The Community Room in the Clark College Building at WSU Vancouver was the place to forge community and career connections on October 22. Students, alumni, community members, and local employers intersected at Clark’s Career Connect event, the first-ever Career Connect event the college has hosted at this campus.

Clark students pursuing Health Care and Bioscience programs connected with campus supports and with employers to discuss available internships, jobs, and other opportunities.

Looking around the room busy with people making connections, Alex Kison from Career Services said, “We got the word out to students!”

The event was organized by the Career Services team, with Kison leading the logistics. The Career Services team includes Kison, Emily Meoz, Trisha Haakonstad, Michael Caldwell, Aaron Campbell, and Niira Krupnick. Student employees Eli Knapp and Paul Dulaney also assisted with the event.

Connecting with Clark services

Advising Services, Career Services, and Student Success Coaches worked together to staff the event. Staff members assisted students who had the opportunity to ask questions and gain an understanding of academic pathways, career possibilities, and strategies for success.

These departments partnered with faculty to coordinate timing for the event that would make the most sense for student participation. The event was held in the community room on the main floor of the building that houses the majority of Clark’s Allied Health programs. Organizers scheduled a lunchtime event and offered free pizza, salad, and drinks.

Jordan Wilcox, program specialist for Clark’s upcoming surgical technology program, spoke to students about the new program and its prerequisites. The new program is scheduled to begin in Fall 2025.

Lana Strickland, Student Success Coach for students pursuing Healthcare and Biosciences was on hand to chat with students about scheduling time with a coach, improving study skills, and more.

Connecting with employers

Logan, a Clark biology student who plans to pursue a career in either microbiome research or zoology made his way around the various tables as he talked to employers. He stopped at the Multnomah County Health Department table to discuss potential career opportunities.

Ardon Health, which operates specialty pharmacies, is hiring pharmacy technicians. A Clark pharmacy tech student is currently doing an externship with them.

Kaiser Permanente is hiring medical assistants, nurses, and licensed practical nurses (LPNs).

Consumer Direct Care Network is hiring in-home caregivers.

Clark nursing student Kevin was the first to make connections with people around the room and turn in his Career Connect BINGO card, which includes activities related to career exploration and connections made at the event.

Over a two-hour period, valuable connections were made as Clark students stepped closer to their much-anticipated careers.

Next Career Connect Event

If you missed the October 22 event or are looking for more opportunities to connect, here is an upcoming opportunity:

Exploring Healthcare & Biosciences Careers – A Career Connect event

• When: Tuesday, November 19 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Location: Clark’s main campus in PUB 161 (Penguin Lounge)

“We want to meet students where they are already taking classes,” explained Kison. “The November 19^th event is more exploratory for students and community members who are interested in a healthcare and bioscience career but want to learn more and explore the different options. There will be healthcare and bioscience employers and industry professionals such as nurses, pharmacy technicians, and healthcare administrative specialists who will be available to speak to experience in their field.”

Employers who participated in the October 22 Career Connect:

• American Family Urgent Care
• Ardon Health (specialty pharmacy services)
• Consumer Direct Care Network (in-home caregivers)
• Department of Social and Health Services
• Kaiser Permanente
• Legacy Health
• Multnomah County Health Department
• PeaceHealth
• Providence
• The Vancouver Clinic

Clark connections:

• Allied Health programs
• Career Services
• Student Success Coaching
• Academic Advising
• Surgical Technology program (starting Fall 2025)

Make connections

• Advising Services: advising@clark.edu or (360) 992-2345 or GHL 108
• Career Services: careerservices@clark.edu or (360) 992-2902 or GHL 108
• Student Success Coaches: Schedule a session here

Photos: Clark College/Susan Parrish

Can you pass this welding pop quiz?

Q: As more than 155,000 welders in the U.S. approach retirement age, how many new welders will need to be trained by 2027?

1. 155,000
2. 200,000
3. 360,000

The answer is C. The U.S. will need 360,000 new welding professionals by 2027, according to the American Welding Society. That translates into 90,000 welding jobs that need to be filled annually through 2027.

On Friday, Oct. 18, the Clark College welding program welcomed SteelDays, a welding competition for local high school students to showcase the welding and fabrication industry. It’s one of 25 SteelDays events organized by the American Institute of Steel Construction from October 14-18 around the U.S.  

