President Robert K. Knight received applause during the 2016 State of the College address when he told representatives from Ridgefield, “We’re coming!” — a reference to the college’s future North County campus.

Clark College President Robert K. Knight delivered the annual State of the College address in Gaiser Student Center on Jan. 21. In his speech he stated, “I hope to leave you with a sense of the transformation that is happening all around us.”

Some of that transformation is physical–Knight pointed to the upcoming opening of the new STEM building in the fall and the $10 million remodeling of the college’s culinary facilities to support the re-opening of the Culinary Arts program. He also highlighted more long-range plans, including the construction of a new campus in Ridgefield. Many representatives from Ridgefield’s government were in the audience and cheered approvingly at mention of the new campus.

Other transformations were more systemic. Knight spoke about the progress being made in implementing the college’s 2015-2020 Strategic Plan, which was unveiled during last year’s State of the College address. Steps taken to realize that plan include a new Social Equity Plan and Academic Master Plan.

Vice President of Instruction Dr. Tim Cook with President Knight at the 2016 State of the College address. Dr. Cook has been instrumental in developing the college’s new Academic Master Plan.

Another systemic change is a move toward “guided pathways,” a concept that offers students highly structured course plans that help them complete their programs efficiently. This strategy, popularized by the book Redesigning America’s Community Colleges: A Clearer Path to Student Success, has become a rallying cry among many in higher education who are working to boost students’ ability to complete their programs smoothly and quickly. “The vision of guided pathways is that every student has a clear road map to help them navigate each point in their journey at Clark,” said Knight.

To further help students on their journeys, Knight added, Clark would be adding more one-on-one assistance with navigating college systems. “Going on a computer to enroll and register online is hard enough for anyone, but especially if you don’t have anyone in your family who can help you with that,” said Knight, noting that almost three-quarters of Clark’s student body were first-generation college students. “So we’re backing off from doing all of that online.”

As is traditional, Knight used the State of the College address as an opportunity to showcase some of Clark’s talented and dedicated employees by presenting them with Presidential Coins. He also highlighted three Clark students whose stories reflected the many ways students find success at the college.

In conclusion, Knight said that just as Clark College was changing, so was the region that it served. “I feel the energy in Clark County right now,” he said. “I’m excited by what we can accomplish together.”

View more photos from the State of the College on our Flickr site.

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

The Clark College Board of Trustees approved the 2015-2020 Strategic Plan on Wednesday night during its monthly board meeting. The Board’s approval is the final step in the approval process, and the campus will begin implementing the new strategic plan right away. According to Associate Vice President for Planning Effectiveness Shanda Diehl, the college has already begun to implement elements of the plan, as the final approval represents two years of discussion and work at the college to clarify the mission, vision, themes and values that will guide the campus over the next five years.

The updated vision statement for the college is, “Clark College inspires learners to excel, transforms lives, and strengthens our increasingly diverse community.”

The updated mission is, “Clark College, in service to the community, guides individuals to achieve their educational and professional goals.”

Beyond the mission and vision, the college developed core themes to guide its priorities for the coming five years:

• Academic Excellence: Facilitate student learning by providing the conditions for intellectual growth through scholarship, discovery, application, creativity, and critical thinking.
• Social Equity: Facilitate student learning by providing the conditions that improve educational outcomes and eliminate systemic disparities among all groups.
• Economic Vitality: Facilitate student learning by providing programs, services, and conditions that improve the economic well-being of the students, college, and community.
• Environmental Integrity: Facilitate student learning by providing the conditions that continually improve the college’s physical, virtual, and social environment.

The complete strategic plan, along with many documents that led to its creation, can be found at: http://www.clark.edu/clark-and-community/about/strategic_plan/index.php.

President Knight welcomes guests to his 2015 State of the College Address.

“Over the past year, we have seen many successes and we have seen many things that seemed like a dream or a far-off vision come to fruition.” So began President Bob Knight’s 2015 State of the College Address, held January 15 in Gaiser Student Center, in a speech full of hope and celebration.

As President Knight pointed out, there was much to celebrate: the successful completion of the Clark College Foundation’s capital campaign, the beginning of the long-delayed construction of a new STEM building, the introduction of the college’s first-ever bachelor’s degree, the acquisition of land for a new North County campus, the expansion of services in the Columbia Gorge, and much more.

