Welcome
Good Morning and Welcome. Ceud mille failte. A hundred thousand welcomes. Bienvenido a nuestro colegio comunitario. It is great to see all of you.
Before I start, I want to acknowledge the hard work of some of the people who helped me put this presentation together: John Hambleton, Donna Zmolek, Sonya Christian and many others who contributed., including Rodney Brown, Fashion Consultant SLIDE

Let me take care of some housekeeping details first. After this presentation, we will have a short break and then you have some choices to make. Last year, the theme of inservice was Ubuntu. In its simplest form, Ubuntu is defined as the "art of being human." With origins in South Africa, Ubuntu is an all encompassing view of world life and humanity. The word itself is Zulu and inspires us to learn from others as we learn from ourselves. Ubuntu is the humanistic experience of treating all people with respect and granting them their human dignity. This is what Nelson Mandela said about Ubuntu.

**(Ubuntu clip)

Last year we took this idea and gave you the opportunity to take care of yourself, your colleagues or this place. Everyone seemed to have fun with it so we are doing it again. With that in mind, you have some options: you could choose to take care of yourself by walking the labyrinth; sitting and enjoying the wonderful landscapes around the college, including sculptures by our faculty which are graciously being shared with us; or attending some wellness activities. These are intended to be primers that might get you excited about starting or continuing a practice of wellness; Self Care for Stress Reduction or my personal favorite, NIA, which is a low impact aerobic with a mind/body/spirit component, and you don't have to do anything that doesn't feel good to your body! Or you could take care of someone else – go for a walk, have a cup of tea, or help someone clear up a work space. And finally, you can take care of this place by signing up to doing some tasks outside or inside, such as planting or composting - that's what I plan to do for a while. Or, you could take a tour to see first hand why we nee to pass a facilities bond. If you see a corner that needs to be swept, we could probably get you a broom! This will give some of us an idea of the the work our classified staff do, have them be leaders in directing our work and give us a chance to work side by side with each other doing something different than our usual work. Each year we have a crew do this type of thing for United Way, and it is always fun to work together.

So my plan is to do some NIA. Just show up. It'll be fun! Then I'll see you at lunch. Also, this afternoon, as part of the union meetings there will be a rally to launch our staff campaign for the bond. More on that later.

Ubuntu is not just for inservice day. Think about it while you are going about your daily work. If we can treat each other with care and respect, it will help us deal with the challenges we face. Times may be tough, but there is no need to forget our humanity. We can create the kind of place we want to inhabit, but it takes all of us and our good intentions.

In the meantime, if too much coffee kicks in, I will assume that you will take care of your personal needs. That doesn't mean there can be a mass exodus right now!

As usual, I want to begin welcoming all of you here today for the beginning of the 2008-09 year. Teaching and learning is a journey. It can be challenging and arduous, but it is a journey of hope, promise and fulfillment. And we have the privilege of starting that journey every year. As educators, we are blessed with being able to have a fresh start, a new beginning every fall. Another chance to get it right! Get it right as an organization, get it right with students and get it right with each other. I can't think of a place I would rather work because of the wonderful faculty, staff and students. When I reflect on why I want to be here, it always comes back to our compelling mission and vision and the difference we make working together.

So welcome. I want to first express my appreciation to all the faculty and staff who were working on campus or at a center this summer. We know the work it takes to wind up last year's activities, keep things going and, simultaneously, get ready for the new year. As always, I am extremely grateful for your dedication.

I also want to thank the faculty, many of whom may have been off campus, but we know that summer is a time when many of you evaluate your classes and think about the things you can do to improve the learning environment for our students. However, without the pressure of teaching loads, I hope you had some time to rest and enjoy this glorious Oregon summer.

Thomas Moore writes: "When you are enchanted, your imagination transforms ordinary life into something extraordinary." SLIDE Moore says that children are easily enchanted, but when we become adults our ability to become enchanted diminishes... as do lots of other things, I must say!! "Fantasy goes into hiding and emotion succumbs to reason." (Moore) It is my hope that you all had an enchanting summer... that the summer was full of encounters with nature and loved ones that filled you with awe, made you laugh, helped you relax or granted you a new insight.

And a special welcome to all of you who are with us for the first time. Of course, we have not been able to hire many new people recently, but could everyone who has joined the college since this time last year, please stand? Please welcome them. We are so glad you said "yes" to Lane. I wish you a long and successful relationship with the college.

I would also like to welcome the board members that are here today. Our elected board does a great job on behalf of the community and provides solid leadership for all of us. Pat Albright is here today. I especially want to thank Susie Johnston for stepping up to be chair.

Section 2 - Kudos

Even as we have been challenged financially, amazing things have been happening. I marvel at Lane's innovation. The fact that Lane is such a vibrant place is testimony to the work that all of you do. It is important that we take a few minutes to celebrate the outstanding work that has gone on. We need to remind ourselves that the budget isn't everything and take a minute to recognize our accomplishments.

**Presentation

Let me just add a few thoughts. One of the outstanding accomplishments of last year was the establishment of the Lane Peace Center. Stan Taylor led an amazing group of classified staff, faculty and managers and we pulled off a great inaugural conference. Can I ask everyone that contribute to that event to please stand?

Congratulations to the winners of our Faculty Recognition awards - Don Cataldo, Beth Swanson, Dan Armstrong, Margaret Robertson, Ed Zulyevic, Rodger Bates, Nadia Raza, and Lynn Songer. Let's give them another round of applause.

