Board of Trustees Meeting

Location and Time

Highline College
District 9
2400 South 240th Street
Des Moines, WA 98198
Study Session: (Building 25, Room 411): 8 a.m.
General Session: (Building 25, Boardroom): 10 a.m.

Attendees

Tim Wrye, Sy Ear, John Mosby, Josh Gerstman, Bruce Marvin, Bob Roegner, Fred Mendoza, Dan Altmayer, Danielle Slota, Amy Snydar, Emily Lardner, Thunderword representative

Study Session Minutes

Study Session was called to order at: 8:14

Discussion Topics

The Board, as and when deemed necessary, may call an Executive Session for appropriate purposes under the Open Meetings Act.

Discussion

Foundation Estate Gift, VP Josh Gerstman

• Eva Gordon, Seattle area resident, estate gift left to 17 CTC schools naming Highline as one of them.  Highline College Foundation received $550k.  Designation on funds is that it be used to support students otherwise unrestricted.  Foundation currently developing ideas for potential funding allocation.
• Potential funding use for students that don’t qualify for WAFSA and therefore will not be served by the Washington College Grant.
• Funds were allocated to a matching program for the Black & Brown Summit Scholarship Fund.

Campus View, VP Michael Pham

• Four floors of student housing: 88 occupied beds at 55% occupancy rate.  Current target is 71% occupancy to meet the graduated budget goals of COCM.
• HC Foundation is entering into a new lease for the first floor of the building to supply office space to serve Institutional Advancement, Continuing Education and a campus information center.  Completion date estimated for June 2020 with move-in of summer quarter.
• Primary vision for future use of building 99 is a one-stop-shop building for student services.  This vision may be cost prohibitive but is currently the primary consideration for use of this space if we are to renew the lease on 99.
• Building 99 lease expires September, 2020.

Legislative Advocacy and Priorities, VP Josh Gerstman and President Mosby

• Legislative reception on Jan. 14, 2020 from 6-8PM at Waterstreet Café in conjunction with Green River College and Renton Technical College.
• Focused on strengthening relationship as changes in the legislature leadership team begin to roll-out.  Relationships is the top priority for this short legislative session.
• ASHC continues to strongly advocate on behalf of ours students.

Tenure Process Review, VP Emily Lardner

• Monday, February 10th: electronic documents will become available for review, paper copies will be available for review on campus.

Additional comments:

• Trustee Altmayer asked for a status update on the HUB.  VP Pham commented that we are currently looking at multiple site options that will allow for renewable lease options.  Trustees Altmayer and Roegner voiced strong concerns about this project not moving forward fast enough with the upcoming changes in legislature leadership as these individuals were strong supporters of this project.  Suggestion made to involve a commercial real estate broker if that is not currently being done.
• Trustee Altmayer commented that he intends to be in Olympia all day on Jan. 14th should Shakira Erickson need trustee support during short session.  
• VP of Student Services search underway with the first round of interviews ending today, Jan. 09, 2020.  
• VP of EDI selection committee will meet for the first time on Jan. 10, 2020 to discuss job description, evaluation criteria, position advertising, structure of interview process and the decision making process.
• Trustee Savusa commented on the importance of having community opportunity to participate in hiring practices for VP and Dean positions, similar to how the presidential search was run.

Study session adjourned at: 9:55 a.m.

General session call to order at: 10:11 a.m.

Roll call:

Trustees Mendoza, Savusa, Altmayer, and Roegner.  VPs Pham, Lardner, Ear and Gerstman.  President Mosby, AAG Marvin and Secretary Amy Snydar

Approve minutes 

Approve minutes of the regularly scheduled meeting of December 12, 2019
Trustee Roegner motioned, Trustee Altmayer seconded, motion approved.

Opportunity for public comment

Persons wishing to testify must sign up and limit testimony to three minutes.

No public comment

Correspondence

No correspondence to report.

