Cathy Kemper-Pelle

President Kemper-Pelle announces plan to retire in 2022

In a June 29 message to the campus, Rogue Community College President Cathy Kemper-Pelle announced her plan to retire at the end of June 2022.  “I have thoroughly enjoyed my leadership role at RCC and will miss working with such a stellar group of individuals,” Kemper-Pelle wrote in an email to employees. “However, Rob and I have five grandchildren who have graciously endured a long-distance relationship, and...

Peter Buckley

2021 Outstanding Citizen: Peter Buckley

Former state legislator Rep. Peter Buckley, a longtime advocate for education and healthy families, has been selected as recipient of the Rogue Community College 2021 Outstanding Citizen Award for distinguished service to the college and community. Buckley, of Ashland, currently serves as program manager for Southern Oregon Success as well as a trainer and administrator for the Southern Oregon ACEs Training team, an effort to...

Banding Together

Southern Oregon Higher Education Consortium: What does it mean for Southern Oregon? Southern Oregon is fortunate to boast several excellent colleges and universities, each known and respected for a variety of strengths. Yet when it comes to choosing a college, students are faced with choosing one or maybe mapping out their journey from one college to another on their own. It’s a tough decision and...

Cathy Kemper-Pelle

Why Community Colleges Work

I know from first-hand experience the transformative power of community colleges. As a higher education institution, they are a center of advanced learning and the development of new ways to view the world. At the same time, the community college environment is less intimidating than a university. Class sizes are smaller, and there is a strong commitment to connecting students to academic, social, and personal...

Southern Oregon’s 4 higher ed institutions announce consortium

The presidents of four public colleges and universities in Southern Oregon joined forces today to create the Southern Oregon Higher Education Consortium – an alliance aimed at streamlining students’ educational pathways and addressing the region’s specific workforce needs. A memorandum of understanding signed by the presidents of Klamath Community College, Oregon Institute of Technology, Rogue Community College and Southern Oregon University calls upon the consortium...

What’s the value of a free lunch?

In the fall of 2017, with a full year as college president under her belt, Cathy Kemper-Pelle initiated a campus luncheon series to create an opportunity for “meaningful dialogue” among RCC employees. Once a term on each campus, the president hosts an informal luncheon for a dozen guests. All faculty and staff are welcome; registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. As a starting point,...

Education: A Good Investment

Rogue Community College is an economic engine for Southern Oregon that generates more than $239 million annually for the region’s economy, according to an economic impact study released earlier this year. The analysis by Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI) of Moscow, Idaho, examined data from fiscal year 2015-16 to calculate the impact of RCC’s operations and student spending as well as the higher earnings of...

Rogue Community College Sets a Path for the Future

After more than six months of gathering data and input from the community, business and industry, faculty, students, and staff, Rogue Community College has developed a new strategic plan to guide its work through 2020. “We are so appreciative of the many people who volunteered their own time to participate in surveys, forums and the steering committee,” says Cathy Kemper-Pelle, president of RCC. “It was...

An Interview with President Kemper-Pelle

Rogue Community College President Cathy Kemper-Pelle was recently interviewed for the “Innovation in Education” radio program on KMED FM 106.7. Kemper-Pelle discussed Rogue’s efforts to build strong community and business partnerships, the college’s strategic plan and upcoming capital improvement projects. For the complete interview, listen on YouTube or read the transcript here: Greetings Southern Oregon, this is Julie Niles-Fry with “Innovation in Education” brought to you...

From the President

Greetings to our communities. Since coming aboard at Rogue Community College, it has been my pleasure to meet with organizations; business, education, and community leaders; students, and RCC staff and faculty to talk about where RCC is now and what it could be in the years to come. In addition, RCC has recently engaged the community in meetings, surveys, and strategy sessions to get input...