PORT ANGELES — Physician Paul Cunningham was honored by the Peninsula College Board of Trustees for his eight years of service on the Peninsula College Foundation, the last four as president.
“It’s honor being a part of this group,” said Cunningham after he received a standing ovation from the board and meeting attendees during December’s monthly meeting on Tuesday. “It’s very meaningful.”
When Cunningham joined the foundation in 2015, it had $1.5 million in total funds. Today that number has risen to $7.2 million, including $5.5 million in endowments. Its improved financial health is demonstrated by a record year of giving, distributing $1.2 million to students and programs, he said.
In 2016, the foundation launched the PC Forward campaign with the goal of raising $1 million for an unrestricted endowment the college could use however it wished. The foundation is just $7,000 away from reaching that goal by Dec. 31, Cunningham said.
The foundation also started an emergency fund to help students stay in school by taking care of costs that fall outside customary funding sources like scholarships.
“While it’s fun to talk to about the big dollars the Peninsula College Foundation has raised in recent years, it’s doing really important things that when a student is on the verge of dropping out of school for a million reasons, whether it’s rent, whether it’s childcare, whether it’s a car part, the emergency fund can come through,” Cunningham said.
President Suzy Ames said the college received a $13,000 gift from Battelle to purchase equipment for a classroom and computer lab at the college’s hub in Neah Bay, which serves 15 students in its transitional studies and 39 students in bachelor’s and associate degree programs.
Students rely on the hub to access remote classes because internet service is often unavailable or unreliable.
The gift from Battelle, the company that manages PNNL, including PNNL-Sequim, will be used to purchase 10 desktop computers, two laptops, a printer/scanner and a Zoom-enabled TV, cart and camera.
The college had also received the “Expand the Table” award from Olympic Community of Health, Ames said, for its work bringing community-based organizations such as Serenity House and the North Olympic Healthcare Network to campus to assist students.
Ames said the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges will be making a $9 million supplemental operating budget request for the creation of at least 15 more bachelor of computer science degree programs when the Legislature convenes for its 60-day session starting Jan. 8.
The goal is to increase the number of students in the field to help meet the demand for skilled technical workers in the state.
“These programs are extremely expensive to get off the ground, and to find qualified instructors to teach at the community college level is very difficult,” Ames said. “Without startup funds, it’s kind of a non-starter.”
Ames said it is likely Peninsula College would form a consortium with other community colleges to share resources in developing and offering the program.
The college will also be making a $40,000 capital budget request to install two energy meters in Keegan Hall and pay for an energy auditor to analyze the data so it can be in compliance with the state’s Clean Buildings Act, an unfunded mandate to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, among other things.
The trustees next meet Feb. 20.
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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.
