Reflections from this past week

Lastweek I had the opportunity to meet with our Nursing faculty, Associate Dean ofHealth Sciences, Dean of Business & Health Sciences, and Vice President ofInstruction to learn more about the Nursing Program and the Clark College buildingat WSUV. Shortly after our meeting, we received confirmation of the ClarkCollege Nursing Program’s continued accreditation with Accreditation Commissionfor Education in Nursing (ACEN). Congratulations to everyone in our Nursingprogram for receiving the largest window of time regarding the next site visit(2019-2027) and for being recognized by ACEN for “Achievement of Quality andExcellence in Nursing Education.”

Wecelebrated Clark College at Columbia Tech Center’s 10th anniversary last week,and I was inspired by remarks made by Clark College Associated StudentPresident Evans Kaame. Thank you to the instructors, staff andstudents at Columbia Tech Center who helped host a fun 10-year anniversaryparty. Attendeeswere able to tour the building and get a glimpse of the learning that happensthere in Mechatronics, Business, and Economic & Community Developmentclasses. We joined with the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerceto hold a ribbon cutting. Thanks to all who helped. Read more about the eventin this Columbianarticle.

Iwas honored receive gifts this week on behalf of Clark College from Vancouver’ssister city of Joyo, Japan, presented by Nami Inoue, a faculty member in ourJapanese language program who grew up in Joyo. And, thanks to all who stoppedby for a cupcake to celebrate your birthday in October. I look forward tocelebrating the months ahead!

Ijust returned from attending the 50th annual Association of Community CollegeTrustees (ACCT) Leadership Congress in San Francisco with Board Chair JaneJacobsen and Trustee Jada Rupley along with 1,850 trustees, presidents, staff,and other community college stakeholders. Throughout the conference we promotedthe Clark College President Search.

Iwas inspired by the words of ACCT Chair Connie Hornbeck: “All of highereducation and industry is changing at a breakneck pace. Community colleges lieat the nexus of both. We in this room are charged with sustaining the communitycollege sector no matter what changes come… We can’t predict, but we can andmust be as prepared as possible, as nimble as possible, to keep ourinstitutions strong for our students.”

Keynotespeaker Barry Posner focused on the key leadership practices trustees andothers need to manage these complex times. Co-author of the book Leadershipin Higher Education, Posner focused on five key strategies based onresearch involving 150,000 college and university leaders, ranging frommodeling and inspiring a shared vision to upending existing processes, leadingfrom the heart, and enabling others to act.

Leadersof three state community college systems emphasized the importance of localleadership in navigating a challenging landscape that includes declining statesupport and growing student needs. I enjoyed learning along with our trusteesabout best practices in presidential searches, recruiting, and onboarding fromother colleges.

All voices needed

Today is the last day to fill out the Clark College 2019Climate Survey. The deadline is tonight at 5:00 p.m.

This is so important to our work at ClarkCollege. The Board of Trustees has identified improving the college climate andemployee morale as one of its priorities. Your input is critical to theprocess. This year we have added incentive: Everyone who submits a survey hasthe option sign up to win one of three $50 gift certificates to Amazon. Pleasenote that your responses on the Clark College Climate Survey will NOT beconnected to your name if you wish to enter the drawing.

ctcLink – one week away

Please take a minute to get your new your new ctcLink ID (open in Chrome) and geta sneak peek into the ctcLink PeopleSoft testingenvironmentusing a Clark College computer at one of the campuses or using a VPN. To getinto the ctcLink PeopleSoft testing environment you will use your new ctcLinkID and preset password. Your password is your last name – capitalize the firstletter only – and add the @ sign at the end, e.g., Fowlerhill@ is my password.

Asfor training? Some people have inadvertently deleted or declined the invitationfor the SBCTC Canvas training. If you did that, please contact Jennifer Ward or call her extension at 2077 so she can reregister you. Thankyou!

Weare confident the result will be a positive for students and employees; farmore user friendly and efficient. But we recognize change presents challenges.

Iwant to call out the sustained efforts of everyone on the ctcLink team led byProject Manager Susan Maxwell and Associate Vice President of Planning andEffectiveness Shanda Haluapo. Shanda’s next update for us is Wednesday thisweek: Please watch for them as they contain vitally important information aboutour process now underway!

ctcLink and our students

All student online systems are unavailable asof October 17 through October 30 while the college upgrades to the state’s newsoftware system.

Our messaging to students? “Pease bear withus as we work to improve your online experience. You’ll be signing into the newimproved My Clark on October 31. In the meantime, if you need assistance withstudent services, we are here for you.”

• In person: Stop by the Information Desk in Gaiser Hall.
• By phone: Call 360-992-2107
• By email: Contact registration@clark.edu

Whatdo students need to know? On October 31, they need to go to myclark.edu. Oncethey sign in, they will be given a new ctcLink ID. They need to write itdown. It will be needed to log in to access their information.

