Area Report for Board of Trustees

Spring quarter is off to a beautiful start. Salmonberries and flowering currants brighten the landscape, and Highline’s enrollment for the quarter is stronger than it was a year ago at this time. Overall, enrollment is up by about 5%. ELCAP enrollment is up 6% (86 FTEs). Running Start enrollment is up 17% (157 FTEs). International student enrollment is up 3% (5 FTEs). Tuition-bearing state enrollment is up 3% overall (66 FTEs) even though BAS enrollment continues to lag significantly compared to last year at this time. We continue to be optimistic that changes in BAS program design, BAS scheduling, and BAS recruitment strategies will improve enrollment in our BAS programs next year.

The notes that follow highlight work being done by faculty and staff across our division in support of Highline’s core themes and strategic goals.

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

• The American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC) Contest was held Thursday, February 29^th 3:00-5:00 pm in building 2. Seventy-three students and two faculty took the test. This competition is held twice a year – once in the fall, then again in late winter/early spring.  The top five scorers receive a gift card.  At the end of the year, prizes and scholarships are awarded to the top teams and individuals in the nation.  About twelve Washington schools participate, along with more than 140 schools around the country.  Highline traditionally has very strong participation.
• Nate Means and Woody Moses faculty of the Life, Ocean, and General Science department are part of a USDA Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry grant called Empowering Community College Students to equitably enhance urban forests. This project is funded through the Inflation Reduction Act and has funds for things like signage for our trees, tree giveaways, and paid summer internships ($8,000 per student). The grant is managed by Joey Hulbert at WSU Puyallup. They will be leading a forest walk on the west side of the campus during Earth Week to discuss how we can rehabilitate and revitalize our forest.
• Inspired by the success that is cultivated from a tight-knit community, Highline Students and their Faculty Advisor Natalie Bjorge (Chemistry) formed the Highline’s Women in STEM Club. Their goal is to create a space for women in male-dominated fields to support one another academically and socially. They provide our members with opportunities, information, the ability to meet professionals, but, most importantly, a sense of belonging and friendship. Pictures are below of recent club meeting.

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

• The Cybersecurity Competition Club performed very well at PRCCDC on the weekend of March 23 – 24. They placed 4^th out of 11 teams. Last year they placed 6^th out of 8 teams, so that’s excellent progress. It was an amazing weekend of competition. We received very positive comments about professionalism, problem-solving for injects, and creative thinking in reviving services knocked out by the Red Team. Oh, and they beat nemesis UW Bothell. Kudos all around, especially to advisor Michael Meyers!

(The cybersecurity club at the competition)

• The Kenyon-Hoffman Western Washington Mathematics Conference took place at Highline on February 23. It featured 18 wonderful student talks, a great keynote speaker, and about 90 people in attendance. The Mathematics Department and the Highline Foundation supported this event.
• Highline Engineering students built cars from household supplies as part of improving the ongoing peer mentoring program between Highline and UWT. These activities are supported by a transfer partnership grant from the University of Washington’s Community College Research Initiatives (CCRI).  (Photos below)

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

• Tim Storrey of the CWU Teach STEM program visited Highline to help encourage students to consider teaching science at community colleges. Their visit included a tour of the Campus Dinosaur Tracks, Thunder Maker Space, Mathematics Learning Space, and the MaST Center Aquarium. As he noted, it “afforded us an opportunity to recognize the excellence in student learning you are achieving at HCC. Most importantly, we met the kind, caring, and thoughtful humans of your institution who provided these CWU M.Ed. students with a vision of seriously considering a future in teaching at the collegiate level!”
• Under the leadership of Oussama (Sam) Alkalili, Highline College and the Highline Table Tennis Club are exploring the possibility of supporting the Federal Way School District to create a varsity table tennis team. Table Tennis is now a varsity sport and the second 2023-24 Washington State High School Table Tennis Championships will be on Saturday April 20, 2024, at the Tacoma Table Tennis Club; Sam is one of the advanced players and also an executive board member of TTTC.
• On March 14, Ahmed Fahad hosted twelve international English language educators and program administrators who were visiting Seattle on a U.S. Department of State professional exchange program called the “Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Exchange Program.” The visiting educators came from a range of countries including Peru, Uruguay, Brazil, Tanzania, North Macedonia, Armenia, Indonesia, and Japan. Ahmed, along with two other ELCAP faculty, received the group, and gave them a campus tour. They also requested to see students and observe a class. The feedback they shared about their visit to Highline was very positive.
• We are excited to share that Highline College’s partnership with Seattle Children’s Hospital for the NAC Summer program is thriving. For the third year, 12-14 pre-nursing students from the University of Washington are benefiting from Seattle Children’s support, covering tuition, supplies, and all associated fees.
• Highlights include – Financial Support: Seattle Children’s is generously funding the program, eliminating financial barriers for students. Temporary Positions: Upon completion, students secure temporary roles at Seattle Children’s Hospital while continuing their education. Path to Permanent Employment: The goal is to transition students into permanent CNA positions at the hospital.
• Past Success: Over 25 students have successfully completed the program in the past two years, with many securing permanent positions while still in school. This partnership showcases the power of collaboration in addressing the need for skilled healthcare professionals. We appreciate Seattle Children’s ongoing support.
• The next Bring Your Kids To College workshop on STEM will be on April 27th will be our third Earth Day and it marks 2 years of running the program. We had 56 participants at the “Art meets STEM” workshop in March, and 164 in February, making our total 1082 participants since that first Earth Day.

Core Theme 4: CULTURE & CAPACITY: Promote a campus culture which fosters equity and inclusivity supporting employee growth and development, and institutional capacity for transformation.

• A new faculty in residence has joined the EdTech department for spring quarter. Laura Soracco, English, will be working with her colleagues on how to build community and collaboration in online courses. Faculty in residence are college faculty who are given release time to build our capacity to use technology in support of high-impact teaching practices.
• As Laura starts her term, we’d like to thank Maurea Brown for many years of supporting faculty in her role as faculty in residence. She’s transitioning back to teaching. As faculty in residence, she focused on developing technology skills among ELCAP faculty, and was critical to the transition of these courses to remote teaching during the early days of the pandemic. We’ll miss her!

Division Honors and Awards

• Jacob Selander (Geology Faculty) has been named Second Vice President of the Pacific Northwest Section of the National Association of Geoscience Teachers

Mission Statement: As a South King County college striving for social justice, Highline College partners with global students as they envision, plan and achieve their educational and professional goals.