On commencement day, congratulations are typically directed toward the graduates adorned in their green robes. However, as the academic year of 2023-2024 draws to a close, farewells are also in order for three esteemed faculty members: Melinda Benton, Gary Gray and Susan Rochester. Melinda Benton Melinda Benton began working for Read more…
Editorâs Note: Our senior reporter interviewed 2023-24 staff members of The Mainstream. She organized their experience and lessons learned to capture the essence of the current members’ work. The reporter also shares a bit of her own experiences on The Mainstream in this third part of our four-part anniversary series. Read more…
MacKay Dufour, the recently hired technical manager of performance venues for UCC, has 22 years of experience in the field doing behind-the-scenes work for the arts from constructing and organizing background pieces in shows to adjusting mood lighting at events. Dufour manages Jacoby and Whipple facility rentals to make sure Read more…
Traversing mental health can be difficult for anyone, but when quizzes, tests and a mountain of schoolwork are added into a daily schedule, student can feel helpless. According to Forbes Health, âabout a third of adults overall (32.3%) reported anxiety and depression symptoms in 2023.â At UCC, students can find Read more…
To celebrate UCCâs upcoming 60-year anniversary, President Pokrant reached out to Jason Heald, director of music, to write a fight song for the school. Fight songs have been around since the 20th century mostly stemming from sports teams as a way to boost morale, encouraging the team to reach victory. Read more…
Students can soon earn a masterâs degree facilitated by UCC in nursing and social work, a bachelor’s in social work and a degree in med lab sciences through efforts led by the new Dean of Advanced Medical Program Partnership, Randy Hubbard. âWe hope to solidify something here in the near Read more…
Lights! Colors! Action! âCrayon â A Colorful Evening of Scenesâ is a collaborative student-produced show set to debut Wednesday, March 13. Associate professor and Theater Director Bart McHenry shares his excitement for the production. âItâs a lot of fun to be had.â The comedic theme of the play comes from a Read more…
Umpqua Community College strives to create equal opportunities for all students, and student accessibilities services office is working to bridge the gap that some students with disabilities face while pursing higher education. âAccessibility services exist to ensure equal access for all students and minimize the barrier it [a disability] creates,â Read more…
The Faculty Art Show of 2024 The faculty art show opens successfully again as it has for the past 22 years, with only a few exceptions due to COVID-19 hardships. Four faculty artists and their unique collections of art, Susan Rochester, Noelle Herceg, Tiffany Hokanson and Greg Price are the Read more…
Students entering the TOP building with its bright and inviting atmosphere can now meet the new director DeLane Overton with his student-forward personality. UCCâs Transfer Opportunity Program is part of the federal TRIO program that includes Upward Bound, Educational Talent Search, and Student Support Services. While Upward Bound and E.T.S. Read more…
Though natural resources students are often required to identify species of flora on campus grounds, few students overall could likely identify the master groundskeeper in charge of maintaining UCCâs significant tree inventory. For 19 years, Jim Paris has been the head groundskeeper and mechanic, keeping the campusâs trees, flower beds Read more…
For Rozilyn Miller, the new dean of arts and letters, moving to Oregon was always part of her five year plan. âI had lived in so many places, and I was like âthis is not where I want to permanently settleâ â and again, Oregon kept calling my name.â When Read more…
In the fall term, 2023, UCC welcomed three new teachers: Associate Professor James Mortensen, Associate Professor Blake Norton, and Associate Professor Joseph Richards. While all three have a different story for what brought them to UCC, they all make a great addition to the campus. Mortensen James Mortenson, the new Read more…
Standing outside a capitol building, two strips of duct tape were slapped across communication studies instructor Christina Ballardâs mouth â another two to her chest, holding up a sign: âThe power of symbolic speech is that it conveys a special message.â This was in 2012, after Wisconsin â where Ballard Read more…