Congratulations to Heather Adams, recipient of the 2019 Summer Quarter Classified Staff Excellence Award!

Adams is an Administrative Services Manager A for Student Affairs and is described as someone who creates a positive, welcoming atmosphere for students and colleagues to stop by and ask questions, or to wait with before meeting with another Student Affairs staff member. She has strong knowledge of not only the college community, but of the larger Clark County community as well. She readily offers this information to coworkers and students who have questions that reach beyond the Dean of Student Engagement’s office. Adams engages students in a meaningful way even when her interactions with them are brief. She continually provides information to students about how the Dean of Student Engagement, and the Office of Student Affairs, can be of assistance to the student’s individual success.

Below are additional comments about Adams:

• “One of my favorite things is when students take Heather up on her offer to ‘stop by and say hi’ to our office even when they do not have a question or need; it is clear evidence that Heather excels at community-building and cares for Clark.”
• “Heather has provided administrative coordination for my office, as well as for the BITA, Title IX, and Conduct areas. She tracks budgets, makes travel arrangements, facilitates communication via email, phone and in-person with students and community partners, and has coordinated team meetings and special projects on behalf of the Dean.”
• “Heather is continually looking for ways to interact with all levels of the Clark College community. She has become a valuable resource with her creative ideas and solid problem-solving. Heather has taken on the role of co-presenter on various Student Care presentations – specifically within the areas of BITA, Conduct, and Title IX. Heather is regularly scheduled to co-present at the quarterly New Faculty Orientation meetings and other invitations that arise; she is a competent and engaging presenter who can easily take the reins if the other presenter is unavailable.”
• “Heather recently graduated with a master’s degree in Student Affairs Administration. To help Clark College and to utilize her training, she has become an integral member of the Title IX team. Heather serves as investigator for student-related Title IX cases by investigating alleged discrimination and/or harassment. In addition, she interviews complainants, respondents, and material witnesses; and obtains and reviews documents and other relevant materials. This work can be difficult and draining; she handles it professionally and efficiently.”

Congratulations, as well, to all nominees for the 2019 Summer Quarter Classified Staff Excellence Award:

Tavish Bell’s role as a Program Specialist 2 for Student Affairs was primarily to implement and track the programs related to the federal Office on Violence Against Women grant that Clark College received in 2017. (She recently took another position at the college in Workforce Education Services.) Bell has been tirelessly working with federal programmers to bring innovative training, promotion and support programs for prevention of sexual assault to the Clark College campus.

“This work is not easy or comfortable,” wrote one nominator. “Tavish has a grasp on the sensitivity of the work and the support that is needed for the continuation of the grant work here in our community. Tavish is quick to outreach to support services for students in need of that approach, [and] she is willing to connect with other campus departments to provide training and information around sexual assault topics.”

In her short time with Clark, Tavish has integrated the Bystander Intervention program into the Student Leadership Summit; worked with IT and Library to develop three “Defense Against the Dork Arts” workshops to provide tips on cyberstalking/surveillance prevention, digital bystander intervention, and understanding the impact of digital violence on the brain; and led many outreach efforts to students, clubs, Safety and Security, employees, and outside support groups.

Additional comments about Tavish Bell:

• “Tavish goes above and beyond in all aspects of her work. She maintains a presence on campus working with students, departments, and also managing community partners to spread the importance of this work. All of the work Tavish does is directly in place to support our students in prevention and survival of sexual assault, stalking, and dating/domestic violence.”
• “I wish I had this training in high school, the information is so useful and the peer educators showed that there is a way to talk about these things in a way that isn’t uncomfortable.” — a student participant in one of Bell’s workshops
• “After this class I feel like I understand consent much more clearly and also know how to help if I see someone who is uncomfortable/may need help.” – a student participant in one of Bell’s workshops

Layla Otey is a Budget Analyst 4 for Information Technology Services. She is described as someone who always keeps people smiling with her great sense of humor. In addition to spreading joy, Layla has completely revamped the department’s budget tracking and improvement process, using her expertise to help the team understand the budget expenses and better manage the department’s funds. She is creative in identifying numerous opportunities to save resources and has renegotiated contracts with ITS’s major suppliers and develops excellent relationships with key vendors, making connections with sales reps and consultants to ensure that the college is well represented to the outside business community.
Otey also has demonstrated her commitment to customer service as a member of the Tech Fee Committee, constantly advocating for student technology improvements and ensuring that the Tech Fee is spent to maximize the benefit to students. She has reviewed the expenses and the budget thoroughly to ensure that the focus is on student achievement.

