This week

Welcome back from the holidays! I hope you had time to rest and
enjoy time with friends and family. I enjoyed volunteering delivering Meals on
Wheels in Hillsboro with my husband and finalizing plans for my daughter’s
wedding in January. It was wonderful having 4 days to spend with family.

This morning our student leaders hosted Washington State
Legislators at the Clark College annual legislative breakfast. They talked to
our elected officials about their priorities, specifically college
accessibility and affordability. We have a strong ASCC leadership team this
year, and they were excellent representatives of our college students.

Also today, we are meeting with our AACC Guided Pathways coach, Dr. Chris Hill. She is
on campus today and tomorrow to review our work to date and assist us in moving
this important work forward. Dr. Hill will be meeting with the Guided Pathways
Core Leadership Team; Pillar 1, 2, 3 and 4 Teams; Board of Trustees; faculty;
students; and professional development teams to learn more about our progress
and plans for implementing Guided Pathways. Everyone is invited to attend the
College Debrief at the conclusion of her two-day visit on Tuesday at 4:00 –
5:00 p.m. in GHL 213.

Career
Launch at Clark College

Our Mechatronics Program has been endorsed as a Career Launch Program by the
SBCTC. This is exciting news for several reasons.

• It formally acknowledges our partnership with SEH America to
  provide students with real work experience while pursuing their AA degree.
• It also opens the door for state grants to provide equipment for
  the program.
• It provides incentives for additional businesses to participate
  in the Career Launch program.

A formal announcement will be made next week. I wanted to give
you advance notice of this great news. It signals a new chapter in our
partnerships with local employers.

I want to acknowledge the work of Mohammed Maraee, who has
brought the Center of Excellence for Semiconductors and Electronic
Manufacturing to Southwest Washington. He is working closely with Clark College
and area employers to build these important relationships.

I want to thank our team at Clark—Julie Robertson, Genevieve
Howard, Armetta Burney, Sachi Horback, and the mechatronics faculty—for your
work in responding to industry and moving this important initiative forward.

Presidential Search
Milestone

On November 25, the Presidential Search Advisory Committee,
having reviewed 65 applications, selected ten semifinalists to be considered as
our college’s next president!

The next step will be confidential semifinalist video interviews
conducted by the Search Advisory Committee during the second week of December.

Three or four finalist candidates will then be advanced to the
Board of Trustees for their approval at their December meeting.

During January, approved finalists will participate in
constituent panel interviews and public forums at Clark College. Evaluation
visits to finalists’ colleges will also take place in January.

It is expected that the Board of Trustees will make their selection
by the end of February 2020, and that our new President will begin onboarding
in the summer of 2020 in preparation for the 2020-2021 academic year.

Thank you everyone who is supporting this important work for the
College, our students, staff and community. More information on Clark’s
presidential search can be found at www.clark.edu/presidential-search.

Grant Awards

Clark College was awarded $100,000 from SBCTC to expand
access to the college’s Student Emergency Grant Program.

This funding is $50,000 per year for two years, starting January
2020.

This funding provides monetary assistance to students
experiencing unforeseen emergencies or situations that affect the student’s
ability to attend classes (e.g., paying for food, transportation, childcare, or
other goods or services needed in order for the student to continue attending
classes). This funding will provide low-barrier access for students (with no
income restrictions), even if they do not meet the traditional definition of a
“high-need” student. To date, Clark College has awarded over $44,000 in
emergency grant assistance, and this additional funding will allow the program
to prevent even more students from dropping out due to financial emergencies.

The Emergency Grant fund includes support from Clark County
Community Action Fund Grant, SBCTC Student Emergency Assistance Grant, and
Clark College Foundation. Combined, these funds provide approximately $100,000
each year to support our students! Starting in January, all Emergency Grants
will be administered through the Financial Wellness Program in Student Affairs.

Thank you to the team who helped write the grant: Julie
Robertson, Kevin Thomas, Edie Blakely, Selena Castro and Cath Busha. Well done!

Concerts this week

The Clark College Orchestra Fall Concert is set
for Wednesday evening at 7:30pm on December 4. Our congratulations to Dr.
Donald Appert: This is his 30th anniversary leading the orchestra. The
performance begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Skyview High School Auditorium, 1300 NW
139th St., Vancouver. Free Admission.

The Clark College Women’s Choral Ensemble and Chorale, under
the direction of Dr. Jacob Funk, will perform their Fall Concert on Thursday,
December 5, at 7:30 p.m. in the Vancouver First United Methodist Church, 401 E.
33rd St, Vancouver. A second concert is scheduled for Saturday, December 7 at
7:00 p.m., also at Vancouver First United Methodist Church. Admission to both
concerts is free.

The Clark College Concert Band, under the direction of
Dr. Doug Harris, will perform “Fanfares & Dances” on Friday,
December 6, at 7:30 p.m. in the Durst Theatre of the Vancouver School of Arts
and Academics, 3101 Main St. Free admission.

I want to thank everyone in the Clark College Music Department
for their talents and time in creating memorable moments for our students and
our audience. Congratulations!

Giving Tuesday

Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday – a global generosity movement encouraging people to contribute time and treasure to their favorite charities. As a reminder, we have an employee giving campaign at Clark College supporting students through the Foundation.

You can choose where and how your gift is used. There is a match
program ongoing for the Penguin Pantry. A generous donor has committed to a
$5,000 match for the pantry if we reach our goal of 220 donors who make a gift
of $10 or more by June 18, 2020. You can
make a gift here any time.

However you choose to observe Giving Tuesday, I appreciate all the ways you support our students at Clark College.

Next
week for your planning

You are all invited to the Winter Social Tuesday December 10,
2019 at Gaiser Student Center. The reception begins at 2:00 p.m. and the
program begins around 2:30 p.m.

As is the tradition, we will honor our Clark College employees who have retired in 2019. I am looking forward to carrying on this Penguin Nation tradition.

For the first time, Clark College has won Walktober, a 31-day walking challenge between Clark College, Lower Columbia College, and Washington State University Vancouver.   

Participants used fitness trackers and mobile apps to track steps and entered their daily activity on a Walktober log. The school with the most steps, Clark College, is presented with a trophy (and bragging rights).

The following three
Clark winners will be awarded prizes for taking the most steps:

• 1^st place: Sydney Brahmavar from Environmental Science with 843,756 total logged steps
• 2^nd place: Aaron McPherson from Facilities with 826,264 total logged steps  
• 3^rd place: Travis Kibota from Biology with 720,732 total logged steps

The Departmental Walktober Challenge Winner was Environmental Science, with an average daily total of 27,218 logged steps.

