Spring 2010 Inside this issue: Artist’s Passion Lives On at LCC….................3 Reinventing Education for the Future................................................4 Archive Brings Life to LCC History….............5 Future Scientists Begin Quest…....................6 Red Devils 3-for-3….......................................7
SPRING 2010
President’s Message Dear LCC Alumni & Friends: I never cease to be amazed by the generosity and support this community shows to our college and students. Even in this most difficult of economic times, Lower Columbia College is serving 40 percent more students than just two years ago. And we are doing so with less state funding. What makes this possible? The financial donations that many of you provide for scholarships and college program enhancements are critical. Plus, the faculty and staff at LCC who give 110% -- by squeezing in one or two more students, teaching an extra class, or advising 10 more students each day. I’m proud to report that we have provided $150,000 in assistance to students and programs already this year. This spring, the LCC Foundation will sponsor its popular Golf Marathon event to support our students. For information on how to participate as a golfer or a sponsor, check out the back cover of this newsletter or go to lowercolumbia.edu/foundation. On our redesigned website, you will now find an online option to donate to the Golf Marathon, or your choice of LCC programs and projects. We hope this new service will make it convenient for our many friends and alumni to support LCC. During this special 75th Anniversary year, we hope more LCC alumni will reconnect with the college by participating in the many campus events open to the community – quarterly concerts, theatrical productions, the Community Conversations lecture series, Rose Center Art Gallery exhibits and Red Devil athletic competitions.
Catalyst is published by Lower Columbia College in coordination with the LCC Foundation. Please contact editor JoAnne Booth with your comments and information at: Lower Columbia College PO Box 3010, Longview, WA 98632 360.442.2111, jbooth@lowercolumbia.edu We like to feature our alumni in The Catalyst and help you stay in touch with your friends at LCC. Please let us know what you’ve been doing. Contact JoAnne Booth.
Dave Houten
Take a stroll through LCC history from 1934 to the present at lowercolumbia.edu/history. After you enjoy the photos and highlights from decades past, tell us your favorite LCC story by completing the Share Your Memory form. Thank you for your continuing support of Lower Columbia College and the LCC Foundation.
David Houten President LCC Foundation
On The Cover: Main photo: Lower Columbia College celebrates its 75th Anniversary this year, honoring the college’s past with the creation of a college archive and encouraging alumni to return to campus for a variety of cultural and educational events.
Would you prefer to receive The Catalyst electronically? Are you receiving more than one copy? Are you changing your mailing address? If so, please contact Marcy Gilchrist at 360.442.2132 or mgilchrist@lowercolumbia.edu
Top: The 2009 Lady Red Devils celebrate qualifying for the NWAACC Championship tournament this fall.
Visit the LCC Foundation’s Web site at lowercolumbia.edu/foundation
Middle: Donna DeJarnatt, artist, educator and community volunteer. Bottom: Mark Morris students prepare to launch their rocket in the Egg-O-Naut competition at the SW Washington Science Olympiad at LCC.
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lowercolumbia.edu/foundation
SPRING 2010
Artist’s Passions Live On in Studio at LCC One of her favorite sayings was “You can’t fix the whole world, but you can improve your corner.” Donna’s love of art will live on in the studio located in the corner of LCC’s Main Building where new generations of artists will be nurtured and cultivated.
Donna’s daughter Susan DeJarnatt shares memories of her mother with LCC President Jim McLaughlin and guests at the studio dedication.
Donna DeJarnatt was passionate about art, education, and helping others. On Valentine’s Day, family and friends gathered at Lower Columbia College to dedicate the Donna DeJarnatt Studio in her memory. Donna, a local artist, spent more than 50 years helping others realize their individual talents and goals: • As a 5th grade teacher at St. Helen’s Elementary and an art teacher at Monticello Middle School. • At the Broadway Gallery downtown where she created a welcoming place for artists to gather. • Organizing election campaigns for her husband, Arlie, a former Washington legislator.