Attendees from high schools with welding programs in Battle Ground, Fort Vancouver, and Kelso school districts spent the day welding, receiving guidance from Clark welding instructors, and competing to win. Representatives from the SteelDays sponsors, including Industrial Source, Thompson, and Central Welding Supply came to support the students. 

Wade Hausinger, instructor of welding technologies at Clark, said that Clark’s relationships with local companies are important. He regularly visits welding employers around the region to learn the techniques they’re using in their shops so he can teach current skills to Clark students. 

He also shared that local companies are hiring from Clark. One student was hired at Vigor Aluminum Fabrication right after finishing the program and started at $34.95 an hour. Vigor even brought some of their employees to Clark to learn some new welding skills from Hausinger. 

Clark College’s Welding program:

• Two-year degree, Associate of Applied Technology in Welding
• Five welding certificates
• Learn more here.

Photos: Clark College/Carly Rae Zent

Vice President of Instruction Dr. Terry Brown kicked off the Penguin Talks series on October 17 at Vancouver Community Library.

Speaking on the theme “The Power of Education,” Dr. Brown shared stories about how education transformed his own family in only three generations. His grandparents and parents grew up in the segregated South where their opportunities were limited.

Dr. Brown’s grandparents did not graduate from high school. A generation later, his mother attended community college but did not graduate. Eventually, she returned to college and earned a bachelor’s degree. Her children took their education even further. Both Dr. Brown and his brother earned doctorate degrees.

For an hour, Dr. Brown spoke about how education transforms people, families, and communities. Here are some highlights.

The power of education

• “The power of education extends far beyond the individual being educated. It extends to our families, our communities, our nation.”
• “Education is a conduit for personal transformation. It provides a way for people to learn how to solve problems, to learn about the world and how to navigate it, to discover and develop their abilities and talents so that they can become who they are meant to be.”
• “Education is a catalyst for family and of community wellbeing. Education provides the means for people to expand their opportunities to care for their families. This impact can be intergenerational.”
• “Education is a cornerstone of economic vitality. An educated workforce dramatically raises the economic prospects of a family, a community, and a nation.”
• “Education is a call to civic engagement and services.”

Investing in diversity, equity, and inclusion

• “Attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion say something. We are seeing diversity, equity, and inclusion being questioned, and being under attack. The antonyms of DEI are homogeneity, inequity, and exclusion.”
• “The power of education is limited only by our willingness to invest and engage with it. Disinvestment of our schools and colleges says something. Not providing support to people trying to learn says something.”

Investing in lifelong education

• “If we want a society filled with highly developed human beings, a nation and society rich materially and culturally, then we need to invest our resources into each other’s lifelong education.”
• “I believe in the power of education. Education is both our inheritance from those who came before us and our legacy to those who come after us. It’s our responsibility to preserve and protect it.”

About Penguin Talks

Clark College and Fort Vancouver Regional Libraries are partnering to present Penguin Talks, a lunchtime speaker series offered at noon on two more consecutive Thursdays, October 24 and 31 in the Columbia Room at Vancouver Community Library, 901 C Street, Vancouver. The free, public series features local experts sharing their knowledge about critical topics impacting our community. October 24: Red, White, and Brown: Race in the United States with Melissa Williams

Explore the formation of race in the United States and its lasting consequences. Learn how to define systemic racism and begin steps to mitigate its impacts.

Melissa Williams is the Policy Associate for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. She has almost 20 years of experience working in administrative leadership positions in higher education, including 13 years at Clark College. She serves on the Alumni Board of Clark College Foundation. October 31: Native American, Indigenous or Indian? with Jhon Kuppens

Jhon Kuppens, enrolled member of the San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians Gabrielino/Tongva, will speak about American Indian tribal histories, sovereignty, federal trust responsibility, and rights. Kuppens will explore the impact of tribal politics, culture, law, jurisdiction, and values while examining the legacy of historical trauma.

Kuppens holds a Master of Legal Studies degree in Indigenous Peoples Law from the University of Oklahoma College of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Science from Washington State University.

