SOHOPE selected as prestigious 2021 Bellwether finalist

Question: What does Southern Oregon HOPE get when it connects underprivileged people to livable wage jobs in a worker-strapped industry? Answer: Students equipped with poverty-ending, life-changing skills, an industry equipped with skilled workers—and recognition as a finalist in the 2021 Bellwether Award. Southern Oregon Health Occupations Poverty Elimination, or SOHOPE, is a grant-funded program of Rogue Community College. Since 2016, it has provided low-income students...

RCC’s Markforged Metal X 3D printer is a first for Oregon community colleges

By Steve Foster, Instructor and Department ChairRCC Manufacturing, Engineering Technology & Mechatronics In January 2021, Rogue Community College became the only community college in Oregon to have a Markforged Metal X in-house for faculty and student use. How did this come to be? Well, it began like so…. 3D printing, also referred to in the manufacturing industry as additive manufacturing, is currently being used in...

New Nursing Assistant program meets a growing need

There are 73 million baby boomers in the United States. By 2030, all of them will be 65 or older. Who’s going to take care of our aging population?  Rogue Community College is stepping up—with the new Nursing Assistant program. This non-credit workforce training course is designed to prepare students in as little as six weeks to pass the nursing assistant certification exam through the Oregon State Board of Nursing.  “Wherever there is...

Student film debuts at Ashland festival

Karl Sorenson’s short documentary “The Old Man of Crater Lake” has been named a finalist in the college undergrad category in the 19th annual Ashland Independent Film Festival’s Launch Student Film Competition.   A student in the RCC Design + Digital Media program, Sorenson chose to shed light on a local story that he had grown up hearing. The Old Man of Crater Lake refers to a 30-foot hemlock stump that...

RCC welcomes 40 recruits at CTE Signing Day

Rogue Community College welcomed and celebrated the futures of 40 students who took a key step toward establishing skilled careers at RCC’s 2020 CTE Signing Day. The third annual event was held Thursday, Feb. 13 at the Table Rock Campus in White City. CTE Signing Day mirrors the NCAA National Signing Day for athletes who commit to play sports in college. At the RCC event,...

Two issues of Design 4 Change magazine lay on a table

Student designers launch Design 4 Change

Amanda Esquivel is passionate about caring for the homeless. As president of the RCC student club Studio B: Rogue Design Hive, Amanda rallied her fellow students around a pressing need—and made a real difference. On her ride to school each day, Amanda noticed an increase in the homeless population on Medford’s streets. She began researching and discovered Oregon is ranked among the top 5 states...

New nursing director plans to meet rising need

There’s a new face on campus, and she’s poised to make an impact. Paula Calcaterra joined Rogue Community College in August as Director of Nursing. She and her husband moved from Idaho to take on the challenge of managing RCC’s growing nursing degree programs. Paula’s wealth of experience in nursing education and hands-on patient care is sure to equip our nursing students for success in...

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Beyond the GED: Bellwether Award

Thinking about getting your GED? What if you could earn college credit at the same time and get a head start on a degree? You can— with RCC’s nationally recognized Concurrent Enrollment Program. Led by Adult Basic Skills (ABS) Department Chair Julie Rossi, the Concurrent Enrollment Program (CEP) sets its sights beyond the GED to preparing GED-eligible students for higher education and better job opportunities....

SOHOPE grant leads to better paying jobs

For many people, college is a dream that seems out of reach. Students from low-income families often can’t afford tuition, which leaves them feeling stuck. Lack of education leads to fewer job opportunities, which lands people right back into the same financial struggles they grew up with. But not anymore. Southern Oregon HOPE is breaking the cycle and giving members of our community a real...