Aug 7, 2025 | Curry Campus, Curry News
The Southwestern Oregon Community College Foundation is proud to congratulate the 2025-26 Curry County scholarship recipients. Thanks to generous community donors, the Foundation awarded 25 scholarships totaling more than $33,000 for students from Curry County attending Southwestern in the upcoming academic year.
Guided by a board of local community volunteers, the Southwestern Foundation has been providing scholarships to thousands of Southwestern students for more than 60 years. These awards help students by breaking down financial barriers and inspiring students to better their lives and futures.
If you are interested in learning more about the Southwestern Foundation visit www.socc.edu/foundation or call 541-888-7209.
2025-26 Southwestern Oregon Community College Foundation Curry County Scholarship Recipients
| SCHOLARSHIP |
RECIPIENT(S) |
| Bezzerides Scholarship |
Aubrey |
Pope |
| Cherie J. Mitchell Scholarship |
Gracie |
Stewart |
| Cherish Pride Scholarship |
Cecilia |
Somers |
| Clyde and Jackie Cherry Memorial Scholarship Fund |
Saron |
Cruz |
|
Zachary |
Renfro |
| Curry Campus General Scholarship |
Danielle |
Ball |
|
Ginger |
Taylor |
| DeArmond CTE Scholarship |
Ruth |
Gastonguay |
|
Tori |
Hinze |
| Dorothy Heagy Education Scholarship |
Lillian |
Hopkins |
| Forty & Eight Bobby L. Fraser Memorial Nursing Scholarship |
Gracie |
Stewart |
| Going Coastal Scholarship |
Rayna |
Hayes |
| Jack & Margaret S. Dean Scholarship |
Ruby |
Hernandez |
| Maxine Smith Scholarship |
Aimie |
Bussmann |
| Menasha Legacy Fund Scholarship |
Aimie |
Bussmann |
| Range Sports Medicine & Performance Scholarship |
Triniti |
Taylor |
| Sharon Barnett Scholarship |
Dustin |
Ledford |
| Shirley Barton Nursing Scholarship |
RayAnne |
Lockett |
| Sickels Family Rural College Technology Scholarship |
Uzumatti |
Flores |
| SWOCC Foundation Classic – Coos Bay Toyota Scholarship |
Triniti |
Taylor |
| SWOCC Foundation General Nursing Scholarship |
Miriam |
Glasband |
|
RayAnne |
Lockett |
| SWOCC Foundation General Scholarship |
Dustin |
Ledford |
|
Jeffrey |
Jennings |
| The Friends of the Curry Public Library James Boyle Memorial Scholarship |
Chanel |
Greenwood |
Aug 4, 2025 | Curry Campus, Curry News, News, OCCI News
Fall Term 2025-26 is quickly approaching! Classes start Monday, Sept. 15, 2025. Below are instructions about how to register. Still have questions after reading the information below? We’re here to help! Contact us:
- Coos Campus Students: Call 541-888-7352 or Email
- Curry Campus Students: Call 541-813-1677 or Email
REGISTRATION FOR DEGREE OR CERTIFICATE SEEKING STUDENTS:
If you are already a current/admitted student, below are instructions on registering.
Not a current or admitted student? You’ll need to first complete an Application for Admission to Southwestern.** Not sure whether or not you’re an admitted student? Contact us using the information above! (**Note: If you’re a community member simply looking to take a credit class for fun or personal enrichment, you’ll complete the Community Education and Personal Enrichment Form in lieu of the Application for Admission).
Credit classes begin Monday, Sept. 15, 2025. Registration is available May 5, 2025 – Sept. 17, 2025 (Starting Sept. 18, you will first need instructor consent before registering for a class).
To register:
- First, clear with your advisor! If you’re unsure who your advisor is, you may call 541-888-7405 or schedule an advising meeting. Curry Campus students call 541-813-1667.
- Login to myLakerLink using your student ID and password.
