Michelle Mussen and Finding Success Through Support

Spotlight: Winter 2026 Classified Staff Excellence Award recipient

Michelle Mussen, Assistant Director of Enrollment Services, spends much of her time identifying fraud and uncovering fake identities. But ask her what matters most in her work, and her answer is simple: students should feel supported. After nearly 18 years in the Clark community, Michelle has built a reputation as a true support system for students and colleagues alike. 

However, her fulfillment in supporting students began long before she joined the Clark community. 

Although a Vancouver native, Michelle previously lived in California while she worked at an optometry school. She quickly transformed the supervisory role on the program’s clinical side, overseeing both the front desk and the specialty departments. She also coordinated student schedules, juggling the needs of students working at private practices and community health centers while ensuring they had the support they needed every step of the way. 

When she returned to Vancouver with her three children in tow, she chose to continue working in higher education. “Clark felt more family-friendly,” she noted. Also, her dad is a retired 4th-grade teacher, and her sister works for the Hockinson School District. “So being in a learning environment has been a family adventure.” 

Her Clark career began in the admissions office, and she worked her way up after it merged with the registration office. In her current role, no two days are the same. She compiles reports, reviews student data, and works to prevent fraud. 

Clark didn’t have an application fee when Artificial Intelligence became more widely used, she explained, and like many other colleges, it began seeing a rise in fraudulent applications — individuals attempting to gain financial aid money using someone else’s identity. Twenty or 30 fake applications per term quickly grew to hundreds or thousands.  

Michelle’s team got to work, beginning by accepting identification over Zoom to ensure it was a real student completing the application. 

“The more we can do, not only in-person, but virtually, really supports all of our students, no matter where they’re at,” she said. 

While these efforts helped address the issue, individuals posing as students were now joining the Zoom sessions and often became confrontational when questioned, putting a strain on staff. Michelle became determined to stop fraudulent activity before it even got to that stage. 

Another way Michelle prevents fraud is by tracking patterns in credit card numbers to see if multiple accounts are using the same last four digits. She also helped to reinstate the application fee. 

Not all colleges charge a fee, though implementing one does help decrease the number of fraudulent applications. However, the process has its pros and cons. Michelle was here when Clark originally had a fee, and she was disheartened to see it become a barrier for some students. Once Clark reinstated the fee, Michelle’s team worked to prevent barriers by introducing waivers, which she also distributes to local high schools.  

Her efforts are paying off big time. 

 “Just last term, multiple colleges were hit again with AI and fraud. I mean, we’re talking thousands and thousands. But we got hit with maybe two or three,” she said. 

Because the identification process is relatively new, issues do sometimes come up. But Michelle handles them with grace. One nominator recalls a specific time when Michelle’s kindness had a direct impact on a student’s experience. 

“When a situation required escalation, our college departments struggled with supporting a student,” the nominator said. “Michelle immediately wrote an apology letter to the student and took accountability for the lack of support that the student faced. She took it a step further by reviewing our identity verification practice and recommending equitable updates to ensure a similar situation would not happen in the future.”  

Michelle’s dedication to the student experience goes above and beyond her day-to-day role. She serves on the Admissions and Registrations Council (ARC), which meets throughout the year to share best practices in the admissions and registration process. She also joined an ARC subcommittee that focuses on improving the application used by colleges across the state. The group has updated residency information to better support students and works to ensure the application process is smooth and easy to understand. 

Michelle’s efforts to give students the best possible experience are evident. In one nomination, a colleague noted that Michelle “steps in whenever support is needed and ensures that students feel like they belong at Clark College.” 

Another nominator said, “Her philosophy is to always lean towards the student; work with what they have, and don’t punish them for what they don’t.” 

Her advice to Clark students reflects her own experiences in school: be positive and open-minded.  

“For me, I learned that I’m not great at math. But the more I told myself to be open-minded and that it would be a good experience — even if I’m not great at it — the more I absorbed and started to learn,” she said. “So, come to Clark with an open mind and know that we want to help you learn and meet your education goals.” 

In her own role, success isn’t defined by numbers on a report.  

“I feel successful when I’m supporting people, and they feel good about their job,” she said.  

For the students and colleagues who rely on Michelle’s support every day, that success is easy to see. 

In her free time, Michelle enjoys kayaking, paddleboarding, baking, crafting, and gardening. She also loves spending time with her family, including her baby grandson, Cyrus (pictured above left), and her two dogs, Piper and Freiya (pictured above right).

About the Classified Staff Excellence Award

The Classified Staff Excellence Award was established in 2005 and recognizes classified staff who have demonstrated exemplary work performance, a positive and cooperative spirit, special achievements or contributions to the college community, and support for individual and organizational diversity and inclusion. The award is presented at the end of every term. Through the support of the Clark College Foundation, the recipient will receive a $400 cash award and is eligible to win the annual Exceptional Classified Staff Award.

Nominations for the spring term are now open! Submit the nomination form found here by May 22, 2026, to recognize a staff member who has gone above and beyond.

Photos courtesy of Michelle Mussen

Story by Malena Goerl, Staff Writer, Communications and Marketing