Monthly Archives: May 2011
Tuesday, May 31
Fort Steilacoom
All day – Diaper drive for Madigan military families. Bring donations to C418 through the end of May.
2:30 p.m. – Student Government Meeting. All welcome. Dining bay, Cascade building.
Puyallup
All day – Diaper drive for Madigan military families. Bring donations to C210 through the end of May.
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Student Art Exhibition. Arts and Allied Health gallery. Free.
5 p.m. – Coffee Night. Free coffee and cookies before a night of classes. College Center.
Look ahead…The Puyallup Student Awards Ceremony is at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Arts and Allied Health Building. All welcome!
Friday, May 27
Fort Steilacoom
All day – Diaper drive for Madigan military families. Bring donations to C418 through the end of May.
Cafeteria menu – Special: Seafood plate. Soup: Clam chowder.
Puyallup
All day – Diaper drive for Madigan military families. Bring donations to C210 through the end of May.
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Student Art Exhibition. Arts and Allied Health gallery. Free.
Cafeteria menu – Special: Fish n’ chips. Soup: Clam chowder.
Look ahead…There are no classes Monday for the Memorial Day holiday.
Thursday, May 26
Fort Steilacoom
All day – Diaper drive for Madigan military families. Bring donations to C418 through the end of May.
10 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Free Laser Tag. Commons area.
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Spring Bingo. Dining bay, Cascade. Free.
Cafeteria menu – Special: Company quiche with salad and roll. Soup: Stuffed baked potato.
Puyallup
All day – Diaper drive for Madigan military families. Bring donations to C210 through the end of May.
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Student Art Exhibition. Arts and Allied Health gallery. Free.
Cafeteria menu – Special: Grilled cheese and tomato soup. Soup: Potato leek.
Look ahead…There are no classes Monday for the Memorial Day holiday.
Pierce Foundation seeks grants for Lakewood kids and a science dome
The Pierce College Foundation is constantly striving to improve services and facilities for Pierce College and its students. This month, the Foundation has been working to secure grant funding for a number of vital programs, including the Lakewood Computer Clubhouse and a proposed science dome in the Rainier building at Pierce Fort Steilacoom.
The Foundation is seeking the following grants for Pierce College projects and programs:
- A $3,500 grant was recently submitted to the Simpson Charitable Fund in support of the Lakewood Computer Clubhouse. The Lakewood Computer Clubhouse is a free drop-in after-school and summer educational and empowerment program for youth aged 10–18 provided to the Lakewood community through a partnership between Pierce College and the Clover Park School District.
- A $10,000 grant was recently submitted to the Totem Ocean Trailer Express support of support of the science dome at Fort Steilacoom. The science dome has the ability to transform all facets of science education, as well as complement other academic disciplines. Students who did not know they had a penchant for science will realize they have many more doors open to them after experiencing this immersive learning environment.
- A $5,000 grant proposal was recently submitted to the Georgia-Pacific Foundation in support of the science dome.
Mary Bath Balogh takes top teaching honor
Mary Bath Balogh received the Faculty Achievement Award on May 13.
Receiving this year’s highest teaching honor, the Faculty Achievement Award, was Mary Bath Balogh. Mary was chosen for her commitment to students, high academic and ethical standards, mastery of her field, and her dynamic, outgoing personality.
After earning a masters degree in biological structures from the University of Washington, Mary Bath Balogh started at Pierce in 1987 as a part-time teacher in the military program. She became a scientific instructional technician, then the military programs’ only specially funded full-time teacher of biological sciences. In 1995, began her tenure track position in biological and health sciences at Fort Steilacoom.
“Mary is a person of many talents. She is an extraordinary teacher, a respected and greatly loved colleague, supportive friend, dedicated mother and wife, accomplished pilot, avid skier and snowmobiler,” said Chancellor Michele Johnson. “Mary is always in action. She never hesitates to help.”
She exhibits total dedication to student success, the mastery of her discipline in anatomy and physiology, and a creative and ongoing commitment to professional development, both for herself and for others.
She is tireless in supporting students. She makes a special effort to know every student: their strengths, capabilities, and career goals. She spends endless hours writing letters of recommendation for students seeking admission to dental hygiene and nursing programs, scholarships, and employment. One student wrote, “I really appreciated Mary’s enthusiasm and dedication to all students. She’s always willing to go the extra mile to help students understand the material. She is honestly the best instructor I have ever had.”
Mary is also respected by her colleagues for her knowledge and mastery of anatomy and physiology. Sandy Lewis said Mary “studies” every day to stay current in her field. She particularly excels in teaching head and neck anatomy, and is considered a master in histology (the study of tissues). She has taught in the dental hygiene program and co-written a textbook entitled Dental Embryology, Histology, and Anatomy, now in its third edition.
Students recognize and appreciate her expertise. Mary is a past recipient of the Outstanding Faculty Award. A student wrote, “Mary was the best part of this course. She is an amazing woman with great knowledge. She is the best instructor that I have had at Pierce so far. I love her teaching style and her enthusiastic personality. She made this course very fun!”
Professional development and innovative teaching is at the core of Mary. Throughout the years Mary has been a dedicated colleague, committed to their success. She has served on numerous tenure committees, while at the military she helped guide the planning of the laboratory areas of the Stone Education Center. In winter 1999, Mary taught a learning community with Karen Harding entitled “Structure, Function, and Regulation of Metabolism.” While on sabbatical in 2006-07, she developed a lab manual for the anatomy and physiology courses.
For winning the award, Mary received a plaque and a check for $1,000.
