President's Report – March 2014
I am very pleased to welcome back Don McNair. He has generously rejoined us on a temporary basis to add capacity to Academic and Student Affairs after our unsuccessful search for a vice president.
Congratulations to Patrick Lanning, who is being named the new president of Central Oregon Community College, succeeding Jim Middleton. As you know, Pat was first a student at Lane and then a faculty member, dean and associate vice president for instruction, before moving on to Chemeketa. I interviewed with the Bend Bulletin about his candidacy. Pat is from Central Oregon and should be a great fit at COCC. They are very lucky to have him.
Kudos and congratulations to Annie Caredio, Classified Employee of the Month for February. She is an admissions specialist in Enrollment and Student Financial Services. She started working at Lane in 1995. Annie is the front door to Lane for countless students.
Kudos to our GED staff. Closeout numbers from GED 2002 testing show a 46% increase in completers.
Three weeks before classes begin, spring term registrations are down 21.1% compared to the same time last year; and unduplicated student headcount is down 17.1%. Meanwhile, as of the 8th week of winter term, registrations were down 13.0% compared to 8th week last year; and unduplicated student headcount was down 11.2%.
Last September, we had visitors from the US Department of Education to review our financial aid programs. It has been many years since we have had a complete review. I'm happy to say that we have finally received feedback, and there are a couple of very minor deficiencies. It is unlikely that there will be any financial penalties. We are very pleased, because we have seen many colleges across the country face massive penalties from the Department of Education, and we were not one of them. Kudos to Helen Faith and her team. The reviewers spent quite a bit of time talking about the great leadership in financial aid and the great team we have.
I am sorry to note the loss of three former employees.
* Lyle Cunningham passed away January 17. He was an alumnus of our Dislocated Worker Program, and he worked in Campus Services and Facilities Management from 1993 to 2001.
* Roland Meyer was an instructor of computer-controlled machining at Lane for 25 years from 1968 to 1993. He passed away January 19.
* Charter faculty member Muriel Almyra Sands Peterson passed away January 31, just shy of her 99th birthday. She taught in Lane's Dental Hygiene program from its beginning in 1965 until her retirement in 1976.
Twice a year, KLCC provides us with an Arbitron ratings report. You should have that at your places. The fall 2013 report shows an 18 percent increase in total listening audience. KLCC maintains its #3 ranking among all radio stations in our area. They rank first on weekend mornings and second in Eugene/Springfield during weekday drive time. Congratulations to KLCC and if anyone has been missing out, start tuning in to 89.7 FM.
We have begun working on cultural competency professional development including work sessions open to all students and staff and specifically inviting the participation of Diversity Council, representatives of faculty, classified and management professional development teams, faculty, staff and student subject experts, and stakeholder groups. I am confident that we will achieve a comprehensive program that meets the needs of our college community. Thanks to Donna Koechig for facilitating this important work in support of the board's policy direction.
The College Council Governance Subcommittee has been meeting regularly to review our governance system. We have put some work into a survey to ask all faculty and staff to respond, but it has not been agreed upon by College Council. The board is expecting an improved governance system in April, and I am still hoping it will be informed by the survey and the work of the subcommittee.
GOVERNMENTAL UPDATE
The legislative session wrapped up last Friday. Brett Rowlett, Director of Community and Governmental Relations, provided a summary of bills with potential impact for community colleges. Senate Bill 1524 passed, directing the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) to study the feasibility of allowing Oregon high school graduates to attend community college for a period of time without cost. President Spilde interviewed with Associated Press for a story on the free tuition proposal, but the story may not run. Mississippi was the other state with a similar proposal, but that bill did not pass.