The Faculty Association will start spring quarter with Pam Shields as its new president and Kate Shaver as vice president.

Shields is replacing Brenda Houchen, who is leaving to be department chair for the Business Division. "Our current department chair served for four years in the business department and is going to be working on some other projects, so I am helping to serve my department," Houchen said. Asked about Shields serving as association president, Houchen said, "Myself, the Senate and the rest of the faculty are quite thrilled that she is willing to do this. She has been on this campus for a little over 25 years and has served in leadership on campus before, and as president of the Faculty Association."

Shields has, in fact, served in every capacity in the association since she started working at MHCC in 1979. Issues Shields believes will be at the forefront next year are money and getting more students to attend Mt. Hood Community College. “I think that’s an issue we would like to address, find out how we can help students get here and once they’re here, help them stay here.”

Another goal Shields would like to work towards includes “strengthening professional/technical programs. I think that’s an area that’s kind of been battered these last couple of years. Instead of talking about eliminating, let’s talk about strengthening.”

Shields says the problems the faculty faces aren’t entirely within their control. “I think what will be happening this year, the shape of next year, is going to be dictated by outside forces. So much of this we don’t control. We don’t control how much money we get from the state. We don’t control, to an extent, how many students come through our doors. When we better understand the circumstances under which we will be operating, then we can respond.

“We are in a diminishing time. We work in an environment that’s diminishing. So how do you maintain a positive, forward-looking, responsive environment. That’s what we need to do and the faculty has been really good at doing that,” she said, “We’re going to do the best we can with the resources we have and the people we have because we are dedicated.”

Comparing the last time Shields served as president to the year ahead, she said, “The last year I was president we averted a strike, so we were in trying times. Then it was more of an internal nature. This time around it’s not internal, it’s external.

“Another thing is, I’m going to retire in a couple years. I’ve been in association leadership all this time and that was one of my other goals, just to strengthen the association and do a whole lot of training for the new leadership, to be a resource for the new leadership.”

Shaver, in her first year with the Senate, was elected to vice president, replacing Gary DeRoest, who is going on sabbatical next year. She is the nursing instructor and lab coordinator at the Bruning Center for Allied Health. “I look forward to serving the faculty and moving us through what looks like a difficult financial year.” Shaver remains positive about the guidance of the faculty. “We have a really good leadership team with Pam Shields, Susan Gelder and Wendell Johnson.”

Gelder, ESL and ENL instructor, will continue as secretary and Johnson, welding instructor and industrial technology department chair, will continue as treasurer.