Here’sthe great news for students: The new and improved MyClark will offer asimple, easy pathway for students to register for classes, apply for financialaid, request unofficial transcripts, and use the schedule planner at ClarkCollege.

Clarks supports for students

TheCounseling and Health Center is continuing their support groups this fall term!Please feel free to share the information below with any students you thinkwould benefit. 

• Running Start Support Group – Wednesdays 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., October 16 – November 20 at the Counseling and Health Center, HSC 124. This is a space to connect with other Running Start students navigating the complicated worlds of family, high school, and college.
• Parent Support Group – Wednesdays 1:00 – 2:00 p.m., October 16 – November 20 at the Counseling and Health Center, HSC 124. This is an ongoing support group for students balancing school, life, and parenting.

Bothgroups are facilitated by CHC counselors Beth VanBuecken and ValentinaPishchanskaya-Cayanan. Students can contact Valentina at vcayanan@clark.edu to sign up, or with anyquestions. As always, the Counseling and Health Center provides free mentalhealth counseling and low-cost health services to Clark students. Appointmentscan be made by calling 360-992-2614, or by email at chc@clark.edu.

Penguin Pantry turns two!

Youare all invited to the Penguin Pantry second anniversary open house on Wednesday,October 24, from 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. I want to encourage everyone tobring a donation of canned or boxed food to the open house. As you probablyknow, demand for food resources has increased significantly on campus. It maybe that word is getting out among students about this vital resource. Thank youto everyone who supports it. The Penguin Pantry is in the Science Building(SCI) in Room 101.

Expanding RAVE

Foryears, our RAVE alert system has been sending Clark College employees andstudents emergency text and email messages whenever the college experienced aclosure, lockdown, etc. I’m pleased to announce that this service has just beenexpanded to include families, parents and visitors to Clark College.

Noweveryone can opt in. All they have to do is text the word “Penguins” to thenumber 67283.

Thisfeature is for any Clark Community member (parent, visitor, etc.) who is notautomatically entered into the system.

Therewill be a formal rollout for this feature, as well as a new app called RAVEGuardian, coming soon. In the meantime, please feel free to share the keywordand number. Thank you to our emergency management team for your work on this.

Presidential Advisory Committee

I’m excited to announce significantprogress in the search for your next college president.

The PresidentialSearch Advisory Committee met for the first time Friday, October 11for an all-day session that included implicit bias training. They workedthrough the wording of the position profile and talked about the upcomingresume screening process. As a result of their work, the Board of Trustees hasapproved the position profile, and it’s up on the website as active recruitmentbegins. Among the members of the committee are Clark College students,employees, faculty and community representatives. Thank you for serving!

• Co-chairs: Paul Speer, Clark College Board of Trustees Presidential Search Lead
• and Jane Jacobson, Clark College Board of Trustees Chair
• Al Schauer, Founder PointNorth Consulting
• Brian Taylor, Industrial Sales Manager Siemens
• Catharine Keane, Associate Director of Career Services
• Christhian Canseco, Account Manager ESCO Corporation
• Danielle Plesser, Office Of Instruction – Program Support Supv 1
• Dannie Nordsiden, Automotive Technology – Instructor (WPTE)
• Donivee Randall-Jones, Nursing – Professor (BHS)
• Dr. Siri Wickramaratne, Geography – Instructor (SOFA)
• Eric Merrill, Clark College Foundation Board Chair
• Evans Kaame, ASCC President
• Heather Adams, Office Of VP Student Affairs – Administrative Services Manager A
• Justin Flint, ASCC Club Coordinator
• Rashida Willard, Interim AVP of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• Suzanne Southerland, Communication Studies – Professor (BEECH) (CCAHE President)
• Tanisha Harris, CASA Program Specialist YWCA Clark County
• Tanya Kerr, CtcLink Internal Controls and Business Analyst
• Vicki Sovold-Prendergast, Mount Pleasant School District Superintendent

Kudos to faculty

Congratulations to William Goforth, our newlyappointed adjunct instructor of Voice! He was one of three finalists chosen onSunday at the Oregon District Met auditions. On to Seattle for the NorthwestRegionals in January.

Thisweek I’m looking forward to attending the Penguin Pantry Open House, as well asthe Board of Trustees work session, where they will be hearing sabbaticalpresentations from two faculty members (Jill Darley-Vanis and Erin Staples),and interviewing four students for the Transforming Lives Award. I’m continuingmy Listening Tour with the Library Faculty and WPEA this week, and celebratingour students and donors at the Foundation Scholarship Reception on Friday.

Keepwalking through this Walktober, Penguin Nation!