Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

College stories that rocked our world in 2014

Photos and story by James Hill

Welcome to our top-list of most read stories. 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 2014!

1) In latest artwork, PCC¡¯s Evertt Beidler becomes ¡®man of steel¡¯

¡°Magnesis¡± is Beidler¡¯s latest public performance video project. The piece is a custom steel business suit that is equipped with a series of electromagnets. PCC video production guru Erik Fauske helped develop and shoot Beidler¡¯s performance wearing the suit as he explored themes and ideas while walking downtown, the airport and local parks.

• Published on Feb 10
• 4,403 views

2) The Pulitzer Prize finalist, National Book Award winner speaking twice at PCC

Famed fantasy writer Ursula Le Guin stopped by the college to read from and discusseome of her work during the spring at events held at the Cascade and Rock Creek campuses. Faculty, staff and students got a chance to ask this active writer what makes her tick.

• Published on May 19
• 3,687 views

3) Governor uses Rock Creek to sign important education bills

Dozens of students in the PCC Foundation¡¯s Future Connect Program gathered around the Governor to watch him sign the bills in front of gathered media and legislators. He said the signings were part of the state reaching its ¡°40-40-20¡± goals to ensure access for people to post-secondary education and attain degrees.

• Published on March 31
• 3,653 views

4) Instagrads: 2014 graduates rock the Glass Palace

Portland Community College¡¯s 52nd Commencement Ceremony attracted thousands of people to Memorial Coliseum on Friday, June 13 to celebrate the hundreds of graduates. This year, about 5,200 degrees, certificates and awards were handed out and nearly 900 students walked to the stage in front of cheering friends, family and community members.

• Published on June 16
• 3,401 views

5) Q & A: Asian New Year Celebration gets Romanian flare

The celebration prides itself on not only honoring the Chinese Lunar New Year, but taking that opportunity to celebrate all of the Asian cultures that are represented within the Southeast Portland community.

• Published on Feb 10
• 3,296 views

6) Getting up close, personal with a college farm

At Portland Community College¡¯s Rock Creek Campus farm, there are almost 30 sheep, two dozen cows, five alpacas, three rabbits, two goats, a horse, some chickens, and a group of dogs and cats at a next door kennel. No, there¡¯s no ark being built. These are the animals that students care for as part of their learning within the Veterinary Technology and Biology and Management of Zoo Animals programs.

• Published on March 7
• 2,780 views

7) Herrera finds own path to student speaker role

After graduating from Lincoln High School, Yesenia Herrera wasn¡¯t sure how college fit into her life. Now, she can¡¯t imagine it not fitting in. The 20-year-old St. Johns resident was recently awarded the Community College Presidents¡¯ Award at Washington State University-Vancouver where she¡¯ll attend in the fall and was the college’s 2014 commencement speaker.

• Published on June 5
• 2,712 views

8) PCC celebrates ¡®new¡¯ Southeast Campus

Portland Community College now has its fourth comprehensive campus, and it was time to party. On Saturday, Oct. 18, PCC celebrated the transformation of the Southeast Center (2305 S.E. 82nd and Division) into a full-service comprehensive campus with a grand opening attended by thousands of local residents.

• Published on Oct 6
• 2,599 views

9) Students earn prestigious NASA space grant scholarships

Robert Mulkey almost gave up on his education. But after earning a 2014-15 Oregon NASA Space Grant Scholarship this fall, Mulkey¡¯s education has gone into warp drive. After not receiving a scholarship he had applied for in the spring, the engineering major began questioning if he was on the right path.

• Published on Nov 3
• 2,339 views

10) PCC Wins First-Ever NWAACC Basketball Championship

Sometimes the good guys win. A storybook season reached a dramatic conclusion in March?when the PCC Men¡¯s Basketball team defeated Pierce College 92-86 to claim the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges conference championship. The NWAACC title is the first in the college¡¯s history.

• Published on March 4
• 1,915 views