International students make new friends in the International Student Lounge on the first day of fall quarter. Fall 2013 marks record enrollment for International Programs.

On Monday, September 23, Clark College opened the doors for its 2013-2014 academic year. The college welcomed 13,373 students on opening day, down slightly from fall 2012, when the college welcomed 13,927 students.

The start of fall quarter is always a time of new beginnings at the college, but this year is seeing a number of changes to the way the college enhances student learning. Some highlights:

• Expanded hours at CTC: For the first time, Clark College at Columbia Tech Center will be open for credit classes on Fridays. The expanded schedule will make it easier for residents of East Vancouver to complete their degrees entirely at CTC, without traveling to take classes on Clark’s main campus.
• Expansion into the Gorge: In response to demand from local businesses and residents, Clark College is offering college-level classes to the communities of the Columbia River Gorge through its new satellite location in the Wind River Education Center in Carson. Until now, residents had to travel 20 miles or more to attend the nearest community college—and that college is located out of state, in Oregon.
• New Phlebotomy program: Clark College has redesigned its Phlebotomy certification program and relocated it to specially configured classrooms and labs on the campus of Washington State University Vancouver in the college’s health care instruction building, which also houses the college’s Nursing and Pharmacy Technician programs.
• Bachelor’s degrees in Health Informatics : Clark College and Bellevue College have signed an articulation agreement that allows students at Clark to earn a bachelor’s degree in Health Informatics Information Technology (HIIT) from Bellevue through online and remote classes—without leaving the Clark College campus. “In our ongoing conversations with regional employers, we realized there was a need for Health Informatics Information Technology professionals and responded quickly to that need, but we also realized that there would be a need for students to take their education to the next level,” said Debra Ortiz, director of allied health programs at Clark College.
• Record number of Running Start and international students: Clark expects to see more than 1,770 students enrolled in Washington state’s popular Running Start program, which allows high school students to earn college credit for little or no cost. This number is a 5-percent increase over last year’s Running Start enrollment. Meanwhile, Clark is also seeing a record number of international students at the college this year. A total of 103 students from 31 different countries are attending the college this quarter.
• Mechatronics offers evening classes: Clark College’s state-of-the-art Mechatronics program will begin offering evening course, allowing workers to retrain for modern industrial jobs without leaving their current positions. This expansion is designed to boost the region’s economy; it was prompted by local businesses who wanted more opportunities to retrain their employees.
  

  Food carts make their debut on campus.

• New food carts serve campus while Culinary Arts program is on hiatus: Clark is discontinuing its Culinary Arts – Food program while it launches an ambitious new redesign of the program that will make it more responsive to modern culinary trends. Three privately owned food carts are supplying food service to the college while the program is overhauled. The college’s widely respected Culinary Arts – Bakery program will continue operating during this time.
• Water-bottle filling stations: Students and college administration have worked together to help preserve the environment by setting up water-bottle filling stations around the main campus, thereby reducing the number of disposable plastic water bottles bought and discarded at the college.

After the office of instruction showed their music video “Rock of All Ages” a flash mob started at the front of the gym. The flash mob enticed members of staff, faculty, students and even members of the Clark College board of trustees to get up and dance.

On September 11, Clark College employees gathered in the O’Connell Sports Center gymnasium to kick off another academic year. Opening Day festivities are an annual tradition at the college, a time to recognize employees’ accomplishments and to reinvigorate the college community for the coming year.

This year, the day began on a more somber note than normal, as President Bob Knight took a moment to acknowledge that Opening Day happened to fall on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. He noted that he had been in the O’Connell gym 12 years ago, playing an early-morning game of basketball, when he first learned of the attacks. Knight then asked the gathered crowd to hold a moment of silence in memory of the victims of September 11.

