Angie Corson was appointed to the position of Administrative Assistant 2 in the Nursing department effective August 6, 2013. Angie has a bachelor’s degree from University of North Carolina. She has previous work experience at NC Medical Society Alliance and International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium.

Angela Ewing was appointed to the position of Fiscal Technician 3 in the Accounting Department effective August 12, 2013. Angela has previous work experience at King’s Way Christian School and Frontier Communications.

Amber Kreier was appointed to the position of Custodian 1 in Facilities effective July 1, 2013. Amber has previous work experience at Clark College, Paul Cahill Autosales and ABM Janitorial Services.

Deanna Lacey was appointed to the position of Cashier Supervisor (Fiscal Technician Supervisor) in the Cashier’s Office effective August 19, 2013. Deanna has a bachelor’s degree from Concordia University. She has previous work experience at Clark College and Freightliner.

Jacqueline “Manda” Levie was appointed to the position of Secretary Senior in the Communications and Humanities Division of the BEECH unit effective July 22, 2013. Manda has a bachelor’s degree from Portland State University. She has previous work experience at OHSU as an Administrative Assistant in Financial Aid and in the Registrar’s office. She has previously held positions at Portland State and Oregon State universities.

Shelly Luciano was appointed to the position of Program Coordinator in the Nursing department effective August 5, 2013. Shelly has an associate degree from Clark College. She has previous work experience at Clark College, First Independent Bank, Precision Exteriors/Child Truck Line and Pacifika Communications.

Deanne Millard was appointed to the position of Procurement and Supply Support Specialist in the Purchasing Department effective July 1, 2013. Deanne has a bachelor’s degree from Pacific Lutheran University. She has previous work experience at the Children’s Justice Center and Garfield Book Company.

Matthew Rygg was appointed to the position of Dean of Student Success and Retention effective August 28, 2013. Matt is currently in a doctoral program at Bowling Green State University and working in the office of the Vice President of Student Affairs. Prior to beginning his doctoral program, Matt served as Dean of Student Services at Multnomah University and Assistant Director of the Center for Civic Engagement at Washington State University. Matt has experience in behavior intervention teams, ADA compliance, teaching, program assessment, enrollment management, grant writing, retention, residence life, and service learning.

Mike Shingle was appointed to the position of Program Specialist 2 in the Advising department effective August 15, 2013. Mike has a master’s degree from Oregon State University. He has previous work experience at Clark College and Oregon State University.

Dawn Stetler was appointed to the position of Secretary Lead in the Dental Hygiene department effective July 24, 2013. She has previous work experience at Cascade Dental Group, Erickson Family Dental and Lake Shore Athletic Club.

Jane Walster was appointed to the position of Director of International Programs effective September 3, 2013. Jane has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from University of Washington. She has previous work experience as assistant director in the Office of International Education at Portland Community College and has more than 20 years of international teaching, recruiting, and administrative experience. Jane has 10 years of community college international administration experience, five years of experience overseeing student exchange and sponsored programs at the university level, seven years of directing intensive English language programs, and experience living, recruiting and teaching overseas.

Roger Hinshaw, Bank of America’s president in Oregon and Southwest Washington, and Monique Barton, senior VP of corporate social responsibility, at the bank’s offices in Portland. In July, they presented a $15,000 gift for Clark College’s Volunteer & Service-Learning program.

Bank of America has donated $15,000 to Clark College’s Volunteer & Service-Learning program to prepare more than 1,000 students with valuable on-the-job training. The funding will assist with community partnerships and program expenses.

The Volunteer & Service-Learning program places students in more than 100 community nonprofits and governmental organizations, including American Red Cross, Boys and Girls Clubs, Columbia Springs, Habitat Store, and Hazel Dell Community Garden. Students receive experience that promotes their personal growth and contributes to their understanding of course material.

For example, Clark students have volunteered to build homes with Evergreen Habitat for Humanity; students taking Spanish have read bilingual versions of children’s books at local elementary schools as a service-learning component of their classes. These experiences not only enrich the students’ education, they can give students the real-world work experience that can lead to paying jobs.

