Area Report to the Board of Trustees
Well, Commencement is upon us and shortly, hundreds of students will receive their certificates and diplomas, increasing the already amazing number of 350,000+ alumni community. Like all of you, I look forward to recognizing the hard work of our students as we celebrate their efforts. In addition, I want to highlight our various staff and faculty for their exceptional work as the quarter concludes.
Close to 60 staff and faculty from across campus recently returned from the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in American Higher Education (NCORE), which serves as the leading national forum on issues of ethnicity and race in American higher education. This year, NCORE was held in Portland, Oregon. Over 5,000 professionals and students attended, and Highline College was one of the most well-represented colleges at the conference. A group of Highline staff and faculty provided a conference presentation to a packed room of attendees. The workshop, titled “Creating Space on Campus for Black & Brown Youth,” was an engaging and thoughtful presentation and as President, I was quite proud of the team. Many thanks to Loyal Allen Jr., Mariela Barriga, Rashad Norris, Rickitia Reid and Tanisha Williams for their excellent and powerful work.
Starting in late May and during the next two weeks, our campus is filled with student celebrations: ACHIEVE Capstone Showcase, Arcturus Literary Arts Journal Launch Party, Art and Design Portfolio Show, Nursing Program Pinning, Respiratory Care Pinning and Student Legacy Awards Ceremony. Various programs also hold end-of-the-year celebrations and recognition events during this time: Jumpstart, ACHIEVE, International Student Programs, Puente, TRiO, Umoja and Youth Re-engagement and Success Program. These festivities all lead to Commencement, June 13. I encourage you to attend these wonderful opportunities to see our students shine one last time before summer.
And we’re excited to have Dr. Emily Lardner join us as the new Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs. Dr. Lardner brings a wealth of experience across many higher education levels and we look forward to her leadership and vision. The college will host a meet and greet for her on Tuesday, June 11, 3:30–4:30 p.m., giving our campus some time to meet Dr. Lardner before Commencement and summer break. I hope you all can join us.
Lastly, I want to recognize Christie Knighton, one of our faculty members who attended the NISOD International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence last month in Austin, Texas. Ms. Knighton received an Excellence in Teaching Award and in her message to me said, “This conference was excellent. I’m filled with inspiration and hope and look forward to getting back into the classroom summer quarter when I return from my sabbatical.” Congratulations to her on a well-deserved honor and representing us across the country. This energy and commitment to service is one I’ve felt since my first day on this campus. And it’s only fitting to end this academic year with hope and inspiration for always serving our students first, never settling and always providing the best opportunities for our communities.