Area Report Board of Trustees

Faculty and staff in Academic Affairs are working hard to bring the quarter to a successful close. This is the quarter when curriculum changes for 23-24 are due, both courses and programs. Class schedules for Spring, and then for Summer and Fall are due. We are also working hard preparing materials so we can partner with Marketing and Communication to more effectively reach out to adults about opportunities to complete programs leading to good jobs.

Core Theme 1: ACCESS, Reduce Barriers and close equity gaps to access for all community members

On April 13, 2023, our High School School Engagement and Academic Success team, in collaboration with faculty and staff across campus, will host Highline Expo. This is a 1-day event where 11th & 12th grade students visit Highline College to learn more about our campus through our Degree Pathways workshops, resource fair, classroom presentations, and campus tours, while enjoying lunch, raffles and more. Many of the seniors that participate in this event will either identify Highline College (HC) as their post-secondary school of choice or may not have identified a post-secondary option yet. These students will receive assistance in the HC Admissions and HC Financial Aid process, help activating their HC accounts, & have an opportunity connect to Entry Advising before leaving campus. Both juniors and seniors will have the opportunity to attend workshops that highlight Degree Pathways and Student Life at Highline College.

Highline faculty and staff are participating in “Central to Your Future” on April 11 from 10am to 2pm. CWU is hosting the event in partnership with Highline College which serves to bring awareness to the different pathways into Central Washington University.  Prospective students will have the opportunity to meet both CWU and HC faculty and key services staff to learn more about programs and majors (university-wide); meet with employers in the industries to learn more about careers once they graduate; and provide workshops to help students with admissions/transferring, financial wellness, and skills to be career ready.  This is a tabling event with each table represented by both CWU and HC faculty of the program, and an industry representative that can answer questions about how they prepare for entering careers in that field.  We are inviting all students from both CWU and HC, and students from area colleges.  A bus will be provided by Westside Student Life for interested students from Pierce, Edmonds, and Everett College.

Biology faculty member Katie Baker introduced a team of administrators from HealthPoint and Academic Affairs to brainstorm partnerships that would serve current and potential students, as well as community members. Possibilities for internships, externships, and Career Launch endorsements were explored. The teams will meet again to solidify next steps in spring.

Core Theme 2: STUDENT LEARNING, Increase educational success, collaborate to improve

Interim Associate Dean for Guided Pathways Liz Word reports on the success of the newly launched College Success course. Liz report that early data from Fall Quarter 2022 tells us we are on the right track:

• 46% of students reported that they have academic plans for their next quarter
• 50% of students reported that they have an academic plan for their next two quarters
• 70% of students reported they met with an advisor
• 5% of all the students enrolled in College 101 Fall 2022 persisted from Fall to Winter 2023 (this compares favorably with the 50% F to W persistence rate for all students seeking transfer degrees in 21-22)
• 82.8% of the students identified as non-white persisted from Fall 2022 to Winter 2023

When asked about the three most valuable things they learned in College 101, students listed:

• Planning for my degree: courses, a potential advisor, a sense of a program or department, understanding of Highline’s Degree Pathways.
• Success strategies like time management and study skills (note taking)
• Information on what Highline offers (degree types, financial aid, clubs, tutoring, instructor guidance)
• Guidance on how to use technology tools (Canvas, Google, Aviso) and library resources

Faculty members who have taught this course have said:

• “My COL 101 sections continue to feed my soul and every day I learn something new and unexpected from the students.”
• “It feels good to have the time to work with students in College 101 more directly on the issues that matter to them as they move through the degree.”
• “It’s absolutely wonderful to teach self-awareness and watch students gain confidence in their ability to navigate their college experience based on who they are.”
• “The students and the work have rejuvenated my spirit!”

Highline College presented at UW-Tacoma’s “Elevate the Transfer Student Experience” on Feb 21^st at UW-Tacoma’s campus. The series, called “Elevate”, is meant to bring together complementary initiatives, share positive stories between regional partners, and look for places of collaboration or synergy between 4-yr and 2-yr institutions to support student success initiatives. The presentation from Highline was led by Dr. Aleya Dhanji (Physics) and Timur Kuzu (MESA), co-leads of an engineering transfer partnership between Highline and UW Tacoma’s School of Engineering and Technology. The project, funded by the University of Washington’s Community College Research Initiatives (CCRI), is focused on dismantling barriers that affect low-income STEM students’ successful transfer and retention. Engineering is one of the most in demand jobs in the state with a key shortage of skilled workers nationwide. By creating a partnership to increase the pipeline of engineering students from Highline to UW Tacoma, this project will be responsive to the needs of the community and workforce. Current areas of focus for the project are:

• Academic & Transfer Advising – to help students navigate college systems and transfer policies
• Recruitment & Career Awareness – to increase representation of BIPOC students in engineering and showcase diverse career options that meet students’ needs, goals and values
• Data Sharing & Student Input – to identify structural inequalities and track student persistence, engineering identity and sense of belonging

About 30 students participated in the AMATYC (American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges) Math Competition on March 2nd. The top eight scorers will receive gift cards.  At the end of the year, prizes and scholarships are awarded to the top teams and individuals in the nation. Terry Meerdink (Mathematics) coordinated the contest with support from many math and other Pure and Applied Science instructors on campus.

