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Dean announces her resignation
MHCC dean will head to Portland Community College to pursue work in business and computers
The Advocate
Charmagne Ehrenhaus is leaving Mt. Hood Community College in June, and said she will miss the faculty the most.
As dean of social sciences, mathematics and engineering, Ehrenhaus spends the majority of her days working with the faculty members in her division.
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“The faculty is what attracted me to the college in the first place,” she said. “Some students come in that are first-generation college students, some are from other countries, there is developmental education and there are also transfer students. There is a lot that community colleges span across and that is a big stretch for the faculty.
“It’s amazing, what they do,” she said. “I will miss a lot of the faculty. My whole day is faculty. They are passionate about discovery, they love their fields and they love teaching.”
Ehrenhaus, who submitted her resignation last week, has accepted an offer from Portland Community College to be the dean of business administration and computer services.
She is looking forward to moving on to new things but said she will miss all that has happened in her time at MHCC. Ehrenhaus said while she has been on campus the last two years, her departments have held forums, worked on cross-disciplinary courses and even had some events about infinity and the number zero.
“The faculty is so innovative and they are always looking to do something new. That’s what demonstrates that we are such an academic community here,” she said.
The Minnesota native said she looks forward to moving back into business at PCC. She is also grateful to still be in the community college system. When she arrived at the college two years ago, Ehrenhaus enjoyed this change. “I wanted to move from university life back to the community college level. I think the next decade will be all about community colleges. People are not as prepared to go to college nowadays and I think community colleges will fill that hole,” she said. “I’m grateful for my ability to work in the business community again. There are new employee training needs and other things. I want to keep being the bridge and interpreter between those two worlds (academics and business.)”
In her spare time, which she does not have much of, she is working on her doctoral degree in community college leadership at Oregon State University. With this degree she hopes to continue in her quest to help students achieve their goals.
“I want to continue my own learning so I can know what’s going on in community college now. I want to help students be successful in the next ten years.”
As she prepares to bid farewell to the college, Ehrenhaus reflects on her experiences here. “It’s never boring. Every day really is an adventure. From who shot JFK to floating boats to doing online math – I am going to miss all that.”