Official Walktober results

• 1^st place: Clark College with an average daily total of 9,694 logged steps (based on 68 participants).
• 2^nd place: Washington State University – Vancouver with an average daily total of 9,399 logged steps (based on 48 participants).
• 3^rd place: Lower Columbia College with an average daily total of 8,391 logged steps(based on 57 participants).

Now What?

• Consider participating in the Free Fall Fitness Fun Run or Walk on Tuesday, November 26 at 1:15 p.m. in front of Cannell Library.
• Keep up with your activity levels by setting Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Timely (S.M.A.R.T.) goals, scheduling time on your calendar to move, and finding an accountability partner.
• Come to an event. You can find upcoming events by visiting the TLC Event Schedule. Remember, we follow a more holistic model of wellness, so there are various ways to engage throughout the year. Check out the Six Dimensions of Wellness for more information.

National Honors

Clark College has been named a 2020 Best for Vets college in the Career and Technical College category by Military Times—just one of 19 colleges across the nation to receive this designation. It’s the third year in a row Clark has earned Best for Vets status. Kudos to everyone in the Veterans Resource Center, as well as everyone across the college who helps support our student veterans!

New VP of DEI named

Please join me in congratulating Rashida Willard, who has
accepted the appointment as the new Vice President for Diversity, Equity and
Inclusion at Clark College. This is an important milestone for the Office of
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and a positive leap forward for the college in
supporting our staff, faculty and students.

Rashida stepped into the role as interim 17 months ago while
still the Director of Operations and Risk Management in Administrative
Services. She has taken on additional responsibilities in service to the
college and she has earned the respect of her peers, our students, and the
community as a strong and effective leader.

During this interim period, she has created and developed
structures, spaces, and programs to help remove barriers for students and she’s
leading the effort to create a culturally competent campus to help students
succeed. She is deeply invested in this work and passionate about creating
inclusive, safe, and welcoming environments where all students have maximum
opportunities to succeed.

Rashida holds a master’s degree in Business Administration, a
bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, and an associate degree in
Organizational Dynamics. She is currently attending Concordia University,
pursuing a doctorate in Education with a concentration in Professional
Leadership, Inquiry and Transformation.

Under Rashida’s leadership, the ODEI team has built good
momentum, developing new initiatives and programs that will help our college
move forward.

Please join me in congratulating and thanking Rashida for
accepting this role.

Penguin Power!

We did it, Penguins! We won the Walktober challenge between
Clark College, Lower Columbia College, and WSU Vancouver. Our 68 Walktober
participants averaged 9,694 steps during the month of October, winning us a
trophy and bragging rights. Special shout-outs to our top Penguin walkers:

• 1st place: Sydney Brahmavar
  (Environmental Science) – 843,756 steps
• 2nd place: Aaron McPherson
  (Facilities Services) – 826,264 steps
• 3rd place: Travis Kibota
  (Biology) – 720,732 steps
• Departmental winner:
  Environmental Science, with an average daily total of 27,218 steps

… And, of course, to Interim Director of Talent Acquisition and
Development Vanessa Neal, who led our Walktober efforts. I invite all Walktober
participants to join Vanessa, Oswald, and myself at noon on November 20 at the
Japanese Friendship Garden (or inside O’Connell if it’s raining) for a group
photo with our fabulous trophy.

Kudos to the STEM Team

Thanks to dozens of STEM Unit students, staff, and faculty
volunteers who hosted the Elementary Science Olympiad on Saturday, in
conjunction with the Southwest Washington Science Olympiad (WSO). Eighteen
teams of third-through-fifth graders from throughout Southwest Washington
participated, representing 14 schools from 8 school districts, with a total 270
students. The challenging and motivating events of WSO align with Washington
State Learning Standards. The events throughout the day were designed to
enhance and strengthen both science content and processing skills.

And, thanks to the Clark College Surveying and Geomatics
Department, in conjunction with the United States Forest Service, for hosting
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Day on Friday. GIS is a scientific framework
for gathering, analyzing and visualizing geographic data to help us make better
decisions. GIS Day included a number of speakers, displays, and interactive
geospatial activities.

Also, congratulations to STEM Dean Peter Williams on his recent
presentation with Dr. Carli Schiffner, SBCTC Deputy Executive Director of
Education, and Dr. Gita Bangera, Dean of the RISE Learning Center at Bellevue
College, on “Scaling Up Classroom Undergraduate Research Experiences Statewide”
at the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U)
Transforming STEM Higher Education conference in Chicago, Illinois.

Time
to nominate outstanding employees

There are three employee award programs now
accepting nominations. I hope you will look around you and decide to make a
nomination: the Lora Whitfield Social Equity Award, the quarterly Classified
Excellence Award, and the Exceptional Administrative Exempt Award.

The
Lora Whitfield Social Equity Award honors a member of the Clark College
community that has demonstrated a sustained
commitment to advancing equity. Award recipients will receive a plaque along with $1,000
funded by the Clark College Foundation. This award will be presented at Opening
Day before the beginning of fall quarter each year. This 2020 inaugural year,
the award will be announced during State of the College in winter quarter.

For 2020, nominations should be submitted by November
29 for the Executive Cabinet to review and select an award winner by
State of the College in January.

Please nominate a Clark College Employee by
visiting the Lora Whitfield Social Equity Award page and fill out the online submission form.

Do you know of an outstanding Classified employee at
Clark? Have you been looking for a meaningful way to say “thank you” to that
person who has gone above and beyond in their service to you, your department
or the college community? Now is your chance to acknowledge that special
person.

Also, nominations are being accepted for outstanding Classified
employee at Clark for the 2019 Fall Quarter Award. Please continue
reading for more information. Submissions can be made by filling out the online
submission form. Please only submit a nomination for the current quarter. The
deadline is 5:00 p.m. on
Friday, November 22. For questions, contact Vanessa Neal, vneal@clark.edu in Human Resources.

And, a new award for 2020 is the Clark
College Administrator and Exempt Excellence Award honoring two Exempt staff
members who contribute in significant ways toward building a positive climate,
inclusive environment, and improving the quality of life at Clark has been
created. Submissions can be made by filling out the online submission form by 5:00 p.m. on
Friday, December 13. For questions, contact Lisa Wolfson, lwolfson@clark.edu in the Office of the
President.

Selection
will be based on the following criteria:

• Exemplary Work Performance
  • Excellence in work performance
  • Makes a significant impact on the College (give examples of
    involvement, attitude, helpfulness, etc.).
  • Contributes and demonstrates commitment to the College’s mission
    and core values.
• Initiative and Collaboration
  • Positive interaction and engagement with all community partners
    (faculty, staff, students and the public)
  • Exhibits respect for fellow workers and students
• Special Achievements or Contributions to the College Community
  • Initiates or actively participates in projects for the
    betterment of the college community
  • Serves in leadership roles with campus groups/committees and/or
    external college partners
  • Displays consistent interest in and active support of diversity;
    seeks and promotes interaction with and between groups with differing
    ideologies, cultures, socioeconomic status, etc.

