Students get tuition cut, employees get a raise

July 1, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Shoreline Community College students who have already paid tuition for classes this fall may be in line for a bit of a refund, thanks to the new state budget, signed late Tuesday, June 30, 2015 by Gov. Jay Inslee.

The state budget, which took three special legislative sessions, includes a 5 percent tuition decrease for students at two-year colleges this fall. The state budget takes effect July 1, but the reduction doesn’t impact tuition paid for this summer quarter, which is currently underway.

Shoreline President Cheryl Roberts said she’s grateful for the Legislature’s realization that students were being hurt by sharp increases in the state-mandated tuition rates. During the recent economic downturn, lawmakers pulled money away from community and technical colleges and made up the difference by setting higher and higher tuition rates for students. In this budget, the Legislature did just the opposite, reducing tuition and backfilling with state funds to the colleges.

“This budget reverses the trend of placing an increased burden on the backs of students,” Roberts said. “Our legislators are acknowledging that investing in students at community and technical colleges is an investment that pays off for everyone in the state of Washington.”

The state budget also calls for two-year college tuition to remain flat for the 2016-17 fiscal year.

The amount students actually pay is a combination of tuition and fees. At the June 24 meeting, Shoreline’s Board of Trustees approved several fee increases, including an increase to the services and activities fee that is part of tuition. Shoreline officials are waiting for official notice from the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges on how the 5-percent decrease will be applied and will then work to determine how tuition refunds would be calculated. Affected students will receive notifications from the college.

Tuition at four-year institutions, which were already much higher, would also see 5 percent cuts in the first year of the new biennium. Students at the University of Washington and Washington State University get another 10 percent reduction in the second year, while students at Western, Central and Eastern Washington universities will see an additional 15 percent tuition cut in the second year.

College employees will receive a 3 percent cost of living increase in 2015-16 and another 1.8 percent increase in the following year.

Officials at Shoreline and the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges continue to pore over the state budget document to better understand the details and implications of the difficult choices made by lawmakers and the governor that culminated in an agreement over this past weekend.

“While some of these are significant adjustments to the funding formula for the college, we’re very pleased that the Legislature reached a compromise and passed a budget,” Roberts said. “Now, we can focus on serving our students and our communities.”

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How to play it cool(er)

June 30, 2015 by Leave a Comment

NOTE: The following message was sent by email on June 30, 2015 to all employees.

Dear colleague,

While weather events at Shoreline Community College usually refer to snow, current conditions are a reminder that, occasionally, it gets hot here, too.

During the days of July 1-2, Human Resources is providing  these tips and guidelines that may help get through:

  • Take care: All employees should make a conscious effort to ensure proper hydration and ventilation, and take regular breaks as needed in cooler areas of the campus (PUB and Library recommended) without disrupting work or other activities in those areas.
  • Take annual leave: Any employee who works in a College office without air conditioning may submit annual leave July 1-2, for any hours the individual is uncomfortable working due to the heat. If the employee has a health condition that is affected by the heat, sick leave may be used for necessary time away.
  • Take a break: Employees who choose to remain at work during this exceptionally hot weather can take an extra 10-minute break every 2-hours during the work day to ensure proper hydration and, if needed, move to a “cooling zone” (PUB or Library) before returning to work. PLEASE NOTE: Employees are not authorized to consolidate these breaks by combining them with any other break or lunch.
  • Make a move: When feasible and with supervisor permission, employees may temporarily move to a cooler place to work on campus. TSS has arranged for computer workstations in Room 4106 to be available to employees looking for a cooler place to work. TSS has additional stations identified. Please contact Ellen at x6936 for additional information.

Depending on the forecast, these measures will be reviewed.

Sincerely,

Stephen P. Smith

VP for Human Resources and Legal Affairs

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Board action ensures state budget impasse won’t impact students

June 25, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Two measures approved by the Shoreline Community College Board of Trustees ensure that college operations will continue as a midnight, June 30 deadline to adopt a state budget bears down on state lawmakers.

At their regular meeting on June 24, the board first approved a budget as proposed by President Cheryl Roberts and staff for the fiscal year 2015-16 which starts on July 1. That financial plan includes an operating budget of $41.6 million. The total budget, excluding the capital projected capital expenditures, is $54.9 million.

But, that proposed budget can only be used if lawmakers take action in time.

A second action by the trustees ensures the college will stay open and continue to serve students even if the Legislature fails to meet the state-budget deadline.

See more …

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Amy Kinsel named Dean of Social Sciences, Library and Parent Child Center

May 20, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Amy Kinsel will be the new Dean of Social Sciences, Library and Parent Child Center at Shoreline Community College.

Amy Kinsel photo

Amy Kinsel

“Amy’s commitment to our mission and vision is unquestionable,” Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs Bob Francis said in making the announcement on May 19, 2015. “Since joining our faculty, Amy has been a consistent advocate for students, staff and faculty.”