I also want to say a little more about our classified employees of the month.

September 2007 - Carrie Brandt, Social Science

With 14 different subjects in one division, Carrie's job requires her to deal with complexities in every portion of her job. She assesses the needs of each subject while considering the division as a whole. Carrie does an exceptional job with every facet of her work in a very complex division with additional challenges created by reductions and grant work.

October 2007 - Mung Nguyen, (Mun Win)Continuing Education

Mung is substantially involved with Continuing Ed's registration process, and she registers loads of students. Mung is a great problem solver. If she can't solve a question, she investigates, finds the answer, and gets back to the student. She values diversity and takes pride in helping non-English speaking students get enrolled and started on their path to education.

November 2007 - Sylvia Sandoz, IRAP

Besides an expanding set of ongoing responsibilities related to her role as research associate in IRAP, Sylvia has worked on a myriad of special research projects and conducted many custom analyses that demonstrate her initiative and creativity. She has been instrumental in creating and providing standard sets of data/reports for instructional departments to work with in their efforts to understand department effectiveness and efficiency. She continually strives to serve Lane students and staff.

December 2007 - Pam McClelland, High School Connections

Pam joined High School Connections on the ground floor of a brand new staff team. As a long-term college employee, she brought a wealth of knowledge, insight, and skills about how the college operates. She is positive, hard working, and provides excellent customer service.

January 2008 - Sharon Foster, Athletics

Sharon has helped the Athletics program get back on its feet during times of budget reductions. She helps organize community fundraising events as well as personally helping through fundraising sales and working U of O games. Sharon's dedication to this college and Lane family is amazing.

February 2008 - Laura Martin, College Finance

Laura has created a great deal of training material on her own initiative intended to make budgeting and accounting at Lane easier to understand. She also takes the initiative to provide training specifically to departments and assists them in revising their procedures. Laura models inclusive behavior in all she does.

April 2008 - Linda Schantol, (shonol) Language, Literature, & Communication

Linda is in charge of organizing the class schedule for some 80 faculty in the LLC division, and she continuously improves her approach to this daunting task. She consistently anticipates problems that may arise in the division, and arrives at each division or department meeting with a solution or proposal to manage the situation. She is always open to suggestions, and has a gift for dealing with many different personality types in a cordial and thoughtful way.

May 2008 - Kevin Williams, Facilities Management & Planning

Kevin has demonstrated excellence in his work performance through exceptional ability and willingness to address hundreds of HVAC related issues that have occurred in our aging systems. Kevin has taught classes for the Electronics Technology program. He also provides tours regularly in the central plant utility rooms and tunnels for the Energy Management classes. Kevin goes the extra mile every day.

June 2008 - Phoebe Anderson, Cooperative Education

In her work in the Cooperative Education Department, Phoebe is a role model for excellent customer service. Phoebe's "service above self" attitude should be a model for all of us at Lane. Her good humor, happy spirit, and cheerful demeanor are infectious. Everyone feels better after talking with Phoebe!

August 2008 - Claire Matese, ABSE

Clair exhibits outstanding customer service for internal and external partners of ABSE. More often than not, she is the person that ABSE faculty seek out for advice on many department issues and policies. Claire's intelligence, humor, and enthusiasm are what all employees should strive for. She is a great representative of Lane.

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 2007-08:
Linda Schantol, (shonol)Administrative Coordinator, Language, Literature and Communication Division

Linda, please join me at the podium to receive this well deserved award and recognition.

Linda began at Lane in the LLC Division ten years ago as an Administrative Support Specialist, back when it was still known as English, Foreign Language and Speech. She became the Administrative Coordinator in 2005.

Her nomination form included contributions from 16 faculty and staff members from the division and college community. One faculty member refers to her in her nomination as "Linda 'not-a-problem-is-my-middle-name' Schantol". She is effective at "herding" a very divergent group of people, providing boundaries and limits, and speaking her mind with integrity. She is a center of gravity that people turn to for problems large and small. She is beloved by her colleagues and an asset to the college.

Please join me in honoring the 2008 Classified Employee of the Year, Linda Schantol.

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.

Finally, I must recognize the work of our Foundation staff. Did you see that number up there? $7.5 million plus raised for our Opening Doors Campaign. This is amazing. And we'll double that figure in the next 12-18 months. So in spite of continuing budget constraints great things happened at Lane and I want to thank you for it. These things could not happen without your hard work, dedication and commitment. Lane is great because you are great. The thing I am most grateful for is that we were able to keep everyone employed. I know that didn't happen without great sacrifice on everyone's part but I, for one, am so glad you are all here.

It is sometimes hard for us to accept where we are. We all want so much more - for our students, for Lane and for ourselves. We all see how much more we could do if we had resources. How do we deal with the reality of what is? I read this story about Yitzhak (Yitzak)Perlman, the great violinist. It may be apocryphal but it's still a good story. It is said he was playing in New York. Yitzhak Perlman was crippled by polio as a young child, so the bottom part of his body doesn't work well and he wears these very prominent leg braces and comes on in crutches, in a very painful, slow way, hauling himself across the stage. Then he sits down and, very carefully, unbuckles the leg braces and lays them down, puts down his crutches, and then picks up his violin. So, this night the audience had watched him slowly, painfully, walk across the stage; and he began to play. And, suddenly, there was a loud noise in the hall that signaled that one of the strings on his violin had just snapped.

