This content was published: December 31, 2012. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
Top-10 web stories of 2012
Photos and story by James Hill
Welcome to our top-list of most read stories in 2012 on the PCC website. Each week during the past year, we have featured the story of a program, event, student, faculty or staff member at Portland Community College. Many of our stories were viewed thousands of times and generated lots of discussion. Sit back and enjoy our most popular web stories of 2012!
1) PCC unveils 50 diamonds that sparkle
Fifty Portland Community College alumni are being honored as PCC Diamond Alums in tribute to the college’s 50th.
The list of alumni is long and diverse. From recent graduates to older retirees, they were selected because they all have overcome adversities, achieved success that made a difference in the community, and have opened the doors to opportunities for others.
- Published on March 28
- 3,933 views
2) Students skate by in Community Ed’s Longboarding 101 class
Last year, this Community Education class was a popular non-credit class. Starting April 4, students can once again learn about the anatomy of longboards and ride with control from instructor Robin McGuirk at Mt. Tabor Park in Longboarding 101.
See what else Community Education offers. It might amaze you.
- Published on March 15
- 3,881 views
3) Students use powwow, Native American Club to connect to culture
For Jessica Ditmore and Philip Hartman, their first-ever powwow experience was the Annual Traditional Powwow at the Sylvania Campus last year and they loved it.
“The drum circles were really interesting and the dancing, too,” Hartman said of what surprised him. “I didn’t realize how much dancing there was in a powwow as well.”
- Published on January 11
- 3,878 views
4) PCC, PSU agree on new co-admissions agreement
Portland Community College and Portland State University have renewed a streamlined co-admission agreement that makes it easier for students to take classes at both institutions, live in PSU residence halls and complete their degrees. The two institutions started co-admitting students in winter 2001 after statewide research on enrollment patterns showed students were enrolling in multiple schools on their own.
- Published on February 1
- 3,858 views
5) Students find path to job offers from tech giant
Hillsboro’s Ben Gold, 34, was a high school dropout 16 years ago. After moving up from California, he worked at a lot of customer service, warehouse and clerical jobs that didn’t excite him. In 2010, he decided he needed to make a change.
“I was tired of going from job to job to job,” Gold said. “I wanted something that will be around for a while and something I can actually retire from. I’ve always been a computer geek and been into computers.”
- Published on March 12
- 3,726 views
6) PCC to install largest ground-mounted solar array in Portland area
Portland Community College will soon start construction of a 35,000-square-foot solar array at the Rock Creek Campus.
The project is to be funded by dollars from the 2008 bond measure and is expected to produce 500,000 kilowatt hours of electricity in its first year of operation. The field where the solar panels will be installed, just high enough so that the Rock Creek Farm’s sheep can graze unimpeded below them.
- Published on February 8
- 3,504 views
7) Longtime PCC board member Harold Williams passes away
Harold Williams, Sr., a member of Portland Community College’s Board of Directors since 1990 and noted community leader, passed away on Sunday, July 1. He was 69.
The college will celebrate Williams’ more than 50 years of service to the community with a memorial celebration. The public is invited to share their recollections and stories.
- Published on July 4
- 3,415 views
8) NSF gives PCC almost $600,000 for STEM scholarships
The National Science Foundation has awarded Portland Community College a four-year grant for scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math related programs.
The aim is to continue to boost the number of educated and skilled technology workers who are women and minorities in these related career fields.
- Published on May 30
- 3,202 views
9) Despite hurdles, PCC builds first comprehensive campus
It was 1966 and enrollment stood at a whopping 9,710 students. Shattuck Hall near Portland State University and Failing Elementary School (later named Ross Island Center) were crammed with so many bodies that people sensed there would be a breaking point. The college had built a wide assortment of temporary buildings in the parking lots to help deal with the overcrowding at PCC. But the cries for more breathing room were growing louder.
Enter the Sylvania Campus.
- Published on April 5
- 3,136 views
10) PCC alumna considered child care pioneer
As she walks through the two-story building peeking into classrooms, Christina Unga talks about her two loves — children and sustainability — and how her center is the result of decades of dreaming.
The ChildRoots Center for Young Children in Southeast Portland is built on the promise that raising young minds can be done with sensitivity to the environment.
- Published on September 15
- 3,079 views
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 »