Campus Profile: Portland Community College

Serving as a “crossroads for people with many destinations,” Portland Community College provides a variety of educational opportunities to a diverse student body. Through credit and non-credit classes, transfer and continuing education programs as well as international studies programs, PCC students are encouraged to connect with their local and global community through discussion, education, and engagement.

An example of this commitment to engagement: over 100 PCC faculty “connect course learning objectives and reflection exercises with community service, thus allowing thousands of PCC students to volunteer with community agencies, learn about social issues, and make a difference.” In addition, PCC Rock Creek Campus student Yvonne Norman received the Faith Gabelnick Student Leadership Award, while Kim Smith, a Sylvania Campus Sociology professor, was honored with the Judith Ramaley Faculty Award for Service Learning at the Oregon Campus Compact Civic Engagement Awards in Spring, 2008.

This month, in honor of Black History Month, PCC campuses will be hosting several events to support thoughtful community dialogue, including a Black History Film Series, Student, Faculty & Staff of Color Luncheon, and free West-African drum lessons. Click here for event dates and locations.

Another PCC engagement effort, in partnership with Campus Comapct, is the Students4Giving Program.

In September 2007 Campus Compact and the Fidelity® Charitable Gift Fund announced an alliance to educate and inspire a future generation of philanthropists in a new era of giving. Portland Community College was one of five academic institutions in the nation to receive $15,000 to create a donor advised fund to offer grants to non-profit organizations within their communities.

Last year the Portland Community College’s Students4Giving Project participants analyzed grant applications from 14 local non-profit organizations and selected four proposals for a total of $10,000 in grants. Students4Giving also advised the City of Portland’s Vision into Action Coalition with the awarding of $9,900 in Youth Action Grants. During last term 25 students from two accounting courses raised over $7,000 through an online auction and book drive to fund spring grants to local nonprofit organizations. This term the Youth Action Grant project is continuing through an Introduction to Accounting (BA111) course.

The newest and most exciting Students4Giving opportunity is the new Introduction to Nonprofits and Philanthropy (BA208) course in the spring. During this course students will learn how to become grant makers and actually give between $7,500-10,000 to nonprofits in our community. The course will also include many guest speakers from our nonprofit community and cover topics such as:

-Current issues and challenges in the nonprofit sector including access to health care, faith-based initiatives, and environmental sustainability

-Social entrepreneurship

-Modern & grassroots philanthropy

-Nonprofit employment

-Forming and operating a nonprofit

For more information on the Students4Giving Program at PCC, click here.

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Portland Community College Fast Facts

President: Preston Pulliams

Campus Presidents: Dr. Algie Gatewood (Cascade), David Rule (Rock Creek), Dr. Linda Gerber (Sylvania)

Formed: 1961 as the adult education program for the public school system

School Type: Public community college

Location: Portland Metro Area

Alternate Centers: Central Portland, Hillsboro Education Center, Portland Metropolitan, Southeast Portland, Washington County

Enrollment: 86,164 annually

Colors: Blue, yellow/gold

Mascot: Panthers

Mission statement: PCC provides access to an affordable, quality education in an atmosphere that encourages the full realization of each individual's potential.

PCC offers two-year transfer programs, community education classes, credit and non-credit classes and seminars, Associate of Arts transfer degree, international programs, and dual admission programs.