Pictures and music

Everyone expected that they would be watching Yitzhak Perlman put on the leg braces, walk slowly across the stage, and find a new violin. But this is what happened. Instead, Yitzhak Perlman closed his eyes for a moment. He paused. And then he signaled for the conductor to begin again. And he began from where they had left off. And here's the description of his playing, from Jack Riemer in the Houston Chronicle:

"He played with such passion, and such power, and such purity, as people had never heard before. Of course, everyone knew that it was impossible to play this symphonic work with three strings. I know that. You know that. But that night, Yitzhak Perlman did not know that. You could see him modulating, changing, recomposing the piece in his head. At one point, it sounded like he was de-tuning the strings to get new sounds from them that they had never made before. When he finished, there was an awe-filed silence in the room. And then people rose and cheered. He smiled. He wiped the sweat from his brow. He raised his bow to us. And then he said, not boastfully, but in a quiet and pensive and reverent tone,

"You know, sometimes it is the artist's task to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left."

And that is surely one of our tasks. We have made great music here and we will make even more, and better, music together, modulating, recomposing, changing, as we go forward -with what we have left.

Looking Ahead

Our new tag line is Achieving Dreams. How do we do that in the midst of budget shortfalls? SLIDE

Well, I think we must remain hopeful, plant the seeds that will take root for the future and turn on the headlights so that we can look to the future - image

Now I know this is not easy. There is so much in our world to be depressed about. The war is still raging; the economy is in tatters and who knows how far we have yet to fall - how many more businesses will close, how many more home defaults, how many will be unable to pay the taxes that sustain the college. I think we have all just become shareholders in a massive debt. Across the world climate change is having devastating effects on people and the planet. Our dependence on foreign oil leads us into wrongheaded decisions. Our tendency as Americans to go it alone, think we are always right and if people would only act the way we wanted them to everything would be okay. It's a pretty depressing, tough world out there.

There are those who tell us that faith in the American dream is dying. And yet, I find that if I live in fear of all that; if I let all of that overwhelm me I can't function. So I am making another choice. I am making a hopeful choice. There are signs that things are changing.

Globally, the rise of places like China, India and Brazil are having a profound effect. China has moved millions of people from poverty in the last decade. We are seeing other countries understand their place in the world and they have chosen cooperation. More and more people are understanding that in a global community we have to think and act systemically. More and more people are deciding that living in fear does not work.

We have an extraordinary opportunity this year to change the course of history; to change the course of the United States and we can all be a part of that by getting out and voting. Regardless of your political persuasion this is an extraordinary privilege that must be exercised if we want to achieve our dreams.

Similarly, in this state there are a number of important choices to be made - about candidates and measures. This is an amazing responsibility and so I urge you to educate yourself, to think about the future you want to create, and vote.

All of this provides the context for our community and the college. Let's talk about our own future here at the college. We must look toward the future even though none of us can surely predict what it holds.

Last year, I said I thought there was a light at the end of the tunnel. SLIDE I said if we made sound decisions for the 2009 budget, I thought in the following year we had a chance of being through this dark time. I pointed out there were many variables that could impact that. I said the economy needed to stay healthy; that recognizing the connection between our funding and the economy, I was always listening for indicators that might affect our revenue. The governor had promised community colleges a ten percent increase in the next legislative session, and at that level I could begin to see some respite in this funding situation. Not much additional money, but enough.

Well, I don't have to tell you that things are not going well in the economy. Oregon is faring a bit better than some other states and (this is good news) I don't anticipate that there will be any revenue reduction from the state in the current year. But then again, I don't know exactly what is going to happen on the national level that might have an impact - it appears that no one does. There is some more good news. What I can tell you is that we are in a slightly better position to confront whatever happens than we were last year. Last year we actually spent less than we brought in; yeah! We are on target with our projections and had a little bit of money left over to start the new year. That's called ending fund balance. Also, we have a balanced budget for this year. If we are very careful and again don't spend more than we have projected we can end the year in a healthier position. So we are in a much better position than we have been in the last few years. Let me say that again we are in a much better financial position than we have been. But it's still tenuous. We will need to spend carefully, strategically grow enrollment and limit long term commitments that we may not be able to keep because we simply don't know what will happen at the state level. Over the course of the next few months we will be monitoring what is happening; we will develop projections with the information we have. We already know if there is no increase in state revenue ($500 million for community colleges) it will be extremely tough. If we can get to $550 million as the governor had promised things begin to look better. Again, my major goal this year will be to try to keep everyone employed because it is only if we have everyone's shoulder to the wheel that we can do what we need to for our students and the community. I can't promise this. I can only tell you it is my goal. There is so much that I, we, have no control over. To have a good outcome, we need to think and work together creatively for the good of the college. We can only be healthy and assured of our jobs if the college is healthy. In this we have a powerful shared interest.

So while all that is going on what else does the future hold?

Howard Zinn said: "We don't have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory."

One way to prepare for an unknown future is to begin practicing how we would like that future to be, now. To bring these dreams into form we must start embodying those ideals and practices right now, day-to-day, that we can't wait for some utopian future.

