Area Report for Board of Trustees

Enrollment

As of December 4, Winter Quarter State funded enrollments are 2921 FTEs.

Core Theme 2

Integrate and institutionalize diversity and globalism throughout the college

Among other activities in support of Core Theme 2, Academic Affairs continues to invest time, energy, and resources into Highline’s global initiatives. Most recently, the college observed International Education Week, Nov. 13-16, with presentations on global marketing, UNICEF, and Model U.N., plus a cross-cultural tea with international students. That weekend, 14 Highline students spent three days at Seattle’s Model U.N. Conference at the Renaissance Hotel downtown. Political science instructor Marianne Ide and program manager Jenn Ritchey — both with extensive Model U.N. experience — served as faculty sponsors. A few weeks prior, on Oct. 26, Highline hosted the Northwest International Education Association’s Annual Educator Workshop. Approximately 25 Highline faculty and staff attended. Earlier, in late-summer, computer information systems (CIS) instructor Dr. Amelia Phillips hosted Dr. Anicia Peters, the executive dean for computing and informatics at Namibia University of Science and Technology, for a multi-day visit to explore new, additional partnerships with NUST. With the guidance of Dr. Phillips, support from CIS faculty, and technical assistance from Information Technology Services staff, Highline continues to support cybersecurity invitationals in collaboration with Namibia and Indonesia. Also this summer, Business Department instructor Dr. Samad Chakour returned from a Fulbright exchange leave in Morocco, to which he added an extended tour of Highline’s Indonesian partners. Highline has been recognized as a top producer of Fulbrights among community colleges, with four instructors participating in the last five years. Meantime, our long-term exchange partnership with Shanghai Jiao Tong University continues, with Dr. T.M. Sell scheduled to participate this spring. Highline is hosting Yuxei Wang as SJTU’s exchange scholar.

Academic Affairs Honorees and Initiatives

• The Hospitality and Tourism Department’s partnership with the regional Food Innovation Network — and, in particular, the non-profit Project Feast’s Ubuntu Café — was featured recently in the Seattle-area Good Food Jobs blog.
• A six-member team of Highline students earned a top-10 finish in the U.S. Department of Energy’s CyberForce Competition Nov. 30-Dec. 1 in Richland. Out of nearly 70 teams competing, Highline’s team finished 10th overall — the only community college in the top 10. Representing Highline were Paul Bracken, Andrew Canino, Sarah Conrad, Lauren Gallegos, Kevin Hall and Quentin Mattson. CIS instructors Amelia Phillips and Simone Jarzabek organized, with support from ITS technician Justin Pedersen.
• Highline’s Umoja program received some well-deserved publicity in The Seattle Times Nov. 18, with a front-page Northwest News section story featuring instructor Liz Word and ASHC Vice President Chalisa Thompson. Ms. Thompson was also a student panelist at the Black Education Strategy Roundtable conference.

Report submitted Dec. 5, 2018, by Vice President Jeff Wagnitz, Ed.D.