Day at a Glance

Greetings,

In the interest of keeping the campus community informed, the following press release was shared with media outlets on Tuesday regarding the status of Shoreline’s proposed 2020-21 budget recommendations:

Budget Reductions Proposed to Shoreline Community College Board of Trustees 

SHORELINE, WA (January 28, 2020) – After several years of continual enrollment growth, Shoreline Community College has experienced a decline in enrollment and faces a $2.3 million shortfall. The College is focused on realigning its expenses and revenue to bring its budget into balance for the 2020-21 fiscal year.

At the January 22 Board of Trustees meeting, the Board approved the President’s recommendation that an employee reduction in force may be necessary, authorizing the College to begin the proposed budget reduction process. In March, the Board will formally approve any reductions, with the full 2020-21 budget adopted in late June.

The proposed adjustments for the 2020-21 budget include reductions in employee positions, goods and services, and other support, such as part-time faculty hiring, non-mandatory travel, and stipends.

While proposed employee reductions have been identified as necessary in several areas, the College has also determined unmet position needs in others. With this mind, several new positions are being created to address specific unmet need across all impacted employee groups. The net result of the proposed changes to employee positions would be:

• Administrative/Exempt – Reduction of 6 positions, creation of 1.5 positions (net change of -4.5 positions)
• Classified Staff – Reduction of 12 positions, creation of 7.25 positions (net change of -4.75 positions)
• Faculty – Reduction of 1 position, creation of 3 positions (net change of +2 positions)

These proposed position adjustments will allow the College to better streamline operations and improve how the College helps students to enroll, persist, and graduate.

“The College is thoughtfully pursuing ways to bring our budget into balance. Because colleges are people-focused organizations, it is unfortunate that we are unable to significantly realign the budget without affecting some employee positions – and we are very sensitive to the impact this has on our students, employees, and the communities we serve. However, we have prioritized the proposed reductions in a way that minimize impact on students and employees as much as possible,” said President Cheryl Roberts, Ed.D.

One recommendation presented to the Board of Trustees is to discontinue the Shoreline’s men’s soccer team in fall 2020, in the face of a reduced Athletics budget related to a decline in student fees. The recommendation is also based on a team history of low academic achievement, persistence, and retention as well as increased costs for insurance and facility maintenance. The College would continue offering six other competitive sports, including women’s soccer.

Some students and employees have expressed fears about Shoreline’s Dental Hygiene program being eliminated, though it is not on the list of budget reductions for 2020-21. The College is actively collaborating with key faculty and community partners to identify short- and long-term solutions to a two-fold challenge: locating appropriate space to house the program and addressing the program’s high cost of instruction. Updates about solutions will be shared in the coming weeks as conversations continue.

“The proposed budget changes that have been provided to the Board of Trustees are grounded in clear principles that align the College with our strategic plan, ensure adequate reserves for financial stability, and allow for further innovation and workflow efficiencies,” Roberts added. “We are now entering a problem-solving mode with College constituents to fine tune our recommendations before the Board of Trustees finalizes the budget this spring.” 

In fall 2019, each campus department completed a self-review assessment. This data heavily informed the College executive team’s systematic budget review and rationale for the proposed changes. The new budget would go into effect July 1, 2020.

Dear Colleague,

You’ve likely been hearing news reports about an outbreak of a respiratory illness called the novel coronavirus (2019–nCoV) that was first detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, and has since expanded to several countries, with one confirmed case in Washington state. 

Currently, the risk to the general public is low and there are no known or suspected cases of the coronavirus on Shoreline’s campus. The College is following the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) recommendations and is proactively monitoring developments to ensure the campus community’s health and safety, in alignment with the College policy on communicable disease.

Out of caution, the CDC is currently recommending that travelers avoid all non-essential travel to China. If you have recently traveled to China (within 14 days) and are having fever and respiratory symptoms (such as coughing or shortness of breath), please contact your primary care provider. Call your health care provider before arriving so they can prepare for your visit.

We would like to take this opportunity to remind all students and employees of standard recommendations to prevent the spread of infections, as influenza and similar viruses are common this time of year: 

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. 
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands. 
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick. 
• Stay home when you are sick. 
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash. 
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces. 

The safety pouches that Safety & Security distributed to employees at the last Fall Convocation contain disposable N95 respirator masks in case you ever need one.

The College will continue to share any updates about this virus with the campus as further developments arise. For the latest information, please visit the CDC’s 2019 Novel Coronavirus web page.

Wishing you a healthy and productive quarter,

Cheryl Roberts, Ed.D.
President 

Shoreline Community College is a 2019 Tree Campus USA. An Arbor Day Foundation program, Tree Campus USA honors colleges and universities and their leaders for promoting healthy trees and engaging students and staff in the spirit of conservation. Shoreline has earned the designation the past three years.

The College earned the Tree Campus USA distinction by meeting the five core standards for effective campus forest management: a tree advisory committee, a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for its campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance, and student service-learning project.

“Tree Campuses and their students set examples for not only their student bodies but the surrounding communities showcasing how trees create a healthier environment,” said Dan Lambe, president of the Arbor Day Foundation. “Because of Shoreline Community College’s participation air will be purer, water cleaner, and your students and faculty will be surrounded by the shade and beauty the trees provide.”

“Ecological integrity is one of our College’s pillars of excellence,” said Dr. Cheryl Roberts, Shoreline Community College President. “We’re honored to be recognized for the hard work we do every day to be committed stewards of our beautiful campus and instill values of ecological integrity and conservation within our campus community.”

Arbor Day is April 24, 2020. The College will celebrate Arbor Day as part of its annual Earth Week celebrations. Keep an eye on the college calendar for Earth Week and Arbor Day event listings.