Photos: Clark College/Susan Parrish

Diane DeVore (formerly Hernandez-Olortiga) has achieved some notable “firsts.” She’s a first-generation college student, the first member of her family to come out as queer, and a first-generation Latina in her family in the United States.

An academic advisor at Clark, DeVore shared her story at the first Queer Student Luncheon of the academic year on October 8. The free event is presented each term by Clark’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to create community for students who identify as queer and allies.

DeVore grew up in Compton and Long Beach, California, and lived in a household committed to traditional gender norms, including her father who holds machismo world views. She was outed to her family when her father read her Myspace messages with her girlfriend. She said, “I was never afraid of myself, but I was scared of the world around me.” She was shaped by the pressure to come out early to a family that was not accepting.

When she had the opportunity to move out of her parents’ home, she took it. In college, she met queer and Indigenous mentors who allowed her to unlearn the gender norms and colonial thinking she grew up with. “In the queer community, especially, we ask ourselves hard questions… just by existing we are pushing against these boundaries every day.”

Her college journey was non-traditional. She dropped out twice but eventually earned her master’s degree in a primarily online program. She said “It’s okay to take breaks and step back. You’re not on anyone’s timeline but your own.”

When asked how her queer and Latina identities intersected, she said, “It took more unlearning than learning because of the machismo culture.”

Now, her relationship with her family is stable, she’s recently married, and she works at Clark helping students like herself navigate college.

She left students with three pieces of advice:

• “In the queer community, we are never really alone.”
• “Give yourself the space to grow and figure out who you want to become and unbecome.”
• “Together our stories help build for the next generation of queer community.”

Upcoming ODEI Luncheons

• October 22 @ noon: Students with Disability Luncheon in PUB 161
• November 12 @ noon: Students of Color Luncheon in PUB 161

Connect with the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI)

• In-person: Diversity Center, Gaiser Hall 214
• Phone: 360-992-2292
• Email: diversity@clark.edu
• Website

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Clark College hosted award-winning author Kaveh Akbar on October 3 to a near-capacity audience of about 100 people. With nearly every seat full (and some attendees standing), Akbar read from his novel Martyr! and answered questions posed by the audience.

The first Columbia Writers Series event of the academic year attracted multiple creative writing classes, the Addiction Counseling Education Students Club (ACES), Clark’s Vice President of Instruction Dr. Terry Brown, and Clark librarians with a pop-up check-out cart featuring works by Akbar as well as past CWS speakers.

Akbar spoke extensively about his writing process (he called himself an ‘ox’ writer who needs to write every single day) and what drove his writing of Martyr!. Historically a poet, he found himself writing a novel. He said, “I tried to tell the story in lyric poetry. But I’m not a good enough poet to do that. I recognized I needed to learn a new skill.” He started with the idea of Orkideh — a performance artist at the center of the book — and the other characters evolved from their narrative need to exist along with Orkideh.

In Martyr!, Cyrus, who is a recovering alcoholic, becomes obsessed with having a meaningful death and decides to write a book about martyrs. When he sees that Orkideh, who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness, is living out the rest of her life in an art museum, he undertakes a journey to visit her. The book explores the tension and commiseration between their two perspectives on death, along with multi-layered ideas on family, love, grief, and so much more.

Akbar shared the relationship between writing and addiction recovery. He said that doing the work of recovery involves a kind of honest self-analysis that is also key to writing honest work. “If you’re really doing the recovery work… it means you’re taking a searching and fearless look at your own life. It means that you’re rigorously accounting in ways that are not ethically infantilized, that are not rhetorically hygienic… you have a leg up.”

While writing is his profession, he shared that recovery, and working in recovery groups to help others in recovery, is the central mission that drives him. “The work of my life, the actual what I do with my life, is working in my recovery community.”

Though the poet has become a novelist, Akbar still writes love poems for his spouse and knows he will continue writing poems for the rest of his life. He believes his poems don’t have to be published to be meaningful.

When asked about how he creates his characters, he replied, “I wanted my characters to feel like the people I know.”

Kaveh Akbar is an acclaimed poet, novelist, and editor, whose works appear in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Paris Review, and Best American Poetry. He is the author of Calling a Wolf a Wolf and Pilgrim Bell, with Martyr!, his debut novel, recently becoming a New York Times bestseller and one of Barack Obama’s favorite books of the year. His writing delves into themes of empire, immigration, addiction, and the healing power of art.

