Linn-Benton Community College

Linn-Benton Community College’s 50th Commencement ceremony will be held Monday, June 18 at 7 p.m. at the Linn County Fair and Expo Willamette Event Center in Albany. The college will award 1,000 degrees and certificates to 829 students this year. In addition, approximately 90 students will be awarded LBCC’s General Educational Development GED certificates. Graduates should plan to arrive no later than 5:45 p.m. at the Santiam Building behind the Willamette Event Center. Doors open for seating at 6 p.m. No tickets needed to attend. No strollers or backpacks. Carry bags will be checked. A traditional bagpipe processional will be lead by the Portland Metro Pipe Band, with posting of the colors by the American Legion Travis Moothart Post 184 of Brownsville. Members of the LBCC choir will sing the National Anthem. LBCC President Dr. Greg Hamann will give the welcome and present several awards including Phi Theta Kappa, Distinguished Alumni, and Distinguished Citizen. Outgoing ...

Since it began in 1998, Linn-Benton Community Collegee and Oregon State University’s ground-breaking Degree Partnership Program had a key idea in mind: foster student success and help them complete their educational goals. This year marks the 20th Anniversary of that historic partnership. LBCC President Greg Hamann and OSU President Edward Ray marked the occasion by reaffirming the institution’s commitment to DPP at a signing ceremony held May 4. The first of its kind in the state, the innovative partnership began in 1998 as the LBCC/OSU Dual Admissions and Enrollment Agreement. It was implemented in fall term of that year for undergraduates in agricultural science, business and engineering, and soon expanded to include all majors. DPP soon became a model program for community colleges and universities throughout Oregon. To date, approximately 19,000 students have benefited from the partnership. Through a single application process, DPP students have access to resource...

Left to Right: LBCC President Greg Hamann, LBCC grounds manager George van Keulen, and former LBCC President Jon Carnahan. Approximately 150 people attended LBCC's Time Capsule Reveal and Re-bury party May 16, 2018 in celebration of the college's 50th birthday.  On May 18, 1993, LBCC buried a time capsule to commemorate its 25th Anniversary, to be opened a quarter-century later in the then-futuristic year of 2018.   That year, LBCC held its first Diversity Week, welcomed its first second-generation child to the Family Resource Center daycare on campus, and started its first online library card catalog, all while coping with a hiring freeze prompted by budget shortages under Oregon's Measure 5. Jon Carnahan, LBCC president back in '93, dedicated the original time capsule, placing it in the ground with the help of long-time LBCC grounds manager George van Keulen. Both men were present to dig up the capsule they helped bury 25 years ago. The 1993 capsule...

President’s Spring Forum: Plan to join President Greg Hamman for the President’s Spring Forum on Tuesday, April 24 from 12 to 1:30 p.m. in Forum 104. Budget Information Forums: Learn all about our college budget at one of the Budget Information Forums held Wednesday, April 18 from 9 to 9:45 a.m. or 1:30 to 2:15 p.m., or Thursday, April 19 from 4 to 4:45 p.m., Cascade View Rooms, Calapooia Center, CC-203/205. Save the date – Time Capsule Reveal! In celebration of the college’s 50th Anniversary, a time capsule that was placed in the ground in May 1993 is due for excavation! Come see what’s in it at the unearthing Wednesday, May 16 in the courtyard. Cupcakes and refreshments start at 3 p.m., time capsule reveal program starts at 4 p.m. Watch your email for details – stay tuned! Distinguished Staff, Pastega Faculty & Classified Excellence Awards Jack Giles Awards presented during college Inservice on April 12: Jack Giles was named as this year’s Distinguished Staff. J...

LBCC President Greg Hamann Linn-Benton Community College is joining the state’s 16 other community college to ask the Oregon Legislature to allocate an additional $32 million to the Community College Support Fund (CCSF) to mitigate tuition increases throughout Oregon and restore funding for student success in the second year of the 2017-2019 biennium. At the end of the 2017 legislative session, the Joint Ways and Means Committee restored more than $70 million to the Public Universities Support Fund (PUSF) to support student success at universities, and allocated an amount thought to be proportionally the same for community colleges. It appears that the 11th-hour calculation for the two-year schools was off by $32 million.  That shortfall means approximately $2 million less for LBCC. The funding would have substantial impact on programs to help students more quickly finish their programs, and either transfer to four-year schools or begin jobs in high demand field...