Other comments about Otey:

• “In addition to her humor, Layla introduced the ITS Project Management team to the ‘Affirmators’ cards, which encourages each of us to bring our best selves to the job and to constantly ‘use our power for good.’”
• “Whenever I request data, software, or information, Layla always gets back to me promptly and provides me with what I need. Layla is very creative and uses different software tools and methods to get what I and other people are looking for or need help with. With so many requests coming from different directions, she is prompt and professional in all her interactions, going above and beyond to ensure excellent technology service.”
• “One of the best things that Layla has done to demonstrate initiative is to act as a mentor to one of the ASCC Student Government leaders. This relationship has strengthened ties between the department and students and has demonstrated an excellence in collaborative and cooperative work.”
• “Layla has completely revamped the department’s budget tracking and improvement process, using her expertise to help the team understand the budget expenses and better manage the department’s funds.”

• 

Congratulations to Hanan Al-Zubaidy, Chippi Bello, and Kayla Escott, Clark College’s three representatives at the Social Justice Leadership Institute this year. They have demonstrated a commitment  to making our college a more inclusive and social justice-minded place.

This is a yearlong program to foster leadership identity among historically underrepresented groups. It allows leaders to develop a network of colleagues system wide. It also helps develop a pipeline of employees able to move into higher leadership positions.

Clark’s representatives attended at three-day retreat in August to kick off the program. They’ll attend five workshops during the academic year and will graduate from the program in June. As part of the curriculum, they’ll attend the Faculty and Staff of Color Conference (FSOCC) to be held in Spokane next month.

Clark College Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion supports this program. It helps to develop and implement comprehensive professional development to improve employee intercultural and multicultural competencies as part of the college’s strategic goals.

 

Images provided by Chippi Bello. 

Opening Day –

Thank you all who participated in Opening Day for the new academic year!  I was honored to be a part of the Clark tradition. I think ASCC President Evans Kaame helped set such a positive uplifting tone, reminding us of our shared vision – supporting our students. Thank you to Chair Jacobsen and Trustee Speer for their welcome message and updates. Thank you to the Executive Cabinet (William Belden, Vice President of Student Affairs; Stefani Coverson, Vice President of Human Resources and Compliance; Shanda Haluapo, Associate Vice President of Planning and Effectiveness; Lisa Gibert, Clark College Foundation CEO; Dr. Sachi Horback, Vice President of Instruction; Kelly Love, Chief Communications Officer; Valerie Moreno, Chief Information Officer; Rashida Willard, Interim Associate Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Bob Williamson, Vice President of Administrative Services; and Kevin Witte, Vice President of Economic & Community Development). And, thank you to the Guided Pathways Team for an engaging Opening Day presentation, which included the following themes:

1. Our 3 year completion rate has increased, but opportunity gap has not changed, specifically for our students of color. As we begin to implement the framework and support systems of Guided Pathways we will eliminate our existing racial equity gap.
2. Our community is becoming more diverse. This means, we need to be intentional about creating a welcoming and supportive environment, meaningful connections with our communities of color, and strong partnerships with education and business entities so we can fully meet the needs of our community.
3. There has been significant progress strengthening our high school partnerships and we have improved our efforts in recruitment and application.

Lastly, as we move forward we encourage you to continue asking yourself, “Is the work I’m doing following the Equity Minded Framework?”

New Awards announced

I want to thank Rashida Willard and Debi Jenkins who created a special moment in honor of Lora Whitfield. Lora, a highly respected and beloved Early Childhood Education Professor at Clark College passed away in early July. To remember her work and her many acts of love, we decided to introduce a new employee award, the Lora Whitfield Social Equity Award. This award will honor Lora’s legacy and take an important step to recognize Clark College employees based on their exceptional work in removing systemic barriers for our students and employees. Some of you have asked about the poem Debi wrote and recited in Lora’s honor. I’m happy to tell you that it is available to you on Clark 24/7. Thank you, Debi, for finding the words to help mirror all our feelings of love and gratitude for Lora.

I announced a second new award, The Clark College Exceptional Administrative-Exempt Award. As with our Classified and Faculty awards, we want to honor employees who contribute in significant ways to building a positive and inclusive environment, and who exhibit traits of excellence in their role at Clark.

Both of these awards include a $1,000 award and a glass plaque, thanks to Clark College Foundation. We’ll have more details in the next few weeks on the submission process for both awards moving forward.

Honoring our own

One of my favorite moments at Opening Day is seeing the employee awards and acknowledgements. Our annual Exceptional Classified Staff Awards were presented. Congratulations to Amanda Brown in Libraries and Ian Beckett in Art for your exemplary and steadfast work in supporting the college and our students.

Our Exceptional Faculty Awards were first announced in June but presented at Opening Day. Congratulations and thank you to:

• Dr. Karl Bailey, Chemistry
• Nadine Fattaleh, Chemistry
• Deena Godwin, Communication Studies
• Zachary Grant, Libraries
• Malcolm McCay, Economics
• Erin Staples, Health & Physical Education

I’d like to also congratulate everyone who received service awards. I’ll highlight our 25- and 30-year employees.