The Columbia Writers Series hosted Akbar along with the college’s Addiction Counseling (ACES) Club.

Next Up:

Winter Columbia Writers Series: Paisley Rekdal, January 30, 2025, at 1 p.m., GHL 213. Rekdal is the author of four books of nonfiction, and seven books of poetry, most recently, West: A Translation, which won the 2024 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award and was longlisted for the National Book Award. Her work has received the Amy Lowell Poetry Traveling Fellowship, a Guggenheim Fellowship, an NEA Fellowship, and various state arts council awards. The former Utah poet laureate, she teaches at the University of Utah where she directs the American West Center.

Spring Columbia Writers Series: Chelsea Bieker, May 29 at 10 a.m., PUB 258A-C Bieker is the author of three books, most recently the nationally bestselling novel, Madwoman, a Book of the Month club pick the New York Times calls “brilliant in its depiction of the long shadows cast by domestic violence.” Her first novel, Godshot, was longlisted for The Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize and named a Barnes & Noble Pick of the Month. Her story collection, Heartbroke won the California Book Award and was a New York Times “Best California Book of 2022.” Her writing has appeared in The Paris Review, Marie Claire UK, People, The Cut, Wall Street Journal, and others. She is the recipient of a Rona Jaffe Writers’ Award, as well as residencies from MacDowell and Tin House. Raised in Hawai’i and California, she lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and two children.

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley
View more photos from the event on Flickr: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBLiuf

Clark College hosted Noche de Familia on October 1, a special night for Latiné families to learn about academic options and college and community resources available to Clark students. This event is designed to deepen the connection with Latiné communities by providing programming in the Spanish language for new, prospective, and current students and their families.

The entire program was presented in Spanish, including introductions and all presentations. Offered in the fall and spring quarters by the college and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI), this free event included activities for kids and a delicious dinner for all.

• Staff from Admissions, Adult Basic Education, and Financial Aid made presentations—offering information on how to apply to Clark, and for services and like financial aid, and the many student support services.
• Faculty from the college’s Business, Engineering, and Allied Health programs spoke about their programs and the types of job opportunities available to graduates.
• Attendees also had opportunities to speak with Clark representatives from Financial Aid, Transitional Studies, Workforce Education Services, Clark Libraries, Counseling and Health Center, Career Services and more, Allied Health, Engineering and Computer Science, and more who sat at tables around the perimeter of the room.

While parents learned about resources and opportunities to assist them along their educational journey, their young children were busy with activities including face painting, creating artwork, reading books, and playing games.

Vanessa Neal, Vice President of the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ODEI), welcomed our special guests, Mexican Consul Mónica Ochoa Palomera; John Anderson, Southwest Washington regional representative of the office of Governor Jay Inslee; and Clark College Trustee Cristhian Canseco Juarez.

Inspiring Clark alum

Liliana Salazar, our keynote speaker, shared her inspiring story from undocumented childhood immigrant to first-generation college graduate and business owner. Growing up in Vancouver, Salazar decided she wanted to attend college, but she was not eligible for federal financial aid because she was a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient. But she did not let the difficult financial barrier stop her. She was determined to get an education.

To pay for school, she worked as a waitress and applied for countless scholarships. First, she attended Clark College for two years before transferring to Washington State University Vancouver. Passionate about helping her community, she transformed her hobby of creating web pages into Website Chicks, which she calls “a business that has allowed me to empower others for the past seven years.”

At tables around the perimeter of Gaiser Student Center, several community nonprofits and organizations provided information about scholarships and other support and assistance also offered information at tables. They included:

• Latino Leadership Northwest
• Betancourt Foundation
• Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber
• Southwest Washington LULAC, League of United Latin American Citizens
• We Are One America
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Washington
• Vancouver Public Schools
• Washington State University Vancouver
• Central Washington University

Connect with us

• In person: Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI). Diversity Center, Gaiser Hall 214
• Phone: 360-992-2292
• Email: diversity@clark.edu
• Website: https://www.clark.edu/campus-life/student-support/diversity-and-equity/

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley
View more photos on Flickr: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBLi4o

Art appreciators gathered to welcome artist Daniel Duford at the opening reception for his exhibit “American Underland” at Archer Gallery on October 1. The exhibit closes on December 20, so if you missed the reception, you still have time to visit this exhibit.