Textbook Affordability Efforts Reach Over $2.1 million mark Faculty efforts around textbook affordability has reached an all-time high -saving our students up to $1,051,924 in 2017 and up to $2,106,405 since the Open Educational Resources initiative began in winter term 2015, providing greater access, opportunity and learning to our students. For more information on Open Educational Resources and textbook affordability efforts, contact OER Librarian Michaela Willi Hooper. New Veterans Farm on Campus Aims to Connect Veterans Lisa Akers Inclusiveness is one of LBCC’s core values, and one great example of inclusiveness is the new Veterans Farm on campus, made possible through the efforts of Navy veteran Lisa Akers and the Home Depot. Working with the Oregon Paralyzed Veterans of America, which secures grant funding for veteran-related projects, the Home Depot donated $14,500 in building materials and provided many hours of volunteer labor to help build eight raised beds, a green ...

Greg Hamann Greg Hamann, president of Linn-Benton Community College, was selected to receive the first “Chair’s Award” from the Oregon Cascades West Council of Governments at its Celebrate Linn Benton Lincoln event held Nov. 2 in Corvallis. The award recognizes the recipient for their outstanding service to the Linn, Benton and Lincoln county regions. Hamann was nominated by Albany Mayor and OCWCOG Board Chair Sharon Konopa for his work at local, state and national levels to reduce barriers and increase access to education, his support of student success and completion, and his work with community development and community engagement.  "As the chair of COG's board, it was a pleasure to choose a citizen for the award within our three-county region," said Konopa. "Many citizens stood out in my mind for this award. When I thought of Dr. Greg Hamann, he rose to the top of my list. I have enjoyed working with Greg since he came to LBCC, and his vision for our re...

President’s Fall Forum September 28 Join President Greg Hamann for the President’s Fall Forum Thursday, September 28 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. in Forum Lecture Hall 104. President Hamann will cover a variety of topics including the college strategic plan, budget, Guided Pathways, affordability, equity and inclusion. LBCC Celebrates 50th Anniversary at Deluxe Brewery Friday, Sept. 29 The Foundation is putting on celebration for LBCC’s 50th Anniversary starting at 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29 at Deluxe Brewery in Albany. Open to staff, alumni, family and friends, the event will feature a no-host bar and food truck, entertainment, Roadrunner IPA and more! Performances by Business faculty member Ian Priestman (and others) and Advancement Marketing Manager Joe Sherlock start at 4 p.m., with facilities staff Judd Everts DJ'ing the event. Also featured will be a special brew by Deluxe called “Roadrunner Red IPA,” racking-up at seven percent alcohol by volume and 100-IBUs. “It's all abou...

Members of Linn-Benton Community College’s Part-Time Faculty Association ratified their first contract, which the LBCC Board of Education approved at a special meeting Thursday, Dec. 8. The contract increases LBCC part-time faculty salaries to the average of Oregon community colleges of similar size as LBCC before the end of the four-year contract term. The contract also includes enhancements in sick leave, tuition waivers and retirement contribution provisions. The contract agreement was reached after two sessions with a mediator, and took just over a year to negotiate – a relatively quick timeline for an initial contract. The contract was ratified on the first vote of both the Part-Time Faculty Association membership and the LBCC Board of Education. “We are grateful for the important contributions of our part-time faculty to the success of our students,” said LBCC President Greg Hamann. “This agreement will help us retain and attract the excellent faculty members we need to...

Randy Camp Randy Camp has been appointed to the Linn-Benton Community College Board of Education. Camp, of Corvallis, will be sworn in at the next board meeting held Wednesday, May 18 at 6 p.m. in the Calapooia Center boardroom, CC-103. Camp will fill Zone 6-7, the seat previously held by Lyn Riverstone, who resigned in January. Camp’s deep involvement in the community as well as his sig “We were grateful to have outstanding applicants for this open board position,” Hamann said. “We’re very excited to have Randy Camp join our Board, and we were honored to have such quality among the three applicants for the position.” Camp is general manager of CoEnergy Propane, which has operations based in Albany and Redmond. He is the incoming president for the Pacific Propane Gas Association. Camp also serves on the LBCC Foundation Board, and has helped attract contributions of equipment and money to support the college’s development of the Advanced Transportation Technology Center in Lebanon. ...

Linn-Benton Community College has agreed to purchase a property near the Benton Center in Corvallis that will allow it to build 20,000 square feet of additional classroom space and increase parking to meet current and future demand. The LBCC Board of Education approved a $3 million sale agreement for the property, which includes about two-and-a-half acres of land and a 12,000-square-foot building, at its Wednesday, Jan. 20 meeting. The land is currently leased by First Student, a school transportation company, which uses the land and building for parking and maintenance of school buses. The property includes a small frontage on 9th Street and its address is 931 Reiman Street Northwest. The deal includes contingencies. LBCC must work with First Student to find an acceptable alternative to relocate their operation. The college must also work with the City of Corvallis and determine if there are any stumbling blocks related to zoning that cannot be resolved. If either of those iss...

