Jul 15, 2024 | Alumni, Community, Foundation, News
BROOKINGS, OR – Southwestern Oregon Community College invites residents of the college district to learn about and offer comments on the mid-cycle update to the College’s master facilities plan 2020-30.
Southwestern is hosting an open house from 2 to 3:30 p.m., Monday, July 29, 2024, at the Curry Campus, 96082 Lone Ranch Parkway, Brookings.
The plan guides the College as it develops and adapts programs serving students and community members on the Curry and Coos campuses, with a vision toward leading and inspiring lifelong learning on the south Oregon coast. In updating the plan, the College is striving to manage its facilities and campuses with a long-term view toward economic, social, and environmental sustainability.
Approaching the halfway point, the College wants to review the plan with stakeholders and listen to input on potential updates. Members of the public will have an opportunity to visit with planners and college staff, view schematics, ask questions and share thoughts.
Topics for discussion include program needs and space use, open spaces, accessibility, signage, lighting, technology, and other areas.
For more information, please contact Anne Farrell-Matthews, Communications Administrator at 541-888-7612 or amatthews@socc.edu.
Jul 3, 2024 | Community, Curry Campus, Foundation, News
Coos Bay, OR – The community is invited to join the inaugural SWOCC Foundation Classic, hosted by Bandon Dunes Golf Resort and the Bandon Dunes Charitable Foundation. The event is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, at Bandon Dunes’ NEW course, Shorty’s (19-hole, par 3 course).
The SWOCC Foundation classic will welcome 20 teams, with four golfers per team. Individuals are welcome, too, and will be placed on teams. Tee times open every 15 minutes starting at 8 a.m., and golfers can select tee time preferences based on availability. This is a walking event.
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, (541) 888-7209 or at Event Sponsor Registration and Event Individual Registration.
The SWOCC Foundation Classic is designed as a fun, low-key golf classic for golfers of all skill levels and ages. Meet SWOCC’s 2024-25 golf team athletes and new 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 here -> https://bandondunesgolf.com/golf/golf-courses/shortys/
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.
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.
May 26, 2024 | Alumni, Foundation
Call 9-1-1 in an emergency, and first responders will always come to help us.
So when Southwestern Oregon Community College reached out for help closing the fundraising gap on a new Fire Training Tower in 2023, SWOCC Foundation was pleased to be a “first responder”.
Fast-forward to today, the new tower is open and serving as a fire and rescue training hub for students pursuing careers in structural firefighting and emergency response. That’s not all. The College is making sure this $1 million investment also will support ongoing professional training and enhance annual disaster response training events that can bring together lifesavers from fire departments, the U.S. Coast Guard, medical facilities, and ambulance firms.
“With the accelerating rate of wildfires near residential areas, it becomes increasingly important for our rural firefighters to be adequately trained. This new lab will allow us to do that,” said Foundation trustee Carolyn Thompson.
Now that municipal and volunteer fire departments also using the new fire tower lab, crews no longer have to leave the region for training. The College’s partner school Columbia Pacific Maritime also plans to provide professional mariners with maritime firefighting certification classes. Soon, this will be a new opportunity for mariners.
The modular 36-foot-tall steel structure meets International Building Code/National Fire Protection Association standards. It provides students, volunteers, and professionals space to practice a variety of skills, including:
- Interior search and rescue,
- Live fire drills to learn fire behavior and suppression,
- Safe ventilation operations,
- Aerial firefighting,
- Rappelling and ladder training,
- Day and night fire drills, response and rescue,
- Maritime/vessel fire response and rescue.
SWOCC Foundation also invests in fire science students by providing scholarships to assist with tuition and help students buy fire uniforms and safety gear. To learn more about giving to scholarships, call us and let’s chat (541) 888-7209 or donate now.
May 9, 2024 | Alumni, Community, Foundation, News
Southwestern Oregon Community College will officially open its new Fire Training Tower on Thursday, May 23, 2024 on the Coos Campus, 1988 Newmark Ave., Coos Bay. The College invites the public, students, firefighters and other partners to celebrate this accomplishment and tour the four story, state-of-the-art firefighting lab from 4 to 6 p.m. Local fire department personnel will be on site, along with the college’s student firefighters.
The tower will serve as a fire and rescue operations training hub for Southwestern’s students pursuing careers in structural firefighting and emergency response. That’s not all. The College anticipates this $1 million investment also will support regional safety and enhance annual disaster response training events that can bring together lifesavers from fire departments, the U.S. Coast Guard, medical facilities, and ambulance firms.
With this investment, regional municipal and volunteer fire departments from western Douglas, Coos and Curry counties will have ongoing opportunities to train at the College close to home without leaving the region. Southwestern’s partner school Columbia Pacific Maritime also will have the ability to provide professional mariners with maritime firefighting certification classes, which represents a new opportunity for mariners.
The modular 36-foot-tall steel structure meets International Building Code/National Fire Protection Association standards. It provides students, volunteers, and professionals space to practice a variety of skills:
- Interior search and rescue,
- Live fire drills to learn fire behavior and suppression,
- Safe ventilation operations,
- Aerial firefighting,
- Rappelling and ladder training,
- Day and night fire drills, response and rescue,
- Maritime/vessel fire response and rescue.
