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Welcome to the OC Review! Our focus is to bring you the latest news, updates and changes taking place at the college that impact you and the local community. We look forward to hearing your feedback.
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11/12/2008
 I AM...professional artist, world traveler, OC alum
James Kelsey struggled in his early career, like most of us, not knowing what he wanted to do. After jobs as a fire fighter in the military and later in construction, Kelsey pursued a commercial pilot’s license and eventually obtained a bachelor’s of art in Communication Studies (Business & Interpersonal). But his real focus was art. He moved to Bremerton in 1996, and heard about Olympic College’s top welding program. He signed up and found his calling. He learned welding from instructor Chris Hobson, eventually landing a job as a welder at a local fabrication shop. At the same time, he challenged himself to learn welding techniques to create art.
Kelsey now makes his living making metal, glass, and stone artwork for public spaces and private individuals and travels all over the world to gain inspiration. He created his first metal sculpture while attending Olympic College, which he dedicated to the college’s students. (It is still part of Olympic College’s public art collection.) Most recently, Kelsey completed a metal sculpture for the entrance of the new Bremerton Police Station. His work has been featured in Washington, Utah, and Michigan.
Read Kelsey’s complete story online at www.olympic.edu/IAMOC.
 A student-sponsored film is currently in production by Olympic College’s Department of Dramatic Arts students. Students from the program are writing, directing, and starring in the film Found Lost, a supernatural thriller. The Associated Students of Olympic College are funding the project. The new film is expected to be completed by the end of the year. The Dramatic Arts students are planning to produce more films and videos and will enter them in national and international student competitions and festivals.
The U.S. Navy has contacted Olympic College about participating in a possible naval educational program. The Navy is exploring ways to create new cooperative education programs for new hires at its fuel depots and is interested in Olympic College’s Leadership and Occupational Studies Degree. If adopted, the Navy education program would utilize the college’s courses contained on a portable USB drive to train employees at fuel depots around the world, including Japan, Hawaii, San Diego, Jacksonville, Portsmouth and Manchester (near Port Orchard)
An industry certification exam site has opened at Olympic College with the help of the college’s Computer Information Systems faculty. The college now offers approved certifications for CISCO, Uexcel, and CompTia for students and businesses. The site is the latest effort by the institution to serve the needs of residents in the West Sound region.
 For more than 60 years, Olympic College has provided higher education to local residents. The end of the year is a traditional time for giving. Gifts to the college not only provide important support for students and programs, but also yield significant and timely tax savings. To learn more about the ways to make a year-end gift, contact the Olympic College Foundation at 360.475.7120.
The 2008 luncheon on Columbus Day was a tremendous success. With the help of 25 sponsors and nearly 400 community members, $106,895 was donated in support of OC students and programs. This year more unrestricted gifts were made, showing the value community and business members place on education as an opportunity to improve lives. Thank You! 10/1/2008
Watch for updated announcements soon! 7/30/2008
 I AM...mentor, welder, OC faculty
OC instructor Chris Hobson is devoted to his craft. He loves welding and has taught students – including retired doctors as well as artists – for more than two decades. After many years at the Bremerton campus, Chris is now teaching welding in Shelton, where the program underwent an expansion and moved to a new location in the Bronze Works off Highway 101.
What is it you teach and how did you come to OC?
I teach the new welding program available through the Shelton campus and have taught at the Bremerton campus. Before coming to Olympic College in 1996, I worked for Centralia College at the Washington Corrections Center in Shelton for a decade. I’m currently in my 22nd year of instructing welding and allied processes.
What has stood out about teaching at the college?
I have had quite a few memorable moments and students. Perhaps the most outstanding student has now become an accomplished metal sculptor – his name is James Kelsey. James was a determined young man who had a passion for using welding in his art. In the past few years, James has been awarded major commissions and is working as a metal sculptor. (James’ most recent work can be viewed at the Bremerton Police Department and was featured in the Kitsap Sun .) I’m proud to have been an influence in not only James’ life, but a few others as well. Helping people make changes in their lives and reach their goals makes teaching worthwhile.
Where has teaching taken you?
Through OC, I was fortunate to have been given the opportunity to teach in Ho Chi Min City (formerly Saigon) in Vietnam during August and September of 2004. I facilitated a workshop for the welding instructors at Cao Thang College, a technical college in the Vietnamese city. Little did I know that my visit would result in an OC and Cao Thang sister-college relationship in 2008. I’m hopeful that an exchange of faculty and students between the colleges will become a reality in the coming years.
How do you keep current in your field?
I attend conferences and workshops, work part-time in the summer and visit various industries where welding is used as an essential element in fabrication.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I enjoy golfing (only when it’s dry and 70 degrees), walking, working in the shop, and most importantly, spending time with my family and friends. I’m involved with my church – St. Edward’s in Shelton. I’m also the Secretary/Treasurer of the American Welding Society, Olympic Section based in Tacoma.
What have you enjoyed most about teaching?
I feel teaching is a special calling. All people are called to live out their lives on this earth and use their gifts to make the world a better place. It’s amazing to me the transformation that takes place in people’s lives when they get a glimpse of the possibilities of becoming a skilled welder. A greater horizon develops, and so do their options, to make better lives for themselves and their families. I stress that working in the trades is not easy – learning how to weld and be a fabricator takes perseverance and hard work – but they can do it.
What do you like about teaching at OC?
I have the opportunity to enter people’s lives and help them realize their potential. They in turn help me to grow. 7/29/2008
 After hearing about the need in the community, OC has partnered with Washington State University, South Kitsap School District, and North Kitsap School District to develop a new certificate and an Associate in Arts and Sciences Transfer degree in Environmental Science Technology. The college has applied with the state for approval to begin offering classes in the 2008-2009 year. Funding provided to the college will train veterans to prepare them for “Green Jobs” through the program.
For more information about the Environmental Science Program please contact the faculty advisor, Deanna Ferguson at 360.475.7274.
 Groundbreaking for the new humanities and student services building took place in May. Members from the college and the community attended the festivities and celebrated the start of construction on the 83,000-square-foot building. The $25 million structure will provide updated classroom space and centralize all student services in one location, creating a one-stop location for students. The Science-Technology Building, the first new instructional building in 32 years, opened on the Bremerton campus in summer 2007.
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