Area Report for Board of Trustees

Dear Board of Trustees:

I am pleased to share several encouraging updates from across Student Services, highlighting recent efforts to support student enrollment, engagement, and equity. One major point of progress is the impressive 40% year-over-year increase in Worker Retraining student FTEs for Spring 2025. This growth reflects the innovative outreach our Workforce Education Services (WES) and Entry Advising teams to have implemented—especially with our Spanish and Somali-speaking communities. Additionally, overall Spring 2025 enrollment has shown significant gains with 6,143 FTEs and 8,896 in headcount, up from 5,354 and 7,774 respectively at this time last year.

We also want to spotlight the success of recent outreach and engagement events. The Highline EXPO on April 17 welcomed high school seniors from the Highline, Federal Way, and Tukwila districts for a dynamic, firsthand introduction to life at Highline through “ThunderQuest.” These kinds of immersive experiences are key for students on the verge of college decisions. Another initiative worth noting is the ISP program’s recent efforts to build community and support for our international students—through new orientations, social gatherings, and the launch of a streamlined financial portal.

Finally, in alignment with our EDI goals, four Student Services staff will be attending the HSI Symposium next month. This will provide valuable insights as we continue exploring the path toward becoming a designated Hispanic-Serving Institution. We are excited by the momentum across our teams and the positive impact on student success and access.

Kind regards,

Jamilyn Penn, VPSS

Strategic Enrollment:

• With the goal to expand first-generation college student access to higher education, TRiO Student Support Services and TRiO Talent Search conducted university campus visits to Central Washington University and Western Washington University where they toured campus, learned about campus resources, and connected with other prospective students.
• Throughout the past year, Worker Retraining has seen a significant increase in student FTE. As of April 14, 2025, enrollment is up 40% in Spring 2025 compared to this same time last year. The Workforce Education Services (WES) team has been conducting innovative workshops with the Entry Advising office to increase enrollment of our Spanish and Somali speaking cohorts.
• On April 17, staff hosted the Highline EXPO. High school seniors from Highline, Federal Way, and Tukwila School Districts attended the event. EXPO is a fun one-day event where local high school seniors get to explore the diverse programs and resources, we offer here at Highline College through an engaging, interactive adventure we call “ThunderQuest.” These seniors have either committed to Highline College or are seriously considering it, making this event a key moment in their academic journey.
• The NW Steps Transfer Fair will be held at the college on April 24, 2025.
• Admissions
  • Processed Applications (excluding fake applications)
  • Spring 2025 – 1789 as of 4/8/2025
  • Spring 2024 – 1637 as of 4/8/2024
  • Summer 2025 – 364 as of 4/8/2025
  • Summer 2024 – 270 as of 4/8/2024
  • Fall 2025 – 1066 as of 4/8/2025
  • Fall 2024 – 990 as of 4/8/2024
• Spring enrollment as of day 39 of registration
  • FTEs: 6143 compared to 5354 on the same date in Spring 2024.
  • Headcount: 8896 compared to 7774 on the same date in Spring 2024.
  • Amazon Career Choice: 38 students

Service Delivery Excellence:

• ISP Advising held a meet-and-greet session on March 14 for international and domestic residents at Campus View. During the session, staff addressed questions from students and shared information about activities and the upcoming spring 2025 registration.
• The ISP New Student Orientation took place from March 26-28 and included 51 new students. One of the activities was an ice-skating event in Kent.
• Flywire implementation: ISP switched over to a new financial portal for all international payments.
• S&A Budget Process completed. FY2526 budget approved by ASHC
• Commencement Planning is underway!
  • The student RSVP portal is live. Over 100 students have RSVP’d. We anticipate around 500 students will participate in Commencement.
  • 100 Faculty & Staff signed up to participate in the tunnel welcome and celebration tunnel
• Spring Thunderweek was a success
  • Over 280 students engaged in three different events during the first week of school
• Nominations currently open for Student Legacy Awards

Awards for Outstanding Scholars and Leaders

• 2025 Student Legacy Award Nomination Form are due April 20, 2025
  • Award Ceremony Wednesday May 21st from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM in Mt. Townsend (Building 8)
  • The application open for CORE Student Leader Positions closes April 20, 2025

Development and Integration of EDI Framework:

• Four Student Services staff will attend the HSI Symposium at Skagit Valley College on May 13-14. The event will give staff an opportunity to connect with other community colleges and university colleagues from emerging and designated HSIs from the state of Washington. Additionally, there will be a daylong focus on the foundational information about HSIs with workshops and speakers to provide context and fundamental knowledge of what it will mean to be a designated HSI.

Athletics and Staff Recognition

• Men’s Basketball finished 3rd in the NWAC Finals. It was a momentous year for the team and Coach Dawson. Softball, Golf and Tennis teams are in the middle season.
• The Golf Team will be having the T-Bird Golf Classic Fundraiser on June 13, 2025, at Twin Lakes Country Club.
• New Staff Tyannali “Ty” Torres: We are excited to welcome Ty Torres as our Associate Director for Community Standards & Student Conduct. Ty joins us with multiple years of experience in student conduct, behavioral intervention teams, and student life. As the Associate Director of Residence Life & Auxiliary Services at Rockhurst University, Ty administered their campus student conduct code and ensured Clery act data compliance. Prior to that position, Ty served as the Director of Residence life at William Jewell College and at Real Salt Lake Academy, where she focused on policy enforcement and behavioral intervention.

Report submitted by Vice President of Student Services, Dr. Jamilyn Penn