25 years of service:

• Karen Hagen, Clark Foundation
• Kristine Barker, Faculty
• Kayoko Barnhill, Faculty
• Aaron Bingham, Faculty
• Don Gonser, Faculty
• Bob Hughes, Faculty
• Travis Kibota, Faculty
• Gail Robinson, Faculty
• Kimberly Bower, Student Affairs

30 years of service:
            Lisa Hasart, Administrative Services

            Lynn Boydston, Instruction

            Vicki Weese, Instruction

            Michael Arnold, Faculty

Welcome Week – do you have your t-shirt?

We gave away t-shirts at Opening Day (I have mine). We still have shirts available to you at Gaiser Hall Room 204.   The idea is that we want to welcome our students with a shared message during Welcome Week, “You belong here.”  This is a college wide effort to create that sense of belonging and inclusion for all our students.  I think the visual also can remind ourselves that we have ability and support to do collegiate work with a student centered approach. I’m so proud of the work you’re all doing.

What’s on your mind?

Several weeks ago I sent out a brief, anonymous survey to all of you in order for me to gather essential information about the college. It’s been a great resource for me to hear more about your concerns and your suggestions for me as your interim president at Clark. Because it was summer quarter, I want to re-open the link to give employees who were off-contract during the summer an opportunity to respond. Here is the link if you haven’t responded yet: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TellMeAboutClark. The survey will be open until September 22.

Ways to work on Goal #4

It’s one of our top ten goals in 2019-2020: “Institutionalize hiring and retention practices that are equitable and inclusive.” To support this effort, I wanted to pass along along a new upcoming training opportunity to help us reach our goals. Human Resources has partnered with the Office of Instruction and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to offer a four-part webinar series, “Hiring a Diverse Faculty.” The series is hosted by USC Rossier School of Education, Race and Equity Center. Though the title indicates faculty, the concepts apply to all recruitment types. Anyone who has been involved with hiring efforts in the past or in the future is encouraged to attend.

All webinars/gatherings will be held in Gaiser Hall (GHL) room 213 from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the college’s main campus. We have reserved rooms on the following dates to gather as a group to watch together. Please click on the links below to sign up for sessions.

• September 24:  Innovative Recruitment Method
• September 26:  Job Announcements
• September 30:  Implicit & Explicit Bias
• October 2:       Job Interviews

Strategic Planning

I met with the Executive Cabinet this week for a daylong strategic planning session. At the heart of our work is the list of ten priorities for Clark College in 2019-2020 as approved by the Board of Trustees. Over the next several weeks, I’ll provide you with more detail as to how we’re going to achieve the goals we’ve set. For today, I’d like to list them out for you: 

1. Increase student engagement and outcomes by implementing Guided Pathways resulting in increased student completion and equity.
2. Improve the college climate and employee morale, including shared governance.
3. Develop and implement comprehensive professional development to improve employee intercultural and multicultural competencies.
4. Institutionalize hiring and retention practices that are equitable and inclusive.
5. Implement ctcLink technologies.
6. Respond to the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities’ accreditation recommendations.
7. Create a long-term budget forecasting, planning, and resource-allocation process.
8. Foster external partnerships with stakeholders to achieve our goals.
9. Finalize and implement a holistic plan for campus expansion at Boschma Farms
10. Hire and onboard the new president.

Most of these will not be a surprise to you. In many cases, these are things we’re already working on. I am very conscious of the fatigue many of you are feeling as you have been engaged in this work over the past year. I want to support you in whatever way I can this year and work together to meet these goals.

Birthday Celebrations

I hosted our first open house to celebrate and recognize faculty and staff birthdays for the months of August and September. Thank you to those who joined me for cupcakes, coffee, and conversation. If you were born in August or September and you missed it, please come to our next open house birthday celebration. Here are the dates for the year:

• Tuesday, October 15, 2:30-3:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, November 12, 2:30-3:30 p.m.
• Thursday, December 5, 2:30-3:30 p.m.
• Wednesday, January 15, 2:30-3:30 p.m.
• Thursday, February 6, 2:30-3:30 p.m.
• Wednesday, March 11, 2:30-3:30 p.m.
• Thursday, April 9, 2:30-3:30 p.m.
• Thursday, May 7, 2:30-3:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, June 9, 2:30-3:30 p.m. (June and July birthdays)

I look forward to seeing and celebrating you on one of these dates!

Welcome Week!

I hope you were able to enjoy the Welcome BBQ Friday on campus. It was fun to meet our student athletes, and I’m grateful to the Foundation for providing lunch to all alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends. I was sorry to miss it. I was at the Foundation Board Retreat and we also enjoyed a little BBQ.

There are activities all week for students. Do you get the Penguin Digest? Here’s the link so you can opt-in for updates about news and events for students.https://clarknet.clark.edu/forms/penguin-digest-opt-in/index.php

Also, help us commemorate 2019 Welcome Week by wearing your “Welcome Week” T-shirt for a massive group photo Friday, September 27 at noon at Gaiser Student Center. I love the start of the academic year and the return of our students. Each student is a powerful reminder of why we do what we do.

Here’s to a fantastic 2019-2020 academic year!

