American Association of Women in Community Colleges Oregon Chapter	N E W S L E T T E R
		To Inspire, Champion, and Celebrate the talents within each of us!
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CONGRATULATIONS to the newly elected 1999 Oregon Chapter of AAWCC Board Members!  The new board members are: Vice-President of Finance - Julie Walker, Linn-Benton CC Vice- President of Professional Development - Lisa Tomlin, Clackamas CC Vice-President of Special Projects - Angela Ritchie, Portland CC Member-at-Large -- Vickie Totten - Oregon Community Colleges Assn Member-at-Large -- Barbara Hoffstetter, Mt. Hood CC (appointed to fill Lisa Tomlin’s un-expired term) The board also appointed three ex-officio members: Ellen Levine, Chemeketa CC, Rebecca Kenney, Mt. Hood CC, and Stephanie Sussman.  Ellen and Stephanie will facilitate and coordinate the Oregon Institute for Leadership Development. Rebecca will work with Lisa to coordinate the 1999 fall conference.

AAWCC WEB SITE The AAWCC Board will be developing a NEW Web Page, to be housed in the OCCA office. Items to be included: the Membership Directory, Campus Contacts and Board Lists, the Newsletter, Conference, Membership, and Registration information, Application forms, Calendar of Events, Call for Proposals, and Job Announcements. Send more ideas to castellonm@lanecc.edu.

The Carolyn Desjardins Leadership Award
Presented by Cynthia Hilden

Dr. Nicki Harrington was the first recipient of the Carolyn Desjardins Leadership Award. Dr. Harrington came to Blue Mountain in 1997 and immediately began to make positive changes which affect all faculty, staff, and students.

With vision and courage, Dr. Harrington begun the process to ensure BMCC a solid place in the new century by guiding the college and communities in its district through the process of writing and establishing a five-year strategic plan. She has orchestrated and restructured BMCC’s organizational structure to ensure that more people have greater responsibilities and ownership of tasks to be completed, bringing the institution closer to fulfilling its goals and departmental priorities. She established a College Operational Plan which focuses upon several project teams and the College Council. The teams follow a model recommended by Dr. Harrington. Each has a sponsor, leader(s), a facilitator, and a recorder in the representative membership.

In November 1998, voters in the BMCC district passed a facilities bond. Dr. Harrington has spent innumerable hours speaking with community groups and meeting with interested citizens. She has lead faculty and staff in this effort so all are involved. The bond will result in refurbishing campus buildings and establishing more complete and larger facilities in our outlying district sites. Her leadership and enthusiasm in supporting this bond measure was unwavering. Dr. Nicki Harrington has established her credibility on a statewide level with the other community college presidents, the Office of Community College Services, and the legislature. She has also been a strong leader with a special project that affects all of Eastern Oregon, the EOCCC. Her ability to assess and handle any situation has been extremely valuable.

A Portrait of A Leader by Vickie Totten

Dr. Nicki Harrington, President of Blue Mountain Community College, had the opportunity to answer questions posed by AAWCC last fall. A la Rolling Stone, the following is an up-close-and-personal discussion.

Describe yourself to us:
I am a very passionate person -- passionate about Work and passionate about play. I'm an avid reader and writer, and do both of these daily. Living in Pendleton, I do a lot of driving to Portland, Salem, and elsewhere, and have become an avid books-on-tape listener. Books on leadership, organizational culture, gender issues, creativity, and personal/spiritual growth, foster my ability to think critically and creatively, and keep me always stretching for new ideas. I am also committed to developing a strong leadership role for women. During a speech recently, I stressed how important it is for women to use our own traits to our advantage, rather than trying to be like a man. I subscribe to Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, and use his principle-centered leadership concepts.

