GRANTS PASS, Oregon (June 27, 2025) – This summer, an Oregon community college president is hitting the pavement to spotlight a critical issue: The basic needs of community college students.
On June 16, Clackamas Community College President Tim Cook—an avid marathoner—set off on a bold challenge to run to every community college in Oregon. That’s more than 1,500 miles over 50 days, averaging 32 miles per day.
On July 10 at 9 a.m., President Cook will run into the Marjorie Holzgang Concert Bowl at the Rogue Community College Redwood Campus in Grants Pass and will be met with cheers from our students, staff and faculty. The community and media are invited to attend.
The Running for Oregon Community College Students (ROCCS) campaign is a statewide awareness and fundraising initiative to highlight the challenges facing today’s students and to advocate for increased state funding.
Community college students represent some of the most vulnerable populations in the state. A survey from The Hope Center highlights the pressing needs of Oregon’s community college students:
- Food insecurity: Approximately 41% of students reported experiencing food insecurity within the previous 30 days.
- Housing insecurity: About 52% of students faced housing insecurity in the past year, which includes difficulties such as affording rent, utilities or frequent moves.
- Homelessness: Nearly 20% of students experienced homelessness in the past year, indicating a lack of stable and safe housing.
Oregon’s community colleges serve approximately 200,000 students, which is 52% of all public and private higher education enrollments in the state. Many of these students encounter significant obstacles, including housing and food insecurity, lack of childcare and transportation issues. Through this run, Oregon’s community colleges seek to highlight these challenges and generate support to address them.
RCC is proud to support this mission. This initiative not only raises awareness but also directly impacts our students by securing much-needed resources.
“I’m happy to support this initiative bringing attention to the struggles our students face every day. We’ve seen their successes when an investment is made to remove these obstacles,” said RCC President Randy Weber.
RCC Board Member Pat Fahey has pledged to match up to $5,000 in contributions to the RCC Foundation, which is collecting funds to support RCC students facing financial hardship. To donate, please visit the RCC Foundation website.
For questions about donations to the RCC Foundation or President Cook’s visit, contact Lindsay Griffiths at the RCC Foundation at 541-956-7327 or lgriffiths@roguecc.edu.
Follow President Cook’s daily progress on Instagram at instagram.com/run4orccstudents.
The ROCCS campaign is made possible through the generous support of Rivermark Community Credit Union, Johnson RV and Daimler Truck North America.
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For general media inquiries or to schedule an interview with RCC staff, please contact Director, Marketing & Communications/PIO Kelly Gonzales at 541-955-7525, kgonzales@roguecc.edu.