Shilpa Jain said: "What I understand is the simple truth that regular people in everyday circumstances have a chance to change the field. With their whole selves present and engaged, they have the ability to shift the dynamics, to reset the stage and create a whole new play... This is not only effective, it is also inspiring and even magical"

What helps me go into the unknown is that I am in love with the idea of community colleges. I love the concept of being democracy's college -the people's college. I love the fact that we focus on student success -teaching and learning. I love the diversity of our students - the bright, focused high school student, the returning Vet, the 50 year old displaced worker, the single parent, the person viewed as a failure, especially by herself, the immigrant struggling to learn English. I love them all. I love our ability to open doors for them whether it's the doors to an intellectual life, the doors to opportunity, the doors to their own amazing selves. We help transform them. No doubt about it, community colleges save lives. I love the fact that community colleges reflect their community. We are in touch, connected, contributing. I love the fact that community colleges are not uppity, traditional or arrogant, steeped in illusions of grandeur. We are practical, unpretentious, caring communities that make a huge difference. It is that love affair that started almost twenty nine years ago that keeps me focused and grounded and able to deal with hard realities while dreaming about the future.

So it's not hard for me to envision Lane Community College in the future. It's pretty simple in my mind: Generally, I want Lane Community College to embrace our place as the premier provider of transfer, career preparation and upgrading education, foundational skills and lifelong learning.

There are seven things I want for the college:

SLIDE that reflects these seven things - just headers

1. I want this to be a good place for students - one where they are learning, achieving their goals and dreams, making progress, going to the next level, transferring to the university, going to work in a good paying job, moving into college education from secondary education, satisfying their lifelong learning needs;
2. I want the college to respond to community needs - I want us to be relevant and critical to the success of the community, helping the community move forward, because we have been part of the dialogue on the future of the community, a vibrant part of community economic and civic progress, meeting needs of employers;
3. I want the college to be a satisfying place to work - a civil, engaged group of people who work together for the collective good of the college, and in so doing, reap individual rewards-whether it's decent salaries and benefits or more intrinsic rewards; where the value of every single group and person is acknowledged and celebrated; where there is an understanding that everyone has a contribution to make and that we get rid of the pecking order and envision one class of educator - first class educators in the quest to serve students;
4. I want a college where we have a balance of talk and action; where we have simplified and streamlined processes; where we are as productive and efficient as possible;
5. I want us to be fiscally sustainable - no choice here! Where we have enough money year over year to maintain efforts and perhaps even do some new things or repurpose funds to meet an emerging need, without worrying about having to cut just to get by; where people feel secure not just because we have a sustainable budget but also because each individual is doing a stellar job that is making a difference to the whole;
6. I want everyone to understand their part in the big picture - that each person's actions or inactions have a huge effect on the whole; that we can't afford to carry one person - everyone is giving at 100% - we recognize that in each other and we celebrate it;
7. I want us to understand that there may not be enough public money (though we'll work hard to get more) and that we can be entrepreneurial without betraying our mission and generate money to sustain ourselves.

Really, everything I have just said is a less fancy way of stating our strategic directions - when I read them - this is what they say to me. So when you are wondering where we are going, what it is we are trying to achieve, I ask that you look at our vision, mission and strategic directions and know that is what we are trying to accomplish. Some of this is very hard to do but if we don't say it out loud, if we don't stretch we'll never get there.

This year we will be engaging in updating our strategic plan. The board conducted Community Conversations throughout the county. At Spring Conference you all participated in the Lane Future Cafe, answering a number of questions. It has been compiled and organized and will be reviewed by College Council and we will have another round of questions later.

But let me be even more concrete:

Transforming Students' Lives

If students and their learning are at the heart of what we do and we want the best conditions to do our work, we need to do some things this year to lead us in that direction. But we need to anchor our work in why we are all here- helping students achieve their dreams - Student stories

Michaelia Carroll dropped out of high school in Florence, moved to L.A., sold products door-to-door and then, deciding that poverty and dead-end jobs were not for her, enrolled at Lane Community College's Florence campus to get her G.E.D. Now she is the first of 10 siblings to get a college degree. Michaelia, who says "I love to put smiles on the faces of patients" graduated from the nursing program at Lane Community College.

Hero. Humanitarian. Pilot. Take your pick. Tyson Bumgardner is all three. He was a troop leader during the heavy fighting in Baghdad. He volunteered to help in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. And, he's a Lane Community College flight technology student. He will be able to fulfill his dream of being a pilot thanks to the citizens of Lane County and their support of Lane Community College.

Growing up without parents, shuttled from home to home, Shawnell Tolliver struck out on her own at age 16. She worked, attended high school, and along the way, became Oregon's most active female freestyle footbagger. Today, she's a Lane Community College student, with plans to obtain her doctorate in psychology so she can work with adolescents. "I just want to help, that's all," says Tolliver.

Thanks to you, she can.

Here are some of the projects that will help these students achieve their dreams.

