Counseling and Health Center Administrative Assistant Marianne Luther

Congratulations to Marianne Luther, recipient of the 2015 Spring Quarter Classified Staff Excellence Award!

Marianne Luther is the secretary senior for the Counseling and Health Center and is on the “front line” for walk-in students in crisis.

Luther is described as “wonderfully calm, friendly, supportive, and compassionate to all students visiting the center.” She patiently speaks with students to find out what they need; researches resources and provides directions to services on campus and in the community.

Luther has independently transformed the CHC lobby, adding free herbal tea, calming posters, positive thoughts that can be torn off, puzzles, coloring books, and create-a-poem magnets. On her own initiative she created a “chill out” room where students can call crisis lines when counselors are unavailable.

Luther maintains a positive attitude and is very respectful and courteous to those around her by placing the needs of others in front of her own. One of her colleagues describe her as “by far one of the best administrative assistants I have ever had the pleasure of working with. Her warm demeanor, can-do attitude, compassionate tone, and friendly sense of humor have made her a huge asset to the Counseling and Health Center.”

Also nominated this quarter were:

Vanessa Meyer

“Vanessa Meyer was recently promoted to secretary senior in the Behavioral and Social Sciences Department, and has done everything needed to keep the place organized. She takes care of lockers, printers, and paper and ink cartridges as well as maintaining the mail room and keeping it free of clutter. She goes the extra mile to keep the break room tidy. Everything she does is orderly. When help is needed, Meyer takes prompt action and even delivers letters and books to faculty members who are less frequently physically present. The most important thing about her great customer service is her cheerful attitude. Vanessa displays a high degree of courtesy to her colleagues and others look forward to her services. Above all, this employee is polite and shows courtesy to the students, faculty and staff.”

Gail N. Robinson

“eLearning’s secretary senior, Gail N. Robinson, is a real cheerleader for success and will do anything to help all of her coworkers be successful in their jobs. Gail takes pride in making everyone around her shine. When she sees a need she finds a way to help in any way she can. She considers each person’s contributions and wisely considers all pieces for the best outcomes – she is very good at bridging gaps between biases and services. She respectfully communicates and advocates for those she supports. This is evident by the way she identifies events and opportunities for the eLearning staff, our Dean and other departments in the CLASS unit to reach out to and to support the college community. It is amazing how she organizes her time to accommodate so many staff so successfully. It is a privilege, to state the least, to have Gail as an eLearning team member.”

Thor Tesdale

“Thor Tesdale works for Facilities Services at CCW, as Maintenance Mechanic 2 and Painter. When Thor looks at a job, rather than saying it can’t be done, he helps figure out ways to make it happen; and make it happen within financial limitations. He prioritizes jobs so that the most pressing deadlines are met first and schedules his work to minimize disruptions to students, faculty and staff. He also helps other co-workers complete tasks not related to his typical responsibilities. Thor is a team player! Many employees that work in facilities are not highly visible but their work impacts the college community is such a positive way. Thor is one of these people. His attention to detail is to be commended.”

Lynn VanHoomissen

“A former graduate of Clark College, Lynn VanHoomissen has worked in the Security Department as a parking checker, security officer, emergency communications operator, and currently as the program support supervisor. Lynn has always shown a dedication to the college and the Security Department. Recently Lynn assisted the Portland Police Bureau Crisis Negotiation and Southwest Washington Regional Crisis Negotiation Teams in a joint training session. In recognition of the contributions, the negotiation teams presented the college with a framed Certificate of Appreciation. She is a member of the College Council, and a member of several committees, including On and Off Boarding and 25 Live. Lynn is also responsible for establishing the ‘Bring Your Child to School Day’ ID card, and participation in the initiation of the Whistle Program for students.”

Congratulations to Jeri Kemmer, recipient of the 2015 Winter Quarter Classified Staff Excellence Award!

Jeri Kemmer is the BEECH Unit Operations Supervisor and has been with Clark College for 19 years.

The following comment from one of her Secretary Seniors best summarizes Jeri’s exemplary work performance: “Jeri really does go above and beyond when it comes to working at Clark College. She doesn’t just do her job. She is constantly exploring ways to make everyone’s job easier and she’s been instrumental in many changes that have happened within our unit and across campus. She won’t simply accept the status quo. If there is a problem, she wants to find a solution that benefits everybody.”

