This week

Kudos to the Facilities Servicesstaff and Safety and Security officers at Columbia Tech Center for respondingso quickly to the water damage due to flooding from a broken water pipe overthe weekend. We recovered quickly thanks to the Facilities team and the Officeof Instruction’s Joanne Savage, who figured out room moves for the remainder ofthe week and made the changes in 25Live. The restoration phase will berebuilding the damaged systems and bringing the building back to completedform. This might take a month or two, depending on class schedules,contractor/staff availability, and the extent of the repairs needed after therecovery phase. Thanks to all for the quick response in getting classes back upand running.

I enjoyed a delicious,four-course Mardi Gras lunch in the McClaskey Culinary Institute this past weekand also stopped in to see beautiful Japanese calligraphy created by students.As an ex officio member of the Foundation Board, I shared an update on theprogress of the 10 board priorities for this year. At the Board of Trusteeswork session, it was inspiring to listen to the 11 tenure-track candidatesshare their passion for teaching. Kudos to the Tenure Office and all of thesupport Danielle Plesser and Quincy Berkompas have provided to the candidatesand the tenure committees to make this a well-organized and supportive process.

At the Board of Trustees meetingwe heard heartfelt student testimonials on the impact that the collegenavigators and the MESA program have had on students’ lives. In describing hisexperience at Clark College, student Jovan Merceron shared, “I feel like aperson, and the faculty always care. Clark is a place where you can becomesomebody and become the best version of yourself.”

It was my honor to welcome thestatewide Council for Unions and Student Programs to Clark College for theirWinter Quarter meeting, which was hosted by Sarah Gruhler, Director of StudentLife. It was made even more special to reconnect with a former student lifedirector I had previously worked with at Everett Community College. I alsoenjoyed celebrating birthdays and getting to know some of our amazing facultyand staff.

Budget

In my earlier budget message sent today I let the college knowthe Budget Committee has recommended going with a conservative option inprojecting 2020-21 enrollment. This option anticipates fewer state-support,Running Start, and International students than we built into the current year’sbudget.

Given our recent enrollment history, I accepted the committee’srecommendation to plan very conservatively for next year’s budget. But the netresult of serving fewer students, coupled with increases in must-fund itemssuch as wages and benefits increases for all faculty and staff, leaves us witha $5.4 million deficit to close in 2020-21.

To put this deficit in perspective, last year’s 5% budget cutsaved $3 million. To close next year’s projected shortfall we will have to findcuts of 7 to 8%. 

We are faced with a significant budget challenge, and solving itwill require everyone’s participation. The Budget Committee will soon beannouncing the process for engaging the entire college community in developingnext year’s budget. In the meantime, please feel free to share your thoughtswith your Budget Committee representatives. A current committee roster isattached to the earlier budget message.

President Search

Thank you everyone who took time to provide feedback on thefinalists for the position of Clark College President. All feedback providedonline is confidential and anonymous. The Board of Trustees extends theirappreciation to you for the thought and time you have put into helping themselect the next leader of the college. You can remind yourself of the threecandidates by going to the PresidentialSearch Finalists web page.

The Board of Trustees is on schedule to make a hiring decisionas early as Friday, February 14. The decision would be made during the opensession of the Board of Trustees meeting. We’ll be quick to update you by emailand with news alerts as soon as we hear the news. All three of our candidatesare excited at the prospect of leading Clark College and working with all ofyou.

New MESA Director

Please join me in welcoming Dalila Paredes to her new role atClark College as MESA Program Director! Dalila highlighted two of her studentsand presented at Wednesday’s Board of Trustees meeting. It is so encouraging tohear from students who are thriving at Clark College.

Margaret Tolmacheva is studying to be a mechanical engineer, andshe’s currently President of the NERD Girls Club. Derek Ferguson is studying tobe a nurse practitioner. They both say MESA’s tutoring, textbook supports, andpersonalized attention are all important resources helping them succeed. Dalilahas taught college STEM classes for a decade. She previously opened a STEMtutoring center at Amarillo College in Texas.