Recipients of this award will receive a glass plaque and $1,000
funded through an anonymous donor’s contributions to the Clark College
Foundation. These awards will typically be announced on Open Day before the
beginning of fall quarter each year. This inaugural year (2019-2020), the
awards will be presented at the State of the College address during winter
quarter.

To be eligible, the nominees must be a current full-time
Administrative employee who has been in their current position for more than
twelve (12) months. Members of the President’s Executive Cabinet are not
eligible to be nominated.

Congratulations, Dr. Donald Appert

The award-winning Clark
College Orchestra will present its Fall concert as part of the 2019-20 season
celebrating the 30th anniversary of Music Director/Conductor Donald
Appert on
Wednesday, December 4 at Skyview High School. 

This all-orchestral extravaganza
will include La Valse by Maurice
Ravel, Nuages and Fêtes from
Claude Debussy’s Nocturnes,and
Josef Suk’s Symphony No. 1 in E minor. The performance
is at 7:30 p.m. and admission is free and open to the
public. Donations to the Orchestra General Fund will be
accepted at the door.

For complete information about
all the Clark College Music Department concerts including the orchestra, concert band, jazz ensemble, and choirs,
please see http://www.clark.edu/campus-life/arts-events/music/music-concerts.

We are
fortunate to have such treasures at Clark College.

Student Enrollment

Clark College began registering students for Winter quarter this
past week for priority registration. While Clark’s ctcLink Project Management
team works to provide access to queries that will help manage enrollment, I ask
for your patience. Planning and Effectiveness is working to redevelop our
enrollment management tools in Tableau to be available to all during winter
quarter.

Open Enrollment for
employees

It’s that time – a chance to review and make changes to your
public employee benefits. Open enrollment ends Saturday, November 30. To make
changes go to My Account on the
PEBB website. If you have questions about your benefits or account, please
contact one of our benefits team members:

• Thao Schmidt, tschmidt@clark.edu, ext.
  2628
• Amy Harrington, aharrington@clark.edu, ext.
  2325
• Guisela Eberle, geberle@clark.edu, ext.
  2119

Reflections from this
past week and looking ahead

Once again, I want to share my appreciation
for the Clark ctcLink team, who have done an amazing job throughout the goLive
conversion. I am inspired by the dedication of all the staff that I’ve seen
across the campus in Finance, HR, Student Services, Instruction, Planning and
Effectiveness, and IT who have been problem-solving throughout the week. Change
is hard, and this has been exhausting and frustrating work. This amazing team
has risen to the challenge. The whole state community college system has been
watching us to see how this is done. Congratulations again, Penguin Nation.
You’ve got this!

This next week I look forward to my first
quarterly meeting between the WSUV Executive Team and Clark College Executive
Team. The following day the Clark College Executive Team is participating in a
daylong retreat with Dr. Kathy Obear, continuing to work on improving ourselves
as a team.

Congratulations to the Penguin Men and Women who are running the
NWAC Cross Country Championship in Lacey today (Monday, November 18). Go
Penguins!!

I will be in Seattle the remainder of the
week with Shanda Haluapo, Associate Vice President of Planning and
Effectiveness and Clark College Accreditation Liaison Officer, at the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities Annual Conference on Student Success, where I look
forward to learning more about the new Eligibility Requirements and
Accreditation Standards for 2020. I plan to stay in Seattle for the weekend to
have an early holiday with my family.

This coming weekend will be a busy one on campus, with
performances of “A Bright New Boise” in the Decker Theatre in Frost Arts Center
Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m.; Men’s and Women’s
Basketball games in O’Connell
Sports Complex; and the Clark College Jazz Band, under the direction of Dr.
Doug Harris, presenting its “A Salute to the Big Bands” on Saturday at 7:30
p.m. in Gaiser Student Center.

And just because Walktober is over, that doesn’t mean we Penguins
should stop being active: Get ready for the Fall Free Fun Run and Walk next
Tuesday, November 26, at 1:15 p.m. in front of the Cannell Library.
Registration is free and starts at 1:00 pm.

Clark College announced today November 14, 2019 that Rashida Willard has accepted the position of Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the college effective immediately.

“Rashida has earned the respect of her peers, our students and the
community as a strong and effective leader,” said Clark College Interim
President Sandra Fowler-Hill who made the appointment. “She has created and
developed structures, spaces and programs to help remove barriers for students
and she’s leading the effort to create a culturally competent campus to help
students succeed. The college is thrilled to make this announcement.”

Willard joined Clark College four years ago as Operations Manager
of Administrative Services. She has taught as an adjunct professor, has served
as Director of Operations and Risk Manager, and for the past 17 months has
served as Interim Associate Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

During that time, she has developed, aligned and integrated new
and existing initiatives and procedures into a cohesive platform to foster a
more inclusive, welcoming and diverse college community.

“I am deeply invested in this work, and am passionate about
creating inclusive, safe and welcoming environments where all students have maximum opportunities to succeed,” Willard said.
“I am eager to move forward in community and collaboration, building on our
team’s momentum of the last several months.”

Willard was
a participant and graduate of the Social Justice Leadership Institute for the
Washington State Community College System in 2017-2018 and was nominated as a
Real Hero by the Learn Here Project in 2018. She is also a part of the
Vancouver Police Chief’s Diversity Advisory Team.

Willard
holds a master’s degree in Business Administration, a bachelor’s degree in
Business Administration, and an associate degree in Organizational Dynamics.
She is currently attending Concordia University, pursuing a doctorate in
Education with a concentration in Professional Leadership, Inquiry and
Transformation. Her current research explores strategies that faculty and staff
employ to create culturally engaging spaces for students of color attending
predominantly white institutions and how campus racial climate affects their
persistence and completion rates. This research will be used to examine and
identify strategies to close the equity gap among students of color in higher
education.

Veterans Day

Thank you to our student and employee Veterans who have served our country. We have 304 Veterans enrolled at Clark College this fall. I’m so proud of ourVeterans Resource Center that is available to help veterans and their dependents get connected with the resources and networks of support available to them at Clark College and in the local community. The Center provides welcoming staff, mentoring from other student veterans, and tools to succeed academically and personally including subsidized dental care, a Books for Vets program, and tutoring.

ctcLink Success

Congratulations and thank you to our amazing ctcLink team! 

89% of our staff have now activated their accounts. 47% of our students and 55% of our faculty have activated their accounts. Here’s a helpful link for students with step-by-step instructions on how to activate their new accounts. The timing is important because registration starts this week with eligible student veterans, and continues in waves through next week.