The Bank of America grant will boost the resources for such major events as Career Days, which needs more than 100 volunteers to operate successfully. It will also allow the program to offer more service-learning opportunities; elevate awareness of career- and service-learning; and finalize new relationships with local businesses. Additionally, Bank of America employees will volunteer their own time to participate in Career Days and to educate students about personal finance.

Clark College President Robert K. Knight said the college’s primary goal is to improve the rate of post-secondary completion. “As a result of the alignment with Bank of America, Clark anticipates students will receive high-quality work history experiences—particularly for students with little or no previous work experience—through service learning and community engagement experiences, and opportunities for civic and community engagement, career exploration, life and soft-skill development,” he said.

“Providing grants to local nonprofit organizations that support career readiness is part of Bank of America’s broader effort to help create economically vibrant communities,” said Roger Hinshaw, Bank of America’s president in Oregon and Southwest Washington. “As part of that, we’re proud to support Clark College’s Career Service-Learning Program, which helps prepare college students to enter the workforce and, in turn, support our local economy.”

Clark’s Career Services department, which oversees the Volunteer & Service-Learning program, has a history of aligning college classroom learning with current community needs; promoting personal growth of college students through reflection about self, society and the future; combining experiential with academic instruction to focus on critical thinking and civic responsibility; and organizing on- and off-campus events that provide quality service opportunities for Clark College students, faculty and staff.

Clark College is hosting two major community events this coming weekend that may affect access to the main campus. Read below for information about how to plan around the events if you were expecting to be on campus this weekend—or why you might want to come, even if you weren’t.

COUVAPALOOZA – SATURDAY, AUGUST 17

What it is: Now in its second year, Couvapalooza is a daylong, all-ages music festival benefiting local music-education programs, including Clark’s.

How it affects Penguins: The event takes place 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on the South Lawn in front of McLoughlin Blvd. Setup will begin on Friday, August 16. Classes will continue as scheduled. However, the event has rented all the Red lots and Blue Lot 1, so they will be unavailable to the college community. Also, expect some noise—these are rock bands, after all.

Why you might want to go: Besides the fact that some of the proceeds will go toward Clark’s own music program, the event is boasting a well-known band as its headliner: Everclear, performers of modern-rock radio staples like “Santa Monica,” “I Will Buy You a New Life,” and “Everything to Everyone.” Other acts include Santa Barbara rock band Winchester Rebels, Seattle-based alternative country singer Dylan Jakobsen, and Dallas artist Remington. A total of 16 bands are scheduled to perform including local favorites Smoochknob, One From Many, Foreign Talks, Seth Myzel and the Battle Ground High School Advanced Jazz Band. A beer and wine garden managed by Northwest Battle Buddies will be available for attendees 21 and up. Activities for children will be available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., including a music wall, balloon animals and face painting. The festival will also feature local art, craft and food vendors.

SUNDAY STREETS ALIVE – SUNDAY, AUGUST 18

What it is: Sunday Streets Alive is Clark County’s first open street event, in which several streets in Vancouver will be closed to traffic so that pedestrians, bicyclists, and others can travel between six activity areas, one of which is located on the southwest side of the main campus.

How it affects Penguins: McLoughlin is one of the roads closed to traffic (visit the official event website for a complete map of the route). Parking in the Red lots, as well as the restrooms in O’Connell Sports Center, will be open to participants, so expect more activity than normal in those areas. The event lasts 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Other college events will continue as scheduled.

Why you might want to go: The 4.2-mile route winds through downtown, Fort Vancouver, and up past Clark College and Uptown Village. Each of the six activity areas boasts food, vendors, entertainment, and fun activities. Clark is actively participating in this event—in fact, the college is still looking for volunteers, so contact Michelle Golder at mgolder@clark.edu as soon as possible if you’d like to help out—with information tables for Admissions, Financial Aid, Veterans Programs, Career Services, and N.E.R.D. Girls. College personnel are also leading activities and demonstrations that include hiking, zumba, line dancing, t’ai chi, cooking, and a basketball competition.

Presidential Scholarship recipient Ramona Vercher at Clark College’s 2013 Commencement.

