Dear Student,
It is with reverence and sadness that I share the news of the passing of Professor Pam Dusenberry, a recently retired faculty member. We mourn the loss of a dear and beloved member of our community, a mentor, and a colleague. She was the longest-standing professor in the English Department, starting at the College in September 1988. She received tenure in 1992. She held an M.A. and M.Ed. from Columbia University and a B.A. from The Evergreen State College.
Pam was a champion for students and their learning. She was known for the profound kindness and love she showed her students. Pam loved helping students understand what college learning was all about; she helped them develop skills and tools for how to learn well. She believed that all students could reach their goals in the College with the right support and instruction. Pam helped design Shoreline’s unique research-based, pre-college English program that integrates reading, writing, and study strategies using college-level materials and assignments. She, along with many other exemplary professors, also helped design curriculum for Cascadia College when it was first established.
She co-edited College Knowledge: Entries into Academic Culture, with fellow English Professors Dr. Dutch Henry and Sean Rody. She also co-authored Crossroads: Integrated Reading and Writing, with Julie Moore.
She contributed to the College in many ways, including helping write the General Education Outcomes and doing assessment work. She was important to the development and continued presence of interdisciplinary studies and team-teaching at Shoreline and taught Get in Gear (GIG) courses.
More information about memorial plans for Pam will be shared with the campus community in the coming days. In the meantime, any students needing emotional support are encouraged to reach out to our Counseling Center (206-546-4594), and employees may access emotional support services through EAP (877-313-4455).
Pam is survived by her son Spencer and her long-time partner, Becky Gibler, who is a former employee of the College. Please hold Pam’s family in your hearts at this difficult and most tender time.
With care,
Cheryl Roberts, Ed.D.
President
Office of the President
