The Clackamas Print
Pg. 8
Feature
Wednesday,
October 28, 1992
’How do you do?' policy working for President Keyser
by Paul Valencia
Staff Writer
Nearly everyone has heard
of an open-door policy, but for
Clackamas Community College
President Dr. John Keyser, that
would only begin to explain the
way he does business. A “how do
you do?” policy might be a better
way to describe it.
If a student sees him for the
first time, he can bet Keyser will
extend his hand and introduce
himself. Getting to know his
students on a first-name basis is a
top priority for Keyser.
It’s been seven years since
he came to Clackamas after
working for three years at Linn-
Benton Community College. He
isn’t thinking of leaving Clacka
mas any time soon; his working
relationship with his staff is too
good to do that.
“They are a wonderful group
of people. It’s a real privilege to
work with the people and the
community,” he said.
At Clackamas, students are
heard from. “We try to involve
the students in every way pos
sible,” Keyser said. “It’s very
important for me to have a lot of
contact with students and hear
from the student government about
how things are working. We are
one of the few colleges in the
Northwest, that really involve its
students in planning.
In case you haven’t guessed
it, team work is the key to Clacka
mas ’ success with Keyser at the
helm. It will take a team effort to
take on the challenges ahead.
Keyser thinks the biggest test will
be to keep up with the growth de
mands.
Clackamas County is “proba
bly one of the fastest growing
counties in the Northwest” with a
“great combination” of urban
development and natural areas,
said Keyser.
A big part of that test has
already received an “A+.” That
was the passing of the bond issue
in 1989, which paved the way for
the construction of five new build
ings.
That also happened to be
Keyser’s favorite moment as
president. After a long, active
campaign in Mie community, with
hundreds of volunteers, includ
ing students, the bond issue passed.
“It was gratifying to see the
campus come together and be
successful since it is so difficult
photo by Nolan Kidwell
Clackamas Community College President John Keyser
enjoys coming to work and meeting new people everyday.
to pass a bond issue,” Keyser
explained.
Soon, Keyser may have
another item to place at the top of
his list of favorite accomplish
ments. He is currently working
with the collège foundation to
raise $800,000 to complete the
Family Resource Center, which
has numerous programs for teen
parents, parent education and
single women re-entering the work
force, for example.
Keyser said one-third of his
job is walking with external groups
and citizens, while two-thirds the
job is related to campus-wide
planning, budgeting and problem
solving.
That sounds like it comes
right out of a textbook, so what
really makes Keyser come to
work?
“A sense that we’re making
a difference in the community,”
he said, along with the opportu
nity to meet all the different people
he gets to meet everyday. “There
are lots of daily highs working
with people,” said Keyser.
In five years, Keyser sees
Clackamas Community College
to be more effective than it is
already.
“If we continue to grow in
our effectiveness, efficiency and
size to meet the demands of the
community in a more competi
tive world, we’ll achieve our
purpose,” he said.
That’s in five years, but in
five minutes if you bump into
Keyser, you can believe he’ll
introduce himself. “I like to get
to know the names of people. It’s
a very powerful way to develop a
relationship,” he said.
With the relationship between
Clackamas and its community,
as well as between administra
tion, faculty and students, it’s not
out of the question to say Key
ser’s “how do you do?” policy is
working.
Streeter Hall, home of 'new kids on the block'
by Jeff Kemp
Staff Writer
The English Department of
Clackamas Community College
will include two new faces in the
classrooms eager to make a dif
ference this year: full time in
structors David Mount and Kate
Gray.
David Mount will be instruct
ing English 104 and Writing 121
this term. Next term he will be
teaching drama, and his favorite
subject, poetry.
Mount’s presence has already
been felt by the students in his
classes. “In 104 (short fiction),
Professor Mount really covers the
short stories well without going
to extremes, like a lot of teachers
have a tendency to do,” Sopho
more Thad Routson explained.
Mount began his education at
Cai-State Fullerton and completed
his schooling at UCLA, where he
received a masters degree in
English-and fell a few credits
short of a Phd.
His first teaching experience
came while he was still in col
lege. Mount tutored grade school
children in reading and arithme
tic. He taught part-time at sev
eral community colleges in his
home state of California, and he
also taught some guitar lessons.
Mount, likes the small college
scene and close faculty-student
relationships because it allows
him to do what he believes he
does best.
“I think I’m good at helping
people find their underlying
strengths,” he said.
Like most of us, Mount went
through phases when it came to
deciding what to do when he grew
up. “I had apprehensions,” Mount
said of coming to Oregon to teach,
“I was nervous that Oregon stu
dents might be different and
something I wasn’t prepared for,
but in fact they are just as nice as
California students, and maybe a
little more hard working and se
rious.”
When asked if he would en
courage students outside his
classes to come in and see him in
his office in Streeter Hall, room
121, Mount smiled and responded,
“Of course. I’m lonely, come on
down!”
English Instructor Kate Gray
said she enjoys the nice feeling
that CCC gives.
“The environment is interac
tive and I feel like I learn as much
as they (students) do,” she said.
The Williams College of
Massachusetts graduate has a B.A.
in Religion. Gray went to gradu
ate school at the University of
Washington where she received
her masters degree in fine arts
and creative writing.
Gray’s teaching experience
began in a private boarding school
in Delaware not far from her home
state of Connecticut. Interest
ingly, it is the site from which the
movie “Dead Poets Society” was
filmed.
Gray has always wanted to be
an English, teacher, like Robin
Williams’ character in the movie.
“Teaching is exactly what I wanted
to do,” she said, recalling her
earliest aspirations.
Writing 121, 121 Honors,
English 105, drama and Poetry
106 are Gray’s educational du
ties for the Fall Term. Even
though that’s a full load, Gray
looks at it differently.
“Teaching has the reputation
of burning new teachers out, but
I find that I am revitalized each
day,” she explained.
Coming for the Winter Term
is a women’s literature class, that
Gray is looking forward to in
structing. It will be held on Thurs
days in the Harmony Center from
6-9 p.m. “I’m excited,” she said
of the new class.
Gray and Mount are the “new
kids on the block” in Streeter
Hall, and they encourage the
students and faculty to drop by
for a visit.
photo by Tina McFarland
David Mount joined the English Department after transfer
ring from his home state of California.
Jp
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foot-long |
I sub for |
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(numbers |
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|
limit 3 |
per coupon
Clackámas Community College’s very own
Torpedo Tuesday
Buy one & get the Thirsty
2nd for .99 cents. Thursday
~
Buy full
Whiny Wednesday sandwich g.
Buy one sandwich & ^et
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& whine for a free me^iuJn
cookie.
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photo by Tina McFarland
1360-J Beavercreek Rd
Kate Gray, the other new face in the English Department, is
following her lifelong dream of being a teacher.