President's Report – October 2014

It's a pleasure to once again be at the Florence Center, and I want to thank Dean Kuhar and her staff for hosting us. It was a delight to celebrate the college's 50th anniversary with the Florence community this evening.

I would like to congratulate MJ on her appointment as Lane's new Executive Dean of Career Technical education. As the Florence community knows, MJ is a cheerful, tireless and effective leader, and we are pleased she is willing to take on a broader span of responsibility. I want to assure the Florence staff and community that we will find a capable successor. I think we've always been blessed with our Florence leadership and that won't change. There will be a transition period to allow MJ to segue into her new duties while making sure things go smoothly in Florence until a new manager is on board.

I hope we carry tonight's high spirits back to Eugene for our main campus celebration of the 50th anniversary tomorrow with ceremonies beginning at 4 p.m. There we will meet our five Distinguished Alumni for the year, one from each of Lane's five decades. We also will welcome guest speakers, Governor John Kitzhaber, Oregon Lottery Director Jack Roberts, and US Congressman Peter DeFazio.

I would like to thank Chair Pat Albright for speaking at our annual fall in-service last month and to Vice Chair Matt Keating for attending. It was fun and energizing to see board members Rosie Pryor and Sharon Stiles answer students' questions and pour coffee at our annual Fall Welcome Week booth on main campus on the first day of classes.

Week 3 enrollment reports show that we are down 15.2 percent in registrations and about 12.1 percent in headcount.

I am sorry to report that Milt Madden passed away last month at home in Portland. Milt taught history at Lane for many years, and was Instructor of the Year in 1989-90. He will be missed.

Kudos to our employees for their efforts in working safely. As a result, Lane will receive a dividend check from SAIF, the State Accident Insurance Fund, for $150,000 this fall, because of reduced workers compensation claims and reduced losses. SAIF only has dividend savings to distribute when most or all employers who contract with SAIF for workers compensation coverage support high levels of workplace safety in order to reduce and manage claims and losses. Kudos to Todd Smith and Facilities, Jace Smith and Public Safety, Dennis Carr and Human Resources, and the college Safety Committee led by Barbara Dumbleton.

I attended Oregon Education Association's rally for public education on October 11 at Kesey Plaza downtown.

Thanks to the board for your commitment to hold Community Conversations to support the strategic planning work. Fall term dates have been set for November 17 at main campus from 6-7:30 p.m.; November 19 in Veneta from 6-7:30 p.m.; and December 2 at Lane's Cottage Grove Center from 6-7:30 p.m. Donna will let you know when we have specific locations.

In addition, the Executive Team is planning to host Global Conversations for faculty and staff to get broader understanding of our key issues and what we can do working together.

Have you noticed that we've been doing some award-winning work around here? We were named a 2014 Leader College by the Achieving the Dream (ATD) project. We were one of only 16 community colleges selected nationwide and the only one in Oregon. Leader College status is awarded to colleges that commit to improving student success and closing achievement gaps. We are anticipating a site visit from ATD the last week of November.

We were also one of only five community colleges, and the only one on the West Coast, to win a Green Genome Award from the American Association of Community Colleges. We were commended for infusing sustainability concepts into the structure of college policies and procedures, which has allowed us to apply principles of sustainable economics, resource use, and social institutions to learning and working environments.

Finally, I was surprised to receive the Vision Award from Connected Lane County last week, and even more surprised that the award will be named after me. As I said then, the power of our local work lies in collaboration and the Vision Award belongs to many. As you know, Connected Lane County is a local coalition of school districts, colleges and universities, early childhood, and community partners. It was formed to help fulfill Oregon's 40-40-20 educational attainment goal and has served as a role model for other regional achievement collaboratives around the state.

I pitched for KLCC during their fall radiothon on October 7 and also invited listeners to our 50th anniversary celebration on October 15. Thanks to Brian Kelly and other ET members for volunteering.

I had a 50th interview with KUGN this morning and will call KPNW tomorrow. The next day I will be on KNND's Beeper Show in Cottage Grove. Earlier this month, I interviewed with The Register-Guard and with the Eugene Chamber's Open for Business magazine. Both did great stories on our 50th anniversary.

The last week of this month, on October 29 through 31, we will have our seven-year accreditation site visit from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Executive Dean of Transfer Maurice Hamington has done a great job of leading the team to this moment. Given the years of state disinvestment that we've been battling, we expect a few recommendations as well as commendations. Both will support the strategic planning work we have ahead of us this year.

Coming up, if you visit campus on 10/16 at 10:16, you will experience our annual participation in the Great Oregon Shakeout earthquake drill. Thanks to Public Safety and our Emergency Planning Team for involving Lane in this important drill.

I am looking forward to a calmer occasion on October 29, when we sit down for our annual Harvest Dinner. Thanks to this year's dinner and auction co-chairs, Tracie and Ramin Shojai, and Mike and Jennifer Solomon. Last year's dinner raised nearly $300,000 for scholarships and programs.

Last month, the college welcomed another delegation from Mobility International USA. This time, about 10 individuals from Armenia visited the Downtown Center to learn more about the efforts Lane makes to serve students with disabilities. Thank you Brett Rowlett and Michael Weed for meeting with the group. The idea of community colleges and serving students was new to them.

This Thursday, as part of our 50th anniversary week of events, I will be speaking to the Springfield City Club. The event runs from 11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at the Willamalane Center in Springfield.

This Friday, Senator Ron Wyden and State Treasurer Ted Wheeler will be visiting the Downtown Center to hold a conversation with community members about retirement security. The event is invite-only, but if you're interested in attending see Brett.

Last Thursday the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) met on campus. I would like to thank Pat Albright for attending. I had the opportunity to welcome them to campus at the beginning of their meeting, and the members were also able to take a tour of campus following the meeting. The members were impressed with Lane's commitment to student success, the artwork on campus, and of course the food in the CML.