Academic and Student Affairs, the area formerly know as OISS, has one single priority in helping students achieve their dreams and that is enrollment growth which translates into access for students. The ASA team, Sonya and her Executive Deans, staff and Division Deans will be laser focused on this goal. They will do it through working with all of you on:

a. Growing new programs in lower cost areas
b. Online expansion in niche areas
c. Retention

Concretely, they will be engaging with you on a number of projects: SLIDE WITH PROJECT HEADINGS

1. Technology:

a. Has been consolidated under Sonya. I hope you understand that asking Sonya, our Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs, to provide leadership for technology is an intentional act. It's not that IT hasn't been doing a fabulous job with constrained resources but we want to integrate instruction and infrastructure so that everyone understands the importance of technology to our future and that technology exists in the service of learning
b. There has been lots of activity in this area over the summer. While we go through the search process for a new CIO, Sonya has been working closely with Todd Lutz, acting CIO, Mark Williams, IT staff, and faculty webmasters to integrate the work of the instructional side and the infrastructure side. This integrated concept is starting to be operationalized by establishing priorities that puts learning at the heart. Distance learning of the future will bring together all the current resources, TV, Video, online, etc... into one consolidated unit all operating under strategic priorities.
c. On the infrastructure front, workplan includes:

i. Major systems upgrades: Voicemail system, Banner 8, Groupwise 8, Zenworks PC management, Office 2007 and R25 web scheduling
ii. Implementation of student web portal applications and identity management systems.
iii. Enhanced AV system upgrades in classrooms and labs, e.g. Dental Hygiene lab (4/107), Counseling (1/222 and 224), Bldg. 4 lecture room (4/105), Lobbyvision upgrade (Bldg. 1), ATC training lab (19/249)
iv. Expanded use of ITDirect tracking system for work orders, service requests and support optimization.
v. The grand reopening of the Academic Technology Center is on Sep 25th from 10:30 to 11-just 30 minutes. Make sure you show up. Michael Levick has some real cool technology prizes that will be raffled.

2. Strategic Investment Fund:

a. The Strategic Investment Fund (SIF) is a one-time grant for $632,000 from the State, which will help us provide state-wide educational opportunities for students, through online methods, in the areas of health care and sustainability-which are in high demand in Oregon. When the Commissioner's Strategic Fund was created I began to think about how Lane could access some of the money. I made sure that we put in a request ahead of everyone else and we got $632,00O for this year. The idea with this money is we must have state wide impact while increasing our enrollment. The programs participating in this grant are: Respiratory Care, Physical Therapist Assistant, Energy Management, and Water Conservation. Courses in nursing, Advanced Technology and Science are also part of this project.
b. The design for implementing this initiative is research-based with the appropriate connections to institutional support structures and one-on-one support structures. The fifteen faculty involved with this project will work with an instructional designer and a programmer to move learning from the traditional environment to the online environment I am so glad that we moved early. As a result we have carved our certain niches for Lane so that other colleges will have to work with us.

3. Title III: Lane has been trying, for several years, to get a Title III, strengthening the institution grant. We finally did!!!! The grant was written under the leadership of Aaron Shonk, Anne McGrail, Mary Parthemer, and Sonya Christian. A $2 million grant for five years. This grant is focused on the student success initiatives at Lane including the development of a comprehensive first year experience for students and learning communities. It will take many of the initiatives started by the Strategic Learning Initiative and SAGA to the next level. The project director is Mary Parthemer.

4. Second Life: We received close to half a million dollars for three years from NSF to develop three computer science courses in Second Life. Second Life is a 3-D virtual world created by its Residents. Since opening to the public in 2003, it has grown explosively and today is inhabited by millions of Residents from around the globe. From the moment you enter the World you'll discover a vast digital continent, teeming with people, entertainment, experiences and opportunity. Jim Bailey, CIT faculty, is the principle investigator for this grant. Jim will be working closely with Mark Williams and Sonya Christian in exploring development dollars to fund the expansion of this learning forum to other disciplines.

5. Disability Resources grant: The disabilities resource center received over a $1 million grant from the department of education. Project ShIFT, Shaping Inclusion through Foundational Transformation, is a research demonstration grant that will improve the quality of higher education for students with disabilities by providing social model education, technical training and support related to universal design of instruction (UDI) for staff and faculty and staff. Universal Design reframes the concept of accessibility from "special features for a few" to good design throughout the lifespan. UDI gives each student meaningful access to the curriculum by assuring access to the environment as well as multiple means of representation, expression, and engagement. It makes course content and activities accessible to people with a wide range of abilities, disabilities, ethnic backgrounds, language skills, and learning styles.

6. Athletics: Our Athletics programs are being led by our fabulous women's basketball coach Greg Sheley. If he can do for Athletics what he has done for women's basketball we will rock. Cross Country and Soccer have started their seasons and have record number of participants. All the coaches are very excited to get started and are looking forward to their upcoming seasons. Women's Basketball's home winning streak is still alive and is at 63 consecutive games. Last home loss was December 6th, 2001. This is the nation's longest current home winning streak at the collegiate level. We have 18 people committed to be Athletic Leadership Committee members and are looking to do great things with this group.

Transforming the Learning Environment

7. We are doing some very exciting exploration with the University of Oregon School of Architecture to have graduate students do a Design Studio that focuses on our land assets and helps us see what we could o to use them productively. This will build on the great work that Facilities Council, with leadership of Margaret Robertson will do this year in developing design principles.

8. Well the big news here is obviously our bond measure 20-142. I am so excited about this opportunity. Of course, as a public employee I cannot advocate for it. So, how does that work? I can't show passion and commitment to something that I think is essential for the college? I am supposed to be on call 24/7 so I am not sure what is my own time and what is work time. So let me be clear, I am not advocating, I am merely sharing information about the impact of the bond.

