Mar 11, 2025 | News, Student Success
The Southwestern Oregon Community College (SWOCC) Men’s Basketball team has achieved a historic milestone, advancing to the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) Final Four for the first time since 2008. This coveted achievement was secured with a hard-fought 61-56 victory over defending champions Green River College, in a defensive battle that showcased the Lakers’ resilience, teamwork, and championship mentality.
The Lakers now set their sights on South Puget Sound Community College (SPSCC) in the NWAC semifinals on Saturday, March 15, at 7:00 p.m. The game will take place at Columbia Basin College’s Student Recreation Center in Pasco, Washington. These two teams met earlier this season with SPSCC narrowly securing the win. This time, the Lakers are stronger, hungrier, and ready for the ultimate rematch. Their journey to this point highlights the talent, dedication, and competitive spirit that define SWOCC Athletics—just one of the many reasons students choose to become Lakers.
Join us in cheering on the Lakers as they fight for a spot in the NWAC Championship! Watch the game live on the NWAC website, and stay connected with SWOCC Athletics on social media for updates. Let’s rally together and support this incredible group of student-athletes as they represent the Southern Oregon Coast and strive to make history!
Mar 5, 2025 | Curry Campus, News, Student Success
Coos Bay, OR – Southwestern Oregon Community College announces the names of students who excelled fall term for the 2024-2025 academic school year. These students are being recognized with placement on the College’s Dean’s List (DL), Honor Roll (HR) and Academic Excellence (AE) list.
• Academic Excellence – students must receive a GPA of 4.0 in at least 12 credits
• Honor Roll – students must receive a GPA between 3.5 and 3.99 in at least 12 credits
• Dean’s List – students must receive a GPA between 3.0 and 3.49 in at least 12 credits
Mar 5, 2025 | Alumni, Community, News, Student Success
SWOCC Business Program Shapes Future Leaders
At Southwestern Oregon Community College (SWOCC), students aren’t just filling seats—they’re shaping their futures. With unique goals and diverse ambitions, each one is committed to making a meaningful impact on the world. SWOCC’s business programs are designed to nurture those aspirations, providing a solid foundation for future leaders, entrepreneurs, and professionals who think big!
Whether you aim to start your own business, advance in your current role, or transfer to a four-year school, our program provides you with the knowledge and tools to reach your goals. With small classes, expert instructors, and a comprehensive curriculum, SWOCC business students graduate equipped with real-world skills that help them succeed and give back to their communities.
Take LaMont Swinson, for example. A 2000 graduate, LaMont’s story is one of resilience, determination, and giving back. Originally from Wasilla, Alaska, he was the first in his family to attend and graduate from college. At SWOCC, he excelled both on the basketball court, leading the Lakers to a regional championship, and in the classroom, earning an Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer Degree. LaMont continued his education at the Oregon Institute of Technology, where he helped lead his team to the national Elite Eight.
LaMont’s career has been equally impressive. After spending 13 years as assistant vice president and branch manager for First Community Credit Union, he is now branch manager for Directors Mortgage. But LaMont’s connection to SWOCC doesn’t end there. He continues to serve as the assistant men’s basketball coach, mentor young people, and is a member of the SWOCC Foundation board. LaMont was honored as SWOCC’s Distinguished Alumnus in 2019. The award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to their professions, communities or education. LaMont was chosen for the award for a multitude of reasons, but especially because he is a person who continuously helps young people navigate the world and always gives back to students in an uplifting way.
“I tell students that SWOCC offers a great foundation for your future,” says LaMont. “It doesn’t matter where you start from, where you come from. You’ll find those people at SWOCC that I found. The ones that opened their hearts to me. Held me accountable and had expectations for me. That built in me a foundation that allowed me to go on and grow and succeed. Believe me. Everyone here wants you to succeed.”
Misha Whittaker’s journey also began at SWOCC, where she earned Associate of Applied Science Degrees in Business Management and Accounting in 2019. She credits her success to the hands-on learning and personal guidance she received at SWOCC, including her internship with Cardinal Services, which ultimately led to a full-time job.
“I would not be where I am now without the SWOCC Business Program and Professor Jessica Engelke,” Misha shares. “She not only connected me with the job but also inspired me to keep pushing myself.”