On September 16, Clark College employees gathered in the O’Connell Sports Center gymnasium for the traditional Opening Day ceremonies. While much of the program was familiar to longtime employees, this year’s event brought a few new elements.

The first and most noticeable was the college’s new leader: Interim President Dr. Sandra Fowler-Hill, who is serving a one-year term as interim president while the college seeks a permanent replacement for retired president Bob Knight. Fowler-Hill joked that, while she has attended many such celebrations during her decades-long career in higher education, here at Clark, “this is my first Opening Day–and my last Opening Day.”

Board of Trustees chair Jane Jacobsen thanked Dr. Fowler-Hill for coming out of her retirement as the president of Portland Community College’s Rock Creek campus to step into the interim role.

Trustee Paul Speer outlined the process for hiring a new president, reiterating that the Board of Trustees was “transparent, equitable and inclusive.” The college has posted updated information about the presidential search on its website.

Opening Day was also the occasion to announce two new employee awards. The first was the Exceptional Administrative-Exempt Award, recognizing a class of employees that fall neither into Classified staff nor faculty categories. Administrative-exempt staff include many administrators, managers, directors, executive assistants, and other employees who are not eligible for overtime compensation.

“We realized there’s a group of employees who haven’t had an opportunity to have their excellence recognized,” said Dr. Fowler-Hill.

The second new award was announced by Associate Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Rashida Willard. The Lora Whitfield Social Equity Award will be awarded to a member of the Clark College community who has demonstrated a sustained commitment to advancing equity, Willard said. It is named in honor of early childhood education professor Lora Whitfield, who died in July. Dr. Debi Jenkins read a poem to honor Whitfield’s memory.

Social equity was a significant theme in a presentation on the college’s progress toward Guided Pathways from Willard, Vice President of Instruction Sachi Horback, and Vice President of Student Affairs Bill Belden.

“It is on us to make sure all our students complete and persist,” said Willard. “We can’t put it on our students to succeed in a broken system. We need to fix the system in order for everyone to succeed.”

Old traditions were also honored at Opening Day, including the recognition of employees for their years of service. Four employees–Mike Arnold, Lynn Boydston, Lisa Hasart, and Vicki Weese–were recognized for having worked at the college for 30 years. Vice President of Human Resources and Compliance Stefani Coverson also announced the recipients of the 2019 Exceptional Classified Award: Amanda Brown and Ian Beckett.

The recipients of the 2018-2019 Exceptional Faculty Award, who were announced at Commencement, were recognized again and provided with plaques honoring their achievement.

Dr. Fowler-Hill concluded the event by saying, “It’s an honor to be your interim President this year. You are dedicated, passionate and steadfast in your work to support our students. I have rolled up my sleeves to join you in this work and support you every way I can.”

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley
More photos can be found on Flickr.

As
I celebrate one month at Penguin Nation, I reflect on all that I am learning.
What a great week – immersed in Teaching and Learning Days. This was an
exceptional program and I hope you all had a chance to participate fully. I
enjoyed meeting many of you at the sessions and networking and hearing about
our shared work at Clark College. A shout out to the committee who worked so
hard this past year to organize this exceptional program for all us. We are
grateful for your whole-hearted dedication to Clark. Thank you!

• Judith Hernández Chapar and Vanessa Neal, Co-Chairs
• Nick Farron
• Laurel Tygart
• Degundrea Harris
• Michelle Golder
• Haley Tucker
• Wendé Fisher
• Rashida Willard
• Sue Ann McWatters
• Karen Foster
• Jennifer Ward
• Colleen Butcher
• Kate Ireland
• Michael Brown
• Laura See

I appreciated the variety within the program – a chance to dig into details about new programs and initiatives. Also a deeper dive into power and privilege conversations as we lean into the work of diversity, equity and inclusion. I loved the good advice of our happy-brain expert who reminded me why multi-tasking robs me of my personal energy and how important it is to take time to take care of myself. I choose happiness and hope you do, too. I also heard the knitting session ran out of seats and I’ve seen a few of you with your starter kits, perfecting the knit stitch.

What I think I enjoyed the most was watching everyone interact. It was great serving you at the Ice Cream Social and meeting more staff across the campus. Thank you to the other administrators who took time out to scoop. I look forward to more opportunities to create connections across the college and learn from you. I’m so honored to be a part of this team.

Count down: 72 days

This
is my new weekly countdown: 72 days until the launch of ctcLink. On October 28
Clark College will transfer from the legacy (HP3000) system to PeopleSoft. But
the transition will begin in late September. We need to have all our financial
books balanced before the actual switch. That will impact some of our
activities pertaining to business services and human resources. It will also
impacts class drops, payroll, purchasing and travel.

It
will impact all of us and so knowing the dates and deadlines are going to be
critically important. Here are a few dates for you to review – I think the
October 15 date is especially important for all of us.

