Winter 2011
Newsletter for Friends & Alumni of Lower Columbia College
Inside This Issue: Optimism! You’ll Find It Here........................ 2 Hansons’ Musical Legacy............................... 3 LCC Head Start Dads Are the Best!............... 4 NORPAC Employees Change Lives at LCC..... 5 Red Devil Sports Roundup............................. 5 Thinking Small, in a Big Way......................... 6 Paying It Forward.......................................... 7 In Memoriam................................................. 7
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Optimism? You’ll Find It Here! Dear Alumni & Friends, Welcome to the first issue of the Lower Columbia College Currents newsletter! At this New Year’s time of fresh beginnings, and having recently celebrated a milestone 75th anniversary, it feels like a perfect time for an update to our newsletter title that reflects a focus on current events, activities, and achievements at LCC. Currents also gives a subtle nod to the Columbia River that is our namesake and evokes images of a continuous, directed flow not just of water, but also of knowledge to our students and service to our community.
Margit Brumbaugh
You Can Support the LCC Foundation Through: • A multi-year pledge or one-time cash gift • A gift of stocks or securities • A gift annuity, bequest, or other planned gift • A named gift in honor or memory of someone special • A gift of materials, equipment, or vehicle donation Donate online www.lowercolumbia.edu/foundation or contact Margit Brumbaugh for more information at 360-442-2131 mbrumbaugh@lowercolumbia.edu.
Shop Local, Give Local...It Matters!
So, what’s new at LCC? Plenty! Enrollment continues to surge and our faculty and staff are teaching, training, and serving record numbers of students. Ironically, as student numbers continue to go up, state funding continues to go down – way down. It seems we’re always waiting for the other shoe to drop, and then we’re wondering just how many shoes are in that closet. In an economic climate that is too often dark and foreboding, optimism can be hard to come by. But you’ll still see it every day at LCC. You’ll see it in the determination and ambition of our more than 8,600 students as they work in our classrooms, or online from anywhere, to achieve their educational and career goals. You’ll see it in the dedication and resourcefulness of our faculty who continue to innovate and accommodate unprecedented demand. And you’ll see it in the tireless efforts of our staff throughout the College to provide personal service to every student, every worker, every employer, and every community member who needs us. One of the very best places to see optimism in action is in the generosity and support that our alumni and friends provide to the College – support that becomes more essential every day. You find it in the selfless commitment of individuals and corporations who increased their scholarship contributions this year so that others can succeed. You see it in the legacy gifts of philanthropists like Ken and Pat Hanson, who ensured that their vision and passion for music education will live on for generations to come. And you see it in work-based learning partnerships with businesses and other creative initiatives that help build a stronger local economy. In the following pages, you’ll read stories that we hope bring you a feeling of optimism, too. We know that education makes a world of difference to students and families, and that community colleges like LCC are vital to economic recovery and global competitiveness. We are heartened and deeply grateful to the many individuals and organizations who sustain the dreams of our students, and who promote the growth and development of our workforce through their gifts to the LCC Foundation. Join us in this New Year and let’s create the future together. Warmly,
Margit Brumbaugh Executive Director, LCC Foundation Currents is published by Lower Columbia College in coordination with the LCC Foundation. Please contact editor JoAnne Booth with your comments and information at: Lower Columbia College PO Box 3010, Longview, WA 98632 360.442.2111, jbooth@lowercolumbia.edu We like to feature our alumni in Currents and help you stay in touch with your friends at LCC. Please let us know what you’ve been doing. Contact JoAnne Booth. Would you prefer to receive Currents electronically? Are you receiving more than one copy? Are you changing your mailing address? If so, please contact Marcy Gilchrist at 360.442.2132 or mgilchrist@lowercolumbia.edu
On the Cover: Scholarship recipient Thor Jones with donor Maggi Miollis. See page 7. Award-winner Robb Atherton reads to son, Jason. See page 4. Choir members Claire Ouellette and Maggie Hadaller with the Bösendorfer Imperial Grand Piano. See page 3.