Knight then mapped out some of the challenges and changes the college would face in the coming year. He noted that after years of skyrocketing enrollments, numbers are starting to slip downward again, requiring staff in many departments to focus on recruitment and retention. The college is also gearing up to adopt ctcLink, a new collection of online systems being phased into use at all 34 Washington state community and technical colleges. And while the 3-percent pay cut that affected most college employees has ended, the college is still facing some budget difficulties, partly due to decreased enrollment and partly due to being underfunding by the state. For instance, the college’s new STEM Building was funded by the state–but at $4.5 million less than originally planned.

“I am confident that you will face these challenges and overcome them, just as well as you have done in the past,” Knight said, adding that the college would continue to rely on private support gathered by the Clark College Foundation, which is ending its $20 million Ensuring a Bright Future campaign next June.

Associate Vice President for Planning and Effectiveness Shanda Diehl spoke about another upcoming challenge: crafting the college’s 2015-2020 Strategic Plan. “Since we will use the strategic plan as a tool to make decisions, we need all of your feedback during its development,” she said, mapping out how that would take place.

But along with the talk of challenges and policies, there was also time for fun and high jinks. Traditionally, Opening Day includes a music video about the college, and this year it fell to the Office of Instruction to create the video. Titled “Rock of All Ages,” it drew cheers and laughter from the gathered employees–and, afterward, sparked an impromptu dance party that lured to the floor faculty, staff, Student Ambassadors, and even the three trustees in attendance.

Clark President Robert K. Knight presents French professor Doug Mrazrek with an award for 35 years of service to Clark College.

The event also was occasion for President Knight to award Presidential Coins to five employees, and for Human Resources to announce the recipients of the 2013 Exceptional Classified Staff Awards and to present service-anniversary awards to employees who had worked at the college for five, ten, 15, 20, 25, and 30 years. One employee, French professor Doug Mrazrek, received an award for 35 years at the college–as well as a standing ovation from the crowd. The event was also an opportunity to present plaques to the recipients of the 2012-2013 Exceptional Faculty Awards, whose names were officially announced during Commencement.

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

EDITED 9/30/13 to correct end date of Foundation campaign.

Student-athlete volunteers at the 2013 Penguin Nation Charity Golf Tournament with Athletics Secretary Senior Marla Derrick, second from left.

More than 120 golfers converged on Royal Oaks Country Club for an afternoon of fun on the links in support of Clark athletics in late August during the Penguin Nation Charity Golf Tournament. The winning team—finishing 12 under par with a score of 60—was led by Quail Construction owner Jon Girod and his son, Jai, who plays for Clark’s baseball team.

More than 120 golfers participated in the 2013 Penguin Nation Charity Golf Tournament.

There were a variety of contests during the game to keep it fun and competitive. The men’s longest-drive winner was Mick Hoffman; women’s longest-drive went to Jeanne Caswell. Scott Munn won the closest-to-the-pin contest by coming within 13 inches of the cup.

From the moment the golfers were greeted at their vehicles by Clark’s soccer teams, to dinner with volleyball and baseball players and track-and-field athletes, the participants learned how much Clark’s student athletes and coaches appreciated their support.

Royal Oaks and its membership graciously welcomed the players to its beautiful, tree-lined course for the annual Penguin Charity Golf event. Premier sponsors included Wacom, US Bank, Homewood Suites, Sterling Bank, Adidas and Columbia Credit Union.

Vice President of Administrative Services Bob Williamson, left, and Vice President of Student Affairs Bill Belden get ready to hit the links.

Additionally, tee sponsors included Clark College Bookstore, Biggs Insurance, The Blind Onion Pizza, NY Life, Keil Enterprises, First Pacific Associates, Exercise Equipment NW, Residence Inn, and Moss Adams. The hole-in-one car sponsor, Dick Hannah Kia, provided a silver Optima on the course.

No holes-in-one were made, but funds were raised in support of Clark’s student athletes to ensure their bright futures through scholarships, high-quality education and facilities.

