This content was published: September 24, 2007. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
From the District President
Photography by Russell Banks.
District President Preston Pulliams
This week marks the beginning of another great school year at Portland Community College. While the fall term has begun for credit classes, it’s not too late to sign up for non-credit community education classes.
Traditionally, we kick off fall term with the In-Service program for all faculty and staff. But this year’s In-Service could be called anything but “traditional.” Our keynote speaker for the Sept. 17 event was Sir Ken Robinson, a noted educator and adviser to nonprofit organizations, colleges and universities, and governments around the globe. Sir Ken gave a rousing yet humorous speech on creativity and the demands on colleges in the 21st century.
We come into this new school year brimming with good news. First, we conducted a survey in May and June and found that metro-area residents think highly of PCC. The survey found that 73 percent of the respondents think PCC’s operation and performance are “pretty good” to “excellent.” Another 70 percent are familiar with the PCC Communities magazineand non-credit schedule. And 56 percent have taken at least one PCC class. That means more than half of metro residents have, at one time or another, been PCC students. No other institution of higher education comes close.
The news from the survey comes at an opportune time. Our Board of Directors has been discussing the likelihood of going out for a bond measure in November 2008, in order to prepare for population increases expected in the Portland area and the need to prepare students for the careers of the future. The exact details of such a bond are still being crafted, but every campus could expect to see additional programs and services to help us in our mission of serving the community. We’ll have more news soon on the board’s decision.
We also go into this school year after receiving much better support from the Oregon Legislature in 2007, and looking down the road at a first-ever, even-year legislative session to be held in February 2008.
This past spring, the Legislature began the process of refunding all levels of education in Oregon, including community colleges. PCC received a funding boost of about 17 percent, gained additional money for the Cascade Campus Skill Center, and got a matching grant for the Willow Creek project in Washington County, which will be a one-stop-shopping facility for the unemployed and under-employed.
Lawmakers also nearly doubled the amount of money in the Oregon Opportunity Grants, meaning larger grants to even more Oregonians, to help provide access to everyone. That additional money becomes available in July 2008 but money in the state grants is still available for this academic year. You can learn more at www.osac.state.or.us/oog.html
Congress also has passed an increase in the federal Pell grants. That matches one of my key goals: Access to everyone who wants a college education. It’s a goal I know PCC’s board of directors shares.
Make no mistake: community colleges have not been fully funded. But this Legislature has moved in the right direction. It acknowledged that community colleges are a key partner in the process of providing affordable education for Oregonians and training the next generation of the state’s workforce. We’re now on a path toward full funding. And we’ll continue to work with legislators to ensure that they perceive us to be part of the solution in getting Oregon ready for the 21st century.
We also start the year with good news on campus. The PCC Foundation raised a total of $1.4 million in revenue and the endowment now stands at more than $2.5 million. This is money that goes to grants, helping even more students gain access to college, and to support innovative college programming and faculty development. The foundation’s new executive director, Rick Zurow, will help kick off the 2008 foundation drive soon.
This school year will feature the big, signature events that you’ve come to expect from PCC, such as the Cascade Festival of African Films, Art Beat, a powwow at the Sylvania campus, the Harvest Festival at Rock Creek, and the Asian festival at Southeast Center. Plus, we’ve also opened up brand new sports facility at Rock Creek — in conjunction with our partner organization the Tualatin Hills Parks and Recreation District — featuring fields for soccer, lacrosse and football, diamonds for baseball and softball, and tennis courts.
This looks to be another great year for Portland Community College, and we can’t wait to get started.