Area Report for Board of Trustees

STRATEGIC GOAL 1 & GOAL 2: ACCESS AND STUDENT LEARNING

• Study Abroad Indonesia has finalized our selection of 8 student participants as of Feb. 6th.  In addition, six faculty members will be joining the trip as part of their faculty experiential learning program (professional development).  The actual trip to Indonesia is currently scheduled from May 29th through June 7, 2026.  Professors Justin Tailon (Hospitality) and Ahmed Fahad (ELCAP) will be leading the program.
• Study Abroad Vietnam has also finalized our selection of 4 student participants as of Feb. 6th.  This program is a “consortium” of seven participating colleges – where each college can only send up to a maximum of 4 students.  Sam Kaplan and Kaitlin Bermingham (Center of Excellence for Global Trade and Supply Chain Management) will once again lead the program for 2026.
• Faculty Experiential Learning to Japan program participants are getting ready for the trip to Japan.  Seven faculty members from across the various divisions will be traveling to Japan during Spring Break 2026 to visit and engage with some of our institutional partners.  We hosted a pre-trip workshop on Feb. 9th to provide cultural tips and other information to ensure a productive and successful trip for all participants.  Jesse Aspree (International Student Programs) and Reiko Foster (Japanese faculty) will be leading this program.
• We hosted a visit from the Chancellor of Fukushima University, Japan on Feb. 9th.  Fukushima University is interested in developing a short-term summer program for their students to experience Highline College and the Pacific Northwest.
• In our effort to support student access, Public Safety is offering mass transit subsidy incentives of up to $50 per quarter.  So far this winter quarter, we have distributed $872 to qualified students.
• Public Safety conducted five (5) response readiness drills (in January) across the campus to prepare for any unanticipated intrusions and disturbances on campus.  Public Safety also followed up with in-person visits to class to answer questions from students and faculty, as well as to evaluate any communication discrepancies and confusions.

STRATEGIC GOAL 3 & GOAL 4: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND CULTURE/CAPACITY

• All exterior light poles, except three, have been updated/repaired and are operating as normal.  Three unrepairable light poles may need to be completely replaced or extensively reworked (requiring trenching and/or running new power lines).
• As part of our strategic planning priorities, we have completed classroom inventory for ADA furniture.  The next step will be to determine the budget and timeline to fully provide all classrooms with at least one set of ADA furniture.
• Per state law, the College has submitted our 15-year decarbonization plan to Washington Department of Commerce.  Given the State challenging fiscal environment, it is uncertain at this point if such plan will be accepted and approved with associated funding.
• Per our recent Accessibility audit, Facilities is engaging with McGranahan Architects to determine scope and cost for addressing various deficiencies relating to accessibility.
• Public Safety and Des Moines Police Department signed an updated Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on January 12, 2026, to ensure partnership on campus safety. The MOU defined roles for the police department and Public Safety for jurisdiction on crimes, unified emergency response, and processes as outlined by the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act) and Title IX of the Higher Education Amendment of 1972. The MOU further allows information sharing for timely warning and interoperable communications for emergencies.
• The College is exploring options for long-term financial sustainability of the Bookstore.  One of the options is to evaluate a contracted model, similar to the partnership several other colleges in our system have with Barnes & Noble.  A Request for Proposal is being prepared to solicit proposals from interested vendors.

FISCAL & BUDGET

• The 2nd Quarter Financial Report is being submitted to the Board for review.  As of December 31, 2025, the College ended the second quarter in an excellent financial position.  This will allow us to prepare for the upcoming budget planning process on a positive note.
• Finance team is in the process of preparing our financial statements to submit to the State Auditor’s Office by the April 1st deadline for the next round of audit.
• Budget Advisory Council held its first meeting on Feb 5th in preparation for the next budget planning cycle.

Report submitted by Vice President of Administrative Services, Dr. Michael Pham