Area Report for Board of Trustees

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

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

• As part of the “Follow the Supply Chain to Vietnam” study abroad program, I facilitated a workshop on Vietnamese culture to prepare the student cohort for their trip to Vietnam in September. The workshop was held at the SSA Marine Terminal in Seattle as part of the Port tour on August 5^th.
• While I could not accompany the cohort to Vietnam this year, Sam Kaplan and Kaitlin Bermingham led 26 students and staff, from six participating colleges to Vietnam between September 3^rd and 11^th. As part of the program, the students had the opportunity to visit SOVICO Group, one of largest private conglomerates in Vietnam. The current chairwoman, Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, also founded VietJet Airlines, was the first Vietnamese female billionaire.
• This will be the last year for the Follow the Supply Chain to Vietnam study abroad program in its current format. We are exploring options to evolve the program into a credited course for 2027.
• For the first time in several years, we had no motor vehicle theft reported in our 2025 Annual Clery Report. Several factors may have contributed to the decline, including additional staffing, implementation of new technology, and campus community training.
• Public Safety recently hired our new graveyard officer, Aleczander Chamberlain. His new position is funded by the Safety Management Fee (implemented last year). With Aleczander on board, we will have at least two officers on duty on all shifts (24/7).
• Facilities has completed the design work for Building 3 renovation. Permitting is expected in the next several months with actual construction to begin after January 2027.
• Facilities has completed 95% of the classroom upgrades in Building 10, including installation of new carpet, ceiling tiles, LED lights and interior painting. New classroom furniture has been ordered with estimated arrival around September 14, 2026.
• Facilities is also wrapping up our major summer project of sewer and storm line repair in East and North Parking Lots.
• As part of our efforts to beautify the campus, Facilities is both repairing the sprinkler system and installing grass (hydroseeding) in different outdoor areas of the campus. Bark and wood chips are also being spread in other areas to control weeds.

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

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

• We are excited to announce a fully subsidized ORCA transit card program for Highline College students beginning Fall Quarter 2026. All credited students and ELCAP non-credited students will be eligible to receive an ORCA pass free of charge. The program is funded by a state proviso (ESSB 6005) with the goal of encouraging students to utilize mass transit. Public Safety Office is working in partnership with King County Metro and Washington Department of Transportation to manage the program for the academic year 2026-27. Continuation of the program beyond June 2027 will be subject to renewed funding via the proviso.
• Administrative Services held our annual divisional retreat on August 20^th. We worked on developing the departments’ work plans for FY27 but also laying the groundwork for the next strategic plan (3-5-year outlook).
• I also facilitated a retreat for the International Student Programs Department on August 26^th. The retreat focused on the “Stronger Together” theme. We went through different team activities and exercises on improving communication, active listening, and process improvement.

FISCAL & BUDGET

• The Fiscal Year 2026-27 Budget is being presented to the Board of Trustees for approval this month. The College is in a good financial position with sufficient projected resources to meet our financial obligations.
• Our Finance team wrapped up a very successful financial statement audit, with the State Auditors giving us a clean audit report. Trustee Travis Exstrom attended the exit conference on Thursday, August 27^th. A big shoutout to Stefan Feller, Director of Finance, and his team.

Report submitted by Vice President of Administrative Services, Dr. Michael Pham