Jan. 09, 2020: Administrative Services

Area Report for Board if Trustees

Happy New Year 2020 to all of the Trustees! May the New Year bring you and your family peace, love, health and happiness!
The Lunar New Year also happens to fall on January 25, 2020 of this month. Although not typically celebrated in the U.S., it is the most important holiday in China, Vietnam, Korea, Laos, Singapore, as well as some other Asian countries. While celebration customs vary widely among different countries and cultures, the one common feature of Lunar New Year is family reunion. Many people travel long distances just to be with their family for this special holiday. However, unfortunately for many of our Asian international students at Highline College, this will not be the case. We would like to wish all of them the best, with the hope that all of their educational hopes and dreams are fulfilled in the New Year!

The City of Des Moines has completed the final inspection of Building 26 – Life and Health Sciences Renovation project.
We are pleased to announce the successful completion of a very complicated moving process for faculty offices and classrooms, between and among, several different buildings, including 5, 11, 12, 15, 18, 23, and 26.
Buildings 5 and 11 were successfully demolished during the Winter Break. However, site work is ongoing to address various sewer and drainage issues.
Construction for tenant improvements at the Campus View has begun with the contractor installing room framing. Completion is expected for June 2020.
We are pleased to announce the hiring of two new custodians, Son Huynh and Hoang Doan.

We are making excellent progress with the annual financial statement audit. The State auditors are scheduled to complete with site work by January 10th.
Our Finance Department is preparing for ctcLink BPFG sessions as the finance component takes off in January and February
Finance has updated the process for credit card payments and refunds at the cashier’s window in order to be PCI compliant. The new process increases security for in-person transactions. Students however must present the original card in order to receive refunds.
Budgets and Grants will begin budget development for FY 2020 in late January.

Public Safety staff attended a Crisis Intervention Training at Highline College on December 18th, 2019. This training helps reduce crisis situations, improve safety, and promote better outcomes for situations without the need for force when interacting with people who may be in crisis. Officers learn the appropriate techniques to identify, assess, and resolve these situations in a safe and efficient manner.
Public Safety conducted two all-campus emergency communication tests on December 17th, 2019. The first test ran into an error and forced the Emergency Response Team to evaluate the issue, re-program the system, and run a successful second test.

Report submitted by Vice President Michael Pham on Jan. 06, 2020.