Kaleidoscope/sail boat slide
Play excerpt from Sarah Bareilles song, Uncharted

Good Morning. Welcome to the 2010-11 school year. A special welcome back to the faculty and classified who have not been on campus this summer, and special thanks to everyone who laboured over the summer to prepare for this new year. I trust your summer was everything you wanted it to be.

I would like to ask those of you who have joined the college since this time last year to stand. I extend a warm welcome to all of you. I look forward to a long and productive relationship with you as you work on behalf of our students.

SLIDE-Fall pictures

As with all new beginnings, I experience anticipation, excitement, and curiosity, as well the inevitable anxiety that joins me on every foray into unfamiliar territory. Now starting my tenth year as your president, one might think this was all old hat or same-old, same-old. Instead the unending challenges of the last few years and the uncertainty and unpredictability we have faced together has taught me to take nothing for granted but rather to be comfortable with ambiguity, keep me on my toes and poised to take whatever life – and you – throw at me.

New fall picture - It has been a challenging nine years for all of us– wave after wave of state disinvestment and belt tightening with no end in sight. Despite that, students are registering (where they can find spaces) and buying books. Staff vacations are over. The faculty are starting to stream in. Enrollment projections are getting very specific. Last-minute staffing emergencies are cropping up. Parking is getting tighter. And the gauntlet of kickoff meetings, with all their drama and expectations, looms large. We’re off to another year…and before we know it, it’s winter break, then spring break and then graduation. It seems like it speeds up every year.

It's going to be a wild year. Enrollments are the highest they've ever been, and our funding is down by a double-digit percentage. Yep, there's no shortage of stress.

But there's always something about the new start in September. New fall slide The students are amazing, hopefully everyone is more rested, the weather still nice. Nobody is behind yet, nothing has fallen apart yet, (well except for the mad rush to finish construction!) and the delicious possibility of greatness hangs in the air. This year some students will have their breakthrough moments. Some will have life-changing relationships. So might we. Some will finally figure out why they're here. So might we. We can acknowledge the anxiety, the excitement, the trepidation, and still know we will transform students’ lives and take that wild ride of another academic year.
Good stuff is coming. It'll be a hell of a year.

Before I go any further I must thank Donna Zmolek, Steve Barth, Joan Aschim and Sonya Christian who comprised our team to help out together this presentation. I’d also like to thank the stars of our show that you will meet later on.

Many of us wondered how we would make it through last year – worried about the economy, our jobs, dealing with the burgeoning enrollment. No doubt about it, it was a year filled with many challenges.

It’s important to pause and just congratulate yourselves – we made it through – and how! I want to thank each and every one of you for your contributions last year. One of my goals was no lay-offs. Every single person helped with that. Everyone stepped up – whether it was due to lower salary settlements which affected every single person at the college, or having more students in class, or dealing on the front lines with more students, everyone stepped up and for that, you have my profound gratitude. I appreciate what each and every one of you did last year.
Let me say that again – thank you.

In spite of all the challenges last year, an amazing number of good things happened. Again, that is testimony to your hard work. Let’s take a look at some of the great work accomplished at Lane last year.

(Achievements video)
Red cape
What a great year. And there’s more.

Once again, you generously gave almost $111,000 to United Way and our Foundation. This is remarkable. Our Lane We Care Committee is gearing up again for the fall campaign. The theme this year is Super Heroes, (SLIDE of Wonder Woman and Superman) as you can see from my cape – with L for Lane, yes, that’s Lane, not Loser! Soon a member of the committee and all the department reps will be coming to a meeting near you asking you to support United Way and our own Foundation. Just think about the impact our Foundation is having, and if you doubt it just ask some of Health Professions faculty and staff who have just moved into our new Health and Wellness Center. Think about the many individuals in our communities who are not blessed with jobs and health insurance and retirement benefits that rely on the many United Way agencies to keep their lives together. I know times are tough for many, including you, but we are so fortunate in so many ways, I encourage you, if you possibly can, to find it in your hearts to share some resources with the needy in our community or to support our own work here at the college.

Next, I want to acknowledge again last year’s Classified Employees of the Month:
SLIDE – Pictures of classified staff on month

September 2009 – Susan Tatar, Administrative Specialist, Facilities Management and Planning

January 2010 – Dale DuVall, Network Administration Specialist, Information Technology

February 2010 – Kim Hayes, Developmental Disabilities Specialist, Specialized Support Services

If you could stand? Please join me in giving a round of applause for the monthly recipients.