- Search for courses to add under the appropriate term drop down. **Be sure you filter for credit classes (NOT community education classes)**
REGISTRATION FOR COMMUNITY CLASSES (COMMUNITY EDUCATION):
Fall Term 2025-26 community education class registration opens Thurs., Aug. 21 at 8:00 a.m. To register, follow the instructions on the top of the community class page. Classes offered for the term will post on the page prior to registration opening.
As a reminder, all academic term dates and other important milestones may be found on the Academic Calendar. Click on the “2025-26 Academic Calendar” button for a .pdf version, or click on the “categories” button and filter for “instructional calendar” to view the online version.
Jul 15, 2025 | Curry Campus, Curry News, Foundation, News
Coos Bay, OR – Friends and alumni are invited to the annual SWOCC Foundation Classic, hosted by Bandon Dunes Golf Resort and the Bandon Dunes Charitable Foundation. The event is scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, at Bandon Dunes’ newest course, Shorty’s (19-hole, par 3 course).
The SWOCC Foundation Classic will welcome 15 teams, with four golfers per team. Individuals are welcome, too, and will be placed on teams. Tee times open every 15 minutes starting at 9:30 a.m., and golfers can select tee time preferences based on availability. This is a walking event.
Registration Info:
Cost is $200 per person, or $750 per team. Funds raised go to support scholarships for students attending SWOCC Coos and Curry campuses. Event sponsorships also are available. For details on sponsoring, contact SWOCC Foundation at foundation@socc.edu or (541) 888-7209.
Event Sponsor Registration
Event Individual Registration
Additional Details about the Course & Event:
The SWOCC Foundation Classic is designed as a fun, low-key golf classic for golfers of all skill levels and ages. Meet SWOCC’s 2025-26 golf team athletes and coach Kristopher Wood, a SWOCC alum. Curious about Shorty’s? Designed by Rod Whitman, Dave Axland and Keith Cutten, the new course features 19 “short” holes, rolling through natural dunes and shore pine terrain. Golfers can expect to spend about two and a half hours playing through the course.
Learn more about the course Shorty’s
In addition, golfers can make a full day of activity at the resort and enjoy additional time at Bandon Dunes’ 50-acre Practice Center, which includes two practice ranges, a putting green and Charlotte’s, the 9-hole, par-3 practice course.
Questions?
For more information about the event and supporting scholarships, please contact the Southwestern Foundation at 541-888-7209 or 541-888-7211, or email foundation@socc.edu.
Jun 25, 2025 | Curry Campus, News, Student Success
COOS BAY, Ore. – Thanks to Southwestern Oregon Community College Foundation, donors and grants, the College has purchased an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer, or XRF.
Student researchers Tia DeLorto and Ava Bolster prepare a sample for the XRF
Using this device, a student team kicked off a research project to unveil the secrets of coastal rocks and fossils. The XRF is a tool that tells researchers what elements are in a variety of materials – solutions, solids, or crushed solids of samples like rocks, soils, metals or even fish and plants – by zapping the sample with X-rays and reading the energy that bounces back. Each element gives off a unique energy signature, helping researchers determine the elemental composition.
“The XRF is a power tool for conducting cutting-edge scientific research, but also for broader impacts ranging from testing soil quality to testing the purity and quality of locally produced food,” said Dr. Win McLaughlin, Assistant Professor of Geology at Southwestern. “We’re not only able to offer those testing services via student-led research projects, but also give students a set of skills with a wide range of potential for employment in different industries.”
Under the guidance of McLaughlin and Derek Morrelli, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, teams of students will engage in two initial research projects. One upcoming project will analyze a fossil walrus jaw collected in the 1930s from Fossil Point at Coos Bay. By matching the elemental signature of the jaw’s surrounding sandstone with regional rock formations, the team aims to determine its geologic origin. They hope to determine whether the fossil represents the oldest walrus fossil found on the U.S. mainland.
Tia DeLorto, a 2025 graduate of Southwestern and student researcher from Prineville, Oregon, discovered her passion for geology through courses with Dr. Win McLaughlin. Inspired by her studies, she plans to pursue a career in the field. “Learning about and preserving the natural world is important to me,” she says. “This technology is just one of the tools that helps scientists do that.”
