News release SWOCC. Southwestern Oregon Community College School Board Member, David Bridgham was the recipient of the Dedicated Service Award for 20 years of elected community college board service at the recent Oregon Community College Association annual meeting. “I’m honored to have served the Southwestern district through these years and look forward to continued opportunities for student success.” David served as President of the state board of the Oregon Community College Association in 2004, a 35-member board representing all 17 community colleges in Oregon. He was the recipient of the prestigious Howard Cherry Award in 2009 for his statewide leadership, dedication to student success, and civic engagement. Originally from Sacramento, David made Coos Bay his home in 1980. Shortly thereafter, he opened his own Certified Dental Laboratory, heading it until his retirement in 2010. During his professional life, David twice served as president of the Oregon Association of Dental Laboratories, and one term on the board of the National Association of Dental Laboratories. “Early in my tenure on the Southwestern board we recognized the imperative to strategically plan to place the College on a sustainable path of enrollment. Creating student housing was a key step towards that plan. Student housing adds greatly to sustained enrollment and a diversity of life experiences for our native district student body. The addition of a signature program, the Oregon Coast Culinary Institute, has become the recruitment asset we had planned, as well as an outstanding option for our in-district students. I am looking forward to breaking ground, and completion, of the long-planned Health and Science Technology complex in 2018-19. Southwestern continues to improve and to grow with the dedicated work of my colleagues on the board and the entire staff at the College.” Dr. Patty Scott, president of Southwestern Oregon Community College says, “David’s leadership and passion for education in our rural communities is an inspiration to me and the other board members. David is respected around the state because of his commitment to students and our community. On behalf of the entire college district, I want to thank him for his dedication and service to Southwestern.”