Clark College signature accomplishments: 2010-2015 and beyond

2010

• In Sept. 2010, in support of its efforts to provide a safe college environment, Clark College received a federal grant of nearly $750,000. The grant, which runs from October 1, 2010 through September 30, 2012, was provided through the national Emergency Management for Higher Education Program of the U.S. Department of Education. The $744,402 grant reflected the full amount of the request submitted by Clark College Director of Operations & Auxiliary Services Jennifer Grove. This grant has allowed Clark College to make dramatic strides in terms of emergency management planning. (At the same time, the college also enhanced its risk management efforts.)
  
  
• After 26 years, the Women of Achievement celebration ended in 2010. After a year’s absence, the event was reestablished in 2012 as the Iris Awards.
  
  
• Clark College’s women’s cross-country team won the NWAACC Conference Championships.
  
  

2011

• Opened in 2009, Clark College at Columbia Tech earned LEED Gold certification in April 2011.
  
  
• On Sept. 29, 2011, Clark College dedicated Phase I of Clark’s new Oliva Family Early Learning Center. That facility has won a Community Pride Design Award.
  
  
• In Oct. 2011, the college received $1.68 million grant to support student success and completion in Southwest Washington. The Title III grant was awarded by the U.S. Department of Education under its “Strengthening Institutions” initiative. The grant will be administered over five years: $371,687 (2011-2012), $374,095 (2012-2013), $380,581 (2013-2014), $305,322 (2014-2015) and $250,126 (2015-2016).
  
  
• The Clark College Communication Studies Department received the 2011 Western States Model Communication Program Award of the Western States Communication Association (WSCA).
  
  

2012

• In 2012, Clark College Nursing celebrated its 50th anniversary—making it the longest-standing nursing program in the region.
  
  
• In January 2012, President Knight signed an agreement with the Boys and Girls Club of Southwest Washington to begin the Penguin Promise Scholarship partnership, which provides Clark scholarships to eligible participating youth.
  
  
• In January 2012, the Clark College Jazz Festival celebrated its 50th anniversary. It is one of the largest jazz festivals in Southwest Washington, bringing student musicians from Washington and Oregon states to compete.
  
  
• On February 25, 2012, the college inducted the first honorees into the Clark College Athletic Hall of Fame.
  
  
• On April 19, 2012, the college hosted the dedication ceremony for the Royce E. Pollard Japanese Friendship Garden. The event was held during the college’s 10th annual Sakura celebration, which also marked the 25th anniversary of the donation of 100 shirofugen cherry trees to the campus by Mr. John Kageyama.
  
  
• Clark College’s Automotive Technology program received one of four national 2011 T-TEN School Recognition Awards from Toyota on May 23, 2012.
  
  
• On Sept. 13, 2012, a celebration of life for “Skeet” O’Connell was held in the gymnasium of the building named in his honor.
  
  
• The Clark College Diversity Center was opened on Sept. 25, 2012.
  
  
• On Sept. 28, 2012, Clark College named its music building in honor of educator, musician and arts supporter Dale Beacock.
  
  
• In fall 2012, Corporate and Continuing Education (now Economic & Community Development) moved its offices and classrooms into the West Coast Bank building (now Columbia Bank Building) in downtown Vancouver.
  
  

2013

• Clark College was named to the 2013 Military Friendly Schools ® list, honoring the top 15 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools that “are doing the most to embrace America’s military service members, veterans, and spouses as students and ensure their success on campus.” It was the third consecutive year that the college has received the honor. The college serves more than 700 veterans each year.
  
  
• In winter 2013, basic education classes opened in the “T” Building on Clark’s main campus moving back to campus from the Town Plaza location.
  
  
• In April 2013, Clark College’s Mature Learning program celebrated its 40th anniversary.
  
  
• The Columbia Credit Union Simulation Pharmacy opened in fall 2013 at Clark College at Washington State University Vancouver. This 500 square-foot learning facility allows Clark’s pharmacy technician students to practice skills and simulate activities they will encounter on the job in pharmacy settings.
  
  

2014

• The 2014 edition of Phoenix, the student art and literary magazine of Clark College, was named the best literary and art magazine in the country by the American Scholastic Press Association (ASPA). 
  
  
• In May 2014, the location of a new campus in Ridgefield was announced. Clark College at Boschma Farms will help expand educational opportunities for residents of northern Clark County and include a comprehensive Advanced Manufacturing facility to teach students vital skills for today’s industry.
  
  
• The college broke ground on a new, 70,000 square-foot Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) building, located on the west side of Fort Vancouver Way, in October 2014. The building is scheduled to open for classes in fall 2016.
  
  
• In June 2014, the Firstenburg Family Dental Hygiene Education and Care Center officially opened. This $1.5 million facility allows dental hygiene student to work in a modern dental setting, using simulated dental patients, advanced radiology technology, and paperless charting.
  
  
• In summer 2014, Clark introduced a new Industrial Maintenance Technician (IMT) program that combines a selection of Clark’s existing Mechatronics, Machining, and Welding courses to train students on how to provide preventive maintenance and repair support to manufacturing and other mechanical industries. Leaders from regional industry have indicated a strong need for qualified IMTs, and labor surveys show that the average annual wage for IMTs is $43,000.
  
  
• Also in summer 2014, Clark’s Welding program introduced all-new curriculum that not only expands the variety of welding processes taught but teaches students how to use those processes in fabrication, a skill many local employers are seeking.
  
  
• In September 2014, the Clark College Foundation celebrated the successful conclusion of its five-year “Ensuring a Bright Future” fundraising campaign, which raised a record $26.6 million for student success at Clark.
  
  

2015

• In 2015, Clark received a three-year Working Families Success Network grant, providing an annual $100,000 to hire staff and equip them to work with students in the areas of financial literacy, career services, and gaining access to public benefits. WFSN is a program of Achieving the Dream, a partnership of seven nonprofit organizations that has grown to become the largest non-governmental reform movement working in higher education today.
  
  
• The college unveiled a new 2015-2020 Strategic Plan based on more than a year of work and research that involved almost every employee of the college. The plan was approved by the Board of Trustees in March 2015.
  
  
• The Arbor Day Foundation named Clark College a 2015 Tree Campus USA for its commitment to effective community forestry management. It was the sixth consecutive year that the college was honored with that designation.
  
  
• In fall 2015, the college began hosting a series of free Friday lunchtime seminars, open to the public, on topics involving Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).
  
  
• Clark College’s Running Start program—the largest in the state—marked 25 years of providing eligible and motivated high school students with tuition-free college education.
  
  
• In 2015, Clark College student journalists captured all three top awards in a competition for the best in news reporting, editing and production by teams at 13 community colleges in Oregon and Washington. It was the third year in a row that the news staff of The Independent captured the Publications Sweeps, a tally of the most first-, second- and third-place finishes for a school in 21 categories of the competition. The Independent staff also took first in the General Excellence category of the contest.
  
  
• The 2015 Phoenix, Clark College's art and literary journal, won the Washington Community College Humanities Association’s Large Budget Literary/Arts Magazine of the Year and the Community College Humanities Association's award for first place Literary Journal.
  
  
• In fall 2015, Clark began offering its first bachelor’s degree, a Bachelor of Applied Science in Dental Hygiene. Other bachelor’s degrees, designed to help graduates succeed in today’s workplace, currently are being developed.
  
  
• The Clark College men’s basketball team won the 2015 NWAC Championship.
  
  

2016

• Clark College introduced its new Social Equity Plan during its 2016 celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy.
  
  

Ongoing Annual Events

• During this time, Clark expanded its annual Career Days job fair to include additional days of workshops and activities, relocating it from the Red Lion at the Quay to Clark’s main campus.
  
  
• During this time, the college’s renowned Columbia Writers Series has expanded from an annual event to a quarterly one, with a diverse range of nationally recognized authors including Jess Walter, Karen Russell, and Jon Raymond.
  
  
• The State of the College Address has become a signature event at the college and in the community. Highlights have included the announcement of the Penguin Promise Scholarship program, the unveiling of the 2015-2020 Strategic Plan, and the announcement of the location of the college’s new North County location at Clark College at Boschma Farms.
  
  
• The college has annually hosted regional and/or state science Olympiads for middle and high school students – as well as elementary science Olympiads.
  
  
• Clark College Commencement Speakers included: Curt Warner (2015), Byron Pitt (2014), Dr. Caroline Heldman (2013), J.R. Martinez (2012), Dr. Donna Beegle (2011), and Heidi Durrow (2010).
  
  
• Throughout this time, the college has hosted annual events in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, Native American celebration, Latino celebrations, and the Sakura Festival.
  
  
• CVTV has broadcast live primary and general election coverage from Gaiser Student Center.
  
  
• Winners of the Clark College Outstanding Alumni during this time were: Teresia Hazen ’90 (2015), Pat Sheaffer ’61 (2015), Mary Ann Thimmes ’64 (2015); Joanne Kendall ’84 (2014); Michael Greenwood ’61 (2013); James R. Martin ’68 and Barbara Saur ‘86 (2012); Scott Bieber (2011); and Rico Selga (2010).
  
  
• The Faculty Speaker Series has showcased the expertise and experiences of members of the Clark College faculty.