Duford chatted with guests, who included Clark students, staff, faculty, and community members.

He created all the exhibited work after his January 2024 residency at PLAYA in rural Summer Lake, Oregon, a land of open spaces and sagebrush at the edge of the Great Basin.

Standing in front of his painting Paisley Caves, he spoke about how spending a month in that landscape influenced his art. He spoke about walking across shallow, frozen lakes and taking in that landscape. He observed and said, “I took a ton of photos.”

Gallery Director’s Statement: I was initially drawn to Daniel Duford’s work because of his rich color palette and the unique mix of painting, drawing, and ceramics in his practice. I also appreciate how he combines landscape imagery with shamanistic and folkloric symbols to lead the viewer on a poetic journey—a deeper sense of time and space is brought to the forefront.

Our country is coming up on an election and, at times, the campaigns have felt shallow or short-sighted. In other words, the problems and solutions seem to have a four-year expiration date. This exhibit presents an alternative look at our country. The work on display depicts North American landscapes, characters, and stories that have long roots and deep time.

“That sense of time and change connects us to the larger, living world. That’s true deep time,” Duford says in an interview for Artsy.com. My hope is that this exhibit is both visually evocative for viewers and starts conversations around what it means to be American. Archer Gallery is excited to welcome this engaging political show that is refreshingly non-partisan just in time for the election.

American Underland events

•  Exhibition: September 16 – December 20
• Saturday reception: November 2, 1-4 p.m.
• Artist Talk: October 15, 1-2 p.m. (in person, PUB room 161)
• Virtual artist workshop: November 7, 1:30-3:30 p.m. Zoom: https://clark-edu.zoom.us/j/89432337559

Artist’s Statement about American Underland: The motifs filling these new works are the Janus head, coyotes, and processions. Janus is the Roman god of doorways, of endings and beginnings. The double-faced god presided over city gates marking times of war and peace. Old Man Coyote too has many faces. He is the Changeable One. Coyote the deity created death, the stars, and lots of chaos. His stories are bawdy, absurd, and alive with the electricity of a living landscape.

Coyote the animal has a complicated relationship to the United States’s history of Puritanical programs of extermination and persistent resilience. The procession is an image I’ve long been interested in. From Goya’s penitents to Courbet’s A Burial at Ornans, the procession can be solemn, grotesque, mocking, or an exuberant carnival.

Given the flowing energy of protest movements in the past several years, I see the image of the procession as an image of collective soul. I am more interested in the chthonic energies rumbling beneath the ground and lava flows animating the collective unconscious of the nation.

About the artist

Daniel Duford is an artist, writer, and teacher. His work tells stories drawn from North American history and mythology. He is a 2019 John Simon Guggenheim Fellow, a 2010 Hallie Ford Fellow, and a recipient of a 2012 Art Matters Grant. His murals and public art can be found throughout Portland. His books include John Brown’s Body, The Unfortunates Graphic Novel, The Naked Boy, and The Green Man of Portland. His work has been shown at MASS MoCA, The Atlanta Center for Contemporary Art, Maryhill Museum, Bellevue Arts Museum, Clay Studio, The Boise Art Museum, Museum of Contemporary Craft, PICA, and The Art Gym at Marylhurst University. Residencies include MacDowell, Crow’s Shadow Art Center, and Ash Street Project. His writing has appeared in High Desert Journal, Parabola, Artweek, ARTnews, The Emily Dickinson Award Anthology, The Organ, The Bear Deluxe, Ceramics Monthly, Ceramics: Technical and Ceramics: Art and Perception. His work has been reviewed by The New York Times, The Village Voice, New York Press, The Albany Times Union, The Oregonian, Sculpture Magazine, Art Papers, Artweek, The Willamette Week and The Portland Mercury. He is currently the Visiting Professor of Art at Reed College and Creative Director at Building Five in Portland, Oregon. Learn more here.