Every last Sunday of the month, the Vercher family holds a big dinner for all its many members: Donnie and Louise Vercher, their nine children, 14 grandchildren, and assorted in-laws, relatives, and friends. The family would have plenty to celebrate at their June dinner: Ramona Vercher, the second-youngest of the Vercher children, was named the recipient of the 2013-14 Community College President’s Award. The annual scholarship is given to a Clark College graduate who is transferring to a Washington State University Vancouver degree program; it provides full-time tuition for one year, renewable for one additional year, for a total of four semesters.

The whole Vercher family was in attendance at commencement, when the award is announced. As Clark College President Bob Knight described Vercher’s achievements, a massive cheer filled the amphitheater when the family realized she had won.

Vercher, who is a resident of Vancouver, graduated with honors, earning an associate degree in business administration. A first-generation college graduate, she plans to major in business administration with a specialization in finance while attending WSU Vancouver.

While at Clark, Vercher served in a number of volunteer roles both on and off campus. She was a work-study tutor at the Student Learning Center helping Adult Basic Education (ABE), General Educational Development (GED), and English as a Second Language (ESL) students in all subjects. She was also a Classroom Tutor, assisting professors in the classroom, and part of Clark’s Homework Help program, where she assisted individual students. Within the greater community, her volunteer service has included work with the City of Vancouver’s Urban Youth and Urban Forestry programs. Additionally, she helps run the charity begun by her family’s small business, Daddy D’s BBQ, providing Christmas presents to families in need, and works there as a cashier.

“Receiving this scholarship means everything in the world to me,” said Ramona Vercher after the ceremony. “I am a first-generation college student, so to have this opportunity to continue my education is the biggest thing that has ever happened to me in my life.”

Knight said that people who know Vercher praised her for her strong work ethic. Indeed, Vercher has often begun study sessions at 5 a.m. to fit them around her work and other activities. She and her longtime boyfriend, Dwan James (also a Clark student), have regularly eschewed fun weekend outings for “date nights” of studying.

Vercher attributes her work ethic to the example set by her parents; Donnie regularly works 13 hours a day at his barbecue restaurant, a business he began after breaking his back doing construction work on bridges. “I never graduated high school,” said Donnie. “I think [Ramona] sees what her parents went through and wants better.”

Indeed, many of the Vercher children are pursuing education. Ramona’s brother Sherman recently graduated from Western Oregon University, and two of her sisters received their GED diplomas at Clark’s GED and high school completion ceremony on June 22.

Vercher was one of three finalists selected for the award. President Knight announced that the other two finalists, Jennifer Campbell and David Taub, would receive $1,000 scholarships from the Clark College Foundation to continue their education. Knight said of the three finalists, “They are all sterling examples of what Clark College is about.”

Vercher plans to continue being an example of both Clark College and her family. “I am going to do big things through this scholarship,” she said. “This definitely won’t be the last you see of me.”

 Photo: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Arriving in late August, The Mighty Bowl was the first food cart to move onto campus, opening September 13.

This past fall, the Culinary Arts Taskforce was formed to work on two things: revamping the Culinary Arts, Food program and improving food-service options on the main campus. Recently the Taskforce released its findings, and they could indicate dramatic changes not just in the program and the college’s dining options, but in the look and shape of the campus as well.

The Taskforce quickly recognized one major challenge facing the current Culinary Arts program: In order to stay up-to-date with modern culinary trends, students needed instructional time to develop skills and learn about new tools and technology, theories, dietary restrictions, and global cuisine. However, the program was also responsible for most of the food production at the college, which left little time for purely instructional lab activities and skill development.

At the same time, because Culinary Arts students were responsible for producing most of the food at campus, food service was limited to their class hours—and both students and employees often need to eat at times outside those hours.

Looking at these challenges, it became clear to the Taskforce that the Culinary Arts program needed to stop being the sole source of food on campus. The solution: Bring in local vendors, in a limited capacity, to augment food service for the campus community. Meanwhile, Culinary Arts students would take part in more-rigorous academics and updated lab activities—while still gaining hands-on experience by providing some food service to the college. The program would also move to a cohort model and be designed to qualify for accreditation by the American Culinary Federation.

