In this issue of Rising Tide

I am very happy to report that Pearls of Wisdom 2022 was the most successful Pearls to date and it was all because of YOU, our wonderful donors. 

The Foundation Pearls Committee including co-chairs Billie Jo Smith and Sandi Williams, along with David Bigelow, Chris Boyle, David Gomberg, David Robinson and Steve Spector thank the College Pearls Committee members Dr. Birgitte Ryslinge, Dave Price, Dan Lara, Andres Oroz, Kimberly Jones, Chris Rogers, Spencer Smith, Kathy Andrews, Sharon Hahn, and Julia Ryan along with volunteers Patrick Alexander, Wendy Ludwig and Niki Price for months of hard work and careful planning. 

The end result surpassed the Foundation’s goal netting more than $45,000 for OCCC student scholarships and program support. THANK YOU! 

Pearls 2022 included an online auction. Dinners for two, jewelry, boat trips, a hotel stay, art, outdoor fire columns, amethyst geodes, an exquisite 3-chime clock, gift baskets and Trezur bags were donated by members of the community. A special thank you goes out to them along with our many sponsors.

Nancy Stevens, Steve Spector, Andi Spirtos, and Sandi Williams hand out Pearls delectables.

Foundation Board Member and President-Elect, Steve Spector shares with you why he became involved with the Board and OCCC as a donor, volunteer and Board member.

Now we are on to Scholarship Season. In this issue, Dr. Birgitte Ryslinge kindly shares her personal story of the impact of a scholarship.

Speaking of Scholarships, a group of donors, the Central Coast Unitarian Universalist Fellowship members who were inspired by the works of Dr. Melissa Stanley annually fund a named scholarship to support OCCC students. Their story is quite remarkable.

Wendy Ludwig, who along with serving as a volunteer at Pearls and Pearls donor, gives monthly through the Employee Giving program. She has such a giving heart that she regularly counsels community members who wish to begin a small business. Read what inspires Wendy. 

A current trend nationally is questioning the direction and relevance of libraries. It was sheer serendipity that we had already scheduled an interview with OCCC Librarian, Darci Adolf and OCCC alum, Abby Mason (C’17) whose passion is library science and its future. They share exciting news about the field.

We hope you take time to read the articles and enjoy. As always, we look forward to your comments and remember, OCCC students are LUCKY to have you and your continued support. Please email Andi Spirtos at [email protected] with your suggestions on this and future issues of Rising Tide.

Mark your calendars:

April 22, 2022, College-Wide Spring In-Service, campus closed

April 26, 2022, OCCC Foundation Board Meeting

May 30, 2022, Memorial Day, campus closed

June 17, 2022, Nurse Pinning Ceremony and Commencement

June 18, 2022, End of Spring Term

June 20 – 24, 2022, Spring-Summer Break

June 27, 2022, Summer Term Begins

July 4, 2022, Independence Day, campus closed

July 15, 2022 – Next issue of Rising Tide

Have you considered including OCCC in your estate plans? You can’t take it with you, but you can control where it goes. We have free resources for your planning that may be helpful. Remember, after you plan for your family and pets, a Contingency Plan to OCCC can be your legacy. The OCCC Foundation is now able to accept cryptocurrencies.

Thank you to our top Pearls of Wisdom sponsors, Samaritan Health Services and Columbia Bank.

A Word from the President

Birgitte Ryslinge, PhD

Dear Friends of Oregon Coast Community College, 

It is April in Oregon, bringing some gorgeous days on our beloved coast. It is also the time when students across Oregon ponder how they can possibly afford to pursue their dreams given the rising costs of higher education, not to mention everyday life. The reality for most of our current and potential students is a challenging patchwork including attending part time and continuing to work, limited federal and state aid, and loans which can mortgage their future for years to come.

For many first-generation students with no or limited family resources, scholarships play a vital role and can make all the difference. That was my situation, and my background is one of the many reasons I support students today via my scholarship contributions to the OCCC Foundation.  

In 1960 my family immigrated to Canada and then the US (California). My father, Gothardt, made this bold move in search of better opportunities for his family, the classic American emigrant story. Both Gothardt and my mother, Jytte, were the youngest children in large families without financial resources, and they both were given no choice but to stop their education by the age of 14 and go to work. They wanted something better for their children and made the move, leaving behind all extended family and bringing with them their very limited savings, and what fit in our suitcases.  

The early years were incredibly difficult financially, but I knew I was lucky to be part of a loving family that believed in the transformative power of education (as well as not limiting their daughters). However, the concept of college was totally unfamiliar to my family, not to mention financially out of reach. When I was 16, my science teacher explained college to me, and told me that with my academics I could probably access scholarships (thank you, Mr. Popkin!). It was a difficult and complicated process but eventually I was rewarded with a full-ride scholarship to University of the Pacific.

My sister and I were the first in our family to earn college degrees, and I went on to complete a PhD. It changed my life, and changed the trajectory for my own children. I like to think that I have made good use of all the privilege I was granted, particularly in my chosen career in community colleges, serving students and families that continue to remind me very much of my own, except unfortunately with even more economic and societal challenges today. 

For all these reasons, my husband and I give to support scholarships through the Oregon Community College Foundation, and I am deeply appreciative of the many people such as yourselves who give as well. It is profoundly fulfilling and gratifying to be able to help others strive for their dreams and watch them go on to change the world. 

Birgitte



Foundation Board Member Steven Spector



Foundation Board President-Elect Dr. Steven Spector, Steve as he prefers to be called, has served on the Board since 2018. I am honored to work with such a genuinely kind soul. Steve willingly gives of his time, volunteering on the Pearls and Scholarship Committees; talent always with a warm smile and caring demeanor; and treasure to OCCC although he is shy about asking the same of others. Allow me to introduce to you, Steve Spector.

Some of my fondest memories as a child were spending time with my aunt, uncle and cousin in Long Beach, New York. I was two years old when my parents, sister and I moved from New York to Washington, D.C. Being the oldest of four, life at home was filled with chores. Visiting in Long Beach was a nice respite. Four blocks away on one side was the bay and six blocks away on the other side were the beach and boardwalk.



All through junior high, I attended a Jewish day school; half the day was devoted to Jewish/Hebrew studies while the other half was a traditional public school curriculum. After high school in Washington, D.C., I was fortunate to receive a full scholarship to George Washington University (GWU) majoring in economics and math. I performed well enough on the GRE to secure a fellowship to the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business studying econometrics but soon became disillusioned. Spending time and energy on maximizing material wealth didn’t seem compatible with humanity to me. I dropped out and looked for a career path.

 {Read More}

The Chronicle of Higher Education recently published a book “The Library of the Future” which “explores the transformation libraries and librarians have undergone in recent years.” This made me begin to think about our own OCCC Library. Even before and certainly after COVID, library systems throughout our nation have undergone profound change. Librarians have had to become vital partners with scholars, instructors, students and patrons in ways few had experienced before.

I asked Darci Adolf, MBA, MLIS, OCCC Director of Library and Media Services, how libraries have become vibrant hubs for diverse purposes while retaining flexibility for future needs. Darci explained the College Library’s transformative nature.

OCCC’s Library was established in 1991. Originally, when the campus was in a storefront on Highway 101, the Library was a small room – like a closet. Today, the OCCC Library boasts of approximately 12000 physical items and more than 317,000 electronic resources including e-books, e-periodicals, digitalized articles and streaming video. Yet, our mission remains the same: “to contribute to student success and life-long learning by providing comprehensive Information Literacy instruction and support for students, faculty, staff and the local community. The Library provides appropriate access to collections, services and spaces in alignment with and in support of the College mission.”

The pandemic made a tremendous difference in the needs of the students. Typically, we would loan approximately fifteen laptop computers or Chromebooks per term. That number increased to 40-50 electronic devices per term, as classes moved fully online. Although classes are “live” again, I think this trend will continue.

In general, libraries have moved more collections from print to digital over the past two years, and we were no exception. The College Library continues to hold print and audio-visual materials in support of classroom teaching and student research, with collections centered around programs such as Nursing and Allied Health, Aquarium Science, and Early Childhood Education. But our recent focus has been on growing our digital collection of books, databases, media, and serials, and we plan to continue this shift in response to student needs.

{Read More}

Now that is a mouthful and one that left me wondering who was Melissa Stanley; what is the Central Coast Unitarian Universalist Fellowship all about and what are their connection to OCCC? Members of the fellowship, Dan Gleason and Gary Lahman shed light on my queries. Gary began . . .