The Clark College MESA program currently has 95 students enrolledwho are pursuing degrees in science, technology, mathematics and engineering.It provides added supports for low-income students of color who areunderrepresented in STEM-related careers. The current group of students has anaverage 3.08 GPA and a 79% retention rate. Dalila says she hopes to create moreinternship opportunities for MESA students. If you have ideas or want moreinformation, she can be reached at dparedes@clark.edu.

Clark/Vigor agreement signed

This is exciting!  ClarkCollege has signed an MOU with Vigor for what will be a very positivepartnership benefiting our students. I mentioned this a few weeks ago. Vigor hasa new $1 billion contract to build next-generation landing craft for the U.S.military and needs skilled welders.

Caleb White and his team arecreating curriculum that will ensure students have the skills that Vigor needs.Vigor will offer interviews to our students that will potentially lead toemployment opportunities. In addition, Vigor will send their current employeesto Clark for training. This is exactly the kind of partnership we want for ourstudents and our employers.

So many people to thank, let’sstart with Caleb White, Welding Department Head and his team of expert weldingfaculty. Also Vice President of Instruction Sachi Horback and Interim Dean ofWPTE Armetta Burney for making this a high priority and negotiating the newlysigned MOU. This is a big win for our students, our college and our employers.Congratulations to our Welding Program and Office of Instruction!

Faculty Kudos

Congratulations to Bruce Elgort, Computer Technology Instructor.He has been recognized by IBM as an IBM 2020 Champion. The internationalprogram recognizes innovative thought leaders in the technical community. Itprovides training opportunities to its recognized champions. 1,400 individualswere nominated from 44 countries. IBM announced its 600 champions this week.Bruce is one of approximately 250 recipients from the United States. Bruce is agreat example of an innovator bringing the very latest in a rapidly changingworld to our students.

Clark College Grants

Clark College has been awarded more than $2 million in grantsthis past year. I want to thank everyone, especially Julie Robertson, Directorof Planning & Grant Development, who have obtained these additionalresources that benefit our students in direct and meaningful ways. Over thenext several weeks, I’ll be highlighting some of the grants and how they’rebeing used.

On the foundation side, Clark College’s Veterans Resource Centerwas recently named the recipient of a $245,700 grant thanks to the CowlitzIndian Tribe. This is a tremendous investment in our veterans and we aregrateful for the support.

On the college side, you may remember the Career Connects grantsawarded in September. This comes from a dedicated fund identified in theGovernor’s budget; one-time money to help bolster and expand college programsin high-demand industry.  Clark College received $1.3 million earmarkedfor the Mechatronics program. It provides capital equipment funding andinstruction funding to support more FTE’s.

SBCTC provided Clark with $100,000 for Guided Pathways –specifically for the student emergency assistance grant.

I like to highlight these grants because it requires substantialwork to apply for, and then manage, the grant. These are valuable additionalresources to the college that help us fund high-demand services and programs.

Alpha Sigma Phi Honors       

The Alpha Sigma Phi Chapter at Clark College has been recognizednationally as a 2020 REACH Chapter. REACH stands for Recognizing Excellencein Acceptance and Completion with Honors. PTK members will receive specialgraduation stoles to wear in honor of their achievement. Clark College isgrateful for their many contributions to our community.

Honoring our students

Because we place so much emphasison supporting, our students I wanted help spread the word.

Each year, the ASCC Officers hostthe OSWALD Awards (Outstanding Students With AcademicLeadership and Development skills) to recognize Clark Collegestudents for their outstanding achievements. You can submit the names ofcurrent students you would like to be recognized at the 2020 OSWALD Awards.Award categories and submission forms can be found by visiting the OSWALDwebsite. The deadline is Friday, March 20.

Next week

I am looking forward to attending the women’s and men’sbasketball games this weekend and honoring former athletes and teams who arebeing inducted at the ninth annual Clark College Athletics Hall of Fame. Nextweek I’m hosting the Clark Equity Advisory Committee, an event I look forwardto each month. This group of dedicated community leaders have provided greatinsight and feedback on improving college culture for systemically non-dominantstudents.

I also look forward to attended WSUV’s 30-year celebration ofresearch and community partnerships and representing Clark College on the WSUVAdvisory Council. And finally, as we all excitedly anticipate the announcementof the next president, I have convened an onboarding committee to support theirsuccess.

Great things continue to happen every day here at Clark College.Thank you for all you do.