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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (June 26, 2019)
Wednesday, June 26, 2019 PROGRESS SPECIAL SECTION East Oregonian/Hermiston Herald C3 BMCC tries to adapt to a good economy By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian PENDLETON — A humming economy is mostly good news for Umatilla County. The unemployment is down to 5% and “Help Wanted” signs have popped up in business win- dows across the region. But an economy that’s emerged from the throes of reces- sion hasn’t been good news for one of the region’s few postsec- ondary institutions: Blue Moun- tain Community College. While job seekers often invest in education or workforce train- ing to better position themselves for a tight job market, enrollment starts to fall once employment becomes more plentiful again. According to Inside Higher Ed, community college enroll- ment swelled 25% nationally from 2007 to 2011. But enrollment started to dip as the recession started to recede, and the trend was felt both across Oregon and at BMCC. Oregon community college enrollment fell from a mid-reces- sion peak of 374,042 to 272,254 in 2017-18. From 2012 to 2018, the head- count at BMCC fell from 4,142 to 2,442. Aware of the overall trend lines, BMCC administrators are working to keep their enrollment steady by trying to embody two different qualities: adaptability and persistence. Casey White-Zollman, vice president of communications, said BMCC is constantly look- ing through the programming to determine if it is still properly serving students. When BMCC senses there’s a need they’re not meeting, they can take action. White-Zollman pointed to BMCC’s data center technician program as an example of the college’s institutional responsive- ness to a changing economy. Over the past several years data centers that service tech giants have popped up around rural Oregon. Locally, that has come in the form of Amazon Web Services, which has built data centers in Morrow County and western Umatilla County. From conception to real- ity, BMCC developed a data center technician program in nine months. That’s a “warp speed” time line according to White-Zollman, who said new programs usually take longer to develop in a process that includes getting approval from the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission. White-Zollman said students who go through the nine-month program frequently get hired from the program before they graduate. Staff photo by E.J. Harris, File Instructor Pete Hernberg, center, talks a group of students through troubleshooting while setting up a wired network during a computer lab in 2018 at the BMCC Workforce Training Center in Boardman. Staff photo by E.J. Harris, File BMCC nursing program director and instructor Laurie Post, third from left, meets with second year nursing students in their fi nal term in 2018 at BMCC campus in Pendleton. BMCC President Dennis Bai- ley-Fougnier said the key to con- tinue attracting students in a good economy is to try to pitch them on their long-term future. A college administrator in California and Colorado before eomediagroup.com he was hired by BMCC in March, Bailey-Fougnier brings up a stu- dent he knew who got a job with Verizon out of high school. The pay was good initially, but the former student eventually saw other people in the company OREGON CAPITAL INSIDER The most valuable and respected source of local news, advertising and information for our communities. WHEN EVERY DOLLAR COUNTS THESE DAYS, STOP BY ELMER’S. with college degrees surpassing him in their careers. Once that student returned to school, Bailey-Fougnier said he became a community college evangelist. As a former farm kid from Colorado, Bailey-Fougnier said he wasn’t always aware of the oppor- tunities until he went to college. It’s that vision that the col- lege is trying to sell to people who also have an eye on the job market. BBSI Helps Business Owners Focus on the Success of their Company We have local familiar faces ready to help you with your irrigation projects. “Proudly serving Eastern Oregon & Southeast Washington since 1978” FEATURING: Pipe: PVC, galvanized & black fittings; Filters: Clemons, CTC, Gheen; Pumps: Small centricial pumps, Pressure Tanks; Lawn & garden supplies: K-Rain sprinklers & valves; Hand line, Main line, wheel line: gaskets & fittings, pipe cutting & threading Pivot parts; Pivot sprinkler packages: Nelson & Senninger Motors: UMC and US; Wheel Boxes: UMC & Valley Valves: Butterfly, ball, gate, check; Automatic control valves: Nelson, Netafim ELMER’S IRRIGATION, INC. Workers’ Comp Insurance • Safety/Risk Consulting • Human Resource Consulting • Payroll & Tax Administration • Staffing & Talent Acquisition • “Proudly serving and investing in the future of our communities” 1055 S. Hwy 395, Ste 333•Hermiston 541.567.9670 202 N. Main St, Ste 4•Boardman WWW.BARRETTBUSINESS.COM 80527 Hwy 395 N. • Hermiston • 541-567-5572 541. 481.2666
