Board Report – February 2013

We received word yesterday that Lane made the governor's list of recommended capital construction projects. We requested $8 million in matching funds for our Center for Student Success (formerly called The Commons) as we are calling our upcoming Center Building renovation.

I am pleased to announce a partnership opportunity with School District 4J to help 200 high school students successfully transition to college by co-locating an Early College and Career Options program on main campus. Early College and Career Options, or ECCO, serves high school aged students who need a different educational environment than that provided in a typical high school. ECCO now enrolls nearly 200 students who are working toward their high school diploma and is currently located in the former Parker Elementary School Building in South Eugene.  Co-locating the program at Lane would acquaint 4J students with college life while they earn their high school diploma and help them transition seamlessly into college. Similar models show that being on a college campus significantly improves students' chances to go college, be successful in college, and graduate from college.  The partnership would support Lane's mission to make college more accessible, help meet our enrollment goals at a time when enrollment is declining, and improve our completion rates.  4J students would have outstanding connections to campus resources, including easy bus transportation, on-campus childcare for parenting students, and early introduction to career-technical programs.  This could set a gold standard for the seamless transition to college and career preparation to meet the Oregon's 40-40-20 plan. Now is an opportune time in the long range planning of both institutions. We are planning the last of our 2008 bond projects and 4J has funds available from its 2011 bond measure if we need to do some renovations on campus.  We will be exploring the possibilities and working out what a partnership might look like. This could become a model for more school districts in our area. 

Hopefully you've received your first edition of Lane Community eNews, a new community e-mail newsletter by Brett Rowlett and with assistance from Tracy Simms, Funk/Levis, and Joan Aschim. This will help us deliver more news directly to our community.

I am delighted to announce Dawn DeWolf as our next Executive Dean for Career and Technical education. She has served as dean of Adult Basic and Secondary Education and Workforce Development for Lane and is recognized statewide for her leadership in ABSE, as well as in connecting students to career and technical education through Career Pathways. She has led our workforce development efforts and nurtured successful relationships with workforce partners, employers and funders. Dawn is committed to serving students and will help us expand access to higher education.

Congratulations to Tina Reyes, Classified Employee of the Month for January. She is an institutional coordinator specialist in Continuing Education and has been with Lane since 1995 in various roles. She is a can-do person and a pleasure to work with.

English Instructor José Chaves has published a family memoir, "The Contract of Love," now available on Amazon. José has an MFA in creative writing from the UO and was a Fulbright scholar to Colombia in 1999. He has published a bilingual anthology of Latin American fiction and his poetry has been published The Atlanta Review, Exquisite Corpse and other journals.

Co-op coordinator Tamara Pinkas recently published a book, "Find Your Next Professional Job: A Guide for Community College Students and Experienced Workers," co-authored with Scott Weighart, formerly of Northwestern University. The book is available at the Titan Store. Tamara has been with Co-op for 20 years.

College Council is working with other councils and staff in reviewing Lane's College Online Policies and Procedures (COPPS) to establish a more organized framework for our policies and procedures and making sure we have all of the work done for our accreditation.  This may impact how the board policies are framed. 

We are again addressing indoor environmental quality issues in Building 4. After staff reported ailments in December, we temporarily closed the building winter break, called in consultants, and took steps to improve conditions. Currently, most offices are still closed, but classrooms and labs are open. Short-term occupancy does not appear to present issues but many employees and some students are affected. No cause has yet been identified, but we are focusing on the building's mechanical room which has a positive charge that prevents air from fully exhausting. We've adjusted the system and are assessing outcomes to determine next steps. We have relocated 26 faculty and staff.  We are reviewing the Incident-accident reports. We are looking at relocating the dental lab.  Weekly meetings are held with the staff to keep them updated.  We will keep working at this until the issue is resolved.

The Oregon Education Investment Board (OEIB) released its strategic plan summary and a proposal for regional achievement compacts. The plan provides an overview of the planning process and vision and outlines objectives and metrics for the next seven years. A new regional achievement compact pilot program was proposed to bring together institutions in a region to share ideas and pool resources. The Oregon Community College Association (OCCA) continues to work with Dr. Rudy Crew and the OEIB to ensure that community college needs are considered.

The legislative session got underway on Monday. The next few weeks will be packed full of committee hearings. We will attend the OCCA Legislative Summit on February 20 and meet with members of the Lane County delegation on February 21 to discuss community college priorities. Mark your calendars for Lane Day at the Capitol on Wednesday, May 15.

Last Friday, we welcomed Congressman Peter DeFazio at the Downtown Campus. We showed him the academic building, including the rooftop classrooms, and I think he was impressed. I would like to thank Roger Ebbage, Jim Lindly, Dawn DeWolf, Cathy Lindsley, Barbara Susman and Brett Rowlett for helping organize the visit.

In Washington, the House Committee on Education and Workforce held its organizational meeting to assign committee members and adopt rules. Congresswoman Virginia Foxx is the chair and ranking member for the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training. New members on the committee include former Lane student and Oregon Congresswomen Suzanne Bonamici.

Last week, a bipartisan group of eight U.S. Senators released a framework for comprehensive immigration reform. Among the items included in their proposal is a pathway to citizenship for DREAM students. While the exact details on how this will be achieved will not be released until a bill is drafted, it signals a strong bipartisan desire to address the challenges surrounding DREAM students in 2013.

I am grateful to everyone who joined me at the Eugene Chamber Celebration of Business last week. I was very honored to receive the Citizen of the Year Award but as you've heard me say before, such awards are never about one person and are not possible without the work of many.

It was a pleasure to attend the annual Staton Luncheon. The Robert W. and Bernice Ingalls Staton Foundation gave $2 million to Lane in 2003 to fund $5,000 scholarships. So far we have given this scholarship to 145 students. Bernice passed away in 2005. This year, her grandson, J.P. Voilleque, and his young daughter Claire, represented the Staton family. Lane Foundation President John Watkinson welcomed the guests which included twelve current and past scholarship recipients.

I'd like to welcome our new KLCC station manager who is here tonight, John Stark.  John comes to us from KNAU, Arizona Public Radio in Flagstaff with more than 30 years of public radio experience.  A special thanks to retiring station manager Steve Barton for everything he's done for the college. 

Once again I would like to commend Lane students and staff for their support of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration. Many joined this year's march and presentation, and I was fortunate to attend the evening event as well. Lane students started the celebration, and it's now a mainstay of the community's cultural identity.

We hosted a performance of "Pouring Tea: Black Gay Men Of The South Tell Their Tales" by Dr. E. Patrick Johnson. More than 200 staff, students and community members attended. This was the latest presentation built on the Storytelling Model for Social Justice through the Arts, as part of our Diversity Strategic Direction.

Next we welcome Dr. Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, who will speak on "Lessons From My Grandfather" on February 21; and then our own Stanley Coleman will perform "Paul Robeson" on March 8 and 10.

I attended the "Board Role of Student Success" workshop at the Achieving the Dream conference in Anaheim this week, along with board members Sharon Stiles and Rosie Pryor.  

I am pleased to announce and welcome Wendy Jett as the new Executive Director of the Lane Community College Foundation.  I would also like to thank Janet Anderson for her many years of service to the college. 

I will be visiting my mother in Scotland next week.  She is having a medical procedure, and I have delayed this trip so I am glad to finally be able to visit her.

Remember that the annual Lane Council of Governments Appreciation Dinner is Thursday, February 28 here in the Center for Meeting and Learning. It had originally been set for January 24.

And it won't be long now until the grand opening celebration of our Downtown Campus on Friday, March 15, at 1 p.m..