Jeri has served on numerous committees at Clark and has attended over 300 hours of professional development training in order to benefit herself, her job, and everyone at Clark. One office assistant wrote, “Jeri’s work ethics are exemplary and she always has Clark’s best interest in mind.  She makes all of us better employees. I love working with her.”

The College Community will celebrate all 2014-2015 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.

Other nominees for this quarter, with quotes from their nominations, were:

Karmel Baldwin, Secretary Senior, STEM

“Karmel shows excellence in work performance by staying on top of her work, completing assignments on time, and keeping paperwork organized, tracked, and moving through the system. Karmel strives to be the best at what she does, no matter where she is stationed. She has taken on significantly large workloads, supporting very large departments. She tracks budgets, paperwork, email, forms, new hires, evaluations, faculty and an enormous number of students; all with an upbeat attitude and a smile. Karmel is always quick to offer her services, no matter what.”

Ernie Hasfo, Custodian 1, Facilities Services

“For 20 years Ernie has served as a custodian for Clark College. Over the years, he has taken on the tasks of window washer, hard floor specialist, and temp lead in addition to his regular custodial tasks. His co-workers can depend on him to be a team player and his positive and helpful attitude allow him to go the extra mile without being asked or complaining. Ernie is dedicated to outstanding service and excellence. Ernie is a good worker and supporter of the college. He cares about how his areas look and how he can improve the college.”

Carmen Roman, Program Specialist 2, Advising

“Carmen’s work performance is beyond exemplary and her work ethic is excellent. She is always prompt to meet with a student, and is mindful of their time. She provides concise and clear information that ensures students understand their pathways and goals. The information Carmen provides to students, faculty and staff is timely and accurate. She has an unmatched and unique ability to adjust to all modes and levels of communication. Carmen makes you feel comfortable with the entire student experience by her ability and manner of speaking and the respect given to her clients.”

Tia Schmidt, Administrative Assistant 3, Nursing

“When urgent and unexpected events occur, Tia has responded with creativity and unexpected solutions. She has often been the voice of reason and many times has been able to offer new perspectives, which have been invaluable when making hiring decisions. Tia is very considerate of new employees and goes out of her way to make them feel welcome. She goes above and beyond with her organization, attention to details, explanations of college systems and in sharing her experiences. Tia leads by example, exhibiting professionalism with coworkers and is available to all her colleagues with an open door.”

Engineering professor Izad Khormaee receiving a Presidential Coin at the State of the College Address.

In 2007, Clark College President Bob Knight introduced a new honor at Clark College: the presidential coin.

The coin is given to faculty and staff members who provide exemplary service to Clark students, the college and the community. The honorees are decided by the president and are kept secret until the names are announced–generally on Opening Day in the fall or during the annual State of the College address.

Five Clark College employees received Presidential Coins during his 2015 State of the College Address on January 15. They were:

Carolyn Johnson

Carolyn Johnson

Carolyn Johnson has worked at Clark College in various capacities for 10 years, the past six of them in Career Services, where she currently holds the position of Employment Specialist & Co-op Coordinator. Her main focus and interests include assisting students with their job search and doing resume critiques. “I have seen her work tirelessly to help students start from a blank page, get the words on paper, develop a thoughtful summary statement, and assist with the smallest details of formatting,” President Knight said in presenting her with the coin. “She does this with patience and care for the student.”

Knight also cited Johnson’s work with international students, helping them to understand American employment practices and job-search strategies.

Izad Khormaee

Professor Izad Khormaee has taught Computer Science and Engineering at Clark College since 2002. He also has teaching experience at Oregon Institute of Technology, Washington State University, and Iowa State University, as well as more than two decades of engineering and managerial experience at prominent companies such as Hewlett-Packard. He is also the founder of e1 Solutions, a Vancouver-based online business software solution company.

Professor Khormaee also organizes a quarterly exposition where Computer Science and Engineering students can present their ideas for projects, which can range from bark-cancelling noise machines that can mute a neighbor’s noisy dog to mobile apps that help students with time management. “He loves working with students and helping them complete their projects,” said President Knight.

Karla Sylwester with fellow dental hygiene professor Brenda Walstead.

