Jan 16, 2025 | Community, Curry Campus
Brookings, OR – Southwestern Oregon Community College Curry Campus invites the community to join us on Thursday, February 13, 2025, 12:00 to 1:00 pm for: Greenhouse and Garden.
This is a free program sponsored by the Friends of Curry Campus and will be held in the Community Room on Southwestern’s Curry Campus, 96082 Lone Ranch Parkway (off Highway 101), Brookings. Bring a friend and a brown bag lunch.
Are you wondering what to be doing in the garden this month and next month? Do you know about the Greenhouse Project in Curry County? Would you like to know more about what the Curry County Master Gardeners offer the public?
Julia Bott is happy to answer these questions. Julia is an Oregon State University (OSU) Curry County Master Gardener – a volunteer since 2018.As a community volunteer Julia and other Master Gardeners help people with their sustainable gardening activities such as running the plant clinic, educational presentations, and school gardens. Currently she is one of numerous volunteers leading garden classes for 2nd and 4th graders at Kalmiopsis Elementary School in Brookings. Overall, OSU Curry County Master Gardener volunteers provide locally relevant scientific information for gardening in our area.Julia first became interested in gardening in college and had a job working in the organic garden to supply the college dorms. Gardening was new to Julia. She grew up in an area with no greenspace nor gardens.
Julia said “As a teenager I remember asking someone who did have a garden how deep their dirt went because I was only familiar with built environments with concrete and asphalt. Not all learning occurs in the classroom! That part time job in college changed my life. It may be why I’m so into school garden programs.”
There are two things that guide Julia. “First, I always remind myself I am a gardener, not a farmer. It’s all about scale. Secondly, it doesn’t have to look pretty to taste great. I grow and eat a lot of vegetables that can be compared to a Charlie Brown Christmas tree.”
Explore, grow, and create with the Friends of Curry Campus on the second Thursday of every month during the school year. Stay tuned for upcoming talks in our speaker series. For more information contact the Curry Campus at 541-813-1667.
Jan 6, 2025 | Curry Campus, News
Looking to become a nurse?
Applications to Southwestern’s Nursing Program are available January 2 – February 15, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. This is your opportunity to pursue an Associate of Applied Science in Nursing at Southwestern Oregon Community College and begin your journey toward a fulfilling career in healthcare. These applications are for prospective nursing students looking to join Southwestern’s Nursing Program cohort starting Fall 2025.
For all the details about how to apply—including key dates, an overview of the program, and admission requirements—visit the Apply to Nursing Program web page. Southwestern’s Nursing Program is a restricted-entry program, so be sure to review the eligibility criteria before submitting your application.
Join us for an online Nursing Program Information Session!
- WHEN: January 15, 2025 at 3:00 p.m.
- WHERE: Join online via Zoom (Meeting ID: 952 3787 5477)
- WHAT: Learn everything you need to know about the application process, admission requirements, and deadlines. If you can’t attend, a recording will be available afterward.
Still have questions after reviewing the Apply to Nursing Program page? Contact Amber Schiro via Email or at 541-888-7443 for assistance.
Jan 6, 2025 | Curry Campus, News
COOS BAY, OR – Southwestern Oregon Community College (SWOCC) is the only state college and one of only 18 colleges nationwide to receive a prestigious federal Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. SWOCC will receive $1.5 million to expand workforce training to meet the growing demand for skilled workers, leveraging partnerships with local businesses to offer targeted training in the Transportation and Manufacturing Sectors.
“This grant will support the creation of a diesel mechanic program, training for Commercial Driver’s Licenses, the expanded operation of our pre-apprenticeship program in heavy equipment, as well as the establishment of a millwright registered apprenticeship program,” said Dr. Ali Mageehon, Vice President of Instruction at Southwestern. “We estimate serving over 300 students in these programs over the next four years.”
The Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grant program is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s broader efforts to invest $65 million in workforce development and close the skills gap that many employers face. The initiative is designed to provide workers with the skills they need to secure stable, well-paying jobs while supporting the broader regional economy.
“This funding also supports our mission to provide equitable educational opportunities for all our students, especially those from underrepresented communities,” Mageehon said.
The grant program is designed to ensure people from rural areas, women, Hispanic individuals, and veterans have equal opportunities to train for these fields.
“Southwestern Oregon Community College is committed to providing our students with the skills they need to succeed in today’s fast-changing job market,” said Dr. Patty Scott, President of Southwestern. “This grant will allow us to partner with local businesses and industries to ensure that our training programs meet the specific needs of employers in our region, while also improving access to high-quality education for all of our students.”
The Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grant program is administered by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. Since its inception, the program has provided millions in funding to colleges nationwide, helping to expand and improve workforce training and educational opportunities in critical sectors such as healthcare, information technology, and infrastructure.
Dec 17, 2024 | Community, Curry Campus
Brookings, OR – Southwestern Oregon Community College Curry Campus invites the community to join us on Thursday, January 9, 2025, 12:00 to 1:00 pm for: Discover the Natural World of Costa Rica!
