Clark College News and Events

Graphic–Clark College News and Events

Clark College News and Events


April 23, 2008
For Immediate Release
For additional information: 
Barbara Kerr, Executive Director of Communications and Marketing
Telephone:
360-992-2921
E-mail:  bkerr@clark.edu

CLARK COLLEGE TO HONOR
NEWLY TENURED FACULTY

Seven faculty members, who have been granted tenure
by the Clark College Board of Trustees, will be honored
at a reception on April 28

VANCOUVER, Wash. — The Clark College Board of Trustees has granted tenure to seven faculty members.  Lori Ellerbroek (nursing), Dr. Kanchan Mathur (mathematics), April Mixon (chemistry), Dr. Julian Nelson (German), Dr. Katherine Sadler (history), Nancy Sheppard (nursing) and Ian Titterton (culinary arts) will be honored at a reception on Monday, April 28. 

The reception, sponsored by the Clark College Board of Trustees and the college’s Office of Instruction, will be held at 4 p.m. in the college’s Penguin Student Lounge, located in the Penguin Union Building.  Clark College is located at 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver.

Tenure is awarded to faculty members who have exhibited professional excellence and outstanding abilities in their disciplines.  The granting of tenure is based on the recommendations of tenure review committees to the vice president of instruction which are then forwarded to the president, who presents a final recommendation to the Board of Trustees.  Recommendations are based on self evaluations, tenure review committee evaluations, student evaluations, supervisory evaluations, and peer evaluations.  The final decision to award or withhold tenure rests with the Board of Trustees.  The trustees approved tenure for the seven faculty members during a special session on March 17. 

“These seven outstanding faculty members reflect our commitment to excellence and to supporting student success,” said Clark College President Robert K. Knight.

Dr. Rassoul Dastmozd, Vice President of Instruction, noted, “Earning tenure status is indeed a major career milestone and accomplishment.  These student-centered faculty members have been recognized and celebrated by their peers and our institution for their accomplishments and dedication to teaching and learning at Clark College.”

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EDITOR’S NOTE: Biographies for the new tenured faculty members are included below.  To download high-resolution photos, right-click on the images and choose "Save Target [or Link] As."

Lori Ellerbroek–Nursing

Lori EllerbroekLori Ellerbroek has been a practicing registered nurse in the Vancouver-Portland metropolitan area for the past 23 years.  Her area of expertise is medical-surgical nursing.  Ellerbroek earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing at the University of Portland and received her master’s degree in nursing from Oregon Health and Science University. 

Ellerbroek, who resides in Hillsboro, has been an adjunct faculty member in the Clark College nursing department since fall 2001 and continues to work on call as a staff nurse at Tuality Community Hospital in Hillsboro, OR.  

She cites two quotations when asked for her teaching philosophy.  The first is a Chinese proverb:  “Teachers open the door but you enter by yourself.” The second is a quote from British poet and literary critic Lascelles Abercrombie: “How to tell students what to look for without telling them what to see is the dilemma of teaching.”

Dr. Kanchan Mathur–Mathematics

Dr. Kanchan MathurDr. Kanchan Mathur earned her bachelor’s degree in honors mathematics at Delhi University, New Delhi, India.  She earned a master’s degree in mathematics and a Ph.D. in operations research from the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, India.  

Mathur, who resides in Beaverton, says she loves to teach “because it gives me the opportunity to share with my students a subject that I have myself greatly enjoyed all through school and college years and continues to give me joy as I learn more about it in the process of teaching.” 

Mathur adds, “It gives me great pleasure when a student says at the end of a term ‘I used to hate math, but I like it now because you made it fun!’”

April Mixon–Chemistry

April MixonApril E. Mixon graduated with a bachelor of science degree in chemistry from Shippensburg University in 1998.  In 2003, she earned her master’s degree in chemistry from Oregon State University, where she participated in the teacher-mentor program.

She then worked at Oregon Health and Science University, researching cataract formation. Mixon spent a year at Portland Community College before joining the faculty at Clark College. She believes that “students learn when they are engaged and having fun” and strives to “make chemistry less intimidating for students by relating topics to their everyday lives.”

Mixon resides in Vancouver with her three dogs and cat.

Dr. Julian Nelson–German

Dr. Julian NelsonDr. Julian Nelson is a German instructor at Clark College. He earned a bachelor of arts degree and master’s degree in German and comparative literature from San Francisco State University and doctorate degree in comparative literature and German from the University of California-Davis.

A resident of Vancouver, Nelson is the faculty adviser for Clark College’s German Club and has led several “German Studies in Berlin” trips for students.

Nelson says, “My teaching approach echoes Clark College’s mission: international travel and the study and appreciation of languages, history, and cultural traditions contributes significantly to global well being and serves as the basis for informed reflection upon the ethics and values that shape societies. Respecting human rights is a question of learning to appreciate what sets us apart, while honoring that which binds us together.”

Dr. Katherine Sadler–History

Dr. Katherine SadlerDr. Katherine Sadler joined the history department at Clark College in fall 2005. She earned a bachelor’s degree in international studies and a women’s studies certificate from Portland State University. 

She received a master’s degree in African Area Studies and doctorate degree in history from the University of California at Los Angeles.  Dr. Sadler says she was prompted to attend college after reading a book by feminist historian Dale Spender called Women of Ideas and realized the gap in her own education particularly as it related to the topic of women’s history. 

A resident of Portland, her philosophy on the teaching of history focuses on “the importance of the application of history to the understanding of contemporary events.”

Nancy Sheppard–Nursing

Nancy SheppardNancy Sheppard earned an associate degree in nursing from Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon.  She continued her education at the University of the State of New York where she received a bachelor’s degree in nursing. 

Sheppard, who resides in Vancouver, went on to earn a master’s degree in science at the University of Portland and has received a post-master's certificate as a family nurse practitioner from George Washington University.  

Sheppard’s area of specialization is acute care nursing.  Her prior teaching experience includes hospital nurse education and clinical precepting of nurse practitioner students.  Her teaching philosophy:  “My goal is to fan the flame of curiosity and encourage students to ask why instead of just memorize how.” 

Ian Titterton – Culinary Arts

Ian TittertonA native of England, Ian Titterton earned an associate degree in baking technology and pastry arts from the Rush Green College of Technology in Essex, England, which is certified by the City and Guilds of London Institute.  His studies also include food health and sanitation from the Royal Institute of Public Health and Hygiene in London. 

He received a bakery science technician’s certificate from the London Borough Polytechnic.  Honored as a certified executive pastry chef and certified culinary educator by the American Culinary Federation, Titterton earned diplomas in chocolate technology and European confectionery from Richardson Research in Hayward, California.  He held executive pastry chef positions throughout the United Kingdom and the United States. 

Titterton, who resides in Portland, served as executive chocolatier at Moonstruck Chocolates and lead instructor at the Western Culinary Institute, both in Portland.  Titterton says, “I tell my students what I’ve always managed to do throughout my career. ‘Take your work seriously but have a whole lot of fun doing it!’”

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