Area Report for Board of Trustees
As we look ahead to the start of Fall 2023, enrollment in credit classes is slightly—but significantly—higher than it was last year at this time. Running Start, International Student Programs, and “State minus ELCAP” (which includes tuition-bearing workforce and transfer courses) are all showing increases. Enrollment for Summer 2023 is also slightly higher than it was last year.
Core Theme 1: ACCESS, Reduce barriers and close equity gaps to access for all community members
Dean Gabrielle Bachmeier and Division Chair Sherri Chun continue to lead the implementation of a pilot project aimed at recruiting adult learners. In addition to the microsite/marketing campaign described in my May report, Bachmeier and Chun have been piloted targeted messages to students who completed critical courses, like Accounting 201, and were not enrolled in a subsequent quarter. We have some anecdotal evidence that this project has led to increased enrollments in at least one of the targeted programs.
Core Theme 2: STUDENT LEARNING, Increase educational success, collaborate to improve
Preparation for NWCCU Midcyle Visit
Highline will be hosting an NWCCU midcycle accreditation visit on October 16-17, 2023. The purpose of the midcycle visit is for a team of peers from colleges outside Washington to assess whether Highline is on track for a successful Year 7 Evaluation visit. In preparation for this visit, we were asked to prepare a midcycle report in accordance with NWCCU guidelines. A nearly final draft is available here.
The conclusion of the report summarizes our next steps: “At this point in our accreditation cycle, Highline College has established processes that allow us to use data to inform planning, decision-making, and allocation of resources. The college budget process requires that departments tie requests to college priorities, including increasing enrollment and streamlining and improving operational processes. As we become more skilled using the Student Success Council (SSC) process, the Institutional Effectiveness (IE) process, and the Program Improvement Process (PIP), we will improve our ability to allocate resources to specifically support student success and mitigate perceived gaps in achievement and equity. The development of these strategic planning processes also allows us to shift some objectives and measures currently included in the Mission Fulfillment Report (MFR) to division or department level annual reports.”
The work of many, many members of our campus community is represented in this document.
- To everyone who has worked on an Institutional Effectiveness Plan or Report, and to members of the Institutional Effectiveness Committee who facilitate this process—thank you!
- To faculty and administrators who have participated in the Program Improvement Process—thank you!
- To all the faculty who have been involved in the process of defining and assessing core competencies, as well as in the process of “mapping” where students will encounter opportunities to develop these core competencies—thank you! A big thanks to the members f the Assessment Committee who leads this is important and complicated work.
- To everyone who participated in the first year of the Student Success Council last year, either as a member of the SSC or as a team member working on critical priorities outside of the meetings—thank you!
A special thank you to those who helped draft and edit this report, including faculty members Aaron Moehlig (Chair, Assessment Committee) and Lisa Bernhagen (Chair, Institutional Effectiveness Committee), as well as Emily Coates, Director of Institutional Research and Justin Dampeer, Dean for Workforce Programs and Transitions. Members of Executive Cabinet read and shared feedback on an early draft. Carrie Davidson, Director for the Office of Instruction, helped with final document preparation.
Core Theme 3: COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS, Create a more inclusive working environment and a more valued, visible relationship with communities we serve
Director for Workforce Education and Programs Rickitia Reid is leading a team of faculty and staff from Academic Affairs and Student Services through the completion of a Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment (CLNA) which informs our annual Perkins application. The CLNA is due to the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges in January 2024. This process gives the college an opportunity to consult with community stakeholders, including employers, about ways to improve our workforce programs, providing better access to social and economic mobility in line with our mission.
Core Theme 4: CULTURE & CAPACITY, Promote a campus culture which fosters equity and inclusivity supporting employee growth and development, and institutional capacity for transformationCore Theme 4: CULTURE & CAPACITY: Promote a campus culture which fosters equity and inclusivity supporting employee growth and development, and institutional capacity for transformation
Re-organization of Academic Affairs Administrative Leadership Team
Within Academic Affairs, we’ve been discussing how our administrative leadership team can provide support for faculty and staff in alignment with college priorities. Dr. Mosby has stated that his priorities for the coming year are focusing on enrollment growth, achieving fiscal stability and sustainability, and building a stronger community including with our external partners.
In alignment with Dr. Mosby, our goals in Academic Affairs include:
1) Increasing enrollment – this is key to Highline’s fiscal stability and sustainability.
2) Supporting faculty and staff – this is the heart of the college.
After several months of brainstorming with the administrative leadership team in Academic Affairs about how to meet our goals, we have come up with the following strategies:
- We’ve re-imagined our dean and associate dean positions to create stronger teams focused on recruiting and retaining students.
- We’ve made sure that these newly configured dean positions increase our ability to establish and strengthen external partnerships, including partnering with the Vice President for Institutional Advancement.
- We’ve built an explicit focus on developing project management skills into our Instructional Leaders group, which includes deans, associate deans, directors, associate directors, and program managers.
- The most important goal behind our re-organization is to increase our capacity to encourage and support all faculty members to maintain their enthusiasm for teaching and professional improvement.
Overview of changes
| Former position | New position | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Dean for Guided Pathways | Dean for Academic Pathways & Student Learning Resources | Liz Word will continue to lead our pathway work, including managing the project of updating program maps, ctcLink, the catalog, and developing campus-wide communications about changes made. Liz will continue to serve as the lead for faculty advising in partnership with the Dean of Enrollment and Advising in Student Services. Liz will support general education faculty and department coordinators, serving as a key point of contact for resources and concerns. Liz leads a team of staff charged with providing student learning resources. Liz’s primary focus will be supporting and managing projects aimed at increasing retention. |
| Library Director | Associate Dean for Library and Learning Resources | Gerie Ventura will continue to direct the Library. As Associate Dean for Library and Learning Resources, Gerie will work closely with Liz Word to support the team focused on retention, particularly the director of the Academic Success Center and MESA. Gerie brings 28 years of experience at Highline. She started working in the Highline Library as a library work-study student, then spent 20 years as a Classified Staff member in the library’s Media and Circulation Services. Eight years ago, she became Associate Director, then Acting Library Director, and finally Library Director. |
| Dean for College & Career Readiness | Dean for Workforce Pathways & Transitions | As the Dean for Workforce Pathways & Transitions, Justin Dampeer plays a critical role in strengthening connections between non-credit and credit programs, particularly prof-tech programs. Justin will continue to support the ELCAP department, ELCAP faculty, and the ELCAP coordinator in collaboration with Steve Washburn. Justin will also serve as a key point of contact for prof-tech faculty and prof-tech department coordinators. Justin leads a team of staff responsible for placement and testing, ELCAP, transitions, and workforce programs. Justin’s primary focus will be split between managing and supporting projects to increase transition to credit and those aimed at increasing enrollment and retention in prof-tech programs. |
| Director, Adult Basic Education | Associate Dean for ELCAP | Steve Washburn will continue his role within ELCAP, including managing grants and meeting regularly with ELCAP staff and faculty leads. As Associate Dean for ELCAP, Steve will work closely with Justin Dampeer to support projects focused on transitions, including expanding our IBEST programs into more prof-tech programs. Steve started in 2003 as a full time ABE/GED instructor and was awarded tenure in 2005. From 2005 to 2008, Steve was department coordinator for what was then known as the ABE Department. Since 2008, Steve has served as the director of what is now known as the ELCAP Department. |
| Dean for Organizational Development and Extended Learning | Dean for Workforce Partnerships and Extended Learning | Gabrielle Bachmeier will continue to support extended learning at Highline, including programs offered through Continuing Education, the MaST, and the HUB: Federal Way. Gabrielle will also focus on strengthening our external partnerships, serving as an essential point of connection between Institutional Advancement and prof-tech faculty. Working in collaboration with Tanya Powers, Gabrielle will serve as a key point of contact for BAS coordinators and faculty. After serving as project manager for Highline's strategic enrollment management initiative, Gabrielle will lead a team of staff in Academic Affairs focused on recruitment, both high school and adult learners. |
| Associate Dean for BAS Programs | Associate Dean for BAS Programs | Tanya Powers will continue in her role as Associate Dean for BAS programs. Tanya will work closely with Gabrielle on projects aimed at increasing enrollment in BAS programs and streamlining operations. Tanya will continue to support BAS coordinators and faculty and lead our division’s efforts to use Lightcast data to better understand regional employment demand and opportunities for improving students' social and economic mobility. |
| Associate Dean for Accessibility Resources | Associate Dean for Accessibility Resources | Jenni Sandler will continue in her role as Associate Dean for Accessibility Resources. Jenni will continue to lead a team focused on making learning opportunities more accessible to all students. As a member of the Academic Affairs Administrative leadership team, Jenni will continue to advocate for human accommodations and universal design to support all learners. |
Report submitted by Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dr. Emily Lardner