Notes from the President

All faculty, staff, and students will be required to submit either a self-attestation, indicating the dates they received their vaccinations, or an exemption request.

The Flu Team is currently drafting detailed protocol to meet state requirements. Soon, you will receive more information on vaccine attestations, exemption documentation, due dates, and additional information.

In the meantime, with the surge in cases of the more aggressive Delta variant of COVID-19, I cannot stress enough the importance of getting vaccinated—for the health and safety of not just yourself but also your loved ones and co-workers.

Updates

“Managing Change” is our Opening Day Theme.

We’ll kick off the 2021-22 academic year together with Opening Day on Thursday, Sept 23. All employees have received a “Save the Date” Outlook calendar invitation for our virtual Opening Day activities. Stay tuned for more information in early September.

Celebrating Diversity & Social Justice Through Art.

The BC Outdoor Murals Project recently announced it will begin accepting submissions Fall Quarter for the creation of several large-scale, non-permanent murals depicting themes of diversity, social equity, and social justice. This artwork will be a visual representation of our commitment to affirm and uplift the diverse identities within the BC community and our commitment to social justice. Stay tuned for more information to come. In the meantime, those interested in submitting or proposing artwork: put on your creative hats!

Early Learning Center Refurbishment.

This summer, the Early Learning Center will see some great improvements designed to encourage activity and imagination, including a new play surface and landscaping updates adding some drought-tolerant Pacific Northwest native plants. The kids will also get a new trike loop that will connect activities in all corners of the playground.

Kudos

Thank you to members of the Student Commencement Speaker Committee. Lots of people are involved in planning a Commencement. Don’t want to forget those who volunteered their time and energy to support this year’s student Commencement speaker Kevin Allen. Thank you to Amanda Chamba, Jordana Gouveia, Katelyn Creeley, Theresa Ford, Lamont Thomas, and Jennifer Anderson for your commitment to our students and your contributions to a wonderful Commencement ceremony.

Congratulations to Beata Anderson, International Recruiter, who just graduated with her Master of Education from Oregon State University.

Way to go Sara Sanders Gardner, Program Director of Neurodiversity Navigators, and all the faculty, staff, and students connected to this program! The Neurodiversity Navigators program was recently featured in an article from Ed Tech, which focused on what it means to be a neurodiversity-supportive online environment and what IT departments need to consider when working with neurodivergent students who experience tech problems in the online learning environment.

Congratulations to Ray Chew, Director of Tech Education at Tombolo Institute, and the apprenticeship sponsor ACTiV for achieving unanimous approval for two Washington State Apprenticeship programs in Cybersecurity and Systems Administration, respectively. Tombolo Institute will be the supplemental instruction provider for both of these apprenticeships.

Congratulations to the staff of the BC Foundation who worked hard this past year to surpass their annual contributed revenue goal. The Foundation staff pivoted throughout the year to meet the evolving needs of our students. When the CARES Act funds excluded certain student populations, the Foundation reallocated all of the Foundation’s Safety Net Funds for those students ineligible for CARES Act funding. The Foundation also awarded nearly $500,000 in scholarships to our students.

Help Spread the Love

We’ve been getting great feedback on the Kudos section of the Notes. If you know of people or programs who deserve recognition, please let us know by emailing me at president@bellevuecollege.edu

Gary Locke

Interim President