by Kukuk Jacob | Jan 29, 2016 | Amy's Update
Dear Colleagues, As I meet with business and public sector leaders, I am constantly reminded of how we have a positive impact on our community. Often, I’m approached when at events, meetings or even the local Starbucks, about our contributions to the betterment of our community. Whether it’s an affordable lunch in the Chef City Grill, sweets from the bakery, low-cost dental care or automotive repair, the annual plant sale, or access to the walking trail through the arboretum, and of course our well-educated and dedicated students, the impression our community has about the college is that we are a true partner. Thank you for being great community ambassadors on behalf of the College! Here’s a recap of latest news: External Engagement Washington Association of Community and Technical Colleges (WACTC) Presidents Meeting I spent this past Sunday through Tuesday in Olympia for the Transforming Lives Awards (more on that below), and the monthly Washington Association of Community and Technical Colleges (WACTC) Presidents Meeting. The majority of the meeting was spent discussing the current legislative session and addressing the funding gaps for the operating and capital budgets. We are working together to show how the cuts to our budgets are truly impacting our colleges. We also discussed the thinking around future legislative sessions, and how we, as a system, will approach the free community college conversations that are starting to circulate now. College Community Cabinet Connection Executive Cabinet members met yesterday, with the focus of this week’s meeting being a general catch up. It is always good to touch base with each other, even...
by Kukuk Jacob | Jan 22, 2016 | Amy's Update
Dear Colleagues, I want to thank the many of you who reached out to me and who have connected with Meena and Heidi in Human Resources this past week, after learning of Melissa Lamy’s cancer diagnosis. Your support of Melissa, the Human Resources team, and Executive Cabinet, among others close to Melissa, have been heartfelt and are sincerely appreciated. Your kind words and actions remind me, in a humbling way, how we truly are one extended family. And just like in a family, when one member is hurting, the family draws in closer to support them. I have seen it time and time again on this campus, and I am honored to be a member of this family. I will continue to pass along updates and ways in which you can support Melissa and her family. Here’s a recap of latest news: External Engagement Guided Pathways to Success Conference On Wednesday, I attended the Guided Pathways to Success Conference at Clover Park Technical College with Dr. Elliot Stern, Cathy Copeland, Dr. Ruby Hayden, Sally Heilstedt, Jamilyn Penn, Chris Harter, Neera Mehta, Mike Potter, Doug Emory, Katie Viola, and Dr. Suzy Ames. The conference focused on how colleges within our system can create clear pathways for students. Having well-defined pathways will create a better college experience for our students and ultimately lead to an increase in completion rates. Fortunately, our Student Services and Instruction leadership teams are already working on many of the recommendations put forth at this conference. Our work in student success is never complete so we will to incorporate best practices into our work. Health...
by Kukuk Jacob | Jan 15, 2016 | Amy's Update
Dear Colleagues, As we prepare to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, on Monday, I’ve been thinking of his dream for this country, and the importance of having dreams to guide us. I’ve been reflecting on the significance of achieving dreams and how sometimes there may be a curve or bump in the road, but if we hold our dreams in sight, we can accomplish anything. I think about the aspirations our students have of getting their education. For some, it’s taking that first step to overcome the fear of going to school, for others, it’s changing careers or starting over after years away from high school or college. What an honor it is to help make their dreams a reality. Thank you all for being dream makers. Here’s a recap of latest college news: External Engagement Corporate Continuing Education Center Partnership On Monday, I met with John Bonner, VP of Corporate and Workforce Training at Everett Community College (EvCC). As I mentioned in my November 13th Update, the college has been exploring a partnership to provide local corporate training and professional continuing education programs in our Eastside community. Last week, I signed an agreement, on behalf of the college, with EvCC. We, along with Cascadia, (who has been a partner of EvCC’s since 2012) will leverage EvCC’s resources and expertise to offer corporate continuing education within our service area. This partnership allows us to hit the ground running with developed programs and classes, while leveraging their staff resources, expertise and marketing budget. Classes will be offered at our Redmond campus beginning Spring quarter. Kirkland Roundtable...
by Kukuk Jacob | Jan 8, 2016 | Amy's Update
Dear Colleagues, Happy New Year and welcome to Winter quarter! I hope you had a nice break over the holidays. It was a very busy Fall quarter, and Winter quarter is shaping up to be just as eventful. Our Kirkland and Redmond campuses were once again buzzing this week as our students returned to classes. Thank you for helping to make their transition into Winter quarter a smooth one. I’m looking forward to a very successful and rewarding 2016 for our college. Here’s a recap of latest news: External Engagement Gates Foundation Meeting On Jobs for the Future Wednesday, I attended an event hosted by the Postsecondary Success Strategy team of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The discussion featured Jamie Merisotis, President and CEO of Lumina Foundation. Merisotis recently published the book “America Needs Talent: Attracting, Educating and Deploying the 21st Century Workforce.” One take-away for me is that he as the head of the Lumina Foundation noted that bridging the equity gap for our students is a part of everything that Lumina does. Again, we are engaged in the right work at the right time facilitated by our Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Advisory Committee. Eastside Chambers Coalition Legislative Breakfast Yesterday, Terry Byington and I attended the annual Eastside Chambers Coalition Legislative Breakfast. I appreciated being at the event with other business leaders as we heard our Eastside legislative representatives discuss several issues that are important to our community including transportation, education, and economic development. We continue to have our work cut out for us to raise the urgency of higher education funding during...
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