Left to right, Clark College Foundation CEO and President Lisa Gibert, Bernice and Hank Boschma, and Clark College President Bob Knight at the 2015 State of the College Address.

Regarding the North County campus, Knight noted that Hank and Bernice Boschma were sitting in the audience and thanked them publicly for the donation of land that made the North Campus location possible. Knight also announced that there would be a public monument on the new campus that told the story of the Boschma Family, who moved to Ridgefield from the Netherlands and began a successful dairy farm.

“As we look to North County we are inspired by what the Boschma family created and we are looking for the next opportunities that will allow people to live, be successful, and contribute to the community of Southwest Washington,” he said. “That is why we are looking at Clark College at Boschma Farms as a possible center for advanced manufacturing and medical programs.”

Knight also took the opportunity to unveil the final draft of the college’s 2015-2020 Strategic Plan, which is undergoing a final round of public feedback before being presented to the college’s Board of Trustees for approval. “A key change from our old Strategic Plan is that we don’t just want to be a place that welcomes students in,” he explained. “We want to be a learning college where people come and complete their educational goals.”

President Knight thanks 99-year old professor emeritus and WWII veteran John Deurwaarder for his service to the college and the country.

As is his tradition during the State of the College, Knight also awarded Presidential Coins to exceptional staff and faculty members in honor of their service. Early during his address, he also presented a coin to Professor Emeritus John Deurwaarder, who celebrates his 100th birthday in May.

At the end of his address, President Knight urged guests to make sure others know about the future plans and current accomplishments at the college. “You’re here because you care about Clark College and you care about our community,” he said. “You need to help tell the story about this wonderful asset in our community.”

See more photos from the State of the College on Flickr.

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

In the beginning of 2013,  the college asked employees to imagine what Clark would look like in 2020. The college community answered this question with thoughtful responses. That feedback was used to create the Vision 2020 Themes, which in turn were used to focus in on the central theme of the new Strategic Plan: student learning.

On Opening Day fall 2013, the college divided into small groups to discuss student learning and had follow-up meetings on the subjects of Access, Environment, Engagement and Commitment to Learn. Those ideas and feedback were reviewed by Taskforce 2 and reports have been generated to be used as one of the tools Taskforce 3 will use to create the mission, vision and core themes for the next strategic plan.

Taskforce 3 will convene in June and will complete their work in fall 2014. All the individual input and small-group participation gathered since Opening Day 2013 is being used as a tool to create the framework that will determine how the college allocates resources and makes future decisions.

Once the core themes are drafted, we will share the work of Taskforce 3 and solicit feedback. Then, we will seek more volunteers to draft the goals around each of the core themes during fall quarter 2014. During winter quarter 2015, we will revise and finalize the strategic plan based on feedback gathered from the college. The final Clark College 2015-2020 Strategic Plan will be voted on by the Clark College Board of Trustees during spring quarter 2015.

Thank you for all of your hard work and for keeping the college focused on student learning.

This article submitted by the college’s Strategic Plan Taskforce 1

As Clark College moves forward with its Strategic Planning process, Clark 24/7 is interviewing different college employees about how they see themselves fitting into the “big picture” of Clark’s central goal of supporting student learning. For the current segment, “Engagement to Learn,” we interviewed two individuals who work in very different areas about how they help students stay engaged at Clark.

Janette Clay
Program Specialist, Office of Instruction

Give us a little background about what you do at Clark.

I work directly with the Title III Strengthening Institutions grant supporting First Year Experience (FYE) initiatives and also Outcomes Assessment. For people who are unfamiliar with FYE, these are programs designed to work with students when they first arrive at the college to help them be successful at Clark and beyond.

How do you see yourself supporting student engagement at the college?

FYE initiatives continue to expand, and the main focus is on student retention and completion. One initiative is COLL 101 (“College Essentials”), a two-credit course that teaches students concepts they’ll need to know to be successful at Clark and beyond–such as time management, financial literacy, learning styles, recognizing privilege and inequity, and knowing how to find and use resources at the college. There’s also the FYE Mentor Program and service projects that help students feel a sense of community at Clark. Another initiative, one that will expand in 2014-15, is our Learning Community model of instruction. Learning Communities are linked classes, where each class’s coursework supports that of the other class. So, for instance, you could have students taking a statistics class where all the statistics come from studies they’re reading together in their linked psychology class. Students really get a chance to feel connected both to the coursework and to their classmates. All these initiatives are designed to keep students engaged.

