HIIT student Rachel Cribben says the ability to pursue a bachelor’s degree without leaving her home in Vancouver is “extremely important” to her success in the program.

In a move that will provide residents of Southwest Washington with the opportunity to train for high-paying jobs in a rapidly expanding field, 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. “This is a great opportunity for students to stay here in the region and get a bachelor’s degree in a rapidly growing field.”

Health Informatics is the science of managing electronic health records and coordinating the computer information systems used by hospitals, clinics, insurance companies, and health care professionals. HIIT professionals work in customizing software for large health care institutions, as well as in data analysis, training clinicians on how to use computer systems, database management, and many other related fields. Demand for these skilled professionals is increasing as more and more health care organizations switch to electronic records-keeping, and as the graying Baby Boomers spur an increase in demand for health care. Indeed, the Bureau for Labor Statistics predicts that demand for HIIT specialists will increase by 21 percent between 2010 and 2020—a rate that’s 50 percent higher than average job growth in all fields.

Clark introduced its HIIT program in winter 2012 in response to regional workforce needs. From the beginning, the program was designed to allow graduates to transfer to four-year institutions, including the Oregon Institute of Technology. However, this new agreement with Bellevue College allows students to continue paying in-state tuition while pursuing their Bachelor of Science degree; because the classes are offered online or remotely, the agreement also allows students to complete their four-year degree without leaving Vancouver.

“We’re thrilled to have this opportunity to collaborate with our colleagues at Clark so that we can offer students convenient access to our online courses,” said Dr. Pamela Charney, program chair of Healthcare Information Technology & Management at Bellevue. “This will give students from Clark a clear pathway to professional success in the exciting new arena of healthcare IT.”

Rachel Cribben is one of those students. Cribben, 27, earned a certificate for medical billing and coding shortly after graduating from high school. But after she and her husband separated in 2011, she realized that she would need to get a degree to be able to support her two daughters, ages 3 and 5. Her mother, who works at Clark, told her about the HIIT program.

Cribben says HIIT is a good fit for her personality and interests. “I like the healthcare field, but I’m more of a behind-the-scenes kind of person,” she says, adding that she hopes to find a job in a hospital’s information technology department and eventually manage her own team of specialists there.

Cribben says the material has at times been challenging. “I’m taking Intro to Local Area Networks right now, and I opened up the textbook and saw all these pictures of wires and diagrams and thought, ‘How am I going to learn this?'” she says. “But then I saw a picture of a [network interface card] and I recognized it from when my brother built my computer. I realized I actually knew what it was already, and it made me think, ‘OK, I can do this.'”

Cribben plans to earn her associate degree from Clark in 2016 and her bachelor’s degree through the Bellevue partnership a year after that. For her, the ability to be able to complete her degree without relocating–and primarily through online classes, so that she can continue to care for her children while being a full-time student–is crucial to her success in the program.

“It’s extremely important,” she says. “I want to do this, and I want to do it well. I want to show my girls that you can do anything that you put your mind to.”

Photo: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Members of Clark’s Phi Theta Kappa chapter, Alpha Sigma Phi, hand out CollegeFish goodies at the Involvement Fair to increase awareness in the program.

As tuition at many four-year institutions continues to soar, many students have realized the value of spending their first two years of college at a community college. New studies show that the majority of community college graduates who go on to four-year colleges do so successfully, and the economic advantages of the “2+2” plan have been publicized in the media for years.

But while many students enter Clark confident in their transfer plans, they sometimes begin to feel lost or overwhelmed at some point in the process. After all, aren’t they supposed to be focusing on their time at Clark, taking in all the school has to offer? Well, yes—but early planning is critical to transferring successfully.

So where does a student even start? There are a number of resources available to students: Advising Services, the Career Center, our WSU Vancouver Transfer Coordinator, and so on. And this fall quarter, a brand-new tool will be available for Clark students who have indicated they intend to eventually transfer.

CollegeFish.org is a free database and transfer-planning tool for community college students that’s been developed and maintained by Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), the honor society for two-year colleges. CollegeFish was originally developed for members of PTK to use in their planning; however, through a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grant, PTK was given the opportunity to refine the tool and open access to all students in specific pilot states.

Clark College is one of several colleges in Washington that are partnering with PTK to roll out CollegeFish access. CollegeFish allows students to create a personalized profile of their transfer institution preferences–size, location, major, and cost–and provides recommended transfer matches based on those preferences. CollegeFish also creates a Transfer Success Plan for students, so they can customize their higher education journey and manage it to stay on track. Lastly, when students access CollegeFish.org, they have the opportunity to search for more than $37 million in transfer scholarships.

Clark PTK advisor Melissa Sinclair says that staff and faculty will soon receive an email with some basic information about CollegeFish.org, as well as an invitation to a training session to learn more about the website’s functionality. Eligible students will receive an email in October alerting them to the resource.

Photo: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

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

Concert Choir performing at Union Square, directed by Pavel Kovalenko, student director.

Eighty-eight members of the Clark College Concert Band and Concert Choir represented Clark College by performing in San Francisco, California, the week after spring quarter ended. The tour and performances culminated a year of concerts presented by these two Clark College music groups.

During the trip, which occurred June 23-26, the groups performed two concerts together, followed by individual choral and band workshops taught by nationally recognized conductors. One performance was service-related: The groups gave a free concert at the San Francisco Veterans Administration Community Living Center. It was a moving experience for the students. Following the performance, student Jessica Banks called it “amazing” and “a beautiful experience.”

The second performance served a public-relations function: This free concert at Union Square promoted Clark College’s excellence and drew a large crowd that responded with enthusiasm to the students’ skill and talent.

The Band and Choir each had opportunities to be rehearsed by notable music educator/conductors. The Concert Choir worked with world-renowned conductor Elena Sharkova of the Symphony Silicon Valley; students came away from the experience edified and validated for their work and passion for singing. Choir member Isabelle Wilson said afterward, “I am leaving San Francisco amazed and coming home so inspired. Not only by our performances this week, but the heart and talent and laughter that went along with it. This was a weekend I won’t forget because of my Concert Choir family. I was inspired after working with Elena Sharkova, and I am inspired by all of you. Thank you for making my year.”

The Concert Band worked with Charles R. Barrett at San Francisco State University, taking away new skills and insights to performing that will benefit them technically and musically.

Both groups attended a professional chamber music concert at the Davies Symphony Hall, which for many of the students was a new experience. Band director Rich Inouye commented, “This tour really represents the comprehensive education we try to provide at Clark. It was the perfect balance of culture, education, and performance, and the students really had a great experience.”

Photo: courtesy of April Duvic

Roger Hinshaw, Bank of America’s president in Oregon and Southwest Washington, and Monique Barton, senior VP of corporate social responsibility, at the bank’s offices in Portland. In July, they presented a $15,000 gift for Clark College’s Volunteer & Service-Learning program.

Bank of America has donated $15,000 to Clark College’s Volunteer & Service-Learning program to prepare more than 1,000 students with valuable on-the-job training. The funding will assist with community partnerships and program expenses.

The Volunteer & Service-Learning program places students in more than 100 community nonprofits and governmental organizations, including American Red Cross, Boys and Girls Clubs, Columbia Springs, Habitat Store, and Hazel Dell Community Garden. Students receive experience that promotes their personal growth and contributes to their understanding of course material.

For example, Clark students have volunteered to build homes with Evergreen Habitat for Humanity; students taking Spanish have read bilingual versions of children’s books at local elementary schools as a service-learning component of their classes. These experiences not only enrich the students’ education, they can give students the real-world work experience that can lead to paying jobs.

The Bank of America grant will boost the resources for such major events as Career Days, which needs more than 100 volunteers to operate successfully. It will also allow the program to offer more service-learning opportunities; elevate awareness of career- and service-learning; and finalize new relationships with local businesses. Additionally, Bank of America employees will volunteer their own time to participate in Career Days and to educate students about personal finance.