As notable as those achievements are for our monthly recipients, we go a step further each year to identify that one individual from the monthly recipients whose contributions have demonstrated the greatest depth of impact and uniqueness to be the Classified Employee of the Year. It is my pleasure to work with this outstanding individual and to announce to you the

CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR for 2009-10: SLIDE OF WINNER
DALE DUVALL

Dale, please join me at the podium to receive this well deserved award and recognition. Some quotes from his nominations include the following.

“Dale is the guru of Macintosh computing at Lane. He has saved hundreds of users from thousands of problems with expertise, timeliness, and wit. He is a master troubleshooter, a peerless problem solver, and at the top of his game. He is always pleasant and bright no matter the tremendous volume of workload he sustains. He can tell you how to make a good home brew with as much succinct authority as he can tell you how to connect to the server.
Dale is a master of his trade and a thoughtful human being who works with heart, dedication and skill. He is exactly the kind of employee who makes Lane Community College an enduring success.” A regular Country Fair goer, lover of Dougie McLean, my favorite Scottish folk singer and kilt-wearer extraordinaire…..
Please join me in honoring the 2010 Classified Employee of the Year,

Thank you, Dale

We’ve recognized those classified staff members who have received Employee Recognition awards this year, and many more are yet to be recognized. Your stories comprise what makes this institution great. The Classified Employee of the Month Award was created to help us get those stories out. Join us this year in nominating individuals who are demonstrating excellence, innovation, diversity and partnerships that stand above the rest.

I also want to acknowledge once again the outstanding faculty of the year:
SLIDES OF WINNERS
David Duemler, Social Science
Jessica Alvarado, Counseling
Liz Coleman, ALS
Christina Howard, Health Professions
Beth Thorpe, Health Professions
Cynthia Schweigert, ALS
Melissa Kilgore, Science
Art Peck, Mathematics

We don’t have any formal recognition for managers, but they also pulled their weight last year, so I would like to recognize them for everything they did.

I would also like to give special mention to a project that is having a profound impact on the college and recognize the staff that made it happen. This is just a flavor of the thousands and thousands of hours and millions of dollars of investment. The best way to do justice to all this great work is to go visit the new or renovated buildings. You’ll be pleased. I know the people who live there are thrilled.
(Facilities power point)
Would all of the Facilities Management and Planning, bond, maintenance, custodial and grounds keeping staff stand? Let’s say thank you for enhancing the learning environment for all of us. There are so many stellar people but I must mention our lead groundskeeper, Frank. You are my hero. Your vision for making Lane a beautiful place is magnificent.
Then there’s all the great teaching that happened in our classrooms by faculty committed to our students; and those on the front lines serving students in a myriad of ways. Amazing work.

I want to take just a moment to acknowledge the passing of some of our own:

Former faculty and staff faculty and staff:
Gary Stanfield, retired custodian
Ed Ragozzino, retired Performing Arts chair
Bob Tegge, retired food services manager
Toni Melnychuk, early childhood instructor
Joann Ellingson, former early childhood instructor
Lon Mills, retired labor relations consultant
Former board members, Chuck Ivey and Jim Pitney, our longest serving board member.

And two current staff
John Labor, Specialized Support Services
Kris Tupper, dental assisting coordinator

All of these people made a tremendous contribution to the college, and I feel enriched and honored having known them. They will be sorely missed.

So that’s a brief review of the past year. Time to look forward…..but before we do, one of the things we want to focus on this year is our own health and wellness. For the first time in my life, I had a number of health challenges last year. For those of you who have been challenged with health incidents or chronic illness, you know what I’m talking about – it’s stressful, time-consuming, discouraging and a downright pain in the ---

My own journey helped me understand the responsibility I have to take care of myself. No one else can do it for me. I’m the one that needs to eat properly, get adequate sleep, exercise, stay away from the toxic people in my life, or at least change my response to them. Each day is so precious, and we owe it to ourselves to make sure that we are doing everything we can to relish every moment by being as well as possible. I encourage all of you to make your wellness plan. Wendy Simmons and Layne King are here to help. Enroll in a Fitness Class – tuition waived and for credit classes the transportation fee will get you a bus pass. Helps the college and helps you. You may not be able to attend every class; no worries – audit it and oh, talk to the faculty member. Trust me, they’ll work with you! WELLNESS SLIDE

In the meantime, let’s all stand for a stretch break and Wendy will give us a tip that we can use throughout the year.

SECTION 2 - FUTURE

As we salute last year, we must now look to the future. You’ll recall last year with respect to planning that I used the analogy of farmers on the Great Plains, at the first signs of a blizzard, would run a rope from the back door out to the barn. (SLIDE – Blizzard)

They all knew stories of people who had wandered off and been frozen to death, having lost sight of home in a whiteout while still in their own back yards.
The blizzard we are living in now – the unpredictability and uncertainty - on many levels requires us to learn from them - be clear about where we are going.
So the journey is underway (SLIDE on the Laneship Enterprise - we are going where no one has gone before.)

Earlier Sonya presented the six strategic directions approved by college council and the board. I am really pleased with the process we used to get to this point. Many of you were engaged in the conversations last year. I particularly want to thank our governance councils for the work they did in deliberating over the proposals and especially College Council under the leadership of Bob Baldwin. We had rich discussions, agreements and disagreements, but managed to reach consensus. I think we have a stronger plan as a result of these robust processes. The board was also involved, starting with a retreat in July 2009 and check-ins throughout the year. Later this morning you will have an opportunity to engage with one of the areas. The directions will be our focus for the next five years. At Lane we have such high ambitions and standards for ourselves that we tend to want to do everything, but I am asking all of you to come to this work with a laser focus. Pick one or two initiatives that you want to work on and make a commitment to it. I will not take the time to review all of the strategic directions but will simply underscore what’s on our plate this coming year:
Let me start with the hard stuff!

Budget
We are in uncharted territory here, and I’m all out of foolproof ideas as the opening song said. There are no maps to guide us on a road to sustainability. Every turn we take will be a difficult choice.
SLIDE Damned if you do cartoon
Speaking of the budget very briefly, it remains quite challenging. As you know, we received a 10% decrease in state funding which was offset somewhat by additional tuition due to our 15.8% enrollment increase. Even with the passage of Ballot Measures 66 & 67, the state revenue picture is very grim. Unemployment is still rampant in Oregon, and since we are so dependent on state income tax the state budget continues to shrink. (Filler slide) In May, we received a $2.6 million reduction (9% for the last year of the biennium) and in August we received another $1.5 million cut – over $4 million in the last year of the biennium after we had approved our budget. The board approved a plan for the first cut that keeps contracted staff employed, though aspects of that plan now appear to be unachievable. We have not developed the plan for $1.5 million yet. At this point I will recommend to the board that they let us manage the budget, and I’ll pledge that we balance the budget. I feel comfortable doing this, because we did set aside some ending fund balance. We don’t plan to use it to balance this year’s budget, but just having it there provides the opening to keep moving forward rather than stop to go through a process of budget cutting. I would rather we were focused on creating great learning experiences for our students, wouldn’t you?
Of course, it does seem perverse that while we are dealing with this on the operating side that we are awash in funds for facilities. In the long run, this should relieve our general fund budget, but I do wish we were awash in operating funds as well. Overall, our budget is in as good a shape as it’s been in a while in that funds are budgeted for what we need to do this year. However, I am well aware of the many vacant contracted faculty positions we have and the reduction of classified and management positions over the last several years. I am well aware of the workload that this creates for everyone. And, I am well aware of the sacrifices that each and every one of you have made in terms of compensation to save jobs. I don’t see this changing any time soon. That’s a hard thing to say. Aside from the tax measures, economists say that Oregon is looking at a long, slow recovery; the ARRA – federal stimulus - will be gone next biennium, and legislators are now saying that the next biennium will bring a $3 billion gap in state funds, so we must keep a close eye on state funding. I wish I had better news on this front, but this is the reality that we and public organizations are facing. In the midst of all of this we will make sure we don’t Wipe Out -- as some of our staff did recently. (Wipe Out video)
One of the things that I have had to come to grips with, and I ask that you consider it too, is the mental model or paradigm we are carrying with us as we view the economy and our place in it and how it affects our budget. There are some who think that we just need to get through this depression and the money will begin to flow again and we can get back to “normal” in how we receive funds from the state, that once the economy revives there will be increases for community colleges to fund the growth we have experienced. My own view is that will not happen. I think we will see a new normal. The economic storm may have passed but behind it is left a very changed landscape. SLIDE OF POST TORNADO
More and more government is in gridlock. In a recent speech, the president issued a challenge to colleges: OBAMA SLIDE "And by the way, it's time for colleges and universities to get serious about cutting their own costs -- because they too have a responsibility to help solve this problem." The statement had the feel of a throwaway line, but whether it is that or the throwing down of a gauntlet that will be followed by policy in weeks or months to come is uncertain. At the state level, both gubernatorial candidates are talking about public employees and the need for us to take cuts. Filler slides
As a nation and state, we have convinced ourselves that we are paying too much tax; public employees are being attacked because of our benefits and retirement. I don’t agree with it, but I understand it. When people could leave high school, with or without a diploma, and make a living wage in the mill with benefits, enough to pay their mortgage, truck and boat payments, and looking forward to a better life for their kids, there was less attention paid to public employees. Our pay was lower generally than those private sector workers, but we had good benefits and retirement. Unfortunately, many of those mill jobs are gone now. For a person making minimum wage with no benefits, what we have begins to look pretty good, and with the scarcity politics and hammering of extreme media, we, public servants, become scapegoats.
Filler slides
This leaves me in a quandary. The idealism in me wants to defend and protect what we have – and I will. We all need to show the value of what we do and the difference it makes to deserve this public investment. But there is a pragmatism in me that says that I can do all the yelling and screaming I want about the inequity of cutting state funding for community colleges, I can show data about our economic impact, students can give testimony about how they have transformed their lives at Lane, and at the end of the day there will still be less money for us, because the structural problem with the state budget is still there. I think we need to understand this new worldview even though we may not want to embrace it. And we need to plan for the long term fiscal sustainability of the college. If we think things will return to normal, that takes us down a path. If we think there will never be enough public money to do what we have done in the past – fill every vacancy, steps, COLAS and benefit increases each year; tuition increases every year – that takes us down a different path. I am not trying to paint a purely pessimistic picture here, and to be honest this is one time I really hope I am wrong. But with 44 states indicating that they have a shortfall of over $120 billion, with the cost of higher education going up way more than inflation, with the political climate being what it is, and with the predictions that the economy is not going to recover until perhaps 2015 or 2020 and it will never be quite the same, I am thinking to myself that this is the landscape we will be dealing with for the rest of my professional career.

I promise you this. We will fight for every last dime from the state; we will continue to develop revenue generating activities that ultimately can be reinvested in fulfilling our mission; we will partner where it is appropriate to develop resources. We will be a voice for the gross inequity of how community colleges are funded, especially given the fact that we serve the most under-represented, under-prepared and first generation students. But all that, I fear, is not going to make the difference we need, so while we are doing that we need to be working back home, here at the college, to figure out how we do make things work. With the potential of state revenue being reduced to less than $400 million – back to the amount we got in 1999 - and with 85% of our funds paying for you and me, there are not a lot of easy choices. Let’s assure we do not create the divisiveness in here that exists out there. The kind of scarcity mentality that says some other group got more than me – let’s get rid of some of them. We must protect against that because it will take all of us working together to make this situation work.

In many ways, we are in uncharted territory here. There are no maps, no great ideas, no easy answers. But we can figure it out.

Long term fiscal sustainability:
I am really committed to the long term fiscal sustainability of this institution; we are laying the groundwork for future Lane generations to come. When people come to Lane to work, they tend to stay – I know I plan to, even after 15 years! How many of you plan to be here 10 years from now, 15 years, 20 years, 25 years? So we are setting the stage for you as well as ourselves.
As part of the work, we have been looking at our land assets and the feasibility to develop land for the purpose of generating revenue to help us with our general fund or lack thereof. The Board of Education commissioned a perimeter study with the School of Architecture at the University of Oregon under the faculty guidance of Dr. Mark Gillem. You saw a presentation of their work at spring inservice and a follow-up open house in Spring term. I am very proud of their work, which is comprehensive and visionary and mostly proud that we were the laboratory for the senior project of the graduating class of 2010 as well as graduate students. (SLIDE OF VERSION of PLAN) We will continue this work during 2010-2011 to get into a more in-depth study of some of the areas of development. The second phase of this work will be under the leadership of Facilities Council that has a taskforce, chaired by Tamara Pinkas and staffed by Bob Mention. (Slide of Taskforce) I am well aware that some of you would prefer that we did not develop any of our land. I understand that, but from where I am sitting I am seeing the reality that there is never going to be enough public money. We can sit back and let that happen, or we can take our fate into our own hands and figure out ways to have influence over what happens in our corner of Lane County. Our Master Plan will take us into the future. It truly will be like planting a tree when we may never have the opportunity to sit in its shade. But others will. Our planning now will be a gift to future generations.

Similarly,

Downtown Campus:

One of the most exciting facilities projects I have been involved with is our new Downtown Campus. (Three slides of the new DTC) The campus will first and foremost be a place for learning, but it will also revitalize downtown Eugene. We will take care of our students, be a demonstration site for our fabulous energy programs, a hub for business and a worthy home for some of our most marginalized students – English language learners and students with special needs - but we will also be the trigger for a vibrant downtown. We will build a LEED platinum building. It will be a living and learning space for our students. It’s going to be remarkable. It will demonstrate true partnership – federal, state, city, college - a public investment of $50 million.

BOND

As far as the bond is concerned, we did an amazing amount of work last year as you have already seen. Now we are going to take a breath. We will be moving forward with Building 10 and the Downtown Campus (Building 10 rendering) and will take time to be thoughtful about The Center and Forum buildings.
Finally, this year we are making the core campus smoke free. After extensive work by a committee, Facilities Council, and College Council, we reached consensus on a plan to become smoke free. There will be four areas in the parking lots where people can smoke, but think about an invisible line between the parking lots and the core campus. Cross that line – no smoking, no fumar. There are a few people that are very excited about this.

No smoking video

The things I do for Lane!

International:
We have been planning for the last several years to expand our international programming. There were two primary catalysts for this effort - internationalizing the college and long term fiscal sustainability of the campus. PICTURE OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS Imagine the learning environment created for our students here at Lane, when we have 1000 students from all over the world mingling with them in their painting or theatre class, or in the fitness class. It embeds inter-cultural learning right into the heart of our practice. It’s not an add-on, it’s simply part of the community of learners. We have our first director of international programming Jennifer Falzerano, who, according to Sonya, is a total kick! Eventually, we want to provide opportunities for faculty and staff to travel overseas, perhaps exchanges, perhaps recruitment trips. One of my personal goals is to develop enough resources to give our own students an opportunity for a study abroad. Even if it’s brief, as those of you who have been outside the United States know, it is a life-changer. Our students deserve that too. If you are interested in serving on an advisory committee, please email Jennifer.

Enrollment
And here is a stellar example of how we did work together – every shoulder to the wheel. Another phenomenal increase last year -- total reported FTE increased 16.7% in 2009-10 and FTE increased 15.8% in 2008-09. Between the additional tuition dollars and the fact that we again grew marginally more than the average of the other colleges in the state, we helped ourselves. It is mitigating the cuts we are receiving from the state and giving us more of a cushion to withstand mid-year budget cuts. Everything that each of you did to accommodate more students ameliorated our fiscal situation.

Enrollment growth will continue but not to the extent we have seen these past two years. Currently, we have a 4.6% increase in total registrations for fall term. This may not totally transfer into FTE, but this is above the unprecedented growth in FTE for each of the past two years. We have continued with the planning efforts that were launched last year for this year as well.

Financial Aid applications are up 16.5% over 2009-10 which was up by 47.6% over the previous year. As of September 21, we have packaged and awarded aid for 9,805 students for this academic year. This represents an increase of 1,759 students over the number of students awarded this time last year, 8,046.

SLIDES OF STUDENTS

We continue to have the general education at the Downtown Campus initiative to deal with the space issues between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. In addition, we have added courses, between 4 and 6 p.m. on main campus. Departments have also been expanding their offerings of hybrid and online courses.

Food Services will continue its expansion in offering more services to students and staff. In addition to the Main Cafeteria, Building 16 outlet and the hot dog cart, a healthy food/juice bar is opening in Building 30, the Health and Wellness building. Details for a contest to name the new outlet will be released next week.

Lane is continuing with the “Lane Community Cares,” effort to provide a way for Lane faculty, staff, managers and friends of Lane to be easily identifiable with bright pink stickers to show that they can help students coming this fall feel welcomed, valued and heard to have a successful start.

It will be particularly challenging for everyone at the college simply dealing with the additional students on top of the enrollment from last year. Please remember that this is the students’ moment, and we want to make sure that they have the best experience possible. I thank all of you for your efforts to date. In particular I would like to recognize the ASA LT SLIDE (Sonya, Don, Andrea, Helen, Todd, Craig) for their incredible efforts. ASA LT, please stand.

And to the faculty who will be carrying the load once classes start, thanks in advance for your work.

It also raises challenges for services. For example:

Parking – Not only students, but also Health and Wellness contractors, Deferred Maintenance staff and contractors, and bond contractors. (SLIDE – Parking)

Bussing, biking, or carpooling reduces your carbon footprint, saves money, and helps students. Today’s handouts include a flyer with more information about bussing, biking, and carpooling along with a free one day bus pass that is valid anytime between September 23 and 30. Please use this pass to get to Lane one day next week and consider making riding the bus part of your normal routine.