About Archer Gallery

Archer Gallery serves the students and community of Clark College by exhibiting contemporary art in a not-for-profit educational setting. In order to exhibit work that has a strong interest for an academic institution, the gallery brings work that fulfills at least one of the following criteria.

• Regionally, nationally, or internationally exhibiting professional artists
• Artwork that has a strong connection to new contemporary art concepts or methods
• Artwork that connects to Clark College Art Department curriculum and programs
• Works by artists with significant historical influence on contemporary art practices

https://www.clark.edu/campus-life/arts-events/archer

Photos: Clark College/Susan Parrish

Clark College faculty and staff gathered on September 16 to kick off the 2024-2025 academic year during Opening Day festivities at O’Connell Sports Center.

It was a homecoming of sorts. People greeted each other as they lined up at tables laden with gallons of coffee and hundreds of bagels for a breakfast hosted by iQ Credit Union. Staff and faculty gathered in small groups all over the gym to reconnect and catch up on their summer activities. Dozens got a new staff photo taken by Jenny Shadley from Communications and Marketing. During the celebration, several employees were honored with awards. Read more about the employee awards: https://news.clark.edu/2024/09/2024-employee-awards/

Welcome by Dr. Edwards

Dr. Edwards greeted faculty and staff in a message focused on the power of unity, with everyone working together and using the college’s Equity-Centered Strategic Plan as our roadmap. Next, a new Strategic Plan video was screened.

Speaking about unity, Dr. Edwards quoted Thomas Paine, an 18th-century political writer: “It’s not in numbers, but in unity, that our great strength lies.”

Following the theme of “unity,” Oswald, our beloved Penguin mascot, starred in a video that showed Degrundra “Dee” Harris from ODEI leading him around campus in search of components to build a special Opening Day surprise gift. (View the video: https://youtu.be/Ok2Q0T63LUA) The video concluded with real-life Oswald entering the gym with an ASCC leader and bearing his special gift. With an extra power boost from the clapping and cheering from the audience, Oswald pushed the button and launched a wall of confetti into the audience, who shrieked appreciatively.

Dr. Edwards thanked the Clark College Foundation for their partnership. Each year, the foundation awards $1.3 million in scholarships, special awards, and financial support to hundreds of our students, and contributes an average of $3.5 million annually to the college for programs and capital support.

She said, “This collaboration has been a pivotal component of our success over the last 50 years. Please join me in giving another heartfelt thank you to our partners at the Clark College Foundation.”

Dr. Edwards highlighted a dozen projects and programs including:

• An AI-powered chatbot will be added to our website to enhance user experience.
• Our new Associate of Applied Technology (AAT) degree in Surgical Technology has been approved.
• Our first building at Boschma Farms is nearly completed. General education classes will begin in Spring 2025. Our Advanced Manufacturing program is awaiting NWCUU approval.
• We currently have $13 million in grants and allocations including a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation to close opportunity gaps by providing cohort-based support and academic preparation program, faculty mentoring, and scholarships to 48 students pursuing associate degrees in Engineering or Computer Science.
• We have hired Caitlin Malvar as our Basic Needs Navigator, a new role supported by the state to provide a single point of contact for students seeking essential resources.
• We are preparing for accreditation for 2024-2025 under the leadership of Dr. Cecelia Martin.
• And much more!

ASCC President Gurraj Singh Dhami, pictured above, introduced this academic year’s student leaders. Then he spoke about his focus: To “ensure that every student has access to the resources and support they need to succeed. Each of us has unique obstacles, and it’s vital that we create an environment where every student feels supported, whether through financial aid, mental health resources, or extracurricular involvement. We all need that sense of community, and I’m committed to making sure no one feels left behind.”

Board of Trustees Chair Cristhian Canseco Juarez spoke about unity throughout the Clark community: the board of trustees, Dr. Edwards, Clark College Foundation, and faculty and staff across campus. He closed by saying, “Imagine what impact we can make this academic year as we work together in unity on behalf of our students and our college community. I am honored to work with you and to be part of Penguin Nation.”

Dr. Edwards closed Opening Day by saying: “Next week, we will welcome a new cohort of students who have put their trust in Clark College—and all of us collectively—to help them step onto a path toward success in their academic goals, their careers, and in life. I thank each of you for being a part of the Clark team doing this important work on behalf of our students. We have our equity-centered Strategic Plan as our road map in place. We have our team of good people in place. Now it’s time for us to focus on finding ways to work together—in Unity.”