It’s the beginning of the third week and while we’ve made tremendous progress, and there is still considerable work to be done. I ask for your continued patience right now.

Staff are not able to respond to requests because they are very busy making sure the information is correct in ctcLink. It’s hard on everyone. Our staff want to respond to questions and yet they don’t have the bandwidth at this moment.

Thank you for your continued patience and let’s give grace to one another in every way possible, knowing everyone is doing the best they can.

Congratulations, Athletic Director Laura LeMasters!

What great news to see that our own Laura LeMasters has accepted the position of athletic director at Clark College. Laura joined Clark College as assistant athletic director in 2016 and most recently served as interim athletic director since June. She has a master’s degree in Kinesiology with an option in Sport Management from California State University – Long Beach and a bachelor’s degree in Sport Management with an emphasis in Communication from WSU Pullman.

Laura brings a wealth of experience in student success, college athletics, marketing, operations, and recreation from her prior roles at Occidental College, Central Wyoming College, and Lewis & Clark College. Laura is a strong student advocate and has played an important role in ensuring our compliance with state, federal and NWAC regulations. Laura is committed to continuing our focus on academic and athletic excellence in our athletic department.

Go Penguins!

I watched the Clark College women’s soccer team play hard on Saturday in the rain. The No. 4- ranked Penguins were upset by Tacoma Community College for the NWAC quarterfinal round. It was a tough ending, but much respect to Tacoma and best of luck going forward. Clark Penguins finished the season 11-4-1.Congratulations to our Penguins! You make us proud.

Time for nominations

Do you know of an outstanding Classified employee at Clark? Have you been looking for a meaningful way to say “thank you” to that person who has gone above and beyond in their service to you, your department or the college community? Now is your chance to acknowledge that special person.

We are pleased to announce that nominations are being accepted for the 2019 Fall Quarter Award. Please continue reading for more information. Submissions can be made by filling out the online submission form. Please only submit a nomination for the current quarter.

Nominations will be reviewed by the Classified Staff Awards Committee and will be evaluated entirely on the basis of the information submitted on the nomination form. The deadline is 5:00 p.m. on Friday, November 22, 2019. For questions, contact Vanessa Neal, vneal@clark.edu in Human Resources.

Student enrollment

Each week I’d like to share with you enrollment facts that paint a picture of our student body.

Under the Guided Pathways model, all new, degree-seeking students entering fall 2019 identified their Program of Study, under the six Areas of Study. Here are the paths our students have chosen:

• 16% Creative & Communication Arts
• 17% Business & Entrepreneurship
• 27% Healthcare & Biosciences
• 3% Advanced Manufacturing & Mechanical
• 13% Public Service, Society, & Education
• 23% Science, Technology, & Engineering

We’ll continue to work on program mapping and other vital tools within the framework of Guided Pathways to help our students choose their path and stay on the path. Thank you to the Guided Pathways team for all you do.

Open Enrollment for employees

It’s that time – a chance to review and make changes to your public employee benefits. Open enrollment ends Saturday, November 30. To make changes go toMy Account on the PEBB website. If you have questions about your benefits or account, please contact one of our benefits team members:

•         Thao Schmidt, tschmidt@clark.edu, ext. 2628
•         Amy Harrington, aharrington@clark.edu, ext. 2325
•         Guisela Eberle, geberle@clark.edu, ext. 2119

Reflections from this past week

This past week I joined Dr. Sachi Horback and Mohammed Maraee, Associate Director of the Southwest Washington Center of Excellence for Semiconductors and Electronics Manufacturers, at Portland Community College’s Swan Island Center to discuss with PCC leadership opportunities to collaborate to meet our regional workforce needs in welding. I enjoyed the McClaskey Culinary Institute’s Tapas Fiesta Bar with the Executive Council last Tuesday. It was delicious! I loved hearing from the students about how they prepared the creative menu selections. I continued my listening tour with a tour of some of the WPTE Programs. Thanks to Interim Dean Armetta Burney and the amazing faculty in Welding, Machining, and Diesel who shared the exciting work they are doing in these areas. I joined Rashida Willard at the Vancouver Education Diversity and Inclusion Committee to discuss with community leaders how we can partner to “grow our own” systemically non-dominant K-12 teachers. It was an interesting discussion with PSU Dean of Education, Dr. Marvin Lynn, sharing information about the Portland Teachers Program that has been a leader in this work for over 30 years. I ended the week with two of our Board of Trustees (Chair Jacobsen and Trustee Bennett) at the statewide Association of College Trustees Legislative Action Committee and Fall Conference in Seattle and was sorry to miss Bingo for Vets Thursday evening.

This week I am looking forward to meeting with the newly formed Clark College Community Equity Council, celebrating November birthdays with you, meeting the President of WSU at the WSUV Advisory Council, and recognizing the ctcLink team at the Board of Trustees meeting on Wednesday evening.

Once again, I want to share my appreciation for the Clark ctcLink team, who have done an amazing job throughout the goLive conversion. I am inspired by the dedication of the leadership team and the problem-solving that I’ve seen across the campus in Finance, HR, Student Services, Instruction, Planning and Effectiveness, and IT throughout the week. Change is hard, and this amazing team has risen to the challenge. The whole state community college system has been watching us to see how this is done. Congratulations again, Penguin Nation. You’ve got this!

Clark College recently announced
that Laura LeMasters has accepted the position of athletic director at the
college.

LeMasters joined Clark
College as assistant athletic director in 2016 and most recently served as
interim athletic director since June. She has a master’s degree in Kinesiology
with an option in Sport Management from California State University – Long
Beach and a bachelor’s degree in Sport Management with an emphasis in
Communication from WSU Pullman.

LeMasters brings a wealth
of experience in student success, college athletics, marketing, operations, and
recreation from her prior roles at Occidental College, Central Wyoming College,
and Lewis & Clark College.

“Laura is a strong student
advocate and has played an important role in ensuring our compliance with
state, federal and NWAC regulations,” said Vice President of Student Affairs
Bill Belden. “Laura is committed to continuing our focus on academic and
athletic excellence in our athletic department.”

“I am grateful and honored to be selected for the role of athletic director at Clark College,” said LeMasters. “I hope to continue to build the level of commitment to academic and athletic excellence as well as create a student experience for athletes, coaches, staff and the entire student body, that will enhance the pride of Penguin Nation.”

About Clark College Athletics

Penguin Athletics has a proud tradition of competitive success within the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC). The department offers 11 intercollegiate sports programs: Baseball; Men’s and Women’s Basketball; Men’s and Women’s Cross Country; Men’s and Women’s Soccer; Softball; Men’s and Women’s Track & Field; and Women’s Volleyball.