What in Covey do you use the most?
Covey uses the example that each of us should write our own epitaph, then check our day to day life out against that epitaph. We should strive to close the gaps between what we are doing and what we really want (in the end). So, I've written a personal mission statement, then identified my roles around that mission. I've included self-caretaker as a role and mentoring other women as a role, in addition to work and family roles, to ensure I devote time to these. Each week I identify two to three goals for each role and focus on them. I am most healthy myself Lad with others when I focus clearly on these roles and goals. Each of Covey's 7 Habits has strengthened both my personal and professional life. His four leadership roles - modeling, pathfinding, alignment, and empowerment are consistent with my beliefs about leadership. I use them in working to shape organizational culture both at the college and in other leadership capacities in which I serve.

What else would you like to tell us about your beliefs?
I believe in the value and worth of each individual. We each bring to a situation or organization a unique view based on our life experiences. The strength of the outcome is directly related to the degree to which individuals diverse thoughts and talents have been included. I especially enjoy mentoring mid-level managers and pro-actively helping women to develop their potential. Women need successful role models, especially in rural areas. There was nothing in my youth that would have led me to aspire to my current position as a college president. My highest aspirations were quite low compared to where I have come in my adulthood. I also believe that we as women should use our credentials to model the lead roles women hold in our society. Too many times I will hear men referred to as 'Dr. So and So', while women are listed by first name.

How did you get here?
Through excellent rnentors, two in particular - one man and one woman at previous colleges where I worked in mid-management positions. It is a story of empowerment. They allowed me to take on responsibilities and positions, with a tremendous amount of confidence and trust in me. Even though it was originally intended to be short term, these opportunities paved the way for me to move into higher administrative positions. Jim, my spouse, also has always encouraged me to take the next step, even before I thought I was ready.

What have you learned?
Through my experience and thorough research in the areas of leadership, organizational, culture, and gender, I have learned that women do not step ahead courageously. Those of us in lead roles have a responsibility to mentor other aspiring women. Women need to take bigger steps toward their future - men seem to do this more effortlessly and have more male mentors readily available. In order to seek top level positions, we need to step out of our comfort zones - we need to walk into situations with strong personal integrity, vision, and the courage to use gender-related traits that foster community spirits, shared vision, and the emergence of new leaders.

I have found that I need to be grounded in my views and use my personal strengths to take on challenges with passion. My anchor is in knowing that conflict is healthy and that my own approaches and leadership have made a difference. Leadership involves growing a complex web of relationships - often in areas in which women excel.

Any additional advice?
Too often women get caught up in 'other' key roles which hinder us from moving ahead in our careers. We need to read and reflect a lot and network with new circles of influence to grow into our futures. So, we need to take time outside the 'traditional time' in which we get consumed doing our 'caring and connecting' to continue to know ourselves more deeply, grow new perspectives, and seek higher aspirations.

Twelfth Annual Conference Brought Women Together at the Namasté Conference Center

The 12th Annual Conference was held for the first time at the Namasté Conference Center in Wilsonville, OR. The 1998 conference evaluations indicate that people were very pleased with the meeting spaces, the lovely surroundings, and the free parking. The Board is aware of the problems with overnight accommodations and the lack of a hot breakfast. We have secured an agreement with the Center that the overnight accommodations will be very much improved. The bunk bed arrangements will include ladders and a sturdy support for each bed or the rooms will be designated individual rooms at an affordable price. The restrooms will be clean. The breakfast will be hot. There will be omnipresent bottles of drinkable water. It is our intention to have a conference worthy of your commitment of time and money, and we think we will be able to do that at the Namasté Center for the 13th Annual Conference on December 2 and 3, 1999. AAWCC also plans to offer post-conference workshops on Saturday, December 4, for conference participants who want to extend their conference activities and for those unable to break away from work during the week. If anyone is interested and willing to help plan the conference, please contact Lisa Tomlin at Clackamas Community College, 19600 S. Molalla Ave., Oregon City, OR 97045, or e-mail her at lisat@clackamas.cc.or.us, or call her at (503) 675-6958, ext. 3140. - Marcia Keith, President

