Area Report for Board of Trustees

The Academic Affairs Division continues to advance Highline College’s mission and strategic priorities through equity-centered teaching and learning, student access, community engagement, and faculty and staff development. Highlights for this Board report include student-centered initiatives that promote access and belonging. We also continue to strengthen student learning through experiential and community-based opportunities. Faculty leadership remains central to advancing inclusive and innovative practices through professional learning communities, evidence-based teaching workshops, and ongoing work related to Artificial Intelligence literacy, academic integrity, and teaching practices. Lastly, in honor of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, I would like to extend my deepest gratitude and appreciation to our colleagues who identify as AANHPI and whose leadership, service, and daily contributions continue to uplift our students, represent our communities, and help transform Highline College through their care, wisdom, and presence.

Together all these experiences and efforts demonstrate Academic Affairs’ continued commitment to our college’s mission and values and to our South King County communities.

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

• To celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the Physics Club partnered with the Center for Cultural & Inclusive Excellence to screen the movie “Rule Breakers” which tells the powerful true story of the first all-girls robotics team from Afghanistan. One student shared “This story is powerful because it shows the success of a group of people at a far greater disadvantage than most. It might make someone think ‘why not me?'” As part of what they would share with their peers, one student said “Never give up. Although others may doubt you, have perseverance. Do not stop when others tell you to.”
• Achieve celebrated IPSE Day on May 1st! Inclusive Postsecondary Education (IPSE) is transforming access to college and creating real outcomes for students with intellectual disabilities. Nationally, more than 350 IPSE programs serve over 8,000 students, and research shows that students with intellectual disabilities who attend college are more likely to gain competitive employment after graduation (RSA‑911 data; Sannicandro et al., 2018). At Highline College, Achieve is proud to be one of the first and longest‑running IPSE programs in the country, leading the way in inclusion, access, and student success. Achieve became federally recognized by the Department of Education in 2011 and is currently one of only 3 programs in the state of Washington. 69% of 2025 graduates were employed within 3 months of graduation. IPSE Day celebrates the students, educators, and communities who make this work possible. Here is a map of IPSE programs across the US from https://thinkcollege.net/college-search 

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

• Achieve would like to invite the Board of Trustees to our Capstone Celebration on June 8th from 3-6pm in Building 8 on the 1st floor. Thirty-three graduating Achieve students will present their capstone projects and talk about their experiences at Highline and plans for the future! 

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

• Highline had a great turnout at the Federal Way School District’s STEAM Exploration Night. There were tables from Math (Terry Meerdink), Bring Your Kids To College (Stephaney Puchalski and Mariola Kulawiec), Physics and Astronomy (Igor Glozman), Geology (Jacob Selander), Pure and Applied Sciences Division (Eric Baer), the Highline Science & Success Club (Zaki Kaimi and a couple of other students), MaST (Malik Johnson), Nursing (Steven Simpkins and a couple of others), Outreach and Recruitment (Donna Enguerra-Simpson) and the CNA program (staffed by several students). Here are some pictures from our tables at the event.  Many thanks! More pictures (full sized, unedited) are here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/GbuueUZEAAwpPnm8A

Core Theme 4: CULTURE & CAPACITY: Become an anti-racist college through intentional development of employees, facilities, and systems that support student success and close equity gaps

• In Winter 2026, Dr. Eric Baer (Geology) and Dr. Aleya Dhanji (Physics) facilitated two workshops for faculty “Teamwork Unleashed: How do we make Group Work Effective, Engaging and Inclusive?” In this interactive workshop, faculty were able to explore data collected from a Highline student survey which gathered feedback from non-traditional students about their experiences and what they need to make group work more effective, engaging, and inclusive. The workshop provided space for faculty across multiple disciplines to share out challenges they are facing, and brainstorm new strategies based on student data and research-backed pedagogy. Building on this workshop, Dr. Baer and Dr. Dhanji are facilitating a Faculty learning Community on how we as instructors can help all students achieve both learning outcomes and collaboration skills development. 
• Over Fall and Winter, Dr. Aleya Dhanji (Physics) facilitated ‘The Magical Book Club’, centered on “The New College Classroom” by Cathy N. Davidson and Christina Katopodis. This was a faculty learning opportunity designed to share evidence-based, inclusive teaching strategies in a time-efficient, collaborative format. Participants received a free copy of the book with each faculty participant selecting one chapter of their choice to facilitate discussion, allowing the group to collectively cover the entire text through rotating discussion leadership. The book club’s goal was to build a cross-discipline community, support honest conversations about real teaching challenges, and leave participants affirmed and inspired with concrete practices to try. 
• The college-wide Artificial Intelligence Work Group continues to make progress developing Highline’s response to the challenges and opportunities of this technology. Formed in March, 2025, the work group completed a college-wide policy which was adopted by the Executive Cabinet in November, 2025. 
  • The next phase of the work was to stand up a series of subcommittees to create guidelines and business processes and address some of the challenges facing faculty and staff. This month, we’re reporting on the work of those subgroups in both the Academic Affairs and Information Technology Services reports. Three of the subgroups are focused on teaching, learning, and curriculum; those are discussed below.
  • AI Literacy
• Goal: Develop standards and training for staff, faculty, and students on how to appropriately use AI
• Status: The group has completed an advanced draft of training standards and a glossary of AI terms, planning is under way for development of materials under way.
• AI and Academic Integrity 
  • Goal: Develop standards and best practices regarding AI and academic integrity.
  • Status: The group has reviewed existing protocols supporting academic integrity as it applies to AI use in the classroom and have begun developing resources to improve understanding and functionality. These resources include a Faculty FAQ sheet, a guide outlining what types of evidence are needed to submit an academic integrity report, and recommendations for updating and simplifying the academic dishonesty reporting tool.  
• Teaching and Learning
• Goal: Develop standards, practices, and training regarding AI in curriculum and teaching practice
• The group has developed a list of topics to make recommendations. Current topics are recording and AI summaries in classrooms, scheduling for face-to-face exams in online classes, and instructor obligations to disclose AI use. Many more to come.

Division Honors and Achievements

• Achieve students voted for staff and faculty members who supported them during their time at Highline and will be giving out the following awards for the 2025-2026 academic year: Magical Mentor Award to Doug Avella-Castro (Sociology faculty); Fabulous Faculty Award to Benjamin Bates (MMD faculty); Coolest Coach Award to Steve Turcotte (Softball coach); Perfect Partner Award to George Babcock (Library staff); and Super Staff Award to the Public Safety Department! We are so grateful for their support of Achieve and their hard work!! HUGE congratulations and mahalo/thanks to Doug, Benjamin, Steve, George and our Public Safety Department! 
• In honor of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, I would like to extend my deepest gratitude and appreciation to our colleagues who identify as AANHPI. Highline’s ongoing commitment to equity, access, and service to our communities has been shaped over many years through the leadership and dedication of colleagues such as Associate Dean Gerie Ventura and faculty member Tarisa Matsumoto-Maxfield, who recently facilitated the May 1 EDI Day Asian American and Pacific Islander affinity groups, along with the valuable contributions of dear colleague and friend, former Division Chair Lonny Kaneko, as well as former Highline College Board member Sili Savusa, along with the MANY others across our college community. Their advocacy, relationship centered leadership, and deep commitment to our diverse South King County communities continue to create more inclusive and affirming spaces where AANHPI students can see themselves reflected, supported, empowered, and welcomed.

Report submitted by Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dr. Rolita Ezeonu