The Clackamas print., May 23, 2007, Page 4, Image 4

4
Clackamas Print
Featur
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Former student returns a leader
Lydia Bashaw
The Clackamas Print
Lydia Bashaw Clackamas Print
Truesdell (top) enjoys the festivities at the college’s 40th
Anniversary Celebration last Saturday. Truesdell got her start
at Clackamas, little thinking that she would someday be its
president.
Twenty-seven years ago,
College
President
Joanne
Truesdell sat in the parking lot of
Clackamas Community College
trying to get up the courage
to walk through the doors and
jumpstart her fiiture.
Experiencing the same uncer­
tainty as many beginning college
students, she struggled to make
the big step into a college career.
“I didn’t think college was in
my future,” said Truesdell at the
May 9 board meeting where she
was hired as Clackamas’ new
president.
In a room of staff and board
members, she accepted the posi­
tion to deafening applause and,
shaking hands with each of the
board members, was given a
standing ovation. Wiping away
tears of joy, she shared her vision
of Clackamas.
“I owe everything to this col­
lege,” she said. “I truly believe
in the success of this school.
We will rise above and beyond.
We may be small, but we are
mighty.”
The decisión to hire Truesdell
came after a year of important
changes.
After Former President Joe
Johnson resigned last November,
the college administration began
the long search for new leader­
ship. Truesdell, a 1982 gradu­
ate of Clackamas, applied and
became interim president for the
2006-2007 school year.
Having personal experience
with community colleges as first
a student and then a member
of the Commissioner’s Board,
Truesdell brings new ideas to old
subjects. From budgeting issues
to community college stereo­
types, she takes the positive out­
look. Fighting those stereotypes,
she is a success story.
“I always talked about the
impact community colleges have
on people,” she said. “People fall
through the cracks; not everyone
can go to a university.”
Starting college was difficult
for Truesdell. At one point, she
was convinced she was going
to get her two-year degree and
go out into the workforce, but a
deep curiosity for learning kept
her going.
“I wanted more education,”
she said. “I had all these thoughts,
and I wanted words and ideas in
my head.”
Despite dealing with the
stresses of working and going to
school 20 credit hours a term, she
graduated with a 3.68 GPA, much
of which she owes to Clackamas’
“supportive atmosphere.”
“My hope is that everyone
experiences what I experienced,”
she said. “I really believe that we
have people [here] that want our
students to be successful. That’s
something that hasn’t changed in
all these years.”
Truesdell was hesitant to apply
when she first heard the position
had opened up. She spent a lot of
time thinking.
“When I first found out in
October that the presidency
might be open, I just thought
about it and thought about it,”
she said. “I kept thinking, ‘It
would be good to come back. It
would be good to see if I was a
good match.’”
Now that the hiring process is
over, she can’t contain her excite­
ment. Relating her new place at
the college to the feeling she had
when she first met her husband,
she felt it was easy to become
part of Clackamas once again.
“Being here just felt com­
pletely natural,” she said. “I
didn’t have to be someone else.
I could be myself.”
Though having a long resume
of “busy jobs,” Truesdell finds
time for family and friends. Her
most recent hobby, playing the
guitar, has taken a new prece­
dence in her life. Along with
hiking, fishing and gardening,
she spends her spare time doinj
whatever she can.
“I just like doing things. It!
very eclectic,” she said. “On]
weekend it might be fishing, ant
the next day it might be listening
to my son’s jazz band play at <
function. It might be going t<
visit my family. It’s whatever
make time to do.”
As for the future of the col
lege, she looks forward to mak
ing positive changes for the stu
dents, faculty and community
Setting aside the automatic work
such as budgeting and accredita
tion reviews, she finds time t<
get involved with the studenti
as well. She has attended at leas
one event for each athletic team
and also has spent at least somi
time at every club-sponsore]
event on campus.
There is even time put inti
her schedule to share lunch in th]
cafeteria with students. She has s
genuine interest in what student
want.
“It’s about learning what’
going on outside and insid]
[campus],” she said. “Right now
the biggest objective is to fine
out what our community thinki
about us and what they nee<
from us. Internally, what is it tha
we need as a college? And wha
do we want from_each other?”
Truesdell looks forward t<
marching Clackamas to the top ii
education. There are no bound
aries as to where the college ij
going.
“It’s not about being first; it]
about showing up and having !
good time and being deliberate it
the things you do,” she said.
With hope for the Tuture, slid
foresees the next few years beinl
the best for Clackamas, and th]
best for students. Sharing word
of advice, she summed up th
mission of Clackamas and he
hopes for the student body:
“There were times when I
wanted to stop. There were time
when it would’ve been easy t
stop - but don’t - don’t stop.” |
Wayne’s world: Tai Chi class whips up whimsical wonders
Winter Term class challenged
him to push them all over at
I The Clackamas Print
once, Keller surprised them by
having them all line up and push
When asked why he went him together. Using his superior
into Tai Chi, Instructor Wayne Tai Chi skills, he pushed back
Keller very seriously replied, - and the whole class fell back­
“Unwanted pregnancy.”
wards like a line of dominoes.
This is a perfect example of
“What old men call skill
the non sequiters Keller peppers young men call cheating” - his
throughout his classes.
favorite saying - was the only
Keller has always been inter­ explanation given to his baffled
ested in the elegance of Tai Chi’s students. Oddly enough,' it is
hidden power. The
these say­
trick, however, was
ings
that
to find a quality
make him a
teacher.
fun instruc­
Luckily,
he
tor.
“
What
found one in Master
But
old men call
George Xu.
beneathz the
Keller
always
jokes and
skill young
smiles when he rec­
laughter,
men call
ollects stories about
he is seri­
cheating.”
Master
George.
ous about
During his interview
his classes.
with The Print, he
Many of the
Wayne Keller
even broke out in
stories told
Tai Chi Instructor
song, praising his
in class are
teacher to the tune
in fact hid­
of “George of the
den secrets
Jungle.”
of Tai Chi.
Surprisingly,
“I think
there is still time between dis­ he is a very cool teacher who
cussions of the latest movie in appears to know \yhat he is
theaters and hilarious stories doing,” said Kent Hall, one of
about Master George to learn the students in Advanced Tai
hidden Tai Chi secrets, such as Chi, “and he listens to the ques­
Earth, Spiral and Yi.
tions of the students.”
And what secrets they are!
As if to confirm this opinion,
When the students in his Keller admitted that his favorite
Jess Sheppard
aspect of teaching is seeing the
light-bulbs go on in people’s
eyes when they suddenly under­
stand his lessons.
On the reverse, he dislikes the
financial strings that tend to come
with teaching. Consequently,
he is fond of teaching privately
because of the personal intimacy
that comes with it.
Keller hails from Portland, or
what he calls “Land of Mist and
Dew.”
His hobbies include camping
and good food, particularly eth­
nic food. He also enjoys video
games, such as Elder Scrolls:
Oblivion and Star Wars: Knights
of the Old Republic for the Xbox.
In addition, he also plays old-
school Pong.
Keller has been teaching at
Clackamas for 11 years, but his
experience goes even further
back. He has been teaching Tai
Chi for a total of 16 years and
Martial Arts for 20.
He also teaches private class­
es in Philippine Stick/Knife
fighting and offers many types
of bodywork and massage.
Keller instructs his students
to elongate their spines
during stepping drills. Tai
Chi classes are available
Fall Term every Monday,
Wednesday and Friday.