Board of Trustees Meeting

Location 

Highline College
District 9

Study Session (Zoom webinar): 8:30 a.m.

General Session (Zoom webinar): 10 a.m.

Study Session call to order: 8:30 a.m.  

Roll call: Summer Korst, Tim Wrye, Sharmila Swenson, Josh Gerstman, Aaron Reader, Dan Altmayer, Fred Mendoza, Marta Reeves, Grayce Ross, Bruce Marvin, John Mosby, Thomas Bui, Michael Pham, Emily Lardner, Sili Savusa, Bob Roegner, Amy Snydar

Study Session Discussion

Report on Third Quarter Financial Reports (through March) – Michael Pham

• Period ending on March 31, VP Pham reported on the college’s third quarter including Revenues, Expenses and Net income.
• VP Pham noted that Mar 31 was the beginning of COVID-19 and the report does not reflect that environment.

Revised Fiscal Year Budget 2019-2020 – Michael Pham   

• VP Pham showed the suggested revision to the remainder of the Fiscal Year budget
• Requesting the revision so that the college is in good fiscal position for the remainder of the budget year.
• VP Pham ran through the suggested changes line by line. 5,000,000.00 million in revenue reduction.
• Question regarding Student Fees reduction, are they related to the S&A. Answer: they are not related.
• Cares Act funding is not included in the proposed budget. We have been awarded 3.5 mil from federal stimulus package, with 1.7 dedicated to student aid portion. The college has been putting together a process for students to request the money from that act. And other portion to institutional support shall be used for reimbursing the institution for incurred cost due to Covid-19. (Lost revenue is unclear and still being defined) Can be used to pay for salaries for employees that are utilized specifically for Covid-19 and moving instruction online/remote. Institutions can choose to use the institutional support portion for student aid as well.
• May 20 is college’s first report out to the Federal Government on the student aid.

Chair Mendoza complemented VP Pham, his team and executive cabinet for the thoughtful and careful proposal.

Presentation of Student & Activities Budget – S&A Budget Chair, Grayce Ross 

• 2021 proposed budget which will be voted on in the regular June Board of Trustees.
• Chair Mendoza complimented the committee on the hard work and the excellent presentation of the.
• Marta Reeves also thank all the committee and commitment and support of the Board of Trustees.

Defer out of cycle tenure candidate to June Board of Trustee Meeting

Action Item Review

• Approval of Revised Fiscal Year Budget 2019-2020

Unscheduled business 

• President Mosby gave his thanks to VP Pham and his team for their hard work.
• A town hall will be held covering everything regarding the budget (but were afraid to ask.) It will include information presented by VP Reader on the Cares Act student funding. 

Comments

• Interim VP Lardner noted that people are doing extraordinary things and collaborating in extraordinary ways. Conditions the people are working in are very, very challenging.
• Trustee Swenson noted that there is a lot of anxiety of the coming school year. And asked what childcare be available? Are we hearing anything about that?
• Executive Director Korst responded, there are still a lot of questions we don’t know what k12 are going to do in the fall. Day cares are going under. A lot of scrambling will be happening. First thing is to remain really flexibility as an employer, and allow them the grace for the families. 
• VP Reader, highlighted how student services had worked really hard to make a student centered virtual environment.
• There was a conversation noting the importance of acknowledging how staff is doing, and asking them how they are doing, as well as finding new ways to be present with the staff.
• VP Gerstman pointed out when Institutional Advancement first started the remote services, they have not had any time to work on projects they have been fully engaged, highline cares calls, food services, ask highline. He also noted that gifts to the college were up and how proud he is to work with this group of folks. 

New business 

Study Session adjourned at 9:57 a.m.

General Session call to order: 10:08 a.m.

Roll call: Chair Fred Mendoza, Trustee Sili Savusa, Trustee Dan Altmayer, Trustee Bob Roegner, Trustee Sharmila Swenson, President John R. Mosby, VP Michael Pham, VP Aaron Reader, Interim VP Emily Lardner, VP Josh Gerstman, Interim Secretary Amy Snydar

Approve minutes of the regular meeting of April 09, 2020

Subject to the correction to include Trustee Sharmila Swenson’s name as attending.

Trustee Swenson so moved, Trustee Savusa seconded.

Motion passed.

Opportunity for public comment

Ms. Edwina Fui submitted the following testimony in writing and it was read into the record:

“Talofa Lava,

My name is Edwina Fui and I would like to share (and give a shout out) to a collective of folks who planned this month’s Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month. What started as a simple program collaboration between the Center for Cultural & Inclusive Excellence and AANAPISI, now turned into a community collective of educators, organizers and students across the Washington CTC system and beyond. 

