The Biweekly

Re-setting the Guided Pathways Work 
Building upon the progress of the past three years and taking the advice from SBCTC Guided Pathway coaches, the college presidents and the chancellor initiated a recalibration of Guided Pathway work across the District. The recalibration work includes a) Dr. Yoshiko Harden assumes the role of Executive Sponsor, b) reconstitute the composition of district-wide Steering Committee that will include vice presidents, IR and EDI administrators, c) establish four priority focuses for the AY 22-23.  This year, three colleges have submitted one combined report to the SBCTC.

Reminder: Budget Forums

Congratulations to Faculty Emeritus
At the April 14 Board of Trustees meeting, the board considered AFT’s recommendation to grant Emeritus status to the following eligible faculty. Emeritus status is granted to retired faculty or those who have died in service and have made significant contributions to the District’s values of service, excellence, diversity and effective leadership. 

North Seattle College

• Lynne Hull, Arts Humanities & Social Sciences
• Steven Quig, English, Arts Humanities & Social Sciences

Seattle Central College

• Nada Oakley, Arts Humanities & Social Sciences
• William Tennyson, Business
• Rebecca Tesdell, Basic & Transitional Studies
• Denise Vaughn, Basic & Transitional Studies

South Seattle College

• Margo Harder, International Edu. Program & Basic & Transitional Studies 
• Mike Hickey, College Transfer
• Yilin Sun, Basic & Transitional Studies
   

Seattle Colleges Board of Trustees Recruiting Community Leaders to Fill Anticipated Vacancy
After serving on Seattle Colleges Board for eight years, Trustee Steve Hill's term is set to expire at the end of September 2022. With this anticipated vacancy, the Board is recruiting community leaders for nomination and eventual appointment by Governor Inslee. The new trustee will assume the role on October 1, 2022. Individuals who are residents of Seattle may be nominated for consideration. 
 
To find out more about trustee recruitment, visit the Board of Trustees webpage at: https://www.seattlecolleges.edu/about/leadership-and-organization/board-trustees/trustee-recruitment. Faculty, staff, and students are welcome to contact the Chancellor's Office to discuss recommendations of potential candidates.
 
Volunteer Opportunity: Become a Foundation Scholarship Reviewer
Seattle Colleges Foundation is recruiting volunteers to join the Scholarship Reviewers Committee. To apply for the Scholarship Reviewers Committee, please complete the application at the link below and sign off on the Confidentiality and Conflict of Interest agreement. 

• Scholarship Reviewers Committee Application 
• Confidentiality and Conflict of Interest Agreement 

 
The annual scholarship application is open to students from all three of the Seattle Colleges. Together, our efforts can add up to greater student recruitment and retention, helping rebuild enrollment post-pandemic. 
 
Other things you can do to help: 
Share our Facebook and Instagram posts about scholarships on your program, department or even personal pages.
Add one of these slides to your classroom PowerPoint and encourage students to find out more on our scholarships page.
Print this flyer and post where students might see it. 
 
Questions? E-mail scholarships@seattlecolleges.edu
 
Kudos to Christel Olsen and the Seattle Colleges Foundation, ACT Award Nominees
The statewide Association for College Trustees (ACT) invites colleges to submit nominations for statewide awards each spring, and winners at the state level have a chance to go on to compete nationally for awards at the Annual ACT Leadership Congress. This year, Seattle Colleges submitted two nominations: Christel Olsen, Health & Safety Manager, was nominated for Professional Staff Member of the Year; and the Seattle Colleges Foundation was nominated for the Partner of the Year Award. 
 
Christel Olsen’s leadership on infection control protocols, training, and contact tracing have been tireless these past two years while our institution has dealt with the changing landscape of Covid. Her nomination was supported by letters from Vice Chancellor Jennifer Dixon; AFT-SPS Union President, Cody Hiatt; and Board Chair, Louise Chernin. 
 
The Seattle Colleges Foundation is engaged in a $50 million campaign called Equity Can’t Wait. The work being done now to support scholarships for students and have impact on BIPOC student success is something we are proud to lead the way on. The Foundation’s nomination was supported by letters from the leaders of the WA Roundtable and United Way, as well as Board Chair, Louise Chernin.
 

2022 Legislative Session Report

The 2022 supplemental legislative session resulted in some significant new investments in CTCs and the higher education sector. Most of the requests by the CTCs and four-year institutions were funded at a level somewhere between the House Budget (which tended to be lower) and the Senate Budget (which tended to be higher.) Overall, the total Higher Ed budget (not counting one-time funding for student loans) increased by 2.5% while the total Supplemental Budget increased by 8.6%.

Access and Affordability;

• The Legislature invested in an expansion of the Washington College Grant, which will allow qualifying students to receive bridge grants for non-tuition expenses such as books and room and board. The legislation also raises the threshold for the maximum WCG to 60% of median family income.(HB 1659)
• The Legislature appropriated funds for a low-interest (1%), state-sponsored college loan program.(HB 1736)
• Lawmakers also funded targeted outreach programs to get more students into the higher ed pipeline by applying for state and federal aid. (HB 1835)

Quality and Excellence:

• The state invested in compensation for faculty and staff at all public higher education institutions. The "fund split" - the amount the state pays for salaries versus the amount each institution pays - is the most generous fund split in more than a decade. Fair compensation will help Seattle Colleges attract and retain the highest quality faculty and staff.