After starting as a part-time payroll support specialist, Misha transitioned to a full-time customer service manager and eventually into her current role as a payroll specialist. In addition to professional growth, Misha has established a life in Coos Bay with her husband and their son. “SWOCC gave me the support and opportunities to start my career, and now I’m able to give back to my family and community. As I think about the future and raising my son, I’m motivated to keep pushing forward — knowing each step not only builds my life and my family’s but contributes to a stronger community for those to come.”
SWOCC offers a variety of pathways tailored to students’ diverse career goals. The Business Transfer Degree prepares students to enter bachelor-level business programs at public Oregon universities, providing a strong foundation in business principles. For those looking to specialize, there are certificates in areas such as Accounting/Bookkeeping, Business Management/Entrepreneurship, Retail Management, and Supervision. Plus, programs can be completed entirely online or part-time, offering flexibility to fit the busiest schedules.
SWOCC’s business program isn’t just about getting a job — it’s about making a difference. With opportunities for experienced-based learning, internships with local businesses, and specialized certificates, students like LaMont and Misha gained the knowledge and skills they needed to thrive in their careers.
The College’s mission is to “inspire innovation, lifelong enrichment, and contribution to global society.” Through its business program, SWOCC empowers students to do just that — think bigger than themselves and go on to lead successful, impactful lives.
Where are we now?
Are you a SWOCC Alum, or do you know one who’s making a difference in their community?
We’d love to hear your story!
Whether it’s your own journey or someone you admire, share how a SWOCC alum is creating positive change.
Email us at alumni@socc.edu with your name, contact information, and a brief description of what you (or your nominee) are doing. If selected, we’ll follow up to learn more and, with your permission, share your story to inspire others in our community!
Feb 19, 2025 | Curry Campus, News, Student Success
Southwestern Oregon Community College takes home the Leah Meyer Austin Award.
Photo left to right: Krystal Hopper Meyers, STEAM Pathways Assistant; Dr. Alisha Lund, Director of Institutional Effectiveness; Dr. Ali Mageehon, Vice President of Instruction and Student Services; Dr. Patty Scott, College President
COOS BAY, OR — Achieving the Dream (ATD), a national organization committed to advancing community colleges as accessible hubs of learning, credentialing, and economic mobility, today awarded the Leah Meyer Austin Award, its highest recognition, to Southwestern Oregon Community College as well as Chattanooga State Community College.
The award, given annually, signifies a college’s adoption of practices and strategies leading to a student-focused culture, notable increases in student outcomes, and a reduction of equity gaps. The announcement was made at ATD’s annual DREAM conference, which brought over 2,000 community college leaders, faculty, student affairs staff, and other higher education practitioners to the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia.
“Selection for the Leah Meyer Austin Award is a highly competitive process,” noted ATD President and CEO Dr. Karen A. Stout. “Winners of this award do not just demonstrate pockets of excellence; they employ a holistic approach to student success that permeates their entire institution and results in whole-college transformation. Chattanooga State and Southwestern Oregon community colleges have the bold leadership and the across-the-board commitment of faculty and staff that make them true standouts in their student success efforts. I congratulate them wholeheartedly on their achievements.”
Southwestern Oregon Community College has been an ATD institution since 2012, when it joined the Network as one in a group of nine rural Oregon community colleges. The institution achieved Leader College status in 2015, which it held until 2021 and regained in 2023.
“We are so pleased to be honored with this award. This recognition reflects an unwavering commitment to student success by every single employee of our college,” said Southwestern’s President Patty Scott. “We know our students. We know they have diverse needs and complex lives. We have proven that by putting students first and adapting our programs and services to their individual needs, they will succeed. Ultimately, not only do our students benefit, so do their families, our workforce and our communities.”
Dedicated to Student Success
Southwestern’s dedication to student success has long been rooted in its responsiveness to community needs, and the college has particularly excelled in its recent efforts to engage and support its district’s adult learner population. Recognizing that adult learners are often forced to balance their studies with work and family responsibilities, the college has implemented several reforms that benefit both adult learners and part-time learners — two subpopulations that often overlap. By creating specialized advising and new age- and lifestyle-appropriate student orientations; performing a thorough evaluation of both its communication practices as well as its portfolio of academic and workforce programs; and improving its online services, which are often utilized by adult learners who appreciate the convenience, Southwestern has realized several notable improvements.