When COVID-19 came into effect, our communities were not used to the act of social distancing because discussions, family time and building relations involves sharing space and time together physically. After 5 zoom meetings of planning, our collective is proud to have created space virtually for students, staff, faculty and community members to join discussions & a variety of other programs. From our meetings, we noticed that many of us identified as Pacific Islanders and decided to create a community-focused collective since most of our narratives spoke that part of our identity. We are proud of the contributions of all organizers, sessions have averaged out to 40+ participants and we still have a few weeks if you want to join the conversation!

For information on the community calendar (focused on Pacific Islander Heritage) visit bit.ly/PasifikaHM2020

For Highline’s AA & PI Month Calendar, please visit aanapisi.highline.edu or contact msamifua@highline.edu

The PI Collective includes representatives from: Highline College, Green River College, Tacoma Community College, Pierce College Fort Steilacoom, UW Seattle, UW Bothell, UW Tacoma, Western Washington University, University of Hawaii, Brigham Young University, Muckleshoot Tribal Schools, Enumclaw School District and Puget Sound Educational Service District.

A a special shoutout to our Highline API & PI Collective Planning Contributors: Briana Quintanilla, Marlena Afereti, Feseetai Childress, Malaelupe Samifua, Gerie Ventura, Donna Tupufia Enguerra-Simpson, Nestor Tupufia Enguerra, May Lukens, Anh Che, Brenda Pham, Seini Vuli, Thomas Bui, Malaysiah Banuelos, Marissah Banuelos, Nicole Filler, Shalom Mageo, Nathaniel Pa’aga, Geomarc Panelo and Edwina Fui (self).

Thank you for listening!”

Correspondence

No correspondence to report

Standing Reports

Associated Students of Highline College: Mohamed Jama

No report

Washington Public Employees Association: Tessa Bowen

• Good Morning everyone, and a belated Happy Mother’s Day our mothers and aunties and grammas in the room. I would like to report that we are so happy to have been invited to join so many committees and discussion units in the last month; we feel not only valued as people, but also that our
• Opinions/wants/needs as a group are valued. We want to say thank you to Dr. Mosby and Summer Korst for everything that have done to keep faculty, staff, and students healthy and safe. As well, we are thankful to David Menke and Francesca Fender in Public Safety, for all the time and hard work they have put in keeping track of everyone who has been going on to campus. I would also like to call to light, the hard work of Classified staff throughout the campus and what they have done during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
  • Our Public Safety Officer have been on campus, helping to keep the campus safe, while most of us aren’t there.
  • Our Mail Room and Shipping/Receiving staff, who have not only still been delivering and picking up mail and packages, but they also assisted ITS in getting equipment out to staff and faculty, as well as a whole bunch of ROCKS out to Geology students for their classes this quarter. They also assisted and helped in getting textbooks sent out to students who needed them.
  • Our ITS staff, who has been working hard to get equipment out to students and staff who need it, as well as helping to get everyone set up with Zoom. They have helped answer questions, and walk people through how to use Zoom, as well as other online, distant, and remote forms of learning. Also, not only did they get equipment mailed out, they started a “drive through” to allow staff and students to drive up and pick up things they needed.
  • Our Custodial staff, who have worked tirelessly in cleaning and sanitizing the whole campus – some places more than others, as some staff had to keep coming to campus to do their work.
  • Our Maintenance staff, who have working on completely their ever-growing to-do lists, of fixing things on campus and maintaining our buildings and offices.
  • Our grounds crew, who have maintained our campus while we all, for the most part, are working from home.
  • Our Administrative Assistants, who have been on and off campus helping faculty get class material mailed off to students so they could succeed in their classes.
  • There have been so many people, in so many areas, who have put in a lot of hard work for our Highline family we see you, we appreciate you, we thank you

Highline College Education Association: Dr. James Peyton

• Thank you for the opportunity to speak. On behalf of faculty thank the employees to helping us being able to provide learning. Thank you so much. It is inspiring to see all the work to keep the students and employees going.
  • The participation on the EDI was robust and kept the conversation alive. 
  • The mock accreditation highlighted some of our strengths but also areas where we can improve. Keeping that dialog going g is important in this setting.

