This content was published: October 10, 2007. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
Message from the President: PCC wins National Equity Award
Photos and story by James Hill
Dear Colleagues,
I would like to congratulate everyone on a job well done. In late September, PCC received the National Equity Award from the Association of Community College Trustees. ACCT represents more than 6,500 elected and appointed board members, governing 1,200 community colleges in the United States. This great honor was based on PCC’s efforts to hire a more diverse workforce and to ensure opportunities for access to education for students of color and women.
We’re thrilled to bring home this honor. Diversity has been one of my top priorities. As District President of PCC, I am personally committed to expanding the diversity of our faculty and staff. A diverse workforce exemplifies the values PCC looks to instill in our students and directly advances our educational mission. PCC has an obligation to our community and students to provide role models with whom each and every one of our students can identify.
How did we get here? First, our Board has made diversity one of its top goals and it’s one of six key areas for the college’s strategic planning the Educational Master Plan. Second, the College’s Grants Office makes it a priority to procure funding that increases access and success to under-represented populations. Third, by developing internal and external diversity committees at all campuses, PCC has developed a host of campus-based strategies to create a climate that supports all students and staff. Fourth, our staff and faculty development is designed to improve cultural competency and awareness of international issues. Fifth, the faculty internship program is a unique effort by PCC to diversify the faculty ranks. Last, the strategic hiring process supports diversity in the work place.
As a result, the student body is more than 25 percent people of color with a myriad of programs and initiatives to ensure they succeed at PCC. The part-time faculty pool is now 28 percent people of color, up by nine percentage points from the previous year. Full-time managers and faculty are now 14 percent people of color, up by six percentage points from the previous school year.
We still have plenty to accomplish in this area, but I am proud that PCC has been recognized for its efforts to make the college a more diversified, and accessible, place to be. On behalf of the Board of Directors and myself, thank you to everyone who made this national distinction possible.
Preston Pulliams
District President
About James Hill
James G. Hill, an award-winning journalist and public relations writer, is the Director of Public Relations at Portland Community College. A graduate of Portland State University, James has worked as a section editor for the Newberg Graphic... more »