OLYMPIC COLLEGE TRANSFORMING LIVES BIENNIAL COMMUNITY REPORT 2015-2017 01 COMMUNIT Y REPORT TRANSFORMING LIVES Two years ago, Josh was homeless. Today, he’s on track to graduate from the Olympic College welding program in summer 2018 and pursue a career in a feld he loves. That’s an amazing transformation and it’s why Josh is OC’s 2018 nominee for the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges Transforming Lives Award. It hasn’t been easy. “I have good days and bad days, but what keeps me going is that I have a community of people who believe in me,” he said. Supporters include his caseworker at Cofee Oasis, who helped him fnd housing and direction, and the OC Foundation and Students in Need Group, which provided a scholarship, school supplies and welding safety equipment. The result is extraordinary – a student who barely graduated from high school started to believe in himself and to excel. “The diference between high school and community college is that this program is something I’m passionate about,” he said. His advice to others considering enrolling at OC? “Believe in yourself and know there are people there for you and you can succeed,” he said. “Be willing to ask for help. See what’s out there. I did and it changed my life.” TRANSFORMING LIVES » 2015-2017 02 TABLE OF CONTENTS TRANSFORMING LIVES 02 LETTER FROM PRESIDENT MITCHELL 04 BREMER TRUST / SHELTON WELDING CENTER 05 SONS OF NORWAY 06 YAMA PROJECT 07 VETERANS SUPPORT CENTER 07 NEW BACCALAUREATE DEGREES 08 COLLEGE INSTRUCTION CENTER 09 FACTS & FIGURES 11 STUDENT PROFILE 12 ECONOMIC IMPACT OF OC 13 STRATEGIC GOALS & PRIORITIES 15 OC FOUNDATION REVENUE, SUPPORT & UPDATES 17 SCHOLARSHIP STUDENTS 19 DONORS 21 03 COMMUNIT Y REPORT A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT Dear Olympic College Community, One of the best things about being president of Olympic College is the strong connection between the college and all of you. Almost everybody in Kitsap and Mason counties has attended OC or knows someone who has. And employers throughout our region count on OC alumni to make their businesses successful. It’s no wonder there’s a strong culture of support for OC. A 2016 report showed that the college poured $412 million into the economies of Kitsap and Mason counties in 2014-15, equal to 3.3 percent of the Gross Regional Product. And students get an incredible return on their educational investment – $3.10 in increased earnings for every dollar spent. New facilities on the Bremerton and Shelton campuses promise to make our community connection even stronger. The $46.5-million College Instruction Center will serve as both a community arts center and the creative and technical hub of the Bremerton campus. And the John Bremer Welding Center in Shelton is retraining workers laid of from the lumber products industry for high-demand jobs in local industries. Together, our faculty, staf, students, alumni and friends have made OC one of the country’s top 150 community colleges, according to the Aspen Institute’s 2017 rankings. Also in 2017, the Association of Community Colleges recognized the partnership between OC and the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard as a national model. During my 15½ years as president, more than 28,000 students have earned technical certifcates, degrees and high school diplomas from OC. To ensure that all students have access to higher education and the opportunities it afords, OC relies on the 2015-2017 generous support of donors, such as the Bremer Trust, the Sons of Norway and the many individual and corporate donors listed OLYMPIC COLLEGE in this report. BOARD OF As I prepare to retire Dec. 31, 2017, I’m pleased that because of the hard work of everyone at this college and the community’s support, OC is well-positioned to welcome a new leader and meet the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. TRUSTEES It’s been my privilege to be part of an institution that has such a profound daily impact on our students and our region. And it’s Harriette Bryant an honor to share our continued progress with you in this community report, which covers OC highlights for the 2015-16 and Beverly Cheney 2016-17 school years. Jim Page Sincerely, Darlene Peters Stephen Warner David C. Mitchell, Ph.D. President, Olympic College TRANSFORMING LIVES » 2015-2017 04 BREMER TRUST If it weren’t for the Bremer Trust, Olympic College Shelton’s welding program would be homeless. Instead, the popular course is expanding in a new $1.3 million building. The John Bremer Welding Center opened for classes in July 2017 with space for 22 students. That’s up from a maximum capacity of 16 in its previous leased facility. When the owner of that space needed to reclaim it and the college couldn’t fnd a replacement, it sent shockwaves through a community hit hard by the loss of lumber industry jobs. Not only does the welding program put students on the path to well-paying jobs, it’s also the biggest draw at OC Shelton. With no time to seek a legislative funding fx, the Bremer Trust stepped up to fund the project and put the program on secure fnancial footing. Welding Instructor Ron Keeling said that’s made a life-changing diference for his students. Most are retraining after losing jobs at Simpson Lumber and Olympic Panel Products, two major Shelton employers that closed during the last two years. “Without this program, they would be in dire straits. Now they have a job skill and they will be able to go just about any place and pick up work,” he said. 05 COMMUNIT Y REPORT SONS OF NORWAY The Bremerton Sons of Norway turned grief into opportunity twice in two years when the organization invested heartbreaking windfalls into scholarships for Olympic College students. First, the group was forced to sell its iconic waterfront lodge after 60 years. Then, longtime members Ike and Val Culbertson passed away and left the organization a sizeable donation. After both losses, members decided to give back to the community by investing in education. They gave two donations of $25,000 each – the frst endowed a general scholarship, the second created a nursing scholarship in honor of Val Culbertson’s 22-year nursing career. Sons of Norway President Nancy Wood said endowing the scholarships was a way for the organization to show it was still active in the community. And, although the group’s building was not permanent, its scholarship funds will be. “We are investing in the school, in the community and in individual young people as they advance their careers,” she said. “The endowment goes on and on. It should outlive us all.” TRANSFORMING LIVES » 202105-1520-2170 1 7 0 6X VETERANS SUPPORT CENTER It’s no surprise that Olympic College is designated both a Military Friendly School and Best for Vets College. The college has the second-largest enrollment of veterans and