Fall Faculty Focus

Opening Day is part of a multi-day orientation and training for faculty organized by the Clark College Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) to inspire, inform, and engage faculty to build community, learn, and grow in their teaching.

Fall Faculty Focus on September 17 welcomed faculty back for the new academic year. The theme was “Me, Myself, and AI.” The keynote speaker was Wilson Nitunga, pictured above, a professor of Business and Marketing at Portland Community College (PCC) who works with PCC’s Center of Artificial Intelligence and Cultural Computing. He shared his academic journey from refugee to at-risk student to faculty member. Then he shared instructional and relational strategies to develop the best possible support system for students, and innovative ways to use AI for enhanced teaching and learning.

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley and Susan Parrish
More photos from Opening Day can be viewed on Flickr: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBHKt8

Erin Jones shared her story, inspiring hundreds of Clark College employees who gathered in Gaiser Student Center for Staff Development Days on August 14.  

Jones, a teacher, speaker, and the author of “Bridge to Heal US: Stories and Strategies for Racial Healing” presented a two-hour Power, Privilege, and Inequity (PPI) address that counted as a college-wide PPI training.

Her engaging presentation was filled with sage insights, including these:

• “What you see is not at all my story. What you see is just a small part of who I am.”
• “My experiences are not better than yours. They’re just different.”
• “All great things start with courage.”
• “This journey of healing as a nation is complicated.”

She asked Clark College staff members to consider these two questions:

1. Why do you do what you do where you do it?
2. What are you doing to fill your cup right now? What are you doing to feed your soul?

Then she introduced three postures that are useful in her own daily interactions with others.

Posture 1: Practicing Gratitude

Erin writes in a gratitude journal daily—even when she has an overflowing schedule. She said it’s a discipline that has made a difference in her life and her attitude.

• “I practice gratitude every single day.”
• “Gratitude changes your brain chemistry. It creates a positive neural network.”
• “Gratitude is an equity practice for me.”
• “In your team meetings, consider starting with a moment of gratitude.”

Posture 2: Creating a Brave Space

She introduced this posture by saying, “The idea of creating a safe space is a fraud. I want to create a place that is safe enough for you to be brave.”

She asked, “What is brave going to look like for us?”

Then she answered her question like this:

• I commit to being vulnerable.
• I commit to no shame, blame, or guilt.
• When you mess up, ‘fess up.
• Be curious. Stay curious.

When she encounters someone who says something that contradicts her own beliefs, she asks herself: “Do I have something to say right now that’s going to make them feel better, or do I want to say something to shame them? Shame shuts us down.”

She led the attentive participants in an arm exercise that can serve as a useful reminder: “Let’s call each other in and up to the best version of ourselves, not down and out to shame.”

Posture 3: Pausing or Breathing Before You Speak

When you find yourself in a challenging space, she suggested that BEFORE you speak or act, it is helpful to pause, take a deep breath, and count backwards from 10 to 1, preferably in a language that is not your native language. That will force you to take your time before you respond.

She reminded people to choose their words carefully: “Your words have the power to build or destroy.”

Learn more about Erin Jones

• Visit Erin’s website: https://www.erinjonesdreams.com/
• View her 2021 TED Talk, “Bridges to Heal US”: https://www.ted.com/talks/erin_jones_bridges_to_heal_us
• Buy her book, “Bridges to Heal US,” for a discounted rate at the Clark College Bookstore.

Hundreds of Clark College staff spent two days learning together during the tenth annual Staff Development Days on August 13 and 14.

The event, chock full of professional development training, allows staff time to connect with other staff on campus, learn valuable skills, and share department information. Six breakout sessions offered three dozen professional development opportunities focused on a variety of topics. This year’s workshops included a supervisor training series, mini-learning sessions, opportunities for department meetings, and time for individuals to complete Higher Ed Works online training.

In her welcome to staff, Clark College President Dr. Karin Edwards quoted educator, Rudine Sims Bishop: “Mirrors allow you to see your own experiences, windows to see others,’ and sliding glass doors to enter other worlds.” Dr. Edwards added: “Over the next two days, there may be many mirrors, windows, and doors for you to explore, learn, and grow.”

