15 Pierce College instructors and professors will retire at the end of the spring semester

Jeffrey Cohen - instructor of psychology - 36 years of service

Peggy David - lead teacher of Child Development Center - 24 years of service

Richard Follett - instructor of English - 29 years of service

Lyn Koller - chairperson of Life Sciences Department - 33 years of service

Kambon Obayani - instructor of English - 22 years of service

Michael Pawlicki - instructor of music - 37 years of service

Tom Rosdahl - instructor of automotive service technology & Academic Senate president - 29 years of service

Sheldon Roth - counselor - 23 years of service

Diane Levine - chair of Anthropological & Geographical Sciences - 15 years of service

Sandra Schneider - instructor of English - 22 years of service

Don Sparks - professor of physics & union president - 24 years of service - “Just having this job is a great opportunity.”

Marian Weiser - instructor in theater and dance - 49 years of service - “I love the students and their differences.”

Darlene Wittman - professor of languages - 37 years of service

- “Every year when the students are doing their projects [in the creative sign class], it brings me to tears.”

Kats Yamada - professor of physics - 25 years of service

Kathy Yoshiwara - instructor of mathematics - 33 years of service

To read profiles on the retirees, visit theroundupnews.com.

John Gutierrez / Roundup

Tracy Wright/Special to the Roundup newsroom.roundupnews@gmail.com

Everything has a formula for Lyn Clark. From the four classes a week she teaches in the Computer Applications Department ranging from Microsoft Excel to PowerPoint, to being the chair of the Pierce College Council (PCC), Clark has success down to a science. If you take a walk around Pierce campus, you probably wouldn’t know it, but Clark–with the help of the PCC, has been a formidable force in shaping the school you love.

From the newly-opened library to the easier to access waiting lists of classes you couldn’t quite register for on registration day, PCC has its hands in everything and Clark is their leader.

The PCC is a unique participatory governance body with 25 people from faculty and staff. Its purpose is to provide input to the college president regarding budgetary and policy matters.

They meet once a month and consider issues and problems and forward them to the president for recommendation.

“Let’s say my department would like to replace some computers because they are old. I would put this in my academic plan,” Clark said.

“The committee would look at my plan as well as everyone else’s and rank all of the requests for resources. From there it goes to PCC and then to the president.”

PCC oversees eight different committees: Accreditation Steering Committee, Budget Committee, College Planning Committee, Diversity Committee, Enrollment Management Committee, Facilities Advisory Committee, and the Technology Committee.

“I think Lyn is remarkably experienced,” Professor of Philosophy Mia Wood said.

“Just the time that she’s been here forces one to know a whole heck of a lot about the institution and the way the institution has developed over the years.

“She’s well organized. She always comes to meetings well prepared. She fights for a position.

“She’s not afraid to speak her mind.”

Not only is Clark the head of PCC, she’s also the department chair of the Computer Applications and Office Technologies Department and she also serves on the Academic Senate.

“She’s crystal clear with a very strong moral core,”