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.”

Roslyn “Roz” Leon Guerrero, third from right, attends a retreat in 2014 with her fellow members of the Social Justice Leadership Institute’s pilot cohort. Photo courtesy of Roslyn Leon Guerrero.

Clark College employee Roslyn “Roz” Leon Guerrero was invited to be part of a new cohort project designed to develop leadership skills in community college employees from historically disenfranchised or underrepresented populations.

Leon Guerrero, who identifies as a Chamorro from the Northern Mariana Islands, was one of 20 members of the pilot cohort of the Social Justice Leadership Institute. Members met five times over the course of the 2014-2015 academic year to participate in activities designed to help them grow their leadership skills, develop a systemwide network of colleagues, and learn new tools for supporting diversity at their respective institutions.

“There is so much to share about the growth and development I received from being a part of the SJLI first cohort group,” says Leon Guerrero. “There was a lot of reflection on me personally and professionally. Being able to come together with a group of awesome and inspiring individuals, sharing the same struggles and challenges, and mentoring and empowering each other is uplifting, inspiring, and heartening. If there was one word I could use to describe this experience, it would be ‘blessed.’”

Leon Guerrero, who has worked at Clark College for more than five years both in the Office of Instruction and now in the Office of Diversity and Equity, first heard about the SJLI from psychology professor and early childhood education division chair Debi Jenkins. Moments after Jenkins’s email, she received another from the Office of Instruction asking if she was interested in participating. Just a few weeks later, she was walking into the Whidbey Island Institute to attend a three-day retreat with the rest of her cohort.

The remaining four meetings took place at Bellevue College, which houses the SJLI. Leon Guerrero says that over the course of the year, she learned how to identify and use her personal strengths—a valuable experience. “Being able to focus on myself and understanding myself is important especially in my work in the Office of Diversity and Equity,” says Leon Guerrero, who currently serves as that office’s Administrative Support.

Leon Guerrero says she hopes to create a similar program here at Clark, and hopes other Clark employees will apply for the 2015-2016 cohort of SJLI, applications for which are due August 1. She offers this advice to anyone interested in participating: “Remember to do self-care before SJLI. Always reflect on yourself, and have an open mind . SJLI is not an avenue for you to find someone to take in your stuff; rather, it’s a safe place for historically underrepresented individuals to learn, grow, develop, and reflect on themselves so they can grow and succeed in their position in higher education. Be your authentic self in everything you do. ”

Greetings from the Healthy Penguin Nation Wellness Team!

We need your input! Clark College is a member of Team WorkWell, a statewide initiative that supports healthy lifestyle behaviors for employees of state agencies and higher education institutions, and is moving forward to plan a comprehensive and sustainable wellness program for our community members. Please share your voice by completing a brief online survey, telling us about your health and wellness interests and needs.

This survey is voluntary and anonymous and should take less than 10 minutes to complete.

You can access the survey through May 15 by following this link: https://webapps.clark.edu/snapwebhost/s.asp?k=142930177939

Paper copies of the survey are available upon request: kferguson@clark.edu

As the new Clark ctcLink Project Director, I am pleased to relay the good news we received from the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges: Clark College’s Go Live date for ctcLink (i.e., PeopleSoft) has been deferred to August of 2016. This additional time will benefit Clark for the following reasons:

• Since most of our current student and business processes are based on our 40-year-old legacy management systems, the college now has the time to plan and implement more effective and efficient processes that will fully utilize PeopleSoft’s capabilities.
• The college now has the time to correct inaccuracies and duplications within our current system. This will enable us to start anew with clean data.
• We have the time to learn from the FirstLink colleges’ transition, receive appropriate training, and identify clear expectations for each employee group in how PeopleSoft will impact our work. The FirstLink colleges (Tacoma Community College and Community Colleges of Spokane) will go live in August 2015.

The Clark ctcLink project timeline has been adjusted:

• April 1 through October 1: Clark is taking a break from large scale discussions about ctcLink as a few teams focus on specific tasks which will prepare us for the project.
  • The Technology and Security Team will continue to work on an overall strategy to solidify Clark College’s data security plan.
  • The Alignment Team will continue to work on aligning student and business processes with PeopleSoft.
  • The room scheduling software (R25) will be replaced with 25Live—a component of PeopleSoft. The new software has better functionality and can be implemented independent of PeopleSoft.
• October 1, 2015: A new ClarkNet site for ctcLink will be launched to keep the college informed.
• After October 1, 2015: The other teams, Communication, Training, and Go Live Weekend, will resume.

I am confident that PeopleSoft will be implemented; this will not be another Rehosting scenario. If you have questions about the project at this stage, please direct them to me and/or check out https://connect.clark.edu/sites/ctclink.

Clark recently launched a new “Green Clark” web area to make it easier to share and learn about environmental sustainability at the college.

Attention, Green Penguins! Now there’s a great new way to learn and share information about events and resources at Clark College that support environmental sustainability. The college’s new Green Clark web page was recently launched to help centralize information for everyone–employees, students, and community alike–interested in knowing about options Clark offers to be more environmentally responsible.

To add a keyword to your event, simply add it in the “Search Keyword” field in the online form on ClarkNet. (Click image to enlarge.)

