Clark College has been named a 2020 Best for Vets college in the Career and Technical College category by Military Times.

For 10 years, Military Times has conducted an extensive, editorially independent,
objective study evaluating the many factors that help make colleges and
universities a good fit for service members, military veterans, and
their families. The final rankings for 2020 can be found here. More details about the rankings can be found on militarytimes.com.

“This is the third year in a row that
Clark College has been recognized as a Best for Vets college,” said Clark
College Veterans Resource Center Interim Manager Dave Daly. “I think it speaks
to the systems we’ve built to support our student veterans and ensure that they
are successful in their transition from military to academic life.”

Opened in 2014, the Veterans Resource
Center offers student veterans a wide range of
services and resources, from free tutoring to help accessing GI Bill benefits.
The space includes couches for socializing with fellow veterans, computer labs,
shelves and racks of free textbooks and clothing, and staff who can help
connect student veterans with resources or just listen to their experiences
without judgment. Additionally, the center has partnered with Clark College
Dental Hygiene and the American Legion Post 176 to provide subsidized dental
care to student veterans.

Currently, 304 Clark College students identify as veterans.

Photo: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

The ribbon is cut on the next 10 years of Clark College at CTC.

Clark College Interim President Sandra Fowler-Hill and ASCC President Evans Kaame celebrate the 10th anniversary of Clark College at Columbia Tech Center with a traditional Vancouver Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting.

Business and community leaders joined Clark College on Monday, October 14 for a Vancouver Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting to celebrate a milestone. Clark College first opened Columbia Tech Center in east Clark County in fall 2009.

Responding to feedback from employers and residents in East Vancouver, the college refreshed its offerings at Columbia Tech Center to be a hub for business and technical education.

“Columbia Tech Center is today a bustling campus on the east side with a wide range of programs available to our students. We are grateful for the community’s support over the years and renew our commitment to serving the community in a way that best meets their needs.”

Clark College Interim President Sandra Fowler-Hill

The
college has worked to create a series of course offerings this fall that will
allow students to pursue career-oriented higher education in subjects that
include business, information technology, computer support, and project management—all
without having to travel to the college’s main campus near downtown Vancouver.
Most classes are scheduled to run just two days a week (Tuesday and Thursday),
allowing students to plan their studies around work and/or life obligations.

We are committed to offering business classes at Columbia Tech to provide our students viable pathways forward to earning the new skills that they need to be successful–whether that be a single course, a certificate or a degree.”

Professor Adnan Hamideh, Division Chair, Clark College Business Administration Department

Hamideh is also preparing to create a business degree path for office administration, he said. The school already offers accounting, marketing, management and business administration. About 7,000 full-time students take business classes at Clark College he said.

Additionally, Clark College Economic and Community Development, which provides non-credit continuing education and customized training, has relocated to the Columbia Tech Center location.

Last month, ECD moved its business classes from a leased space in downtown Vancouver to the Columbia Tech Center, said Kevin Witte, vice president of the program. The move was in part a way to help the college save money, but it also moved students closer to some of the city’s larger employers, including WaferTech.

Witte said participating employers include Boeing Co, and they request specific skills for students to learn, which the college incorporates into its training.

Business and community leaders toured the college’s nationally recognized Mechatronics lab. The engineering program focuses on both electrical and mechanical systems. It is a foundational training program for advanced manufacturing. Graduates earn an average of $88,000 as mechatronics engineers and 100 percent of Clark’s graduates are finding jobs in their chosen field.

The college has also expanded the range of class offerings serving Running Start students, a popular state program that allows high school students to earn college credit, tuition-free, while still in high school. The expanded offerings provide more opportunities for families with children attending high schools in the eastern portion of the college’s service district, which covers Camas, Washougal, and parts of the Columbia Gorge.

ASCC President Evans Kaame spoke to the business leaders and elected officials thanking them for their support of Clark College students over the years.

“Because you care, students at Clark have opportunities to succeed. Our students are better prepared to go out and do great things.”

ASCC President Evans Kaame

Left to right: Hanan Al-Zubaidy, Kayla Escott, and Chippi Bello

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. 

Clark College and ESD 112 are now hosting Washington’s newest Center of Excellence, a hub for connecting the region’s students and employers through job training and coordination. The local office is known as the Center of Excellence for Semiconductors & Electronic Manufacturing.

It’s the 11th office of its type in the state. The centers were created by the state Board for Community and Technical Colleges in 2004. They’re intended to serve as liaisons between local schools and industries, providing career opportunities for students and helping industries maintain skilled workforces.

“This is a great opportunity for students at Clark College,” says Dr. Sandra Fowler-Hill, Interim President of Clark College. “Working strategically with our industry partners, we can help develop the talent pipeline within advanced manufacturing that will allow local manufacturers to grow and will provide outstanding opportunities for our students to succeed.”

Each center is built around an industry that plays a major role in the local economy, such as a clean energy center at Centralia College and a marine manufacturing and technology center at Skagit Valley College.

The new Clark County center focuses on semiconductors and electronics, due to the presence of several big electronics companies in the area, including silicon-wafer manufacturer SEH America, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Shin-Etsu Handotai Ltd.

“We have an electronic and semiconductor hub here in Southwest Washington that we’d like to support,” said Mohammed Maraee, the new center’s associate director. Maraee lives in Vancouver and previously worked for the Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Center and has taught business administration at Portland Community College.

The Clark County center operates under the leadership of an existing center at Everett Community College that focuses on aerospace and advanced manufacturing. It has a primary office at the main Educational Service District 112 building and a satellite office at Clark College, Maraee said.

Clark College is well positioned to support the new center, with programs like computer technology, welding, and mechatronics that provide graduates with the skills needed for today’s jobs in advanced manufacturing. The college has also announced that the first building in its future satellite location in Ridgefield, Clark College at Boschma Farms, will be dedicated to advanced manufacturing.

The new center is funded by $300,000 allocated by the state legislature in the 2019-21 budget. Its partners include Clark College, local K-12 schools, and the Southwest Washington High Technology Council.

The council is made up of representatives from several high-tech companies that are either headquartered or have a significant presence in Clark County, including SEH America, nLIGHT, WaferTech, and Silicon Forest Electronics. The group was at the center of the legislative effort to secure funding for the new center.

The group is chaired by Ben Bagherpour, vice president of site services and government affairs at SEH America, who also serves a member of the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges.

“The [High Technology Council] is pleased to now have a single point of contact that we can reach out to,” Bagherpour said in a statement. “The associate director will be our point person to understand high-tech manufacturing companies’ workforce and education needs and to work with the K-12 and higher education systems to develop and align programs to meet these needs.”

SEH America has been involved in previous local pipeline efforts aimed at addressing concerns about attracting and retaining a skilled technical workforce. Last year, the company launched a pilot program called Career Launch, offering participants paid part-time apprenticeships at SEH paired with tuition assistance for students at Clark College.

The program is expanding for the 2019-2020 school year, Bagherpour said, and will now include similar opportunities at some of the other council companies. It will also be incorporated into the new center and further developed along with future programs as the center continues to grow.

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

As Clark County’s demographics and economics change, Clark College is ready to adapt to serve its community’s needs. Responding to feedback from employers and residents in East Vancouver, the college is transforming its facility at Columbia Tech Center into a hub for business and technical education.

The college has worked to create a series of course offerings this fall that will allow students to pursue career-oriented higher education in subjects that include business, information technology, computer support, and supervisory management—all without having to travel to the college’s main campus near downtown Vancouver. Most classes are scheduled to run just two days a week (Tuesday and Thursday), allowing students to plan their studies around work and/or life obligations.

Additionally, Clark College Economic and Community Development, which provides non-credit continuing education and customized training, is relocating to the CTC location. CTC is already the home of the college’s popular mechatronics program, which teaches students the skills they need to work in automated manufacturing.

“As more and more
employers establish facilities in East Vancouver, they’ve expressed a need for
additional training for their employees,” said Associate Vice President of
Instruction Genevieve Howard. “We want Clark College at Columbia Tech Center to
be the hub for career-oriented education in East Vancouver, while also opening
opportunities for students on the eastern side of Clark County to take
advantage of the state’s Running Start program.”

Clark College at CTC is located at 18700 SE Mill Plain Blvd. in Vancouver. Opened in 2009, the location will be celebrating its 10th anniversary on October 14 with an official ribbon-cutting.  

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Clark College’s dental hygiene program has long had plenty to smile about: its high-quality teaching facilities, its status as the college’s first bachelor’s degree program, and its important work providing dental hygiene care in the community.

Recently, the program’s faculty received news to make their smiles even brighter: Every student in their 2019 graduating class passed all six of their board exams.

The exams are extremely rigorous, and a 100 percent pass rate is remarkable. The exams include:

• The National Board Exam (an 8-hour written exam)
• The Restorative Exam (placement and finishing of amalgam [silver] and composite [white]) fillings
• The Anesthesia Written Exam
• The Anesthesia Clinical Exam (accurately administer the 2 most difficult injections on a patient)
• Hygiene Clinical Exam (thoroughly remove tenacious calculus [tartar] from a patient’s teeth with severe periodontitis [gum disease])
• The Ethical Board exam

“These are six different high-stakes exams that test the students’ knowledge and skills,” wrote Dean of Business and Health Sciences Brenda Walstead in an email to the college community. “Thank you to an extremely dedicated and talented group of faculty and staff for working endless hours to prepare the students to pass each of these exams, obtain their licenses, and go to work.”

“Hola, soy Denisse,
hoy sere su enfemera,” read the elaborate script on the top of Denisse
Zuniga-Ibarra’s graduation cap, below a cluster of silk flowers. Or, in
English: “Hello, I’m Denisse, today I’ll
be your nurse.”

Zuniga-Ibarra was one of 835 graduates waiting in line to
enter Sleep Country Amphitheater for Clark College’s 2019 commencement ceremony—and
each one, it seemed, had their own story to tell of perseverance and triumph.

“Graduation, to me, means a new job, a new beginning, making
my parents proud and giving back to my community,” said Zuniga-Ibarra, who was
receiving her Associate in Arts degree in Nursing.

Almost 2,500 degrees and certificates were conferred on
graduates in the 2018-2019 academic year—a record number for the college. It
included the first graduates of the Clark’s new Cuisine Management program, as
well as of the college’s Bachelor of Applied Science in Applied Management
(BASAM) degree program.

For the BASAM graduates, the event was bittersweet—one member
of their cohort, Debbie Terry, died before she could receive her degree. Her
classmates held a poster with pictures of her as they waited in the white robes
reserved for bachelor’s-degree graduates. During the ceremony, Terry’s
daughter, Melanie Carter, would be the first person to cross the stage,
receiving her mother’s degree post-humously.

Family featured strongly in many graduates’ stories. For Amanda Rath, this night wasn’t about making her parents proud, but rather, her own four children, aged 3 to 13. All of them would be watching their mother walk across the stage to receive her high school diploma, which she earned through the college’s Transitional Studies department.

“I want to provide something more for my children to see in
the future—something more than just working at a call center,” said the single
mother, who works full-time and is already enrolled to begin the pre-nursing
program at Clark. “I knew that started with pursuing an education.”

Like Rath, Brian Ford Jr. had balanced work, life, and school responsibilities. He was graduating with an Associate in Applied Technology degree in Diesel Technology. “It’s been a long journey—three years,” he said. “I had two kids while I was in school. I worked full-time. But I made it. It’s the biggest accomplishment of my life and I’m so happy to got to this day.”

Once the bagpipes started and the lines of robed figures
filed into the amphitheater, the moments of triumph continued. “Keep going,” Trustee
Chair Jane Jacobsen told the graduates in her remarks during the ceremony. “This
world needs you.”

Jacobsen also pointed out that this ceremony would be the
last one to be presided over by Clark College President Bob Knight, who
announced in January announce that he would be retiring after 13 years as the
college’s president. She thanked him for his service.

Student speaker Soukaina Ouahhabi spoke of the challenges
she had faced as a non-native English speaker studying computer science who
also worked full-time. “Sometimes, I would have to choose which I needed to do
most: eat, sleep or do homework,” she said. “Because I only had time to do one
of them. I’m sure many of you can relate.”

Still, Ouhhabi said, she kept her focus on achieving her
goals. “My desire to reach my goals was stronger than the struggles I faced and
has pushed me to be the strong, smart woman I am today,” she said, to a roar of
applause from her classmates.

There was also applause for the award recipients announced during the ceremony. This included the 2018-2019 Exceptional Faculty Award winners, as well as the 2019-2020 Community College Presidents’ Scholarship, which was given to Esmeralda “Vita” Blanco. Another finalist for the scholarship, Anastasiya Kozlovska, received a $1,000 scholarship as well.

Keynote speaker Julianna Marler, who is a Clark College
alumna, spoke of her journey from being the daughter of Hungarian immigrants to
the first female CEO of the Port of Vancouver USA. “Clark College was a
foundation of my business knowledge,” she said, adding that even some of her
electives, like psychology, wound up being unexpectedly useful in management. “I
wouldn’t have guessed it at the time, but those lessons would turn out to serve
me well.”

As Knight concluded the ceremony, he told the graduates, “We
are excited to think of the ways in which you will change the world. And we are
glad to know that Clark College will always hold a special place in your
hearts.”

More photos can be viewed on our Flickr page.

Every year, just a day or two before Clark College’s commencement ceremony, Clark College President Bob Knight and other college leaders attend a smaller ceremony at Larch Corrections Center to celebrate graduates of the college’s GED preparation program there. This year, they will have plenty to celebrate: Not only did the program see a record number of students pass the GED during the 2018-2019 academic year, but in May its tutoring program became the first prison-based tutoring program to be certified by the College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA).

Fifty students passed their GED certification test this academic year–four more than the previous record of 46. For these students, passing their GED not only provides them with an important credential–the equivalent of a high school diploma–but it also gives them a sense of accomplishment and self-worth that can help them pursue better paths in their lives after their release from prison.

Larch inmates who become tutors through Clark College’s program also gain marketable skills and work experience. Having the program be certified by the CRLA adds legitimacy to that experience.

According to findings published in the Journal of Experimental Criminology, inmates who participated in correctional education programs are 28 percent less likely to commit new crimes, compared to inmates who didn’t.

The program was featured on the front page of the June 9 issue of The Columbian.

Photos: Clark College/Kelly Love

On May 22, Archer Gallery was filled with visitors for the opening of the 2019 Art Student Annual Exhibition. This event showcases the best artwork produced by Clark art students in the past academic year. Students compete not only for a spot in the show, but also for awards sponsored by local businesses and organizations.

The exhibition is on display through June 15. Archer Gallery is open 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, and noon to 5:00 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. The gallery is located in the lower level of the Penguin Union Building on Clark College’s main campus.

Additional photos of the show are available on our Flickr page.

2019 Art Student Annual Award Recipients

Best in Show and
Most Ambitious
Stevie Hale, “New Mythology”
Sponsored by the Clark College Bookstore and the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art

Best Drawing
John Gasaway, “Bling”
Sponsored by the Clark College Bookstore and Collage Art Supply

Best Ceramics
Shirley Morgan, “Boh, Of Course”
Sponsored by Georgie’s Ceramics

Ceramics, 2^nd Place
Jessica Joner, “Peonies”
Sponsored by Clay Art Center

Ceramics, 3^rd Place
Stephanie Bowen, “Enlightened”
Sponsored by Georgie’s Ceramics

Best Graphic Design
Michael Fulgaro, “Visit Northwest”
Sponsored by Artist and Craftsman Art Supply

Best Metal Art
Channa Smith, “Ready to Potlatch”
Sponsored by MESA at Clark

Best Painting
Danielle Truckey, “Portrait of a Girl”
Sponsored by Gamblin Paints

Painting, 2^nd place
Jewel Indino, “Abstract Figure”
Sponsored by Liquitext Paint Company

Painting, 3^rd place
Katie Hyland, “Listening In”
Sponsored by Golden Paint Company

Best Photography
Keyanna Owen, “Untitled”
Sponsored by ProPhoto

Best Photography, Darkroom
Michelle Berg, “Big Picture”
Sponsored by Blue Moon Camera

Best Photography, Digital
Avalon Guerra, “Window Pane”
Sponsored by ProPhoto

Photography Award of Distinction
T.J. West, “Homeowrk”
Sponsored by Blue Sky Gallery

Best Video
Hayley Estep, “Woman Not Product”
Sponsored by Northwest Film Center

Merit Award
Sage Makela, “Album Covers”
Sponsored by the Clark College Bookstore

Award of Distinction
Don Anderson, “A Man Has Many Moods”
Sponsored by the Clark College Bookstore

Photo: Nick Bremer/Clark College

Clark’s MESA program is still in its first year, but already it’s providing new opportunities for student success.

MESA (Math, Engineering, Science Achievement) is a national program dedicated to encouraging under-represented populations to succeed in STEM fields. At Clark, this includes a dedicated space for studying and creating community, as well as opportunities for mentorship, assistance with books and fees, and conference participation.

This March, two Clark MESA students attended the MESA Student Leadership Retreat at Warm Beach Camp in Stanwood, Washington, along with students from 15 other MESA community college programs from Washington and California. Mai Lee Xiong and Alejandra Magallanes were able to participate in activities to boost their professional development and leadership skills.

They also participated in a competition for human-centered design solutions, breaking into groups to identify a problem, interview a potential user of their solution, and prepare a poster and oral presentation to explain it to others.

Xiong’s group focused on health care disparities that arise from language barriers between health care providers and patients whose first language is not English. They proposed the development of an app to translate medical information into different languages–one that would include medical terminology not available through tools like Google Translate. The project was a perfect fit for Xiong, who is studying biology and plans to pursue a degree natural medicine after her bachelor’s degree.

Alejandra Magallanes’s group also decided to tackle an issue related to healthcare: the availability and convenience of Pap smear exams to detect cervical cancer. They proposed a device that could be used at home to collect a sample of cervical cells. It could be used by people who have difficulty attending doctors’ appointments or who may avoid Pap smears because of the uncomfortable nature of the exam–and in doing so, could increase the number of people who receive preventative care. Magallanes’ group won second place in the competition, which includes proposals from more than 20 teams.

As with Xiong, Magallanes’s project aligned well with her interests; like Xiong, she is studying biology and plans to transfer to a university for her bachelor’s degree after graduating from Clark College in 2020.

“This experience really helped show the value of having the MESA program at Clark College,” said MESA director Dr. Ellen Harju. “It was wonderful to see these two students be able to work and succeed with their peers in an environment that allowed them to be their authentic selves. I’m excited to see more of our MESA students get the chance for these experiences.”

Clark’s MESA program is located in the STEM Building rooms 206/208 and is open Monday – Thursday 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., Friday: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Saturday: 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. More information about the program is available online at www.clark.edu/cc/mesa.

Photos: Clark College/Ellen Harju