Familiar face returns as assistant to Derr

MHCC welcomed a familiar face back on campus Thursday: Bill Becker, a longtime vice president of administrative services and briefly, interim president, at Mt. Hood, has returned to assist current President Debbie Derr as temporary fiscal adviser.

Becker was brought on as a helping hand to work on “several kind of projects that need to get moved forward so the college can move into the future,” he said.

The tasks include finishing the MHCC budget and a safety audit.

While Becker fills in, the college will begin efforts to find a permanent successor to Bill Farver, Mt. Hood vice president of administrative services who retired, effective on Thursday.

Formally a previous retiree, Farver had served at Mt. Hood on a part-time, temporary basis.

In an all-staff email sent on Jan. 8, Derr said the college aims to have the position filled by July, as Becker’s contract extends only through June.

“Bill Farver was a great asset to the institution, but he was here half-time,”Becker said. “I think Debbie wanted someone here full-time to get these things done… to have a full-time person who’s here and has a commitment to the institution like she does.”

Becker previously worked with Derr at MHCC during nearly a decade spent in Gresham, and offered praise for the first-year president.

“I think she’s a great choice for the college. I think she’ll do a great job. She believes in Mt. Hood Community College. She spent a number of years here and she’s very student-oriented,” he said.

Since he retired from Mt. Hood in 2003, Becker has held similar short-term positions at Lake Superior State University in Michigan and Clatsop Community College, near Astoria. He is from Michigan and said he had past connections there.

He also spent several years of his retirement remodeling a house.

Becker took pleasure in his return to Gresham.

“When I came in just last week, the number of people that are still here from when I was here is heartening,” he said. ”It’s great to see their commitment to the institution.”

When his contract expires, Becker plans to ramp up his volunteer work at Olympic National Park and for Washington state parks and to enjoy more hiking with his wife, Heidi.