Are you organizing an event that you think belongs on the Green Clark page? It’s easy to add it to the page’s calendar feed. Just add the keyword “greenclark” (all one word, all lower-case) to the “Search Keyword” field of your listing on the online Events Calendar. (See highlighting in the image to the left.)

As a refresher, any Clark employee can add an event to the college’s online Events Calendar through ClarkNet. Once logged into ClarkNet, simply select “Tools” from the main menu, then scroll down to “College Calendar” and select “Add Events.” Once you’ve filled out the simple form, your event will be added to the college’s main online calendar, where it will be accessible to anyone visiting the website and will appear on the clark.edu home page when it becomes one of the two closest upcoming events on the calendar.

If you’ve already created an event that you think belongs on the Green Clark page, it’s easy to add the “greenclark” search term to your event–all you have to do is log into ClarkNet, select “Tools,” and then under “College Calendar” select “Update/Delete Event.”

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.”

The following positions are open at Clark College as of March 5, 2015. To apply for any of these positions or learn more about them, visit http://www.clark.edu/jobs.

CLASSIFIED POSITIONS (WITH CLOSING DATE):

Plumber – Maintenance Mechanic 3 (Continuous)

Fiscal Specialist 2 (3/10/15 3:00 PM)

Health Occupations Credential Evaluator (Program Specialist 2) (3/19/15 3:00 PM)

FACULTY POSITIONS (WITH CLOSING DATE):

Tenure-Track Baking Instructor (Continuous)

TEMPORARY POSITIONS (WITH CLOSING DATE):

Part-time CADD and Engineering Instructor (Continuous)

Part-time Cisco CCNA Instructor (Continuous)

Part-time Computer Science and Engineering Instructor (Continuous)

Part-time Fiscal Technician 1 (Continuous)

Part-time Fiscal Technician 3 (03/17/15 3:00 PM)

Part-time Information Technology Instructors (Continuous)

Part-time Mechatronics Instructor (Continuous)

Part-Time Microsoft Applications Instructor (Continuous)

Part-Time Microsoft Network Technology Instructor (Continuous)

Part-time Nursing Instructor (Continuous)

Part-Time Program Assistant (Event Services) (3/9/15 3:00 PM)

Sign Language Interpreter (part-time hourly) (Continuous)

FOUNDATION OPPORTUNITIES (CONTACT PERSON LISTED):

Reception Desk – Volunteer position (Contact Person: Kim Lee – 992-2319 or klee@clark.edu)

Foundation – Database Specialist (Contact DBS@TJandassociates.com)

On January 27, all Clark College employees will receive an email from Shanda Diehl requesting that they complete the Clark College Climate Survey 2015.

The information collected from this survey will allow the College to identify the positive and negative aspects of our climate. The executive leadership is committed to make improvements to climate based on the results of this survey. We cannot do this without your feedback!

The college has a proven track record to make improvements to the climate based on past climate survey results. Based on the 2011 and 2013 climate survey results, administration has made strides to improve in the following areas:

• Shared governance,
• Diversity,
• Communication,
• Compensation, and
• Food service.

Executive leadership regularly reports the improvement activities related to the climate’s strengths and weaknesses to the Board of Trustees.

The results of the survey are anonymous. No login is required. Planning and Effectiveness will not report individual responses, nor will it report aggregate responses where individuals may be identified through their responses to demographic questions. Any individual names provided in the open-ended comment section will be removed before publishing the results.

The success of the survey rests with you. Every employee here at Clark College plays a crucial role in enhancing student learning. The more satisfied employees are with the climate of their work environment and their ability to influence it, the more effective their work becomes to improve student learning.

Because each employee plays a role in student learning, each employee’s perspective is equally important, including those of part-time employees, adjunct faculty members, full-time temporary and tenured/tenure-track faculty, classified staff, and administrators. We need everyone’s input!

Please look for Diehl’s email on January 27, 2015. The survey will be available online; a link will also be available on the ClarkNet homepage. Your time is a guaranteed investment in improving the climate of Clark College.

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

Employees who made changes to their health insurance during open enrollment should receive insurance cards by the end of January. If you need medical care before receiving your card, you may have your provider call your insurance plan at the appropriate number listed below:

Medical Insurance Plans      Plan Phone No:

Kaiser Classic                         1-800-813-2000

Uniform Medical Plan              1-888-849-3681

Members of Uniform can create an account in regence.com and print an ID card by visiting the Washington State Health Care Authority’s Uniform Medical Plan page. You will need the group number for Uniform Medical, which is 10003948.  You will also need your ID number. You can get that by calling 1-888-849-3681.

Click at the top of the page where it says “regence.com Account”.

1. Create your account.
2. When you have logged in to your account, you’ll be on a page that says “Member dashboard.”
3. Click on “My account.”
4. Click on “Member ID cards” on the left and your card should pull up.

If you enrolled in Uniform Dental, ID cards are not automatically issued. You can go to Delta Dental of Washington’s PEBB services page, create an account, and print a card.

Alternatively, with any dental plan you can also have your dentist’s office call the following numbers below to verify coverage.

Dental Insurance Plans        Group #                                 Plan Phone No:

Willamette Dental                    PEBB                                     1-855-433-6825

DeltaCare                               #3100                                   1-800-650-1583

Uniform Dental                        #3000                                   1-800-537-3406