Another imperative for us is Progression and Completion

Community colleges are definitely in the spotlight. At the highest levels of government, we are seen as a significant part of the solution to the nation’s economic ills. For America to be competitive in this interdependent, complex, global environment, we cannot just rely on the brainpower of an elite few. Just hoping that our research institutions will keep us at the cutting edge of innovation does not work anymore. Obama slide
America has no choice but to focus on increasing the educational levels of “all” Americans. We cannot afford to have large populations of Americans at a pre-collegiate level of work if we are interested in basic literacy for all in the 21st century and not just an elite few. If we are interested in marginalized populations and raising their education level, then something needs to change. That’s why President Obama is setting ambitious goals for the country and for us. The “completion agenda” is the central conversation in state-wide and national circles. OBAMA SLIDE

It’s very exciting, but it could be a double edged sword. While the spotlight is on us, at the same time there is a call to reform us. Why? Because we are viewed as not completing enough students. It is no longer good enough for colleges to focus only on access. We must take responsibility for student learning and for student success. SLIDE President Obama has called for 5 million more community college graduates by 2020. He is serious about the United States reclaiming its first position in educated adults. If we are going to have a more educated workforce, it’s not going to happen without community colleges since we educate 46% of the under graduates in this country. We are the only hope.
SLIDE Obama quote

What does this mean for our colleges? SLIDE

Define completion
Freedom to fail ? right to succeed
Develop a culture of completion
Know our students
Faculty engagement
Use/adapt high impact practices
Develop and use data
Work on scalability
Leadership

At Lane we have done very good work on best practices that promote student success; progression and completion. Building on the Title III grant on Student Engagement, we launched the Completion Initiative last March. Much has happened, including many conversations leading up to including it as a Strategic Direction. Much more needs to be done. I know we are gearing up our research agenda to help with this initiative, and I look forward to sharing Lane’s work and learning from other colleges across the nation as we move the needle on student success. Are you ready?

Sustainability slide of solar station
I just returned from the national Sustainability Summit hosted by the Departments of Education, Energy and Labor. It should not surprise you that Lane was prominently featured for the work that you have achieved. Our comprehensive approach – the economy, the environment and social justice – places Lane is the leadership position.

Use Lane –
Finally, I ask all of you to use Lane and our enterprise activities like the bookstore, foodservices and the CML. When you are at a soccer game or at your child’s high school event, talk about the spaces in the CML and the fabulous food that is catered in this remarkable facility. If our enterprise ventures are healthy, they give back to the general fund, which helps us a great deal during tight budget times. Shop at the bookstore – they have great stuff: Let’s take a look!

[Fashion show]
Student Thomas Sonchez is wearing a JV America Hoodie and Under Armor Basketball Shorts. His Under Armor backpack is custom imprinted with the Titan Lightening Bolt.

Gloria Vanderhorst is ready to hit the links in a Lightweight Hoodie in Titan Blue and matching Wilson sweatpants. Her pink Titans hat completes the look.

Armando Chavarin is ready to tackle any technology problem, large or small, in his tone on tone Nike Polo Shirt and Nike pinstripe shorts.

Denine McMurren is ready to work out in her Champion Tee and Nike Dri-Fit Workout Pants. Her Blue Q tote bag is made of 95% recycled materials.

Chef Clive Wanstall is sporting a Champion Spirit Tee and JerZees Sweatpants. With that look, things are going to really heat up in the kitchen today.

Recruiter David Van Der Haegan is ready to run in an Under Armor Warm Gear hoodie and matching workout shorts. His Acer netbook computer is perfect for keeping connected while on the go.

Assistant Wellness Coordinator Layne King is heading to class in a Nike Titan Athletics Tee and coordinating Under Armor shorts. Her stainless steel camelback water bottle allows her to stay hydrated in style.

Student Alberto Torres Sanchez is wearing the latest in workout gear: an Under Armor Heat Gear shirt and Nike Layup shorts.

Student Jessica Rowe is sporting an Under Armor zip-front hoodie and matching training pants. Her tie-dye hair band and Ogio drawstring handbag are perfect accessories for a student on the go.

Mario Parker-Milligan is looking quite presidential in his Under Armor Full-Zip Hoodie and J America sweatpants. He keeps track of ASLCC business on his Dell Studio computer.

Instructor Sheri Kendall is heading home in her MV Sport hoodie and Nike Dri-Fit Capris. Her Dakine herringbone hand bag and scarf are the perfect accessories to jazz up casual fall and winter outfits.

Everything you’ve seen here today is available at the Titan Store, with sizes ranging from youth small to adult 4X.

Thanks to all our fabulous models!

So, those are some of the things that will be on the plate this year in addition to the most important work of serving students. Inevitably, other things will emerge that seem urgent. I simply hope that we can stay laser focused on a short list so that we can actually see forward movement. Progress and completion should refer to our work as well as that of students. I look forward to reporting our successes to you next year!

Time for another quick wellness stretch – wellness slide

SECTION 3 – HOW DO WE MOVE FORWARD?

