President Bob Knight considered the state of Clark College and judged it to be delicious.
Particularly its pecan bars.
That was just one element in Knight’s annual taste, er, State of the College address Thursday morning, but it did reflect one of Clark’s big steps forward over the past 12 months.
The return of Clark’s culinary program led Knight’s list of success stories in 2017.
Knight also underlined some challenges for 2018, including diversity issues and enrollment.
A summary of Knight’s State of the College address at Gaiser Student Center:
A year of growth
• Culinary program: With the Tod and Maxine McClaskey Culinary Institute, Clark College brought the program back stronger and better, in honor of the faculty who originated the program, he said.
Presidential Coins
Bob Knight recognized three individuals Thursday morning with presidential coins for exemplary service:
• Rachele Bakic has been associate dean of instructional operations since June 2015. She came to Clark College as a program manager in 2012 and was named interim director of academic services in September 2014.
• Armetta Burney is director of workforce education. The basic food, employment and training program grew from 16 students to more than 300 per quarter. Her administration of opportunity grants led to an increase in student retention from 76 percent to 84 percent.
• Al Bauer, a retired state lawmaker, was honored as the state’s education senator. Bauer was a member of the Clark College class of 1955. Bauer Hall on the Clark College campus is named after him.
Knight saluted the fund-raising committee led by Rick Takach and Mark Matthias: “I was willing to settle for a more modest remodel that would have been a couple million less, but they insisted that we needed to go bigger and better and committed to raising the additional funds.”
• Guided Pathways: “We need to be student-ready,” Knight said. In its second year, Guided Pathways makes it easier for students to navigate — and complete — their course work. The program promotes personal connections so all students, regardless of ethnicity or economic background, can succeed at the same rate, he said.
Clark has been selected as a Pathways 2.0 College by the American Association of Community Colleges, Knight added. Several college leaders attended their first national training in November.
• Penguin Pantry: Recognizing that food insecurity was a barrier to student learning, Clark established this food pantry to help meet its students’ needs, Knight said.
“If they’re hungry, they won’t be learning.”
• Fullerton endowment: In November, longtime Clark College coach and supporter George Fullerton established an endowment to fund scholarships for student athletes.
The endowment will fund 20 scholarships each year.
Challenges
• Boschma Farms: Clark College at Boschma Farms, the newest capital project in Ridgefield, is stalled in Olympia.
“We were on the final capital funding list. Unfortunately, due to political gridlock, the capital budget is not funded and we cannot move forward with this important regional economic development project,” Knight said. “We must insist that our state Legislature does its job.”
• Welcoming culture: Clark must maintain an environment that is open and welcoming to all students, Knight said.
“I have been disappointed at times in the past year when I have seen comments on social media, or heard from our students about experiences in the community that did not match the college’s value of social justice. Last year at the state of the college, I made a commitment to our DACA students, and let me again reaffirm the commitment I made to them.”
• Declining enrollment: With workers in demand, many prospective students are foregoing higher ed.
“Our local employers are telling us they could use more welders, mechanics, machinists and a host of other jobs,” Knight said. “But because of the tight labor market many individuals are working rather than investing in training.”
While low-wage jobs have an immediate payoff, Knight said, there will come a time when workers “realize that you can’t raise families on them.
“We know that this economy will not last forever,” Knight said. “We know the individuals that will do the best when the economy slows are those that have skills and education.”