Penguin Athletics places great emphasis on academic performance as well as athletic achievement. The program offers student athletes the opportunity to reach their educational goals, as well to pursue meaningful athletic accomplishments. For more information, visit www.clarkpenguins.com.

Photo: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Well done, Clark College!

It’s Day Five of the ctcLink conversion,
and I’m so proud of our ctcLink team that has put in such long days this week
to help the college through the transition. This has been a herculean task
requiring patience, perseverance, flexibility, creativity, humor and grace.
Please, as you see them, join me in thanking them for their extraordinary work:

• Susan Maxwell, myClark ctcLink Project
  Director
• Sabra Sand, Director of Business Services
  and Financial Management Pillar Lead
• Mirranda Saari, Associate Dean of
  Enrollment Services and Registrar and Campus Solution Pillar Lead
• Guisela Eberle, Human Resources Assistant
  Director and Human Capital Management Pillar Lead
• Genevieve Howard, Associate Vice President
  of Instruction and Instructional Lead
• Andy Barsotti, Director of Data Services
  and ITS Lead
• Tanya Kerr, ctcLink Internal Controls and
  Business Analyst (Campus Solutions and Financial Management)
• Jennifer Ward, Program Manager for myClark
  ctcLink
• Shanda Haluapo, Associate Vice President of
  Planning and Effectiveness and myClark ctcLink Executive Sponsor

This really is a team sport. I thank
everyone who has made this our No. 1 priority this week. I know it’s been
consuming. The long-term benefits to our staff and our employees will be
significant.

We also have student resources you can help share with
students as they log onto their new and improved MyClark. It’s vitally
important they’re in the system by next week. Registration for winter term
starts next Friday. Thank you to our faculty, our staff, our Student
Ambassadors, and Tech Hub crew for helping students make the jump onto our new
platform.

Well Done, Penguins Soccer Team!

Congratulations
to our amazing Clark College women’s soccer team! They concluded their 2019
regular season on Saturday, October 26. They have gone 64 league games without
a loss, dating back to October 2014; claimed their fourth Southern Region title
in a row; and have earned a bye for the first round of the NWAC soccer
tournament.

We
are set to host the NWAC quarterfinal round at Kim Christensen Field at noon on
Saturday, November 9. We will be host to the winner of the Tacoma CC vs.
Columbia Basin CC game set for next week. You will be hearing more about
showing your Penguin spirit with a new cool scarf that will be available soon.
Go Penguins!!

Columbia Writers Series next week

This looks like an
interesting lunchtime event next Thursday on campus: The Clark College Columbia
Writers Series kicks off its 2019-2020 season with “The Female Gaze” featuring
2019 National Book Awards Fiction long-listers Kali Fajardo-Anstine (Sabrina
& Corina) and Kimberly King Parsons (Black Light).
This event, which is free and open to the public, will be held on Thursday,
November 7, from noon to 2:00 p.m. in PUB 161.

The event includes a reading and discussion
on building buzz around debut short story collections and highlighting the many
faces of contemporary female identity in literature. It will feature brief
readings, a moderated conversation, and question-and-answer session followed by
a book signing.

“The Female Gaze” is presented by the National Book Foundation and Clark College in a new partnership. Information about the Columbia
Writers Series is available at www.clark.edu/cc/cws.

Reflections from this past week

Once again, I want to share my appreciation
for the Clark ctcLink team who have done an amazing job throughout the goLive
conversion. I am inspired by the dedication of the leadership team and the
problem-solving that I’ve seen across the campus in Finance, HR, Student
Services, Instruction, Planning and Effectiveness, and IT throughout the week.
Change is hard, and this amazing team has risen to the challenge. The whole
state community college system has been watching us to see how this is done.
Congratulations again, Penguin Nation. You’ve got this!

Thanks, Oswald, for stopping by in your
“penguin burger” costume to share some treats with us yesterday. I enjoyed
seeing some very creative costumes as I walked across the campus yesterday.

I’m looking forward to celebrating
Indigenous cultures at our Annual POWWOW tonight with the Dreamcatcher
Scholarship recognition and Grand Entry with drummers and dancers. It should be
a great way to end the week.

Finally, I’ve walked 152,926 steps this Walktober around the college and on
the weekends in my neighborhood. Don’t forget to turn in your steps to vneal@clark.edu to help Clark win the
Walktober Challenge. Keep on walking, Penguin Nation!

CtcLink: It’s here!

ctcLink went successfully live at 7:30am
this morning. Yahooo!

Kudos to the entire ctcLink team for making
this a success. I especially want to acknowledge myClark ctcLink Steering Team members who
have led this extraordinary effort over the past five years:

• Susan Maxwell, myClark ctcLink Project
  Director
• Sabra Sand, Director of Business Services
  and Financial Management Pillar Lead
• Mirranda Saari, Associate Dean of
  Enrollment Services and Registrar and Campus Solution Pillar Lead
• Guisela Eberle, Human Resources Assistant
  Director and Human Capital Management Pillar Lead
• Genevieve Howard, Associate Vice President
  of Instruction and Instructional Lead
• Andy Barsotti, Director of Data Services
  and ITS Lead
• Tanya Kerr, ctcLink Internal Controls and
  Business Analyst (Campus Solutions and Financial Management)
• Jennifer Ward, Program Manager for myClark
  ctcLink
• Shanda Haluapo, Associate Vice President of
  Planning and Effectiveness and myClark ctcLink Executive Sponsor

In addition to over 30 staff and managers
who spent this weekend validating data to assure the transition was successful.
Thank you ALL!

I’m
so proud to be part of the Clark team. We’ve got this!!!

I
am grateful to the entire ctcLink team who have been walking us through this
major undertaking along with SBCTC team. I want to affirm something that Shanda
Haluapo said last week in her email to you. She acknowledged that this week
will be full of rewards and challenges as we learn to do our work differently.
She reminded us to have compassion and patience with ourselves and those around
us, because we all do the best we can do.

We’ll have access to the PeopleSoft system
starting tomorrow, October 29. You will get an email with the link and
instructions on how to log into the system. People from the State Board for
Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) will be here to help support us in the
transition. We have resources to support your transition. Please review the employee resources.

We also have student resources you can help share with
students. 

Penguin Pantry Growing

I enjoyed attended the second anniversary
open house at the Clark College Penguin Pantry.

It provides students with a safe,
comfortable place to get something to eat, pick up a necessity, and connect
with additional resources and services such as counseling, public benefits,
community food banks and other resources. There’s a great article in the Indy
this month about the pantry and its growth on the campus. Thanks to student
reporter Sandra Fachiol for the story: “Clark’s food pantry strives to reduce student hunger.”

