Area Report for Board of Trustees

IA congratulates the Highline College Class of 2024 and to share our pride is seeing students walk across the stage at Commencement on June 13, 2024. IA members played numerous roles either directly on the planning committee or in support of a successful commencement and the impressive schedule of activities leading up to it, such as Nursing Pinning Ceremony, ACHIEVE, ISP and UMOJA Graduation, Arcturus Book Launch, and more. Additional highlights this month include the Distinguished Alumni Award, participation in Highline Promise recruitment, grant development and key meetings such as Government to Government Tribal Relations and planning for the first time Seattle Southside Chamber Leadership Conference at Highline on Friday, July 19, 2024.

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

• Awarded approximately 313,000 to more than 300 students in 2023-2024 in scholarships and emergency tuition support
• For 2024-2025, Foundation Scholarships awarded to 75 students to date.
• Awarded Emergency Tuition funding for Summer Quarter to 23 students for $13,120.

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

• Working with Seattle Southside Chamber of Commerce on planning and hosting the first Southside Leadership Conference on Friday, July 19 from 9 am-4 pm in Bldg 8.
• Working with Success Foundation on hosting Workforce Discovery Lab on Monday, August 5 for group of 18-24 high school juniors to learn about career learning options.
• VP Gerstman along with VP/Co-Acting President Penn attended statewide Government to Government summit on June 18 at Evergreen State, with SBCTC and Tribes from across Washington to learn about tribal relations and higher education.
• VP Gerstman along with VP/Co-Acting President Lardner attended Greater Seattle Partners host event at Alaska Airlines HQ on 6/20 welcoming delegations from India, Japan, South Korea, Spain and France visiting the area to learn more about doing business in our region

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

Division Honors and Achievements

• Rahma Rashid was presented with Distinguished Alumni Award at Commencement on June 13. Special thanks to Tanisha Williams for managing and leading the DAA process.
• We congratulate Ashley Kerr on competing coursework toward her Masters of Education in Higher Education from CWU. Ashley walked in CWU graduate school commencement in June and is currently working on her final project and expects to be done by end of July.
• Thanks to Dom Barnes for dedicating time this year in support of Highline Promise Partnership and High School Relations to support engagement activities with BIPOC youth from local school districts. Dom brings experience and expertise and has been a good representative of IA.
• In late June, the IA Team and Campus View residents were treated to a visit by the goats of the South Sound. Highline College facilities brings a herd of goats to campus to assist in cleaning up the wooded trail area on the Westside of campus. The owners of the Campus View Building coordinated to bring the goats to their pre-development site between Campus View and East Lot and for 8 days we watched 120 goats work through a blackberry vines and overgrown brush. Anyone can see photos and video on Highline social media channels.

Report submitted by Vice President of Institutional Advancement, Joshua Gerstman