In 1987, the Faculty Achievement Award was established through an educational improvement grant from Puget Sound Energy. This annual award honors a faculty member who has demonstrated teaching excellence, high academic standards, active participation in college and community activities, a commitment to professional growth and development, and creativity in curriculum development.
Pierce College joins local choirs for performance of traditional church hymns June 5
Pierce College Fort Steilacoom’s music program will welcome 250 singers for a choral celebration of traditional church hymns June 5. The collaboration will feature the Pierce College Concert Choir and Chamber Singers, Tacoma Symphony Chorus, Lakes High School Concert Choir, McChord Field Chancel Choir, and Little Church on the Prairie Chancel Choir. In addition, guest singers will be included from Mount Cross Lutheran, Central Lutheran, First Lutheran, and other churches.
The concert will be held at 7 p.m. Sunday, June 5, at Pacific Lutheran University’s Lagerquist Hall. Tickets are $10 for general admission, $5 for students with ID, and free for Pierce College students. Tickets are available by calling PLU’s Concierge Desk at (253) 535-7411.
The concert will include more than a dozen familiar hymns performed in varying styles, including classical choral, contemporary small group, and Southern Baptist male quartet.
“The music is powerful in both sound and message, and will be focused more toward historical perspective of the development of church hymns in America,” said Evin Lambert, Pierce College’s choral director.
In addition to individual performances, the choral groups will unite for a 250-person ensemble. The collaboration across demographics, experience levels, and musical styles creates a powerful experience for the audience and the singers.
“During our combined rehearsals, I have witnessed strangers of all ages coming together toward a single effort—to promote music and singing through a form of music so many of us were raised with in American culture–church hymns,” added Lambert.
Wednesday, May 25
Fort Steilacoom
All day – Diaper drive for Madigan military families. Bring donations to C418 through the end of May.
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Free Massages. Relax, refresh, and feel appreciated. Dining bay, Cascade.
6 p.m. – Student Awards Ceremony. Celebrate the accomplishments of this year’s standout students. HEC. Free.
Cafeteria menu – Special: Grilled cheese with tomato soup. Soup: Curried rice and lentil.
Puyallup
All day – Diaper drive for Madigan military families. Bring donations to C210 through the end of May.
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Student Art Exhibition. Arts and Allied Health gallery. Free.
Noon – Big Island Luau. Free food. College Center.
5 p.m. – Coffee Night. Free coffee and cookies. College Center.
Cafeteria menu – Special: Veggie lasagna. Soup: Chicken Florentine.
Look ahead…Free Laser Tag from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday at Fort Steilacoom.
Raider baseball takes division title
For the first time in program history, Raider baseball has won the western division title in the Northwest Athletic Association for Community Colleges.
The Raiders completed their record-setting season May 16 with a league record of 20-4, and an overall record of 31-7. Both win totals are single season records for Pierce baseball, as are the league and overall winning percentages. The Raiders dominance of the west included season sweeps of Centralia, Clark, Grays Harbor, and Tacoma, and series splits against Green River and Lower Columbia.
“Second year Head Coach Mike Nadeau and his staff have put Raider baseball on the map in the baseball world,” said Athletic Director Duncan Stevenson. The Raiders were ranked as high as third in the NWAACC Coaches Poll during the 2011 campaign, finishing fifth in the final poll May 9. The team is currently ranked fifteenth in the ABCA Pacific Division Association Poll, which ranks all community and junior college baseball programs on the West Coast.
Dating back to the team’s 1975 inaugural season, the program has experienced limited success. The 1985 team qualified for the NWAACC tournament, but it was another 23 years before a second Raider team qualified.
“The 2008 Raiders didn’t win the championship, but they did send a message to the rest of the NWAACC that the status of Raider baseball was changing, and the team was becoming a force to be reckoned with,” added Stevenson.
The Raiders enter the NWAACC tournament as the number one seed from the West, and will open play against the second-seeded team from the East Region on Thursday, May 26, at Lower Columbia College, in Longview. Game time TBD.
Tuesday, May 24
Fort Steilacoom
All day – Diaper drive for Madigan military families. Bring donations to C418 through the end of May.
9 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Pong Madness. So much ping pong, you’ll lose your mind. Cafeteria. Free.
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Pacific Island Dancing. Free performance by Heimana Productions. Dining bay, Cascade.
1 p.m. – Free Workshop: Math Attack. Learn to manage math anxiety and improve study and test taking skills. Olympic 203.
Cafeteria menu – Special: Taco salad. Soup: Chicken Florentine.
Puyallup
All day – Diaper drive for Madigan military families. Bring donations to C210 through the end of May.
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Student Art Exhibition. Arts and Allied Health gallery. Free.
Cafeteria menu – Special: Tacos. Soup: Southwest tortilla.
Look ahead…The Fort Steilacoom Student Awards Ceremony is at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the HEC. Subject area and program awards will be given. All welcome!
Monday, May 23
Fort Steilacoom
All day – Diaper drive for Madigan military families. Bring donations to C418 through the end of May.
10 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Blowup Monday. Inflatables, sumo suits, and more. Free.
Cafeteria menu – Special: Linguine with Italian meat sauce, salad, and roll. Soup: Chicken noodle.
Puyallup
All day – Diaper drive for Madigan military families. Bring donations to C210 through the end of May.
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Student Art Exhibition. Arts and Allied Health gallery. Free.
Cafeteria menu – Special: Hot dogs with chili. Soup: Stuffed baked potato.
Look ahead…See a free performance of Pacific Island dancing from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Cascade building at Fort Steilacoom.
