Area Report for Board of Trustees

Dear Board of Trustees,

Happy New Year! I want to thank you for your ongoing support. As we kick off Winter Quarter 2026, I am pleased to report that in the Student Services Division things are going well, particularly in the focus areas of Access and Student Learning. In summary, we are exploring a partnership with Federal Way Public Schools to apply for the TRIO Upward Bound grant. If awarded, this grant could bring in $1.5 million for academic support.

The Financial Aid Office has made significant improvements, reducing student wait times from 3 to 4 hours last fall to 8 to 45 minutes this winter.

Admissions is now offering virtual appointments to provide greater convenience for students. Efforts are underway to streamline the Program of Study Request process.

The TRIO team will host a scholarship workshop on January 22nd to assist students in finding and applying for scholarships.

Student Life is organizing several events for the MLK Series this quarter, including:

• A film discussion
• A talk on the Black Panther Party
• A protest for justice

We are celebrating notable accomplishments from our sports programs. Congratulations to the student athletes, coaches, and athletic director. You can read more about athletics and all of the other work mentioned here down below.

Kind regards,

Jamilyn Penn, Interim President on behalf of Tony Garcia, Interim VPSS

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

• The Highline College TRIO program is exploring a potential partnership opportunity with Federal Way Public Schools to apply for the 2027-2032 TRIO Upward Bound grant. If awarded, each Upward Bound grant project awarded would provide Highline College $1.5 million dollars to provide intensive academic and college access support at respective school sites.
• During the first week of Winter Quarter, the average waiting time for students who visited the financial aid office was 8 – 45 minutes compared to the start of the first week of Fall Quarter where the average wait time was 3 – 4 hours. In addition, the Financial Aid Office shared the following report with students, staff and faculty regarding the progress of the Financial Aid improvement plan. We would like to thank the Financial Aid staff and managers for their steadfast intentional work, and recognize the collective support from the campus community (ie. Financial Aid Advisory Committee and FA Support Group).
• Development and assessment are underway for purchasing a new student ID card machine for our Registration & Records counter which produced 2,939 cards from January 2025-December 2025.
• Admissions implemented virtual identity-verification appointments to reduce barriers, protect equitable access, and support strategic enrollment management. The department promoted student success and guided pathways by increasing student feedback to inform service improvement and alignment. The team is also streamlining the Program of Study Request Process to reduce duplication, improve clarity, and integrate EDI-informed best practices into enrollment services.
• As of January 13, 2026, the 53rd day of Winter 2026 registration, the enrollment snapshot shows mixed trends compared to Winter 2025. Total FTEs increased to 6,176, up from 6,134 last winter, while overall headcount decreased slightly to 8,627, down from 8,725 in Winter 2025.
• In response to high-demand for student support services, the Pathway Advising and Running Start Departments implemented an expansion of drop-in advising hours during the weeks of December 29 – January 9. Staff in these departments are also considering how best to expand capacity to better support service access for students.

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

• Dean Saechao & Megan Mihara with TRIO are hosting a “How to Search & Apply for Scholarships” workshop scheduled for Thursday, January 22nd, at 3pm. Students will learn the core aspects of scholarships and how to search and apply for them. In addition, students will walk away with an account created on the scholarship website: theWashBoard.org, a scholarship database for Washington state residents. With this scholarship workshop, and more to be provided in the future, we are confident our students will be competitive for scholarships awards moving forward.
• Student Life will host the Winter Quarter MLK Series starting on January 22nd, below is the list of events:
  • King In The Wilderness – Film and Discussion
    • Facilitated by: Dr. Darryl Brice
    • Thursday, January 22nd, 2026 | 11am-1:30pm | Bldg. 8-1st Floor, Mt. Con/Oly
  • Feed the Future: Black Panther Party Then and Now
    • Speakers: Tacoma Black Panther Party
    • Wednesday, February 4th , 2026 | 11am-1:00pm | Building 2
  • Silent Thunder: A Protest for Justice
    • Facilitated by: Student Leaders on the MLK Series Committee
    • Tuesday, February 17,  2026 | 12:00-2:00pm | Bldg 8. 204 – Inter Cultural Center
• Winter Thunderweek Concluded with 4 engaging opportunities:
  • Monday- Get Cozy with the Center- 52 students
  • Tuesday- Clubs Fair- 150 students
  • Wednesday – Highline Gameshow- 24 students
  • Thursday – Vision your Future- 41 students
• Rise into your Power: Winter Leadership Retreat Application:
  • Date: Friday February 27th
  • Time: 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
  • Location: Pacific Tower
  • Transportation & meals provided
  • Around 35 students will be selected
• Rooted in Resistance, Growing Towards Liberation Students of Color Conference Application Open
  • Date: Thursday April 30- Saturday May 2nd
  • Location: Columbia Basin College
  • Transportation, lodging, and meals provided
  • 12 students will be selected (3 chosen as alternates)
• Services & Activities (S&A) Fee Budget Process
  • No new budgets will be accepted this year. If a department or program had an S&A budget in the past, but were not active last year, the department or program may propose a budget request in 2026. Due to an increase in enrollment, there is slightly more money to distribute. Overall, the goal is to reduce tapping into reserve funds by 30%. There have been changes to the Financial Code to further outline student employment parameters and accountability for budget overspending.

Division Honors and Achievements

• The Athletics Department is proud and honored to announce the following:
  • Marco Monzon was voted the NWAC Women’s Soccer Coach of the Year
  • Skyler Roehr was voted the NWAC Men’s Soccer Coach of the Year
  • Highline Men’s Soccer is the 2025 NWAC Soccer Champions
  • Highline Women’s Soccer is the 2025 NWAC Soccer Runner-ups

Winter Sports, Men’s and Women’s Basketball, have begun and are currently in League Play.

Report submitted by Interim President Dr. Jamilyn Penn on behalf of Interim Vice President of Student Services, Tony Garcia