In order to accomplish all this, however, something else needed to change: the facility itself. Students would need access to SMART classrooms and a demonstration kitchen (currently the program has neither) to learn the new curriculum, and outside vendors would want a larger, more inviting space in which to set up shop. So the Taskforce also recommended adding a second story to the northwest corner of Gaiser Hall and remodeling the first-floor section to house a modern food court with different cook-to-order kiosks, a new bakery area, and a modern dining room. The second floor would include the SMART classrooms, offices, and other facilities required for a modern Culinary Arts program.

“[A] renovation, while costly, is an investment in the program, an investment in student retention, and an investment in the goals of the Strategic Plan,” the Taskforce’s final proposal concludes. “The creation of an inviting space for students, faculty, and staff to congregate as members of a community will serve Clark College for decades to come.”

The next step will be  a predesign study to accurately budget for these renovations—after that, the fundraising process to make these proposals reality can begin. Meanwhile, the Culinary Arts, Food program is not taking new students. Learn more about the proposed changes online at http://www.clark.edu/academics/programs/culinary_arts/Taskforce_Proposal.pdf.

Meet Your (Lunch) Makers

So where will students and employees eat while the Culinary Arts, Food program goes through its transformation? In addition to currently existing food kiosks around campus and the Bakery (which will continue service during the revamp), three new food carts will set up shop on the walkway on the east side of Gaiser Hall. Here they are, with links to their websites and expected beginning month of service:

• Foody Blues BBQ
• Mighty Bowl
• Chewy’s Really Big Burritos

Photo: Clark College/Hannah Erickson

Left to right, George Welsh and President Bob Knight congratulate Outstanding Alumni Award recipient Professor Michael Greenwood.

Clark College’s alumni association celebrated connections and camaraderie at the annual Alumni Student Dinner on June 4.

Students and alumni gathered to honor Outstanding Alumni Award recipient Professor Michael Greenwood ’61, who taught mathematics at Clark for more than 30 years. He played a role in taking Clark and Washington State University Vancouver global when he taught at Krasnoyarsk State University in Russia on a Fulbright Award.

More than 120 students and alumni exchanged business cards and laughs over dinner, which was partially underwritten by community partner Riverview Community Bank.

The alumni association also gave two, $2,000 scholarships to Clark students Ashton Kyllo and Natalie Hendren. The awards were given to the students by a previous recipient, Rebecca Zeff, who is finishing her degree at WSUV and plans to attend medical school following graduation.

George Welsh ’67, alumni association president, said that bringing together alumni and students is a great opportunity to support each other.

“The students hear what is happening in our community from alumni, and the alumni are reminded of their own days at Clark, which helped begin many career paths,” Welsh said. “Clark is a special place and this event helps all of us stay connected.”

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Shantell Martin’s digital drawing performance with Clark College jazz musicians Max Wike, David Floratos and James Powers in the Archer Gallery.

Visual artist Shantell Martin’s free-form drawings and live-animation performances have been featured in such vaunted venues as the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the New York Times, the enormous screens at Shibuya and Harajuku crossings in Tokyo–and, for more than a week, at Clark College.

Martin visited Clark as part of the college’s Artist Residency program, which hosts an artist-in-residence once a year as part of the larger Clark Art Talks program. She is probably the most prominent artist yet to participate in the residency.

“We read about her in the New York Times and contacted her, even though we did’’t think she would do an artist’s residency at Clark College,” said art professor Carson Legree. “Her visit was amazing.”

During her residency from April 26 to May 7, Martin visited numerous classes including Drawing, 2-D Design, 3-D Design, Graphic Design Exploration, Watercolor, Photography, Ceramics, and Creativity and Concept. She also gave a slideshow lecture as part of the Clark Art Talks series on May 7 and provided digital animation during a performance with three Clark jazz students in Archer Gallery on May 8. She created large-scale drawings that hung in the lobby of Foster Arts Center during much of her stay.