Visit the LCC Foundation’s website at lowercolumbia.edu/foundation
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Hansons Leave $3.5 Million Musical Legacy In 2010, Lower Columbia College received the largest single gift in its 75year history, $3.5 million, from the estate of LCC alumni and local music patrons, Ken and Pat Hanson. The donation, in the form of an endowment through the LCC Foundation, will be invested to generate Ken and Pat Hanson annual income to fund music scholarships to the College, purchase and upkeep of musical instruments, and bringing musical artists to LCC; as well as matching funds for other grants to benefit the College’s music programs. “We greatly appreciate the generous support that the Hansons gave LCC over the years,” said President Jim McLaughlin. “Their final gift will leave a legacy of music to benefit the College, future generations of students, and our entire community.” “It will enable us to enhance music offerings at LCC, in the classroom and on stage, while capitalizing on the attributes of our new Rose Center for the Arts, one of the premiere venues for musical performance in Southwest Washington.” Improvements this fall included new carpets for the Rose
Center lobby and new risers for the choir, relegating “break a leg” back to theatre lore instead of a real worry. The College learned of the bequest this past summer. The Hanson donation is the fourth-largest single bequest given to a U.S. community college since 1987, according to the Voluntary Support of Education Survey conducted by the Council for Aid to Education. Ken Hanson passed away in April 2009 and Pat Hanson died in February 2010. The couple met at LCC in 1946 when he was a returning veteran and she was attending summer school. They married in 1947 and the head of the College’s music department sang at the wedding. “Without the College, our paths never would have crossed,” Pat said. Their love affair with each other, and the College, continued for more than six decades. In 2007, on the occasion of their 60th wedding anniversary, the Hansons donated a Bösendorfer Imperial Grand piano for LCC’s new performing arts center, one of only three such pianos in the state. The Hansons also purchased instruments for local students and the College over the years. The Ken and Pat Hanson Rehearsal Hall at the Rose Center was named in recognition of the couple’s support. Although the Hansons had told LCC Foundation Executive Director Margit Brumbaugh they were leaving something to LCC in their estate, “this gift far exceeded anything we could have anticipated,” she said. “They were just the loveliest couple, the most understated, just quietly supporting music education and programs here at LCC and throughout our region.”
Gianluca Luisi to Return for First Hanson Music Series Event Lower Columbia College will launch the Ken and Pat Hanson Memorial Music Series April 16, with a recital by Gianluca Luisi. The Italian piano master, who gave the first performance on the Bösendorfer Imperial Grand piano in LCC’s Rose Center for the Arts, has agreed to a return engagement. Luisi will also offer a master class for LCC pianists and other local advanced pianists close to the concert date. Gianluca Luisi
Luisi has recorded 16 CDs, and received excellent reviews of his 2010 release of the complete cycle of The Well Tempered Klavier by Johann Sebastian Bach. He has placed first in many piano competitions, including the International Music Tournament (Rome, 1999) and the J.S. Bach Piano International Competition (Saarbrucken,
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Germany, 2001), and has performed across Europe, Japan and the United States. Gianluca teaches at the Recanati Piano Accademy of the Marche. He is a Bösendorfer artist and Naxos recording artist. Bösendorfer was launched in Vienna in 1828, quickly gaining a reputation for quality. Many famous pianists and composers played Bösendorfer pianos, including Frédéric Chopin, Franz Liszt, Antonín Leopold Dvorák, and Johann Strauss. However, the piano maker first added extra bass keys to a piano in 1891 as the result of an experiment with Ferrucio Busoni to reproduce the sound of a 32-foot organ pipe for Busoni’s transcriptions of Johann Sebastian Bach’s works.
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Two LCC Head Start Dads Really Are the Best Fathers Earn Head Start Regional Awards If one of Robb Atherton’s or James McBride’s sons tells you his dad is tops, it’s not just his opinion. Both men, LCC students and fathers from the Lower Columbia College Head Start program, have won regional awards recognizing personal growth and advocacy efforts of Head Start. Atherton won the Head Start Region X (Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska) “Beating the Odds” award and McBride was named Region X “Father of the Year.” The two were among 20 Washington parents in the 20092010 Parent Ambassador Program. The program teaches participants about the legislative process and trains them to educate and mobilize other parents in their local programs. Both men also served on the LCC Head Start Policy Council and traveled to Olympia and Washington D.C. to advocate for Head Start programs and funding. “If it weren’t for Head Start and the encouragement of teacher Pam Hellem, I don’t know where I’d be right now,” says Atherton. The single father has overcome many obstacles, including 28 years of drug addiction, 20 years in prison, and homelessness. While a 12-step program helped him stop using drugs, he says, Head Start showed him how to I knew I could be become a productive member anything I wanted to be. of society.