This is a free program sponsored by the Friends of Curry Campus and will be held in the Community Room on Southwestern’s Curry Campus, 96082 Lone Ranch Parkway (off Highway 101), Brookings. Bring a friend and a brown bag lunch.
Take a photographic journey into the natural world of vibrant Costa Rica. Discover the amazing and diverse bird life, mammals, amphibians and flora that populate the rain forests and beaches of this beautiful country.
Vicki Gorham will present photos, and a lecture based on a recent trip to Costa Rica. Vicki and her husband Bill have traveled extensively over the past several years and they enjoy sharing Vicki’s photos and love of nature.
Explore the canals full of wildlife in Tortuguero (where no cars are allowed) to the hanging bridges in the Monteverde Cloud Forest and the steaming rainforest known as the Rainmaker Reserve. Several volcanos dot the landscape through the middle of Costa Rica, including Arenal, considered to be one of the most active volcanos in the world. The beaches in Manuel Antonio National Park are a favorite for swimming and spotting all three monkeys indigenous to Costa Rica, along with iguanas, parrots, sloths, and much more.
Vicki’s previous presentations on Australia and Africa in this lecture series were rich with stories of animal encounters. Please join us for a journey into a warm rainforest on a January day.
Stay tuned for upcoming talks in the Friends of Curry speaker series. For more information contact the Curry Campus at 541-813-1667.
Dec 9, 2024 | Community, Curry Campus, News
COOS BAY, OR – Southwestern Oregon Community College invites the community to join us on Tuesday, January 14, 2025, at 6:00 pm, for “Solar PV Panels: Salvation or Snake Oil?” with local Electrical Engineer and part-time instructor at Southwestern, Frazier Pruett, owner of Bespoke Power, LLC in Coos Bay.
Coos County residents can join us in-person in the Umpqua Hall lecture room (room 184) on the Coos Campus, 1988 Newmark Ave., Coos Bay.
Curry County residents can join us for a watch party in the Community Room on the Curry Campus, 96082 Lone Ranch Parkway, Brookings.
For those not able to attend in person the lecture will be streamed live on the College’s YouTube channel at: www.youtube.com/@southwesternOR/streams.
About the Lecture:
Solar power has been touted as one of the many green energy options to help our country and the world produce more environmentally-friendly power. However, design and efficiency constraints limit just how effective solar panels can be at providing the clean energy promised to match demand. Frazier Pruett provides a deep dive into the design and array of Solar PV panels while addressing a few of the ongoing challenges and concerns with Solar PV systems.
About the Presenter:
Frazier Pruett graduated from the University of Florida in 1984 with a degree in Electrical Engineering after spending over a decade as a professional electronic technician and hobbyist. He has worked as a professional design engineer since then in various types of power conversion designs. These power conversion systems have a wide range of applications across many fields and sectors. His specialty is lighting drivers for incandescent, fluorescent, HID, UHP, LEDs, and LASERs. He holds more than 25 patents in various fields. Frazier currently owns Bespoke Power and co-owns Emgen Engineering, two local engineering consulting firms. He is also part-time engineering faculty at Southwestern Oregon Community College.
For more information about the lecture series contact Dr. Aaron Coyner, Associate Professor, Physics and Engineering at aaron.coyner@socc.edu or 541-888-7244.
For more information on upcoming lectures contact Krystal Hopper Meyers, STEAM Pathways Assistant, at 541-888-7416, or krystal.hopper@socc.edu.
To learn more about STEM degrees at Southwestern visit: https://www.socc.edu/programs-classes/stem/.
Dec 9, 2024 | Community, Curry Campus
Brookings, OR – Southwestern Oregon Community College Curry Campus invites the community to join us on Thursday, December 12, 2024, 12:00 to 1:00 pm for: Christmas Markets of Europe.
This is a free program sponsored by the Friends of Curry Campus and will be held in the Community Room on Southwestern’s Curry Campus, 96082 Lone Ranch Parkway (off Highway 101), Brookings. Bring a friend and a brown bag lunch.
What if you could wander through the streets of the most beautiful old cities of Europe, drinking mulled wine and filling your basket with Christmas gifts and décor? Marilyn Hart, has made this trip four times since 2007 and describes herself as a Christmas crazy person. Hart will share these experiences during her talk. She will display Christmas glassworks, carousels, embroidery and quilts, as well as share photos of Vienna, Nuremberg, London, York, and cities in Germany, Slovenia, and Hungry.
Christmas is a favorite time of year for Hart and each trip has been a learning experience, that is, learning about ethnic Christmas traditions, food, art and architecture. Hart’s travel includes seven trips to London as well as travel to all 50 states. Hart is a Professor Emeritus of University of Wisconsin and teaches Statistics at the Curry Campus of Southwestern Oregon Community College.
Stay tuned for upcoming talks in the Friends of Curry speaker series. Talks during fall term have focused on travel. Winter term lectures will feature more travel and creating beauty in our own backyards. Watch for these lectures in the College News publication coming to you soon in your mailbox. For more information contact the Curry Campus at 541-813-1667.
