FVCC to Celebrate 50 Years at ‘Founders’ Day’ Event

On April 1, 1967, the news spread across Montana — voters in Flathead County had approved the creation of a new community college.

The decision marked an historic moment that would reverberate across generations of residents. Fifty years later, Flathead Valley Community College is inviting everyone to celebrate its anniversary on April 7 at a free event on campus.

Founders’ Day will take place in the Arts and Technology Building from 5 to 8 p.m. and will feature a special anniversary tribute, historical displays, live music and complimentary food samplings.

Bill McClaren, one of the college’s five founders, and Larry Blake, Jr., the son of Larry Blake, Sr., the first school president, will take part in the Founders’ Day celebration, along with current FVCC President Jane Karas.

Country bluegrass singer and songwriter Halladay Quist will perform at the event. Various local food vendors will provide the food. Students from The Culinary Institute of Montana at FVCC will serve 50th anniversary cookies prepared specially for this event.

The vision for the community college dates back to the 1950s, when Bill McLaren, a counselor at Flathead High School, began surveying high school seniors about their plans after graduating. Only 20 percent of Kalispell seniors planned on attending college, according to McLaren’s research from 1952 through 1962. And among those, only about 7 percent were pursuing a four-year degree. McLaren presented the information to the local school board, led by chairman Owen Sowerwine.

Sowerwine, a well-known conservationist and community figure, was dismayed with the survey results and took it upon himself to find an answer. He spent the ensuing years traveling the country studying what other communities similar to the Flathead Valley were doing to improve their residents’ livelihoods through higher education. During his travels, he discovered the community college model, a new phenomenon that was rapidly expanding across the country and focused on post-secondary education linked to a community and its specific economic characteristics.

Sowerwine returned home and organized a group of advocates and planners who would shape this dream and make it reality. He organized what is now known as the “Original Five:” McLaren; Norm Beyer, director of the local state employment agency; Thelma Hetland of the Federated Women’s Club; and Les Sterling, one of the owners of KOFI Radio. Over the next few years, the group rallied support throughout the community.

After receiving voter approval, FVCC was formed. By the fall of 1967, 611 students — a mixture of traditional students and community members — enrolled in classes at the new Flathead Valley Community College. Night classes were held at Flathead High School. Morning sessions were held at the VFW bar or in several local church basements. Years later, the college set up shop in various buildings on Main Street and eventually in Central School.

Today, FVCC is situated on a scenic section of 216 acres on the north side of Kalispell and serves approximately 3,500 students annually with more than 100 degree and certificate programs. In addition to the main campus in Kalispell, FVCC has a satellite campus in Libby. Roughly 43 percent of the student body is non-traditional, meaning 27 or older, while the number of local high school graduates attending FVCC has risen in the last decade.

Under the leadership of Jane Karas, who is in her 16th year as president and was named the top community college leader in the Pacific Northwest a year ago, FVCC has continued to grow into one of the top community colleges in the West. In recent years, the college has expanded its partnership with the University of Montana and Montana State University for four-year bachelor of arts degrees. The slate of two-year academic programs, four-year partnerships with other state universities, professional certifications and non-credit community continuing education classes keeps expanding as well. The school is nearing completion of its first on-campus housing facility.

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Exhibit Honoring FVCC Anniversary Opens at Museum at Central School

An exhibit honoring Flathead Valley Community College’s 50th anniversary will open April 11 at The Museum at Central School in Kalispell. The exhibit will showcase historical items and photographs spanning FVCC’s five decades.

An opening reception is scheduled from 4 to 6 p.m. and will feature welcoming remarks from one of the college’s founders, Bill McClaren. The reception is free and open to the public. Cookies and iced tea will be served.

The exhibit will remain on display at the museum until September.

FVCC Logger Sports Team to Host Stumpjumper Days

Flathead Valley Community College’s logger sports team will host the 2017 Stumpjumper Days competition on April 8. Free and open to the public, the event will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the FVCC Logger Sports Arena, accessible via the first exit off the Hutton Ranch Road roundabout.

The purpose of logger sports is to acknowledge the history of forestry and logging and to keep traditions alive. Athletes will compete for the Bull of the Woods, Belle of the Woods and Top Team Awards. Competitive events will include axe throw, horizontal hard hit chop, obstacle pole buck, single buck and bonzaii logger.