We are excited to announce Highline’s 2^nd Annual Math Week March 13-16 which is a collaboration between the math department, physics program, library and MESA to host fun events around math showing students how math can be applied in real-life, and humanizing math. Each day features a different event at a different location on campus where students can learn about math, win prizes and build community with faculty, staff and other students. All are welcome!

• Day 1 – March 13^th, 12-1pm – Building 25 (Library) – Answer the Math Week Library Whiteboard question and spin the library pi prize wheel for pi buttons or real pie! Explore the Library’s Math Week book display any time during the week and learn about math research resources!
• Day 2 – March 14^th, any time between 12:30 – 3:00pm, 3rd floor of Building 26 – Get some Pizza Pie! Compete in the digits of pi contest (how many digits of π do YOU know?), and our contest to name the study space on the third floor of building 26!  Give a try at math puzzles!
• Day 3 – March 15^th, 11am-5pm Building 29, 3rd Floor, Physics of Electricity and Magnetism! Come see math in action, and get some PI stickers! The students of physics 202 invite you to come see their posters on everything from bioelectricity of sharks and bees, computer memory, smashing crystals, the Aurora, touch screens and more.
• Day 4 – March 16, 3-5 pm MESA Center (bldg 25, rm 633), Unit Circle Food Challenge! Are you ready to test your unit circle knowledge? Stop by the MESA Center to label the degrees, radians, and coordinates on circular food. Enjoy your circle once completed!

After a long hiatus during the pandemic, the Pure and Applied Science division is bringing back Science Seminar. Each week, faculty and experts from different fields give an interactive talk to students and the public on a current topic/issue in the news or in science research. Some examples of topics we have had in the past include the chemistry of chocolate, physics of epidemics, science of sleep, cryptography, local effects of climate change, and earthquake proofing buildings, etc. The seminars will take place each Monday afternoon at 2pm and will be both in-person and streamed live via Zoom.

Core Theme 3: COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS, Create a more inclusive working environment and a more valued, visible relationship with communities we serve

On Wednesday, March 1, about 50 students from Auburn Mountainview Highschool visited Highline to learn about electromagnets with Dr. Aleya Dhanji (Physics), earthquake engineering with Dr. Eric Baer (Geology), and law with Bruce Lamb (Paralegal).  The teachers said it was the best visit they have had because of all the hands-on activities.

The next Bring Your Kids to College workshop on Saturday, March 18^th from 11am to 1pm in the ThunderLab Makerspace (16-106). Sponsored by the Pure and Applied Science Division and the Physics Club, and organized by lab staff Stephaney Puchalski and Mariola Kulaweic, this month’s workshop is all about the science of phase changes through exploration of the states of matter – Liquids, Solids & Gases. Come learn through hands-on activities and experiments with various household materials to make non-Newtonian fluids, polymers, and more. Yes, this means slime! Lots and lots of slime!  PLUS you’ll be able to make elephant toothpaste, build a balloon powered car, watch a chemical reaction, read up on Stephanie Kwolek (who?), and much more. The event is FREE.

On March 1, 2023 one of our local employers Expeditors International came to Highline College and spoke to students and faculty regarding future paid internship opportunities. Mary Kajoka along with Expeditor’s representatives worked together to provide this opportunity for our students. We look forward to working Expeditors and building a strong partnership.

Division Honors and Achievements

Umoja was awarded the Excellence Award at the Black Male Academic Achievement Conference for the work we do with Black students on Highline College’s campus. Over the last several years our program has continued to prosper and grow. Focusing on one of the Umoja heartbeat practices: The Ethic of Love – students know they have a place of belonging and cultural understanding. A question was asked recently at a conference; How do you know your program is successful? One of the responses was: When other students start referring and bringing their friends to participate. We have had students do just that. They bring their family and friends to participate in the community. Our program has doubled from Fall 2021- Fall 2022!

Eric Baer (Geology) recently published an article about lessons learned from a workshop that was part of the SAGE 2YC project (the recently completed NSF-funded project that Highline has been leading to support geoscience faculty at community colleges). Eos, where this is published is the science news magazine of the American Geophysical Union – the largest professional organization of earth and space scientists.  It goes out to all 130,000 members. https://eos.org/science-updates/strategies-for-successful-collaborative-writing  Baer, E. M. D., K. M. Layou, R. H. Macdonald, and S. L. Zuber (2023), Strategies for successful collaborative writing, Eos, 104, ttps://doi.org/10.1029/2023EO230078. Published on 3 March 2023.

Rickitia Reid, Director of Workforce & Professional Technical Programs, Dr. Paulette Lopez, Dean of Workforce Programs, and Dr. Tanya Powers, Associate Dean of BAS Programs, represented Highline College at the 2023 Community College Baccalaureate Association’s (CCBA) Annual conference in Palm Springs, CA last month.  Highline and Dr. Powers were recognized in her submission of Promising Practice in the CCBA’s new eBook on “Removing Bias in Admissions.” Community College Baccalaureate Association’s new eBook: 20 Promising Practices to Advance Quality, Equity, and Success in Community College Baccalaureate Degree Programs.

Report submitted by Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dr. Emily Lardner