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 and Debrena Jackson Gandy present. Dan Altmayer and Sili Savusa absent.

Executive Staff: Dr. Sy Ear, 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.

Discussion included Campus View Ribbon Cutting, Winter Luncheon and the Transforming Lives Dinner. Action item included approval of the 2019 Highline College Board of Trustees meeting schedule.

Executive Session

There was no Executive Session scheduled for this meeting.

General Session call to order: 10:18 a.m.

Chair Roegner noted that Trustee Savusa and Trustee Altmayer were not in attendance however the three trustees present represented a quorum.

Approval of minutes

Trustee Mendoza motioned to approve the regularly scheduled meeting minutes from November 15, 2018. Trustee Jackson Gandy seconded the motion. The minutes were approved.

Introduction of new employees

Interim Vice President of Student Services – Dr. Sy Ear
Special Assistant to the President – Ms. Danielle Slota

Public comment

There were no public comments.

President correspondence

There were no correspondence to report.

Standing reports

Associated Students of Highline College: Max Brown
Mr. Brown provided the Board of Trustees with information on recent activities of the ASHC.

• ASHC Legislative Breakfast
  • 4 Student Speakers
  • Student roundtable discussions
  • Legislators in attendance were: Senator Keiser and Representative Orwall
  • Guests: Board Chair Roegner and Trustee Altmayer

• Student Leader of the Month Quarterly Summary
  • September – Mohammaed Guenou
  • October – Minho Kim
  • November – Lwam Medhane

• ASHC Appointments and Improvements
  • Capital Projects Committee recruitment
  • S&A Committee recruitment & interviews
  • Student Legislative Action Committee
  • Student Lead Environmental Initiative

• Upcoming Events
  • Finals (Dec. 10-14)
  • First ASHC meeting of Winter Quarter (Jan. 8)

Washington Public Employees Association: No representation
No report.

Highline College Education Association: Dr. James Peyton

• End of fall quarter and Finals; Thinking about what can be improved. Many classes planned for winter quarter. There have been changes in enrollment patterns. A couple of our librarians looked at information on assessments and literacy training and are thinking about assessments. He thanked everyone at the institution who really help with these types of projects that faculty perform. From these sessions they discovered they need to improve their outreach efforts.
• The faculty contract that was negotiated last year has really set the stage for positive action including better compensation and different contractual arrangements and has proven to be more positive than imagined initially.

  Trustee Jackson Gandy mentioned serving as a panelist at the Faculty and Staff of Color Conference early in the year, it was very good to be able to mention that Highline had just increased the budget for professional development, which is a result of that new contract.

  Trustee Mendoza asked about the changes in enrollment patterns. Dr. Peyton responded that there has been a softening in enrollment similar to that seen statewide.

Faculty Senate: Erik Scott

• Mr. Scott mentioned at the last board meeting he brought up the issue of the first week non-attendance policy. Especially with regard to online classes. There is not really a clarification of “attendance” in an online class vs. an in person class.
• The Senate was interested in making this more consistent across campus. There is currently no clear consensus. The investigation included Ms. Stephanie Ojeda Ponce speaking with Ms. Lorraine Odom and Ms. Cheryl Smotherman in registration to discuss the implications and how this policy plays out with students right now.
• Consistency in communication with students from the faculty and the institution is a concern. Senate has formed a sub-committee to take a deeper dive into communication practices.

Highline Foundation: VP Josh Gerstman

• VP Gerstman extended his thanks to Board Chair Roegner and Trustees Mendoza and Jackson Gandy for their participation in the ribbon cutting earlier in the morning at the Campus View Student Housing building.
• Noting the flexibility the HC Foundation offers he shared that because of the flexibility of emergency funding, Highline College students were able to put on a flu vaccination clinic and was able to pay for vaccines for students in need.
• During Giving Tuesday on Nov. 27, the HC Foundation was able to raise $7500.00 for emergency book support.

Board report

Ms. Deana Rader, director of Women’s Programs and WorkFirst Services, provided an overview of these programs at Highline College to the Board of Trustees. She began by sharing the program’s mission:

“Highline College Women’s Programs and WorkFirst Services primary goal is to promote student success by creating an accessible, safe and welcoming environment to all students and our surrounding community. We empower students through guidance and academic support services to access resources, achieve educational and employment goals and obtain academic credentials.”

Ms. Rader noted that 8 in 10 single parent families are headed by women; Women are more likely to be unemployed during a recession than are men; Women are more likely to be laid off when companies downsize; More women than men work low-wage, part-time jobs; Fewer women than men meet the eligibility qualifications for unemployment benefits (because they earn lower wages and are often only given part-time hours); During a recession men’s median salaries are stagnant but women’s salaries have already dropped 3%. For these reasons and more, Ms. Rader stated, having these programs helps people be better able to provide for themselves and their families.

Action item

A motion to approve calendar dates for year 2019 Board of Trustees Meetings was made by Trustee Mendoza and seconded by Trustee Jackson Gandy. The motion passed and the dates were approved.

• January 24
• February 21
• March (to be determined)
• April 18
• May 16
• June 13
• July 18
• August – No meeting
• September 19
• October (to be determined)
• November 21
• December 12

Remarks

Chair Roegner wished to recognize the accomplishment of having Campus View open to students, after four years of effort. He thanked VP Pham for his leadership on the project and VP Gerstman for his role in the ribbon cutting event earlier that morning.

Area reports

Administrative Services: VP Michael Pham

• VP Pham acknowledged that the state auditors would be on campus December 19, 2018 for the Entrance Conference. He noted that Trustee Jackson Gandy would be on hand to meet with them. (Please see the letter in the board materials packet.)
• VP Pham deferred the remainder of his remarks to his previously submitted written report to the board.

Academic Affairs: VP Jeff Wagnitz

• VP Wagnitz shared a story of a former student from the paralegal program, who is now with the Attorney General’s Office. The student noted the instruction at Highline was outstanding and truly helped them make a career change.

Student Services: Interim VP Sy Ear

• VP Ear thanked the board. He shared a little about himself noting he has been in the community college system for 20 years. He said he felt it is a privilege to serve the community colleges. He went on to say that he operates on the foundation of equity and inclusion.
• For further information, please see VP Ear’s written report.

Institutional Advancement: VP Josh Gerstman

• VP Gerstman noted that the Black and Brown Male Summit had 350 youth and 150 adults in attendance. He thanked Mr. Rashad Norris for his continued leadership on this project, noting that it is very important and impactful to the community.
• On January 22, 2019 the college will be active with government officials before and during the Water Street Café event in Olympia. Highline College and Board of Trustees will be meeting with legislators on matters important to the college throughout the day.

President’s remarks

President John Mosby expressed his thanks to the Women’s Program for presenting this month’s report to the Board of Trustees. He mentioned that when he visits their office and sees a lot of traffic he knows that office is doing so many wonderful things for the community.

Earlier in the quarter, President Mosby had the opportunity to visit Professor Shawna Freemans’s Business Ethics and Sustainability class for a presentation on sustainability on campus. He notes that this is one of the best presentations of its kind that he had ever attended. President Mosby expressed how proud he was of these students for their efforts. He also mentioned he has asked the executive staff to take a look at some ways that the college might bring the recommendations to reality on campus.

President Mosby stated that he, too, had the opportunity to visit the vaccination clinic run by the Microbiology 260 class and the new Health and Life Sciences Club. 264 vaccines were administered. 31 free vaccines were administered to students in need. President Mosby found the information available at the clinic very valuable. He went on to extend his thanks to the many staff and faculty that made the clinic possible.

President Mosby attended the Dick’s Drive-in ribbon cutting. He mentioned how the owner of Dick’s Drive-in gave high praise to Highline College and the how much the students mean to the company.

The President extended his deep appreciation to the executive staff for all their support and leadership to make the Campus View Student Housing project come to fruition. He personally thanked VP Gerstman for being the emcee earlier at the ribbon cutting ceremony, and honoring all the people who should be honored. He also thanked VP Pham for the hard work and effort on the project. He stated that our students and community really are the beneficiaries of this good work.

New business

No new business was discussed.

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 11:29 a.m.

Minutes Signed and Approved

The meeting minutes from December 13, 2018, were approved and signed into record by Chair Bob Roegner and President John R. Mosby on January 24, 2019, at 11:17 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.