So given our challenges, how do we move forward in a positive way? I would like to offer a couple of thoughts on that. So given our challenges how do we move forward in a positive way? I would like to offer a couple of thoughts on that. It’s really about who we are and how we work together to create a healthy and vibrant organization. There are a lot of examples of dysfunctional places. Take for example this TV show. “OFFICE” VIDEO
I must admit when Steve came up with the idea of doing a parody using The Office, I hadn’t watched the show. I’d seen the British version. So, last week, in preparation for filming, I watched it on a flight back from Chicago. And thought, oh my goodness! But I have to say – Todd Lutz, Donna Zmolek and our own Dwight, Craig Taylor have potential. I don’t know if I’d give up my day job, but they were fantastic.

Seriously though, one thing we can do is to stop more often during the year and celebrate. I am the worst at this. Given the size of the plate, I just go from one task to another, breathe a sigh of relief when something gets done, and move on to the next thing. As we saw earlier, amazing work goes on here, let be more intentional about letting each other know when we see a job well done. We should get to know each other as human beings, with authentic identities that are separate from the positions we hold. I think it will be essential that we hold together and develop a sense of team – a sense of team spirit that shows the world that Lane is invincible and that we have the power to change our lives.

Moving into Ty sequence

For example, Slide Lane’s most important goal is to help students achieve their dreams. This year we are excited to welcome a new champion to Lane’s campus. Slide How many of you know that in 1965, the Lane students adopted the Titan as the official Mascot for the college? Slide In 2008, we realized that the time was right to renew the Titan’s presence on campus. Slide We put the task in the capable hands of: Tracy Simms, Barb Delansky, Rodger Bates, Greg Sheley, David Van Der Haeghen, and Jen Steele. Slide The team set right to work and identified the important criteria for Lane’s Titan. Slide Like a force of nature, Lane’s Titan is POWERFUL! Slide STRONG! Slide NOBLE! Slide SPIRITED! Slide And DETERMINED! Slide Working with a creative team, these early sketches were completed by Lane Community College graduate Lada Korol of Funk/Levis & Associates. Slide Ultimately, the team selected two mascots and asked the students and staff to vote for their favorite! Slide And the winner is…. Slide Students show us very quickly how proud they are to be Titans. Slide With such reception we knew it was time to adopt an official mascot. Slide A mascot who would be first and foremost, a champion for students. Slide A mascot who would become a powerful symbol for achieving dreams. Slide A source of excitement and an electrifying presence. Slide A mascot with such incredible energy that we now have to declare Lane Community College a “Ty Voltage” area. Slide Please join me in welcoming Lane’s official mascot - “Ty Titan.”

(Ty tugs on Mary’s shirt and whispers something in her ear)

1. Ty is really, really excited about the new year and honored to be our Mascot and hopes to be invited to your important events and activities.
2. Ty is here for all of us but his first and more important job is to be a “champion for students.”
3. Oh yes - he wants you all to know that you can “like” the Lane Titan page on Facebook.
4. Ty wants you to feel the power of being a champion for students and has some gifts he wants to share.

You may have noticed that everything in our lives seems to move at a faster pace. It’s not just about the economy, and it’s not just at Lane. Across the country, everyone is experiencing feelings of being overwhelmed, overworked, underappreciated, and simply exhausted. There are some things we can do to mitigate the situation. FILLER SLIDES

1. I read an interesting book this summer called The Anatomy of Peace. I wouldn’t recommend it, but there was one concept that I found helpful and wanted to share. It was asking yourself the question of whether you come to your work, your family, your world with a heart at war or a heart of peace. Now I know that some of us have had to struggle very hard for everything we have and you may have had to fight and be feisty. It just struck me that if I come to our work with a heart at war – then everything looks like a fight. That world view or paradigm (oh, those words again) guides my behavior. On the other hand, if I come to the work with my heart at peace, what I see are people doing the best they can, I see dissent are interesting not a battle ground, I am open to being curious not judging. [In the same vein, Parker Palmer said: Each time I walk into a classroom, (I might add Lane) I can choose the place within myself from which my teaching (leading, working) will come, just as I can choose the place within my students toward which my teaching will be aimed. I need not teach from a fearful place: I can teach from curiosity or hope or empathy or honesty, places that are as real within me as are my fears. I can have fear, but I need not be fear—if I am willing to stand someplace else in my inner landscape. ~Parker Palmer, The Courage to Teach]

Over the years I have really worked to have that be my orientation, but it was helpful to give name to it and affirm to myself: Yes, this is how I want to be; this is how I am going to be in the world, working with a heart at peace. I invite you do the same. I can’t tell you how good it feels. Working with a heart at peace, working for a heart of peace and hoping always, always for good faith and best intentions gives life to what Emily Dickinson said:

“Hope is the thing with feathers—
That perches in the soul—
And sings the tune without the words—
And never stops—at all”

Vincent Van Gogh said it beautifully:

“In the end we will have had enough of cynicism and skepticism and humbug and we shall want to live more musically. Let’s live more musically, with a heart at peace.”

