APRIL 2 2 ,2 0 1 5 • CLACKAMAS PRINT
3
CCC all in on new director
From Las Vegas to Oregon City, Bobby Smith
finds his new home as Director of Campus Safety
by Cassidy Scott
After six months of searching, one failed search and
fo u r final candidates, Bobby Smith has been hired as
th e new Director o f Campus Safety.
The process to hire Smith was “extensive,” Bob Co
chran, Director o f Campus Services, explained. After
the failed search for a qualified candidate in November,
Clackamas Community College turned to The Prothman
Company, a recruiting firm th a t sent o u t roughly 5 0 0
letters on CCCs behalf up and dow n the West Coast.
A fter those 5 0 0 letters tu rn e d into 12 candidates,
The P rothm an Company came back to CCC, w hich
then again narrowed it dow n to four final potential
directors. It was at this p oint Bobby Smith first came
to the CCC campus.
“After doing research, thank goodness for the Inter
net, we discovered CCC had an opening for the Director
of Campus Safety. It seemed like ail o f the pieces fit,”
Smith said in an email. “We toured Oregon City and
CCC and fell in love. Everyone is friendly and helpful
so we knew we were rig h t w here we w anted to be.”
After tw o days of interviews, forums and tours, “the
people w ho were involved w ith it g o t together and
just kind o f talked about the concerns and the bene
fits o f each employee,” said Cochran. “We w ent home
for the weekend and processed it and th a t’s when we
selected Bobby Smith."
photo supplied by Bobby Smith
Bobby Smith, the new Director of Campus Safety, poses with his wife U .
After 20 years living in the Las Vegas desert, they are both excited to move
to Oregon and enjoy the greenery of the Northwest
So w h a t can CCC expect from this new hire? As it
turns out, this is an exciting time for our campus’ safety.
“ [Smith] has a really good energy th a t we th in k is
going to w ork well here. He has a good sense o f hu
mor, he’s serious about his work, he brings a w ealth
o f experience,” Cochran said.
And Smith does indeed bring a w ealth o f experi
ence. According to his resume, w hich was supplied
by Cochran, Smith spent a to ta l o f 11 years w ith the
United States Marine Corps, where he rose to the rank
o f Sergeant. He then proceeded to spend another
eight years w ith the United States Air Force Reserves.
“I’ve had the great fortune of serving our nation and
retired as a Command Chief Master Sergeant in the
United States Air Force Reserves,” Smith said in an
email. “ My law enforcem ent career began ju st shy of
26 years ago as a Campus Police Officer in Colorado.”
It was soon after his w ork in Colorado th a t Smith
w anted to enter th e w o rld o f policing a large, m et
ropolitan city. He eventually found his place doing
th a t in Las Vegas.
Policing Las Vegas Blvd. is undoubtedly a huge task,
as th e streets are overcrowded w ith people a p t to
crime. However, Smith w anted to help the Las Vegas
Police Departm ent im plem ent less policing and more
w hat Cochran term ed as “community policing.” W hat
aided this was Smith’s comm unity-based ideology in
w ork and life.
“They ju st d id n ’t arrest everyone w ho w e n t side
ways w ith the law, they addressed each case in d i
vidually and made th e best decision based on th a t
individual,” Cochran said. “We th o u g h t th a t w ould
w ork real w ell w ith th e college.”
For Smith, th e tra n sitio n fro m Las Vegas to CCC
w ill be a chance to continue his w ork w ith in a new
community.
“ I’ve been fo rtu n a te to serve th e Las Vegas com
m unity fo r alm ost 2 0 years and recently retired as
a police lieutenant. The next chapter in my career
is to continue my com m unity service, b u t I w anted
it to be in an environm ent w here th e focus is upon
education, prevention and redirection," Smith said
in an email. “There is no place better than CCC to do
exactly th a t!”
Once on campus, Smith will have a variety of jobs to
keep him busy. These include overseeing the campus
safety officers, making sure the campus complies w ith
the Oregon OSHA requirements and working w ith the
Emergency Management Program to prepare plans
fo r emergency scenarios.
“He w ill be also w orking w ith our BIT team (Behav
ioral intervention Team)," Cochran said. “And th a t’s
th e team th a t looks at students o f concern, people
w h o w e wanna make sure are successful here and
make sure they do everything they can to make this
student successful.”
Most o f all, Smith w ill be here to be a part o f the
"... it became
obvious they
weren’t only
searching for a
director, but also
for a teammate. I
knew CCC was the
place for me.”
-Bobby Smith
students’ com m unity and life on campus.
“ It is im portant our students, faculty and staff know
I am here fo r them ," Smith said in an email. "Please
share your thoughts and concerns w ith me so I can
tend a helping hand. I’m a good listener!”
For Smith and his family, the transition from state
to state and from jo b to jo b doesn’t come w ith o u t
some fears.
“Although I've been deployed w orldw ide, this will
be our new home,” Smith said in an email. “Relocating
and joining a new team can be scary. I also w ant to
do well and not let our com m unity down."
Overall, Smith has shown nothing b u t enthusiasm
for his new jo b on our campus, as well as enthusiasm
to be a part o f the cougar community.
“W hile going through the selection process, I was
impressed w ith the strong sense of togetherness and
teamwork the faculty and staff displayed,” Smith said in
an email. “They treated me like a friend and it became
obvious they w eren’t only searching for a director, but
also for a teammate. I knew CCC was the place for me.”