Benefits Derived from the Conference The surroundings were peaceful and low key. I get to be “real.” Learned new things, met old friends, and got to know some of our newest co-workers better. Great information on health, self-esteem and self-nurturing. I feel more a part of the community college family. How did you know exactly what I needed? I enjoyed the appreciation of our differences. It was a good time to reflect, laugh, cry, grow. I appreciate networking with other women leaders. I feel a sense of belonging. I have gained more knowledge being in the company of women. I feel better about my future with the community college. Received ideas on how to move professionally. Great stuff on mentoring! The keynote speakers were great. Jana Stanfield’s music added to each of the sessions she visited. She provides an excellent example of the type of women we need for all of our future conferences. I feel energized and inspired to finish my education. The Thursday dance/karaoke night was a blast! It is wonderful to see women get down and boogie!   INVITATION TO PRESENT AT THE NEXT STATE CONFERENCE You are invited to present at the Thirteenth Annual Conference of The Oregon Chapter of The American Association of Women in Community Colleges (AAWCC). The Namasté Conference Center Wilsonville, Oregon December 2 & 3, 1999 The program committee is seeking workshop topics that will benefit women working in a wide variety of positions within community colleges. We hope to have presentations which focus on ways to collaborate our resources, to maintain skills, and further develop in the areas of education, politics, health, diversity and personal and professional development.

Please consider sharing your time, knowledge, talents, and expertise with other women who work in Oregon's community colleges at the Thirteenth annual AAWCC Conference being held for the second time at the Namasté Retreat Center.

We are looking for presenters who can bring a fresh perspective on women’s concerns such as health, diversity, equity, personal growth, classroom innovation, bringing balance back into our lives, and other issues which help us create a program that is exciting and uplifting to us all!

What expertise do you have to offer? Do you know someone you would recommend to make a presentation?

To attend the conference, watch for the conference mailing this fall. Please budget now for the conference registration price of $99. Overnight lodging is available at the Namasté Conference Center or in nearby hotels/motels.

To submit a session proposal, complete the following form. Please send us the following information by May 29, 1999.

1998 AAWCC Oregon Conference Request for Proposal Form

Please attach a description of the content of your proposal session and the names of potential co presenters.

Sessions are schedules to be 75 minutes in length.

Have you presented this topic before? If yes, when?:
 

Please send or fax your proposal by May 29, 1999 to: Lisa Tomlin, Clackamas Community College, 19600 S. Molalla Ave., Oregon City, OR 97045. Fax: (503) 652-0389. E-mail: lisat@clackamas.cc.or.us.

Dates To Remember: June 24-26, 1999, Righting the Standard Conference, presented by Region IX AAWCC and NILD, San Diego, CA, Contact Norma Goble at (714)438-4848; e-mail: ngoble@cccd.edu July 16, 1999, AAWCC Summer Retreat, presented by AAWCC, Bend, OR, Angela Ritchie (503)533-2890; aritchie@pcc.edu October 13-16, 1999, ACCT Convention,(Board meeting for NILD, AAWCC), Atlanta, GA   Dec. 2-3, 1999, Annual Conference, presented by Oregon AAWCC, Wilsonville, OR, Lisa Tomlin (503)652-3523; lisat@clackamas.cc.or.us Dec 8-12, 1999, Kaleidoscope Leadership Institute, June 24-26, 1999.Presented by Georgia Perimeter College, Phoenix, AZ. Dr. Felita Williams (404)244-2365; kaleidoscope@gpc.peachnet.edu

One of our AAWCC sisters was hit and killed by a semi truck in our (MHCC) parking lot the week before Christmas. Shelie Macias was JoyLynn Woodard's (AAWCC State Campus Contact) 29 year old daughter. Shelie was employed at MHCC as an ESL Coordinator and leaves behind her husband and 3 young children ages 8, 6, and 19 months. Having spent a good deal of time with JoyLynn in the past few weeks, I am so moved by her strength and spirit she is an amazing woman and we are all blessed to have her as a part of AAWCC. After our state AAWCC meeting a few weeks ago, I was moved to write a song that night that incorporates many of the images and words folks have passed on to me about Shelie since she died. - Rebecca Kenney