2. The second thing is to continue to strive to build a healthy community. Some like to think of Lane as family – not a traditional family, more a modern family. MODERN FAMILY VIDEO Family or not, community offers the promise of belonging and calls for us to acknowledge our interdependence. Another book I read this summer was Community –Building a Structure of Belonging by Peter Block. FILLER SLIDES He notes that our challenge is to transform the isolation and self-interest into connectedness and caring for the whole. There is so much fragmentation – each piece working hard on its own purpose, but parallel effort added together does not make a community. So many silos – a collection operating near one another but not overlapping or touching. Dividedness makes it difficult to create a more positive or alternative future. Putnam notes that a community’s well-being has to do with quality of relationships - the cohesion that exists is social capital, which is essential to building a healthy community. Community exists for the sake of belonging and takes its identity from the gifts, generosity and accountability of its citizens. Not defined by its fears, isolation or penchant for retribution. Instead, let’s create a restorative community. With everything going on around us, if not at Lane, then where?

3. The third idea to build community is to shift our attention from the problems of community to the possibility of community. FILLER SLIDES To shift our attention from scarcity to one of abundance and gifts and generosity. If we are creating our world, we have the power to heal it. To achieve this, McKnight says it is essential to focus on people’s gifts rather than deficiencies. To eliminate conversation we have about problem diagnosis, gap analysis weaknesses and what’s wrong with me, you and the rest of the world.

4. The fourth idea is understanding the power of context –world view, the way the world shows up for us. Being curious about the basic set of beliefs that lie behind our actions. This is clearly seen when you look at the story of Muhammad Yunus, who established the Grameen Bank to help develop his local economy. His world view was based on gifts, not deficiencies. That declaration of the possible began a new conversation about poverty. It shifted the context.

5. This takes us to the fifth point where Erhard states that it is a shift in speaking and listening that is the essence of transformation. It is necessary to change the conversation; to have conversations we have not had before- one that has power to create something new in the world. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty tired of some our old conversations that give the same results. Rather, think how about how we come together to do something good for the world and create what Alexander calls a quality of aliveness by changing the conversation. FILLER SLIDES

In summary, I would invite you to think about a heart at peace, the power of building a restorative community, shifting from problems to possibility, from fear and fault to gifts, generosity and abundance, from law and oversight to social fabric and accountability, and associational life – in short building the social fabric of our college, examining our mental models and changing our conversations. In the doing of that, we might just build a healthy community.
This is not a mandate, it’s an invitation. MORPHEUS SLIDE

As Morpheus said in the Matrix: “I'm trying to free your mind, Neo. But I can only show you the door. You're the one who must walk through it.” The Matrix (Film) Or as the popular writer ‘Anon’ said: “An invitation to fall in love with your life's work again, my friend, or your energy will wane, your voice will falter, and there will be nothing to prove but the fact that you are taking up valuable space.”

As I said earlier our road now is largely uncharted. There are no maps or quick fixes. We should not worry about this because, as Wendell Berry says:
“When we no longer know what to do, we have come to our real work. And when we no longer know which way to go, we have begun our real journey. The mind that is not baffled is not employed. The impeded stream is the one that sings.”

If we come together with a generosity of spirit, that upstream movement against all the logic of economics and institutional life and power relationships and simply by giving our time, energy, personal presence, or some sort of blessing to another person. We can make it work.
Parker Palmer

So it may be an uncharted world but unlike the song at the beginning, I’m not going down. You’re not going down. In the words of Guillaume Apollinaire:
'Come to the edge', he said.
They said, 'We are afraid'
'Come to the edge', he said
They came
H e pushed them... and they flew.

We can sail through these times even though the way is uncharted. We can do it.
One more thought as we embark of this year’s journey. I note with sadness the passing of poet Lucille Clifton and want to honor her visit to the college a few years ago.

Blessing the Boats
may the tide
that is entering even now the lip of our understanding
carry you out beyond the face of fear
may you kiss the wind then turn from it
certain that it will love you back may you
open your eyes to water, water waving forever
and may you, in your innocence, sail through this to that

We can make our own maps, create our own future and of you doubt that, just check this out: I AM LANE VIDEO
That just about says it all!
Thank you for being here, for being who you are and all the best for a wonderful year.