Apprenticeships:

• Apprenticeships received more attention this session than any time in the last ten years. A comprehensive study of how other states operate and finance apprenticeship programs will be conducted by the Ruckelshaus Policy Center jointly operated by the UW and WSU. Seattle Colleges workforce and apprenticeship leaders helped shepherd this legislation through the session and will be involved in shaping the upcoming study.

In sum, we are pleased with these new investments in our top priorities during the supplemental budget session. More information is available through the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. (www.sbctc.edu)
 

Seattle Promise Applications Reached New Record

At the end of application deadline, over 2,200 students submitted their applications for the Fall 2022 Seattle Promise Program. Of the total applicants, 69% are students of color, and 49% reported that they come from first-generation families. 

Thanks to the collective efforts by Seattle Colleges faculty and staff over the past four years, Seattle Promise has become a well-known, popular program among Seattle High School and charter school students and their families. Members of the Seattle Promise team really deserve a special shout-out for doubling up their outreach and recruitment effort. In the coming months, the Seattle Promise team will be working with college student services staff to help the applicants complete the readiness academy and other enrollment steps. Let's work together to help Promise applicants become Promise scholars.
 

Congratulations to Newly Tenured Faculty, Tenure Reception on May 25

On March 14, the Board of Trustees reviewed and approved fourteen new Tenured Faculty. Please see the list below and congratulate your colleagues on this milestone achievement. And please join the Board of Trustees on May 25 for a reception at South Seattle College Georgetown Campus to honor these faculty members, and others who have achieved Tenure Status this past year. Reception details are below, please RSVP.

North Seattle College

• Nicole Cook, IT & Application Development
• Lyle Crews, Real Estate Property Management
• Leann Dittmar, Pharmacy Technician
• Benjamin Roberts, Electronics & Engineering Technology
• Vinod Sastry, Mathematics
• Nausica Zorzi, Business & International Business

Seattle Central College

• Janine Buis, Nursing
• Katie Gourd-Ascencio, Nursing
• Anna Hackman, Humanities
• Ruby Hansra, Counseling
• Janet Hinson, Community Health & Education
• Scott Moy, Apparel Design & Development

South Seattle College

• Steve Abercrombie, Sustainable Building Science Technology
• Jill McDonough, Basic & Transitional Studies

Initiating “The Biweekly” 

Beginning with this issue, the Office of the Chancellor will send “The Biweekly” to the district community.  Posted on the first and third Tuesday of the month, The Biweekly will be used to provide district-wide updates of important issues, highlight student and employee achievements, and share stories and perspectives on leadership, higher education, and community partnerships. 

The Biweekly will be an additional informal tool for improving internal communication. The Biweekly is not intended to be comprehensive, but concise and timely. Contributions or topical suggestions may be sent to co@seattlecolleges.edu.  

Celebrating One-Year Anniversary of ctcLink Going Live at Seattle Colleges 

One year ago, during the weekend of Feb. 20-21, Seattle Colleges, as part of Deployment Group 4, decided to “go live” with ctcLink conversion. Despite many issues and challenges experienced the past twelve months, we have entered the fourth quarter of working with ctcLink on a daily basis. With faculty, staff, and students becoming more comfortable and proficient in using ctcLink, we are entering a stage of stabilization, refinement, and optimization.   

As of January 7, 2022, more than 57,000 students have activated their ctcLink account since it went live on February 22, 2021.  

To commemorate this important milestone, Vice Chancellor Terence Hsiao hosted an impromptu, hybrid ctcLink Survivor Celebration. A group of employees gathered at Siegal Center, and another gathered online at 8:00 a.m., Tuesday, Feb. 22 to remember the ctclink journey and to recognize the dedication and hard work of individuals and groups over the course of two years, from preparation to conversion and to stabilization and refinement. Terence presented “survivor” certificates to many individuals. 

On behalf of the Board of Trustees and college presidents, chancellor Pan thanked faculty, staff, the ctclink Core Group, the Executive Sponsor, and the Project Lead for their significant contributions. In particular, he expressed deep appreciations to the countless unsung heroes across the colleges and district office who worked behind the scenes, during COVID-19, to learn a new system while providing support to students and faculty and staff colleagues.  

Celebrating our Transforming Lives Award Nominees

The ACT Transforming Lives Awards recognizes current or former students whose lives have been transformed by attending a Washington State community or technical college. The three students recognized this year share exceptional personal stories of persistence that highlight the importance of support from and connections with Faculty and Staff at Seattle Colleges. Please join the Board of Trustees for refreshments and a short program on March 10 at South Seattle College’s Georgetown Campus to celebrate these exceptional students.