Karla Sylwester

Professor Karla Sylwester, who is retiring later this year, has been the lead restorative instructor in Clark’s Dental Hygiene program for more than 30 years. “She is regionally and nationally known for her teaching skills,” said President Knight. “People call from all over the U.S. to get help from her for their board exams.”

Sylwester regularly organizes group activities to help boost morale and student success, including her annual Halloween bowling extravaganza and her Monday night “Carving with Karla” sessions to help students pass their restorative board exams. Her no-nonsense demeanor has won her fans among students and faculty alike. “Because she cares, she’s tell you like it is,” President Knight said. “I really appreciate that.”

Audra Rowton

Audra Rowton

Audra Rowton began working in Clark’s Purchasing department 13 years ago. She is now the department’s secretary senior. Her work ethic began early: She earned her associate degree in secretarial science at Rio Hondo College in Whittier, California, while also working full-time.

“I love Clark College because I work with a lot of great people,” said Rowton. “I really enjoy working with the faculty and being available to help the students with their questions.”

Dean of STEM, Peter Williams; Vice President of Instruction Dr. Tim Cook; Jim Watkins; and Director of Facilities Services, Tim Petta.

Jim Watkins

Project Manager Jim Watkins has been responsible for managing and seeing through to completion many of the college’s large capital projects, including the Clark Center at Washington State University Vancouver and Clark College at Columbia Tech Center (both of which came in on time and under budget, Knight noted). Currently Watkins is overseeing the construction of the new STEM building on Clark’s main campus, after which he will begin planning Clark’s new North County campus.

“He has earned a reputation for his thorough knowledge of all aspects of facility planning, design, and construction; his attention to detail; and his problem-solving skills,” said President Knight. “He has taken on our biggest capital projects with enthusiasm, perseverance, and a commitment to building the best possible facilities for our students, faculty, and staff.”

Sue Williams

Sue Williams

Sue Williams began her career at Clark in 1996 as a Human Resources Assistant Senior before becoming a Recruiting Manager, then Assistant Director of Human Resources, until moving to her current position as Associate Director of Human Resources. “She is the expert in HR policy and practices for the college,” said President Knight. “She heads the training, recruitment, hiring efforts and the benefits team of the college efficiently and with a true team spirit.”

Knight commended Williams for her “open, honest, consistent and fair” way of handling Classified Staff and Association for Higher Education discipline and grievance issues, and that “she is a huge asset to the college, supporting the students and employees without hesitation and always with a smile.”

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Heather White

Congratulations to Heather White, recipient of the 2014 Fall Quarter Classified Staff Excellence Award! The following is taken from her award nomination:

Heather White is the Program Support Supervisor for Disability Support Services. She has been with the college since 2002.

Heather provides a tremendous service to the community by facilitating communication between hearing and deaf consumers. Heather interprets and provides accessibility for campus events professionally and holds herself to the high standards of skill that she expects from all of her interpreters. Her performance in her work is the very definition of “excellence.”

Heather always has a great attitude. She is compassionate to everyone who comes in seeking help. She takes the time to know the specific needs of the deaf students and the interpreters, and matches the student’s needs with the interpreter’s strengths. What is important to the student is important to Heather.

Heather works to improve our community in many ways. She is involved with the Sign Language Interpreter Program Advisory Committee at Portland Community College and is on the Washington School for the Deaf Post High School Advisory Committee as well as the State Deaf Transfer Fair Local Advisory Committee. She is also on the Commencement committee and provides the interpretation at Commencement to make it accessible to deaf students, faculty, staff and audience members. She has taken on the role of placing interpreters for Washington State University Vancouver and Lower Columbia College.

Heather is a wonderful person to work with and for. Whether someone is a new or veteran interpreter, she makes sure we all feel respected and supported. She always listens actively and attentively and looks at each person as an individual.

