By Dr. Ross Tomlin, TBCC President
It is very exciting that our new Nursing program started on January 8 at TBCC. The first cohort of nursing students started their classes for this term. I went to their classroom almost a half hour before the first class was scheduled and most of the students were already there, anxious to get started!
There are 17 nursing students in our first cohort, with many of them being from Tillamook County. They will take classes through the summer and then fall, winter, and spring terms next year and graduate in June 2025. After, they will be eligible to sit for the national Registered Nursing exam to be licensed as a RN.
We have a Dean of Nursing and Allied Health who will oversee the new Nursing program, as well as a full-time faculty member and three adjunct faculty. We outfitted an existing lab to serve as a high-fidelity nursing simulation lab with state-of-the-art equipment. Most of the clinicals for this first cohort will be done at Adventist Health Tillamook, which is a strong partner with the college for all our Healthcare programs.
As I mentioned in the TBCC Connections article last month, I am preparing to retire and the TBCC Board of Education has been working on the search for my replacement. It is my great pleasure to announce that the Board met this past Monday, January 8, and approved the hiring of Dr. Paul Jarrell as the seventh TBCC President. Dr. Jarrell is currently the Vice President of Instruction and Student Services at TBCC and has been at the college for the past year and a half. Dr. Jarrell has a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Oregon and 30 years of experience in higher education as a faculty member, Dean, and Vice President. Prior to his employment at TBCC, he was the Executive Vice President of Lane Community College. Speaking about the TBCC Nursing program, Dr. Jarrell was the driving force behind getting that new program approved by the Oregon State Board of Nursing. He also helped to grow workforce development programs that emphasize internships and apprenticeship growth in the trades.
I cannot be happier that the Board chose Dr. Jarrell to succeed me as president. We are fortunate to have someone who knows and loves the college and has been doing excellent work here. I know the college will be in excellent hands and will continue to flourish into the future.
It has been a true honor to be the President of TBCC over the past seven years, and I will continue to keep track of all the continued progress. I love this college and the community and know you all will continue to strongly support TBCC as it continues to grow and contribute to Tillamook County. My last day at the college will be February 9. Dr. Jarrell will then start producing the TBCC Connections articles starting in February.