FacultySpeakerSeriesWinter2012NR
January 4, 2012
For Immediate Release
For additional information:
Barbara Kerr, APR
Executive Director of Communications and Marketing
Telephone: 360-992-2921
Email: bkerr@clark.edu
Driving the Future:
Automobiles in the 21st Century
On Tuesday, Jan. 24, Clark College’s nationally honored automotive professor Mike Godson
will be the featured presenter
in the college’s 2011-2012 Faculty Speaker Series
VANCOUVER, Wash. – When it comes to buying cars, what drives Americans?
Sales were strong during the final months of 2011, and the industry is predicting
additional growth in 2012. As customers return to the market, what will they find?
That will be the focus on Jan. 24 as Clark College automotive professor Mike Godson presents “Driving the Future: Automobiles in the 21st Century,” the next event in Clark’s acclaimed Faculty Speaker Series.
The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held at 1 p.m. in the Penguin Student Lounge, located in the Penguin Union Building on Clark’s main campus. Clark College is located at 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver. Driving directions and parking maps are available at www.clark.edu/maps.
The discussion will take place just after the North American International Auto Show, which runs from Jan. 9-22 in Detroit, and just before the Portland International Auto Show, which runs from Jan. 26-29 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland.
Godson, who was named Educator of the Year during the 2009 North American Council of Automotive Teachers (NACAT) Conference, said, “It’s exciting to see the advances in technology and design every year. Today’s cars are more efficient and safer than ever.” In his presentation, Godson will also discuss “why auto technology and other skilled trades play such an important part in our regional and national economy.”
About Mike Godson
A resident of Washougal, Mike Godson is head of the automotive department at Clark College. He is also a Toyota Technical Education Network (T-TEN) instructor, a chairperson on the Toyota T-TEN National Advisory Council, a National Automotive Technician Education Foundation (NATEF) evaluation team leader and a Washington Department of Ecology authorized emission specialist. In addition, Godson is Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) Master and L-1 certified.
In 2009, Godson was named Educator of the Year during the 2009 North American Council of Automotive Teachers (NACAT) Conference. The annual award is presented for excellence in automotive repair instruction.
Godson graduated from the Arizona Automotive Institute in Glendale, Ariz. in 1977. He received a certificate in automatic transmissions from Clark College in 1978 and graduated from the same school in 1994 with an associate in applied science (AAS) degree. He worked as an automotive technician in various dealerships and independent service facilities from 1978 until he accepted a full-time faculty position in the Clark College automotive department in 1995.
About the Clark College Faculty Speaker Series
The Faculty Speaker Series, established by Clark College with support from the Clark College Foundation, honors individual faculty members and celebrates academic excellence.
The Faculty Speaker Series showcases experiences that have enriched both the life and teaching of a Clark faculty member. Throughout the series, faculty members share their developmental experiences with the college community -- and members of the community at large -- while addressing some of today’s most intriguing issues.
Past Faculty Speaker Series discussions have focused on rich and diverse topics including the Fulbright international teaching experience; volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis; the neuroscience of bias; international education from and within China; sustainable food choices; and timely discussions of issues relating to health, science, writing and art.
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