Story submitted by Rhonda Morin and Vivian Cheadle-Manning
Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Faculty volunteer Carole Makewich helps student Tamika Taylor shop for textbooks.

For Alex Adrian, the thing he’s looking forward to most about taking classes at Clark College is something he won’t be doing–namely, rote vocabulary quizzes.

“I would finish them in, like, half the time provided,” said the Hudson’s Bay High School student. “It was really boring.”

Alex was one of 214 Running Start students to attend the Clark College Bookstore’s Running Start Open House on August 27. Running Start is a Washington state program that allows qualified high school students to take community college classes for credit during their junior and senior years, potentially earning an associate degree while still in high school.

Father-and-son duo Peter and Alex Adrian were getting ready for Alex’s first year at Clark by attending the Running Start Open House.

“It’s such a great opportunity, especially for bright kids like Alex,” said Alex’s father, Peter Adrian, who had brought his son to the open house to shop for textbooks. Peter added that, with two younger children at home, the opportunity to save on college tuition for Alex was also appealing. Running Start tuition is significantly lower than standard college tuition.

Some 1,771 Running Start students are expected to attend Clark during the 2013-2014 academic year–a record number. Each year, the Bookstore hosts an open house before fall quarter begins so that students and their parents can become familiar with college systems, including Tutoring Services, Clark College Libraries, and ASCC (student government). Additionally, Bookstore staff set up informational stations where visitors could learn about how to best use the Bookstore’s services.

“This is a three-quarter textbook,” Bookstore employee Ali Hallenbeck told a small crowd gathered at the “Affordable Textbook Options” station as she held up a massive, hardback tome with Japanese writing on it. “If you’re only taking one quarter of the language, it’s probably cheaper to buy this,” she added, holding up a thinner, soft-cover workbook.

“The main reason for the open house is to give students a chance to visit the bookstore and learn about how to find out what books and supplies will be needed for their classes,” said Bookstore Secretary Senior Leah Skeen, who organizes the event every year. “Students are taught how to use the book list and supply list. The secondary purpose for the event is to provide a fun, inviting atmosphere to welcome the students to Clark, help them feel comfortable starting a new school, and let them know the resources available to them. The open house is a time to build relationships and let students know were here for them. Hopefully, after attending the event, they feel more confident and prepared for their first day of class at Clark.”

Bookstore buyer Kaina Barba helps students out at the technology desk.

It seemed to be working for Fort Vancouver High School student Tamika Taylor. She decided to enroll in Running Start to accelerate her ability to join the U.S. Navy, where she hopes to become a cryptology technician, a field that appeals to both her love of math and her sense of tradition; both her grandfather and father served in the military. When asked what she was looking forward to most about her time at Clark, she unhesitatingly answered, “Math class.”

And did she feel at all nervous about taking on the challenge of college while still in high school? Taylor looked around the Bookstore for a second, then smiled and said, “Not really, no.”

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Fall quarter starts for most students on September 23, but Clark’s student athletes began their year on Saturday, August 10. That’s when the Athletic Department hosted an orientation session for 70 first-year student athletes.

The student athletes met with advisors and registration staff, but also learned about being a Penguin—and specifically, an athletic Penguin—by hearing the history of the athletics program as well as getting information about study resources, social media, and NWAACC.

“Our Student-Athlete Orientation introduces our freshmen and transfers to key people across campus and gives them the tools to begin successful careers at Clark,” said Charles Guthrie, Director of Athletics. “Of the 70 students who attended, we had an estimated 20 student athletes who are first-generation, and these types of events are vital to seeing them succeed.”

Clark’s fall sports include men’s and women’s soccer, cross country, and volleyball. Visit clarkpenguins.com to see an updated schedule of athletic events.

Photo: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Clark College is hosting two major community events this coming weekend that may affect access to the main campus. Read below for information about how to plan around the events if you were expecting to be on campus this weekend—or why you might want to come, even if you weren’t.

