Press Releases

Columbia Gorge Communty College Foundation launches its first-ever Holiday Online Auction Wednesday, Dec. 1, offering people an early start to holiday shopping while supporting student scholarships.

“More students are returning to Columbia Gorge Community College, working hard to complete their education in spite of the pandemic,” said Wendy Patton, CGCC Foundation executive director. “This is welcome news, but it comes as our capacity to fundraise has been constrained by COVID-19.”

As the Delta variant of COVID-19 raises public concern over large gatherings, Columbia Gorge Community College is modifying its plans for a ribbon-cutting at the college’s new workforce skills center and student residential hall in September.

While the ribbon-cutting is still planned for 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 11, the college will offer a livestream of the event for people who do not wish to attend in person. The college is encouraging people to participate via the livestream, while still keeping the ribbon-cutting open to those who prefer to attend in person.

As more people are vaccinated to reduce the risk from COVID-19, many parents in the Mid-Columbia region are returning to the workforce. But the high cost and scarcity of affordable child care is a challenge, both for the general public and students attending Columbia Gorge Community College.

The Columbia Gorge region, already known as a technology leader in Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), reached another milestone this summer, as Columbia Gorge Community College joined a nation- wide collegiate training initiative organized through the Federal Aviation Administration.

Reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 2018 required the agency to establish a UAS training initiative through agreements with institutions of higher education that prepare students for careers involving autonomous systems. Two-year institutions so designated become members of a “Consortium for Small Unmanned Aircraft System Technology Training.”