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Algie Gatewood, president of Portland Community College's Cascade Campus is leaving for North Carolina. After nine years at Cascade, Gatewood has accepted a new job at Alamance Community College in North Carolina. He says the job will take him closer to his family, although it is hard to leave Portland.
"Without a doubt, this has been one of the most difficult decisions of my career, for I have come to love Portland more than any place I have ever lived," said Gatewood. "Never before have I encountered such a rich combination of cultural and ethnic diversity, natural beauty, and open-minded and forward-thinking people. This is truly a special corner of the world, and I will always carry a piece of Portland in my heart."
Jeremy Brown who recently replaced Preston Pulliams as President of Portland Community College, said Gatewood is leaving a legacy of achievements that will help many thousands of students and benefit Portland for years to come.
"I regret that I will not get the chance to work more closely with Algie. He has had a lasting impact on PCC's Cascade Campus," Brown said.
It's thanks to Gatewood that a room in the college library is named after Portland civil rights leader Rev. John Jackson. He also led the effort to honor Sen. Margaret Carter by renaming the skill center and the technology building in her name.
His collaborative leadership style and the partnerships he forged have laid the foundation for poor and minority students to continue their education and gain degrees.
Here's just a few of Cascade Campus President Algie Gatewood's accomplishments:
Enrollment increased 67 percent during his tenure, to a high of 24,079 in 2011-12
A $60 million campus expansion, and $60 million of bond-funded improvements.
A Middle College, created in partnership with Portland Public Schools, that allows Jefferson High School students to take college credit courses.
A $1.1 million grant to help low-income first-generation college students and students with disabilities stay in college and graduate.
A scholarship program that gives all Jefferson High School students opportunities to go to a 4-year university
The successful campaign to pass a $374 million local construction bond
Reduced crime around Cascade campus thanks to collaborative effort with neighbors and the City of Portland
Sponsorship of the Annual Black Colleges' Believe in Them, Achieve in Them conferences working with the Portland Black Colleges Committee, Inc.
Financial Aid Day, created to help students overcome financial barriers to educational success.
In honor of his father, Gatewood established a Cascade Campus scholarship, The Haywood Joseph Gatewood Scholarship.