First, is there anyone here who thinks we don't need to improve the learning environment? If so, just think for a minute about a space across campus or at one of the centers that personally irritates you. It could be the dreadful classrooms in the Center or Forum basement. It could be the recycling folks working out in the weather. It could be the sink that constitutes the Science Lab. in Florence. It might be lack of technology in a classroom. For me, it's many, many things. It's the outdoor classrooms, like the track, that is literally falling apart; it’s the Downtown Center which should signal our quality to the community but instead simply looks tacky. It's having faculty and staff do work-arounds, whether in the Arts division or Health, creating more work for themselves because the physical space does not accommodate their needs. Whatever it is this bond will help. Let's take a look at what shape we are in. **ROLL PICTURES
A couple of important points that you need to know for that "elevator" speech when someone ask you what you know about the bond.

a. It's about replacement, renovation, renewal, upgrading of facilities we already have, not adding new buildings.
b. It's about replacing forty year old infrastructure.
c. It's intended to keep the tax rate about the same -25 cents per thousand because we will pay off the old bond before we levy the new one. We are simply asking taxpayers to keep doing what they are already doing. About $50 for a $200,000 home; $1 a week. Even if your home is worth $500,000 we're still talking about $125 a year; $2.40 a week.
d. What happens if we don't pass it? Well, some of the things we need to do regardless. We must replace about $20 million of electrical, boilers, wiring, chillers, and technology no matter what. Where will that money come from? Operations. Most of the infrastructure items we need to do in the next four or five years because if they break it could shut us down. That’s $4-5 million a year. That means less money to hire faculty and staff to serve students, less access for students, less chance to fulfill our vision and mission. We can't afford that.
e. There's something for everyone since we have included an instructional technology and equipment line item.
f. You can find out more information on the Lane website.
g. It's a very tough environment to pass this bond; many people are thinking about how they might use that $1 a week when the current bond goes away. The economy is challenging. But this is the time that Lane is needed more than ever.

In your meetings this afternoon I am sure that Jim, Bob and management leadership will be having some discussion but you are all invited to an extension of the union meetings in Building 1 to kick off our employee campaign. We will need every one of you to share information about the bond, and on your own time, perhaps volunteer to advocate for the bond. Remember, all of our surveys tell us that people get most of their information about the college from people who work here or attend school here. You are our ambassadors. The message you share in the next few weeks might make all the difference for our collective future.

Transforming the College Organization

9. Management structure for 2008-2009:

Last year the work group reviewed the management structure and made several recommendations. I asked them to come up with a structure that did not spend more than we were already spending for managers and the board approved the structure in March. Here it is. I am not going to go through it in detail here but if you can read this the most striking things about this chart is the number of interim positions we have. Some people have retired, some have moved on to further their professional career goals. We simply don't have the capacity to fill all the positions in one year and I want to save some money from vacant positions so we will be strategically filling these positions over the next couple of years. In the meantime, I though you might want to see your executive leadership group.

**JIB JAB

9. Aspiring Leaders program

This year we are launching a leadership development program for managers, faculty and classified staff who want to explore leadership. Forty three people applied for 20 slots. We increased the number to 25 and the program will start in a couple of weeks. We plan to make this an annual program to build our own capacity for leadership. 10. Finally, we need to continue to focus on Sustainability. Obviously fiscal sustainability will never be far from my daily work, whether it's keeping a close eye on the budget, working on the bond or asking people to give money to Lane. I have fully embraced my professional beggar role. Why? Because I am in love with community colleges. I am in love with Lane Community College in particular and we deserve it. And we need to focus on environmental sustainability. Lane has carved out a unique niche in this arena, nationally and statewide. Because of all the work that you have done we are recognized as a leader in sustainability and for our comprehensive approach. I was one of 32 college and university presidents invited to attend the Clinton Global Initiative in New Orleans. There were five community college presidents there; all the others were at college impacted by Katrina and then there was me- invited because of our leadership in sustainability, having lunch with President Clinton with the presidents of Tulane, Tufts, Rice, Yale. If you think that wasn't a thrill for a wee lassie from Scotland! And, I actually got up and spoke and talked about community college students and you know what? That's where the rest of the conversation went. Our Sustainability Team is large and growing. We had two summits last year and crafted a plan for taking our efforts to the next steps. I will be engaged with this work throughout the year.

So there is a lot to do to achieve our dreams and maybe this poem will capture way more beautifully than I can say what we want to do now and in the future.

Pictures of forests, river, green meadow, flowers, hill sides
If we will have the wisdom to survive,
To stand like slow-growing trees
On a ruined place, renewing, enriching it,
if we will make our seasons welcome here,
asking not too much of earth or heaven,
then a long time after we are dead
the lives our lives prepare will live
here, their houses strongly placed
upon the valley sides, fields and gardens
rich in the windows. The river will run
clear, as we will never know it,
and over it, birdsong like a canopy.
On the levels of the hills will be
Green meadows, stock bells in noon shade.
On the steeps where greed and ignorance cut down
The old forest, an old forest will stand,
Its rich leaf-fall drifting on its roots.
The veins of forgotten springs will have opened.
Families will be singing in the fields.
In their voices they will hear a music
Risen out of the ground. They will take
Nothing from the ground they will not return,
whatever the grief at parting. Memory,
Native to this valley, will spread over it,
like a grove, and memory will grow
into legend, legend into song, song
into sacrament. The abundance of this place,
The songs of its people and its birds,
Will be health and wisdom and indwelling
light. This is no paradisal dream.
Its hardship is its possibility.