Clark College President Robert K. Knight said the college’s primary goal is to improve the rate of post-secondary completion. “As a result of the alignment with Bank of America, Clark anticipates students will receive high-quality work history experiences—particularly for students with little or no previous work experience—through service learning and community engagement experiences, and opportunities for civic and community engagement, career exploration, life and soft-skill development,” he said.

“Providing grants to local nonprofit organizations that support career readiness is part of Bank of America’s broader effort to help create economically vibrant communities,” said Roger Hinshaw, Bank of America’s president in Oregon and Southwest Washington. “As part of that, we’re proud to support Clark College’s Career Service-Learning Program, which helps prepare college students to enter the workforce and, in turn, support our local economy.”

Clark’s Career Services department, which oversees the Volunteer & Service-Learning program, has a history of aligning college classroom learning with current community needs; promoting personal growth of college students through reflection about self, society and the future; combining experiential with academic instruction to focus on critical thinking and civic responsibility; and organizing on- and off-campus events that provide quality service opportunities for Clark College students, faculty and staff.

Presidential Scholarship recipient Ramona Vercher at Clark College’s 2013 Commencement.

Every last Sunday of the month, the Vercher family holds a big dinner for all its many members: Donnie and Louise Vercher, their nine children, 14 grandchildren, and assorted in-laws, relatives, and friends. The family would have plenty to celebrate at their June dinner: Ramona Vercher, the second-youngest of the Vercher children, was named the recipient of the 2013-14 Community College President’s Award. The annual scholarship is given to a Clark College graduate who is transferring to a Washington State University Vancouver degree program; it provides full-time tuition for one year, renewable for one additional year, for a total of four semesters.

The whole Vercher family was in attendance at commencement, when the award is announced. As Clark College President Bob Knight described Vercher’s achievements, a massive cheer filled the amphitheater when the family realized she had won.

Vercher, who is a resident of Vancouver, graduated with honors, earning an associate degree in business administration. A first-generation college graduate, she plans to major in business administration with a specialization in finance while attending WSU Vancouver.

While at Clark, Vercher served in a number of volunteer roles both on and off campus. She was a work-study tutor at the Student Learning Center helping Adult Basic Education (ABE), General Educational Development (GED), and English as a Second Language (ESL) students in all subjects. She was also a Classroom Tutor, assisting professors in the classroom, and part of Clark’s Homework Help program, where she assisted individual students. Within the greater community, her volunteer service has included work with the City of Vancouver’s Urban Youth and Urban Forestry programs. Additionally, she helps run the charity begun by her family’s small business, Daddy D’s BBQ, providing Christmas presents to families in need, and works there as a cashier.

“Receiving this scholarship means everything in the world to me,” said Ramona Vercher after the ceremony. “I am a first-generation college student, so to have this opportunity to continue my education is the biggest thing that has ever happened to me in my life.”

Knight said that people who know Vercher praised her for her strong work ethic. Indeed, Vercher has often begun study sessions at 5 a.m. to fit them around her work and other activities. She and her longtime boyfriend, Dwan James (also a Clark student), have regularly eschewed fun weekend outings for “date nights” of studying.

Vercher attributes her work ethic to the example set by her parents; Donnie regularly works 13 hours a day at his barbecue restaurant, a business he began after breaking his back doing construction work on bridges. “I never graduated high school,” said Donnie. “I think [Ramona] sees what her parents went through and wants better.”

Indeed, many of the Vercher children are pursuing education. Ramona’s brother Sherman recently graduated from Western Oregon University, and two of her sisters received their GED diplomas at Clark’s GED and high school completion ceremony on June 22.

Vercher was one of three finalists selected for the award. President Knight announced that the other two finalists, Jennifer Campbell and David Taub, would receive $1,000 scholarships from the Clark College Foundation to continue their education. Knight said of the three finalists, “They are all sterling examples of what Clark College is about.”

Vercher plans to continue being an example of both Clark College and her family. “I am going to do big things through this scholarship,” she said. “This definitely won’t be the last you see of me.”

 Photo: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

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