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Central Oregon Community College celebrates 75 years; outlines workforce and campus expansion
Summary
Central Oregon Community College marked its 75th anniversary at the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners meeting and described a new Madras facility, expanded workforce programs, partnerships and scholarship totals.
Central Oregon Community College marked its 75th anniversary at the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners meeting on Jan. 15 and described ongoing campus expansion and workforce programs designed to serve Central Oregon.
Laurie Chesley, president of Central Oregon Community College, told commissioners the college began 75 years ago in a basement room at Bend Senior High School and now serves about 12,000 students annually across campuses in Bend, Madras, Prineville and Redmond. "We awarded over $2,000,000 in scholarships to students," Chesley said.
The college is proceeding with a second building at its Madras campus, on land donated by the Bean Foundation. Chesley said the facility will house early childhood education (taught in English and Spanish), nursing, certified nursing assistant and medical assistant programs, and a Children's Learning Center run by an independent provider that will offer approximately 100 childcare slots and act as a lab site for the early childhood education program. "We are on target and on budget for a new facility in Madras," she said.
Chesley described a capital campaign phase for the Madras project and thanked federal, state and local grants and county support, naming Deschutes County among local supporters. She said recent county American Rescue Plan allocations helped the college develop a community health worker program and a peer support specialist program.
She also outlined workforce and training initiatives across the region, including a pre-apprenticeship program in construction, a planned pre-apprenticeship in manufacturing, and renovation and expansion of the manufacturing and advanced technology center in Redmond. The college is partnering with Saint Charles Health System on clinical placements and training; Chesley said that relationship has supported expansion of nursing cohorts and training programs. The college, together with five other Oregon community colleges, is developing a bachelor of science in nursing; Chesley called it COCC’s first bachelor's program and said it responds to local need.
Chesley said the COCC Foundation was the "most successful community college foundation in the state," and noted the foundation’s role in scholarships and fundraising. The board and commissioners took a photo to acknowledge the anniversary and the college’s regional work.
The commissioners thanked COCC for its role in workforce development and for partnerships that made near-term training programs possible. The agenda item included no formal vote.
Looking ahead, Chesley invited commissioners and the public to the college's State of the College address on Wednesday, Jan. 29, with coffee at 9 a.m. and the address at 9:30 a.m. in Willie Hall; she said the event will be livestreamed and will focus on workforce development.