Shelie’s Song by Rebecca Kenney She was young Full of faith and promise, She was young Years ahead her time, She was young For to die so tragic, To die And leave us to wonder why. ‘Twas a black December morn, Wind bent pines She shuttered ‘gainst the cold, Arms wrapped tight ‘Round pretty ribbons, Ribbons That mimed her easy smile. They say it happened All too fast, They say it never Should have been, To lose our Sister Cards scattered in the wind, Too shattered To bring her back again. What do we tell Her baby children? How do we comfort Her mama’s heart? What do we do To stop the hurtin’? When a life Too young to die is gone. So fare-thee-well Our ivory angel, You gave us words To build a bridge,   You helped us climb What borders freedom, Harmonized Our broken dreams. Hasta alcanzar la libertad Harmonisaste Nuestros sueños rotos. She was young Full of faith and promise, She was young Years ahead her time, She was young For to die so tragic, To die And leave us to wonder why. Too young To make us say goodbye.

My Experience At OILD by Ruth Kerr, Clackamas Community College

Three portions of the OILD experience have remained to guide me many months later. The personal accounts of women from varied backgrounds, the "how to" presentations linked with group participation activities, and the individual camaraderie with other participants (during free time and while putting together a team skit.) I was especially grateful to the women guests who openly shared their personal and professional histories. Women in professionally and socially prominent positions shared histories of achievements and mistakes along with their struggles to persevere. A reminder that things can change no matter who you are or how well you plan.

The "how to" activities I found most helpful covered ethics at work and co worker relationships. The ethics discussions centered on sticking to my own code of ethics and developing a trusted network of friends to support that objective. The co worker relationship activities suggested specific ways to get through unpleasant situations like redirecting my attention back to employment purposes.

Additional information on co worker relationships emphasized differences in work styles which were either complimentary or challenging to my own style. Then teams were set up with all work styles represented on each team. As teams, we had to pick a topic and create a skit to perform in front of the entire group. Observing all our differences working as a team was fascinating, while working with all the differences required patience.

Squeezed in between meetings from early morning to late evening our team meetings, a few of us, amidst lots of conversation and laughter, hiked to the waterfalls and enjoyed a chilly late night swim. Because of the variety of exchanges and sharing among diverse women, I was left with a hopeful feeling for a future of more acceptance and connection among women who feel they don't have a lot in common but then find out they do.
 

Meet the New Vice President at Mt. Hood Community College
Reported by Rebecca Kenney

Dr. Debbie Derr is the new Vice President of Student Development and Services, a current member or the local AAWCC Chapter, and a woman who has made and continues to make a positive difference at the community college level statewide.

Born in Nelson British Columbia, Debbie moved to Spokane, Washington when she was five and lived there until she was 13 years old. Her family then moved to Oregon where she graduated from Rex Putnam High School in Milwaukee. Debbie chose the rural setting of Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon to graduate with a double major in Home Economics and Business Administration in 1978.

Debbie worked as a manager for a retail fabric store for several years before realizing her true passion in becoming a teacher. Debbie enrolled at Clackamas Community College to complete requirements towards her certification. In order to pay back loans and to make ends meet, Debbie accepted a position as a student aid at Clackamas, teaching one-handed typing and other programs for the Disabilities Services Office.

In 1982 the program coordinator of Disabilities Services and her assistant left abruptly in the middle of September leaving Debbie to “do it all.” By the time a coordinator position came open, job was hers. Debbie explains that, “back in those days the disabilities services programs were very new. My actual title was ‘Handicap Resource Specialist’.” It was a “fun exciting time to be in this program because we had to figure out what we were supposed to do as we went along.” There were very few rules , regulations, and guidelines. A group of five women from Oregon colleges and universities created OR AHEAD (Oregon Association on Higher Education and Disability), with Debbie serving as its first president. She explains that, “it was a time of mentorship and trial and error; the Office of Civil Rights became our friends and support.” Her job grew to include Veteran’s Services.

“I had a certain degree of expertise, but due to my education level I knew I could only reach a certain level of responsibility." So she enrolled at Portland State University in a masters program and received a degree in Counseling in 1984. An admirable feat considering Debbie became married in 1982 to a man who had a ready-made family of three children ages 13, 10, and 5, and she worked full-time while going to school.

Upon receiving her Master's Degree, Debbie accepted a counseling position at Clackamas Community College and worked the evening shift. “One person in the Admissions Office and I handled all evening services,” she states. Looking for new opportunities, Debbie and four female colleagues pressed the president for support and career advancement that reflected their abilities. However, the presidential support to do so was not there.

Debbie left Clackamas in 1985 and took a position with Multnomah County Mental Health. Her job was to coordinate a statewide effort to de-institutionalize residents of such facilities as Fairview, a home for the mentally and physically impaired. A larger part of her job included working with neighborhood associations overcome their fear and bias of former Fairview residents. One of the innovative programs Debbie developed involved the help of Mt. Hood Community College. As a result of her positive interaction with MHCC, when the position of Disabilities Services Coordinator came open, Debbie applied and was awarded the position. For the next seven years, Debbie broke new ground as Disabilities Services Coordinator, incorporating the legislative power of the American Disabilities Act and her own creativity to provide a top-notch Disabilities Services Program.

Despite the “you’re nuts” looks from friends and family, just eighteen months after giving birth to her twin son and daughter, Emily and Brennan, Debbie jumped feet first into a Doctorate Degree Program at Oregon State University. The non-traditional degree in the ‘Community College Leadership Program’ was part of a cohort program that began with 20 students. Debbie explains, “I am a great student, but my confidence level has not been good. When I looked at the idea of earning a doctorate degree, I thought that there was no way I would be able to stand up in front of people and verbally defend my dissertation.” A friend, now at Chemeketa Community College, invited Debbie to apply to the program with her. Debbie was convinced that if her friend could do it, so could she. Out of the OSU Cohort Program, Debbie developed a support network of women mentors, advisors, friends, and colleagues. Debbie exclaims, “Almost all of us [of the five women in the OSU Cohort Program] eventually moved into Dean and Vice President positions.”

Debbie illustrated that “you have to be very cognizant of being pigeonholed in one thing. Being an expert is important but becomes very difficult to break out of so others can see your diverse abilities.” One of the many things Debbie did to “break out” was to do an internship through her OSU Program. She went to then Dean of Student Services, Eleanor Brown, and asked for challenging opportunities. In response, Dean Brown asked Debbie to manage a grant through the State Education Department Providing training to faculty on the CAM. Debbie also sat on a state-level leadership council and “basically got out and started talking with people and talking with faculty at any opportunity.” Once her successful work was limelighted, Debbie realized that the “Deans had no idea what I was capable of. I knew I wanted to be Dean of Students eventually. Once I made the decision that I wanted to move into a higher position, I went for it!”

As Vice President, Debbie believes her greatest challenge is change. While change and new ways energize her, she realizes that others do not respond in like. Debbie looks at the college system like a mechanic scrutinizes a car, how does it work, what does not work, and how to make it more efficient for the customer, the student. “A lot of change has been happening quickly here at Mt. Hood Community College; this is not a barrier but I have to be aware of taking the time to inform people and make sure people are ready to be brought along.” While Debbie is extremely positive about Mt. Hood Community College’s extended outlook, she states, “I realize that change does not always move you forward. It is my intention to work to bring Mt. Hood Community College back to being a leader nationally.”

In response to my inquiry of a gender barrier at Mt. Hood Community College, she responded that, “honestly, when I look at the President’s Executive Team, I do not feel a gender barrier at all.” “But I do believe that women bring a different prospective to the table. Sometimes it is very necessary, and very noticeable. [In that regard] we are very fortunate that we have hired two new Deans--Mary Kowalsky, Dean of Westside Campus, and Valerie Ward, Dean of Evening and Weekend College.”

Not only am I encouraged and struck by Vice President Debbie Derr’s successful career history, but I am most impressed by her willingness to reach out and be mentored by other women professionals along the way. At several key points on her path, it was the mentorship of those women that went before her that helped Debbie bust through to a path all her own. Writing this article allowed me the opportunity to get to know a truly remarkable woman and to be the new recipient of her mentorship and knowledge. Thank you, Debbie!