College News - Week of Jan. 9

LBCC's new online campus, LB iLearn, is set to launch Wednesday, Jan. 14. LB iLearn is a completely online campus with a flexible schedule that students can start on any Wednesday during the year. Currently, iLearn campus programs include Business Administration, Medical Coding and Reimbursement Specialist, and Social Media Specialist. Additional programs will be added soon, including Accounting Clerk and Veterinary Technician. Students can enroll by calling 541-917-4887. Learn more at: http://lbilearn.linnbenton.edu.

The President’s Winter Forum will be held Thursday, January 15, from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Forum. Topics of discussion will include budget, performance packages, and an update on the bond measure and capital projects, among others. Bring your questions, join in the discussion.

Get your nominations in early! Nominations are now open for the Distinguished Staff Award and the Pastega Classified Excellence and Pastega Faculty Excellence awards. Nomination forms and guidelines are available online in the Staff Paperless Office under Forms at: www.linnbenton.edu/nomination, or by contacting Dale Stowell in the Advancement Foundation Office, CC-105. Nomination deadline is Friday, Feb. 27. Awardees will be recognized at Spring Inservice April 17.

Nominations are also being accepted for LBCC's Distinguished Alumnus Award. The award is open to former LBCC students who have demonstrated outstanding accomplishments in their profession or through service to their community, and who have completed at least 36 credits at LBCC. Deadline for submission is Friday, Feb. 27. Nomination forms are available online at www.linnbenton.edu/distinguished-alumni, or by contacting Dale Stowell in the Advancement Foundation Office, CC-105. Nomination deadline is Friday, Feb. 27. Nominees will be honored at a reception held April 22 at the college.

The roof on White Oak Hall is leaking, which means the college’s green roof will be temporarily displaced so the problem underneath it can be repaired. Athletes from the Roadrunner baseball team will be helping to remove the roof over the next two Saturdays, so roofing experts can determine how to fix the leaks. The bins containing the plants on the roof will be saved and the plant material and soil reused by the agricultural program. Once roof repairs are made, the college plans to design and install an improved version of the green roof that can be better utilized for teaching. Due to the weight of the current green roof, there are strict limits on the number of people who can be on it at one time, which significantly hinders its use for group learning.

Gwen Cox

Congratulations to Gwen Cox, Benton Center registration and enrollment coordinator, who was recently honored with the 2013-14 Excellence Award from the American Association for Women in Community Colleges. Gwen was praised for her positive and uplifting approach to her work and her patience and thoughtful interactions with students and staff. 

Joyce Thompson Graham has been hired as the new ESOL Faculty/ABS Coordinator. Joyce comes to us from Lincoln County Schools, where she served as a Program Director in Newport. She brings 25-plus years of ESOL/ Adult Basic Education teaching and coordination experience from community colleges, public schools, and nonprofits in Oregon, Minnesota, and Kentucky. Joyce's official start date is January 21. Stop by the Luckiamute Center to wish her well.




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

College News - Week of Oct. 17

The LBCC Board of Education conferred an honorary degree to former OSU administrator Bob Bontrager, Ph.D., to recognize his leadership in developing the LBCC and OSU degree partnership program, which was established in 1998.  Recently retired from AACRAO, where he served as senior director of Consulting and SEM Initiatives, Dr. Bontrager served as OSU’s director of Admission and Orientation, and as assistant provost for Enrollment Management from 1996 to 2005. He went on to develop partnership programs between OSU and all of Oregon’s community colleges. LBCC has issued just four honorary degrees in the past 10 years. The honor is given to people who have made a contribution to the college, community, nation and/or education over a period of time.

LB iLearn Campus online programs will see its first students taking courses starting January 14. To start, iLearn programs will include a two-year degree in Business Administration, a one-year certificate in Coding and Reimbursement Specialist, and a short-term certificate in Social Media. The LB iLearn team (Ann Buchele, Linda Carroll, Stacy Mallory and Steve Smith) is working on a comprehensive website which will include information on the degrees and certificates offered, as well as the structure and design of iLearn. The target audience for iLearn is past students who have some college credit but have not taken classes at LBCC for at least two terms.

Congratulations to Business faculty member Nancy Noe on being selected as the Post-secondary Teacher of the Year by the Oregon Business Education Association at its fall conference.

LBCC received a grant for $56,000 from Community College Workforce Development for student assistance and success, through June 2015. Lynne Cox will oversee the grant, along with Carol Raymundo and Carol McKiel. The grant allowed Student Affairs to hire three part-time employees: Kate Griensewic (also working with Student Assessment and Student Life); Kim Horn (also working with Student Assessment and Center For Accessibility Services/CFAR); and Emily Dray (also working with the Career Center). This team will use their knowledge of LBCC processes and their experience as prior students to support LBCC's outreach to grades 7-12, helping students develop a vision for "going to college" and "college-going behaviors." Staff will work with underserved and/or recent high school students who need help entering college and developing the skills/tools for a positive first year at LBCC. Any LBCC employee may refer eligible students to the outreach staff for assistance with navigating college processes or having positive conversations with instructors. "Eligible students" must either be currently in high school, just arriving at LBCC from high school, or from an under-served population (minorities, persons with disabilities, veterans, persons with a modified diploma, etc.). The grant allows a small amount of funds to be awarded to help students with unexpected academic financial needs. Future plans by the team include outreach to schools, parents and future students, as well as hosting Saturday conference sessions about planning and preparing for college. For more information, or if you would like to help, contact Lynne Cox in Student Affairs. Staff will be located in Takena Hall-112 (across from the Registration Counter) and Red Cedar Hall-105. You can also contact staff via their LBCC email.

There’s a new sidewalk through the landscape in front of Madrone Hall, part of a geologic timeline in progress, which begins in front of the Activities Center building and ends with the walkway in front of Madrone Hall as the more "recent" end of the timeline. The timeline project was requested by a donor to the Science and Health Building Fund, and will be used as an educational tool. Signage will be added to mark the different geologic time periods and to explain significant occurrences during the Earth’s 4.6 billion year history. The Earth's age will be scaled out to cover the 230 meters (754 feet), giving perspective to the enormity of geologic time, with rocks and replica fossils placed at their correct age along the timeline. A dedication ceremony and ribbon cutting will be held in January.

Geologic Timeline walkway in front of Madrone Hall.

Human Resources board report, Oct. 6 - New Hires, Promotions, Separations






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