Edmonds Community College President
Quarterly Update: Spring 2010
Walking around campus this spring, I’m doubly impressed — one) with the number of students on campus and two) with the level of commitment I observed from college employees.
Yes, we are struggling to keep up with the demand for our services and at times we are running a little ragged. Still, we continue to meet the demand with a high level of dedication. It’s incredible how many students are here! I appreciate all your hard work and increased efforts.
This spring, we’ve opened a newly renovated Meadowdale Hall for visual arts, engineering, construction management and energy management programs. Already, I’ve heard rave reviews of the building. Attend the open house, 4-7 p.m., today to view the new space. Works by our visual arts graduate, Tim Cross, will also be on exhibit in the art gallery this evening. Meet Tim at a reception 5:30-7:30 p.m.in the gallery on the third floor of Lynnwood Hall.
We are also opening the Washington Aerospace Training and Research Center at Paine Field in Everett in partnership with the Aerospace Futures Alliance. The center will help provide as needed training critical to the health of the approximately 650 aerospace employers in Washington state. These firms rely on a steady supply of skilled workers able to meet the demands of their rapidly changing industry. The grand opening will be held June 3 at Paine Field. The Governor will attend, along with other local, state and national dignitaries. Their attendance illustrates the significance of the center, a project that wouldn’t have happened without Edmonds CC taking a leadership role.
Our sustainability initiative moves ahead. We had a great Earth Month celebration with events across campus. Our Energy Management program is growing and four new grants will help us prepare more workers for green collar jobs and power our region toward energy independence and sustainability.
As a reward for all of our hard work, we have the largest graduating class in 10 years. We’ll be awarding 1,942 degrees, certificates, diplomas, and GEDs this spring. You might take some time to celebrate and see the results of your good work — Beaming graduates! Proud friends and families! — by attending the college’s commencement ceremony 1:30 p.m., Sunday, June 13 at Edmonds Stadium. Our graduates are our good news.
As you know, the long awaited state budget included $44.8 million in system-wide cuts for our colleges. Does this sound familiar? It should. After taking $3.3 million in cuts the past two years, we must now trim an additional $1.8 million from our base budget in 2010-11...for now. These cuts are permanent reductions to our operating budget. The only good news is that we are better prepared to make these cuts than other colleges in our system, thanks to the good work of all our employees. The Board of Trustees and I will continue to work to prepare the college’s next biennial operating budget and keep Edmonds Community College in the best financial position possible.
Despite the challenges, our commitment to students remains strong. A new project that affirms this commitment is my work with four other community college presidents in our area as we seek to remove barriers to our students. We are well aware that students have cobbled together ways to move between our colleges in order to take the classes they want when they want them and complete their educational goals. We want to pave those cobbled pathways and turn them into freeways. This is the goal and the work of a new Five Star Consortium between Edmonds, Cascadia, Everett, and Shoreline Community Colleges and Lake Washington Technical College. Our goal is to streamline and standardize operations – everything from admissions to graduation - across colleges so that students can more easily move between our schools.
Students are after all what we are all about — as you continually remind me on this campus. Your dedication is a visible force. On behalf of our many students, this college, and myself: I thank you all or your ever-present commitment to student success.
Sincerely,
Jack Oharah
