Board of Trustees Meeting

Location and Time

Highline College
District 9
2400 South 240th Street
Des Moines, WA 98198

Study Session (Building 25, Room 411): 8 a.m.
General Session (Building 25, Boardroom): 10 a.m.

Attendees

Board of Trustees: Chair Bob Roegner, Vice Chair Fred Mendoza, Dan Altmayer, Sili Savusa and Debrena Jackson Gandy present.

Executive Staff: Josh Gerstman, Dr. John Mosby, Michael Pham, Danielle Slota, Dr. Jeff Wagnitz and Sue Williamson present.

Bruce Marvin (AAG) present.

Minutes

Study Session call to order: 8:05 a.m.

Topics of discussion

• Discussion on campus housing (Campus View)
• ACCT, Dan Altmayer Elect Board Member, report from Trustee Altmayer, Trustee Mendoza, and President Mosby
• Election results
• Veterans Day events on campus
• University of Washington Tacoma/Highline College Center in Federal Way
• Action items: none

Study Session adjournment: 9:50 a.m.

General Session call to order: 10:10 a.m.

Approval of minutes

Trustee Mendoza motioned to approve the minutes from the September 20, 2018, meeting. Trustee Savusa seconded the motion. Hearing no objections the minutes were approved. There was no regularly scheduled meeting in October 2018.

Opportunity for public comment

There were no individuals who wished to offer public commentary for this meeting.

Correspondence

President Mosby had no correspondence to report.

Standing reports

Associated Students of Highline College: Max Brown

• Mr. Brown thanked the board for the opportunity to speak and introduced ASHC Vice President Chalisa Thompson.
• Ms. Thompson mentioned after her time at Highline College she plans on transferring to the University of Washington and eventually moving into the workforce in community engagement.

  Trustee Jackson Gandy thanked Ms. Thompson for representing Highline College so well. She complimented Ms. Thompson on her poise and elegance while representing the college.

• Mr. Brown went on to share the Associated Students of Highline College’s vision statement as follows: “As the Associated Students of Highline College, we are committed to breaking barriers. We dedicate ourselves to providing honest, accurate and culturally responsive representation for all students. We aspire to create equitable access on all levels, and continuously strive to keep students at the forefront of our work.”
• Mr. Brown shared some highlights of LGBTQIA week, including workshops on LGBTQIA communities that focused on gender, sexuality and health. He noted there were about 30 students in attendance at each workshop.
• Additionally Mr. Brown spoke about ASHC involvement: Student Legislative Action Committee (SLAC), Highline College Legislative Breakfast, S&A Committee, and WACTCSA. He also mentioned another upcoming event: Legislative Academy (Nov. 16-17).

Washington Public Employees Association: No representation
No report provided.

Highline College Education Association: Sue Frantz

• Wrap-up for fall quarter: Looking at what worked well and what can be improved.
• Green Week: Many presentations on campus. Participation in clean-up event was well attended by faculty and staff.

  Trustee Savusa commented on the positive relationship between the college and the union. Ms. Frantz responded that the culture at Highline College is different than many other institutions. It is a culture that supports innovation and this institution is truly built on relationships.

  Trustee Altmayer congratulated Ms. Frantz on giving a keynote speech in Sydney, Australia.

Faculty Senate: Erik Scott

• Senate has been discussing first week non-attendance policy. Mr. Scott mentioned that the discussion also included the aspects of online classes and the repercussion this policy holds for those instances. They have been gathering input from faculty across the campus on how to handle online classes regarding this policy.
• There was a recent presentation by Ms. Nicki Bly on some changes in BAS in Respiratory Care and how changes in industry are shifting away from the AAS and moving toward a preference for an AAS-T.
• Ms. Tammy Hilton, Dr. Tanya Powers, and Dr. Wendy Swyt spoke to the senate and introduced what is being done in developing a degree in BAS in Integrated Design.
• Mr. Scott noted that he participates in the FACT organization (faculty senate at state level), which is similar to the WACTC organization, but with faculty. One part of the presentation dealt with advocacy around education issues in Olympia. A takeaway recommendation is to develop a local advocacy team that includes all sectors, making it more representative of all areas of a college, beyond just union concerns.

Highline Foundation: VP Josh Gerstman

• VP Gerstman highlighted thank you letters from students who have been empowered through scholarships and emergency funds.
• The Foundation board welcomes new board member, Mr. John Van Hersett.
• Campus View student housing through the Foundation LLC coming soon.
• Legislative breakfast will be November 27.
• Giving Tuesday, also on November 27, will raise money for emergency book needs.

Board report

Mr. Sam Kaplan, director of the Center of Excellence in Global Trade and Supply Chain Management, presented. He thanked Ms. Kaitlin Bermingham and Ms. Jasmine Ray for their contributions. The mission for the Center of Excellence is to help develop a workforce for the global trade and supply chain sector. Mr. Kaplan noted that the Center of Excellence (COE) acts as a broker for information to the community and industry and other constituencies.

Mr. Kaplan noted that 40% of Washington state jobs are tied to international trade and many pay well.

In order to support the sector, Mr. Kaplan presented the following reommendations:

• Invest in curriculum and training for students to use new technology tools.
• Support internships and apprenticeships.
• Work to increase the pipeline of truck drivers.
• Ensure soft skills are included in education and training opportunities.
• Engage employers that represent all industries in the economy for talent placement.
• Offer training programs in warehousing and freight forwarding.

He also mentioned that Highline College is working on offering a Supply Chain Study Abroad program and that the college hopes to offer a 25-credit certificate in Purchasing Supply Chain Management based on Shoreline Community College’s program.

Trustee Mendoza asked about how the programs manage the infrastructure to provide some of the training. Mr. Kaplan explained that they work with industry and through those partnerships they create access to technology and machines.

Trustee Jackson Gandy asked how the center is connecting to students for the job matching and internship opportunities. Mr. Kaplan explained there is a small group that is focused on that issue with some of the companies looking for interns.

Action items

No action items.

Area reports

Administrative Services: VP Michael Pham

• VP Pham welcomed VP Gerstman to Highline and his first Board of Trustees’ meeting.
• He announced Mr. David Menke and the Public Safety office are hosting the third annual Coffee with a Cop in Building 8. Local law enforcement agencies will participate. The goal is for the college to continue a collaborative relationship with law enforcement. He noted there would be doughnuts.

Academic Affairs: VP Jeff Wagnitz

• Dr. Wagnitz echoed VP Pham’s welcome of VP Gerstman in his new role as Vice President for Institutional Advancement.
• In a follow-up to his written report, he presented a handout on Career Start. Career Start provides an avenue for pursuing an industry while still in high school.
• Green Week: Thank you to the faculty for their presentations on sustainable chocolate and LGBTQIA Week with a number of faculty and staff participating.
• Core themes of inclusion and diversity: The College continues to work in instruction around issues of accessibility. The Accessibility Task Force put on a summer institute with a session on making sure the technology used in the classroom is accessible to everybody.

Student Services: VP Jeff Wagnitz

• Dr. Wagnitz recognized the leadership group in Student Services — Ms. Iesha Valencia, Ms. Lorraine Odom, Ms. Jennifer Scanlon, Mr. Ay Saechao and Ms. Deana Rader — for their collegiality, for their willingness to work, and for making a difference.
• VP Wagnitz noted that Ms. Dena Dillan, Executive Assistant to the Vice President, has been super welcoming and supportive.
• TRiO Welcome Day event: It was a wonderful chance to hang out with students.
• International Students Program: They’ve been through some transitions. Now they are under the Student Services division. VP Wagnitz thanked them all for their patience and thanked Ms. June Stacey Clemmons for providing guidance through this transition.

