Area Report for Board of Trustees
As summer draws to a close, my office has been heavily involved in many opportunities on and off campus. In late July, I hosted a meeting with former Speaker of the House Frank Chopp, King County Councilmember Dave Upthegrove and House Representative Mia Gregerson and community members to discuss affordable housing options near the campus. This is in conjunction with the upcoming Sound Transit expansion. The meeting was a productive one and Highline College looks forward to engaging in further conversations regarding this project.
Highline also hosted staff and administrators statewide over a two-day period to discuss ctcLink implementation. In giving the welcome, I stressed how appreciative the college is toward our ITS leadership as Highline prepares for the system transition. In addition, I stressed that it’s critical that college presidents make ctcLink a priority and engage the campus and support this project for the college community.
In August, I attended the annual FUSION (Friends United to Shelter Homeless in Federal Way) event and was able to chat with community members, legislators and citizens while supporting a great cause. Two of our staff, Fawzi Belal and Shakira Ericksen, were part of the organizing committee. Thank you both for helping create a wonderful community event.
I was asked last spring to serve as an advisory member for the statewide Administrators of Color cohort program. This program was created to address the under-representation of administrators of color in our community and technical college system. The program is intended to create a more robust pipeline to executive-level positions. Twenty-one staff and faculty were accepted into the program. I’m proud to say four participants are from Highline: Loyal Allen Jr., Chantal Carrancho, Stephanie Ojeda Ponce, and Elizabeth Word. The summer retreat was held in Blaine, Washington, over three days. I enjoyed sharing my experiences and presenting to the cohort and look forward to participating this academic year.
The College had the opportunity to visit with Senator Patty Murray’s staffers during their visit to Highline. Our discussion focused on financial aid and funding service opportunities for our students and how their office can support our efforts. Many thanks to Loyal Allen Jr. and Ta’yanna Graves for providing excellent information and representing the financial aid and funding services team.
The last few weeks have been busy, meeting with staff, faculty and students to hear about their expectations for the upcoming year. I look forward to sharing the goals for the year and updates with the campus during Opening Week. This will be a busy year for the entire Highline College community.
Currently, the College is wrapping up summer quarter and shifting into fall preparation. Grades are being processed, final touch-ups are being placed on campus, and students, staff and faculty are beginning to head back to campus. Highline is full of committed, dedicated individuals and I look forward to continuing the work of providing excellent services and instruction for our students.
Report submitted Aug. 29, 2019, by President John R. Mosby, Ph.D.