Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

PCC Day at the Capitol Feb. 24

Photos and story by James Hill

PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland Community College Day at the State Capitol is set for Thursday, February 24 in Salem. The special day will showcase PCC’s rich partnerships with business, as well as highlight the important role the college plays in providing affordable education to the community.The event feature PCC’s business partners, students, Preston Pulliams, district president, the college board of directors and campus presidents. Dick and Larie Thomas of Latitudes, a silk screening company which has successfully used PCC to train its workforce, will be introduced on the House floor and in the Senate along with Mick Angle, a returning older student. Angle lost his job when the dot.com industry went bust and many jobs were outsourced. He is now studying for a new career at PCC.Community college supporters want to build awareness of the critical role of community colleges in the state’s economy and the need to keep the doors of opportunity open for affordable, accessible education for residents of PCCs community."As you may know, the state budget for community colleges is grim," said Pulliams. "We are the only sector of education that received a cut in funding from last biennium in the Governor’s proposed budget. Unless we receive additional funds from the state, we will have to make major program reductions and cut access for thousands of students."The group will meet at 10 a.m. at the Capitol Building rotunda. PCC supporters will then walk to the House and Senate galleries where they will be recognized from the floor by each chamber. The delegation will also meet with legislators during the day to share information about PCC.Portland Community College is a multi-campus system covering a 1,500-square-mile college district in northwest Oregon. The college is the largest post-secondary institution in Oregon. It offers two-year degrees, one-year certificate programs, short-term training, alternative education, pre-college courses and life-long learning. The college serves approximately 85,000 full- and part-time students each year.