On a blustery, rainy day, students returned to Clark College for the first day of spring term on April 7. Pink and white blossoms fell from trees and danced through the wind as students shouldering backpacks hurried to classes on the main campus.

Students were greeted by Clark staff members volunteering at information tables inside buildings around campus. Helpful volunteers answered students’ questions, offered directions, provided campus maps and more. These information tables were successful in helping students feel welcomed.

Inside Bauer Hall, a student stepped up to an information table and asked for help in finding his class.

“Who teaches your class?” asked the volunteer.

The student replied, “Robert Weston. Room 106.”

The volunteer looked at the building map, pointed, and said, “Just down that hallway.”

Similar scenarios played out all over campus as students navigated to their new classes.

First Day at Boschma Farms

Almost 15 miles from the main campus, the first-ever class of students arrived at the Advanced Manufacturing Center at Boschma Farms in Ridgefield. Balloons tethered to a welcome sign greeted students at the new Clark College location. During spring term, the college has scheduled a soft opening with general education classes at the AMC.

The first student to arrive was Victor Gonzalez, who was heading for Professor Brenda Rosencrans’ Math 111 algebra class upstairs in classroom 208. As soon as Gonzalez stepped through the front door, he was greeted by a contingent of staff and faculty.  Then he was offered a Penguin gift bag by his algebra professor and Vice President of Instruction William “Terry” Brown. Gonzalez was surprised that his class was being held in a brand-new building and that his was the first class to convene there.

Gonzalez, who is pursuing a degree in computer science, said his advisor and professors told him about Clark’s new Bachelor of Science in computer science program that is starting in the fall. He is looking forward to learning more about it as he steps toward his future career in computer science.

After all the algebra students had arrived, they posed with Professor Rosencrans, Dr. Brown, and other Clark staff on the stairway of the building. Then it was time to head to their classroom.

Following their class, several students asked for a tour of the building. Professor Will Zander of the new Advanced Manufacturing program showed them around.

Advanced Manufacturing Quick Facts

During fall term, the first cohort of Clark’s new advanced manufacturing program will begin at the Advanced Manufacturing Center.

• Building: Advanced Manufacturing Center at Boschma Farms
• Program: Advanced Manufacturing
• Two-year degree: Integrated Technician, Associate in Applied Technology (98 credits)
• Certificate of Achievement, Introduction to Manufacturing (36 credits)
• Certificate of Proficiency, Manufacturing Operator (47 credits)
• First cohort begins: Fall 2025

Learn more

• Read The Columbian’s story about the first day at the AMC at Boschma Farms: https://www.columbian.com/news/2025/apr/07/help-us-meet-the-critical-need-clark-colleges-new-boschma-farms-capus-in-ridgefield-welcomes-students/

• Advanced Manufacturing Center at Boschma Farms: https://www.clark.edu/about/visitors-guide/getting-to-clark/boschma/

• Advanced Manufacturing Academic Plan in Clark College catalog: https://catalog.clark.edu/academic-plans/advanced-manufacturing/#academicplanstext

The Advanced Manufacturing Center at the Boschma Farms campus in Ridgefield has officially finished construction. To celebrate, developer and design-builder Mortenson officially presented Clark College with the keys this past Tuesday, November 19.

The ceremony, held in the new building, welcomed around 100 guests, including the Clark College Foundation and Board of Trustees, the City of Ridgefield, and on-site workers and trade partners. After speeches by project leadership, Clark’s mascot Oswald the Penguin helped accept the symbolic key presented by Mortenson.

Speakers:  

• Dr. Karin Edwards, President, Clark College
• Sabra Sand, Vice President of Operations, Clark College
• Carolyn Sizemore, Market Director, Mortenson

Clark College will begin moving into its first building, the Advanced Manufacturing Center, over the next few months and readying the space for classes to begin in 2025. General education classes will be held there in Spring 2025; five general education classrooms and one computer lab will accommodate a future capacity to serve up to 1,200 students per term. 

By Fall 2025, the complex will become the hub for the college’s advanced manufacturing program which is currently in development. When completed, the program will provide an initial enrollment of 32 students in two cohorts of 16, with plans to eventually serve 48 students across three cohorts. A grand opening is planned for 2025 when the college officially opens its doors.

Located on a 10-acre property east of the Ridgefield Junction, the 49,000-square-foot Advanced Manufacturing Center features a vast open manufacturing floor, collaboration zones, satellite instructional facilities, classrooms, laboratories, offices, and more. The 35,000 square feet dedicated to manufacturing training includes three industry-specific classrooms, four labs, five manufacturing cells, and a vast open manufacturing floor. The remaining 14,000 square feet houses the five general education classrooms, along with faculty and student amenities.

Manufacturing and classroom spaces in the Advanced Manufacturing Center are designed for multiple delivery modes including lecture, collaborative, project-based learning, and hybrid models implementing online content and classroom application. The facility’s acoustic design ensures that unamplified voice communication will carry above ambient machine noise. The flexible design of the structure is envisioned to accommodate future growth and will serve students, Ridgefield, and other north Clark County communities.

“This milestone marks an incredible step forward for Clark College and the Ridgefield community,” said Dr. Edwards. “We are committed to delivering an education environment that fosters innovation, collaboration, and workforce readiness. The Advanced Manufacturing Center will provide invaluable opportunities to develop critical skills in a growing field, allowing us to support the region’s workforce and expand educational access in north Clark County.”

Mortenson’s Market Director, Carolyn Sizemore emphasized the project’s unique attributes. The LEED Silver-certified Advanced Manufacturing Center meets state energy performance standards, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and improves operational efficiencies. The progressive design-build construction delivery method used on the building was spearheaded by Mortenson in collaboration with Henneberry Eddy Architects; this delivery method proved instrumental to the successful implementation of the use of prefabrication in this project and the resulting efficiencies.

Mortenson is a U.S.-based builder, developer, and engineering services provider serving the commercial, institutional, and energy sectors. Their portfolio of integrated services helps its customers move their strategies forward, resulting as a turnkey partner, fully invested in the business success of its customers.

“The Advanced Manufacturing Center is a stunning testament to what can be achieved when stakeholders come together with a shared vision,” said Sizemore. “Clark College envisioned a sustainable, future-ready facility adaptable for growth in the Ridgefield community. We are proud to deliver this anchor building on the Ridgefield campus and we are confident that it will exceed the aspirations of Clark College and the Ridgefield community.”

View more photos from the event on our Flickr page. https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBSpxw

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley