Sept. 2025 | Trouble viewing? View online

We’re excited to introduce Dr. Greg Pereira, Central Oregon Community College’s seventh president! An Oregon native, Dr. Pereira officially joined COCC in July 2025, bringing with him a wealth of experience from his leadership roles at Rio Salado College in Arizona, where he most recently served as vice president for student affairs.

But Greg isn’t all business—he’s also known for his humor, curiosity and wide-ranging interests. If you see President Pereira around campus, strike up a conversation and ask him about:

• His favorite Golden Girls episode
• What's coming out of his kitchen lately
• Which Halo game tops his list
• His take on Anthony Bourdain or Hunter S. Thompson books

Sept. 15 - 19 Bobcat Orientation for new Fall term students at all COCC campuses.

Sept. 22 Fall term classes begin.

Oct. 3, 5 p.m. Tuition due and end of refund period. Courses not spanning full term will have different deadlines.

The scholarship application for the 2025–26 academic year is now open as of August 1—and this year’s award amount is $5,250!

Each year, the COCC Foundation awards nearly 400 scholarships, totaling more than $2 million to support students. The application process is simple, and if selected, your scholarship can be renewed for up to two additional years.

Don’t wait—apply today!

Application window: August 1 – October 20

Learn more and apply at cocc.edu/scholarship

As Fall term rapidly approaches, what is the best thing you can do as a student to keep yourself prepared for multiple cyber issues?

Regularly Back Up Your Data.

Why: Losing important schoolwork, personal photos, or documents due to malware, ransomware, or a stolen device can be devastating.



Tip: Back up your files regularly using an external hard drive, or a cloud service (Google Drive, OneDrive, iCloud). In case of an attack or data loss, you can easily restore your files!

The Life of a Wildlife Photographer



Suzi Eszterhas – Award-Winning Wildlife Photographer

Thursday, October 2, 7 p.m., Tower Theatre 

Part artist, part scientist and part sociologist, Suzi Eszterhas will give us a glimpse into the life of a wildlife photographer. She will share her passion for conservation and how her work helps raise awareness of the issues facing wildlife today.

Whether it is photographing cheetahs in Kenya’s Masai Mara, working with polar bear biologists in the Arctic or chasing chimpanzees through some of the world’s deepest jungles, Suzi has many photographs and adventures to share.

Registration is required. COCC students can attend for free. Please email cgilbride@cocc.edu for promo code.

Join Student Government: ASCOCC!



The Associated Students of COCC, ASCOCC, is hiring! Gain leadership experience, earn a paycheck, work on campus, and represent students! There are several positions open across all four campuses.

Learn more and apply today. 

Join COCC Broadside

Are you a creative COCC student? The Broadside wants you! We need students to write, photograph, edit, illustrate, design, record podcasts, record videos and more. No experience is necessary. We’ll help you develop valuable skills that will help you excel in any field.

Students may apply for a limited number of paid staff positions each quarter. Reporters and photographers earn a $350 monthly stipend. Editors earn a $550 monthly stipend.

For more information about how to join The Broadside, please email lraff@cocc.edu.

Bobcat Rugby Gears Up for Fall Season!

This summer, three Bobcats were selected to the 2025 Northwest Collegiate Rugby Conference All-Star Team, a proud milestone reflecting the team’s continued growth and performance.

Looking ahead, the Bobcats are preparing for a high-energy season, opening at home against reigning conference champions Western Oregon University on October 11. Additional home matches are scheduled for October 25, November 8, and November 15—keep an eye out for the full match schedule!

Interested in learning more about COCC Rugby? Please reach out to Head Coach Max Bennett for more details.

Fall Term Sports Info

• COCC Club Soccer practice starts in September. Contact new Head Coach Donnie Emerson for more details.

• COCC students are now able to use Bend Endurance Academy’s climbing gym for COCC-designated times throughout the week starting in Fall term. Stay tuned for more info and contact Jacob Swinn in MAZ 111 with questions.

• The Mazama Gym hours starting from Sept. 2 to Sept. 19 will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed on the weekends. Be sure to stay up-to-date on Mazama hours, closures, etc., by checking the facility hours page.

• COCC Running Club is officially a Club Sport, and are planning on competing at a few meets this Fall. Reach out to Head Coach Lina May.

• Interested in playing golf? We are looking at starting a golf team, but need students to make that work. Reach out to Jacob Swinn for more information.

Get There Program

A lot of students are coming to Bend for the first time this Fall and learning how to get from place to place can be overwhelming. Get There Oregon is a program whose mission is to make multimodal transportation options (such as biking, carpooling, and transit) more accessible. They do this by providing information on alternative transportation methods, support for workplaces such as COCC, and their free trip-planning tool Get There Connect. Students can use the trip planner to determine how to commute while saving energy and money.

For more information on COCC Sustainability, please visit our Sustainability page.

Check out COCC's latest Sustainability newsletter

Fall JobFest | Oct. 2 and Oct. 7

Looking for your next opportunity? COCC’s Fall JobFest is the perfect chance for students, alumni, and community members to connect with local employers, explore career pathways, and build valuable professional relationships.

Bend Campus | Oct. 2

10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Redmond Campus | Oct. 7

10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Find event details and a full list of participating employers on our JobFest page.

Week Without Driving | Sept. 29 - Oct. 5

COCC is participating along with the City of Bend in Week Without Driving. The mission of Week Without Driving is to raise awareness for the third of the population of the US that can’t drive, and a call to address accessibility issues in transit for the community as a whole.

To participate, avoid driving your car for this entire week. Use tools like the Get There Program to get from destination to destination. The goal is not perfection; it is to reflect on the major challenges posed by a car dependent infrastructure.