Institutional Advancement: VP Josh Gerstman

• Thanked the Highline campus for warm welcome.
• VP Gerstman recognized Ms. Kari Coglon Cantey for her excellent work in communications getting Highline College in the news (in a positive way). He also acknowledged the good work on the social media coverage and advertising for the college, with Mr. Tony Johnson as Director of Marketing and Design.
• Center of Excellence and SBDC are now under the umbrella of Institutional Advancement.

Trustee Jackson Gandy gave her sincere thanks to VP Wagnitz for stepping in the interim role as VP of Student Services.

Trustee Savusa also welcomed VP Gerstman and celebrated the work of Start Zone. She noted how especially important it is in White Center to support small business owned by people of color. She stated that the support is much needed.

President’s remarks

President Mosby expressed thanks to the many people in the community and institution for their hard work. Trustee Altmayer was elected to the board of the ACCT. President Mosby recently attended a conference with Trustee Altmayer and Trustee Mendoza. He mentioned how Washington was well represented and how proud he was to be there.

President Mosby also recently attended the 23rd annual Faculty and Staff of Color conference in Blaine, Washington. He noted the pride and community spirit from the faculty and staff who attended and that Highline College was well represented. He mentioned that as well attended as the event was by Highline College, he would like to see even more next year in Spokane, and will be working with the College to make that happen.

Especially notable was Trustee Jackson Gandy’s participation on a panel, offering advice and connections. She also held workshops at the conference. President Mosby noticed that her rooms were packed with people. He expressed his thanks for the great work she was able to do there.

Additionally, President Mosby mentioned Dr. Daryl Brice, who received faculty member of the year award. It was noted that Dr. Brice received a standing ovation. He commended Dr. Brice on his dedication and love of teaching.

President Mosby thanked Chair Roegner and Trustee Jackson Gandy for their participation at the ACT Fall Conference and said he looks forward to the spring conference.

President Mosby welcomed VP Gerstman and said that he looked forward to his leadership in Institutional Advancement. He also spoke about the upcoming addition of Dr. Sy Ear, who would be starting soon as Interim VP in Student Services.

He echoed the thanks of others to VP Wagnitz for stepping in during the gap in leadership in Student Services and for bringing out the best in that division. He also offered his thanks to VP Wagnitz for being a wonderful role model – one of balance, poise and professionalism.

He stated that his office is expanding, referring to the announcement sent earlier in the week, announcing that Ms. Danielle Slota will be starting in a few weeks as the new Special Assistant to the President. He mentioned in the past the position was named Chief of Staff, but he decided to change the name to reflect the work coming out of the President’s Office and to be respectful of words. He also announced that Ms. Amy Snydar would be the new Administrative Assistant to the President. He thanked Ms. Snydar, noting that from day one, she had been his contact and answered all his questions along the way. He went on to say that he was happy and proud to remove the tag of “interim” from her title.

President Mosby also thanked Mr. Kendall Evans and the Veterans Center for outstanding Veterans Day events. He went on to thank Mr. Dave Weber for putting on the “Serve the Vets” event. He gave thanks to all those who have served. He also thanked the board members for modeling what it means to be a leader at the college.

President Mosby recently had dinner with Secretary of State Kim Wyman, along with others. He noted it was wonderful to sit and break bread while discussing important topics and challenges. He also mentioned the YES! Foundation of White Center fundraising dinner where he sat with families and community members, many of whom have connections to Highline. He mentioned that the White Center community treat folks as though they are welcoming them home.

In closing, he mentioned how happy and thankful he is to serve as president, to serve the college and its students, locally, regionally, and nationally. He expressed that it is indeed an honor.

New business

No new business was discussed.

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 11:30 a.m.

Minutes Signed and Approved

The meeting minutes from November 15, 2018, were approved and signed into record by Chair Bob Roegner and President John R. Mosby on December 13, 2018, at 11:29 a.m.

Mission Statement: As a public institution of higher education serving a diverse community in a multicultural world and global economy, Highline College promotes student engagement, learning, and achievement, integrates diversity and globalism throughout the college, sustains relationships within its communities, and practices sustainability in human resources, operations, and teaching and learning.