President's Report – April 2015

I am very sorry to report that we recently lost two members of our college family.

Bert Dotson passed away on March 29. He was 91. As many of you know, Bert was a prominent citizen of Lane County. He helped create Lane Community College as executive secretary of a community college study committee which prepared the ballot measure that would create LCC. He ran the PR campaign that convinced local citizens of the importance and need for a community college. Bert also became Lane's first administrative assistant and served through four administrations from 1964 until his retirement in 1982. Bert worked to create the college's first budget, find classroom space, hire staff and faculty, and select the college's first president, Dale Parnell. A private family service is planned. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made in memory of Bert Dotson to the Lane Community College Foundation or the Alzheimer's Association of Eugene.

Jack Powell passed away on March 29 at age 78. Jack devoted 33 years to Lane, beginning in 1968 when he taught English. He headed up Financial Aid from 1969 to 1977 and then returned to the English Department as chair until his retirement in 1998. He gained a certain amount of fame as the MC for many graduation ceremonies, and in retirement he was active in the Very Little Theater including serving on its board. He was instrumental in starting the Lane retirement group. Outside of Lane, Jack was active in the US Coast Guard. A private family service was held.

I'm sure you're impressed with the tremendous progress made on our Center for Learning and Student Success project right outside of this room—and by the way, remember to avoid the back stairs–they're gone. I'd like to give a shout out to Facilities, Food Services and the Titan Store who really stepped up to work out a few bugs and make sure we all find our way around campus and that we all find something to eat. There are five different eateries now. Maps have been distributed and can be downloaded from the facilities website at lanecc.edu/facilities. The maps will be updated every time there's a route change. I have a couple of samples of the Construction Café map to pass around so you can see an example. We recognize the huge inconvenience for students and staff, but the payoff will be an amazing building that will transform the campus.

I am very pleased to report that we have received notice from the Education Department that our Loan Servicing Appeal for FY2011 was reviewed, and our default rate was revised down to 27.4 percent. What this means is that we are in good standing. Our staff submitted 42 accounts for review, and the ED admitted that 37 of those lacked evidence for default. So our three-year rates for 2009, 2010 and 2011 respectively, are 19.5 percent, 30.6 percent, and 27.4 percent. Kudos to Kerry Levett, Helen Faith and to all the staff in Financial Aid for their exhaustive work and commitment in setting the record straight, with a special shout out to Luna Lacey who did most of the legwork for the loan servicing appeal,.

It is time once again to recognize outstanding scholars at Oregon's community colleges. The Oregon Community College Association (OCCA) organizes this annual event to bring two students from each college to the capital in Salem for a special recognition event. This year that will be on April 30. Our scholars are Minette Roberts and Ellen Klowden. Minette is 26 and has a 3.67 GPA. She plans to transfer to Oregon State University and earn a double degree in early childhood education and either art or sociology, and then a doctorate, towards a future career in social justice. Ellen is a returning student with a 4.0 GPA. She is seeking a degree in health informatics and plans to transfer either to OHSU or OIT. This will build on her earlier career in health records.

Congratulations to our Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Program which was awarded the Best Presentation & Hospitality Award at last night's Chef's Night Out event at the Hult Center. Ticket sales for this event went to Food for Lane County. Also, the West Family graciously selected two Lane students to each receive a $2,000 Future Culinarian Award. The students were Britany Clingenpeel and Jackson Kelsay, both dual-degree students. The award was named in memory of Mike West who passed away in 2011 and was a big supporter of Lane's programs.

For spring term, on the second week of classes, total registrations for all classes are down 15.4% compared to the same point last year.

There was another case of meningitis in a UO student, this time at the Capstone 13th & Olive apartments where LCC students also live. Vice President Brian Kelly led a response team which mobilized in partnership with Lane County Public Health on very short notice to offer a vaccination clinic for our students at the building. We are ready to take action again, but we certainly hope this outbreak is over.

• Next week at Lane, we will host an Achieving the Dream site visit on April 14 and 15.
• On April 22 we'll celebrate Earth Day. Our Sustainability Committee encourages students and staff to walk, ride their bike or take the bus together to main campus. If you want to participate, contact Brian or Mike Sims in our Sustainability office. And speaking of sustainability, kudos to the Turn It Off campaign at Lane which has been encouraging those of us who work here to conserve energy. The staff in Building 1, Student Services, has achieved the lowest energy use for that building in 10 years!
• The Peace Center's 8th Annual Symposium on April 30 will feature Suzan Harjo. She is a Native American poet, writer, lecturer, curator, and policy advocate. She recently received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
• Finally, remember that the college will be closed for our annual Spring Conference on Friday, May 1.

So, here's what's been going on in Salem, and Brett may have some further updates.
• The community college budget has been much of the attention lately in Salem. I had the opportunity to kick-off testimony before the Ways and Means Education Subcommittee last Wednesday, speaking about the role of community colleges in Oregon. On Friday, UO Interim President Scott Coltraine spoke alongside recent Lane graduate and transfer student Kevin Loder. It was the first time in recent memory that a UO president lobbied the legislature in such a public way for community college funding. And on Monday numerous Lane students, including ASLCC Vice President Ashley Jackson and LCCEA President Jim Salt, spoke to the committee. So Lane has been very visible in the Capitol, and we continue to advocate for a minimum of $550 million for the Community College Support Fund.
• The Ways and Means Committee has announced it will travel the state again this year to accept public comment on the budget. The budget committee members will be in Springfield on the evening on Thursday, April 23. Brett will have more information, including location, available soon.
• I attended the HECC Funding and Achievement Subcommittee's meeting last week. I've been working with OCCA and OEA and have met a couple of times with our new governor's staff with a request at minimum to slow down the process and have a different conversation going forward. It appears that we are there with that decision. We don't expect a big pronouncement, but do expect to the see the HECC announce this work going forward. Want to make sure it's not just slowing down to pick up the work later, but slowing down to talk about different work.

In Washington, the House and Senate passed their respective budget resolutions last week, establishing high-level targets for government spending in FY 16 and beyond. Both documents lay out a plan to balance the federal budget within 10 years. The budgets hew to the so-called "sequester level" discretionary spending caps set forth in the Budget Control Act of 2012, but would allow for increased defense spending that is not subject to those caps. Each budget also calls for non-defense discretionary spending well below sequester caps for the remainder of the 10-year budget window. The House budget resolution recommends a number of desultory changes to the Pell Grant and student loan programs, most of which have been featured in recent years' budgets as well.

Albright noted the impact Bert Dotson had on Lane Community College. He was instrumental in the establishment and opening of the college, working behind the scenes to ensure that a community college in Lane County would come to fruition.

Ackerman talked about working with Dotson in the early days of Lane. Dotson was an astute and capable administrator and, in Ackerman's opinion, a co-founder of the college.