Tamie Arnold

Tamie Arnold was MHCC’s student body president in 1994-1995, and was a clinical nursing instructor in 2005. She was also a CNA instructor at the Bruning Center.

Arnold is a registered nurse, and also currently serves on the Fairview City Council and Fairview budget committee, the Fairview economic development advisory committee, and the Reynolds School District budget committee.

Mt. Hood Community College holds a special place in Arnold’s heart, she said.

“I don’t quite know how to explain the passion I have for the school,” she said. “There’s something about serving students, representing students’ best interest and advocating for higher education – kind of puts the bug in you.”

Affordability of higher education is a big concern for Arnold, she said. “I can’t stress enough the importance of insuring that our colleges remain affordable for our children,” she said. She has a 15-year-old that she will encourage to attend a community college. “That’s where I started. I think it’s opened doors (and) enhanced career opportunities.”

One major concern Arnold has about the college is the disrepair. “The college still has a lot of structural issues that need to be addressed and in order for the college to be viable, we have to have some financial support with the college infrastructure,” she said. Still, she is impressed with some of the changes that have been made since she was last present at MHCC, she said.

Relationships with business and marketing the college are also priorities for Arnold. “I think we’ve done a good job of celebrating and getting the name of Mt. Hood out there, but I think we could actually do even better than all of that.”

Arnold said she has contacts that would help strengthen the college’s relationships with businesses.

“Let’s not forget the fact that making sure, probably first and foremost, that education is reasonable for the students, and that’s probably the most important thing,” she said.