For example, in comparing the 2017 cohort to the 2020 cohort, the four-year completion rate among part-time learners improved by 8.7 percentage points, narrowing the equity gap between adult learners and traditional-aged learners by 3.2 percentage points. Between adult learners and traditional-aged learners, the gap narrowed by an impressive 6.7 percentage points, as the rate of completion among the former rose 12.3 percentage points.
With nearly half of the total student body composed of first-generation students — many of whom are also adult learners and many of whom are economically marginalized — great efforts have been made to accelerate the success of this population through financial supports. As a complement to TRIO services, the college introduced the SNAP Training and Employment Program (STEP) to provide students with basic needs assistance as well as support with the costs of books, transportation, and interview clothing. Southwestern also employs a benefits navigator who assists students in finding help with basic needs support in the community. In addition, the college’s foundation supplements these services with scholarships, including emergency scholarships to help with unexpected expenses or utility bills. As the result of these efforts, the equity gap between first-generation and non-first-generation learners in fall-to-fall persistence narrowed by 3 percentage points, from 8.2% in the fall 2019 cohort to 5.2%, in the fall 2022 cohort.
Mandating academic advising, implementing a more robust early alert system that notifies advisors and support staff when a student needs additional assistance, utilizing new placement procedures, and moving to a co-requisite course system, among other innovations, have contributed to overall advances in student success rates for the college. Most notably, from the fall 2017 cohort to the fall 2020 cohort, the overall four-year completion rate grew 6.6 percentage points, and the rate at which students transfer and earn a baccalaureate degree, despite severe geographical hardships, rose 3.7 percentage points from the fall 2015 cohort to the fall 2018 cohort.
A copy of the Case Study recognizing Southwestern, published by Achieving the Dream, can be accessed here.
Achieving the Dream’s Leah Meyer Austin Award
The Leah Meyer Austin Award was established in 2008 to recognize outstanding achievement in supporting and promoting student success through the creation of a culture of evidence, continuous improvement, systemic institutional change, broad engagement of stakeholders, and equity. The annual prize is given in honor of Leah Meyer Austin, former senior vice president for program development and organizational learning at the Lumina Foundation and emerita director of the ATD Board of Directors, whose visionary leadership shaped the development of Achieving the Dream. Chattanooga State Community College and Southwestern Oregon Community College are the 23rd and 24th ATD Network Colleges, respectively, to receive the award. A complete list of past winners can be found here.
Achieving the Dream (ATD) is a partner and champion of more than 300 community colleges across the country. Drawing on our expert coaches, groundbreaking programs, and national peer network, we provide institutions with integrated, tailored support for every aspect of their work — from foundational capacities such as leadership, data, and equity to intentional strategies for supporting students holistically, building K–12 partnerships, and more. We call this Whole College Transformation. Our vision is for every college to be a catalyst for equitable and economically vibrant communities. We know that with the right partner and the right approach, colleges can drive access, completion rates, and employment outcomes — so that all students can access life-changing learning that propels them into community-changing careers.
Feb 10, 2025 | News, Student Success
COOS BAY, OR – Southwestern Oregon Community College’s Swim Teams have made history, achieving the highest GPA for both the men’s and women’s programs in the NJCAA. Both the men’s and women’s swim teams have received the Scholar All-America Team award with 3.74 and 3.78 GPAs respectively. This recognition, awarded by the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA), is a testament to the team’s unwavering commitment to excellence in both the classroom and the pool.
SWOCC Swim has long been known for its high standards, but this year’s achievement is particularly remarkable. Under the leadership of head coach Sandra Bullock, the team has continued to raise the bar every season, proving that academic and athletic success go hand in hand. The women’s team has been NJCAA runner-up champions for four consecutive years, while the men’s team has secured the runner-up position for the past three years.
This recognition is a true reflection of the hard work and dedication of these student-athletes. The team not only competes at the highest level in the pool but also strives for excellence in the classroom.
This year, SWOCC Swim recorded the most 4.0 GPAs in program history, with the following student-athletes earning a 4.0 for fall term: Chenoa Baurer, Isabelle McCabe, Dido Toornend, Suzanne Vesseur, Taylor Hagedorn, Lindsey Tatakis, Maison Alexander, Rami Escure, Lars Knudsen, Luke Norris, Jack Roberts, Sergio Rodríguez Rodríguez, and Till Schröder.
