BOARD REPORT - MAY 2013
First I would like to introduce Maurice Hamington, Lane's new Executive Dean of Academic Affairs – Transfer. Hamington had previously worked at Lane teaching philosophy and religion, and it is great to have him back.
I want to congratulate our student chapter of the National Student Nursing Association for winning the Global Initiatives in Nursing Award at NSNA's recent annual conference. Kudos to Lane student Jesse Kennedy, past president of our student chapter, for his election as new NSNA president, and to Mary Gross, who will be our chapter president. I would like to invite Jesse, Mary, and Program Coordinator Tricia Tully to come to the podium for a photo, and I believe Trish has a certificate to officially present to the college.
[Tricia Tully, Nursing Program Coordinator, presented the certificate and talked about activities of the past year, including a very successful nursing project in Thailand.]
Two weeks ago I attended the All-Oregon Academic Team scholars event in Salem sponsored by the Oregon Community College Association where we celebrated the state's best community college students, including Kaitlyn Worman and Tracy Weimer from Lane.
Kaitlyn is a science major, a member of Phi Theta Kappa, enrolled in our Honors Program, edited our literary arts magazine Denali, and placed as a semifinalist in the Norman Mailer National Award for Community College Fiction Writing. She plans to pursue a medical career. Her sister Megan is a former All-Oregon Academic Team member and she graduated from Stanford Law School last year.
Tracy majored in business and was the treasurer for student government. She also is a leader in PTK. She was named a New Century Scholar, representing all of Oregon. Tracy is a first-generation student from rural Oregon and will graduate with an AAS-Accounting and an ASOT-Business. She will transfer to the UO and pursue a career in post-secondary education administration.
Thanks to Ce Rosenow and Katie Morrison Graham for traveling to Salem to support our students, and congratulations to Kaitlyn and Tracy.
I'd like to congratulate our Sigma Zeta Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa. At their recent annual national convention, Kaitlyn was elected International Vice President for Division IV, and Tracy was acknowledged for her Guistwhite scholarship. In addition, faculty member Velda Arnaud received the first Marshall Award recognizing outstanding advisors.
A tip of the chef's hat to Clive Wanstall and his culinary students. They received the 2013 Volunteer of the Year Team Award from United Way of Lane County. Their talent and selflessness continue to earn the admiration of the community.
Kudos to Diesel Technology students Cory Sceva and James Holland, who received "Mike Rowe Works" Foundation Tools Scholarships from the Associated Equipment Distributors Foundation. Both received a $1,000 tool scholarship.
Congratulations King Estate Winery as our 2013 Outstanding Cooperative Education Employer of the Year. King Estate has provided internships for 24 students in the last five years and hired our graduates, including one who now is their Executive Sous-Chef. The winery also has donated 20 cases of wine every year to the Harvest Dinner.
We had spring inservice last Friday, and I want thank Roxanne Watson and everyone on the planning committee for an informative and energizing professional development experience, and especially Brad Hinson for a great keynote presentation.
Congratulations to Andrea Newton, who was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Oregon Association for Career and Technical Education. Andrea truly deserves this honor with her many years at Lane, preceded by 26 years in K12 administration.
I would like to recognize Alen Bahret for his work in developing our 25Live scheduling software to control field lighting. As a result of Alen's work, Lane will receive a Campus Technology Innovator Award from Campus Technology Magazine. We're one of 9 winners from 235 nominees.
We were all sorry to learn of the passing of David Shellabarger. David taught math at Lane for many years. He was an innovative math instructor on the cutting edge of reform. We will miss him.
Lane is one of only 29 institutions nationally and the only community college to receive a National Endowment for the Humanities Digital Humanities Start-Up grant for 2013-14. The project, titled "Bringing Digital Humanities to the Community College and Vice Versa," addresses the lag in community college involvement in the emerging field of digital humanities, which encompasses digital archives and new digital methods of humanities research and study. Anne McGrail is the project's director. Congratulations to Anne and to our grants team.
There are several campus events before the June meeting. Here are just a few:
* Lane Day at the Capitol, May 15
* Employee Recognition Gala, May 15
* Lane Family Day, May 18
* Newton-McNair retirement reception, May 29
* Gift of Literacy, May 30
* Ken Murdoff retirement reception, June 6
* Classical Cuisine dinner, June 6
We enjoyed several events last month including:
* Job Fair on April 17 which led to record attendance. In fact, some employers ran out of job applications.
* Lane Preview on April 18, which drew hundreds of high school students and their families to campus.
* Peace Conference on April 19 which highlighted issues of gender violence.
* Advisory Committee Gala on April 30 where we celebrated our 43 program committees and their 700 community volunteers, and announced King Estate as Employer of the Year.
We continue to be aggressive in seeking solutions for Building 4 and will welcome NIOSH for a site visit here on May 14 and 15. NIOSH is the National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health. We're looking forward to adding their expertise to our problem-solving efforts.
I'd like to conclude my report with a special thanks to outgoing student body president Mary Weatherhead. Mary did an outstanding job of organizing students to register more than 6,000 student voters this fall. She also was the first community college woman to be elected as chair of the Oregon Student Association Board of Directors. Most recently, she emceed a rally for higher education at the state capitol and spoke to more than 600 attendees about the importance of funding for community colleges and higher education. She has represented the students of Lane well, both on campus and off. Congratulations, Mary, and good luck in your future endeavors.
I also want to welcome incoming president Paul Zito. I am looking forward to working with you throughout the coming year.