News

There will be line dancing lessons, live auction, prime rib buffet and fun for the entire family when Columbia Gorge Community College Foundation launches its “Saddle Up and Celebrate” fundraiser April 26 during Northwest Cherry Festival.

“The Foundation awarded approximately $120,000 in scholarships in 2017-18, and our goal is to increase this amount every year as we help students achieve their educational and career goals,” said Stephanie Hoppe, the Foundation’s executive director. “We’re privileged to join the Northwest Cherry Festival line-up with this inaugural event, and we cordially invite everyone to help us celebrate our college’s mission of building dreams and transforming lives.”

A milestone has been reached in the world of open education resources (OER), as reported by John Schoppert, director of library services at Columbia Gorge Community College. After years of effort to obtain federal funding for OER, Congress included funding for $5 million in the 2018 omnibus appropriations bill. The funds will support the open textbook grant program.

“This marks the first major investment by Congress explicitly for OER as a solution to the high cost of textbooks,” Schoppert said.

Students from around the Columbia Gorge took part in the fifth annual Google Wind Challenge on Saturday, March 17, at the Fort Dalles Readiness Center in The Dalles. This year, more than 190 students from 16 local high schools and middle schools competed to build the competition’s top turbines.

During the Wind Challenge, student teams worked together with volunteer mentors to design, build and test their turbines. The colorful, creative machines were then presented to judges Dave Mason, Jordan Haney, Pam Morse, Rose Kelly, Phil Donovan, and Tom Lieurance who selected the winners based on each turbine’s power and efficiency.

The Columbia Gorge Community College Board of Education seeks interested district electors in Hood River and Wasco Counties for consideration to be appointed to a three-year term as a Budget Committee member.  Interested persons shall send a letter of interest with qualifications, telephone, and address to the Board of Education, Columbia Gorge Community College, 400 East Scenic Dr., The Dalles OR 97058.  Deadline for consideration is April 2, 2018.  Columbia Gorge Community College is an equal opportunity educator and employer.

Four candidates from across the continental United States are under consideration as the next president of Columbia Gorge Community College. All four will be meeting college constituents during upcoming visits to Hood River and The Dalles.

Seventeen members of a search committee representing students, staff, faculty, college board and the public reviewed 44 applications for the presidency. The committee first narrowed that field to 10 semi-finalists for remote interviews, then recommended four finalists to the college board. The board unanimously approved the committee’s recommendation March 1.

A total of 166 individuals (81 current students and 85 other respondents) entered to win a Chromebook as part of the college’s recent student housing survey. Our congratulations to Federico Villa Sapien, the winner in this drawing. Federico’s name was selected at random using an Excel formula.

The housing survey brought responses from more than 300 participants. Responses will inform a housing market analysis to determine the feasibility of constructing student housing on The Dalles Campus. “If this project is to become a reality, housing must be constructed in such a way as to be affordable for students and economically sustainable for the college,” noted Dan Spatz, CGCC community outreach manager. Members of the college board will review the feasibility study in March, but no decisions are expected until later this year.

Jackson, Mississippi – Phi Theta Kappa will recognize 13 college presidents with Michael Bennett Lifetime Achievement Awards during PTK Catalyst 2018, the Society’s annual convention, in Kansas City, Missouri, April 19-21.

The Bennett Awards honor retiring college presidents who have provided consistently outstanding support to Phi Theta Kappa chapters and advisors throughout their careers. The award is named in honor of the late Dr. Michael Bennett, longtime president of St. Petersburg College in Florida. The 2018 recipients are:

After conducting a successful search, the East Cascades Workforce Investment Board (ECWIB) in January awarded a provisional contract to Columbia Gorge Community College (CGCC) for the delivery of comprehensive, year-round Adult and Dislocated Worker Services in Hood River, Wasco, Sherman, Gilliam and Wheeler counties.

The Adult and Dislocated Worker Program, under Title I of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, is designed to provide employment and training services to assist eligible individuals in finding and qualifying for meaningful employment, and to help employers find the skilled workers they need to compete and succeed in business.