After her death in July 2008, her family established the Donna DeJarnatt Memorial Fund through the Lower Columbia College Foundation with a designated purpose of providing support to student scholarships and art programs at LCC. At its December 2009 meeting, the current LCC Board approved a proposal brought forth by the Foundation to name this classroom the Grandchildren of Donna DeJarnatt couldn’t “Donna DeJarnatt resist a jar of charcoal and drawing paper Studio” in honor to do some impromptu sketches at the ceremony dedicating an LCC art studio in of her service as an honor of the former LCC trustee, art instructor LCC trustee and in and college benefactor. recognition of the investment the DeJarnatt family and others have made in support of the College.
• As an LCC art instructor and trustee from 1994-2002.
NORPAC Award Brings $10,000 Donation for LCC Foundation Award-winning business practices at Longview’s NORPAC will benefit students at Lower Columbia College. NORPAC earned “Supplier of the Year” honors for 2009 from the Gannett Co., the nation’s largest newspaper publisher and communications company. In recognition of NORPAC, Gannett presented a $10,000 check to the LCC Foundation. “The Supplier of the Year Award recognizes the ideal combination of quality, service and delivery from a newsprint supplier,” said Gannett’s Frank O’Toole on a visit to Longview to present the donation earlier this year. “We truly appreciate your commitment to our business and highly-valued partnership.”
lowercolumbia.edu/foundation
NORPAC has been a long-time supporter of the LCC Foundation, contributing to student scholarships and program enhancements at the college. Craig Anneberg, NORPAC Mill Manager, currently serves as Secretary on the LCC Foundation Board of Directors. “A community college is a great place for many students to begin their education as it is lower cost and more personal than a major university. The college is also important to manufacturing facilities such as NORPAC and Weyerhaeuser as it helps give them access to a skilled and well-educated workforce,” said Anneberg.
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SPRING 2010
Reinventing Education for Tough Times and a New Economy LCC’s ability to reinvent itself, to weather a tough economic climate without turning away students, is paying dividends for hundreds of adult workers seeking retraining and for the college in terms of national recognition and extra funding. Several years ago, LCC made an investment in new technology and related training that has paid off in the college’s ability to lead the state in online courses and to serve more students.
Flexible Online Classes
Enrollment in courses taught exclusively, or partially, online increased 68% at LCC over the past year. The option limits the need for more classrooms and provides flexibility for adult students who must attend school while balancing family schedules and sometimes work hours. Student Vern Johnson earned his first associate degree in Data Processing at LCC in 1984. He worked more than 20 years in computer-related jobs before being laid off. Johnson decided to leverage his past experience and take advantage of federal worker retraining funds to complete computer science studies. He prefers the flexibility offered by online and hybrid courses over traditional classroom studies.
A Model for Success An LCC program that helps adult students improve fundamentals in English and math while acquiring marketable job skills has been commended by President Barack Obama as a model for helping students to achieve academic success. After three years of study, 59 percent of the first group of students in the I-BEST (Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training) program had completed a vocational degree or certificate. That compares to a completion rate of less than 10 percent for traditional basic skills students. “Students learn much more quickly when they use their new academic skills in professional-technical training,” explains LCC Dean of Instruction Jon Kerr. I-BEST was so successful that when Washington Basic Skills educators asked how this concept could work for non-vocational programs, LCC’s leadership replied, “We know how!” That idea became I-TRANS, a program for students planning to transfer, which LCC pioneered last fall by linking basic skills English with college-level Humanities courses. In only one quarter, more than half of the students improved their English to college level while also earning five credits in Humanities studies.
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( A b o v e ) Wo r k e r R e t r a i n i n g students Holleigh Yaden and Vern Johnson review a course lesson available online. (Right) RONE students from Republic, Washington, complete nursing theory studies online and clinical lessons in their local hospital.
