PC Ambassador Program to merge with ASC

PORT ANGELES -- Peninsula College is looking into merging the Ambassador Program with the Associated Student Council.

The ASC discussed the merging of the two programs next year at their meeting on May 8. After much discussion, the ASC decided there was not enough information to go through with the merge.

According to Director of Athletics and Student Programs Rick Ross, with the elections and budget, it was too late to merge the programs this year.

With a merger, the ambassadors would become members of the ASC, instead of being a separate program.

Vice President of Student Services Jack Huls, previous director of international services at Highline Community College, said Highline has a successful program similar to what to PCs’ merged program would look like.

Huls said the role of the ambassadors is to engage prospective students, host visitors to the campus and to do other public relations activities.

The ASC also represents the college, he said.

Since the two programs are so closely related, this is where collaboration can happen, Huls said.

With the programs merged, “Ambassadors would get leadership training and exposed to student government,” Ross said.

Ross said that right now, with the two programs separate, students might not see the ambassadors, but if they join the ASC, students are likely to see them more often.

According to Huls, they are not merging the programs in an effort to save money, but to make the two programs better.

Huls said this would be a “win-win.”

Merging the programs does allow student services to leverage resources.

Huls described this as students doing more campus tours, following up with prospective students and “supporting other general outreach events that bring the public to campus for various interests and activities.”

For two years, Ross said, there has been a discussion about merging the two programs.

The process of merging will begin by adding an Outreach position on the ASC which is meant to bridge the gap between the two programs.

Ross said the Outreach position will be a test and they will come to a decision this fall or winter as to whether or not to merge.

Once a decision is made, a plan will be developed in the winter.

“This is a tremendous opportunity to raise the awareness of PC to both the internal and external community to what we do,” Huls said.

Director of International Student and Faculty Services Sophia Iliakis Doherty said, “There has been no official meeting regarding merging,” and declined to comment.

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Published in The Buccaneer - Peninsulabuccaneer.com