This content was published: January 7, 2014. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
The first PCC Answer Center begins at Southeast Center
Photos and story by Christine Egan
At the kiosks, students can pay bills, register for classes, order parking permits, fill out applications and order transcripts. If they need additional help they can ask a volunteer or stroll over to any of the windows of nearby departments.
January 7, 2014
Written by Christine Egan
Starting winter term, Portland Community College students at the Southeast Center (2305 SE 82nd Ave. at Division Street) can get all of their questions answered in one place.
The college’s first Answer Center – a one-stop kiosk where any student can access and navigate college resources with help from staff volunteers – opened inside the brand new Student Commons Building on Monday, Jan. 6. Students won’t have to shuttle from department to department trying to access key services. Instead, they simply stop by the Answer Center where they can get assistance on issues related to the Enrollment Services, Financial Aid and Student Accounts departments. At the center’s kiosks, students can login into the college portal called MyPCC and complete any phase of their enrollment. And, at any time they can receive over-the-shoulder help if they are unsure of what to do.
“The Answer Center model places students at the center of the registration process, empowering them through self-service and providing proximate resources and cross-trained staff for maximum efficiency,” said Jessica Howard, Southeast Center/Extended Learning Campus president. “To be able to offer this model to the PCC community first at Southeast Center is exciting and a privilege. Its location in the new Student Commons Building is fitting; together they herald a new era of service and opportunity for our students and community.”
PCC’s 2008 voter-approved $374 million bond program is increasing opportunities for residents to access quality, affordable higher education close to where they live and work. Additional classrooms, updated equipment and technology, and advanced workforce training programs are helping to pave the way for future employment options. For more information, visit www.pcc.edu/about/bond/about.
About Christine Egan
Christine Egan is a returned Peace Corps Volunteer and has a graduate degree in land use and environmental planning. Prior to her Peace Corps service in the Dominican Republic, she lived in Washington DC serving as a legislative advisor to ... more »