October 23, 2024
INSIDE L ocaL N ews
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Clark College Reports
Enrollment Increase
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Zoo Readies Treats
for Howloween
Fall 2024 - Students on Campus
Red panda Moshu investigates a jack-o’-lantern full of treats at
the Oregon Zoo. The zoo’s Howloween celebration takes place
Oct. 19¬–20 and 26–27. Photo by Michael Durham, courtesy
of the Oregon Zoo.
Kids can show off their cos-
tumes, fill their treat bags and
learn about wildlife in a fun and
safe setting over two weekends,
during the Oregon Zoo’s annual
Howloween celebration, Oct.
19¬–20 and 26–27.
Live entertainment will be
taking place both weekends.
Visitors can also enter a cos-
tume contest, pose with spooky
animal X-ray photo ops, and try
to guess the weight of an ex-
tra-large pumpkin.
Activities are free with zoo
admission, and all candy is made
by companies that have commit-
ted to using deforestation-free
palm oil.
As part of Metro, the Oregon
Zoo helps make greater Portland
a great place to call home.
Committed to conservation,
the zoo acts globally on behalf
of species from pikas to polar
bears. Over the past 30 years,
it has prevented extinctions,
expanded populations, ad-
vanced conservation science
and formed powerful com-
munities to protect wildlife
in the Northwest and around
the world.
Support from the Oregon
Zoo Foundation enhances and
expands the zoo’s efforts in
conservation, education and
animal welfare. Members, do-
nors and corporate and foun-
dation partners help the zoo
make a difference across the
region and around the world.
Almost 6%
increase in
students
compared
to fall 2023
Clark College continues to see
an increase in enrollment across
all categories. At its Oct. 16 board
of trustees work session, the col-
lege announced a 5.8% increase in
total unduplicated headcount com-
pared to fall 2023, and a 16.8%
increase between fall 2022 and
fall 2024. The college released its
official enrollment numbers at the
end of the 10th day of class of the
fall term on Oct. 4.
Clark College enrolled a to-
tal of 8,651 students during fall
2024 term. This translated to
the full time equivalent (FTE)
enrollment numbers at 6,164.
Additionally, 879 students are
enrolled in community and con-
tinuing education classes.
In fall 2020, early in the pan-
demic, enrollment at community
colleges nationwide—including
Clark—dropped sharply. Since
then, enrollment at Clark and
other community colleges has
experienced an uptick. Clark’s
enrollment increased by more
than 10% in fall 2023.
Enrollment numbers are pro-
vided by the Washington State
Board for Community and Tech-
nical Colleges (SBCTC), which
tracks enrollment data for the 34
public colleges in its system.
Clark College President Dr.
Karin Edwards said, “I am so
pleased to see our enrollment
numbers continue to climb. Our
numbers are up in every category:
students planning to transfer to a
four-year institution, Running
Start, international, and those
pursuing a bachelor’s degree on
our campus. It’s good news all
around for Clark College.”
She added, “A notable 47.1%
of our students are in the first
generation of their family to at-
tend college and 39.1% of our
students are 25 or older. Clark is
a great place for people to em-
bark on a new career pathway,
get a fresh start, and find help
along their educational journey.”
Despite challenges of rolling out
the updated Free Application for
Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
at the federal level, Clark’s fi-
nancial aid office has verified
and processed more than $7.32
million in financial aid grants
and loans to our students fall
term. This does not include
$2.4 million from other sources
for scholarships, veterans, and
workforce education.
Dr. William “Terry” Brown,
Clark’s Vice President of In-
struction, attributes the col-
lege’s continued growth tra-
jectory to its dedicated faculty
and staff who provide students
with a high-quality educational
experience and who listen and
respond to what the communi-
ty wants and needs. “When our
community asked for a bache-
lor’s program to train teachers,
we delivered — and our first co-
hort graduated in June. Then our
community asked for a two-year
program to train surgical tech-
nicians, and we are developing
that program now. We are com-
mitted to training tomorrow’s
workforce in Clark County for
in-demand, living-wage jobs.”
Clark College offers more than
100 degree and certificate pro-
grams, including bachelor’s and
associate degrees; professional
certificates; high school diplo-
mas and GED preparation; and
non-credit community and con-
tinuing education.