March 23, 2022
Page 3
L ocaL N ews
INSIDE Finalists
for PCC President
Arts &
ENTERTAINMENT
page 7-8
o piNioN
c Lassified /B ids
College hosts
candidates with
open forums
page 9
pages 9-10
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Adrien Bennings (from left), Naydeen Gonzalez-de Jesus, Shouan Pan and Craig Herndon are under
consideration to become the next president of Portland Community College.
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Portland Community College’s
presidential search effort has pro-
duced a pool of four finalists.
The candidates are Adrien
Bennings, Naydeen Gonza-
lez-De Jesus, Craig Herndon and
Shouan Pan, college officials
announced Monday. Each were
scheduled to participate this
week in open forums as part of
their visits to the college district.
The next president will be
PCC’s eighth since the college
was founded in 1961, and will be
replace Mark Mitsui, who is re-
tiring at the end of this academic
year, in June.
Gonzalez-De Jesus is the ex-
ecutive vice president of student
success at Milwaukee Area Tech-
nical College in Wisconsin where
she is credited with initiatives to
improve student support and the
college’s commitment to a guid-
ed pathways framework, which
brings together academics and
student services.
Herndon has more than 20
years of professional experience
in higher education, with roles in
student support, academic affairs,
and extensive community college
leadership for workforce develop-
ment, advocacy and administra-
tion. Since 2018, he has served as
the senior vice chancellor for ad-
ministration, finance and technol-
ogy for the Virginia Community
College system.
Bennings is the president of
Kellogg Community College, one
of 28 community colleges in the
state of Michigan. In this capac-
ity, she oversees a multi-campus
institution within a three-coun-
ty service area. Before joining
KCC, Bennings was the vice
president of administration and
finance and chief financial officer
at Clovis Community College in
New Mexico.
Pan as served as chancellor of
Seattle Colleges since 2016 and
has 30 years of experience pro-
moting student, institutional and
community success. Born and
raised in mainland China, Pan
immigrated to the United States
in 1985. He has a doctorate in
philosophy in higher education;
a master’s degree in education in
college student personnel; and a
bachelor’s degree in English.
Eviction
Fears
Grow
As housing
relief dries up,
crisis moves to
a new stage
By Beverly Corbell
The Portland Observer
There are still some options to
help renters trying to avoid evic-
tion during the current housing
crisis even though the state agen-
cy managing an emergency rental
assistance fund shut down all ap-
plications on Monday.
The Oregon Emergency Rent-
al Assistance Program (OERAP)
was set to close even earlier,
but got a one week extension to
March 21 thanks to an addition-
al $16 million in federal funds.
The monies allowed an additional
2,200 Oregonians to stay in their
homes for now. While more funds
are sought, getting additional re-
sources remains doubtful.
Jill Smith, interim director of
the housing stabilization for Or-
egon Housing and Community
services, was grateful for the ex-
Becky Straus of the Eviction Defense Project (left) and Cyd Maurer,
an eviction defense attorney, represent the Oregon Law Center
where free legal help is offered to low income Oregonians facing
the loss of housing from eviction.
tension, but said more funds are early 2021 we have been taking
still needed.
more eviction cases in a dedicated
“Our message to the U.S. Trea- special project to be able to more
sury remains loud and clear,” she meet the needs of low income ten-
said. “If other states have money ants facing eviction.”
they can’t use — send those dol-
Portland City Council in Au-
lars to Oregon.”
gust authorized the Portland
The Oregon Law Center is part- Housing Bureau to contract with
nering with the city to provide free the Oregon Law Center, and the
legal help to those facing eviction, push began in July when more
according to Becky Straus, the staff was hired, Straus said.
managing attorney for the center’s
Any low-income renters who
Eviction Defense Project.
have received a termination no-
“We have contracted with the tice, a proposed termination of
city to help them implement their
Continued on Page 5
eviction defense program,” Straus
said. “What’s new is that since