COUVAPALOOZA – SATURDAY, AUGUST 17

What it is: Now in its second year, Couvapalooza is a daylong, all-ages music festival benefiting local music-education programs, including Clark’s.

How it affects Penguins: The event takes place 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on the South Lawn in front of McLoughlin Blvd. Setup will begin on Friday, August 16. Classes will continue as scheduled. However, the event has rented all the Red lots and Blue Lot 1, so they will be unavailable to the college community. Also, expect some noise—these are rock bands, after all.

Why you might want to go: Besides the fact that some of the proceeds will go toward Clark’s own music program, the event is boasting a well-known band as its headliner: Everclear, performers of modern-rock radio staples like “Santa Monica,” “I Will Buy You a New Life,” and “Everything to Everyone.” Other acts include Santa Barbara rock band Winchester Rebels, Seattle-based alternative country singer Dylan Jakobsen, and Dallas artist Remington. A total of 16 bands are scheduled to perform including local favorites Smoochknob, One From Many, Foreign Talks, Seth Myzel and the Battle Ground High School Advanced Jazz Band. A beer and wine garden managed by Northwest Battle Buddies will be available for attendees 21 and up. Activities for children will be available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., including a music wall, balloon animals and face painting. The festival will also feature local art, craft and food vendors.

SUNDAY STREETS ALIVE – SUNDAY, AUGUST 18

What it is: Sunday Streets Alive is Clark County’s first open street event, in which several streets in Vancouver will be closed to traffic so that pedestrians, bicyclists, and others can travel between six activity areas, one of which is located on the southwest side of the main campus.

How it affects Penguins: McLoughlin is one of the roads closed to traffic (visit the official event website for a complete map of the route). Parking in the Red lots, as well as the restrooms in O’Connell Sports Center, will be open to participants, so expect more activity than normal in those areas. The event lasts 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Other college events will continue as scheduled.

Why you might want to go: The 4.2-mile route winds through downtown, Fort Vancouver, and up past Clark College and Uptown Village. Each of the six activity areas boasts food, vendors, entertainment, and fun activities. Clark is actively participating in this event—in fact, the college is still looking for volunteers, so contact Michelle Golder at mgolder@clark.edu as soon as possible if you’d like to help out—with information tables for Admissions, Financial Aid, Veterans Programs, Career Services, and N.E.R.D. Girls. College personnel are also leading activities and demonstrations that include hiking, zumba, line dancing, t’ai chi, cooking, and a basketball competition.

Left to right, George Welsh and President Bob Knight congratulate Outstanding Alumni Award recipient Professor Michael Greenwood.

Clark College’s alumni association celebrated connections and camaraderie at the annual Alumni Student Dinner on June 4.

Students and alumni gathered to honor Outstanding Alumni Award recipient Professor Michael Greenwood ’61, who taught mathematics at Clark for more than 30 years. He played a role in taking Clark and Washington State University Vancouver global when he taught at Krasnoyarsk State University in Russia on a Fulbright Award.

More than 120 students and alumni exchanged business cards and laughs over dinner, which was partially underwritten by community partner Riverview Community Bank.

The alumni association also gave two, $2,000 scholarships to Clark students Ashton Kyllo and Natalie Hendren. The awards were given to the students by a previous recipient, Rebecca Zeff, who is finishing her degree at WSUV and plans to attend medical school following graduation.

George Welsh ’67, alumni association president, said that bringing together alumni and students is a great opportunity to support each other.

“The students hear what is happening in our community from alumni, and the alumni are reminded of their own days at Clark, which helped begin many career paths,” Welsh said. “Clark is a special place and this event helps all of us stay connected.”

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Shantell Martin’s digital drawing performance with Clark College jazz musicians Max Wike, David Floratos and James Powers in the Archer Gallery.

