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THE ASTORIAN • SATuRdAy, MAy 1, 2021
College board: ‘College has a lot of work ahead of it’
Continued from Page A1
But opinions are mixed among college
board members and board hopefuls about
how dire the enrollment situation is and what
is needed to address it.
In meetings earlier this year, Lyman
voiced his concerns about drops in enroll-
ment that predate the pandemic, what he sees
as a lack of a concrete plan to address student
recruitment and retention and frustration over
the college’s problematic software system,
CampusNexus.
The management software, adopted by
Clatsop and several other community col-
leges before the pandemic after a previous
system was no longer available, had issues
from the beginning. During the pandemic,
some of these issues, including ones tied with
student registration and financial aid, came to
a head. Lyman and others say it further dis-
couraged students, created major headaches
for faculty and, they believe, contributed to
the decline in enrollment.
At a recent meeting, the college board dis-
cussed the drop in enrollment and the pan-
demic’s role. Chris Breitmeyer, the college
president, intends to bring a plan to increase
enrollment before the board this spring. The
college also plans to ramp up marketing and
outreach to attract more students.
Lyman and the candidates he recruited for
the May 18 ballot believe more is needed.
Meanwhile, Robert Duehmig and other board
members have said in meetings this year that
though they are concerned about the drop
in enrollment, it isn’t something that causes
them to panic. They believe the college con-
tinues to provide attractive offerings and is
moving in the right direction to encourage
students to return.
“Our job is not to figure out how to
do things,” said Dave Zunkel, who was
appointed to the college board in 2019 and is
running for election against a former college
employee, Suzanne Iverson.
“Our job,” Zunkel said, “is to hold the
president, our only employee, accountable for
what happens at the college, to support him
in his role and what he does, but to hold him
accountable.”
Duehmig vs. Van Dusen Citovic
The college board is a policy board. Its
main role is budgetary and to hire or fire the
president, noted Duehmig, who is running for
reelection to a four-year term in his Zone 2,
Position 3 seat against challenger Trudy Van
Dusen Citovic, the co-owner of Van Dusen
Beverages and the daughter of former Astoria
Mayor Willis Van Dusen.
It is a challenging and sometimes frus-
trating position, Duehmig added. There is so
much happening at the college — much of
it complex — and it can feel like you don’t
know everything that’s going on. The pan-
demic has only exacerbated the challenge.
But, he said, “we’re at an exciting time
when it comes to looking at where we’re
going in the future. This year has been crazy
but it’s going to force a lot of changes in how
we do things and that change is going to be
uncomfortable in some cases for all involved.
“From a board perspective, I think it’s
going to be a challenge because we’re all
going to have different ideas of how we go
with that and how it meets the needs of our
community.”
Duehmig is the interim director for the
Oregon Office of Rural Health. Going for-
ward, he said the college needs to better look
at how it can meet students where they are.
The college recently opened a community
food bank on campus, but the pandemic high-
lighted numerous social inequities, as well
as the challenges many students face when it
comes to affording school, finding child care
or balancing work and family life with col-
lege courses.
Now, with colleges across the coun-
try offering even more flexibility and online
options, Clatsop must find ways to remain
competitive.
“We have to be able to adapt to what (stu-
dents) are looking for,” Duehmig said.
Van Dusen Citovic is the owner of Fire
Station Yoga and co-owner of The Rosebriar,
both in Astoria.
She has served on the Friends of the Asto-
ria Column board and Astoria’s traffic safety
Hailey Hoffman/The Astorian
The May election could change the direction of the college board.
committee. In addition to her own business
“I am more than impressed with the peo-
undertakings, she works for the family busi- ple that are stepping up at the college, that
ness, Van Dusen Beverages, and previously are doing the work,” Meyer said. “I want to
worked as a real estate broker, in corporate enable them to form that powerful base of
strategy for PepsiCo and as a management education. I think a board that is really sup-
portive of what’s going on enables that to
consultant.
For families to stay in the area, she happen. It doesn’t put barriers up.”
Preston, a retired disabled veterans
said, they need to be able to support them-
selves and their families. “And that comes employment representative, said a seat on
from education,” she said, “That’s your best the college board fits in with what he has
opportunity.”
done in the community for decades to “con-
“As long as we have a healthy, strong nect people, bring resources to bear, planning
college here, it can provide resources,” Van and development and then being held fiscally
Dusen Citovic said, adding, “Every aspect of responsible.
“My intent is not to sit up and say, ‘yea’
our lives has been impacted by the pandemic,
but the college has a lot of work ahead of it as or ‘nay’ or ‘blah, blah, blah,’” he said. “It’s to
be hands-on, out there promoting the college,
it reimagines programs and services.”
