Area Report for Board of Trustees

Key highlights of this period include the opening of the Federal Way Link Extension and Kent Des Moines Station on 12/6, production and distribution of Highline College Holiday Greeting Video and end of Fall quarter and beginning of Winter quarter messaging, support for Highline Experiences, awarding of Winter Quarter tuition assistance and confirming significant directed support from major funders. Grants and Government Relations worked with campus partners to get a series of federal grants submitted, provided support for Aspen Prize nomination and is preparing for the Washington State Legislative Session.

Core Theme 1: ACCESS, Reduce Barriers and close equity gaps to access for all community members

• The opening of Federal Way Link Extension and the Kent Des Moines Station was a success. Special thanks to the HC Outreach and Recruitment Team and Pure and Applied Science Division for staffing Highline booths at the KDM Station Opening and using the new branded Highline canopies for the first time. The Light rail is now running consistently and IA / Comm Marketing is continuing to look for ways to promote using light rail to access HC main campus.

Core Theme 2: STUDENT LEARNING, Increase educational success, collaborate to improve

• Web team worked with college departments to launch the new Accounting and Respiratory Care sites, bringing 7 total department sites online in this phase of the website update project. Three more department sites are in progress and a new simplified form has been introduced in Watermark for the Highline Pathways and Info Request forms.
• Grants team worked with Science Faculty to submit a significant grant to National Science Foundation (NSF) focusing on Team Learning in 2YC STEM Classes: Designing Effective Teaching Interventions for Different Institutional Contexts and Class Modalities and with MaST Director to submit a separate proposal to NSF about Charting New Waters Initiative: Empowering Community College STEM Student Identity Through Transformative Marine Science Research, Learning and Mentoring In The Puget Sound Region.
• Foundation provided more than $35,000 in academic emergency tuition scholarships to 50 students for winter quarter assistance. Spring quarter application will re-open toward the end of winter quarter.
• Highlights of funds received by the Foundation include the private foundation mentioned in last month’s report; $107,050 in support of Summer STEM Bridge, ACHIEVE internships and Allied Health academic gap support, an additional $100,000 in combined support from two different families donor advised funds, $15,000 toward the Tricia Moreno Memorial Nursing Scholarship, $10,000 from BECU Foundation for Academic Gap funding and $5,000 from Muckleshoot Indian Tribe for their sponsored scholarship and $5,000 from King County in support of Veterans Assistance funding.

Core Theme 3: COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS, Create a more inclusive working environment and a more valued, visible relationship with communities we serve

• IA Staff attended community events including FWLE Preview Ride on 12/3, Seattle Southside Elected Officials Reception on 12/4, and events in Des Moines such as a local gallery opening by a scholarship donor and the Burning Boat Festival, organized by Rotary Club of Des Moines/Normandy Park.

Division Honors and Achievements

• Foundation team shares bittersweet news in saying goodbye and good luck to Annie Thant, Program Specialist 3, who led the launch of the Bloomerang Donor Platform, helped revamp the Foundation Google site and provided crucial support to Thunderbirds Soar.
• Grants Team helped collect, aggregate and format information for the Aspen Prize Application, which was submitted by the December deadline, in which Highline College is recognized as one of the top 200 Community Colleges in the country and aiming to be included among the top 10 finalists.

Report submitted by Vice President of Institutional Advancement, Joshua Gerstman