Pierce College News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media contact: Nancy Butterfield, (253) 964-7331 or nbutterfield@pierce.ctc.edu

Tana L. Hasart, Ed.D., who began as a student at Pierce College (then Fort Steilacoom Community College) and later held several administrative positions at the college between 1983 and 1993, has been selected to take the helm as president of Pierce College Puyallup.

Dr. Hasart currently is the associate vice chancellor for academic affairs and director of student affairs for University of Washington Bothell, and previously served as president of Clark College in Vancouver, Wash.

“This is a homecoming of sorts for Tana,” said Pierce College District Chancellor Dr. Michele Johnson in announcing the selection of Dr. Hasart. “She is a Distinguished Alumnus of Pierce College and brings a breadth of experience from our system, as well as experience with our educational partners in the university and K-12 systems. I’m confident we have selected a candidate who will help advance the mission and goals of Pierce College Puyallup and the district as a whole.”

Dr. Hasart also formerly served as a commissioner for the Northwest Association of Colleges and Universities, and was a board member of the Steilacoom Historical School District from 1987 to 1993. She was selected as a Clark County Woman of Achievement in 1999.

She holds a Doctorate of Education in educational leadership from Seattle University; a Master’s degree in counseling and guidance from Eastern Washington University; a Bachelor’s degree in vocational education from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale; and two associate degrees from Fort Steilacoom (Pierce) Community College.

Pierce College Puyallup has a quarterly enrollment of more than 3,000 full- and part-time students, and also is home to the Pierce College District Chancellor’s office. The college is on 123 wooded acres in the South Hill area of Puyallup.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media contacts: Nancy Butterfield, (253) 964-7331 or nbutterfield@pierce.ctc.edu;
Dale Stowell, (253) 964-6780 or dstowell@pierce.ctc.edu

Pierce College will launch its new Certificate in Pupil Transportation Supervision (CPTS) in September 2005. The 34-credit academic certificate will enable public and private school transportation employees to prepare for advancement to supervisory and senior management positions.

Endorsed by the Washington Association of Pupil Transportation, the certificate is offered entirely online to allow participation by students anywhere in Washington. The National Association for School Transportation board of directors has expressed interest in extending this certificate to members in other states.

The certificate includes up to nine credits of course work specific to the field of pupil transportation. The remaining 25 credits are drawn from traditional college courses that can apply directly to the college’s Associate in Business professional/technical degree if the student wants to complete a degree program.

For additional information please contact instructor Rick Hogan at (253) 840-8360, or rhogan@pierce.ctc.edu.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media contacts: Nancy Butterfield, (253) 964-7331 or nbutterfield@pierce.ctc.edu;
Dale Stowell, (253) 964-6780 or dstowell@pierce.ctc.edu

Pierce College District Chancellor Steve Wall will bid farewell this week to colleagues and friends at the district where he has worked for the last 26 years. Wall, who will retire on June 30, has spent the last six years as its top executive and the president of Pierce College Puyallup.

“Steve Wall has been a steady force for good in our colleges and our communities,” said Jim Tsang, chairman of the Pierce College Board of Trustees. “We’ve achieved much under Steve’s leadership, and he’s also helped us gain momentum that will help us in the future.”

Marc Gaspard, the former president of the state senate and a long-time leader in state and local politics, put it this way: “Steve has just been such a natural for the job. He truly enjoys people and he is dedicated to Pierce College. You put those thing in combination, and you have something special.”

In 26 years, Wall has chalked up a lengthy list of achievements, one of the most significant of which is the development of Pierce College Puyallup. Former president Brent Knight asked Wall in 1985 to help develop the Puyallup “extension” programs to adequately serve the fast-growing communities in east Pierce County.

Wall and other Pierce leaders built critical relationships at the state and local levels to develop what is now Pierce College Puyallup. The first building opened in 1989, a second was added in 1996, and with the support of the community and local lawmakers, Pierce Puyallup achieved college status in 1999. With the opening of the College Center building last fall, the college has all the features of a full-service campus. Construction is expected to begin this fall on a child -care center, and three additional buildings are currently in planning stages.

“It’s been an amazing ride for me,” Wall said. “It’s hard to believe it’s been six years, let alone 26. But I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished. I think the college is well-positioned to go to the next stage.”

Other notable achievements during Wall’s tenure as district chancellor and Pierce Puyallup president include:

* Recognition of the Pierce College Library as the outstanding community college library in the United States
* The opening of the College Center at Pierce College Puyallup
* A successful campaign to build child-care centers at both colleges
* The creation of a nursing program and a cardiovascular technician program
* The opening of Pierce College Continuing Education Programs at South Hill Park
* The creation of a Center of Excellence for Homeland Security
* Signing of faculty exchange agreement with Beijing Foreign Studies University
* Receipt of the largest financial gift in college history
* Development of Pierce College Foundation
* Linking with eArmyU to offer online programs for soldiers and expansion of other online courses.