Visual artist Shantell Martin’s free-form drawings and live-animation performances have been featured in such vaunted venues as the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the New York Times, the enormous screens at Shibuya and Harajuku crossings in Tokyo–and, for more than a week, at Clark College.

Martin visited Clark as part of the college’s Artist Residency program, which hosts an artist-in-residence once a year as part of the larger Clark Art Talks program. She is probably the most prominent artist yet to participate in the residency.

“We read about her in the New York Times and contacted her, even though we did’’t think she would do an artist’s residency at Clark College,” said art professor Carson Legree. “Her visit was amazing.”

During her residency from April 26 to May 7, Martin visited numerous classes including Drawing, 2-D Design, 3-D Design, Graphic Design Exploration, Watercolor, Photography, Ceramics, and Creativity and Concept. She also gave a slideshow lecture as part of the Clark Art Talks series on May 7 and provided digital animation during a performance with three Clark jazz students in Archer Gallery on May 8. She created large-scale drawings that hung in the lobby of Foster Arts Center during much of her stay.

“Her classroom visits were filled with personal autobiography and a celebration of individuality,” said art professor Senseny Stokes. “She worked with hundreds of our students, who were inspired by her work and personal history–and charmed by her approachable, laid-back manor.”

Clark College artist-in-residence Shantell Martin displays her work in the Frost Arts lobby.

Martin, who has said in interviews that much of her artistic perspective is informed by growing up as the only interracial child in her otherwise white family in London, has made a name for herself with her playful line drawings that reflect a celebration of independence. She also frequently provides live animation or light shows to accompany music in settings ranging from museums to the mega-clubs of Japan and Russia. She has been featured on CNN, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and the television show Gossip Girl. Martin has collaborated with celebrity photographers and brands alike; her notable work includes a project with celebrity photographer Nigel Barker, where she created digital sets for a 10-page Tatler Asia editorial with supermodel Christina Garcia. In February 2012, she was one of four artists commissioned by Nike iD to make a piece of work and a limited-edition shoe to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Nike Cortez.

“We didn’t think there was much of a chance that an artist with this much commercial success or international acclaim would do a residency here at Clark College, but we were honored and thrilled when she accepted our invitation,” said Stokes, who called Martins’ collaboration with the jazz students “one of the coolest things that ever happened at Clark College.”

“I’ve had a really nice time coming in every day, just drawing and coming into classes, meeting students and teachers,” said Martin in a video interview. “It’s kind of nice to come in and do the drawing and the stuff that I’m comfortable with, but also have the chance to experiment alongside young students here.”

Clark Art Talks is an ASCC-sponsored program that includes an evening lecture series, classroom workshops, and the annual Artist Residency. Organized by the Art Department, it is now completing its fourth year at the college and its second year as an official ASCC program.

See photos from Shantell Martin’s stay at Clark.

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Portland Taiko drummers perform.

Friendship, like all living things, requires regular tending to keep it thriving. And Clark College’s 2013 Sakura Festival did just that, strengthening the bonds of friendship that led to Clark receiving a gift of 100 shirofugen cherry trees from John Kageyama, president of America Kotobuki.

Clark College President Robert K. Knight, John Kageyama, President of America Kotobuki Electronics, Inc., and Tim Leavitt, Mayor of Vancouver.

Kageyama was present at the opening ceremony for the festival, held April 18. He expressed joy in seeing the trees he had donated in 1990 now mature and blossoming. “At the time, I didn’t realized how beautiful these trees would grow,” he said during his speech to the crowd that gathered under gray but rainless clouds.

Other dignitaries who spoke during the ceremony included Clark College President Bob Knight; Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt; Tatsuo Ito, Executive Vice President of SEH America Inc.; and Toshiharu Okuda of the Kyoto Prefecture Assembly. Joyo, Vancouver’s sister city in Japan, is located within Kyoto Prefecture.

Maho Muto, in red kimono, was the first recipient of the Dr. Kanagawa scholarship.

