Area Report for Board of Trustees

Student Services winds down the summer reflecting on key accomplishments made towards our goals, both as a division and throughout our numerous departments, while planning for another fruitful year ahead. This process of continuous improvement helped departmental managers and the division to build culture and capacity centered on servant leadership and equitable student success.

On the note of capacity building, multiple areas within the division are exploring grant opportunities to scale up services and resources our students deserve. In addition to the submission of the TRiO grants in July, we also submitted the King County Regional Homelessness Authority grant in August, and are researching the US Department of Education Centers of Excellence for Veterans Student Success grant. If awarded for all the grants mentioned, Highline College would receive a combined approximate total of $1.3 million dollars annually to enhance services for our first-generation and low-income college students, our students experiencing housing insecurity and domestic violence, and our student veterans.

Our Financial Aid department also made significant progress, surpassing the number of student awards packaged last year at this time. To accomplish this task with the FAFSA.gov and ctcLink challenges is a feat to be applauded.

Last but not least, multiple departments within the division are hosting/co-hosting events for both the community and our students this coming month. This includes our annual Thunderweek, and for the first time Highline College will serve as the site of our 12th Annual VA Summit on Behavioral Health, scheduled for September 13th at Highline College.

All of this wouldn’t be possible without the amazing work of our staff and the support throughout campus and our community.

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

• Dean Saechao is exploring a US Department of Education grant opportunity to expand the capacity of our Veterans Resource Center. The grant, Centers of Excellence for Veterans Student Success would provide Highline College approximately $800,000 throughout a three-year period to enhance the operational capacity and infrastructure to serve our current and prospective student veterans. There has not been a formal announcement that the grant will be made available this year. However we anticipate it will be posted in May or June 2025.
• Under the Leadership of Tina Ngo, Director of Women’s Programs WorkFirst Services, Mariela Barriga, Director of Student Success, and Dave O’Keeffe Director of Grants, the King County Regional Homelessness Authority grant was submitted in August 2024. We expect to receive the status of the grant by early Winter quarter. If awarded, Highline would receive approximately $500,000 annually to increase housing and basic needs services for our students.
• The latest IPEDS data shows that Highline College has awarded 51% of full-time degree seeking students financial aid for the latest available year (2022-2023). This is a significant increase from 2020-2021 where only 35% were awarded Financial Aid. Among other CTCs, Highline ranks among the highest percentage of students awarded financial aid.
• Despite challenges with the FAFSA.gov application portal system, our Financial Aid office has made significant progress to ensure eligible students are awarded funding this coming fall quarter. As of the end of August 2024, over 1,420 applications have been packaged, compared to 1,193 last year at this time. Please thank the Financial Aid team for all their hard work and dedication. Financial Aid would also like to thank the support they have received from campus to reach these important milestones, especially considering the technical challenges imposed by the new FAFSA application.
• The Center for Leadership and Service is working hard to kick off the new academic year with the signature Thunderweek (Sept 23-26), which provides students a host of activities that connects them with our clubs, student organizations, and student resources.

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

• Promise, TRiO Talent Search, TRiO Student Support Services, Juntos, UMand High School Engagement hosted the Annual Highline College Summer Bridge program, bringing together incoming high school graduates to our beautiful campus. Summer Bridge students focused time on building community, practicing effective academic learning techniques (time management, study skills), and spent time at our beautiful Campus View residence halls!

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

Student Services continues to build capacity and expand the educational pipeline for our community members, especially for those we need to support the most.

• Veterans Services: Highline is proud to be the host site for the 12th Annual VA Summit on Behavioral Health, scheduled for September 13th at Highline College. The Summit is hosted by the non-profit organization, Nine9line Veterans Services in partnership with the US Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Veterans Health Administration VA Puget Sound Health Care System. Many thanks to Kendall Evans, Veterans Services for bridging this partnership with Nin9line Veterans services.

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

• Throughout the month of August many departments conducted their departmental retreats to rejuvenate, to reflect and to plan. Departments such as Enrollment Services, TRiO, the Retention & Completion Services Department, and others examined what it meant to serve students equitably and to be in community. They reviewed their departmental mission and values, examined departmental data to guide planning (including their IE Plan) and continuous improvement efforts for this upcoming academic year.

Division Honors and Achievements

• We are very excited to announce that Izzy Wroblewski, our Associate Director for Community Standards & Student Conduct has been promoted to the Associate Dean of Student Life, effective September 16th! Please join us in recognizing Izzy as she leads campus in her new leadership capacity.

Report submitted by Vice President of Student Services, Dr. Jamilyn Penn