Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

PCC invites public to join in its 50th year planning

Photos and story by James Hill

Portland Community College has been a critical component of Portland metro area’s development, serving an estimated 1.3 million students in almost 50 years. PCC wants to give back by planning a 50th anniversary celebration that best reflects its community.

In preparation for this important milestone, the college is inviting people to be a part of the planning process by sharing celebration ideas on an interactive website at: www.pcc.edu/50th

So far, more than 400 ideas have been posted, which include: 50 days of service by PCC students; 5 band for 5 decades (A concert on the Waterfront); An “Amazing Race” style competition where student, staff and faculty teams compete, performing tasks that highlight PCC’s history and programs; A book of PCC alumni stories; and a community art installation – each campus produces one piece to make up the larger whole, to name just a few.

“Portland Community College has been a part of the community for almost a half century,” said PCC District President Preston Pulliams. “Our 50th anniversary promises to be a year of activities, historical remembrance and community events. PCC organizers hope the community’s feedback will help them create a once-in-a-lifetime celebration that reflects the close relationship between the college’s successes and those of the district’s residents. In effect, as we honor PCC’s history, we are honoring the community.”

PCC has good reason to connect its 50th celebrations to its local community. Two-thirds of every household in the district includes a member who has attended PCC and the college has been training the region’s workforce and creating access to higher education since 1961 when it grew out of an adult education program with Portland Public Schools. In addition, more than 44 percent of degree-seeking students at PCC are the first in their families to go to college.