Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Top stories of 2013

Photos and story by James Hill

Welcome to our top-list of most read stories in 2013 on the PCC website. Each week during the past year, we have featured the story of a program, event, student, faculty or staff member at Portland Community College. Many of our stories were viewed thousands of times and generated lots of discussion. Sit back and enjoy our most popular web stories of 2013!

1) 51st commencement featured almost 1,000 graduates

It was a beautiful day in Portland and thousands of people showed up to Memorial Coliseum on June 14 to show their support for almost 1,000 graduates walking to the stage to get their degrees or certificates. A total of 4,900 degrees, certificates and awards were handed out at the 51st Portland Community College Commencement Ceremony.

• Published on June 17
• 4,077 views

2) PCC Board confirms Jeremy Brown as its next president

A native of Manchester, England, Brown has served as president of Dowling College on Long Island and of Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, part of the state¡¯s public university system. At Dowling, Brown helped support an increase in applications, retention, annual giving and a variety of new academic programs.

• Published on April 24
• 3,910 views

3) Student leaders come up with advice to assist new students

Now newcomers have a guide that can help navigate the waters of student life and critical services to make their PCC stay an even more enjoyable one. We talked to a handful of student leaders with the Associated Students of Portland Community College (ASPCC), or better known as student government, and asked them what they thought would be the top things new students needed to know to make their lives at the college easier.

• Published on September 16
• 3,450 views

4) Simple eye test key in preserving Graham Bartley¡¯s vision and his life

An eye exam, which first-year OMT students perform on each other as part of their training, caught serious vision loss in his left eye in 2012. The test consisted of clicking a button in his hand when he saw a little white dot at various places in his peripheral vision. For Bartley, who was paired with a fellow student for the test, the clicks really slowed down as the dots focused on the left eye.

• Published on September 30
• 3,437 views

5) PCC¡¯s commencement speaker inspires many to finish their degrees

In front of thousands of friends, families and fellow graduates, Reers will discuss her story of getting off drugs and going on to earn two associate¡¯s degrees the past two years. But what she¡¯ll talk about most is her ability to inspire those around her to go to college and work toward their associate¡¯s degrees ¨C like her 20-year-old daughter and her current husband Cen Reers, an employee with the college¡¯s Facilities Management Services, to name a few.

• Published on June 5
• 3,222 views

6) PCC¡¯s Art Beat features some sweet attractions and interactions

Art Beat, which runs from May 6-10 and showcases more than 60 presentations, performances, demonstrations and workshops in music, literature, sculpture, and painting. All events, which spotlight more than 100 artists, are free and open to the public.

• Published on May 1
• 2,675 views

7) The new Biology and Management of Zoo Animals Program starts its second year

Ready to get up close and personal with giraffes, reptiles or some exotic birds? A new PCC program focused on the biology of animals, some of them endangered species, is perfect for animal lovers hoping to answer the call of the wild. Last fall the college launched the two-year associate of applied science degree in Biology and Management of Zoo Animals.

• Published on August 27
• 2,653 views

8) Cascade Festival of African Films lifts curtain on 23rd year

The longest-running annual African film festival in the United States runs from Feb. 1 through March 2 at two North Portland locations ¨C the Moriarty Arts and Humanities Building Auditorium, Cascade Campus and the Hollywood Theatre. The festival, which is free and open to the public, shows films ranging from full-length features to documentaries and short films. More than 5,000 people attend the festival annually.

• Published on January 22nd
• 2,502 views

9) Jeremy Brown¡¯s summer tour takes PCC by storm

On Monday, July 1, new Portland Community College President Jeremy Brown climbed into one of PCC¡¯s eco-friendly Bio Diesel shuttles and was whisked away on a tour of the college district. In total, Brown visited 10 locations, starting with the Sylvania Campus and later the Newberg Center and then finishing up at the Downtown and CLIMB centers.

• Published on July 9
• 2,489 views

10) Powwow volunteer work comes naturally to this student

Chisholm is heavily involved with this year¡¯s powwow planning thanks to his volunteer work with the Sylvania Multicultural Center. He has helped out with the center¡¯s film series and fund-raised for the powwow. Because of his interest in community development this outreach comes natural to him.

• Published on January 7
• 2,403 views