Kinsel, who earned Ph.D. and Master’s degrees in History at Cornell University, has been teaching history at Shoreline since 2004. She received a BA in History from the University of Puget Sound.

“I am so pleased to accept this dean position,” Kinsel said. “I’m enthusiastic about the course President Roberts is setting for our college over the next few years. I look forward to working with the entire college community, particularly my division, to create a vibrant and thriving future for Shoreline and our students.”

Francis noted that there were very strong candidates for the position and thanked the search committee members for their work and insights that helped in moving through the decision-making process.

“During her years at Shoreline, Amy has served on virtually all the key college-wide committees and councils both as a member and in leadership positions,” Francis said. “I am confident that her long involvement with the college’s governance system gives her a unique perspective that should serve the college as we move forward.”

Kinsel serves on College Council, the Student Success Coordinating Committee, the Advising Ad Hoc Team, Joint Union Management Committee, and the Strategic Planning Budget Committee. Nationally, she serves on the Executive Board of the Organization of American Historians.

Kinsel is President, American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Washington Local 1950 at Shoreline, a job she will resign before moving to the dean position. She is also Vice President for Legislative Affairs for AFT Washington, the union that represents faculty at many colleges across the state. In her AFT Washington role, Kinsel has testified before various committees in the state Legislature and recently spoke at a meeting of the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges.

Kinsel will take over the dean position from Terry Taylor, who has been serving in an acting capacity since July 1, 2014. Taylor filled in when Francis moved from the same dean positon to his current vice-president role. Taylor will return to his position as a professor of History and Political Science. He also oversees the Honors Program and the Shoreline chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society.

“Terry Taylor did an incredible job over the past year,” Francis said. “I look forward to his continued wit, wisdom and support.”

Francis said he expects Kinsel will move into the dean position sometime after July 1, 2015.

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Shoreline, auto dealers association forge relationship

February 27, 2015 by Leave a Comment

 

College and WSADA officials at the Feb. 24, 2015 meeting in the Professional Automotive Training Center - Dealer Training Academy.

College and WSADA officials at the Feb. 24, 2015 meeting in the Professional Automotive Training Center – Dealer Training Academy. Photo gallery

The network of new car dealers connected with Shoreline Community College just got bigger.

“We’re excited about the opportunities that will come with the merger of Puget Sound Automobile Dealers Association and the Washington State Auto Dealers Association (WSADA),” said Shoreline President Cheryl Roberts. “The dealer associations are coming together with one voice for this critically important industry in our state. We look forward to working closely with WSADA and its members.”

The merger took effect Tuesday, Feb. 17. The Puget Sound dealers (PSADA) had been co-located with the Professional Automotive Training Center – Dealer Training Academy on Shoreline’s campus. The statewide association (WSADA) has offices in Renton. The merged association will continue to use WSADA’s name and offices. Roberts said the college is looking at options for the office space formerly occupied by PSADA.

During a Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015 meeting at Shoreline, WSADA Executive Director Vicki Giles Fabré said she, too, is looking forward to a closer relationship. “We’re hopeful that, through our partnership, Shoreline and its automotive training program will have an even greater impact for Shoreline students and dealers statewide,” Fabré said.

Roberts, Fabré and others from the college and WSADA toured the Shoreline facility as part of the meeting. Also attending the meeting were Pam Nelson, of Foothills Toyota in Burlington and a key figure in PSADA and its foundation, and Gary Gilchrist of Gilchrist Auto Center in Tacoma.

Gilchrist, who is WSADA president, and former PSADA Chairman Steve Klein of Klein Honda, in Everett, worked with Fabré and others on details the merger.

Shoreline began working with PSADA in 1980, offering its first class at night in the service department at Chuck Olson Chevrolet, in Shoreline. With significant support from dealers, the Professional Automotive Training Center opened in 1992 and was expanded in 2010. The facility hosts manufacturer-based programs Toyota, Honda, GM and Chrysler dealers. The program also offers an entry-level General Service Technician program. More than 1,300 technicians have been trained and moved on to family-wage jobs since the center opened.

For more than 95 years, WSADA has represented franchised new car and truck dealers across Washington as well as the Puget Sound area dealers who made up PSADA’s membership.

Fabré has led the Washington State Auto Dealers Association since 1999 and will serve as Executive Vice President for the newly merged organization. She will also oversee management of the Seattle International Auto Show which was previously a responsibility of the regional association.

“Shoreline is an internationally recognized model for offering a wide variety of manufacturer-specific technician training programs that integrate education with hands-on workplace experience,” Fabré said. “WSADA looks forward to continued involvement and a strong partnership with Shoreline and the Professional Automotive Training Center – Dealer Training Academy.”

At the meeting, Fabré announced that WSADA will present an Ambassadors grant from the National Automobile Dealers Charitable Foundation to Shoreline Community College.  The Ambassadorship, which was established in PSADA’s name, now transfers to WSADA.  To honor the long history of support from Puget Sound area dealers to the college, the WSADA Board of Directors has decided to present the first grant to Shoreline Community College.

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