MyClark
Dates & Deadlines

• September 27 – Last day to issue fall work-study referrals.
• September 30 – Last day for purchasing. No purchasing in October.
• October 4 – Last Day for submission of travel advance requests.
• October 15 – Time Sheets must be in on time. If you miss the deadline
  we will not be able to write a check. You will be paid with the Nov 10
  pay.
• October 15 – Last day for corrections to winter classes
• October 16 to 31 – No new employees processed. November 1 will be start date.
• October 17 – Last day for student enrollment transactions.
• October 22 – Business Services closes financial books

Thank
you to everyone on the myClark ctcLink team who are doing this important work.
You’ll hear more in the coming weeks about the training sessions so we can all
be ready.

Cybersecurity
– Keeping Clark College safe

Unfortunately one of the community colleges in our state system
has recently been a victim of a ransomware attack. Ransomware is a type of
malicious software that takes over your computer and prevents you from
accessing files until you pay a ransom. Here at Clark, IT Services maintain
controls to help protect and detect malicious activity. But we need your help,
too. Scammers are always trying new tricks to break into the network. Often
they’ll send malicious links or attachments in our emails that look harmless.
Please take a moment and review these safety tips provided by our IT Services:

1. Do not provide sensitive personal information (example: usernames/passwords) over email
2. Watch for senders that use suspicious or misleading domain names
   1. For faculty and staff we use a portion of your name with clark.edu
   2. For students we use students.clark.edu
   3. Be wary of internal emails that do not end with the above
   4. Look for To/From misspelled names and addresses
3. Once you open an email, keep looking for clues
   1. Unrealistic threats or claims of authority demanding you act quickly
   2. Too good to be true offers
   3. Urgency for immediate response or action
   4. Links that point to different locations (hover your mouse over the link to see where it will take you to)
4. If you cannot tell if an email is legitimate or not, you can forward the original email to our cyber security team at phishing@clark.edu
   1. If the email appears to be internal you can also call the sender directly using their phone number from the Clark College published directory
5. Be especially cautions when opening attachments or clicking links if you receive an email containing our banner indicating it originated from an EXTERNAL source
6. Do not click on links or attachments from senders that you do not recognize. Be especially wary of .zip or other compressed or executable file types

If
Something Seems Wrong, Notify IT

• Forward the original email to cyber security team for blocking
  and/or tracking
  • Email to: phishing@clark.edu
• Call the IT Help-Desk at 360-992-2425
• Walk into one of our help desk offices
  • Main campus in go to APH # 203 or library Tech Hub
  • CTC # 240
  • WSUV # 225C
• Create a help desk ticket

Thank you for helping to keep our computing environment safe from these cyber threats we appreciate your support! The risk is all too real, and we can all do our part in prevention. In my short time here, my name has already been phished and included in fake emails requesting my help.

Helping student athletes

I attended my first Clark’s Penguin Nation Golf Tournament this
week, hosted by the Clark College Athletic Department, and it was a success!
With over 100 registered golfers and multiple community sponsors, the
tournament is on track to be one of the most successful in recent years. We’re
still tallying the proceeds, but from what I saw people enjoyed themselves
while knowing they were helping Clark athletes reduce financial barriers.

The Women’s Soccer team held an alumni game on Sunday, August
11. I loved seeing one of the signs made by a young fan: CLARK: Collaborative,
Lightning Fast, Awesome, Rare, and Kick’n Butt. The
game included a large turnout of Penguin alumni and concluded in a 1-1 tie. The
women’s soccer team will be hosting Warner Pacific in a scrimmage Friday,
August 16 at 6:00 p.m. at Kim Christensen field on the main campus. Go
Penguins!

Your generosity

Well
done everyone making the Backpack Project a big success this year! Ninety-seven
children of our Clark College students will have new backpacks and all the
supplies they need for school, thanks to you.

Looking
for another way to help? We’re in the last two weeks of the Penguin Pantry
challenge. They’re looking for new packaged toiletries and school supplies to
benefit our Clark Students. There’s a tasty competition between departments.
The two departments with the largest amount of donated items per employee by
the end of summer quarter will receive a pizza party provided by Papa Johns.
For more information, please contact Estancia Cota at ext. 2100, email penguinpantry@clark.edu or click here.

Kudos
to the Clark College Foundation! Last week at the Foundation Board meeting I
learned they had a banner fundraising year. Donors contributed more than $8
million in gifts and pledges during the fiscal year 2018-2019 for Promising
Pathways: The Campaign for Clark College. The foundation is raising funds for a
variety of initiatives determined by the college including Guiding Pathways,
Advanced Manufacturing, scholarships, Cuisine and Professional Baking and
Pastry Arts, the Veterans Resource Center, and more. To date, Promising
Pathways has secured nearly $22 million of its $35 million goal. You can learn
more about the campaign by visiting www.clarkcollegefoundation.org/campaign. Thank you to our friends
at the foundation for all you do.