The team has two more regular season meets before heading to the NJCAA National Championship in Buffalo, NY, from March 5-8, 2025. They competed at home in Coos Bay on February 9, at the North Bend Municipal Pool, followed by the Tualatin Hills Swim Club Last Chance Meet in Beaverton, OR, on Sunday, February 16, 2025.
This achievement speaks volumes about the culture of the SWOCC swim program. These athletes push themselves in every aspect of their lives, and we are excited to see what they achieve at Nationals this year.
More information can be found here: https://www.cscaa.org/news/2022117/fall2024scholar-2p79k-637p6.
Feb 3, 2025 | Community, Curry Campus, News, Student Success
COOS BAY, OR – Southwestern Oregon Community College invites the community to join us on Friday, March 7, 2025, at 6:00 pm, for a special presentation by Oregon State University’s branch of the American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics (AIAA). This is a free event; all ages are welcome.
Coos County residents can join us in-person in the Umpqua Hall lecture room (room 184) on the Coos Campus, 1988 Newmark Ave., Coos Bay.
Curry County residents can join us for a watch party in the Community Room on the Curry Campus, 96082 Lone Ranch Parkway, Brookings.
For those not able to attend in person the lecture will be streamed live on the College’s YouTube channel at: www.youtube.com/@southwesternOR/streams.
In 2012, a group of students had a goal: to introduce aerospace and aviation to a campus with no formal program for such studies. Oregon State University’s (OSU) branch of the American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics (AIAA) was created to fill that void. OSU AIAA is a student-led organization. Since their humble beginnings, they have grown to be one of the largest groups on the OSU campus, serving over 200 members in the Beaver Nation. We invite you to explore their vision and the incredible network of students that fuel their success. The presentation will involve a detailed description of all eight teams housed within OSU AIAA. They will have segments explaining who they are, what they do, and many of the benefits students get by being part of this organization.
About the Presenters:
Brayden Haldezos: Brayden is a senior in mechanical and aerospace engineering at Oregon State University. He is the President of OSU’s AIAA student chapter and is passionate about rocketry, human spaceflight, and aviation. He has served as a Command and Data Handling Engineering Mentor for the NASA L’SPACE Program and has interned at NASA Johnson Space Center as a Payload Systems Engineer for human research onboard the International Space Station. He enjoys providing students with resources and opportunities for success, specifically within the aerospace field.
SWOCC SPEAR Alumni, Damian Lilienthal: Damian is a senior at Oregon State University, pursuing a degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering. He is the lead of the High-Altitude Rocket Team (HART), where he manages a team focused on designing a two-stage rocket with a goal of reaching an altitude of 100,000 feet. Damian also went through NASA’s NCAS (National Community College Aerospace Scholars) program that ultimately cued his interest in the field. Damian has experience in various aerospace projects with his position in HART, including hands-on expertise in rocket propulsion and structural systems. Passionate about advancing the field, he actively engages in both academic and extracurricular projects to promote the program through presentations and career fairs.
Nicholas Alves: Nick is a junior majoring in electrical engineering at Oregon State University. He serves as the Social Media Coordinator for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) club at OSU and as the avionics co-lead for the High-Altitude Rocket Team (HART). His passion lies in aerospace and advancing humanity’s future in space exploration.
Quade Stiansen: Quade is a senior pursuing a dual Bachelor’s degree in mechanical and manufacturing engineering with a minor in aerospace engineering at Oregon State University. He is on the executive board for the AIAA club and assists the Student Competition Rocket Payload Team. Quade’s passion began in high school after he was introduced to the FIRST Robotics Competition. He hopes to pursue a career in the aerospace industry, potentially working for companies like SpaceX and NASA.
Lukas Knipple: Lukas is in his second year at OSU pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering. As an avid fan of aerospace, he joined AIAA’s Solar Plane Team and HALE Liquid Rocketry Team when he began at Oregon State. In addition to being the Chief Treasurer of AIAA, he works on design, instrumentation, and control of HALE’s flight vehicle and mobile launch pad electrical systems. All things programming and electrical are his interest, and he hopes to take that passion into the aerospace industry after he graduates.
For more information please contact Krystal Hopper Meyers, STEAM Pathways Assistant, at 541-888-7416, or krystal.hopper@socc.edu.
To learn more about STEM degrees at Southwestern visit: https://www.socc.edu/programs-classes/stem/.
