Pierce College News

The community is invited to celebrate the grand opening of Pierce College Puyallup’s breathtaking new addition, the Arts and Allied Health Building, at 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 1.

The 61,600-square-foot Arts and Allied Health Building includes a theater, recital hall, music library, recording studio and practice rooms, art studios, and an expansive lobby with large windows, ample natural light, and high ceilings. It is also the new home of Pierce Puyallup’s nursing program and features a fully-equipped nursing skills lab, lifelike (but synthetic and computerized) patients, and medication and observations rooms to provide real-life hospital experiences and state-of-the-art technology.

“The opening of this beautifully-designed building realizes a whole new set of possibilities for Pierce College Puyallup as both a great educational resource and a cultural destination for east Pierce County,” said Patrick Schmitt, the president of Pierce College Puyallup.

The Pierce College Foundation is currently two-thirds of the way toward its goal of raising $1.5 million to equip the new building with high-tech equipment, such as nursing simulation equipment and digital recording equipment.
“The grand opening offers a great way to honor our donors who recognize the importance of providing students with high-tech, hands-on learning equipment,” said Suzy Ames, vice president of advancement and executive director of the Pierce College Foundation.

Cost of the new building is about $18.7 million. Classes began in the new building on Sept. 22.

Following the formal program, there will be building tours and refreshments. In addition, artist Koryn Rolstad, creator of “Reflection in Motion,” the new public art featured in the building, will be on-hand to answer questions and discuss the piece.

The public is welcome and encouraged to attend. Parking will be in the college’s northwest parking lot. Signs will be posted the day of the event to direct visitors.

One of the Puget Sound region’s most respected artists, Sarah Waldo, is the featured artist at the inaugural show of the 2010-11 gallery season at the Pierce College Fort Steilacoom Fine Arts Gallery.

A reception for Waldo will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday. Refreshments will be served. All are welcome to attend.

Waldo’s painting have been featured at more than 60 juried shows and 45 invitational shows in the U.S. and Japan. She’s won numerous awards and has served as a member of the Puget Sound Sumi Artists and the Women Painters of Washington. Her work will be on display at Pierce College through Oct. 15.

The Fine Arts Gallery is located at Pierce College Fort Steilacoom, 9401 Farwest Drive SW, Lakewood. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to noon Friday.

For more information, call Gallery Director Jennifer Olson-Rudenko at (253) 964-6535 or visit the Web site at www.pierce.ctc.edu/dist/art.

Student enrollment is at an all-time high across the state and classes at Pierce College are filling fast!

• If you are a worker retraining student, you should register immediately.

• If you are a transfer student, your choices are extremely limited.

• To search for available classes, view our online course schedule at https://my.pierce.ctc.edu/webapps/classsched/scheduleViewCredit.aspx.

Otherwise, please call the Fort Steilacoom Welcome Center at 964-6705 or the Puyallup Advising Center at 840-8431 for assistance. Due to the lack of course availability, new students should start planning now for winter quarter.

We also encourage you to check out course offerings through the Pierce College Military Program (Joint Base Lewis-McChord) at http://www.pierce.ctc.edu/dist/military. For more information, call 964-6606 or 964-6567.

Starting next spring, Pierce College is offering a new option for students wishing to pursue careers in healthcare. The Physical Therapist Assistant program targets students interested in receiving high-quality career training, while still maintaining their family and work schedules.

The deadline to apply for the Physical Therapist Assistant program is Nov. 5. Classes start in March.

The nine-quarter, part-time Physical Therapist Assistant program is offered to Pierce College students through a partnership with Whatcom Community College in Bellingham. Pierce students take online classes and complete in-person lab experiences one weekend per month in Bellingham. It’s a schedule that accommodates students with family and work obligations, said Lisa Murray, advising coordinator at Pierce College.

“This is the perfect option for working students and parents wishing to break into a really exciting healthcare field,” she said. “Physical therapist assistants typically enjoy high wages, fairly flexible schedules, and satisfaction from knowing they’re helping people recover from, or cope with, illness and injury.”

Physical therapist assistants work with licensed physical therapists to provide treatment for physical injuries and disabilities. This includes training patients in therapeutic exercises, providing hands-on treatment, documenting patient progress, and using special equipment. Assistants are needed in hospitals, pediatric centers, sports medicine clinics, private practices, retirement communities, and home health agencies.

For more information on the Physical Therapist Assistant program at Pierce College, contact Lisa Murray at (253) 964-6482 or lmurray@pierce.ctc.edu.