Congratulations to all of the fall quarter nominees:

Vanessa Meyer: Vanessa is doing a great job in the department. She pays attention to details and maintains the office and its immediate environment, including the mailroom, elegantly. Vanessa is cheerful, polite and shows courtesy to the faculty. When help is needed, she takes prompt action. Her messages are clear and precise. Everything she does is orderly.
Susan Taylor: Susan is in charge of all admissions at Clark International Programs and she always manages to get everything in order to perfection. She wants to help every person she comes in contact with. Whether it is a student or a co-worker or someone outside of our campus, she is willing to take all the time needed to make you feel comfortable and confident. Susan respects everyone. She is always the bigger person and is always polite, no matter what the situation.
Thor Tesdale: Thor works tirelessly to maintain the interior and exterior appearance of the college. He takes great pride in his work and makes sure the job is completed to satisfaction and on time. Thor prioritizes jobs so that the most pressing deadlines are met first. He is very personable and is willing to “bend” his schedule as much as possible to accommodate the needs of other individuals. Thor’s calm and respectful personality is a beneficial addition to Facilities Services. The personal thank-you notes he has received are additional evidence of his high level of service.

The College Community will celebrate all 2014-2015 nominees and recipients at the Annual Ice Cream Social.

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.

Melissa Williams receives her Exceptional Classified Staff Award during Opening Day 2014.

Opening Day is traditionally the occasion for announcing the yearly Exceptional Classified Staff Awards, which recognize two classified employees for their contributions to Clark College. Recipients receive a glass plaque and $1,000, funded through an anonymous donor’s contributions to the Clark College Foundation.

For their “exemplary work performance, outstanding service to the college, a positive and cooperative spirit, and/or special achievements or contributions to the college,” Enrollment Services Program Coordinator Melissa Williams and Facilities Services Custodian Derald Richards were named the winners of the 2014-2015 Clark College Exceptional Classified Staff Awards.

President Knight presents Derald Richards with his Classified Excellence Award.

Derald Richards, Custodian

Derald Richards was described in his nomination as “consistently performing at a level above and beyond the scope of his job.”

While Richards is naturally a quiet and retiring person, those who work with him regularly at Clark College at Columbia Tech Center have learned to value his cheerful attitude, helpful suggestions, and the way he takes pride in everything that is asked of him. One nominator wrote, “He will drop whatever he is doing to assist staff, faculty, or students. No matter how busy he is, he always greets everyone with a smile and never a complaint.”

Another coworker summed Richards up with just two words: “Super Wonderful!!!”

President Knight presents Melissa Williams with her Exceptional Classified Staff Award.

Melissa Williams, Enrollment Services Program Coordinator

Whether they know it or not, probably every student who registers for classes at Clark has been supported in some way or another by Melissa Williams. Her nomination states that she “consistently goes far beyond what is expected of her job title to see that students, faculty, college staff, and the community get what they need. She earnestly engages in students’ experiences at Clark and has helped to create an environment of focused customer service, communication, and teamwork. Her communication skills have been instrumental in explaining policies and procedures, assisting new staff, keeping her coworkers in the loop when changes occur, and keeping everyone up to date on a daily basis. Her approach, keeping students as the forefront of what we do, has improved and enhanced Clark College’s ability to meet the changing needs of our student population. … In truth, she is the very definition of an exemplary employee.”

Other nominees for 2014-2015 were:  Scott Coffie, eLearning, Information Technology Specialist 4; Rose Gardner, Administrative Services, Office Assistant 3; Silvia Marinova, Business Technology, Instruction & Classroom Support Technician 2; Vanessa Meyer, Behavioral & Social Sciences, Secretary Senior; Lynn Vanhoomissen, Security & Safety, Program Support Supervisor 1; Jennifer Vernon, Early Childhood Education, Program Specialist 3; and Heather White, Disability Support Services, Program Support Services Supervisor 2.

The Clark College Foundation instituted the yearly Excpetional Classified Staff and quarterly Classified Staff Excellence awards in 1997 to recognize exceptional staff members. Nominations may be submitted by classified, administrative and exempt staff; faculty; students; alumni; retirees; college trustees; and Foundation directors.

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

President Bob Knight introduces the Presidential Coin recipients on Opening Day 2014.

In 2007, Clark College President Bob Knight introduced a new honor at Clark College: the presidential coin.

The coin is given to faculty and staff members who provide exemplary service to Clark students, the college and the community. The honorees are decided by the president and are kept secret until the names are announced–generally on Opening Day in the fall or during the annual State of the College address.

Five Clark College employees received Presidential Coins during Opening Day 2014 on September 10. They were:

Kael Godwin

As a Research and Analytics Professional working within the college’s Office of Planning & Effectiveness, Kael Godwin “transforms the way we use data so that we can make better decisions,” said President Knight. In his seven years atClark, Godwin has earned a reputation as someone who’s “approachable and responsible … and will do anything to help the college, even if it is outside his job description.”

Knight also cited Godwin’s key role in supporting the implementation of the college’s new customer relations management software, and noted that many people at the college have remarked upon his strong work ethic and commitment to the college.

Ron Hirt

Fiscal Analyst Ron Hirt began working at Clark College in 1983. In more than 30 years of service, he has become known not just for his daily runs around campus–no matter what the weather–but also for his expertise in finding any kind of information located in the college’s financial management system, regardless of how buried, obscure or complex it is. He has been a key player in many of the financial audits that the college has undergone – and passed, always helping to ensure there are no findings.

“The guy is meticulous,” President Knight said. “You can ask him for any kind of file and he knows right where it is. When I first came to Clark as a vice president, he was one of the people I knew I could go to for help.”

Susan Muir

Student Affairs Administrative Assistant Susan Muir began working at Clark in 2007; through the years, her service to Clark has spanned many areas pertaining to her department, including retention programs, student conduct, behavioral intervention team, and the Veterans Resource Center. “In every situation, she follows through to make sure the students and programs are well-served,” said President Knight. “Her knowledge, skills, and abilities are known across the college because of her willingness to provide a helping hand.”

Knight added that Muir is known for creating a calm and welcoming environment in her office that helps support students who arrive there in crisis, as well as for being willing to share her time and energy (not to mention her impressive stash of chocolate) with visitors to Student Affairs.

Vicki Cheng

Vicki Cheng, an Administrative Assistant in the Workforce, Career & Technical Education department, has been a Clark employee for 32 years. Her depth of experience is a great asset to her department and allows her to prioritize day-to-day issues effectively.

“She is always willing to step up and assist anyone who walks through the office door with impeccable customer service and a genuine desire to help,” said Knight. “She always makes a point to know and understand the projects across the unit so that she is capable of answering questions that may arise, and often offers suggestions that improve the end product.”

Patti Serrano

Business Administration professor Patti Serrano is no stranger to honors at Clark: She was named one of the college’s 2012-2013 Exceptional Faculty Award recipients. “She has been a rock in her division for 33 years and counting,” said President Knight. “Through her leadership, she has formally and informally mentored faculty, staff and administrators.”

Serrano has been a key participant in such important collegewide efforts as strategic planning, accreditation, and course development. Currently, she is leading her department’s efforts to develop a new Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Management. “She is admired and respected by students, faculty, and staff alike,” said President Knight.

Clockwise from top left: Kelly Fielding, Chris Martins, Sarah Theberge, and Jim Wilkins-Luton.

A professor who never planned on going to college, A Web-savvy wiz who stays in touch with students on Twitter, an aspiring academic who turned his back on the ivory tower in favor of more hands-on teaching, and an experienced clinician who takes the mystery out of a much-misunderstood subject–these are the recipients of the 2013-2014 Clark College Exceptional Faculty Awards, which were announced during the college’s 2014 Commencement ceremony and officially presented to their recipients during Opening Day activities on Sept. 10.

The Clark College Exceptional Faculty Awards are presented annually to full-time and part-time faculty members. This year the award recipients include two full-time tenured professors and two part-time adjunct instructors, whose detailed biographies can be accessed through the links below:

• Kelly Fielding: The voice of experience
• Chris Martin: The technophile with human feeling
• Sarah Theberge: The accidental professor
• Jim Wilkins-Luton: The book-lover gone digital

The awards are made possible through an endowed trust fund established by the Washington State Legislature and the Clark College Exceptional Faculty Endowment Fund, which was established in 1993. That fund provides recognition of exemplary work performance, positive impact on students, professional commitment, and other contributions to the college. Nominations can be submitted by Clark College students, faculty, classified employees, administrators, alumni, Board members, and Foundation directors.

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Chris Martin has gathered the students from his Web Video Production class in the hallway outside their classroom to demonstrate how to set up an interview shot. One student—a burly guy with a baseball cap and gray beard—has affably agreed to stand in front of the camera as the “interviewee.”

“Now let’s think about camera height, because you can change things a lot depending on the angle you shoot your subject at,” Martin says, adjusting the camera’s tripod. “Do we want to set it lower and look up at him to give him that godlike angle? Because we all know Steve has a bit of a god complex—just kidding! Just kidding!”

The whole class, Steve included, cracks up, and then Martin continues, raising the tripod as he speaks. “You can do stuff like that,” he says. “You can look down on them, too. But typically, we want to meet the subject at their own level, to give them that human feeling.”

In many ways, that last line is an apt summation of Martin’s teaching philosophy—and the secret to his popularity with students, who nominated him in droves for Clark’s prestigious 2013-14 Exceptional Faculty Award.

“His patience and approach in bringing out the abilities in all his students, from the novice to the advanced, encourages respect for all,” wrote one nominator. “His emotional integrity allows him to act as a mentor and to also mirror the importance to students that he is also learning the ever-changing aspects of technology.”

“If you don’t care about who your students are or where they come from or what they actually know—and they know a lot—then you can’t help them,” says Martin, who teaches both Computer Technology and Computer Graphics Technology classes as an adjunct at Clark, as well as general business courses at Warner Pacific College. “What I like about teaching at Clark is you really get to know the students. When they go through hard times, you know about it.”

Martin also gets strong praise for his real-life experience as a web designer and videographer. He has spent more than eight years running his own multimedia studio, creating videos and web content for businesses, nonprofits, and artists. He also produces a regular online documentary video series called Innovators of Vancouver that showcases leaders in Southwest Washington.

Martin, who holds a bachelor’s degree in Media Arts and Animation from the Art Institute of Portland and a master’s degree in Management and Organizational Leadership from Warner Pacific, regularly shares stories from his professional career to illustrate class material. A self-described “big experimenter,” he often tries out new tools and methods in his teaching—including Twitter, which Martin has used to create online discussions about class material among his students.

“It’s just a way of being accessible,” Martins says. “I think it helps students feel connected to me a little more.”

Or, to put it another way: It’s Martin’s way of giving his students that “human feeling” in the digital age.

Learn more about the other 2013-14 Exceptional Faculty Award recipients.

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

We’ve all heard the cliché that kids say the darndest things. But people rarely point out its corollary: So do adults. As an Early Childhood Education professor, Sarah Theberge says she is often just as surprised by what her students express in the classroom as she is by what children in the college’s Child & Family Studies program say on the playground.

“I’m just surprised over and over again by how many things I hadn’t thought of,” Theberge says as she stands on that playground surrounded by running children. “The way that students approach the things we talk about reminds me that there’s no one right answer to so much of what we’re studying. I really do see us as ‘co-learners’ who are all learning together—and I’m learning right along with them. It’s one of my favorite parts of teaching.”

It’s also one of the things students mentioned repeatedly in nominating Theberge for Clark College’s prestigious Exceptional Faculty Award, which Theberge received for the 2013-14 year. The award was announced at Clark’s 2014 Commencement ceremony and officially bestowed at the college’s Opening Day festivities on September 10.

“She is honest, she is real, she is not only a teacher but an inspiration and a friend to all her students,” wrote one nominator. “She brings passion to her work with children and with her students, and ignites the passion in all of us.”

Students also mention Theberge’s empathy and her strong commitment to serving as an academic advisor to students in the ECE program. When Theberge explains how she became a professor, it becomes clear why she is able to connect so strongly with her students and empathize with the challenges they face: After all, she faced them too.

Theberge never set out to become a professor. “It was the farthest thing from my mind,” she says, laughing. Rather, her initial ambition was much more basic: She needed a job.

“I was a single parent without any college background or schooling, and a friend of mine had a childcare center,” Theberge says. “I just thought it was a place where I could have my kids there and still work. But from the very first day, I fell in love with it.”

A friend encouraged her to enroll in Clark’s ECE program. “I said, ‘Oh no. We don’t do college in my family,'” Theberge recalls. “She literally took me by the hand and dragged me to Clark. And I’ve never left.”

In 1992, Theberge graduated with honors from Clark with an Associate of Applied Science degree in ECE. She went on to complete both a bachelor’s and master’s program from Pacific Oaks College while working in Clark’s CFS program, first as a program aide and then as an adjunct faculty member. Her roles and responsibilities continued to expand over the years, and in 2000 she was granted tenure at Clark. Throughout the years, she has continued to attend conferences and workshops to keep up-to-date on current teaching practices in her field. She also presents her own research at conferences; currently she has been delving into the complex issues surrounding children’s concepts of gender identity. Additionally, she serves on the board of directors for YWCA Clark County and has been instrumental in creating a library at CFS to help promote children’s literacy.