Building off work it has done over the past two years, Linn-Benton Community College has been invited, through a highly competitive national selection process, to join the Pathways Project led by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). LBCC is one of 30 colleges across America with a shared commitment to implement guided academic and career pathways for all students. Guided pathways provide students the structure and support to measurably increase their chances of college completion and career success. LBCC and the other colleges will receive support funded through a $5.2 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. LBCC will be among the first group of colleges to participate in the pathways institute series over the next 2.5 years and will work with expert coaches at those institutes.  In addition, the participating colleges themselves will contribute to learning both across the initiative and more broadly, across the community college field.  “Th...

Dr. Greg Hamann Linn-Benton Community College President Dr. Greg Hamann was named “Pacesetter of the Year” at the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations District 7 conference Oct. 1. The award recognizes a president or CEO at a two-year community or technical college who has demonstrated leadership and support in the area of college communications and marketing. Hamann was nominated for his support of initiatives that improve the college’s image, including the backing of investment in research and design for LBCC’s award winning “Inspired” branding and redesigned web site, and for his support of implementing a system that communicates with prospective students. The nomination also noted Hamann’s work to bring a new focus on completion to the college, his work on state and national initiatives like Win-Win, Foundations of Excellence and Achieving the Dream, and in numerous partnerships with K-12, university and chambers of commerce partners, including the “Pipelin...

Dr. Greg Hamann Albany, OR. - Linn-Benton Community College President Dr. Greg Hamann has been elected to serve on the American Association of Community Colleges National Board of Directors. Dr. Hamann will serve a three-year term, from July 1, 2015 through June 20, 2018. Founded in 1920 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., AACC is governed by 32-member board of directors elected by membership representing nearly 1,200 two-year associate degree-granting institutions in the US, as well as a growing number of international member institutions. AACC is the primary advocacy organization for community colleges at the national level, and works closely with directors of state offices to inform and affect state policy. AACC collaborates with a wide range of entities within the higher education community to monitor and influence federal policy and to collaborate on issues of common interest. AACC supports and promotes its member colleges, and is the leading proponent and the national ...

Linn-Benton Community College announced plans to re-establish its women’s basketball program starting this fall, with an emphasis on the “student” in student athlete. The search for a coach will begin in the next few weeks. Player recruitment will begin shortly after the hire, with team play starting in the 2015-16 intercollegiate basketball season. The recommendation to reinstate the program was presented to LBCC President Greg Hamann by the college Athletics Advisory Board, led by LBCC Athletic Director Randy Falk and Associate Dean of Student Engagement Leslie Hammond, with representation from community members, high school sports and LBCC alumni. The decision to re-establish the program came after months of work with community members to create a program structure that fosters high completion rates among student athletes and generates significant involvement of the community in supporting the program. “Re-establishing our women’s basketball program is a win-win for our students, ou...

LBCC to re-establish baseball with focus on student success and community support Linn-Benton Community College will re-establish its baseball program next spring with an emphasis on the “student” in student athlete. The decision to again field a baseball team by the spring of 2015 came after months of discussions and work with community members to create a program structure that fosters high completion rates among student athletes and generates significant involvement of the community in supporting the program. A yet-to-be determined women’s sport will be added by the 2015-16 season to create gender equity among LBCC’s athletic programs. Currently, the college fields teams in women’s volleyball and men’s basketball. “This plan, which uses athletics as a vehicle to promote student success and involvement, makes us very optimistic about the future of baseball and other sports at our college,” said LBCC President Greg Hamann. “We’re excited and grateful for the opportunity this represent...

LBCC was awarded $1.5 million from the U.S. Economic Development Administration to help fund an alternative fuels training center in Lebanon, Oregon to train automotive, trucking and heavy equipment technicians. LBCC’s project was one of four projects chosen for funding by the EDA, part of a $7.2 million investment to support business development and job training in distressed communities in Oregon, California, Nevada and Utah. The college’s Advanced Transportation Technology Center will be the only major broad-spectrum training facility for alternative fuel vehicles between Seattle, Washington and San Francisco, California, and will serve as a first step toward creating a base for alternative fuel technology in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. “The support of our partners, both in the public and private sectors, has been extraordinary,” said LBCC President Dr. Greg Hamann. "This center has the potential of positioning our area as a center for the coming wave of alternati...