News Releases

August 8, 2013
For Immediate Release

For additional information:
Chato Hazelbaker
Chief Communications Officer

Telephone:  360-992-2921
Email:  chazelbaker@clark.edu  

 

 

Clark College to Begin Offering Classes in the Gorge this Fall

 

VANCOUVER, Wash. – Beginning September 23, residents of the Columbia River Gorge will have new access to higher education, as Clark College begins offering for-credit, college-level classes at the Wind River Education Center in Carson, Washington.

The expansion comes as a response to an increasing demand from local businesses and residents for a highly trained workforce and accessible education. This past winter, college representatives met with prospective students, business leaders, educators and economic development advocates to gauge interest in offering college-level classes to the communities of the Columbia River Gorge. Clark College is following through with its commitment to provide the classes; future course offerings will depend on enrollment levels being able to support the investment long-term.

The new classes being offered are U.S. History, English Composition, Environmental Biology, Introduction to Economics, and an Independent Fitness Program. These classes meet the basic degree requirements for any Clark College degree. They are also classes that can be taken by students enrolled in the Running Start program, which allows high school students to earn college credit while still in high school.

Currently, residents must travel 20 miles or more to attend the nearest community college—and that college is located out of state, in Oregon. The nearest Washington state community college campus is Clark College at Columbia Tech Center, located more than 40 miles from the new Wind River location. Between 2010 and spring quarter 2013, a total of 517 people from Skamania and western Klickitat counties applied for admission to Clark.

In addition to these new classes, Clark College will also continue offering adult basic education and ESL classes that were previously offered at the WorkSource office in Stevenson, Washington.

Anyone interested in enrolling in these classes can check the online schedule of classes at http://www.clark.edu/academics/schedule/. Enrollment information is available online at www.clark.edu/quickstep. Admissions deadline for fall quarter is September 6. Running Start students should contact the Clark College Running Start office at mestes@clark.edu or 360-992-2366. 

About Clark College

Located in Vancouver’s Central Park and serving up to 16,000 students per quarter, Clark College is Washington state’s largest single-campus, for-credit community college. The college currently offers classes at two satellite locations, one on the Washington State University Vancouver campus and one in the Columbia Tech Center in East Vancouver. Additionally, its Corporate & Continuing Education program is housed in the West Coast Bank building in downtown Vancouver.

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