Next week

I am continuing my walking and listening tour of CTC, CCW, main
campus, and Boschma Farms to learn more about our Facilities Master Plan for
renovations, capital construction and plans for the future. I look forward to
learning more about our instructional programs and services to students with
several tours that are scheduled next week with the deans. I’ll also be meeting
some great colleagues with whom I have worked with before from the Center of Excellence
for Aerospace and Advanced Manufacturing who are expanding to Southwest
Washington. Finally, I’ll be celebrating the one-year anniversary of Career
Launch apprentices at SEH and welcoming a new group of apprentices.

I hope you find time to enjoy this beautiful Northwest summer
and choose happiness!

Sandra

Sandra A. Fowler-Hill, Ed.D.
Interim President

This message was originally sent as an email to all college employees on August 16, 2019

We are moving closer to GoLive with the primary ctcLink technology solution – PeopleSoft – on October 28.

KUDOS

Thank you to the Credentials staff! In early August, they worked with a team from the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) ctcLink project to build the rules that allow us to transfer in courses from other institutions into the PeopleSoft database.  When we GoLive, we expect to have over 7,000 transfer-in courses set up in the PeopleSoft databases. This work allows staff to accept electronic and paper transcripts from schools and process them quickly for students.

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

Teaching and Learning Days offered opportunities to learn more about myClark ctcLink training opportunities, including “ctcLink NEW Orientation Introducing ‘Fluid,'” “What to Expect in PeopleSoft – Student Focus,” and the August 14 keynote address, “What to Expect with MyClark ctcLink.”

The SBCTC is the process of finalizing the training plans and materials for end-user training in PeopleSoft.  (Many of the primary users are receiving training in User Acceptance Testing.)  Most of the end-user training will be available online and many will be offered as a self-paced course. As of today, listed below are the major training categories, schedule, and number of sessions for end-user training. I have included the number of unique training sessions, just to put into context the amount of training time required for some of our colleagues. More to come about this in the next few weeks!

Category of Training	Dates (excluding self-paced courses)	Approximate Number of Different Training Sessions (including self-paced courses)
Campus Solutions Core	September 5 – October 17, 2019	17
Financial Aid	September 3 – October 16, 2019	9
Student Financials	September 3 – October 7, 2019	7
Finance	September 4 – October 16, 2019	21
Human Capital Management	September 3 – October 22, 2019	10

The original version of this message was sent as an email from Associate Vice President of Planning and Effectiveness Shanda Haluapo to all college employees on August 7, 2019.

Many offices and student services at Clark College will be largely closed to the public for a collegewide staff training on Tuesday, August 13 and Wednesday, August 14. Classes will continue as normally scheduled. Additionally, Child & Family Studies (child care), the Clark College Bookstore, all libraries (including Cannell and the iCommons at CTC), and Tutoring Services will remain open. The McClaskey Culinary Institute will remain open with a limited menu. However, most other business offices (including Cashier’s Office, Human Resources, Facilities Services, etc.) and student services (including Advising, Financial Aid, Student Life, etc.) will be closed all day for both days.

Clark College lost a beloved member of their community on July 9, when early childhood education professor Lora Whitfield passed away.

“She was kind, warm, and supportive of those around her,” said Vice President of Instruction Sachi Horback.

Whitfield’s connection to Clark went back to her own days as a student, when she attended the college to earn her associate degree in early childhood education in 2002. Whitfield went on to have a successful career in the field, working for both the Southwest Washington Child Care Consortium and Albina Early Head Start. She earned her master’s degree in human development with a specialization in early childhood education and bicultural development from Pacific Oaks College in Seattle.

In 2014, Whitfield returned to Clark College to teach. She received tenure in 2017. At the time, she offered this statement on her teaching philosophy: “As an educator, I am committed to treating each individual with respect. I believe respect is paramount in creating environments that promote students’ ideas, passions, and interest in a meaningful and organically wholesome way. I strive to provide settings where everyone can share their ideas without bias and be included in all aspects of learning.”

Whitfield, who identified as Afro-Caribbean, was the second Black woman to receive tenure at Clark College. She actively worked to create networks of support for colleagues and students of color, participating in both the statewide Cross-Institution Faculty of Color Mentorship Program and Clark’s Black Employees United Employee Resource Group. “She was an absolute joy to be around,” recalled Interim Associate Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Rashida Willard. “She had a hilarious sense of humor and always made her work family laugh.”

In addition to her work fostering inclusion, she was an active leader in her field, participating in the Clark College Early Childhood Advisory Council, the Early Childhood Teacher Preparation Council, and the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

On his last day as president of Clark College before his retirement, Bob Knight recalled his memories of Whitfield. “Because Lora began as a student at Clark College, she could relate very closely to the student experience,” he wrote in a July 15 email to all college employees. “This made her a gifted instructor. She made Clark College a better place.”

Services for Professor Whitfield have been scheduled for Saturday, July 20, with a viewing between 9:30 am an 10:00 am. The service will be from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The location will be at City Harvest Church at 8100 NW 9th Street, Vancouver, WA 98665. Funeral information will be on the Terry Family Funeral Home website.