Also
a very special thank you to the Penguin Pantry program assistant, Estancia
Cota. As the Penguin Pantry founding staff member, she is passionate about
holistically meeting students’ needs and understands the larger role that the
Penguin Pantry plays in success, retention and completion. Her work and
commitment to the Penguin Pantry makes a positive difference in the lives of
our students. Here’s the link to find out more about
how you can help and how you can help connect our students with the Penguin
Pantry. Estancia
and student/volunteer Megaera Jarvis presented at the Board of Trustees meeting
that evening on the impact the pantry has made on our students who are
experiencing food insecurity. 

Enrollment Update

From
the first day of fall quarter to census day, 281 students left the college,
representing more than 100 FTES. A quarter (25%) of these students were dropped
for nonpayment. The students who left were more likely to be low income,
employed, first generation, and students of color. How can we, as a
college, work together to support these students before they silently leave? 

Employee Giving
Campaign

There
are many ways to support students with your time, effort and resources. Just a
reminder the Foundation has launched its annual Employee Giving Campaign. You
can choose where your donation goes and you can help make sure we get a $5,000
corporate match for Penguin Pantry.

Visit
the foundation’s Employee Giving website for more details and to make your
secure online donation: www.clarkcollegefoundation.org/campaign/ways-to-give/employee-giving

As
an added incentive, the department with the highest giving participation will
win a catered meal from Clark College Foundation.

You
also have an opportunity to give to the Phi Theta Kappa Thanksgiving Basket
Fundraiser. Each year the Penguin community is asked to make cash donations to
help buy items for a Thanksgiving dinner for our students in need. The dinner
includes a 10-14 pound turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, yams, green
beans, cranberry sauce, dinner rolls, and a pie. Cash and check donations can
be accepted at the Cashier’s Office until Friday, November 22. This year’s goal
is to raise $3,000 to provide 100 Thanksgiving dinners, with your help.

Reflections from
this past week

This past week was filled with inspiring
presentations and learning about Clark. At the Students with Disabilities
Luncheon, Alyssa Voyles shared her personal journey and inspired us all with
her courage.

At the Board of Trustees work session we
heard four students who were nominated to represent Clark College for the
Washington Transforming Lives Award. Jorge Maravilla was selected by the Board
to represent Clark College. His journey as a student began 2015 in the High
School 21+ program and he earned a Certificate of Proficiency in Supervisory
Management. He shared a very moving story of how his life has been transformed
by attending Clark College.

In addition, the Board of Trustees heard
from two amazing faculty about their recent sabbaticals at their work session.
Jill Darley-Vanis and Erin Staples each shared their sabbatical experience and
the projects that were a result of having time to dive deep into a subject. I
was inspired to hear the impact of their projects on teaching and learning at
Clark. And, Samuel May-Varas was the Faculty Speaker with welding/machining
student, Gloria Razinski, at this month’s Board of Trustees meeting, presenting
on the Welding I-BEST Program.

I wrapped up the week continuing my
“Listening Tour” at the CLASS Unit meeting. I appreciated hearing their passion
for serving students in the Library, Tutoring, and TLC, and everyone’s candor
in sharing the challenges they are facing.

I was honored speak at the Foundation
Scholarship Reception. The O’Connell Sports Center was filled with donors,
event sponsors, scholarship recipients and their support team, families and
loved ones celebrating our students who are on promising pathways. Talented
Clark musicians (Colin Hunt, Ian Engelsman and Riley Lyons) entertained the
group and ASCC President Evans Kaame shared his extraordinary journey to Clark
College.

Finally, I’ve walked 120,971 steps this Walktober around the college and on the weekends in my neighborhood. Keep on walking, Penguin Nation!

Reflections from this past week

Last
week I had the opportunity to meet with our Nursing faculty, Associate Dean of
Health Sciences, Dean of Business & Health Sciences, and Vice President of
Instruction to learn more about the Nursing Program and the Clark College building
at WSUV. Shortly after our meeting, we received confirmation of the Clark
College Nursing Program’s continued accreditation with Accreditation Commission
for Education in Nursing (ACEN). Congratulations to everyone in our Nursing
program for receiving the largest window of time regarding the next site visit
(2019-2027) and for being recognized by ACEN for “Achievement of Quality and
Excellence in Nursing Education.”

We
celebrated Clark College at Columbia Tech Center’s 10th anniversary last week,
and I was inspired by remarks made by Clark College Associated Student
President Evans Kaame. Thank you to the instructors, staff and
students at Columbia Tech Center who helped host a fun 10-year anniversary
party. Attendees
were able to tour the building and get a glimpse of the learning that happens
there in Mechatronics, Business, and Economic & Community Development
classes. We joined with the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce
to hold a ribbon cutting. Thanks to all who helped. Read more about the event
in this Columbian
article.

I
was honored receive gifts this week on behalf of Clark College from Vancouver’s
sister city of Joyo, Japan, presented by Nami Inoue, a faculty member in our
Japanese language program who grew up in Joyo. And, thanks to all who stopped
by for a cupcake to celebrate your birthday in October. I look forward to
celebrating the months ahead!

I
just returned from attending the 50th annual Association of Community College
Trustees (ACCT) Leadership Congress in San Francisco with Board Chair Jane
Jacobsen and Trustee Jada Rupley along with 1,850 trustees, presidents, staff,
and other community college stakeholders. Throughout the conference we promoted
the Clark College President Search.

I
was inspired by the words of ACCT Chair Connie Hornbeck: “All of higher
education and industry is changing at a breakneck pace. Community colleges lie
at the nexus of both. We in this room are charged with sustaining the community
college sector no matter what changes come… We can’t predict, but we can and
must be as prepared as possible, as nimble as possible, to keep our
institutions strong for our students.”

Keynote
speaker Barry Posner focused on the key leadership practices trustees and
others need to manage these complex times. Co-author of the book Leadership
in Higher Education, Posner focused on five key strategies based on
research involving 150,000 college and university leaders, ranging from
modeling and inspiring a shared vision to upending existing processes, leading
from the heart, and enabling others to act.

Leaders
of three state community college systems emphasized the importance of local
leadership in navigating a challenging landscape that includes declining state
support and growing student needs. I enjoyed learning along with our trustees
about best practices in presidential searches, recruiting, and onboarding from
other colleges.

All voices needed

Today is the last day to fill out the Clark College 2019
Climate Survey. The deadline is tonight at 5:00 p.m.

This is so important to our work at Clark
College. The Board of Trustees has identified improving the college climate and
employee morale as one of its priorities. Your input is critical to the
process. This year we have added incentive: Everyone who submits a survey has
the option sign up to win one of three $50 gift certificates to Amazon. Please
note that your responses on the Clark College Climate Survey will NOT be
connected to your name if you wish to enter the drawing.

ctcLink – one week away

Please take a minute to get your new your new ctcLink ID (open in Chrome) and get
a sneak peek into the ctcLink PeopleSoft testing
environment
using a Clark College computer at one of the campuses or using a VPN. To get
into the ctcLink PeopleSoft testing environment you will use your new ctcLink
ID and preset password. Your password is your last name – capitalize the first
letter only – and add the @ sign at the end, e.g., Fowlerhill@ is my password.

As
for training? Some people have inadvertently deleted or declined the invitation
for the SBCTC Canvas training. If you did that, please contact Jennifer Ward or call her extension at 2077 so she can reregister you. Thank
you!

We
are confident the result will be a positive for students and employees; far
more user friendly and efficient. But we recognize change presents challenges.

I
want to call out the sustained efforts of everyone on the ctcLink team led by
Project Manager Susan Maxwell and Associate Vice President of Planning and
Effectiveness Shanda Haluapo. Shanda’s next update for us is Wednesday this
week: Please watch for them as they contain vitally important information about
our process now underway!

ctcLink and our students

All student online systems are unavailable as
of October 17 through October 30 while the college upgrades to the state’s new
software system.

Our messaging to students? “Pease bear with
us as we work to improve your online experience. You’ll be signing into the new
improved My Clark on October 31. In the meantime, if you need assistance with
student services, we are here for you.”

• In person: Stop by the Information Desk in Gaiser Hall.
• By phone: Call 360-992-2107
• By email: Contact registration@clark.edu

What
do students need to know? On October 31, they need to go to myclark.edu. Once
they sign in, they will be given a new ctcLink ID. They need to write it
down. It will be needed to log in to access their information.

Here’s
the great news for students: The new and improved MyClark will offer a
simple, easy pathway for students to register for classes, apply for financial
aid, request unofficial transcripts, and use the schedule planner at Clark
College.

Clarks supports for students

The
Counseling and Health Center is continuing their support groups this fall term!
Please feel free to share the information below with any students you think
would benefit. 

• Running Start Support Group
  – Wednesdays 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., October 16 – November 20 at the
  Counseling and Health Center, HSC 124. This is a space to connect with
  other Running Start students navigating the complicated worlds of family,
  high school, and college.
• Parent Support Group
  – Wednesdays 1:00 – 2:00 p.m., October 16 – November 20 at the Counseling
  and Health Center, HSC 124. This is an ongoing support group for students
  balancing school, life, and parenting.

Both
groups are facilitated by CHC counselors Beth VanBuecken and Valentina
Pishchanskaya-Cayanan. Students can contact Valentina at vcayanan@clark.edu to sign up, or with any
questions. As always, the Counseling and Health Center provides free mental
health counseling and low-cost health services to Clark students. Appointments
can be made by calling 360-992-2614, or by email at chc@clark.edu.

Penguin Pantry turns two!

You
are all invited to the Penguin Pantry second anniversary open house on Wednesday,
October 24, from 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. I want to encourage everyone to
bring a donation of canned or boxed food to the open house. As you probably
know, demand for food resources has increased significantly on campus. It may
be that word is getting out among students about this vital resource. Thank you
to everyone who supports it. The Penguin Pantry is in the Science Building
(SCI) in Room 101.

Expanding RAVE

For
years, our RAVE alert system has been sending Clark College employees and
students emergency text and email messages whenever the college experienced a
closure, lockdown, etc. I’m pleased to announce that this service has just been
expanded to include families, parents and visitors to Clark College.

Now
everyone can opt in. All they have to do is text the word “Penguins” to the
number 67283.

This
feature is for any Clark Community member (parent, visitor, etc.) who is not
automatically entered into the system.

There
will be a formal rollout for this feature, as well as a new app called RAVE
Guardian, coming soon. In the meantime, please feel free to share the keyword
and number. Thank you to our emergency management team for your work on this.

Presidential Advisory Committee

I’m excited to announce significant
progress in the search for your next college president.

The Presidential
Search Advisory Committee met for the first time Friday, October 11
for an all-day session that included implicit bias training. They worked
through the wording of the position profile and talked about the upcoming
resume screening process. As a result of their work, the Board of Trustees has
approved the position profile, and it’s up on the website as active recruitment
begins. Among the members of the committee are Clark College students,
employees, faculty and community representatives. Thank you for serving!

• Co-chairs: Paul Speer, Clark College Board of Trustees Presidential Search Lead
• and Jane Jacobson, Clark College Board of Trustees Chair
• Al Schauer, Founder PointNorth Consulting
• Brian Taylor, Industrial Sales Manager Siemens
• Catharine Keane, Associate Director of Career Services
• Christhian Canseco, Account Manager ESCO Corporation
• Danielle Plesser, Office Of Instruction – Program Support Supv 1
• Dannie Nordsiden, Automotive Technology – Instructor (WPTE)
• Donivee Randall-Jones, Nursing – Professor (BHS)
• Dr. Siri Wickramaratne, Geography – Instructor (SOFA)
• Eric Merrill, Clark College Foundation Board Chair
• Evans Kaame, ASCC President
• Heather Adams, Office Of VP Student Affairs – Administrative Services Manager A
• Justin Flint, ASCC Club Coordinator
• Rashida Willard, Interim AVP of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• Suzanne Southerland, Communication Studies – Professor (BEECH) (CCAHE President)
• Tanisha Harris, CASA Program Specialist YWCA Clark County
• Tanya Kerr, CtcLink Internal Controls and Business Analyst
• Vicki Sovold-Prendergast, Mount Pleasant School District Superintendent

Kudos to faculty

Congratulations to William Goforth, our newly
appointed adjunct instructor of Voice! He was one of three finalists chosen on
Sunday at the Oregon District Met auditions. On to Seattle for the Northwest
Regionals in January.

This
week I’m looking forward to attending the Penguin Pantry Open House, as well as
the Board of Trustees work session, where they will be hearing sabbatical
presentations from two faculty members (Jill Darley-Vanis and Erin Staples),
and interviewing four students for the Transforming Lives Award. I’m continuing
my Listening Tour with the Library Faculty and WPEA this week, and celebrating
our students and donors at the Foundation Scholarship Reception on Friday.

Keep
walking through this Walktober, Penguin Nation!

Reflections from this past week

I enjoyed meeting many of you this past week and learning more about the great things faculty are doing in your programs as I stopped in at the STEM, BEECH, and WPTE Unit Meetings and the Economics Department Brown Bag. Tuesday evening I welcomed Ridgefield community leaders and donors to the Foundation’s “Conversations: Boschma Farms” at Windy Hills Winery. Thanks to Kevin Witte, Sachi Horback, Armetta Burney and Lisa Gibert for sharing the exciting vision for Advanced Manufacturing in North Clark County. I also met with the Foundation staff at their regular monthly meeting and heard about the success of the Alumni Phone-athon and the Promising Pathways Campaign.

Kudos to Lora Jenkins of Workforce Education Services (WES) for coordinating a very successful Foster Care Partnership Event. In my opening remarks, I shared my excitement for the changes in our Passport to College program that expands eligibility to include more types of foster care. This summer, the state Legislature improved access for unaccompanied homeless youth. Since 2007, Clark has assisted 120 foster youth. Fifteen of them have graduated with degrees and/or certificates.

The former Clark College Community Advisory Committee has been expanded and convened this week as the Equity Advisory Council at Bridgeview Resource Center. Twenty-one leaders in the community have accepted my invitation to meet monthly to build and maintain community connection; inform about what Clark College is doing around diversity efforts; and provide counsel as the college engages in purposeful, institutional-level change that fosters social equity and eliminates systemic disparities among students, faculty and staff.

I appreciate everyone who took time out of your busy schedule to meet with Dr. Preston Pulliums this past week to share your thoughts and ideas about the college and next president. You can follow the Presidential Search process on the Clark Presidential Search website.

Looking for your voice

We’ve sent out the 2019 Climate Survey this past week. I encourage everyone to participate. Here is the link: Clark College 2019 Climate Survey

This is so important to our work at Clark College. The Board of Trustees has identified improving the college climate and employee morale as one of its priorities. Your input is critical to the process. This year we have added incentive: Everyone who submits a survey has the option sign up to win one of three $50 gift certificates to Amazon. Please note that your responses on the Clark College Climate Survey will NOT be connected to your name if you wish to enter the drawing.

Shanda Haluapo is happy to answer any questions you may have about the survey or the process. Thank you for your help!

ctcLink – countdown 17 days!

I’m interested as to how your trainings are going for ctcLink. We all get to the take the employee self-service course to make sure we can submit our time and get paid. As a reminder, SBCTC Canvas sent all of us an email September 30. I clicked “get started” and it took me to the list of courses I need to complete prior to October 28, which is our GoLive date. If you have not received the email, please contact Jennifer Ward.

It’s vital that we know our part of using the new system so that we can turn our focus to the students to help them make the transition. Many of us have some contact with students and we can be that helpful resource for them.

What do students need to know? On October 31, they need to go to myclark.edu. Once they sign in, they will be given a new ctcLink ID. They need to write it down. It will needed to log in to access their information. Here’s the great news for students: The new and improved MyClark will offer a simple easy pathway for students to register for classes, apply for financial aid, request unofficial transcripts, and use the schedule planner at Clark College.

The October 31 date is important for students to sign in and get their newctcLink ID. If they have questions, you can give them the email ctcLink@clark.edu. We’ll also have teams set up at Gaiser to walk them through the changes. 

Faculty are a tremendous resource in getting the message to students. We appreciate everyone using all our communications tools to help our students navigate the change.

Exciting Alumni News

The New York Times published a story Thursday about ways that states and institutions are expanding access to college. They highlighted one of our own: Vita Blanco, who graduated from Clark College this spring. Here’s the link to the story:  https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/10/education/learning/bulletin-board.html.  I recently had the honor of joining Vita at the same table at the WSUV Scholarship Reception. She is attending classes now at WSU Vancouver and continuing to be engaged as a student leader.

Enrollment News

For fall 2019, almost half of our students (48%) are enrolled in at least one eLearning class – which includes online and hybrid classes. And eLearning classes have a 7 percentage point higher fill rate (91%) compared to face-to-face and web-enhanced classes (84%). Here’s a question to consider: “Do our students prefer to take eLearning courses or is a function of convenience in fitting their busy schedules?” It’s part of the conversation in the Guided Pathways framework, creating program pathways that schedule courses to meet student needs.

Meet the candidates

This week you have a chance to meet the Director of Athletics finalists on campus. The forums have been set. Resumes and links to provide feedback will be provided on ClarkNet before each forum. Feedback will be gathered for a 48-hour period for each finalist.

Anthony Stone         

Tuesday, October 15, 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. in SHL 214

Laura LeMasters

Thursday, October 17, 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. in GHL 213

Our Great Clark College Staff

If you have three minutes, there is a great new video circulating out in the community that highlights one of our own: Jennifer Purinton in the Transitional Studies Department at Clark College. Clark County produced the video to encourage equitable hiring practices under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Jennifer is a great spokesperson for inclusion at Clark – both for what we are doing well and what we can do to improve our practices. Thank you, Jennifer!

Honors for our Alumni Program

Clark College Foundation’s Alumni relations program was acknowledged last week as one of the seven best in the country for the last five years. This is a new nationwide initiative by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). The metrics consider fundraising, boards, alumni awards programs; quality and types of communications like the foundation’s magazine, electronic newsletter, podcasts; affinity programs like the athletics hall of fame and graduation, as well as student-alumni interactions such as career services involvement and mentoring. The foundation hit it out of the park for alumni fundraising—16%—that’s the average annual amount raised over the past five years. Compare that to the national average of about 4%. Congratulations!

Next Week

We have several events next week that I want to make sure you know about. You are all invited.

Ten year celebration at Columbia Tech

You’re invited to join us for a Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting at our Columbia Tech Campus today 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. The Chamber is helping us celebrate our 10-year anniversary at Columbia Tech Center. The ribbon cutting will be outside (weather permitting) at 3:30 p.m. We’ll have light refreshments and we hope to see you there!

Ready for an emergency?

In the event of a major emergency, it is very possible that we will be our own first responders. On Thursday, October 17, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. in PUB 258C, the Emergency Management Planning Committee will hold an Emergency Preparedness Training.

Certified emergency workers will provide this training. We’ll learn the top five priorities for our families in case of an emergency, we’ll have a chance to make our own emergency kits. Thank you, Jeff Kaliner, for bringing this training to Clark College.

And, Clark College is hosting the Indigenous Peoples’ Day Celebration today on the main campus, starting at 1:00 p.m. in Gaiser Student Center – with a panel discussing Missing and Murdered Indigenous People.

I’m also looking forward to seeing the Archer Gallery’s new exhibit of the Art Faculty Biennial Exhibition this week and celebrating October birthdays with you on Tuesday, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. in the President’s Conference Room. I will be traveling to San Francisco to attend the American Community College Trustees Leadership Convention Congress with Trustee Rupley and Chair Jacobsen on Wednesday. We plan to promote the search for the next president and learn more about national issues facing community colleges.

Keep walking, Penguin Nation! I got in 54,301 steps so far in October. Happy Walktober!