Team member, Ava Bolster from Gold Beach, is a marine biology major who will return to SWOCC this fall. “I’m focused on marine biology and Tia is studying geology, but this technology has applications across both fields — and many others,” she explains.
Another project will use geo-chemical fingerprinting to measure uplift rates of marine terraces along the South Coast. These ancient shorelines, formed by tectonic uplift, hold vital clues to regional earthquake risk. More accurate modeling of uplift patterns will provide data that can be used to develop more accurate seismic maps from Reedsport to Brookings.
Students also are considering projects to analyze fish for metal contamination and to look at soil quality in former mining sites.
Over the next year, up to 60 students across three academic terms will use the XRF in coursework and projects. Some research will also tie in with research at the University of Oregon Earth Science Department.
To learn more about STEM degrees at Southwestern visit: https://www.socc.edu/programs-classes/stem/.
Jun 4, 2025 | Curry Campus, News
COOS BAY, Ore. – Southwestern Oregon Community College (SWOCC) is rolling out a new Diesel Mechanic Technology Program this fall. The program will enroll 15 students fall term, bringing high-skill, hands-on training to individuals ready to power up careers in one of the region’s highest-demand trades.
DEADLINE EXTENDED: The limited-entry, competitive program is open for applications through August 7, 2025. Interviews will be held in August and classes begin Sept. 15. A limited-entry format means students must apply and interview to be considered for the program. Classes will run weekday afternoons and simulate a real job environment — complete with uniforms and professional expectations. More details are available at https://www.socc.edu/dieselmechanic.
Coos Bay business owner Terry Cheyne created the program and brings more than 35 years of experience in diesel technology and shop management. A Marshfield High School graduate and Universal Technical Institute alum, Cheyne returned to Coos Bay in 2016 to launch his successful mechanic business, Cheyne’s Truck & Marine. He’s now ready to turn his focus to teaching.
“I plan to structure this program like a job all the way through graduation. Students will learn all aspect of the business, not just turning wrenches,” Cheyne said.
The program combines lectures and hands-on lab training to prepare graduates for careers in trucking, maritime, forestry, fleet services, rail and agriculture. Each term will build on skilled learned, increasing in experience and complete truck maintenance and repair. Ultimately, students will earn an Associate of Applied Science in Diesel Mechanic Technology.
Initially housed in a repurposed ambulance bay in Umpqua Hall, the program is the first step in a larger vision. Over the next two years, the college will design and build a new four-bay diesel shop facility on the Coos Bay campus. SWOCC and the SWOCC Foundation are working together on grant funding and private donations to support this expansion, aiming for completion in 2026 or 2027.
For more information about the program, contact Terry Cheyne at (541) 888-7242 or terry.cheyne@socc.edu. To learn how to support the diesel program, call the SWOCC Foundation at (541) 888-7211 or email foundation@socc.edu.
You can read more about Cheyne’s background and the creation of the Diesel Mechanic program HERE.
Applications Now Open!
Click HERE for more details and instructions to apply.
Jun 2, 2025 | Curry Campus, News, Student Success
Coos Bay, OR – Southwestern is proud of the 2025 graduates! This year the College is pleased to honor a total of 412 graduates, from 21 states and 13 countries.
Degrees being awarded are:
143 Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer
110 Associate of Applied Science
50 Associate of General Studies
41 Associate of Science
5 Associate of Science Transfer
127 Certificates of Completion (one year)
Southwestern also congratulates seven local high school students who have completed their associate degrees in a dual enrollment program in partnership with their individual high schools.
Southwestern’s 2025 Commencement Ceremony will take place on Friday, June 13, 2025, at noon in Prosper Hall on the Coos Campus, 1988 Newmark Ave., Coos Bay. Guest attendance at the ceremony is by ticket only. The celebration can be viewed live via the College’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@SouthwesternOR.
Additional information for graduates and their families can be found on the Graduation webpage located at https://www.socc.edu/graduation.
Honors:
GH = Graduating with Honors, 3.75 GPA
PK = Member Phi Theta Kappa
V = Valedictorian, 4.00 GPA