Innovative Nursing Program
LCC’s innovative online curriculum for nursing enables working LPN’s and placebound healthcare workers in rural communities to earn Registered Nursing credentials without relocating or leaving their current jobs. At the same time, it provides an avenue for rural hospitals to acquire skilled nurses right in their own communities. Last fall, the college’s Rural Outreach Nursing Education program received a 2009 Workforce and Economic Development Best Practice award recognizing it as a model of success for building a skilled workforce and enhancing the economy. Now LCC will be helping nine other Washington community colleges establish similar programs as part of a $5 million federal grant to train workers to fill jobs in the healthcare industry using online and workplace learning opportunities.
Custom Training For Local Jobs
In a small community, a full-sized training program can quickly saturate the job market. LCC’s Individualized Certificate Program is designed to match skilled workers with employment opportunities on a smaller scale. Students can train in nearly a dozen different fields, from Veterinary Assistant to Water Treatment Plant Operator to Fitness Trainer and gain on-the-job experience with a future employer at the same time. The program is so successful that LCC has received a grant from the Southwest Washington Workforce Development Council to expand it. LCC will work with employers to design training programs that prepare students for local jobs.
lowercolumbia.edu/foundation
SPRING 2010
Library Archive Brings Life to LCC History Don`t throw the past away You might need it some rainy day Dreams can come true again When everything old is new again (Peter Allen, lyrics to Everything Old is New Again) “Peter Allen was right. Everything old is new again, or can be, when traditional library services bring archived materials to the forefront,” writes LCC Librarian Susan James in an article published in the March 2009 issue of the Washington Library Association’s magazine, ALKI. Over the past year, James led the effort to showcase LCC’s rich history for the college’s 75th Anniversary year and for future generations. “Stacks of papers, scrapbooks and photographs were tucked away in closets or offices all across the campus, but there was no cohesive collection to document our progress, or the many people who have contributed to our institution,” she writes. “It became clear we needed to gather materials and documents which told our story.” “The library staff set out to create an archive, first by identifying materials stored in our own building, and then by soliciting donations and contributions from faculty, staff, and students. Eventually materials were also sought from alumni and the greater community.” “The end result was a ‘Legacy of Learning’ archive exhibit, held in the college art gallery. From November through mid-December, 2009, hundreds of visitors toured the exhibit, reestablishing their personal connection to the col-
LCC alum Joan Neiman poses with her yearbook Pep Squad photo on display in the archive exhibit.
lege, or for new students, learning the college history for the first time.” “I know that delving into our past and helping establish an institutional archive has successfully invigorated our present, and is undoubtedly shaping our future as well,” says James. To view online images of the exhibit and even watch video of ukulele performances on an instrument used to solicit funds to start LCC in 1934, go to lowercolumbia.edu/history. To access Susan James’ article, visit the Washington State Library Association website at www.wla.org.
(Above) The Cowlitz Ukulele Association performed for the LCC Archive Exhibit opening in recognition of early fundraising efforts. (Right) Nearly 100 images and campus artifacts spanning 75 years brought back college day memories for LCC alumni.
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SPRING 2010
Future Scientists Begin Their Quest at LCC The future chemists, engineers and Earth scientists who will help find medical cures, design buildings that weather natural disasters and discover ways to keep our environment clean began their quest at Lower Columbia College on March 13. Nearly 400 middle school and high school students came to campus for the SW Washington Regional Science Olympiad, designed to promote interest in science-based careers. LCC faculty and staff volunteers, led by organizers David Rosi and Adam Wolfer, ran the 29 different events for the annual academic track meet. The Camas High School team and the Excel Academy middle school team took top honors in their respective divisions. Thanks to the Mount St. Helen’s Institute for donating passes to the Mount St. Helen’s 30th Anniversary “It’s a Blast: Volcano Science In Your Backyard” event on May 15 to Science Olympiad winners.
