Board of Trustees Meeting

Location

Virtual Zoom meeting: 8:00 a.m.

Attendees

Board of Trustees: Chair Sili Savusa, Vice Chair Sharmila Swenson, Joe Bowman, Fred Mendoza

Executive Cabinet: Josh Gerstman, Summer Korst, Emily Lardner, John Mosby, Michael Pham, Aaron Reader, Danielle Slota, Tim Wrye present.

Bruce Marvin (AAG) present.

Minutes

Study Session call to order: 8:10 a.m.

Discussion Topics

Highline College Commencement, Aaron Reader

• Diploma cover pickup on campus with enhancements
• Providing an opportunity to cross the stage in the student union including a professional photo (no cost associated)
• Highline congratulatory yard signs & 60 year celebration socks
• Virtual ceremony with Envision Pro

ctcLink go-live update, Tim Wrye

• Lots to celebrate
• Still experiencing challenges with student payments, cashiering is doing their best to support students when challenges arise.  Some technical issues came up in the enrollment process.  

Budget & Finance, Michael Pham

• State budget updates:
  • Senate and House have released budget proposals which both look good for the system in general.  Mandated furlough language was removed.  It appears that there is no language for salary pull back of most employee groups.
  • Both proposals included some new funding including money for Guided Pathways and money for high demand programs.
  • SB-5194 Providing for equity and access in the community and technical colleges appears to be passing
    • Currently do not expect international student tuition to be included
  • SB-5227 Requiring diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism training and assessments at institutions of higher education appears to be passing
• Revised fiscal year budget, 2020-21
  • Removing request for use of the BoT Reserve
• Student fee schedule, 2021-22
  • Fees typically submitted to Board in September, challenge that fees are published in April to open fall registration in May
  • Request to change practice of fee schedule adoption to be in the month of April to avoid the need to re-invoice students in the fall that have already been billed.
• International student discount, 2021-22
  • Request to extend a discount to newly enrolled international students of $500 per quarter and a parking fee waiver for the maximum of two (2) academic quarters.
  • Purpose is to offer an incentive similar to other colleges in the system.
• CARES expense report
  • Awarded $1.7M for institutional use and $1.7M for student financial aid
  • Funds are required to be used for COVID reponse

Action item review to be voted on in General Session, Sili Savusa

• Action item a. Revised Fiscal Year Budget 2020-21
• Action item b. Fee Approval for Fiscal Year Budget 2021-22
• Action item c. International Student (Tuition Discount) Waiver 2021-22

Unscheduled business

• ACT/ACCT awards 
• Board practice review (draft revisions in May, collect feedback in June, vote in July)

Meeting adjourned at 9:24 a.m.

Board of Trustees General Session

Location

Virtual Zoom meeting: 10 a.m.

General Session Minutes

Roll Call

Board of Trustees: Chair Sili Savusa, Vice Chair Sharmila Swenson, Fred Mendoza, Joe Bowman present

Executive Cabinet: Danielle Slota, Josh Gerstman, Aaron Reader, Emily Lardner, John R. Mosby, Michael Pham, Summer Korst, Tim Wrye present

Bruce Marvin (AAG) present

General Session called to order at 10:03 a.m.

Approval of minutes

Approve minutes of the regularly scheduled meeting of Feb. 11, 2021 and the Special Meeting of Mar, 17, 2021.

• Trustee Mendoza moved to approve the minutes from Feb. 11, 2021 and Mar. 17, 2021.  Trustee Swenson seconded the motion.  Potion passed unanimously.

Opportunity for public comment

• No comments

Standing reports

• Associated Students of Highline College: Hector Pina
  • Unity week on April 26th – https://ccie.highline.edu/programs/unity-week/ 
• Washington Public Employees Association: Tessa Bowen
  • Thanked Trustees for support with passing the WPEA contract 
• Highline College Education Association: James Peyton
  • Recognized the efforts behind ctcLink and enrollment
  • Looking at enrollment across the campus is seems to range from a minimal decline to 30%, continuing to vary and proving challenging to track
  • Thanked staff, faculty, and administrators for their efforts in enrolling students for spring
• Faculty Senate: Sam Alkhalili
  • Concerns about enrollment, many feel it could have been prevented with a summer roll-out of ctcLink
  • Focus on manual changes in the system to ensure students are enrolled in the correct number of credits
  • Academic Integrity Taskforce (AIT) shared with Senate their recommendations for new processes, AIT will return for follow up questions
  • Highline College Foundation: Kevin Morin
    • Gala: Thursday, April 29th 
      • Two admission levels, General Admission at $25 and VIP at $75
        • Gala in a box included in GA with special add-ons for VIP
        • Pickups on the 28th and 29th
      • Gala will feature a live and a silent auction

Action items

• Action item a. Revised fiscal budget 2020-21. Trustee Swenson moved to approve the . Trustee Mendoza seconded.  Motion passed unanimously.

• Action item b. Fee Approval for Fiscal Year Budget 2021-22 Trustee Mendoza moved to approve the . Trustee Bowman seconded.  Motion passed unanimously.

• Action item c. International Student (Tuition Discount) Waiver 2021-22. Trustee Bowman moved to approve the . Trustee Mendoza seconded.  Motion passed unanimously.

Area reports

• Administrative Services: VP Michael Pham
  • Written report as submitted
  • Rise in racially motivated acts against the API community is driven by racism, xenophobia and supremacy.  Voiced the importance of calling this out and rising against it.
• Academic Affairs: VP Emily Lardner
  • Recognized VP Pham for calling out the racist acts of violence against the API community and voiced support on behalf of academic affairs.
  • Expressed appreciation for the Faculty Senate, Faculty Union, Instruction Cabinet.
  • Recognized the Associated Students for Highline College for submitting a request to strengthen their relationship with academic affairs.
  • Forming a strengthened partnership with CWU transfer programs.  Currently CWU’s third most important transfer program, a new goal is to become their first.
• Student Services: VP Aaron Reader
  • Student services stand in solidarity with our Asian and Pacific Islander student, faculty, and staff communities.  Courageous conversations at the leadership team level as well.  
  • Recognized the COVID-19 Relief Fund Team, funding available for Spring quarter April 09-15, 2021.  https://ccie.highline.edu/programs/unity-week/ 
  • Commencement planning underway including both virtual and in-person elements 
• Institutional Advancement: VP Josh Gerstman
  • IA stands in solidarity with the API community against racism
  • Encouraged involvement in La Conferencia, YELL, the Foundation Gala

President’s remarks

• Reflected on the kind words spoken by Dr. Peyton, HCEA’s statement of support for Asian and Asian-American community sent on March 21, 2021
• Recognized student Farkhanda Moin, the winner of the National Institute for Staff Organizational Development (NISOD) Student Essay contest

Unscheduled business

No unscheduled business

General Session was adjourned at 10:47 a.m.

Minutes Signed and Approved

The meeting minutes from April 08, 2021, were approved and signed into record by Chair Sili Savusa and Acting President Michael Pham on May 06, 2021.

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.