President of the college, Dave Rule, recently announced the acquisition of Jean D’arc Campbell and Dr. Gayle Barge, as well as tenured professor Leslie Lum’s new role for the 2014-2015 academic year as interim dean of continuing education, over an all-BC email.
This new round of hires acts to fulfill several of the goals laid out by the president for this year which can be found on his welcome page, both to “implement a comprehensive international education plan” and to “review and focus the areas of Institutional Advancement to reflect the Bellevue College of the future,” a multifaceted goal which entails the completion of “the search for a new vice president, one who is entrepreneurial and shares the vision of the college’s future.”
Jean D’arc Campbell was Portland Community College’s director for international education he will be joining Bellevue College by the end of October as the dean for international education and student services. He has managed international education programs for over 11 years and has “more than 18 years experience in international affairs.” He has worked extensively helping refugees with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Rescue Committee and Lutheran World Federation. He has “been involved in diplomacy, counseling, intercultural communication and languages, humanitarian assistance and conflict management and resolution.” As dean, D’arc Campbell will work with Rule and the Vice President of Administrative Services Ray White to achieve Bellevue College’s international goals. He sees in Bellevue College “an institution with all the ingredients and potential to become one of the strongest international education programs in the nation.”
Dr. Gayle Barge will be moving to Bellevue from Central State University in Wilberforce, OH by the end of November to take her new role as vice president of institutional advancement. She brings over 30 years of experience in both higher education and business leadership to Bellevue College. She will manage and lead resource development, marketing, communications community and college relations programs. She believes that due to Bellevue College’s “unique position,” she has “an opportunity to make a difference not only regionally and nationally but globally as well.”
Leslie Lum has been a tenured faculty member at the college for several years now. She is chair of the business transfer program and an accounting instructor. Lum had intended to take the 2014-2015 academic year off on sabbatical “to write the second edition of the textbook ‘Multicultural Marketing and Business Consulting’ that is being published by UW Press in September 2015.” However, she accepted the position as interim dean of continuing education and is “very excited to join the team.”
Lum had developed a program for financial education from 2007 to 2009, and her program was selected as a best practice by the Treasury Department Commission on Financial Education and commended by Governor Gregoire as a model for the nation.
As Bellevue College continues to grow through these transitory years, the addition of new administrators to manage the college’s budding enterprises is a necessity. Dr. Gayle Barge stated “Bellevue is in an excellent position to continue to grow and expand. The strategic plan will evolve over time, and that process will facilitate appropriate next steps. It is a great time to be a bulldog!”