Wendell Berry

This is what we are doing, building for the future. It is not easy but it is the work that needs to be done. Can we do it? I say we can do it. Si se puede. Yes, we can.

We can move all of these projects along and more... there is an open invitation to transforming students' lives, our environment and the college operation

Thoreau talks about living a life of quiet desperation. It doesn't need to be that way. At spring conference I was asked what I was going to do about the incivility that was going on. I turned the question back: what am I going to do? What are we going to do?

Bill Stafford said it this way:

Some time when the river is ice ask me
The mistakes I have made. Ask me whether
What I have done is my life. Others
Have come in their slow way into
My thought, and some have tried to help
Or to hurt-ask me what difference
Their strongest love or hate has made.

I have found that the strongest hate does make a difference but perhaps not the difference intended.. I believe that when people know they should be walking a higher road but rather bow to the diabolical that lurks within all of us it only makes them feel worse.
Barbara Kingsolver talks about "the wells of kindness seem everywhere to be running dry" We see it everywhere from Randy Roads on the left to Limbaugh and Hannity and Combs on the right- a culture of devaluing the person, instead of focusing on the issues.
What's wrong with the world monopolizes our attention. What's right, what warrants celebration, falls from view. Obviously, one can't ignore what’s wrong but a campaign of discouragement puts us at risk of becoming ambassadors of doom - Loeb

There can also be an ethic of contempt and cynicism, or looking only for the perfect standard, dismissing an entire effort because of a small flaw. Contemporary cynicism has nothing but a corrosive effect. Think of your own family - what if, instead of placing trust in them and forgiving their lapses and flaws, you greeted them with derision. How long would hope or joy survive under those conditions? Cynicism in the public sphere is no less destructive. Cynicism occupies the mental and psychological space we once reserved for hope.

** Clip

I have seen this here. For example, an individual who makes a charge or allegation that is totally unfounded; when asked to explain the basis others weigh in with equally unfounded disinformation. People look on with a mixture of amazement, belief, disbelief and resignation. Incivility and cynicism reigns supreme. And the individual who started the whole thing steps back and says 'oh, I didn't have any facts, I just heard something.' But the devastating impact I see is first and foremost on the person who started the whole thing.
"Ask me what difference Their strongest love or hate has made."

But that's not for me. In the face of dealing with what's wrong I am not willing to participate in a campaign of discouragement. That choice makes us more divided as individuals and as a college. We lose energy. We become flat and dull and without enthusiasm, easy prey for those whose agenda is to tear down, not build up. Fear can really disempower us... when we are fearful our focus becomes very narrow and isolated to our own survival. We can lose touch with reason, our ability to be creative, rational, reasonable and wise in terms of what makes sense and what is intended for global good. I am making a conscious choice in the midst of much turmoil in our world. It is so easy to be beaten down by all the negativity. To be overwhelmed by all the challenges; to start believing that we are not going to make it through; to buy into the nay sayers. I am choosing otherwise. It makes no sense to go there. Yes, one has to acknowledge that times are difficult; yes, one has to listen to different perspectives but in the cacophony of negativity not much gets done because all our psychic energy goes into fear, blaming and dirt throwing. And I ask you what good does it do for our world, our college, our individual selves? My observation is - not much, except get in the way of those people who are trying to do a good job, stay balanced and remember why they are here. It's simply a distraction from the important work we have to do. I'd rather savor the work itself and the everyday richness of life and put my energy into making things better not making people feel worse.

Every class I have ever taken, in communication, conflict resolution, mediation and so on, there has always been one principle - focus on issues, not people. That is, if you want to get the situation resolved. We all know this, don't we? We are an extremely educated workforce here at Lane so I know we have the competence. Why don't we have the will to focus on issues, not on people? And make no mistake it makes little difference when we use terms like, the management, or the faculty or the classified staff when we are in blaming mode because behind each category of people there are human beings with aspirations and desires to do good work. So I ask you to focus on issues, not people. Even as I make this request, I know that not everyone will be able to do so therefore I have to decide what my response is going to be.

Cynicism or hope? That's the real question, the choice we all face as individuals, families, institutions, communities.

Sonya Vetra Tinsley put it this way: You have to pick your team. Two teams - one is cynicism. They'll tell you why what you're doing doesn't matter, why nothing is going to change, why you are going to fail. They seem to get satisfaction out of explaining how we'll always have an injustice. Then there's another group who admit they don't know how things will turn out but have decided to work. Telling stories of what can be done to make things different. They'll give reasons why you shouldn't give up. There are times when both teams seem right. We don't know which team will prevail. So she continues, I just have to decide which team seems happier, which side I'd rather be on? Because on the side of cynicism even if they're right, who wants to win that argument anyway? If I'm going to stick with somebody, I'd rather stick with people who have a sense of possibility and hope.

I know what team I am choosing. When someone attacks I am working on bringing out not anger but compassion; I may feel a certain sadness, perhaps, but I have chosen that reacting in kind is not good for my spirit. Reacting in kind makes me feel worse; it does nothing to fulfill the conversation. At times I may have longed for the avenging angel to strike down all who've wronged us but we need forgiveness to avoid being eaten up by bitterness. Henri Nouwen writes: "To forgive another person from the heart is an act of liberation. We set that person free from the negative bonds that exist between us. But there is more. We also free ourselves from the burden of being the offended one. The great temptation is to cling in anger to our enemies and then define ourselves as being offended and wounded by them. Forgiveness, therefore, liberates not only the other but also ourselves." That's for me- an act of liberation. How about you?