“Her classroom visits were filled with personal autobiography and a celebration of individuality,” said art professor Senseny Stokes. “She worked with hundreds of our students, who were inspired by her work and personal history–and charmed by her approachable, laid-back manor.”

Clark College artist-in-residence Shantell Martin displays her work in the Frost Arts lobby.

Martin, who has said in interviews that much of her artistic perspective is informed by growing up as the only interracial child in her otherwise white family in London, has made a name for herself with her playful line drawings that reflect a celebration of independence. She also frequently provides live animation or light shows to accompany music in settings ranging from museums to the mega-clubs of Japan and Russia. She has been featured on CNN, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and the television show Gossip Girl. Martin has collaborated with celebrity photographers and brands alike; her notable work includes a project with celebrity photographer Nigel Barker, where she created digital sets for a 10-page Tatler Asia editorial with supermodel Christina Garcia. In February 2012, she was one of four artists commissioned by Nike iD to make a piece of work and a limited-edition shoe to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Nike Cortez.

“We didn’t think there was much of a chance that an artist with this much commercial success or international acclaim would do a residency here at Clark College, but we were honored and thrilled when she accepted our invitation,” said Stokes, who called Martins’ collaboration with the jazz students “one of the coolest things that ever happened at Clark College.”

“I’ve had a really nice time coming in every day, just drawing and coming into classes, meeting students and teachers,” said Martin in a video interview. “It’s kind of nice to come in and do the drawing and the stuff that I’m comfortable with, but also have the chance to experiment alongside young students here.”

Clark Art Talks is an ASCC-sponsored program that includes an evening lecture series, classroom workshops, and the annual Artist Residency. Organized by the Art Department, it is now completing its fourth year at the college and its second year as an official ASCC program.

See photos from Shantell Martin’s stay at Clark.

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Portland Taiko drummers perform.

Friendship, like all living things, requires regular tending to keep it thriving. And Clark College’s 2013 Sakura Festival did just that, strengthening the bonds of friendship that led to Clark receiving a gift of 100 shirofugen cherry trees from John Kageyama, president of America Kotobuki.

Clark College President Robert K. Knight, John Kageyama, President of America Kotobuki Electronics, Inc., and Tim Leavitt, Mayor of Vancouver.

Kageyama was present at the opening ceremony for the festival, held April 18. He expressed joy in seeing the trees he had donated in 1990 now mature and blossoming. “At the time, I didn’t realized how beautiful these trees would grow,” he said during his speech to the crowd that gathered under gray but rainless clouds.

Other dignitaries who spoke during the ceremony included Clark College President Bob Knight; Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt; Tatsuo Ito, Executive Vice President of SEH America Inc.; and Toshiharu Okuda of the Kyoto Prefecture Assembly. Joyo, Vancouver’s sister city in Japan, is located within Kyoto Prefecture.

Maho Muto, in red kimono, was the first recipient of the Dr. Kanagawa scholarship.

The ceremony took place next to the Royce E. Pollard Japanese Friendship Garden, yet another gift of friendship cementing the ties between Vancouver and Japan. The garden was a gift to the city of Vancouver from Dr. Chihiro Kanagawa. During its dedication at the 2012 Sakura Festival, President Knight announced the Dr. Kanagawa Scholarship providing full tuition and fees to Clark College for one academic year to an international student from Japan.

Maho Muto, the first recipient of the scholarship, also spoke during the ceremony. Clad in a traditional kimono, she expressed her thanks for the opportunity to study at Clark. “I feel like I have a big, big family in Vancouver, Washington,” she said. “You have made me so happy to have the opportunity to study here and I am thankful for so many people’s support.”

Before the ceremony, Yukiko Vossen performed on the koto, the national instrument of Japan, with flute accompaniment. The ceremony ended with a performance by the Clark College Women’s Choral Ensemble under the direction of music professor April Duvic. President Knight concluded his remarks by saying, “As we celebrate the beauty of our flowering cherry trees, let us also take a moment to celebrate the friendships that have brought us here today. May they too continue to bloom and flourish for years to come.”