Students in COLL 101 discuss power, privilege and inequity with their instructor, Felisciana Peralta.

Is there a way that your department/program supports student learning that you think would surprise other people at the college?

I don’t think that all staff and faculty at Clark College know that they can be mentors for new students in the FYE Mentor Program. The mentees in these one-to-one relationships are lucky to have people to turn to for help navigating the system, whether it be registering for classes, studying for finals, or joining clubs.

Hopefully this is not a surprise, but in Outcomes Assessment, we continue to collaborate with faculty in the practice of meaningful, sustainable assessment to enhance student learning. There are many training and funding opportunities available for faculty to create and implement assessment projects, learn about researched best practices, and participate in professional development activities.

How has the Strategic Plan process made you look differently at your own role at Clark? How has it made you look differently at others’ roles?

It has made me think about the role that I can play, and that I am a part of this process like all other staff and faculty at Clark College. In looking differently at others’ roles, I learn more about what other people do, and furthermore how our roles interact now, and can interact better as we move toward 2020.

What have you enjoyed about the Strategic Plan process so far?

It is really beneficial to get to know and work with other people at the college whom I had never met prior to the Strategic Plan process. I have also enjoyed the readings, as they are very informative and thought-provoking and therefore generate good discussions. My group, the “Supernovas,” is a really fun group of people with some great ideas!

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; }

Charles Guthrie
Director of Athletics

Give us a little background about what you do at Clark.

I oversee 11 intercollegiate teams, coaches, staff and game operations for an estimated 92 home games a year, competing in the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAAC). I’m also in charge of all strategic planning, budget, Title IX compliance and external relations for the department, which is part of the division of Student Affairs.

How do you see yourself supporting student engagement at the college?

Clark College has approximately 200 student-athletes who are part of our Intercollegiate Athletics program. Student-athletes at Clark College have the opportunity not only to compete on the court or field, but to continue to hone important life skills, including the value of teamwork, individual and group responsibility, physical fitness, sportsmanship, diversity, and a sense of commitment to fellow students, faculty and the broader community. These critical skill sets will enable Clark student-athletes to engage not just during their tenure at Clark College, but as they move on through the rest of their lives.

Is there a way that you or your department/program supports student learning that you think would surprise other people at the college?

I don’t know if the broader campus community has visibility into how our student-athletes are able to learn about and promote the importance of diversity on many different levels. Our student-athletes come from various socio-economic and cultural backgrounds and they learn to both accept and embrace those differences as well as find new connections and ways to unite as a team.

Student-athletes participate in study hall.

I’ve realized that our athletic program is an important component to many of the key areas outlined in the plan and we can have a positive impact on the strategic initiatives that are critical to ongoing success for Clark College as a whole. I knew this prior to engaging in the process, but did not understand to the full extent we could engage and collaborate, and I hope it has helped other departments throughout campus recognize how we can contribute beyond just athletic competition–i.e., diversity, student success, retention and access.

Where do you envision Clark College in 2020?

As the best value in higher education within the state of Washington and setting the bar for driving impactful college-wide programs like the Strategic Planning process. I would expect that Clark College will continue to earn public recognition for the passion and hard work that unite our campus community.

How do you think your department will have changed by then?

In another six years I hope to have several classes of alumni who have passed through our program who are engaged and feel strongly about continuing to support Clark College Athletics. We want to continue to improve on the academic support, facilities and life lessons we offer to our student-athletes. If these areas were to look the same in 2020 there would be a problem, because we must continue to evolve our program to fit the ever-changing needs of our students. And, of course, it would be great to add a few NWAACC Championships to the growing list of administrative, academic and athletic accolades Clark College earns each year.

President Robert K. Knight pauses for a moment in his 2014 State of the College address.

At 80 years old, Clark College still has plenty to learn–that was the message Clark College President Robert K. Knight conveyed in his annual State of the College address.

Knight took a moment to acknowledge that the college was in the midst of celebrating its 80th anniversary, but then said that, rather than focusing on the past, “I have been … thinking about what steps we can continue to take to ensure that Clark College at 100 is the vibrant and important place that it is today.”

Knight said that he thought the college was “on the right path” in that respect, pointing to recent accomplishments such as a very successful accreditation visit by representatives of the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, during which the commission acknowledged the improvements Clark has made in the area of shared governance.

