No question, it has been a very difficult year. Yet, great things have been going on here at Clover Park Technical College.
Below is an impressive summary of notable accomplishments, showing the hard work that has taken place over the past year or so at CPTC, despite unprecedented state budget cuts. As I gathered the information for this blog piece, the Charles Dickens’ quote above came to mind, and I couldn’t help but be impressed and proud of the work we do at this college.
If you know of newsworthy accomplishments for a follow-up article, please contact Shawn Jennison with the details (contact information on the right side of the blog).
* Clover Park Technical College (CPTC) was awarded the prestigious
MetLife Foundation Community College Excellence “Service to Communities” Award in 2010, which recognizes the important work of the College’s Brownfields Program and its collaboration with several community partners: the City of Tacoma, Metropolitan Development Council, and WorkForce Central.
* The College had a successful accreditation visit by the
Northwest Commission on Colleges & Universities (NWCCU).
*
Northwest Public Radio (NWPR) joined together with Clover Park Technical College and
Washington State University to create a new broadcast reality. In this joint venture, WSU operates the station and Clover Park retains the license and ownership of this important community asset. It is expected that this new partnership will evolve into more partnering activities between the university and our college.
* A new class on hybrid vehicles opened recently in our
automotive technician program.
*
Materiel Science/Non-destructive Testing Program - recently approved.
* Signifying a strong commitment to student success and completion, Clover Park Technical College is one of thirty community colleges nationwide selected for the
Achieving the Dream 2011 Cohort.
* CPTC is one of four colleges designated as learning partners to help six community colleges implement
Plus 50 programs, helping baby boomers return to campus for job training and to improve their skills.
* Pierce County colleges have formed a collaborated partnership called
Invista Performance Solutions which will provide corporate training in Pierce County and beyond. This self-support operation will eliminate competition amongst the colleges and allow it to join with other community colleges throughout the country through the corporate college network.
* Our first true
science lab has been created, which will allow an increase in the number of science classes that utilize the lab space in Bldg. 15: Chemistry, Biology, Microbiology, and Anatomy & Physiology.
* I-BEST: Washington State is nationally recognized for its integrated basic education and skills training (I-BEST) concept. Clover Park offers
I-BEST sections of Nursing Assistant and CAD Drafting, a portion of our Architectural Engineering program, and the Chemical Dependency Specialist Certificate. Also, the College was one of a few pilot colleges selected to offer I-BEST developmental education hybrid courses.
* We have several faculty pursuing their associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees. In addition, one faculty member is a contributing author to an industry textbook. All three of our
Interior Design Program instructors now possess the coveted and rigorous
NCIDQ certification – National Council of Interior Design Qualifications. In addition, one instructor is pursuing a LEED certification - Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, an internationally recognized green building certification system, another mark of distinction.
* The College continues to build upon our commitment to partnering with, and supporting, our community. One of the most successful partner-ships this year is with
The Boeing Company through our
Composites Program, solid recognition by Boeing of the value of our programming and the College’s responsiveness in addressing their needs.
* CPTC is focused on student success initiatives and has instituted a multicultural awareness requirement, a peer mentoring program, College 101 to serve new students, and a service-learning effort, building upon success in the state’s Student Achievement Initiative. Our 2009-10 total achievement in the various momentum points was 64% greater than our baseline figures from 2006-07, which was 31% higher than the state system average. Our greatest achievement gains were in the completion benchmark (certificates, degrees, apprenticeship), where we gained 84% in the same time period.
* Recent grants for the College include:
* Health Education & Employment Training (HEET)............ $140,000
* Weatherization.................................................................. $140,000
* Special Equipment, Aviation.............................................. $150,000
* Sound Energy Efficiency Development (SEED)...... $180,000
* JBLM.............................................................................. $1,300,000
* Commerce Grant................................................................ $800,000
* Changes in the Library to better serve CPTC students:
> A Media Room was created for students to work on multimedia presentations without disrupting other patrons.
> A new computer lab is being created which will contain 40 computers.
> Tutoring Center expansion and Peer Mentoring Program.
* A partnership with
Clover Park School District has been achieved to combine the College’s
Northwest Career and Technical High School (NWCTHS) with the school district’s AI program, which will open opportunities for school district students to investigate career opportunities and transition into NWCTHS.
* CPTC has, once again, been ranked a Military Friendly school as it has, year after year, by
GI Jobs Magazine.
* Because the College has been designated a Military Friendly school, W.W. Grainger, Inc. chose CPTC as one of 25 schools to partner with for their scholarship program, “Tools for Tomorrow,” which will offer two $2,000 scholarships to veterans who meet the program’s criteria.
Dianne Bunnell
Clover Park Technical College
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