College News - Week of Dec. 12

In 2013, the Oregon Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development brought together representatives from Oregon’s 17 community colleges to form the Oregon Development Education Redesign Group to evaluate state developmental education policies and practices aimed at improving student retention and completion. Meeting monthly in Salem, LBCC's work group (Virgil Agnew, Vikki Maurer, Charles Madriaga, Bryan Miyagishima, and Chareane Wimbley-Gouveia) considered state and national research and promising innovations, including a number underway at LBCC such as the Accelerated Learning Project in Writing (Chris Riseley), Math Bootcamp, Math Fast Track, and and the Alternate Math Path (Bethany Pratt, Hollis Duncan, and Vikki Maurer), and RD 90 College Success and Reading Strategies (Jeanee Reichert and Sandy Fichtner).The work group's effort culminated in recommendations accepted by the Higher Education Coordinating Commission and the Oregon Community College President’s Council. The second phase is now under way, with individual colleges working on institution-specific projects. LBCC's second phase team (Mary Campbell, Victoria Fridley, Paul Hibbard, Jason Kovac, Justene Malosh, Carol Raymundo and Chareane Wimbley-Gouveia) has chosen to focus on student testing and placement. National research shows that students do not prepare for placement tests or understand the high-stakes implications of their results. Studies also show that students who are accurately placed spend less time and money in developmental classes and are more likely to finish college. Over the rest of this academic year, the team will work on developing tools, policies and resources to increase students' and advisors' awareness that placement matters.

Dale Moon, director of the Regional Perkins Program, has successfully defended his doctorial dissertation at Oregon State University. Dr. Moon’s dissertation, titled "Oregon Industrial and Engineering Teachers' Perceived Professional Development Needs," researched the need for professional development for educators, with a focus on CTE programs.

Mechatronics faculty member Denis Green was selected to lead a session presentation at the Cesar E. Chavez Leadership Conference March 6 at Western Oregon University. Attended by more than 1,500 students from more than 65 high schools, the conference is the largest Latino student leadership conference in the Pacific Northwest. His presentation, titled “Competence in the Technical skills: A Pathway to Acceptance,” will show the technical skills needed in automation, welding, diesel mechanics, machining and computers, along with the idea of teaching personal competence as applied to most trades and occupations.

On Dec. 12, LBCC Phi Theta Kappa students delivered a workshop in building eco-friendly rain gardens to fourth and fifth grade students at Tangent Elementary School, part of the Honors in Action community service project. PTK members prepared a lesson for the elementary students about how toxic urban rain water can be diverted into the soil to help filter out impurities before it finds its way back to streams and lakes, and each student was able to build a model rain garden to take home.

Phi Theta Kappa students teaching at Tangent Elementary School.

The Albany campus courtyard is now home to five handcrafted poetry birdhouses transformed by paint, ceramics, metal, or collage by local artists. Each birdhouse will have a poem on the inside of the door and a small journal for viewers to write a poem of their own, comment, or draw a response. Local poets and artists have contributed to this project, coordinated by the chair of New Art for the Arts & Aesthetics Resource Team, M'Liss Runyon, with funding through a grant from the Linn County Cultural Coalition. In February, the theater will celebrate its 40th anniversary of providing children's plays to our communities by holding a play about the Oregon Trail, Follow Coyote. Approximately 2,000 grade school students from throughout area will attend, with many schools planning to tour the poetry birdhouses after the play.

Birdhouse (right) by artist Rachel Urista
Poetry inside by J.D. Mackenzie

Hummingbird
by J.D. Mackenzie
Corvallis poet

Small gods are felt
before they’re seen

With an ethereal whoosh
that could only be my old friend
he appears out of nowhere
like a Jedi lightsaber

He wears his bling on his throat
which would look vain on anyone else
but it works on this guy

Hovering in place
where his feeder used to be
he hums a little U2
and glances at his watch

He’s come early this year
so I hurry to fix his meal
because I don’t neglect my friends

He darts off
hoping for a better offer
but he’ll be back
once the sweet red nectar cools
because the memory of being loved
is the strongest memory of all

Insider published by: LBCC Advancement Marketing Office
Writer/Editor: Lori Fluge-Brunker, Communications Specialist, College Advancement