Congratulations to Amanda Brown, recipient of the 2019 Spring Quarter Classified Staff Excellence Award!

Brown is a Library and Archives Paraprofessional 3 for Cannell Library. During her career at Clark College, she was promoted to a part-time supervisory position and then to her current full-time role. Colleagues say that few people know Clark Libraries operations as well as Brown does. Focused on customer service and students, she is committed to encouraging students whenever possible.

“From hiring to graduation, Amanda is an active participant in our student workers’ success,” wrote a nominator. “She organized our department’s participation in the Winter 2019 student job fair to broaden the applicant pool for the position. She spends weeks collecting nominations for OSWALDs for students because she is committed to encouraging them at every level possible. Amanda also makes sure to promote students to more-advanced jobs when there are openings in our department.”

In addition to being student-focused, Amanda is someone who is seen as a resource in the library. “Many people pass through her office every day to ask her questions, which she patiently and thoughtfully answers,” observed a colleague.

Amanda is also committed to advancing Clark College’s mission and values by serving on various teams and committees such as the User Experience Committee for Clark Libraries, the Clark Art Committee, and the Clark College Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). One person said, “No matter the committee on which she serves, Amanda is quite simply a leader. Our department is lucky to have her, and so is Clark.”

Below are additional comments about Amanda:

• “As an alumna as well as an employee of Clark, Amanda always looks for ways to contribute her time and skills to the community. In addition to her work on the User Experience Committee for Clark Libraries, Amanda also serves on the Clark Art Committee, CERT, and has been working with the administration on a comprehensive Libraries policy review. Her work on CERT especially has made her coworkers feel safer and more prepared to protect ourselves and our patrons in case of an emergency. As an advocate for Clark Libraries in these committees, Amanda makes sure that our department aligns itself with collegewide initiatives.”
• “I also want to highlight how Amanda’s creativity has specifically benefited the library. The Clark Libraries Marketing Committee (on which she served for several quarters) recently designed an extensive set of templates to use for signs that are in line with the Brand Guide. Amanda was one of the lead creators of this project, and we print new signs from her templates almost every week. Additionally, every time I create promotional materials using the templates, I always check in with her because she knows just the expressive pop to make the sign really stand out, such as using the bold rather than standard font.”
• “Amanda actively looks for ways to go above and beyond to serve Clark students. Last week, a student came to the Check Out Desk to check out a course reserve and was clearly upset. Amanda asked them about their day, and they told her that they were checking out the reserve because they had left their backpack on the bus an hour ago. Amanda was able to find the right numbers for them to call and even offered to get in touch with her own contacts at C-TRAN to make sure they were checking in all the right places.”

Congratulations, as well, to all nominees for the 2019 Spring Quarter Classified Staff Excellence Award:

Margaret (Peg) Estes is a Program Specialist 2 in Credential Evaluations. Among her other duties, she does all the diploma printing for Commencement.

Estes is described as someone who is not only good at her job, but is said to go above and beyond every day. One person said, “She not only does her job duties but she takes on new project whenever asked. Peg is amazing about just getting the work done, no excuses. Peg will stay overtime if asked, she has been helping with the build for the new CTC systems. Even when she has a lot on her plate, she still is very helpful with training and positive in giving directions. I really enjoy learning from Peg as a new employee. I think she is an amazing person and I look up to her work ethic!”

Additional comments about Peg:

• “Peg has saved a lot of students from having to take extra classes or having to move their files. She is very in touch with her students and helps them stay on top of graduation requirements. Peg puts the students first even if she has a lot of other projects to work on, she always make sure students question are answered or problem gets taken care of right away.”
• “Peg has great communication skills, she is very interactive with the faculty, staff, students and the public. She has shown me what a positive, hard-working employee looks like and she definitely goes above expectations on all her work.”

Darci Feider is a Program Coordinator for Student Life. She is described as someone who consistently goes above and beyond and is said to be a great team player. One person even said, “Darci is the best team player that I have ever had the joy of working with.”

Feider regularly manages the entire Student Life office on her own during the coffee rush, helps students fill out purchasing paperwork, and even sometimes puts together entire one-time funding request packets together on the student’s behalf when they are unable to do so on their own. Taking a student-centered approach, she is always helping with events, representing Student Life, and is said to be the “backbone” of any successful event that is sponsored by Student Life. It is said that “students (and the Student Leaders) always feel comfortable coming to Darci with questions because she never wavers with her helpful and cheerful nature.”

Additional Comments about Darci:

• “Recently, Darci has taken on the project of planning a new floorplan for Student Life that is more inviting for students, because some students think the front desk and double doors are intimidating. This was a huge undertaking and she wasn’t asked to take it on, but it looks like, thanks to her, we are working on getting a quote to see how much a remodel might cost. Since this is a huge obstacle for Student Life, this project is a game-changer for the office.”
• “If ASCC or APB is shorthanded and she can catch a break from her 1000 other responsibilities, she will be there to lend a hand, especially with preparation and set-up which is the backbone of any successful event. Darci makes every student in the office, in clubs, or visiting Student Life feel welcome, respected, and valued.”
• “Her door is always open so students involved in clubs and programs always have access to her wealth of knowledge. She always helps students navigate through the treacherous sea that is purchasing, travel, and one-time funding request paperwork.”