I chose to be Jason’s Dad. –Robb Atherton
At his first Head Start Parents Meeting, he was genuinely interested in what they were going to teach his son, so he asked a lot of questions. “By the end of the meeting, they had chosen me chairman. I was astounded. Later, I asked my sponsor, ‘Don’t they know who I am?’ My sponsor told me, ‘They know who you are. They just don’t know who you were.’ With that, the weight was lifted from my shoulders. I knew I could be anything I wanted to be. I chose to be Jason’s Dad.” An LCC student majoring in Computer Science, Atherton just bought his own home. He also started a dads’ group at Parents Place (a local community agency), and volunteers with Kelso School District. “It’s my passion to help men overcome the bad choices they’ve made in their lives, and become good fathers,” he says. James McBride, single father of two, has nearly finished his Applied Science degree in Automotive Technology at LCC. “Being selected as the Father of the Year is a once in a lifetime achievement,” says James. “I am aspiring to be the best parent I can be, patient and understanding. I want my children to say, ‘Dad I love you. Thank you for being you.’”
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James McBride checks out the Head Start East playground with his sons, Gabriel, 6 (now in kindergarten) and Xander, 3. Robb Atherton and his son Jason are pictured on the cover.
McBride, a Desert Storm veteran, was living with his two sons in one room of his parents’ home when he learned that his oldest son, Gabriel, was eligible for Head Start. “At the time, my self-esteem was very low. I didn’t go out; didn’t talk to people…. At the first Parents Meeting, I was very quiet, but I soon realized I was among friends and began speaking up.” He eventually became a classroom representative, and also Policy Council Vice-President. “I came out of my shell when Gabe got into Head Start. I found my voice. I can’t stop talking about Head Start.” He adds, “I’ll always be a Parent Ambassador. They say it’s a one-year training, but a lifetime commitment.” Meanwhile Gabriel’s Head Start Family Advocate, Kristen Nunes, helped McBride meet his top goal: to have his own home again. Head Start Director Sandy Junker said, “Both of these men have had a very positive impact on our program, as I think the program has impacted them.” To see Atherton and McBride’s congressional testimony, check out the favorites on LCC’s YouTube channel, http://www.youtube.com/lowercolumbiacollege
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Caring Employees Change Lives at LCC NORPAC Earns Corporate Award for Support of Head Start Far left, NORPAC employees donate funding and time to improve LCC Head Start playgrounds; Left, annual coat drive keeps children warm each winter.
Volunteer crews have provided labor for projects, rebuilding a playground shed at one site and spending hours preparing rubber playground tiles for re-installation at another. To the delight of Head Start staff, three winters ago a NORPAC group began a tradition by bringing many new children’s coats, umbrellas, boots, and hats for children.
Longview’s NORPAC Corporation, a division of Weyerhaeuser, is receiving some welldeserved recognition this year as the recipient of the Head Start Region X Corporate Award.
“The support we receive from NORPAC (North Pacific Paper Corporation) here in Longview is priceless,” says Lower Columbia College Head Start Director Sandy Junker. NORPAC is a finalist for Head Start’s national corporate award which will be announced this spring.
The honor recognizes local NORPAC employees for broad support and special projects that benefit low income children and their families participating in LCC’s Head Start Program.
A Safety Net for LCC Students
The relationship began five years ago, when NORPAC employees volunteered on United Way’s Day of Caring to freshen up LCC Head Start’s outdoor playground. Impressed by Head Start’s mission and operations, they began supporting Head Start with a donation jar next to the daily coffee service at work. The jar filled quickly. Funds helped purchase more equipment for Head Start playgrounds, such as special tricycles and rickshaw carts. They also repaired and repainted older, broken tricycles.
NORPAC also made a sizeable donation to the LCC Emergency Scholarship Fund, helping college students who, without these funds, would be unable to continue their studies. This special fund has helped women escape domestic violence situations and begin a brighter future. It has enabled a young student with limited income to pay tuition to gain skills to earn a living wage, and another student purchase a $260 textbook. “It’s a tremendous blessing to LCC students in need, and an investment in our community’s future, because these students will become the workforce that supports our local economy,” said LCC counselor Mary Stone, who coordinates the fund.
Red Devil Athletics Roundup Congratulations to former Red Devil Buddy Black, named the National League Manager of the Year by Major League Baseball. Black played for the Red Devils back in 1976 and 1977, and continues to support the program. Black recently completed his 4th season as the Manager of the San Diego Padres. The LCC volleyball team made it to the NWAACC Championships for the second year in a row. LCC closed out the season as one of the hottest teams in the NWAACC, but just couldn’t capture the magic at the tournament. Congratulations to coach Marcy Gilchrist and her team for another solid season. Three players received all-league honors: Taofi Sanft, 1st Team; Shailah Ricketts, 2nd Team, and La La Latu, Honorable Mention. lowercolumbia.edu/foundation
Memorial Day, the Red Devil Baseball Team (40-5) won its 10th NWAACC tournament title, the most in NWAACC history. That gave Coach Kelly Smith his fifth crown in 11 tries. University of Kentucky-bound Alex Phillips was named the MVP of the tournament.
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Thinking Small, in a Big Way ICP Offers Localized On-the-Job Training LCC Foundation Grants Keep Learning Current
Student Crystal Martin interviews fellow ICP students Sue Jarrad and Donna Woodard, preparing this story. Martin participated in an ICP to prepare for work as a freelance writer.
The Lower Columbia College Foundation also provides funding, not otherwise available, to assist college faculty in upgrading their own skills. Professional development for instructors means that LCC students are learning the latest skills to better prepare for today’s jobs. This past fall, Foundation funding allowed LCC nursing instructors to acquire new expertise they will pass along to future nurses.
L o w e r C o l u m b i a C o l l e g e ’s Individualized Certificate Program began in the late 1990s as a way to provide customized education and training to match individual students’ interests. It’s a great solution when students have an unusual interest, or there aren’t enough job openings to support a full program. These days, with jobs in short supply, ICP works more in the other direction, says Andrea Leary, LCC’s Director of WorkBased Learning. “We’re now focused on the employer needs in the community.” LCC works with the employers to plan the training program, starting with a set of core classes. They pick and choose from classes across campus—even adding classes or curriculum of their own—to build the ideal employee. Then, the employers provide on-the-job training to LCC student interns. Students also take seminar classes, with a different focus each quarter as they develop a portfolio and cover various work readiness and job seeking (and keeping) topics. The students form a community, mentoring and supporting one another, says seminar instructor Megan Jasurda. The program has doubled in the last year, adding new certificate programs such as Biology Technician and Chemical Technician. Quick and flexible, ICP
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partners well with other state and nonprofit agencies such as the Workforce Development Council and WorkSource. In the end, everybody wins: students, employers, and taxpayers.
Donna and Sue – A Tale of Two Students It wasn’t easy for Donna Woodard, a student in the Pharmacy Technician Individualized Certificate Program, to come back to school. Her age, living without a lot of money, and the fact that she hadn’t been in school for a while, presented extra challenges. Due to the recession, Donna lost a job that had promised training in the pharmacy field. Even so, the experience sparked her interest in a career. “School gives you a goal,” she said. “In six months to a year, you can have a better job.” Sue Jarrad, training in LCC’s Water Maintenance and Distribution Individualized Certificate Program, is one persistent lady. Her motto: “Don’t be afraid to ask questions.” Personal growth has been the best part of coming back to school. Jarrad feels she has grown socially as well as intellectually; that has allowed her to be more outspoken and given her more initiative to pursue things. Her advice: “Share what you learn, because it benefits everyone.” — Crystal Martin
Instructor Marlene Jones completed an online medical-surgical nursing course offered by the University of Washington leading to national certification. The training will enable Jones, who holds a B.S. in Nursing from Oregon Health Sciences University, to provide her students with the latest nursing practices in caring for their surgery patients. Today’s nursing students often learn patient care skills on a computerized human simulator before practicing them in a clinical setting. This past year, the LCC nursing program acquired a “Birthing Noelle and Infant Simulator” to be used in the college’s obstetric and pediatric simulation lab.