Keynote Speaker on Building Community

Clark College Foundation CEO Calen Ouellette, pictured above, presented Tuesday’s keynote, “The Community We Build.” Calen focused on three key terms: Engagement, empowerment, and collaboration, and posed a reflective question for each term.

• Engagement: What specific actions can you take to make your colleagues feel more engaged and valued in the workplace?
• Empowerment: How can you empower team members to take the initiative and feel confident in their roles?
• Collaboration: What steps can you take to foster better collaboration and communication within your team and across teams at Clark?

The following day, Erin Jones presented “Building Bridges with Others.” Read more about her presentation: ppi-guest-speaker-at-staff-development-days

Many Departments Participated

Departments presenting sessions included Accounting Services; Career Services; Clark College Foundation; Communications and Marketing (pictured above); Counseling and Health Center; Disability Support Services; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Event Services; Facilities Services; Fine Arts; Human Resources; IT-Network Services; Information Technology Services; Payroll; Planning and Effectiveness; Purchasing; Student Affairs; Teaching & Learning Center; Veterans Center of Excellence; and more.

Sessions addressed burnout prevention, conflict management, time block planning, and unlocking the power of data.

Some sessions focused on how best to assist others in our community.

• Bellamy Holt from Entry Services taught” Etiquette to a T: Treating Trans Folks with Courtesy.” Bellamy provided vocabulary terms for allies and cis individuals to use and gave examples of how to politely ask for someone’s pronouns, and how to avoid misgendering people.
• Tre Sandlin from the Teaching and Learning Center taught “Accessibility: Headings and Alternative Text.” Participants learned how headings enable folks who use assistive technology and how to use them to improve the navigability of their content. Teams of participants viewed images and discussed how to write alt text for different lenses.
• Valentina Pishchanskaya-Cayanan from the Counseling & Health Center presented “Understanding the Ukrainian Student Experience.” She emigrated from Ukraine as a child and still has family in Ukraine. She shared a deeper understanding of the Ukrainian culture, various challenges that new arrivals from Ukraine are experiencing, and how folks can best support our Ukrainian students.

There was time for fun and relaxation, too.

• Courtney Braddock from Accounting Services taught a lively line dance workshop to get staffers’ minds and bodies moving to a variety of music.
• Jenny Shadley from Communications/Marketing led a “Creative Mindfulness” workshop to encourage participants to experiment using creative practices to be more present. After a guided meditation and a creative prompt, participants had an opportunity to take a short walk on campus and either take a photo or write a poem.
• Shelley Williams from the Fine Arts division led two hands-on jigsaw puzzle competitions. While teams worked together to complete a puzzle, Shelly shared about how engaging in hobbies can help employees find a healthy work-life balance. The winning team received Symphony chocolate bars.

Many thanks to the staff who organized Staff Development Days: Andra Spencer, Vanessa Bural, Alyssa Montminy, Carolyn Stark, De’Gundrea Harris, Donna Larson, Haley Tucker, Lindsey Schuhmacher, Maggie Li, Michelle Golder, Sandra Bush, and Wendé Fisher.

Thanks also to instructors, staff, and students from McClaskey Culinary Institute for providing delicious box lunches on both days and to the bookstore for providing free ice cream treats.

“The members of our planning team are so pleased with this year’s Staff Development Days,” said Andra Spencer, who works in the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. “We saw the excitedness of staff members connecting across departments. When we gathered together in Gaiser Student Center, the energy was palpable. What a positive start to our 2024-2025 academic year.” Continue Your Professional Development Journey

For those who want to continue their learning journey, attendees can reflect on their conference experience and share feedback with the Staff Development Days planning team. Here’s how you can stay engaged:

• Review session materials: Access presentation slides and other valuable resources from the conference: Presenter Files
• Share your feedback: Your thoughts are crucial for improving future professional development events. Please fill out our feedback survey: https://bit.ly/SDD-24-feedback

“We hope these resources will help you build on the insights gained and continue your professional journey.” —Staff Development Days planning team

Photos: Clark College/Susan Parrish