Karina Gress is an Instruction and Classroom Support Tech 2 for Chemistry who colleagues say is a key contributor to the success of the Chemistry department. One person said, “She strives to ensure that students have the materials they need, that faculty are happy with the set-up, and that errors are corrected quickly.”

Gress’ work has a positive impact not just on her direct department, but on STEM as a whole. A nominator wrote that she “was a key contributor to the design and planning of the STEM Building. Karina learned how to read blue prints and schematic diagrams, and spent hours poring over them, ensuring that our labs and prep spaces had adequate power, storage, and experimentation space. She worked with movers and Facilities to coordinate moving equipment, chemicals, and materials while classes were in session during the summer 2016 term, to ensure that everything was ready for a busy Fall term in the new building.” One person said, “Karina has been an important liaison between the chemistry department and Facilities Services, ensuring that our students are experimenting in a safe and supportive environment.”

Additional comments about Karina:

• “Karina has stepped up again in the spring term, as the other lab technician has left Clark College for other opportunities. Although this time, she was able to transition into the additional workload, Karina is still facing similar challenges as before. As she had some warning, Karina has worked diligently to prepare materials for her main job early, to carve out time for the additional workload. This has benefitted many of our students, as they have been able to work on experiments early, allowing the students to manage their time and workload heading towards some large, culminating projects in their science lecture courses.”
• “During the winter 2019 term, Karina’s increased workload came with an additional challenge – the other technician was set to prepare equipment and materials for the Regional Science Olympiad (RSO). Again, with only few weeks to prepare, while performing regular fulltime duties of her own and of the other lab technician, Karina worked with the RSO coordinators and faculty to prepare chemical materials and equipment for this event, which is attended by middle and high school students across southwest Washington. This event is important to attract the next generation of Penguins to STEM at Clark College!”
• Another faculty member writes: “She is quick to respond to faculty needs when equipment fails, is ready to lend a helping hand, and replaces broken equipment and empty stock bottles when we call. She’s like the Batwoman of the chemistry lab – always there to answer the call.”

Jennifer King is a Program Coordinator in Advising Services. Jennifer is praised for her high commitment to the college, exemplary customer service, and great value to Advising Services. Her contributions to the Clark College community include not just her technical ability, but also her customer service skills and her commitment to making Clark a welcoming environment.

One person said, “Recently we have been tasked with getting Insight, a new scheduling tool, up and running for Advising Services to pilot. This has been a daunting task and Jen has been instrumental in moving us to a place where we can be assured of a smooth roll-out. This took many hours of combing through the program, investigating all the options, syncing issues, and more. Jen developed a detailed training guide for advisors and another for support staff, making it easier to acclimate to this new program.”

Additional comments about Jennifer:

• “Jen has been observed showing empathy for a student that was faced with personal difficulties that affected their education. She was caring and empathetic to the need and, as always, went the extra mile to facilitate a solution. This same attention is given to each student that Jen works with.”
• “Jen is not shy to give feedback or ask questions, both in our office or in meetings. She seeks clarity and understanding. The college benefits from her willingness to do so.”
• “Jen’s previous experience working with Running Start students and parents has been a benefit to Advising since the move of that area to our shared offices. She has a vast knowledge and is very helpful to both parents and front staff who have Running Start questions. Support staff are appreciative of her willingness to assist.”

Washington Governor Jay Inslee has appointed Jeanne Bennett to the Clark College Board of Trustees. Bennett is the retired CEO of Workforce Southwest Washington, a Vancouver resident, and a longtime community leader.

“I’m so pleased to serve Clark College and the community in this new role,” Bennett said. “I strongly believe in the college’s mission to be in service to the community and helping students achieve their educational and professional goals.”

Bennett will serve in the recently vacated
position left open in May when trustee Royce Pollard stepped down to spend more
time with his family. Bennett will join fellow trustees Jada Rupley, Paul
Speer, Vice Chair Rekah Strong, and Chair Jane Jacobsen.

“This is good news,” said Jacobsen. “We welcome
her to the board. We have important work to do in selecting a new president for
Clark College, and it will be helpful to have her expertise and experience.”

Current
President Bob Knight will retire July 15^th after serving 13 years as
President at Clark College.  Dr. Sandra A. Fowler-Hill has been selected
to serve as interim president for the 2019-2020 academic year. 
Fowler-Hill is a retired college president from Portland Community College. Her
first day is slated for July 15^th.  The interim appointment
provides ample time for the college to conduct a year-long robust search
process for the permanent president.

Clark College has a website detailing the
presidential search process at www.clark.edu/presidential-search.

Bennett’s biography and photo are available upon
request.