The ceremony took place next to the Royce E. Pollard Japanese Friendship Garden, yet another gift of friendship cementing the ties between Vancouver and Japan. The garden was a gift to the city of Vancouver from Dr. Chihiro Kanagawa. During its dedication at the 2012 Sakura Festival, President Knight announced the Dr. Kanagawa Scholarship providing full tuition and fees to Clark College for one academic year to an international student from Japan.

Maho Muto, the first recipient of the scholarship, also spoke during the ceremony. Clad in a traditional kimono, she expressed her thanks for the opportunity to study at Clark. “I feel like I have a big, big family in Vancouver, Washington,” she said. “You have made me so happy to have the opportunity to study here and I am thankful for so many people’s support.”

Before the ceremony, Yukiko Vossen performed on the koto, the national instrument of Japan, with flute accompaniment. The ceremony ended with a performance by the Clark College Women’s Choral Ensemble under the direction of music professor April Duvic. President Knight concluded his remarks by saying, “As we celebrate the beauty of our flowering cherry trees, let us also take a moment to celebrate the friendships that have brought us here today. May they too continue to bloom and flourish for years to come.”

After the formal ceremony, guests walked to Gaiser Student Center to enjoy cultural displays and activities hosted by Vancouver Rotary, the Clark College Japanese Club, International Programs, and the Anime and Manga Club. Onstage entertainment included a demonstration of a formal Japanese tea ceremony and a lively performance by the Portland Taiko drummers.

Michiyo Okuhara, Japanese professor, second from the left, with her students.

Newly tenured Japanese professor Michiyo Okuhara, who serves on the Sakura Committee, circulated among her students and among the children from Child & Family Studies who were attending the festival. “For our program, it’s a wonderful way to have community members come to Clark and get to appreciate the friendship we have with Japan,” she said. “I’m from Japan, and so when people understand Japanese culture, it’s wonderful for me both on a personal level and as a Japanese teacher.”

See more photos from the event on Clark’s Flickr site.

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Ray Korpi signs the READ poster he is featured on, left, while Michelle Bagley, Dean of Libraries, eLearning, Tutoring and Faculty Development and Dr. Tim Cook, Vice President of Instruction look on.

The Clark College Libraries (Cannell Library and the Information Commons at CTC) participated in Washington Libraries Snapshot Day on April 17. This statewide project seeks to illustrate the importance of libraries for Washington’s citizens by collecting statistics, stories and photographs during National Library Week.

The highlight of the event was the unveiling of 10 READ posters featuring members of the Clark College community and their favorite books.

Clark College student Samantha McClure was selected as the student model through a contest the Libraries ran during winter quarter. Current Clark students were invited to enter the contest by filling out a form with the title of their favorite book and why they chose the book. Students submitted entries either in person at one of the libraries or posting it on the Clark College Libraries Facebook page. Samantha chose No Man’s Land by Ruth Fowler because, she said, “it presents a fascinating alternative for female reality in our modern day era where so much of human experience is represented in a very singular way.”

Other college community members featured in campaign were President Bob Knight and Oswald; Student Life Program Coordinator Sami Lelo; Athletics Director Charles Guthrie; Maintenance Mechanic Billie Garner; Physics Professor Dick Shamrell; Satellite Campus Building Administrator Randy Blakely; Dean of BEECH Ray Korpi; Diversity Center Staff Sirius Bonner, Rosalba Pitkin and Felis Peralta; and Security Officer Damon Grady.

The posters were on exhibit at Cannell and the iCommons through the month of April. Additional copies are posted around Clark’s main campus.

Wednesday’s 2,200 visitors to the Libraries were asked to envision the library of 2020. Suggestions included: “free coffee,” “more books,” “24-hour library,” “more computers,” “more study space,” and “books downloaded into our brains.”

See photos from the day on the Libraries’ Facebook page and on Clark’s Flickr site.

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley