alliance, the Oregon City News, the Clackamas Review and The Columbian. She then moved on to earn her master’s degree in Communication Studies in 2002 from Portland State University. She has taught communication at Portland State University, Marylhurst University, Portland Community College, Portland State University, Lower Columbia College and Clark College.

Southerland started teaching at Clark College in 2002 and has served on the Retention Committee, the Faculty Excellence Award Committee, and the Teaching and Learning Center Committee. She has facilitated several workshops on collaborative learning and service learning and served as program director for the Service and Leadership in the Community program for four years. She also led the Clark College Model United Nations team to New York City, Boston and Washington, DC.

“I believe that higher education enhances the community’s quality of life and combats racism, stereotyping and discrimination,” Southerland said. “The study of communication in particular can result in more nurturing relationships, a higher level of professionalism in the workplace and a better understanding of cultural differences.”

Erin Staples, Health/Physical Education

Erin Staples earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of North Texas and her Master of Public Health degree in Health Education/Health Promotion from Portland State University. She has prior work experience at Harvey Hotel, Allied Electronics, Bell Microproducts, Oregon Office on Disability and Health, Kaiser Permanente, and Clark College.

Staples teaches courses that include Women’s Health, Health for Adult Living, Weight and Your Health, and Happiness and Your Health. She is an active member of her department, managing its class schedule, assisting in outcomes assessment, and attending leadership meetings. She helped develop a new Learning Community (two linked classes with shared curriculum) called “Biggest Winner” with another HPE professor.

“Improving students’ health behaviors and developing critical thinking skills are two key goals of my classes,” Staples said. “I strongly encourage them to develop habits to better their health, starting with where they are now. Giving my students permission to take baby steps towards a health goal they set for themselves empowers them. It allows them ownership; they see it as an exciting challenge, rather than simply as an assignment.”

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley