President Robert K. Knight

Clark College President Robert K. Knight has been named Clark County’s 2016 First Citizen, an award recognizing a Clark County resident who has modeled exemplary citizenship through their actions and service to the community. The award, which was announced in July, will be presented to Knight at a reception on November 2.

“I am honored by this prestigious recognition from the people I feel lucky to have called friends and neighbors for nearly two decades,” said Knight upon learning of the award. “Knowing that I am now counted among such amazing contributors to our community inspires me to continue serving that community in any way I can.”

The nomination focused heavily on Knight’s career at Clark College, where he is said to have “brought stability to a position he did not seek.” Knight, who originally joined the college as vice president of Administrative Services in 2004 and was named acting president in 2006, has overseen several major achievements at the college, including: construction of both Clark College at Columbia Tech Center and a new state-of-the-art, 70,000 square-foot building devoted to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math; the opening of the college’s Veterans Resource Center; and one of the largest enrollment spurts of any community college in Washington State. Last year, Clark was listed among the nation’s 150 best community colleges by the Aspen Institute. Much of this success is the result of Knight’s leadership, which is defined by his ability to listen intently, build relationships, support others and foster collaboration.

Letters of support also noted Knight’s giving of time and resources, off campus and outside of work. For years, Knight volunteered 30-to-40 hours each month in addition to overseeing the college. He was a leadership force behind the City of Vancouver’s 150th anniversary celebration and was important in bringing the Vietnam Traveling Wall to Vancouver. His involvement was instrumental in bringing prominent speakers to the region for the George C. Marshall Lecture Series, which included news anchor Tom Brokaw and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. In 2000, he helped Vancouver become one of only six cities in the nation selected to host a regional commemoration for the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, which drew a crowd of 3,000 to the Vancouver National Historic Reserve.

Described as “one of the most active community volunteers in our region” by former Vancouver Mayor Royce Pollard, Knight has given his time and talents to organizations including the local chapter of the American Red Cross, Boys and Girls Clubs of Southwest Washington, the Columbia River Economic Development Council, Fort Vancouver National Trust, Greater Portland, Washington State University Vancouver and Workforce Southwest Washington.

In truth, though, Knight’s service began long before he landed in Clark County and reaches far beyond this region. For 21 years, he served with the U.S. Army in various ranks and across two continents. Numerous letters of support cited his military career as an example of his leadership, especially during his role as commander of the Vancouver Barracks when the base was targeted for closure. Knight convened community members in a thoughtful, open process that Vesta Hospitality CEO Rick Takach characterizes as being “critical to the jewel that is the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.”

In all, each of the 29 letters of support—seven of which came from former First Citizens—demonstrate how Knight has shown effectiveness in leadership roles, raised standards and expectations, strengthened community identity and civic pride.

“In everything he does and every role he performs, Bob always puts service over self, mission over personal interest,” wrote former U.S. Representative Brian Baird. “Without question, Vancouver, Clark County, Southwest Washington and indeed our nation are better places because of Bob Knight.”

About the First Citizen Award

Recipients of the First Citizen Award, presented since 1939, are selected by a volunteer committee of community leaders and past award recipients. Recipients are chosen for their accomplishments and contributions to the community in a number of areas, including effectiveness in leadership roles, raising community standards and expectations, strengthening community identity and civic pride, and exemplary giving of time, self and resources. For a full listing of criteria and past recipients, please visit www.cfsww.org/our-community/first-citizen.

About the First Citizen Awards Event

Knight will receive the First Citizen Award during a community event scheduled for Wednesday, November 2 at Warehouse ‘23. The event will begin at 4 p.m., with the formal awards program at 5 p.m. Regents Bank is the presenting sponsor of the First Citizen Award reception. Biggs Insurance and PeaceHealth are supporting sponsors, and the event is organized in partnership with The Columbian and the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington. Tickets for the event are $35 and can be purchased at the door or in advance by visiting www.columbian.com/firstcitizen.

Clark College’s new STEM Building has a LEED Silver certification. Here are a few environmentally friendly aspects of the building and its construction:

• The building is cooled by water pumped from the local wellfield through a campuswide hydronics (water-based heating and cooling) system. This same water is used to heat the building with help from high-efficiency gas boilers, then is circulated back to irrigate the campus landscaping. This creates a “closed circuit,” where the water is continually pumped from, and then returned to, the land—a system that eliminates waste and reduces energy costs.
• Bike lockers on the lower level and a shower on the first floor encourage bike commuting.
• Bottle-filling stations on each floor allow students and visitors to eschew single-use bottled beverages in favor of reusable drink containers.
• The windows of south wall are made of double-paned glass filled with Argon gas and coated with a low-E value film to reduce the light and heat load. Additionally, metal sunshades block the higher sun during the hotter days of summer, but allow the lowered sun in winter to strike the glass directly and increase available natural lighting and heat. The sunshades also reflect light up into the corridors to reduce the need for artificial lighting during the day.
• Almost 99 percent of the construction waste was recycled.

Photo: Clark College/Hannah Erickson

The STEM Building opened for classes at the beginning of the 2016 fall quarter. Photo: Clark College/Wei Zhuang

Shortly before Clark College’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Building opened for classes at the beginning of the 2016 fall quarter, Clark College Construction Project Manager Jim Watkins stood on its north plaza and pointed out a few hidden features to a group of visitors.

Watkins pointed to the lines marking the poured concrete that make up the plaza floor. “The smaller squares around the perimeter are in 1-meter increments, while the large squares are 3-by-4 meter and 4-by-4 meter blocks,” he said. “That way, if a physics class is doing experiments where they need to measure the flight of a projectile or something, it’s easy for them to gauge how far it’s traveled.”

Structural elements like heating pipes were deliberately left exposed to serve as teaching tools for engineering students. Photo: Clark College/Wei Zhuang

Throughout the building’s 70,000 square feet, details abound that reflect and strengthen its purpose. Structural elements—including heating equipment, water pipes, and earthquake-proof concrete—have been left visible deliberately to serve as teaching tools for engineering students. Decorative touches, like the “STEM” laser-carved into the metal stair railings and the ceramic-tile periodic table inlaid into the second-story floor, remind visitors what’s studied here. And that column of glass that rises from above the front entry doors to the top of the building’s airy lobby? It’s actually a 44-foot high, 4-foot square drop tower, where dropped objects can be filmed with a high-speed digital camera in experiments by engineering or physics students.

While the building opened to students on September 19 for fall classes, an official ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for October 3.

“I am so excited to see students enthusiastically learning in the new STEM Building on the first day of the new academic year,” said Dean of STEM Peter Williams regarding the opening. “The STEM Building is a beautiful, technologically advanced educational facility that perfectly supports academic excellence, one of the core themes of Clark College’s strategic plan. It is ideal for students who may not know how exciting and interesting science can be, and hopefully provides a starting point for a career in a STEM field, one of the fastest growing job fields in the country.”

The new, LEED Silver-certified building—the largest ever built on Clark’s main campus—holds nine classrooms, twelve labs (including some spaces that serve as both), two conference rooms, 16 student areas of various sizes,  and 41 offices. It will house much of Clark’s engineering, chemistry, biology, and physics departments. The first new instructional building to be built on the main campus since 1994, it was paid for primarily through Washington State capital funding, supplemented with generous donations to the Clark College Foundation to make up for a budget gap in the project’s $40 million cost created when the state reduced its contribution due to the economic recession.

Learning extends outside the STEM Building, with multiple outdoor classroom/study areas set along the south wall. Photo: Clark College/Hannah Erickson

The building offers many new opportunities for Clark students. A six-table cadaver lab includes operating-room LED lighting and a high-definition camera that allows even those students who aren’t at the dissection table to see anatomy and procedures clearly on two large plasma screens. Clark College is one of only four community colleges in Washington to have a cadaver lab, and this new lab greatly expands the number of students able to take the perpetually waitlisted Anatomy and Physiology classes that are required for a number of health-related degrees.

Additionally, a Collaboratorium sits at the heart of the building’s main floor. This high-tech “makerspace” is filled with tools and machinery to allow students—and possibly community members, in the future—to create their own designs. Watkins showed visitors the large double doors facing out to the north plaza. “We designed this so you could bring a truck-size project through here if you wanted to,” he said. “We didn’t want our engineering students to feel limited as to the projects they could take on.”

According to the Washington Student Achievement Council, Washington State has the third-highest concentration of STEM-related jobs in the United States—but up to 40,000 of those jobs may go unfilled by 2017, in large part due to a lack of qualified applicants with the appropriate training.

“I am so impressed and excited by the possibilities this new building brings to the college,” said Clark College President Bob Knight. “Clearly, STEM is going to be very important to this region’s economy, and we are proud to be able to offer state-of-the-art training and education in this field, continuing a legacy of excellence that stretches more than 80 years.”

The 2016 Exceptional Faculty Award recipients are, left to right, Joseph Cavalli, Dr. Kathleen Chatfield, Heather McAfee, and Doug Mrazek.

During the 2016 Commencement ceremony, President Robert K. Knight announced the names of the recipients of the 2016 Clark College Exceptional Faculty Awards. The awards are presented annually to full-time and part-time faculty members. Nominations can be submitted by Clark College students, faculty, classified employees, administrators, alumni, Board members, and Foundation directors.

The awards are made possible through an endowed trust fund established by the Washington State Legislature and the Clark College Exceptional Faculty Endowment Fund, which was established in 1993. That fund provides recognition of exemplary work performance, positive impact on students, professional commitment, and other contributions to the college.

This year’s Exceptional Faculty members are:

• Joseph Cavalli, instructor of history
• Dr. Kathleen Chatfield, instructor of business technology
• Heather McAfee, professor of geography
• Doug Mrazek, professor of French

Joe Cavalli, History

Joseph Cavalli has taught history at schools in Croatia, Italy, and Bahrain. He began teaching at Clark shortly after returning to the Pacific Northwest in 2006. For the past five years, he has also served as the director of Clark’s award-winning Model United Nations program. He also teaches history through Clark College’s non-credit Mature Learning program and at Mt. Hood Community College.

Cavalli says he sees history more as a context for understanding the world than as a rote memorization of names and dates. “It’s not about me giving students information,” he says. “What I want to impart is the love of learning and the need to be curious.”

Students appreciate Cavalli’s efforts to make history relevant to their current lives. “I had no interest in history whatsoever until I took his class,” wrote one student. “After my first class with him, I was enthralled. Now, history is my favorite subject and my current major.”

Dr. Kathleen Chatfield, Business Technology and Management

Over the course of her 21 years at Clark, Dr. Kathleen Chatfield has taught a variety of courses, including keyboarding, microcomputer applications, Microsoft Excel, e-commerce, and project management. In truth, however, her influence goes far beyond those subjects. In fact, she has been a part of every online class offered at Clark College through her work as the senior instructional designer for the college’s eLearning Department, where she helps Clark faculty learn how to develop online classes.

“It is a daunting task to guide so many full-time and part-time instructors through all the different learning systems, while also helping them to maintain their unique styles and philosophies of teaching,” wrote one nominator. “Yet Dr. Chatfield manages to accomplish this task.”

Dr. Chatfield continues to teach classes to students as well, saying that this experience helps her better understand the needs and challenges of faculty. This adds up to more than a full-time workload, but Dr. Chatfield says, “I’m doing what I love. I’ve never woken up in the morning and said, ‘Oh no, I have to go to work.’”

Heather McAfee, Geography

Heather McAfee first became interested in geography while working for the U.S. Department of Defense, doing cultural analysis of Iraq that included mapping the civilian population there. “I love geography because it is the most interdisciplinary subject you can study,” she says. “It touches everything, even health—we have medical geography. Recently in my classes, we’ve looked at and mapped the spread of the Zika virus.”

McAfee serves as chair of the Geography Department at Clark; she also serves on the college’s AA Transfer Committee, the Library of the Future Taskforce, and the Learning Communities Taskforce. Additionally, McAfee has worked to create connections between Clark and community organizations, including the Water Resources Education Center and the Vanport Mosaic.

“She made her classroom a comfortable area where every person’s opinion and outlook was highly valued,” wrote one student. “Her teachings went much deeper than the textbook material. She wanted us to dig deep and relate every lesson to our personal lives and experiences, and it taught all of us so much about the world around us.”

Doug Mrazek, French

When Doug Mrazek was job-hunting after receiving his master’s degree in French from the University of Illinois in 1978, one of his professors told him that the Pacific Northwest was so beautiful that if he took a job there, “you’ll never want to leave.”

Those words turned out to be prophetic; Mrazek has devoted 38 years to teaching French at Clark. He has taught generations of Clark students how to conjugate être, led dozens of them on trips through France and Quebec, and helped the French Club put on countless events as its academic advisor.

Small surprise, then, that Mrazek received more than 30 nominations for this award this year. “I’m in amazement,” he says. “It’s a tremendous sense of closure. After a career of 40 years, it’s a nice way to move on.”

Photo: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

2016-2017 Community College Presidents’ Scholarship in Honor of Val Ogden recipient Holly Varner

Holly Varner had always meant to go to college. She tried taking classes a couple times, but life as a Navy wife made it difficult—she was constantly having to move to follow her husband’s 21-year-long career, not to mention taking care of three boys, now ages 8, 13, and 18. It was only when her husband retired and the family settled in Washougal that Varner could pursue her dream. She enrolled in Clark with just a GED and a handful of community-college classes on her transcript, determined to succeed academically.

During the 2016 Clark College Commencement ceremony, that determination payed off when Varner heard Clark College President Robert K. Knight announce that she was the recipient of the 2016-2017 Community College Presidents’ Award in Honor of Val Ogden. The scholarship award provides full-time tuition at Washington State University Vancouver (WSUV) and is renewable for one additional year, essentially providing full tuition to complete a bachelor’s degree.

Holly Varner hugs her son after hearing that she has received two years of tuition to Washington State University Vancouver.

As soon as President Knight made the announcement, Varner stood and hugged her son, Jonathan, who had attended Clark alongside his mother through Washington State’s Running Start program, which allows high school students to attend college tuition-free. The two had taken three classes together and even quizzed each other before exams.

“It was great to see him progress, to see him grow,” said Varner.

Varner’s own growth at Clark has been exceptional. She graduated with a 3.98 Grade Point Average (“I was so upset about that A-minus!”) while managing multiple volunteer and extracurricular activities. Varner served as Vice President of Service for Alpha Sigma Phi, Clark College’s chapter of the international honor society Phi Theta Kappa. In that role, Varner helped organize a Thanksgiving basket drive that provided holiday dinner supplies to more than 100 Clark College students and their families—negotiating an agreement with a new vendor that brought down the price of each basket that in turn allowed Alpha Sigma Phi to serve more students. She also coordinated drives to provide books and art supplies to families in local homeless shelters. She interviewed more than 60 homeless individuals to learn what they needed most; based on those interviews, she developed a shoe and sock drive to help them.

“She is the go-to person if advisors, other officers, or administration have questions,” wrote Professor Ruth Trejo, who serves as Alpha Sigma Phi’s advisor. “We joke about her three-inch binder, where her sticky tabs have sticky tabs.”

Varner will begin studying at WSUV this fall. She intends to major social work and/or public health. Varner said that, while her family had educational funding available to them through the GI Bill, she needed to save that funding to help put her children through school. Receiving the Community College Presidents’ Scholarship will allow her to pursue her own education, hopefully to a master’s degree.

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

The Tod and Maxine McClaskey Culinary Institute will improve students’ access to food on campus and provide a state-of-the-art training center for the culinary arts.

Clark College President Robert K. Knight announced that the Tod and Maxine McClaskey Family Foundation made a $4 million gift to the college’s culinary program that will transform the learning process for students, as well as the community’s on-campus dining experience.

During a celebration for donors on Wednesday evening at Royal Oaks Country Club in Vancouver, Knight revealed that the college’s new dining and teaching facility, which will undergo remodeling, will be known as the Tod and Maxine McClaskey Culinary Institute at Clark College. It will showcase Clark’s Cuisine and Professional Baking and Pastry Arts programs.

The lead gift from the Tod and Maxine McClaskey Family Foundation simultaneously changes the face of the college’s culinary building, while dramatically enhancing the student learning experience.

The Tod & Maxine McClaskey Culinary Institute will boast an artisanal bakery, barista station, and comfortable seating.

A redesign of the building includes a glass façade, outdoor dining space, contemporary restaurant, diverse food choices and an open food court layout. A revamped academic curriculum aligns with industry standards and prepares the college to be accredited by the American Culinary Federation. This top-priority project also addresses the nutritional needs of the college community and supports student retention by providing access to food service on campus.

Knight extolled Tod and Maxine McClaskey’s contribution to the business community during Savoring Excellence, Clark College Foundation’s annual celebratory dinner.

“This gift will positively affect every student at Clark College whether they just stop by the Tod and Maxine McClaskey Culinary Institute for a healthy option on the way to class or graduate from the Tod and Maxine McClaskey Culinary Institute ready to go to work for one of the many great culinary options in the region,” said Knight.

Tod McClaskey was one of the founders of the Red Lion Hotel Vancouver at the Quay, a popular hotel and restaurant enterprise that began in Vancouver.

Lisa Gibert, president/CEO of Clark College Foundation spoke about the McClaskeys’ passionate vision and values for the hospitality business and how naming the institute after them is a perfect fit to honor their memory.

“Tod believed in first-class service and an excellent dining experience. The Red Lion was also the launching pad for hundreds of careers in the hospitality business for this region and beyond. That light of excellence for the McClaskeys will now shine for generations,” said Gibert.

The McClaskey family expressed excitement about being an integral part of the college’s future.

“Clark’s new culinary program fits our family’s ideals for excellent food preparation and management, as well as collaborating with other state educational organizations. We are thrilled to be a part of this innovative project,” said Jillian Hagstrom, granddaughter of Tod and Maxine McClaskey.

Slated to open midway through 2017, the Tod and Maxine McClaskey Culinary Institute will improve students’ access to food on campus.

Clark College has educational partnerships with the Clark County Skills Center and Washington State University Vancouver that consolidates the steps toward achieving a college degree.

The new facility is expected to be under construction for several months with portions of it opening in spring 2017. There will a food court with several kiosks offering cooked-to-order items, soups, sandwiches, salads, and food-sensitive choices from a variety of global cuisines. A full-service bakery will serve artisanal desserts, breads and espresso. And Clark’s popular restaurant will return, modeled after modern, open-kitchen dining establishments. All services will be open to Clark’s community as well as the general public.

Clark College Foundation is accepting donations for the culinary project, which is expected to cost $10.5 million. For more information, contact Joel B. Munson, vice president of development at (360) 992-2428.

Clark College Foundation is a nonprofit organization serving as the fundraising partner of Clark College in support of student learning. Nationally recognized for excellence in fundraising and communications, we are the 2015 gold winner for our campaign fundraising communications by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education in District VIII. We are also the recipient of the 2015 Educational Fundraising Award in overall performance and overall improvement from national CASE, based in Washington, D.C.

Clark College’s Jazz Ensemble performing at the 2016 University of Northern Colorado/Greeley Jazz Festival.

For the third time, the Clark College Jazz Ensemble distinguished themselves among the other colleges and universities representing seven states at the 2016 University of Northern Colorado/Greeley Jazz Festival, held April 21 through 23. This year, eight Clark College Jazz Ensemble students received Special Citation for Outstanding Musicianship awards, recognized from the 8,000 festival participants. The Clark students who received awards were:

• Mattias Tyni – trumpet
• Keith Cheek – tenor saxophone
• Anna James – tenor saxophone
• James Powers – trombone
• Jenny Baird – trombone
• Hayden Lilak – bass
• Josh Gonzales – drums
• Sam Niborg – drums

Clark students James Powers and Keith Cheek with John Clayton, bassist and leader of the Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra.

In addition to performing for adjudication and clinic from internationally recognized jazz educators, Clark students also had the opportunity to listen to performances, workshops, and panel discussions presented by luminaries in the field of jazz including the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, Houston Person, Joey DeFrancesco, and Ellis Marsalis.

“The experience of visiting the Greeley Jazz Festival this year was exhilarating,” said Clark student James Powers. “It has been said that it can be disappointing to meet one’s heroes, but I can say that that is not always the case. When speaking with some of the learned men of music, I was greeted with humility and kindness. Just as important as the uplifting musical performances, was the realization that these performers were all just regular people who have just practiced more than I have. Overall I would say that as a result of attending the festivities, I have come to several inspiring and informative conclusions about the nature of my craft, and I believe the same can said for my fellow band members.”

Members of the Clark Jazz Ensemble saxophone pose with iconic saxophonist Houston Person.

Jazz Ensemble Director and music professor Rich Inouye said he could not have been more proud of the band’s performance at the festival.  “Many times you work so hard for something like this and when you perform, little mistakes pop up here and there, but this year’s performance at the festival was pure perfection,” he said. “I hope the Clark College community recognizes the work our band students put in to help Clark achieve this distinction. People in the audience shared with me how surprised they were when they found out we were a two-year college! It’s good that the Music Department can represent Clark’s academic distinction at the national level along with programs such as STEM, Speech and Debate, and Journalism.”

UPDATE: Recently, Powers has learned that he has even more reason to be exhilarated: He has been awarded the Festival’s highest award, a tuition scholarship to attend the world-famous Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshop at the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky. Powers was recognized as one out of only four recipients to receive this prestigious award from the 8,000 participants who performed at the national jazz festival. Powers is currently a resident of Gresham, Oregon and he graduated from Heritage High in Vancouver; he plans to complete a transfer degree with a major in music this spring. This award is a first for the Clark Music Department.

The Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshop is recognized as being one of the best intensive programs for mastering jazz improvisation.  The festival features the nation’s leading jazz educators and performers and is dedicated to providing an intensive learning experience for musicians of all ages and levels. Theory Classes, Ear Training, Combo Performance, and Master Class Sessions allow the opportunity for attendees to grow and develop to their fullest potential, and each evening attendees get to listen to faculty jazz recitals presented by some of the leading jazz musicians from around the world.

Photos: Richard Inouye

This story was contributed by the Music Department.

Clark College’s popular mechatronics program combines electronics with mechanized processes to prepare students for jobs in today’s high-tech manufacturing.

Clark College has received a $200,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to create a new Rural Access Mechatronics Program (RAMP) that will help students in rural areas become skilled technicians in the high-demand field of advanced manufacturing.

“Thanks to this funding, Clark College will be able to provide greater access to our highly regarded Mechatronics program to students living anywhere in Clark’s service district,” said Clark College Dean of Workforce, Career and Technical Education Genevieve Howard. Clark’s service district includes Clark, Skamania, and Klickitat counties.

During the grant’s first year, Clark College faculty will develop a curriculum of seven “hybrid” classes that compose a Certificate of Completion in Mechatronics Fundamentals. Hybrid classes are taught partially in a face-to-face classroom, and partially online, allowing students in remote locations to attend classes without commuting long distances each day to a college campus.

Many regional employers have expressed a need for additional technicians trained in mechatronics, a discipline that focuses on the integration of mechanical and electronic components in modern manufacturing and utility environments. Employers who wrote letters in support of this project include Boeing, Insitu, NORPAC, Silicon Forest Electronics, Vancouver Energy, the Columbia River Economic Development Council, and the Southwest Washington STEM Network.

“The RAMP program is another example of how Clark College is addressing the workforce needs of advanced manufacturing businesses,” said Jeanne Bennett, CEO of the Southwest Washington Workforce Development Council, which also supports the project. “The hybrid/online program will enable more students to receive training, and this will increase our region’s pool of skilled mechatronics technicians.”

The program will begin accepting its pilot cohort of students in the fall quarter of 2017. Given Clark’s strong focus on hands-on learning, the college is currently examining potential options for bringing lab facilities to students in remote areas of its service district. These could include anything from suitcase-sized training modules to a traveling “lab” on wheels.

Clark College received this grant through the NSF’s Advanced Technical Education program, which was created to improve and expand educational programs for technicians to work in high-tech, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields. The grant proposal was developed by mechatronics professors Chris Lewis and Ken Luchini with Director of Grant Development Lori Silverman and Howard.

“The RAMP grant is exciting because it validates the ability of Clark College faculty and staff to develop a grant proposal that is competitive on a national scale in an academically rigorous process,” said Howard. “Our hope is that we can replicate this hybrid model in other areas of career and technical education, potentially with further NSF assistance.”

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

During his keynote speech at Clark College’s 2016 Advisory Breakfast, Vancouver businessman Don Brunell holds up a transistor radio to show how quickly technology can become obsolete.

Last Wednesday Clark College honored the more than 250 men and women from over 160 business and organizations who serve on the college’s 28 advisory boards for professional and technical programs. These industry professionals provide “real-world” guidance for Clark’s professional and technical programs to ensure students receive current, cutting-edge training to succeed in the workplace and enhance the regional workforce.

This year’s breakfast featured guest speaker Don Brunell, a partner at the Vancouver communications firm Brunell Creative. He is the retired president of the Association of Washington Business (AWB). Nationally, he has served as chair of the National Industrial Council for the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), the Conference of State Manufacturing Associations (COSMA), and the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board under Governors Lowry, Locke and Gregoire. He currently serves on the boards of AAA-Washington, Forterra, Washington Business Week, Identity Clark County and WGU-Washington.

“It’s really important at the state level to have a connectivity with local community and technical colleges because this is really where the rubber meets the road,” said Brunell. “There are a lot of good things happening in Washington, and it’s because our community and technical colleges listen to the folks who are our customers.”

Brunell also emphasized the need for the community to serve as advisors to the college by participating in these committees, as well as to be good advisors to legislators.

“The advanced manufacturing center [at Clark] is a very important project to have in this county,” he added. “The [Clark College at Boschma Farms] north campus is where a lot of skills training will be. We need to have those types of investments here, or we will not be able to keep large businesses like WaferTech, SEH and Georgia Pacific here, along with the small businesses.”

Clark graduate April Gapsch.

The event also included speeches from April Gapsch, a Clark graduate and chair of the Business Medical Office Advisory Committee, and from current welding students Peter Smith and Pachino Palmore. All three speakers were able to attend Clark as a result of the Worker Retraining Program. Smith and Palmore will graduate in June.

“For many years, I had a dream of going to college, but didn’t think it was possible. Then I found myself in a unique situation, without a job or prospects,” said Gapsch. “The local workforce office referred me to Clark College and the Worker Retraining Program. I was enrolled the next day, and graduated with honors last summer. I was hired by Peace Health five months after graduation.”

Welding students Pachino Palmer and Peter Smith show off some of the work they’ve produced in their classroom.

Clark College offers more than 25 professional and technical education programs. Currently, 39 percent of credit-seeking students enrolled at Clark College are pursuing a degree or certificate in professional and technical education. In 2014-2015, 80 percent of students who completed a career and technical degree or certificate, or earned 45-plus college-level credits prior to leaving, were employed within nine months.

Clark College Advisory Committee members, who are appointed by the administration of a college, provide direction and specifications for current professional and technical education programs, and help identify emerging occupations and skills needed. For more information about the college’s advisory committees, visit www.clark.edu/advisory.

More photos from the event can be found on our Flickr page.

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Members of the community help plant a Black Hills Spruce during Clark College’s 2016 Arbor Day celebration. Left to right: Campus Tree Advisory Committee member Jim Wasden, Director of Facilities Services Tim Petta, retired groundskeeper Skip Jimerson, Vice President of Administrative Services Bob Williamson, and Washington State Forester Aaron Everett.

On April 13, Clark College celebrated nature at its annual Arbor Day event and tree planting.

The event, which was free and open to the public, featured the addition of a Black Hills Spruce to the campus’s beautiful 90-acre arboretum. This was just the most recent effort by the college to include all 50 state trees in the campus arboretum: The Black Hills Spruce is the official state tree of South Dakota. With the addition of this tree, the arboretum contains trees representing 40 states.

Starts of several more state trees were present at the ceremony; these donations are still too young to plant outdoors, but will be tended in the college’s greenhouse until they are ready to take their respective places in the arboretum.

Left to right: Campus Tree Advisory Committee member Tim Carper, retired groundskeeper Skip Jimerson, and Facilities Services employee (and Skip’s wife) Lori Jimerson.

The event took place at the southeast corner of the Frost Arts Center, near the north end of the Royce E. Pollard Japanese Friendship Garden. Jim Wasden, a retired member of the U.S. Forest Service and current member of the Clark College Campus Tree Advisory Committee, gave the keynote speech. Recently retired groundskeeper Skip Jimerson, who was instrumental in Clark’s efforts to include all 50 state trees, returned to campus to participate in the event and ceremonially shovel dirt onto the new tree.

The event featured the presentation by Washington State Forester Aaron Everett of the college’s Tree Campus USA designation by the Arbor Day Foundation for the sixth year in a row. Tree Campus USA colleges must meet rigorous standards in five separate areas to earn this designation.

The arboretum can be explored online at trees.clark.edu, which features an interactive, mobile-friendly map to view the locations of and access descriptions for most trees on campus. This includes a six-decade-old Scarlet Oak and the campus’s iconic Shirofugen blossoming cherry trees, the latter of which are celebrated each year at the college’s annual Sakura Festival.

Photos: Clark College/Hannah Erickson