After the formal ceremony, guests walked to Gaiser Student Center to enjoy cultural displays and activities hosted by Vancouver Rotary, the Clark College Japanese Club, International Programs, and the Anime and Manga Club. Onstage entertainment included a demonstration of a formal Japanese tea ceremony and a lively performance by the Portland Taiko drummers.

Michiyo Okuhara, Japanese professor, second from the left, with her students.

Newly tenured Japanese professor Michiyo Okuhara, who serves on the Sakura Committee, circulated among her students and among the children from Child & Family Studies who were attending the festival. “For our program, it’s a wonderful way to have community members come to Clark and get to appreciate the friendship we have with Japan,” she said. “I’m from Japan, and so when people understand Japanese culture, it’s wonderful for me both on a personal level and as a Japanese teacher.”

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

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Ray Korpi signs the READ poster he is featured on, left, while Michelle Bagley, Dean of Libraries, eLearning, Tutoring and Faculty Development and Dr. Tim Cook, Vice President of Instruction look on.

The Clark College Libraries (Cannell Library and the Information Commons at CTC) participated in Washington Libraries Snapshot Day on April 17. This statewide project seeks to illustrate the importance of libraries for Washington’s citizens by collecting statistics, stories and photographs during National Library Week.

The highlight of the event was the unveiling of 10 READ posters featuring members of the Clark College community and their favorite books.

Clark College student Samantha McClure was selected as the student model through a contest the Libraries ran during winter quarter. Current Clark students were invited to enter the contest by filling out a form with the title of their favorite book and why they chose the book. Students submitted entries either in person at one of the libraries or posting it on the Clark College Libraries Facebook page. Samantha chose No Man’s Land by Ruth Fowler because, she said, “it presents a fascinating alternative for female reality in our modern day era where so much of human experience is represented in a very singular way.”

Other college community members featured in campaign were President Bob Knight and Oswald; Student Life Program Coordinator Sami Lelo; Athletics Director Charles Guthrie; Maintenance Mechanic Billie Garner; Physics Professor Dick Shamrell; Satellite Campus Building Administrator Randy Blakely; Dean of BEECH Ray Korpi; Diversity Center Staff Sirius Bonner, Rosalba Pitkin and Felis Peralta; and Security Officer Damon Grady.

The posters were on exhibit at Cannell and the iCommons through the month of April. Additional copies are posted around Clark’s main campus.

Wednesday’s 2,200 visitors to the Libraries were asked to envision the library of 2020. Suggestions included: “free coffee,” “more books,” “24-hour library,” “more computers,” “more study space,” and “books downloaded into our brains.”

See photos from the day on the Libraries’ Facebook page and on Clark’s Flickr site.

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Jaimee Keck shows off one of her favorite yoga poses, an activity she got interested in after joining the Biggest Loser Challenge

The results are in from the Clark College Fitness Center’s first “Biggest Loser” challenge, and the winner is: Clark student Jaimee Keck, who lost 41 pounds over the course of the 10-week event. “While I am happy to have won the competition, I am also proud of everyone who competed for making an effort to improve their health,” she said.

Fitness Center Manager Garet Studer said he came up with the idea for the challenge by seeing similar events, in which participants register to be part of a weight-loss contest, held at other colleges and recreation centers. “We never dreamed it would have as much interest as it did,” he said. “We were thinking 20 people [would sign up], max. Just two weeks of posting the event, we were already over 50 applicants.”

In the end, 24 contestants finished the challenge, which ran through winter quarter. Each contestant was assigned a team at the beginning of the quarter, led by a certified Clark College personal trainer coach. Each team met once a week for a one-hour session; their progress was tracked through weekly weigh-ins posted on a reader board. On average, each contestant lost 12 pounds by the end of the quarter.

“A lot of people want to work out and lose weight but have no idea how to get started and stay motivated,” said Studer. “The Biggest Loser program is designed to help with those two things. Our personal trainers work in group settings to design exercise programs and give direction as to how to safely and effectively lose weight.”

Studer said the Fitness Center is planning to host another Biggest Loser challenge during the 2014 winter quarter.

Photo: Clark College/Jenny Shadley