Board Report – June 2006

Report from Lane Community College President Mary Spilde
To the Lane Community College Board of Education
June 14, 2006

We are looking forward to closing out the budget development process for this year, and at the same time we are beginning the work to assess this year’s process and improve it for next year. We are in the middle of the work to reassign staff whose positions have been eliminated. It is a complex and painful process, and I am very grateful for the amazing work that Dennis Carr and the Human Resources staff are doing to support staff. I am also grateful to Bob Baldwin and his leadership team who have been working collaboratively with us to try to achieve the best solutions for the staff and the college.

A couple of weeks ago the Oregon presidents met with the Governor. He fully intends to dedicate 61 percent of the general fund to K-20 with a 10 percent increase for community colleges plus another $9 million of investment funds. He intends to continue this in the following biennium. Assuming that happens, we would be at $528 million the biennium after next. I let the Governor know that we appreciated his attention to community colleges but pointed out that while it will help in the long run, in the meantime, community colleges were decimating their infrastructure. The Governor also mentioned the state distribution formula in relation to Central Oregon Community College. This just means that we must prepare for another legislative attempt to change the current formula. We also met with co-chair of Ways and Means, Kurt Schrader, who was not entirely optimistic about additional funds.

It is hard to believe that we are at the end of the academic year. Commencement exercises went well on Saturday. As always, it was a joyous celebration of the achievements of our students. Thank you to Mike Rose and Susie Johnston for their attendance.

We have been very busy with a number of end of school year events across the college and trying to wrap up projects that we have been working on throughout the year. Today I attended the Adult Basic and Secondary Education and the Graphic Design graduation ceremonies.

I would like to highlight a couple of grant awards that have been received.

Lane Family Connections was awarded two special grants this last year to operate separate pilot projects that are being closely watched not only in Oregon but throughout the country. The first project, the Child Care Enhancement Project, has already demonstrated significant improvements in both the quality of child care being offered by those selected as participants, but also in the lives of the families who are benefiting from the increased professional development, wage compensation and direct subsidies that are allowing low income families to secure housing, buy food for their families and purchase a vehicle which allows them to consistently bring their child to child care. This grant is helping to support children’s enrollment in preschool where they are receiving food every day, a safe and healthy environment, nurturing and attention as well as learning opportunities.

The second project is the Lane Early Childhood System Development Project, which is a collaborative State Incentive Grant (SIG) happening in South Lane County. The primary purpose of the grant is to increase access of families with young children and child care providers to mental health and substance abuse therapists who can assess the needs of children and their families for mental health and substance abuse services and provide whatever treatment is needed. Another part of this grant is the local and statewide training for mental health providers and early childhood care and education providers. We will be holding a series of four trainings here at Lane next Fall for mental health providers and early interventionists. It is quite an achievement to be selected to participate in this important work that will likely have a significant impact on the future of early childhood care and education. The project has two funded partners, South Lane Family Relief Nursery and Lane Family Connections; there are thirteen additional community partners. The grant award of $296,875 will be distributed over a twenty-three month period.

Lane Community College has been awarded a three-year grant totaling $782,144 from the Advanced Technological Education fund of the National Science Foundation to develop geographic information science (GIS) curricula. The first-year award is $280,620 and begins July 1, followed by $269,052 in 2007, and $232,472 in 2008. The grant project, "Mapping, Analyzing and Problem Solving Using Geographic Information Science: Implementing a GIS Curriculum for Technical Literacy," will bring GIS learning opportunities to students in science, social science and computer information technology.

Geographic information systems are mapping and analysis tools used in a growing number of workplace settings. For example, when a power outage occurs, a connected network finds and directs a location-specific response. When a police department analyzes crime data, it uses GIS software to map crime areas. Anything that has a location can be mapped, from the migratory patterns of whales to brain activity. In Oregon, GIS is used by planning authorities, public utilities, human services, public safety, forestry, geosciences, and bio-resources. Other occupations increasingly use GIS to create visual-spatial representations of data, solve spatial problems, and combine quantitative data with qualitative analysis and reporting capability.

GIS activities at Lane will be integrated into science and social science courses and are targeted to begin Spring 2007. In addition, a three-course GIS sequence will be developed for articulation with universities. At the end of the grant period, about 700 students per term will be introduced to GIS through the classroom activities or the GIS courses.

Jane Benjamin, a geography instructor, will work with geology instructor Sarah Ulerick; computer technology instructor Linda Loft; and geography instructor Lynn Songer. Several community partners will serve as advisors on the project, including the Bureau of Land Management, Lane Council of Governments, Weyerhaeuser Company, Eugene Water and Electric Board, Eugene Public Works, Eugene Police Department, Clackamas Community College, University of Oregon, Oregon State University, and Western Oregon University.

I want to again pass around the publication of writing by our Adult Basic and Secondary Education students. It is a testimony to the learning that is going in that program.

I am distributing this article from Newsweek—another indication that community colleges are more visible at the national level.

Every year we give you an update on League for Innovation activities. Tamara Pinkas continues to represent us very well at the League. She will now provide some information about the League activities this year.

In the League for Innovation Student Competition, Lane had one honorable mention in the Art division and first-place and third-place winners in the literary competition. This is the third year that Lane students have won either first, second, or third place.

This year’s “Innovation of the Year” award for Lane went to the Lane Health Clinic for the vast changes in the clinic which provide increased care for students and staff, resulting in keeping more students healthy and in school, keeping employees productive, and reducing the financial burden of healthcare to the college.

The League for Innovation website now has many resources for faculty, such as I-stream videos, faculty professional development, and league polls.

I would like to end by wishing everyone a relaxing summer. Many of us will still be working, but hopefully there will be a little time for rest and relaxation.