April 18, 2019: Administrative Services

Area Report for Board of Trustees

I had an opportunity to visit Vietnam in March to continue assisting with our international student recruitment efforts. The highlights of the trip included Highline College gaining exclusive access to a 1,300-student high school with the potential for an on-going recruitment pool pipeline.
In addition, on the same trip, I reached out to various contacts, including the prestigious Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh City, to make preparations for the Global Supply Chain Study Abroad program. The program currently plans to send between 12 and 15 students to visit Vietnam during the week of September 8, 2019.
The trip was literally a collaborative effort with International Student Programs, Global Trade and Supply Management, VP Sy Ear, and Math Faculty Khoi-Nguyen Nguyen.

As of the writing of this Area report, the Campus View Student Housing has 22 student tenants.
We are also in the process of recruiting for a Resident Director as well as Resident Advisors to bring additional support to the Student Housing program.

It is our pleasure to announce the appointment of Stephanie Torreblanca as the new Custodial Services Manager. Stephanie comes to us with extensive background in custodial operations, including several professional certifications. She had worked at Bellevue School District and most recently at the Meydenbauer Convention Center as Custodial Supervisor. Stephanie is a Highline College alum. She plans to continue pursuing her education at Central Washington University here on campus.
It is also our pleasure to announce the appointment of Francisco Jimenez as the new Grounds Nursery Specialist. Our Grounds team has been working hard to catch up with the spring pruning after an especially snowy cold winter.
Building 6 Plaza Canopy project is proceeding as scheduled. Structural steel posts and beams were installed during spring break. Slab concrete work and painting will be happening during the next few weeks, with the project expected to be completed by the end of May.
As part of our commitment to the Campus Master Plan, the College is currently working with the City of Des Moines on a comprehensive signage proposal for the parking lot entrances.

It is our pleasure to announce the appointment of Lela Ewing Cross as Director of Budget and Grant Services. Lela comes to us from Bates Technical College, where she had served in similar capacity. Additionally, Lela spent 11 years working as a Financial Analyst for the Tacoma Public Schools and another 6 years as Budget Analyst for the Seattle Colleges.
The State Auditor has completed our 2017-2018 financial statement audit. It was another clean audit and the State Auditor reported no findings. Thanks to Cathy Cartwright and her Finance team for their excellent work.

Public Safety spearheaded a Crime Prevention Awareness Cleanup on Thursday, March 14, with the participation of several students and staff. We collected over 20 bags of garbage from the campus.
David Menke and Francesca Fender presented at the Safety Security and Emergency Management Council on March 21 at Skagit Valley College.
David Menke is attending Verbal De-Escalation Train the Trainer in Hillsboro, OR, on April 8 through April 12. This training will be used to train faculty and staff on professional communication skills to defuse volatile situations.
Public Safety is planning an all campus deny-entry/shelter-in-place drill on April 16, 2019, to test the college communication system as well as campus-wide lock-down procedures.
On April 17, 2019, Public Safety is hosting an Active Threat seminar to provide attendees with best-practice guidelines for responding to an active threat. The training will be open to all students and employees during two sessions.

Report submitted by Vice President Michael Pham.