military-connected students in the state and takes its mission of supporting them as seriously as service members approach their missions when defending our country. In 2016, those eforts got a boost when OC won a $300,000 grant from the Department of Education to create a Center for Excellence for Veteran Student Success. The one-stop shop provides enhanced advising and orientation, conducts vigorous outreach, monitors student success and provides early YAMA PROJECT follow-up when students are struggling. Tatiane Simons, a program specialist in the center and a veteran herself, knows exactly what military-connected students are going through and how to provide In its frst three years, Olympic College’s archaeological feld school support. “It helps me go the extra mile,” she said. “Sometimes they have a at Yama Village on Bainbridge Island has discovered more than 4,700 question about their benefts. Sometimes they just need someone to say, ‘You artifacts and documented the birth of Japanese-American culture. can do it!’” “It’s amazing to see how the Japanese people kept their own culture, but integrated American culture into their way of life,” said Donna, an OC student who attended the feld school in 2015 and has returned as a volunteer in subsequent years. “It just makes you more curious. I think that’s why I keep coming back.” By developing a feld school at the community college level, OC has taken archaeology out of the rarefed and expensive province of elite four-year universities and made it afordable for undergraduates, who learn every aspect of archaeological methods and techniques. “It’s an efort to make the feld of archaeology more diverse,” said Dave Davis, senior crew chief and lab director. Yama, which dates back to the 1880s, is one of the best preserved Japanese immigrant settlements in the Pacifc Northwest and OC students prize their important role in uncovering its signifcance. Said Donna: “I tell new students, ‘You are documenting history.’” 07 COMMUNIT Y REPORT BACCALAUREATE DEGREES It gives you the knowledge base so Olympic College’s two newest bachelor’s degrees are focused on the future – the you feel confident in your ability to future of work and the future of flm. The Bachelor of Applied Science in Organizational Leadership and Technical make a good management decision. Management aims to ofset a managerial shortage that’s expected as 60 million Baby Boomers exit the workforce by 2025. - LESLIE, BASOLTM STUDENT That exodus will create opportunities across all industries, according to Dr. Philip Mathew, who launched the degree program and is working to transform technical professionals into technical leaders. “What this does is take their content expertise, such as culinary arts, welding or information systems, and build on that with two more years of leadership and technical management training,” said Mathew. Leslie, who is on track to graduate with the new degree in spring 2018, credited the program with giving her the polish and confdence to advance in her career at a Silverdale mortgage company. “It gives you a knowledge base so you feel confdent in your ability to make a good management decision,” she said. The second new degree, the Bachelor of Applied Science in Digital Filmmaking, is capitalizing on seismic shifts within the entertainment industry brought about by the afordability of digital equipment and the proliferation of new media platforms, such as Netfix and YouTube. In contrast to traditional flm schools, OC digital flm students begin making their own movies during their frst few weeks of class. “In one quarter, I had three projects shot that I’ve written,” said Jen, who entered the program wanting to be a screenwriter, but now aspires to be a director. “This program is unique because we get to try all diferent hats. “We’re learning all diferent positions and that only makes us better directors, editors and actors.” Professor Timothy Hagan, who designed the program, said class sizes are small, tuition is a fraction of traditional flm schools, and faculty members are professionals who are successfully navigating the changing media landscape. “I’m making a living at it and I feel confdent teaching my students to do that,” said Amy Hesketh, who teaches digital flmmaking and has written, produced, directed and acted in feature-length flms. “I know my students can get jobs on independent flms. I know they can make their own flms and start their own production companies.” TRANSFORMING LIVES » 2015-2017 08 I want to emphasize who this building COLLEGE INSTRUCTION belongs to and it ’s the people of Kitsap and Mason counties. What goes in here CENTER is what the community wants. Spacious, light-flled classrooms for sculpting, drawing, painting and design. Double the lab space for nursing simulations. An interactive learning space - PRESIDENT DAVID MITCHELL designed to foster collaboration. And an art gallery and 276-seat theater that serve as both classrooms and a community arts center. Those are just some of the features of Olympic College’s newest building, the $46.5-million College Instruction Center. Slated to open for classes in 2018, the innovative learning center replaces aging art, music and theater facilities with an integrated space that brings the arts, science and technology together and encourages students to learn across disciplines. “I want to emphasize who this building belongs to and it’s the people of Kitsap and Mason counties. What goes in here is what the community wants,” said OC President David Mitchell, who is particularly proud that the building incorporates the arts as well as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) disciplines. “That, essentially, is the strength of this building,” said Art Professor Marie Weichman, who is co-curating the gallery’s opening show with the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art and Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network. She also looks forward to hosting workshops and events in the new space. Shazi Tharian of Schacht Aslani Architects said the CIC is designed for maximum versatility. In the William D. Harvey Theatre, for example, walls and acoustics can easily be adjusted to accommodate everything from a solo performer to a play, opera or symphony. It’s sustainable, as well, boasting 90-percent heat recovery and a large solar array to reduce power consumption and costs. The building was designed to encourage students to work together in informal study spaces around the atrium and in the interactive classroom, where round tables of eight encourage small-group learning. Each table has its own LCD wall display and white board with linked video displays that promote sharing among groups. Here, students can collaborate on a presentation, debrief after a nursing simulation or plot out a screenplay. 09 COMMUNIT Y REPORT