There are three priorities in front of the col- meeting people, greeting people, getting peo-
lege now, she believes: enrollment; address- ple interested again.”
ing the management software; and taking a
Preston has worked with the college and
new look at construction proposed at Tongue its programs in several capacities. He vol-
Point to expand the college’s maritime sci- unteered to teach the transitional assistance
ence programs.
program for the U.S. Coast Guard at the col-
Van Dusen Citovic, who speaks Spanish lege for four years and was the local veterans
employment representa-
and has volunteered as a
tive in Astoria. He worked
bilingual resource at Astor
NOW, WITH
with state senators and
Elementary School, also
to provide
sees an opportunity for
COLLEGES ACROSS representatives
services to veterans and
more outreach and pro-
gramming aimed at His-
helped build the veterans
THE COUNTRY
panic communities, as
center at the college.
OFFERING
well as increased collab-
Even before the pan-
oration with the organiza-
demic, in his work with
EVEN MORE
tions that serve them.
veterans and commu-
nity partners, Preston saw
FLEXIBILITY AND
Meyer vs. Preston
how hard it could be get-
ONLINE OPTIONS, ting people registered as
In the Zone 2, Position
students.
2 race, incumbent Sara
CLATSOP MUST
His top priorities if
Meyer faces challenger
elected are to help the
Patrick Preston for a four-
FIND WAYS
college better understand
year term.
TO REMAIN
the physical constraints
Meyer, who is retired,
post-pandemic.
worked with job corps
COMPETITIVE.
“Our environment has
and community action in
changed and how are we
New Jersey and Astoria
and co-owned The Compleat Photographer in working to meet those needs as well as the
Astoria. She previously served on the Astoria needs of our students?” he said.
Like Van Dusen Citovic, he also ques-
School District board and, in the late 1990s,
sat on the college board during a time of tran- tions the proposed maritime program expan-
sion, wondering if it is the best use of col-
sition at the institution.
The digital world was becoming more and lege resources. He believes the college board
more of a reality and the board was being could do more to boost registration with the
asked to approve significant software pur- creation of speciality programs and by reach-
chases that soon became outdated. She feels ing out to partners in the area to discover what
the college is more intentional now about sort of skills and training businesses are look-
where it puts its money. Still, she called ing for in workers.
the college’s CampusNexus a “two-year
Zunkel vs. Iverson
nightmare.”
For the Zone 3, Position 6 seat, incum-
She does feel the college is starting to move
beyond some of the issues associated with the bent David Zunkel is running against chal-
software. She also supports the expansion of lenger Suzanne Iverson for a two-year unex-
maritime programs, seeing it as another way pired term.
Zunkel, a retired physician, has served
to create job opportunities for students.
on the board since 2019. When he was
appointed, he made a commitment to run for
election to complete the two years remaining
on the term.
“I just think community college is a great
place to put my time to help students of all
levels achieve the sort of education they wish
to achieve,” he said. “So anything I can do to
assist in that process and make it more avail-
able or affordable, easier, I’m all for doing it.”
He believes the board must prioritize
looking at and understanding the challenges
ahead. Community colleges always struggle
with funding and there are concerns about the
recruitment and retention of students. A num-
ber of Clatsop’s students face housing and
food insecurity issues, he noted, a discovery
that came out of a survey of the college and
prompted the creation of the food pantry.
He said it is crucial that the college find a
balance between offering in-person and dis-
tance learning alternatives for students com-
ing out of the pandemic. The CampusNexus
software is a problem, but one he thinks the
college’s administration is addressing.
“As a board, we have to hold the presi-
dent accountable and the president needs to
hold the vendor accountable for making the
improvement that they know have to be made
to get us working well,” he said.
In general, Zunkel feels the board and the
college are going in the right direction.
Iverson worked at the college for 18 years
in the community education and workforce
training department. During her time, she
saw the rise in the use of computers and the
expansion of the college facilities on the hill.
After she retired in 2003, she came back as
a contractor for several years. She decided to
run for the college board because of Lyman’s
request and ongoing concerns in the commu-
nity that businesses and individuals were not
getting what they needed from the college’s
programs, she said.
Her two daughters both obtained associate
degrees from the college.
“I guess my heart has always been at the
community college,” Iverson said.
Like Preston, she also wants to see train-
ing opportunities expanded. Student enroll-
ment is a concern, as well.
Like Van Dusen Citovic, she believes
there are more opportunities for the college
to work in partnership with groups and orga-
nizations to draw students or create new pro-
grams and funding mechanisms.
Iverson believes the coronavirus pan-
demic has offered opportunities to rethink
how the college delivers services and reaches
students.
But with her background and experience,
Iverson said she could “look outside the box
and maybe see some opportunity.”