The SPSCC Foundation will host its annual fundraising gala, The Experience, at 6:15 p.m. on Sat., Oct. 3. The Experience is the Foundation’s largest event of the year, raising nearly $500,000 to support scholarships and student success at SPSCC.

While seating capacity limits this event to about 500 attendees each year, the virtual format of this year’s event allows everyone to experience how SPSCC is changing the lives of our students and our community.

SPSCC is kicking off the 2020-21 academic year with eleven new full-time, tenure-track faculty members. Instructors will teach across numerous pathways, including two new professors in Natural and Applied Sciences, three in Applied Technology, one in Social Science & Business, and five in Nursing. Each new hire brings a wealth of expertise in the subject they teach, are using innovative ways to keep students engaged online, and all are committed to student success.

Students who work as a peer writing tutor typically won’t use that experience as a pathway to a novelist and librarian, but it worked out that way for one SPSCC alumni. Brooklyn-based Hal Schrieve, class of 2014, is now a published author, poet, and librarian at the New York Public Library.

As the Fall Quarter approaches, SPSCC wants students to know the College has $500,000 in CARES Act funds still available for student need. These funds can help students pay for technology, tuition, food, housing, health care, child care, and other basic needs.

As one of two students awarded the 2020 Outstanding Student Award, Lindsay Solise graduated with an associate degree in Nursing as part of SPSCC’s class of 2020.

Nickole Rosalez didn’t intend to be SPSCC’s 2020 student commencement speaker. But when she found out English professor Corrie Martin nominated her for the "most changed student," it made her think about submitting her application for student speaker. The nomination meant a lot to Nickole because of how she began her journey at SPSCC.

“I started in the High School+ program," Nickole recalled. "It felt so good to finish [high school], I wanted to keep accomplishing things."

In his new position as head men’s basketball coach, Jonathan Willis brings a blend of coaching and student-athlete development experience to SPSCC. Willis has extensive coaching experience at the two- and four-year levels, and is excited to be in the new dual-role as head coach and educational & career planner.

This summer, our three institutions – The Evergreen State College, South Puget Sound Community College, and Saint Martin’s University – are preparing for a fall like no other. While uncertainties around the impact of the coronavirus weigh heavily on our fall planning, our institutions are also actively engaged in campus-wide discussions around what needs to change in higher education to further the fight against systemic racism.

SPSCC will host the Thurston County Auditor's Office Elections Division’s Voting Center at the College’s Mottman Road campus in Olympia.

The drive through voter services will allow Thurston County residents to register to vote, get a replacement ballot, and vote without leaving their car. The drive-up model aims to protect public health during the COVID-19 pandemic. There will be no voting services available at the Thurston County Courthouse to allow for physical distancing.

We’re shining a spotlight on some of our international students. With this Q&A series you’ll get to know these students through their own words. They’re sharing their experiences, why they chose SPSCC, and what their goals are.

Our latest Q&A in the series is from Paul Park, an international student from Korea.