News

You may have noticed that there are a number Quality Matters (QM) logos in the schedule of classes at Columbia Gorge Community College (CGCC). This indicates that the class has met quality standards after a review by a three person panel of instructors, led by a master reviewer and including an external reviewer (from another college or university) and a subject matter expert.

Quality course design standards are a cornerstone of online learning at CGCC. The college adopted QM standards in 2004, using them to evaluate every new hybrid or online course. By 2009, college faculty began certification as peer reviewers and in 2011, the annual reviews started. During the winter of 2018, these teams worked together:

Attending college can be a challenge. Personal finance, time management, language barriers and life’s everyday stresses sometimes lead students to drop classes or quit college entirely.

That’s where Learning Communities help make a crucial difference, as students discover they don’t have to face these challenges alone.

One of the fastest-growing job openings in the Columbia Gorge is for medical assistants, and people who would like to learn more are invited to contact Columbia Gorge Community College.

The college launched its medical assisting program in 2007. This is a one-year certificate leading directly to employment in the field with an historical job placement rate of 82 percent.

A proposed $10.2 million General Fund budget for Columbia Gorge Community College’s 2018-19 fiscal year will be considered by the college’s board of education June 12 following recommendation for approval by budget committee members in May.

The budget includes proposed investments to advance CGCC's technology infrastructure and initiatives to expand enrollment, including distance education. The budget also includes contingency funding.

Dr. Ashley Thompson, Oregon State University Extension’s new Horticulture Extension Field Faculty member, has arrived in the Columbia Gorge.

OSU Extension’s Columbia Gorge operations are co-located on The Dalles Campus of Columbia Gorge Community College, in Building 2.

Have you discovered Columbia Gorge Community College?

Prospective students will have the opportunity to learn about education and training programs, scholarships, other financial aid, and participate in college campus tours in Hood River and The Dalles during “Discover CGCC” activities coming up in May and June.

Participants, volunteers and sponsors of Columbia Gorge Community College Foundation’s first dinner and live auction fundraiser, “Saddle Up and Celebrate,” helped raise more than $14,000 this spring for the foundation’s unrestricted fund, which supports the area of greatest need such as student scholarships.

The new event featured line dance lessons, dessert and live auctions, a prime rib buffet, and fun for the entire family on April 26 at the Ft. Dalles Readiness Center when Columbia Gorge Community College Foundation hosted Saddle Up and Celebrate.

There are many reasons to attend Columbia Gorge Community College. We have great instructors, the cost is much less than a four year school, we have an active student body, we are located in a beautiful area. The list goes on, but the main reason for most of us is a practical one, to acquire an education that will result in a good paying job. CGCC’s Nursing and Health Occupations programs are exceptional, and jobs are waiting for those who complete them. There is a shortage of Registered Nurses right now, and according to Dr. Beverly Malone that statistic isn’t changing anytime soon. “With upcoming RN retirements amidst today’s nursing shortage, it is expected that our nation will need 1.13 million new RNs by 2022. Plus, there will be a need for 35 percent more faculty members to meet the demand for nurses.” This translates into being able to find a job locally or anywhere in the country should you need to relocate. The Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook states: “Employment of registered nurses is expected to grow 16 percent from 2014 to 2024, much faster than the average for all occupations. Growth will occur for a number of reasons, including an increase emphasis on preventive care; growing rates of chronic conditions, such as diabetes and obesity; and demand for healthcare services from the baby-boom population, as they live longer and more active lives.”

There are some exciting changes happening at CGCC this year and that includes the bookstore. In 2010 the bookstore expanded from a one room storage closet to a retail store to provide textbooks, art supplies, apparel, office supplies and sundries for our students and staff. In those days students had very little options when it came to buying textbooks. Most of the textbooks that were adopted for classes were new. The College contracted with an outside buyer for book buy back, but students only got  pennies on the dollar, one of the first changes we made was to start buying books back from students who had purchased from us and giving them roughly fifty percent back.