Presidential Coin recipient and Automotive Technology professor Mike Godson, right, with Dick Hannah representative Gary Schuler. Godson and Schuler worked together to help create a partnership that allows aspiring automotive technicians to take classes at Clark College and work at Dick Hannah simultaneously.

Other recent accomplishments Knight noted included:

• Receiving funding for a new building on the main campus dedicated to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), scheduled to break ground in summer 2014;
• Recent state approval for a $35 million satellite location in northern Clark County at a site still to be determined;
• The success of the Clark College Foundation’s “Ensuring a Bright Future” fundraising campaign, which is predicted to reach its goal of $20 million in spring 2014;
• The introduction of a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Dental Hygiene, the first bachelor’s degree to be offered by the college;
• A statewide record in the number of online courses certified by Quality Matters;
• The opening of a Veterans Resource Center on the main campus to help the college’s estimated 800 student veterans;
• The continued development of a new Strategic Plan for the years 2015-2020;
• Clark’s leadership role in transitioning to ctcLink;
• New programs and opportunities for students to participate in cutting-edge learning in the automotive, aeronautics, and bioscience fields;
• National awards won by Phoenix, Clark’s journal of arts and literature;
• Increased enrollment in Clark’s Honors Program.

Knight acknowledged that Clark’s enrollment has decreased for the first time in recent years. “We expected that,” he said. “It’s a good thing, because it means that people are finding jobs. We expect enrollment to continue to go down a little bit.”

President Knight with Che’yna Shotwell. Shotwell, a junior at Mountain View High School, is part of the Penguin Promise partnership between Clark College and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southwest Washington, which provides Clark College scholarships to those students who fulfill the program’s stringent academic requirements. She is on track to become the first student to receive such a scholarship from the program, which was announced at the 2013 State of the College address.

Knight explained that administration and staff were already discussing how to manage the college’s enrollment. “We have to determine what is the right size for Clark College,” he said. Then he added, “As we continue to be the most over-enrolled community college in Washington, we haven’t turned away students yet.”

Knight stressed that any decisions about the college’s future would need to be based on whether or not they helped students learn. “As long as I am president, we will never forget that the student comes first and is the only reason we have a job and the only reason we’re here,” he said.

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

See more photos on our Flickr page.

View the entire speech on CVTV.

President Knight delivering the 2013 State of the College Address.

Clark College President Robert K. Knight will give the annual State of the College address on Thursday, Jan. 16. As the college celebrates its 80th anniversary, President Knight will update the college and members of the community in the address, which he says will focus on “Looking Forward at 80.”

Among the topics that President Knight will be discussing are the plans to break ground on the new STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) building in the summer of 2014, the progress of strategic planning efforts at the college, and the role of new programs and partnerships.

The event, which is free and open to the public, will take place at 11 a.m. in Gaiser Student Center on the college’s main campus. Doors will open at 10:30 a.m. and seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Clark College is located at 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver, Wash. Driving directions and parking maps are available at www.clark.edu/maps.

If you need accommodation due to a disability in order to fully participate in this event, you should contact Clark College’s Disability Support Services Office at 360-992-2314 or 360-991-0901 (VP), or visit Gaiser Hall room 137, as soon as possible.

Photo: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

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.

Associate Vice President of Planning and Effectiveness Shanda Diehl

On Opening Day 2013, Associate Vice President for Planning and Effectiveness Shanda Diehl explained the college’s approach to creating its 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.

The process began on Opening Day with employees being randomly assigned to groups of 12. These groups met for an hour to discuss how each individual member helped support student learning, which the college has identified as the common purpose that unites all departments and programs.

These groups will meet again in October, November, January, and February to discuss different aspects of student learning.

After the small-group meetings, employees gathered near Andersen Fountain for a complimentary lunch, where some of them discussed the previous activity.

New Career Services employee Alex Martin

“You tend to stick with the people you know, so it was a good way to meet new people at the college,” said Facilities Services Office Assistant Ramona Sott. “And it’s important to be talking about this: How do we help the students here get a better education, and get them to stay?”

“I thought it was fun,” said Career Services employee (and Clark ’09 graduate) Alex Martin, who found herself providing feedback for the college’s future on her first day of work. “We had custodians in our group, people in Admissions, all kinds of employees–it was great. I learned a lot.”