Faculty Senate: Sam Alkhalili

No Report

Highline College Foundation: VP Josh Gerstman

• Normally this would be the meeting we would have thanked you for the gala, however, we did not have it this year and everyone was missed.
• In lieu of the gala, we have been running a campaign to support students during this time of Covid-19. Raised over 50k. To support students who may have additional challenges or who do

Action Item

Approve the revised budget for Fiscal Year 19/20

Motion to approve  

Trustee Altmayer asserted having given due to consideration to the impact of covid-19 on both expenditures and revenue I ask the Board of Trustees to consider passing the revised 2019 – 2020 Highline College Budget. 

Trustee Roegner seconded.

VP Pham stated: our current budget situation. A revenue shortfall for the remainder of the 19/20 year and therefore has proposed a revised budget that will ensure a balanced budget by June 30 of the current fiscal year.

Trustee Altmayer notes due to Highline College’s conservative fiscal manner in previous years has served us well during the current emergency environment and gives thanks to VP Pham and his team.

Chair Mendoza comments on previous administration during difficult time, Larry Yok created a very conservative glide path. Greatly appreciated by the Board of Trustees.

Chair Mendoza Called for a vote. All were in favor. Chair Mendoza declared the revised budget is approved and adopted. 

Board Report

No Report

Area Reports

Administrative Services: VP Michael Pham

Report as stands

Academic Affairs: Interim VP Emily Lardner

Report as submitted

Student Services: VP Aaron Reader

• In addition; update on the cares funding we recently launce this past Monday and within we have 860 applications for aid. Maximum award 800.
• Highlight that we have a number of vouchers for WISH (While In School Housing) have been provided.
• Additional effort by counseling. Above and beyond for F/S.

Institutional Advancement: VP Josh Gerstman

• Call attention to the good work the good work out of IA Outreach and the ask highline email responses. They worked with Amy Snydar with how to respond to questions. Noticed trend of the questions tend to come after communications go out to the campus and students. 
• Highline cares campaign to call HC students to check in. One student stated that this is the only phone call I’ve received to have from not only the school but from anyone. Fawzi Belal shared that he will be calling that student once a week to check in.

Discussion

Trustee Altmayer raised the point that normally during the month of May the board make motions to approve or accept community development block grants, from King Co., Burien, and the city of Federal Way that give significant funding to our StarZone microenterprise center and was wondering that it did not show up this month, is that funding still available? Is it something we might be able to request and vote on next month. 

VP Pham and Dr. Mosby to follow up on that question.

Trustee Altmayer asked approved the process and for faculty of the year person selected by the college also be the de facto faculty of the year recommendation of the Trustees for the awards program on the ACT and ACCT at the national awards.

Dr. Mosby replied that due to our current environment executive cabinet decided to shelf that process for this year. The recommendation requires an appropriate amount of time to really put together really strong information.  

Trustee Altmayer stated he hoped that the Highline College Golf Tournament could take place if phase two of the governor’s plan were place, even if it was at a reduced number of participants.

Dr. Mosby during the current circumstance we decided to forego the process this year.

Trustee Swensen noted that mock accreditation went well for the trustees. It was found to be very helpful.

Trustee Altmayer mentioned that normally the CTC system would have ACT state wide conferences this week. There was an email from the Kim Tanaka. Please take a moment to complete the survey.

President’s Remarks

• Addressed the commencement changes. It will be virtual. Proud that we had over 700 students responded to a survey to help us in our decision. 
• The mock accreditation went well and the report that came back was helpful. The president feels good about where the college is out. The college received good recommendations. The mock accreditation team, recognized that the responses from Roegner and Swenson really stood out.
• Green River just completed a virtual accreditation visit. We have good info and expiernce from them.
• Recognizing the work of the entire campus community. Staff/Faculty/Students are very resilient. The college held a virtual community potluck. There were about 30 folks attend who were able to sit back, talk and laugh. It was good to see everyone’s faces and celebrate. It will be nice when we are all back on campus, but we will wait until we are allowed to do so and when it can be done in a healthy manner.

Unscheduled business

New business

Chair Mendoza gives great thanks to Tim Wrye and Amy Snydar for the hard work on setting up and running the zoom meetings for the Board of Trustees. Additionally, the Chair wished everyone safety and health.

General Session adjourned: 10:49 a.m.

Minutes Signed and Approved

The meeting minutes from May 14, 2020, were approved and signed into record by Chair Fred Mendoza and President John R. Mosby on June 11, 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 within its communities, and practices sustainability in human resources, operations, and teaching and learning.