Clackamas Community College President Tim Cook is running to all 17 of the state’s community colleges. (Submitted by Clackamas Community College)

Clackamas Community College’s campus in Oregon City just happens to be circular, like a running track.

Rook Hall, the administrative center in the middle of the circle, is home to President Tim Cook’s office, decorated with a clock made from an old Talking Heads vinyl record and a “break glass in case of emergency” bow tie in a case.

It’s all very academic and welcoming, with a nice big conference table so Cook can meet with students, faculty, staff and community members.

Aiming to raise money in support of Oregon’s community college students, Cook is planning to run more than 1,500 miles this summer, snaking a path across Oregon that will connect all 17 of the state’s community colleges in a 50-day run.

The funds raised during the 50 days of “Running for Oregon Community College Students” will be distributed to each community college to support community college students’ basic needs.

“I’m planning to run about 32 miles a day on average. So it’s, you know, a marathon, plus a 10K a day, yeah. And when I say run, I need to tell people it’s running and walking,” said Cook. “I’m anticipating eight hours a day that I’ll be out.”

The idea came after Cook organized an on-campus marathon in the middle of the pandemic in 2020. An avid runner, Cook recently completed his 48th marathon — the Tobacco Road Marathon in Cary, North Carolina — and is working to run a marathon in all 50 states. Right now he’s completed 37.

Although he may be known at CCC as the “president with the bow tie,” soon he may be called the “running president.”

Cook explained that donors to his fundraising campaign can choose which school their money will go to.

“If somebody wants to donate to Clatsop, Treasure Valley, wherever, we’ve asked them to give us specific information about their students and about what they need to have,” said Cook. “I think the basic needs are all there, but what do they really need in all of these places? Is it the same in Portland and Klamath Falls?”

The fight for students’ basic needs comes from the realities facing many community college students. In Oregon, 52% of all college students attend a community college. According to a survey by the Hope Center, a Portland-based nonprofit, that analyzed basic need concerns for Oregon’s community college students, 41% of community college students faced food insecurity in the past month and 52% had trouble paying their rent.

Students at community college often come from more challenging economic backgrounds than their peers at four-year schools. Eighteen percent of CCC students are houseless and most students “are one flat tire away from dropping out” according to Cook.

This does not mean that they deserve less of an opportunity — a sentiment that’s very important to Cook, who was the first person in his family to go to college.

“I used to teach college success to students earlier in my career, and I would talk to them about long-range goal setting, and I would use marathons, right? A traditional plan to run a marathon is 16 to 20 weeks ahead. ‘This week I need to run six miles, the following week, I’m gonna add to seven, I’m gonna add to eight,’” said Cook. “What I’ve learned over my life when I think about my goals, when I think about the college’s goals, I’m always thinking kind of like a marathon.”

When Cook heads out to eastern Oregon for the beginning of the route, he’ll be traveling in an RV with his wife. Heading east to west, both to cover the higher elevation parts of the route and to out-run wildfire season, it’s a perfect opportunity to see the entire state for an Oregon native.

“I’m going to see the entire state — on foot,” said Cook. “When I run a marathon I get to see a part of a state where they’ve set it up. We want to show you some really cool parts of our city or state, and you get to see it on foot, so you get to see things you wouldn’t see driving. I grew up here and my wife did too, and she and I both said we’re gonna go to places, these small towns and be out in the middle of nowhere we’ve never been before. I’m super excited about that.”

Cook knows that the journey across the state may take some improvisation and won’t be easy. He’ll be 57 when he starts the run and is training to avoid injury and run on tired legs.

“I think people forget about the community colleges that are doing a ton of great work right in your backyard, right in the neighborhood,” said Cook.

One example of community college student work is the www.clackamas.edu/ROCCS website, where students in the CCC wildfire science program have created a Geographic Information System (GIS) map that will track Cook as he makes his way across the state.

“I’m looking forward to hopefully interview some students at those places and really find out what their passions are, what they’re studying. I want to learn about the students,” said Cook. “I want to amplify what makes those community colleges special to their towns.”