Standing reports

• Associated Students of Highline College: Mohamed Jama
  • Student government team our resolution create a new foundation for Student Government to shift status to active mode by increasing growth in student participation. 
  • Service and activities budget committed created budget 3 million dollars funds different capital projects.
    • Pays for mortgage for Building 8
  • AHCS is reaching out the transit board to get our voices heard regarding the naming of the new station. AHCS recommends it be named “Highline Station.”
• Washington Public Employees Association: Tessa Bowen
  • Stewards are working on getting regular union meetings up and running for the New Year.
• Highline College Education Association: No report
• Faculty Senate: No report
• Highline College Foundation: VP Josh Gerstman
  • Eva B Gordon gift to the Highline College Foundation received an estate gift of 550k. 
  • The Highline College Foundation board is looking at the needs of the students and how that money can be best be put to work, including “short term” funds.
  • Other fundraising activities include 45k direct mail and online efforts.
  • The spring gala is coming up which is another opportunity to increase Highline College Foundation fundraising.
  • Thank the college for the relationship to the college and foundation.

Area reports

• Administrative Services: VP Michael Pham
  • Thanks to Chair Fred Mendoza and Trustee Dan Altmayer for sitting in on the state audit. We received kudos from the auditors that Highline College is one the best.
• Academic Affairs: Emily Lardner  
  • The survey of students and Highline College pathways: 200 of 300 students say that we need an exploratory pathway.  
  • Thanks to Thomas Bui and Associate Dean Iesha Valencia on working with student leaders on the beta test for the survey and process. 
  • Guided Pathways implementation is big and important with set parameters from the State Board.
  • Jumpstart program to have 50 students enrolled in 2 programs (day and evening) in conjunction with Student Services to create student friendly access to student support.
  • Raegan Copeland and Marco Lopez-Torres in Academic Affairs manages a signature portion of the college budget. Thanks for the really good work
  • Winter institute was wonderful:
    • Trustee Dan Altmayer commented, interesting that we should have an exploratory path way – leg. Designates monies for GP – is the SB aware. 
  • Discussion on GP philosophy.
  • Trustee Sili Savusa expressed excitement about an exploratory pathway that looks for different ways on how education happens, and for equity to be considered. 
• Student Services: Interim VP Dr. Sy Ear
  • Fall quarter initiative to team building by reserving Friday afternoons to cross train on ways to help students to be successful. 
  • Winter quarter Gabrielle Bachmeier and Loyal Allen worked diligent to establish While in School Housing (WISH) program addressing housing and food insecurity. More sessions to come. 
  • Student Services are co-planning MLK week with Central Washington University, Des Moines.
• Institutional Advancement: VP Josh Gerstman
  • Next Monday 2020 leg sessions start: Tuesday Waterstreet Café in Olympia.
  • Inviting our delegation to ribbon cutting Jan 31 2:30 building 26.
  • Outreach  events
  • City of Burien annex (7 nonprofits) recognize Rich Shockley was asked to help with relocating. An example of how we reach out to the committee how it helps SBDC.
    • Chair Mendoza commented that they’ve decided keep it open.
• No Board Report. A presentation on accessibility next month.

Discussion

President’s remarks:

• The college has a lot of hiring at executive cabinet level. 3 VP searches. VP Student Search search is at the place where they candidates will visit the Campus. 
• A search for VP Equity Diversity and Inclusion with Iesha Valencia as Search Committee Chair begins soon.
• Later the college will begin the process for hiring VP of Academic Affairs. The college is spacing these searches out to reduce the stress on the campus.
• There will also be a new Dean position.
• Highline College has a wonderful and exceptional MLK week. We will send out the link to the campus of all the activities. 
• Guided Pathways: Executive Cabinet will be going to Bremerton to a roundup. To get an expectation what other institutions are doing. 
  • The college needs to be extremely intentional managing this Guided Pathways (meta-majors). To this end the college has brought in the element of the student voice.
  • There will be a 2 day kickoff on campus (staff, faculty, and student focus) so that we end up with product. Many kudos to Dr. Ear, Dr. Lardner, and Summer Korst.
  • Many thanks to Tim Wrye who will be taping. 
• Many thanks for the college who handle snow and inclement weather.

Unscheduled business

New business

Chair Fred Mendoza mentions tenure next month.

Meeting adjourned at: 10:58 a.m.

Minutes signed and approved

THe meeting minutes from January 09, 2020, were approved and signed into record by Chair Fred Mendoza and President John R. Mosby on February 20, 2020.

Mission Statement: As a public institution of higher education serving a diverse community in a multicultural world and global economy, Highline College promotes student engagement, learning, and achievement, integrates diversity and globalism throughout the college, sustains relationships withing its communities, and practices sustainability in human resources, operations, and teaching and learning.