(Above) Rosi assists a team from Mark Morris High School in launching a rocket-propelled egg packaged to return to Earth unharmed. (Right) In the Elevated Bridge event students fill a bucket with sand to determine the load their design will carry
Sparks Fly in Hot 2010 Welding Competition About 20 young men and women from seven local high schools put their welding skills to the test at the 3rd Annual Lower Columbia College High School Welding Competition in February. LCC welding faculty, students, retired instructors and industry representatives forged an exciting opportunity for the future welders to experience the next level of learning in their field and hear from industry about job opportunities and expectations. Judges complimented the high quality of skills among the 2010 competitors, including six perfect scores. Industry sponsors donated prizes and supplies for the event, including: Airgas, MSC Industrial Supply, The Quimby Corporation, Mechanically Inclined, Waites Specialty, Western Fire Center, Inc (WFCI), Wayron, C&H Wholesale, Baker Lumber, Lowes, The Home Depot and Castle Rock Building Supply.
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Local high school welding students test their skills in LCC lab.
lowercolumbia.edu/foundation
SPRING 2010
Red Devils 3-for-3 Qualifying for NWAACC Chad Meadors’ women’s team also went to the NWAACC Championships for the eighth straight season. In regular season play, the Lady Devils won their final 10 games and 14 of 16 contests following the winter recess.
Lady Devils 2009 Volleyball Team
After a tentative start, the Lady Devils volleyball team found new life and won nine of their last 12 matches plus a league tiebreaker to qualify for the NWAACC Volleyball Championships, achieving their pre-season goal. The Devils played well in the tournament opener, losing a heart-breaking five set match to Bellevue. LCC then stayed alive with a 2-0 win over Linn-Benton, but the season ended when Highline rallied from a set down to win 2-1. Freshman Lavinia “La La” Latu was voted the West Region co-player of the year, LCC’s Taofi Sanft was named to the all-west team, and LCC Head Coach Marcy Gilchrist was honored by her peers as the 2009 West Region Coach of the Year! It was another stellar season of basketball at Lower Columbia College. The men’s team kept Red Devil fans on the edge of their seats while compiling a 25-4 season record. They opened tournament play with an overtime win against Bellevue and advanced to the championship game of the NWAACC with a 72-70 victory over Yakima Valley before dropping the final contest to Clackamas. Jim Roffler’s Red Devils have appeared in the championship game five out of the last seven years, an amazing testament to talent and consistency.
Both Coach Roffler and Coach Meadors were named as the West Region Coach of the Year. Red Devil Marcus Bell was named the West Region Most Valuable Player and teammate Jeray Key was an All-West selection. LCC’s Sadie Salte, Mollee Schwegler and Marla Olstedt were also named All-West. Mollee Schwegler
LCC Coaches Win Top Honors
Chad Meadors Jim Roffler Marcus Bell
Marcy Gilchrist
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Golf Marathon
Thursday, May 13, 2010, Three Rivers Golf Course
100 holes of golf in a day?! Our dedicated Foundation golfers are taking up the challenge to raise money for LCC student scholarships and programs. Help change the course of someone’s life! Check out our list of Golfers (you’re likely to find some familiar names) and support their marathon efforts to help students. Or show your support by becoming a Golf Marathon Hole Sponsor. Visit www.lowercolumbia.edu/foundation. Our new online donation process makes it easy to give to the Golf Marathon, scholarships, or your favorite LCC program! For more information, please contact the Foundation at 360.442.2130.
Golf Marathon Underwriters
State Farm / Bob Beal
KLOG / KUKN / THE WAVE
Windermere Allen & Associates / Sue Lantz
Golf Hole Sponsors: Anderson & Anderson Advisory, LLC Cascade Networks, Inc. Futcher-Henry Group Heidi Heywood, Attorney at Law Interwest Benefit Consultants, Inc.
Kevin Rahn, Attorney at Law Longview Eye & Vision—Dr.’s Terence & Jeff Tack NORPAC PeaceHeath Medical Group Reitsch, Weston & Blondin, PLLC
Shamrock Tavern Swanson Bark and Wood Products The Gallery of Diamonds Walstead Mertsching, Attorneys Weyerhaeuser Company