Thanks to another LCC Foundation grant, requested by instructor Kathy Meier, four LCC nursing faculty received training on the use of the new simulator and related computer operations from the manufacturer Gaumard Scientific. In addition to operating the simulator, the instructors identified potential learning opportunities it provides to student nurses and problem solving issues that might arise, applied a variety of computerized scenarios, and learned about maintenance needs for the new equipment. The use of simulators has made LCC a leader in providing online nursing education. lowercolumbia.edu/foundation
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Paying It Forward Scholarship Gifts Benefit Students and Our Community Since 1934, the generosity of community residents and corporate donors has played a critical role in the success of Lower Columbia College and its students. Nearly $250,000 in scholarship gifts this year have provided funds for tuition, books and college-related expenses. Contributions of any size can make a difference in the lives of our students, and ultimately provide a skilled workforce to benefit the economic health of our community. The annual scholarship social provides an opportunity for recipients and donors to share their stories. Rob Quoidbach, an alum from LCC’s early days, sponsors scholarships for students Claire Ouellette and Taylor Froberg, and also supports other College programs with donations. He encourages other alumni to also “Pay It Forward”. Nursing student Angela Niday, 201011 recipient of the Ethel Kirkpatrick Memorial Endowed Scholarship, t h a n k s D r. N e i l Kirkpatrick for his f a m i l y ’s s u p p o r t in completing her program at LCC.
In Memoriam Judith Irwin Judith Irwin, retired instructor of English at Lower Columbia College, died Nov. 17. A poet, writer, historian and honorary member of the Cowlitz Tribe, she taught at the College from 1961 until 1987. Irwin coordinated poetry festivals at LCC and in the community and helped compile the history of the Cowlitz Tribe in a 400-page book. She received Faculty Emeritus status at LCC in 2006.
Hughson Mooney Dr. Hughson Mooney, who taught history at LCC from 1959 until 1964, died June 13 in California. He completed a distinguished career at Central Connecticut State, but always thought fondly of his time at LCC and his former students. LCC alumna Nadine (Greer) Coburn, a student in Mooney’s Western Civilization class in 1960, reconnected with him a few years ago and remembers Dr. Mooney as an outstanding and caring instructor. lowercolumbia.edu/foundation
The Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation is a longtime supporter of projects at Lower Columbia College, including the beautiful Rose Center for the Arts. For the 2010-2011 school year, Weyerhaeuser doubled its scholarship support donating $20,000 to fund awards for 10 students. Pictured are: back, from left, Weyco rep. Brian Hewitt, Jacob Blake, Robert Pierce III, Michael Cabe, Christopher Olson, Weyco rep. Tim Haynes; front, from left, Tara Mastronarde, unidentified guest, Chris C. Cayton, and Jeremiah Johnson.
New Scholarships for 2010-2011 • Mary Harding Scholarship • Maggi Miollis Nursing Scholarship • Oregon State Sheriffs Association Scholarship • Sister Francina Dodd Nursing Scholarship A complete list of donors for 2010-2011 is available from the Foundation web site, lowercolumbia.edu/foundation
Dean Monty Multanen enjoyed children and his work with the Head Start and Early Childhood Education programs. Donations in his memory may be made to the Monty Multanen Memorial Fund through the Foundation office or website.
Monty Multanen Former LCC Dean Monty E. Multanen died May 14 in Gig Harbor, WA. Hired in 1996 as Associate Dean for Technical Education, he oversaw nursing, automotive, business, continuing education, fire science, early childhood education, home and family life, natural sciences, tech prep and worker retraining programs during his tenure. Monty retired in 2002 but returned to campus for events and to visit his former coworkers.
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Track LCC Cagers Online LCC’s Red Devil Basketball teams did us proud in the pre-season and are ripping through their opponents. Please come cheer them on, and see some great basketball. Team rosters and schedules are online at lowercolumbia.edu/athletics While you’re there, check out Athletic Director Kirc Roland’s “Red Devil Blog.” Subscribe if you’d like an e-mail notice whenever he posts an update.
Count on a hot time! The 2011 calendar is already filling up! Mark down Friday, July 15, for the Red Devil Chili Cook-Off. Always a good time. Savvy sophomores bring extra experience to our hard-working Red Devil Basketball teams. Pictured are: Front Row, Eva Everett, Brandon Hoff, and Lacey Seidl; Back Row, Ryan Snowden, Chardonnae Mortimer, Steven Davis, Jesse Moreland, Mollee Schwegler, and Keith Moilanen.
The Well-Dressed Red Devils Fan Cold head? Burning desire to support the Red Devil sports teams? The LCC Bookstore has stylish knit Red Devil hats— especially nice for those early spring baseball and softball games. The skeleton is modeling the fun Red Devil horns (with flashing lights, no less). Our more restrained boosters like the official LCC ties and other gear.