Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

PCC Embarks on Opportunity-Filled 37th Year Sept. 21

Photos and story by Mark Evertz

Oregon’s largest post-secondary institution continues the educational mission started in 1961 with affordable, relevant and quality courses for the people of its far-reaching district.

In 1961, the United States found itself in the high-stakes chess game of the Cold War. That same year, Americans escaped the harsh realities of life at the baseball diamond watching a little-known Yankee named Roger Maris become the single-season homerun king. Also in 1961, a night school extension to Portland Public Schools came into its own as Portland Community College.

As fall 1998 approaches, the Cold War is frozen, two men will likely displace Maris in the record books and Portland Community College now holds the honor of the largest higher education institution in the state of Oregon.

The evolution continues at PCC Sept. 21, when in excess of 35,000 students district-wide attend fall term classes. More than 50 employees retired spring term, making way for new enthusiasm in the faculty and leadership ranks at the college. PCC has added 11 new faculty positions. The college also welcomes several new key administrators. They are Rock Creek’s new Executive Dean Bill Christopher; Cascade’s new Dean of Instruction Charlie Sieracki; PCC’s Dean of Academic Services Guy Sievert; Linda Reisser, Cascade’s new dean of students; and Nan Poppe, who has taken the helm as Cascade dean of Adult and Continuing Education.

These additions in faculty and staff were made while PCC maintained essentially the same general fund budget of the 1997-98 academic year – a mere increase of .1 percent for 1998-99.

The top news story for fall term at PCC is the college’s proposed bond measure to district-wide voters. In an effort to increase access to the education required of citizens in an increasingly complex and technology-based society, the PCC Board of Directors approved a $135.5 million bond measure for the Nov. 3 general election ballot. The measure is designed to expand and improve facilities especially in the areas of work force training, computer technology and science. It will meet projected educational needs of the community throughout the first decade of the new century.

In other news, open registration begins Tuesday, Sept. 8, when students can walk in and register. Students also have the option of registering through the PCC automated registration system, TRAIL, by fax or through the mail. TRAIL can be reached at 977-5000. For more information, check out the PCC Schedule of Classes mailed to district patrons in July or on the PCC web site at www.pcc.edu. Students will pay $37 per credit for the 1998-99 academic year, an increase of $1 from the previous year.

Here are some highlights by campus for 1998:

At Open Campus

· New at PCC this fall is the Portland Metropolitan Workforce Training Center, a facility in Northeast Portland that will house the college’s welfare-to-work program, Steps to Success North, the Dislocated Workers Project, the new alternative high school education program, and a number of non-credit community education classes. The center is located at 5600 N.E. 42nd Ave. Contact Mardica Hicks at 281-0495, ext. 222.

· PCC also continues its new Technical High School Academy, which began last year. It gives current high school students an opportunity to attend professional and technical classes at PCC and at their high school to earn both high school and college credits. Students from school districts throughout the Portland area will attend. Contact Bill Manley at 614-7735 for more information.

At Cascade Campus in North Portland

· A new program for medical lab technicians in the field of histology is currently underway. PCC has partnered with six Portland-area hospitals who fund instructional costs and provide professionals from their own hospitals to teach aspiring students. Call Terry Emmons at 978-5671 for more information.

· Five new faculty positions in the chemistry, English and physics departments will be added at the Cascade Campus.

· The history, English and sociology departments on campus are employing a dual-focus approach in the classroom for students to enhance a deeper understanding of the subject matter. The history department will use two professors to teach a combined course of history and literature, "Timbuktu to Jubilee: African American History and Literature to 1877." Students earn six credits for the combined course. A similar program is available for writing and sociology, with "The Journey from I to We: Reconstructing the Community." The Cascade History department can be reached at 978-5215. The English department can be contacted at 978-5283.

· The Oregon Historical Society and the PCC Cascade Campus Community History Center will bring Portlanders a gripping photographic anthology of African American life in Oregon. The exhibit will be held at the Cascade Campus Learning Resource Center from Sept. 21 to Nov. 15. In Search of the Dream: African Americans in Oregon, can be viewed from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. The Cascade Learning Resource Center is located on the Cascade Campus at 705 N. Killingsworth. Call Linda Elegant for details at 978-5070 or 978-5085.

· The PCC Skill Center is sponsoring the Consumer Service Business Management program that pairs local businesses with potential employees during the six-week course. The program provides training for entry-level management positions in the consumer services field. Companies such as McDonald’s, Hilton Hotel, Fred Meyer and American Family Insurance have partnered with PCC for the program. Classes for the free training program start on Sept. 21 at the PCC Skill Center at 739 N. Killingsworth. Program orientations are also slated. Call Ed Joseph at 978-5343 for more information.

At Rock Creek Campus in Washington County

· Medical and Environmental Microbiology is a new four-credit class at PCC this fall. Topics in the four-credit class include DNA fingerprinting, forensics, genetic engineering, emerging diseases, public health and more. Students will also participate in on-site field trips. The class is on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 to 4:20 p.m.

· The free "Exploring Careers in Science and Technology (EXCITE)" will be held on Tuesdays from 6 to 9 p.m. this fall. The three-credit class is designed to turn students who may be intimidated by science and technology toward careers in the emerging field. The focus of the hands-on class includes biotechnology, microelectronics and environmental science. In addition to the program focus, Internet usage and career development will also be discussed. Call Paul Halloran at 614-7438 for more information.

· Rock Creek will have four new full-time faculty positions on its campus. Instructors will lead students in classes such as business administration, biology and computer science.

· "Accounting in Six Months" will allow students to get a basic education in accounting skills they will need for an entry-level job. Students will also learn the latest applicable computer applications in accounting. Call 614-7447 for more information.

At Sylvania Campus in Southwest Portland

· The Social Science Division will be offering a new political science class to help people become more informed before and after the November 1998 general election. "Elections 1998: Campaigns & Voter Options," PS 299E, meets 6 to 9:50 p.m. on Tuesdays from Sept. 22 to Nov. 17. The three-credit course will cover issues and strategies relating to current election campaigns on local, state and national levels. Also discussed will be candidates and ballot measures of interest to Oregon residents.

· Sylvania will dedicate two new full-time faculty positions to the computer software engineering technology and interior design programs.

· The Energy Awareness Conference will bring energy service professionals together with energy and engineering associations and members of the business community on Oct. 8 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center at Sylvania. Topics for the conference include how wise and sustainable energy use can reduce costs in business, how re-regulation of the industry affects businesses, and what energy resources and technology will be necessary for global energy needs in the 21st century. For more information, contact Michael Flaman at PCC, 977-4897, or Gary Mitchell of PGE at 464-7663.

Also, keep your eyes peeled for the Portland Community College videos, "PCC Profiles," on TCI and Paragon Cable this fall. The promotional videos provide details on the many educational and training opportunities available at the college. For scheduled run times of the videos, contact Susan Hereford at 977-4421, or Mark Evertz at 977-4376.

In just 37 years, PCC has emerged as a resource for those who seek an accessible, affordable and high-quality education. That emergence is ongoing at the multi-campus system throughout the Portland metro area. The college has three main campuses: Sylvania Campus in Southwest Portland, Cascade Campus in North Portland and Rock Creek Campus in Washington County between Beaverton and Hillsboro. It also has training centers, satellite offices and more than 200 community locations for credit and non-credit classes within its 1,500-square-mile, five-county district.