“It took us three years of planning with local fire departments to design and complete the project. This work has made our relationships stronger and the College’s fire science program more advanced, which helps students achieve even greater success,” said College President Patty Scott. “It also ensures quality training opportunities for rural volunteers so that the College is able to keep a pipeline of highly trained firefighters moving into departments as older professionals retire.”
Previously, the College used a wood-frame tower built by volunteers with donated materials in 1981 for limited training. The wood structure did not meet industry standards, and could not be used for live fire or rescue drills. With the new tower, the College also was able to expand and improve the training area around the tower, allowing better access and more people to train together at one time.
“Through hard work and determination by College staff and local fire agencies, the new fire tower is ready. This will serve as a symbol of pride for years to come, and provide an effective manner in which to train not only today’s firefighters, but tomorrows as well,” said Coos Bay Fire Chief Mark Anderson.
The project was funded with grants and donations. Organizations that made this project a reality are SWOCC Foundation, Ford Family Foundation, Bandon Dunes Charitable Foundation, City of Coos Bay, North Bend Volunteer Firefighters Association, Central Coos Fire & Rescue; and the State of Oregon via the work of Sen. David Brock Smith, Sen. Dick Anderson and Rep. Boomer Wright.
May 1, 2024 | Alumni, Community, Foundation, News, OCCI News
Coos Bay, OR – Southwestern Oregon Community College is excited to invite our community, students, and alumni to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the award-winning Oregon Coast Culinary Institute (OCCI) at a very special event. Join us for a culinary extravaganza on Saturday, June 29, 2024, from 6:00 to 9:00 pm at the Bristol Event Center, 481 Bennett Ave., Coos Bay. Seating is available by reservation only. The cost is $95 per person or $700 for a table of eight. OCCI alumni who have graduated from either the Culinary or Baking & Pastry programs receive a discounted rate of $50 per person.
Take a trip down memory lane with us, reminiscing about our humble beginnings at an off-campus facility to this year’s incredible achievement of winning Culinary Olympic medals. Our culinary program has become a beacon of quality education, and our facility a beloved gathering place for the community. It’s been an incredible journey. Southwestern wants to share this momentous occasion with long-time friends and supporters.
Come enjoy live music by jazz singer Shaymus Hanlin, stellar ice carvings, mouth-watering food stations, a silent auction, and the company of current and former students and visiting guest chefs.
Proceeds from the silent auction will go toward funding state-of-the-art culinary equipment and scholarships for students. There will be a no-host bar.
Please note: Our celebration will be held at the Bristol Event Center, not our facility on the SWOCC campus. Holding our celebration at an off-campus event space gives our students real-world experience in catering special events.
To secure reservations for this event contact Shawn Warren at shawn.warren@socc.edu or call 541-888-7309.
Mar 31, 2024 | Curry News, Foundation, News, OCCI News
COOS BAY, OR — Experience an evening of culinary excellence and exquisite wines as the Oregon Coast Culinary Institute and Southwestern Oregon Community College Foundation present the 2024 Winemakers’ Dinner on Saturday, May 4.
OCCI chefs present at the winemakers dinner.
The Winemakers’ Dinner immerses guests in an evening of conversation and storytelling with premier Oregon winery Willamette Valley Vineyards. Scheduled from 6 to 9 p.m., at OCCI, 1988 Newmark Ave., Coos Bay, the menu will pair six wines with the fine cuisine of award-winning OCCI Executive Chef Randy Torres and his student chefs. This multi-course meal will feature carefully crafted food and wine pairings that highlight the unique and complimentary attributes of spectacular Northwest cuisine.
Sit down among friends and listen as the storytelling starts relating the tale of Willamette Vineyards’ creator Jim Bernau’s dream to develop an old orchard overcome with blackberry vines into a world class winery known for producing the finest Pinot Noirs. The conversation will touch on propagation, terroir and the art of fermentation. Today, Willamette Valley Vineyards grows grapes in five regions and has assembled a team of winemakers who bring experiences from throughout the West Coast wine industry to create a wide array of award-winning wines.
The event is a collaborative fundraiser to showcase the skills of the college’s Culinary Competition Team and assist the college’s culinary program with investing in equipment. Having participated in the World Culinary Olympics this year, Chef Torres and his student chefs will talk about their experiences and their creative thoughts in creating the menu.
OCCI executive chef Randy Torres demonstrates plating to student chefs.
“It’s important to know that we invest 100% of the funds raised from tickets to this event directly into top-quality equipment for our kitchens,” said Chef Torres. “Likewise, being able to hire the finest chef instructors and inspire excellence in our students is a direct result of the college and community’s commitment to our students.”
Tickets for this fundraising event are $190 per person. Seating is limited. “We are grateful for this support and ultimately being able to support the local economy and provide excellent chefs for the tourism and culinary industries,” Torres said.
For more information or to purchase seats, please contact the Southwestern Foundation at (541) 888-7209, email foundation@socc.edu. or go to www.socc.edu/give.
