Highline College

Explore Highline College

Connect with Highline College

Toggle Sliding Bar Area

Highline College Logo
Apply Now

December 11, 2025: Academic Affairs

Home/Area Reports, Division: Academic Affairs, Meeting 12-11-25/December 11, 2025: Academic Affairs
2025-12-04T15:12:02+00:00 Print Page

December 11, 2025: Academic Affairs

Area Report for Board of Trustees

As we conclude the Fall 2025 quarter, Academic Affairs continues to advance our institutional priorities through four core themes: Access, Student Learning, Community Partnerships, and Culture & Capacity. At the same time, I want to acknowledge the weight and complexity of this time and recognize all that our campus community is navigating together.

I especially want to honor the deep advocacy of so many faculty and staff who have stepped forward in powerful ways to support students, particularly around financial aid, as our students start and/or continue their educational journeys at Highline College. In particular, I wish to acknowledge Monica LeMoine, Dr. Ann Korn, and Dr. Sangeeta Sangha, among many others, for their leadership and commitment to student success.

In addition, the Executive Cabinet will be launching Fall Quarter Listening Sessions in December. These sessions are intended to create space for the campus community, individually and collectively, with EC leadership. What we learn from these conversations will help shape how we address concerns and move forward together as a campus community.

Lastly, I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations and deep gratitude to Dr. James Peyton as he steps out of his role as HCEA President this Fall 2025. He stepped into this role in 2016! It has been a true honor to be in community with him now and over many years. Dr. Peyton has taught me so much about what it means to lead with integrity, courage, and grace. He models advocacy, demonstrates a commitment to fairness, uses his voice for those who cannot, and consistently leads with bravery and collaboration.

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

  • Eric Baer (geology faculty), Jenni Sandler (associate dean of accessibility resources), Dr. Steven Simpkins (director of nursing), and Beth Carter (director of faculty advising) serve on the Financial Aid Advisory Committee, with Beth serving as co-lead/chair.
  • The Financial Aid Advisory Committee is dedicated to addressing long-term issues related to policies, processes, and communications from the Financial Aid Office. The committee will meet monthly through December 2026 to support sustainable improvements.

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

  • The Teaching Innovation Development Lab (TIDL) recently completed pilot testing of two learning technology tools. The tools were chosen because they had the potential to enable culturally sustaining and inclusive instructional practices and to reduce the amount of AI-generated content submitted for activities.
    • Hypothes.is enables students to collaboratively annotate documents assigned by instructors. It’s like highlighting with the added benefit of peer conversation.
    • Canvas Studio is a video tool that enables instructors to post short videos which students then comment on and discuss just like using a social media reel. It also makes it easier for students to post video responses to assignments.
  • We are currently working with ITS to finalize contract negotiations for the tools and expect them to be fully available before winter quarter.

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

  • To support the 2026–2028 Comprehensive Learning Needs Assessment (CLNA), which identifies strategic priorities for workforce programs and informs annual Perkins funding decisions, the Workforce team collaborated with four neighboring colleges on a regional survey of community stakeholders, including employers, K–12 partners, parents, students, members of the Muckleshoot Tribe, community-based organizations, and labor groups. For broad and inclusive participation, we also sought campus-specific insights by meeting with departments across the college, including Equity, Diversity and Transformation, Outreach & Advising, the Career Center, Funding, Continuing Education, the Library, IT & Educational Technology, ELCAP, Accessibility Services, and faculty from each workforce program.
  • An MOU with CWU has been put in place, establishing a pathway from our BAS Business Management into CWU’s Master’s in Business Administration and the Master’s in Professional Accountancy degree programs. Special thanks to Business faculty at Highline including Mary Kajoka and Cathy Cartwright and CWU Business faculty including Han Donker and Fang Wang.

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

  • I will be holding: Online Office Hours: December 4, 2:00–3:00 pm and In-Person Listening Session: December 8, 9:00–10:00 am to connect, collaborate and listen.
  • Tanya Powers (Associate Dean for BAS programs) has been selected to be an evaluator with the Northwest Commission of Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) and has attended the training at the NWCCU annual conference.

Report submitted by Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dr. Rolita Ezeonu