I met Melissa in 1999 at a summer potluck gathering of Central Coast Unitarian Universalist Fellowship members. She and I had something in common both being medical technologists. Melissa obtained her undergraduate degree from the University of Oregon and received her Ph.D. from the University of Utah in entomology at a time when the field of study was male dominated.

Photo of Dr. Melissa Stanley (far left) and members of CCUU Fellowship

Dr. Stanley taught traditional theoretically organized introductory biology classes for non-science majors. Talking with a freshman class on Earth Day, 1960, she realized how poorly this approach prepared citizens to deal with practical problems facing the world. It inspired her to write “Living.” Throughout her life, Dr. Stanley valued community service and was an advocate for increased participation of women in STEM education and professions.

Dan continued . . . The roots of American Unitarian Universalism were originally Christian, in the late 1600’s in New England. Our faith has no dogma or creed. Instead, we have a covenant based on seven principles:

1)   The inherent worth and dignity of every person;

2)   Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;

3)   Acceptance of one another and encouragement of spiritual growth in the congregation;

4)   A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;

5)   The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;

6)   The goal of world community with peace, liberty; and,

7)   Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are all a part. 

{Read More}



Plato once said, “I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond words.” Clearly, Plato never met someone like Abby Mason. She is bright, inquisitive, industrious, and a true delight. As Abby states it . . .

I was born in San Francisco but we moved to Montana when I was very young, to be closer to my mom’s family. I really can’t remember how much snow there was or how cold it was. We moved to Newport when I was six.

While attending Newport High School, I joined the Robotics Club. Because the organization was independently funded, we did not use the high school Cub mascot. We had our own: the YAK (Yaquina Applied Kinetics). We learned how to write grants and conduct fundraising events to support the club. Since no one else wanted to do it, I became YAK at fundraising events and whenever the club needed YAK to appear.

Although I enjoyed classes at Newport High, it was really the people who inspired me. One such person was the Junior Club President. He went on to OCCC doing the early college program that allowed high schoolers to take college classes for dual credit and graduate high school with a year of college already completed. That's how I learned that right down the road from our high school was this awesome community college, practically inviting me to enroll and explore: to find out more about who I wanted to be. 

Taking extra classes in high school gave me time for electives as a media aid and tech aid helping the librarian. As a senior, I also began assisting at the Marilyn Potts Guin Library, part of the Oregon State University (OSU) at the Hatfield Marine Science Center.



 {Read More}



Spotlight on Employees Who Donate to the Foundation

Featuring Wendy Ludwig

Wendy pops in and out of the Community Engagement Suite at OCCC far too infrequently as far as I am concerned. She brightens any day with her infectious smile and is a delight to share offices. For at least the past two years, Wendy has been one of the volunteers at Pearls and donates monthly to OCCC. Of course, I wanted to know her better. So, I asked and she explained.

I was born in Utah but moved to California at an early age. I went to High School in Salinas, CA. Salinas is the county seat of Monterey County, with a population of 163,542 according to the 2020 Census and boasts of being “the lettuce capital of the world.”  I still love fresh vegetables! 

Growing up, I visited family in Oregon frequently. After high school, I chose to attend Linfield College in McMinnville, OR as an accounting major. I started my career as a CPA in San Francisco.

In 2016, I “retired” from my corporate finance career in the Bay Area, and I needed a change of scenery. I love books and music, long walks, and traveling. What better place to walk than along the Oregon Coast with its wonderful scenery! And great people too.

When I moved to Lincoln County, I was considering starting a financial coaching business, but I didn’t know too much yet about the business environment here.  So, I visited the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) looking for advice. At the time, Craig Grant, the advisor I met with, was looking toward retirement and a move away from the area. He explained how much he loved his work, and he thought I should consider a role as a small business advisor. Craig introduced me to Dave Price in the spring of 2018. I started working with clients shortly after that.

I’m passionate about financial literacy and supporting entrepreneurs through my work with the Small Business Development Center. I really enjoy meeting new people, learning about their goals, and doing what I can to help them succeed.



 {Read More}

Connect with the Foundation!

Visit the Foundation's website any time to learn more about coming events, connect with the Foundation Board, or learn how to donate conveniently and safely online.

View as Webpage