It’s a long way from the young single mother who just wanted a job. “That’s why I love advising,” Theberge says. “I hear similar stories to mine from students—people looking for opportunity, looking for help in making their passion a reality. It’s just so rewarding to sit with that and to walk alongside them on their journey.”

Learn more about the other 2013-14 Exceptional Faculty Award recipients.

Photo: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Exceptional Faculty Award recipient Jim Wilkins-Luton can tell you the exact moment when the course of his career changed. He was in his final year of graduate studies at Gonzaga University, listening to an English professor discuss Milton in pedantic detail.

At the time, Wilkins-Luton was well on his way to following that professor’s path. He’d already been accepted to a Ph.D. program in English literature at Stony Brook University in New York, after which he would aim for a professorship at an elite university where he could happily discuss his own favorite authors in pedantic detail. “It was all lined up,” Wilkins-Luton recalls. “I’d been accepted; I had my funding in place; I was going to focus on either medieval or Victorian literature. Everything was going according to plan.”

But lately, Wilkins-Luton had begun having doubts about that plan. It started when he took on a part-time job teaching homeless youth to make some money during grad school. “I had all these stereotypes about what these kids would be like,” he says. “I’m ashamed to admit it, but the night before I started the job I was worried they would give me head lice. And then that first day I went to work and came home just exhausted and devastated by these kids. And I started thinking, Maybe the world didn’t need another Shakespeare professor. Maybe the world needed people who were willing to teach—to teach the people no one wanted to teach.”

Which brings us back to that Milton seminar. Wilkins-Luton found himself staring at the lecturing professor. “I’m not even kidding: This guy actually had leather elbow patches on his tweed jacket, and he was expounding on some particular sentence Milton wrote,” he recalls. “And I remember thinking, ‘That’s my future. I don’t want any part of that. What I want to do is help.'”

As fate would have it, there was a poster advertising opportunities to teach English in Japan on the seminar room’s walls. Wilkins-Luton called his wife as soon as class let out, and soon after graduation, the two of them moved to Japan, where they spent the next sevenyears teaching English. Once the couple returned to the U.S. and settled in the Portland area, it was a natural progression for Wilkins-Luton to begin teaching at a private international school, and then English as a Second Language at Clark, and then pre-college and college-level English. He earned tenure in 2006.

Wilkins-Luton says he was surprised and honored to receive a 2013-14 Exceptional Faculty Award. The award was announced at Clark’s 2014 Commencement ceremony and officially bestowed at the college’s Opening Day festivities on September 10. Student nominators described a professor they called “funny” and “friendly,” who “makes all students completely comfortable in the classroom.”

“I love to teach,” says Wilkins-Luton. “I love the classroom. I love the engagement with students.” He is sitting in his book-lined office at Clark, which amply proves that he hasn’t entirely escaped the tropes of the English professor. (“I have a lot more books at home,” he admits sheepishly, casting an eye at the seven shelves of volumes arranged in meticulous alphabetical order by author. “These are mostly the ones I don’t want my kids reading.”)

Yet despite his love of both printed books and face-to-face teaching, Wilkins-Luton recently moved to teaching entirely online. “I think you have to make transitions sometimes to stay sharp,” he explains. “Also, I’d been reading some research discussing how the face-to-face classroom favors the extrovert—the person who’s willing to raise their hand and speak up in class. In the online environment, the introvert and extrovert become equal. As someone with introvert tendencies of my own, I liked that idea.”

Wilkins-Luton says that at first, he was concerned that the online classroom would stifle the sense of humor and personal engagement that he practices in face-to-face teaching. But in fact, he says, online teaching has allowed him to give even more personalized attention to individual students. “If they ask me a question, I send them back a two-paragraph answer,” he says. “And yeah, it might have a joke in it. Because you know what? Students don’t need gravitas; they need a reason to learn.”

Learn more about the other 2013-14 Exceptional Faculty Award recipients.

Photo: Clark College/Jenny Shadley