"Without forgiveness, hurts grow unchecked and we recycle failures, resentments, bitterness and mistrust. With forgiveness, hurts are acknowledged and healed and we are able to break a mindless cycle of retaliation by saying that the decisions of human life, even when they turn out badly, are not beyond repair " Doris Donnelly. I am choosing that way. I may seek to understand and engage at times but I will not live divided - because when people become fearful they recognize and communicate the dangers. They do not recognize and communicate the opportunities. Their sense of victimization does not allow them to see that they are in charge - of their own choices.

We must look beyond to the vision we'd like to fight for. This means valuing the moments of courage and compassion, celebrating the everyday grace of life and focusing not only on what's wrong, but on what's right.

..a mute sadness settles in, Like dust, for the long, long haul. But if I do not get up and sing, If I do not get up and dance again, The nay sayers will win... Sam Hamill

As Martin Luther King said: "I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear."

For in the end, we will conserve only what we love. We will love only
what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught.
-Baba Dioum (Senegalese Environmentalist/Poet)

I am choosing hope. I am choosing joy. I am choosing possibility. I am choosing good will. I am choosing to believe the best in people. I am choosing that people are doing the best they can. I am choosing to listen. I am choosing to be responsible. Choose with me. Choose with me.
So I am hopeful..
I have a lot to be thankful for - we all do. We have jobs, doing some of the most noble work I can think of. Being educators as we all are does not necessarily have the cachet it should have but ultimately look at the chance we have to really make a difference in a person's life.

I want to sow the seeds of the possible with you. We can live in a productive community - one in which ordinary people can generate extraordinary results. Getting difficult things done in the real world requires clarity of purpose, high standards of performance and trusting and supportive relationships. We can have all of these if we make the choice.

One of the things that inspires me is the wonderful stories of people who have persisted, one step at a time, shoulder to shoulder with others until they have achieved important victories. Those who make us believe anything is possible and fire our imagination are often those who have survived the bleakest of circumstances. The people who have every reason to despair, but don't, may have the most to teach us. Loeb.

Zinn - We don't have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in the process of change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world. What we choose to emphasize in this complex world will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places- and there are so many- where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act and at the least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction.

Our mission is plant ourselves at the gates of hope-not the prudent gates of optimism, which are somewhat narrower, not the stalwart, boring gates of common sense; nor the strident gates of self-righteousness, which creak on shrill and angry hinges (people cannot hear us there; they cannot pass through) nor the cheerful, flimsy gate of "Everything is gonna be all right." But a different, sometimes lonely place, the place of truth-telling, about your own soul first of all and its' condition, the place of resistance and defiance, the piece of ground from which you see the world both as it is and as it could be; the place from which you glimpse not only struggle, but joy in the struggle. And we stand there beckoning and calling. Victoria Safford

The more we draw on our gifts -what Wendell Berry calls the "grace of the world" the more strength we will have to keep on.

I am interested in what Seamus Heaney calls the meeting point of hope and history, where what has happened is met by what we make of it. Making the music with what we have left.

Mary-Wynne Ashford, former president of the Nobel Peace Prize winning international Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War compares her experience to that of Sysyphus SLIDE of Sysyphus pushing rock up hill as he endlessly rolls his rock up the hill but with one crucial difference. We sustain each other in dark times, she writes, sometimes simply by being present together... whether or not we succeed in pushing the rock up the hill, there is meaning in the journey, not in the hope that one time we'll be able to shed the rock forever and live in a perfect world" We can't predict the future, says Ashford, but for all our doubts and hesitations, we can choose how to live and what to fight for.

A rich life is fundamentally a life of serving others, trying to leave the world a little better than you found it... This is true at the personal level... there is a political level. Cornel West says it has to do with what you see in the morning when you look in the mirror. What motivates many people is the desire to respect what they see in the mirror. It's about taking stock of ourselves and comparing the convictions we say we hold with the lives we actually lead. He talks of redeeming "life's epic significance." And we do both when we extend the caring and generosity that characterize healthy relationships.

**Video

Billy Holiday said: The difficult - I'll do right now. The impossible- will take a little while. All this will take a little while but we can start now.

My eyes already touch the sunny hill, Going far ahead of the road I have begun. So we are grasped by what we cannot grasp; It has its inner light, even from a distance- And changes us, even if we do not reach it, into something else, which, hardly sensing it, we already are;

Rilke.

So join me in making good choices for yourself, for our students for our college for our community.
The people I love the best
Jump into the work head first
Without dallying in the shallows
And swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight
They seem to become natives of that element,
The black sleek heads of seals
Bouncing like half-submerged balls.
I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart,
Who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience,
Who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward,
Who do what has to be done, again and again.

I want to be with people who submerge
In the task, who go into the filed to harvest
And work in a row and pass the bags along,
Who are not parlor generals or field deserters
But move in the common rhythm
When the food must come in pr the fire be put out.
The work of the world is common as mud.
Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.
But the thing worth doing well done
Has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident.
Greek amphoras for wine or oil,
Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museums
But you know they were made to be used.
The pitcher cries for water to carry
And a person for work that is real.

**Clip

This is real work. Let's not squander the opportunity to do this real work together. Each one of us will make a choice. Let's stand up together for Lane.