Page 49 - Southern Oregon Magazine Summer 2021

Q: RESEARCH IS A LONG WAY AWAY FROM EDUCATION. Q: IT SEEMS LIKE COMMUNITY COLLEGE IS WHERE YOUR
HEART IS.
CATHY: All my siblings were in education. I swore I would never
go into education. But, one of our faculty members at the university CATHY: I was one of those students. I know how wonderful it was to
associated with my research had a heart attack. I took over one of have a college that actually cared about me. I was really ill my sopho-
his classes and realized I loved teaching. When the grant ended, my more year of college and was out for an extended period of time. The
husband and I moved to Texas. I went to the local community college dean of the department came and visited me in the hospital. That would
to see if there might be a teaching position. I started teaching part- never have happened in my university. She told me, “When you’re out
time while my kids were little. Three months into a full-time job, my of the hospital, you come directly to my office. Don’t go anywhere
dean asked me if I would be interested in teaching environmental else. Just come see me.” And I did. She had talked to all my instructors
field courses. When I was a student field courses cinched biology for and had arranged a make-up schedule for me. She figured out a leave
me. This was a dream come true. I taught two field courses every of absence at work so that I could really concentrate on finishing my
summer for seven years. We traveled to Rocky Mountain and Buffalo coursework. And she found me a scholarship. She was determined that
River Natural Parks, and Monteverde in Costa Rica. It was great. It I was going to graduate. It was pretty amazing. And now I get to pay
was fun to see how life-changing it was for those students, just like it that forward.
had been for me.
Q: WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT SOUTHERN
While teaching I knew there was something else that I was meant OREGON IN YOUR TIME HERE?
to do. Our college invited Dr. John Roueche from the Community
College Leadership Program at The University of Texas to speak. I CATHY: Wow! People seem much more in tune with the environ-
knew the second I heard him, “I’m getting in this program, earning ment here, because it is so beautiful. People choose to be here because
my doctorate and I’m moving into leadership.” And I did. Three years of the surroundings. Some of the smaller towns in Southern Oregon
later, I had my doctorate and moved into college administration. It’s are very much like where I grew up. We lived in Grants Pass when we
been awesome. first moved here. And Grants Pass is very similar to my hometown.

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summer 2021 | www.southernoregonmagazine.com 47