Weekly Update, Jan. 24

Highlights from the last Board of Education meeting held Jan. 15 included approval of the revised college values statements, retiree honors, and a report on successful bond elections. The Board approved a revised statement of college values that expressed the values consistently, clearly and in ways that helped all members of the college community see their connection. The five values – each with an accompanying one-sentence description – are: Opportunity, Excellence, Inclusiveness, Learning and Engagement. The Values are expressed in Board Policy 1010. You can see a complete copy of the Values Statement, and a one-page description of the process and goals of values is linked in the Jan. 15 board agenda at: http://po.linnbenton.edu/boardmeeting/1_15_14BoardPacket/. Board member Shelly Garrett shared insights from a conference she attended last week on planning successful bond campaigns. The Board will make a decision early this summer about whether to put a bond package to modernize and maintain LBCC facilities. Among key factors to garner public support were regular communication with the community, strong commitment from Board members and employees (who people in the community turn to for information), an active community engagement committee made up of community volunteers, messages that are simple and focused to mobilize yes voters, and visible support of the campaign (e.g., written endorsements), among other things. The board honored six retirees including Holly DeRamus, Dee Dee Strombeck, Pam Dunn, Ann Adams, and Jim Huckestein.

The new sections of Accelerated Learning Program in Writing (ALP) succeeded in raising pass rates for students in the program to 72 percent (72 percent of the group of WR95-placed students who took ALP completed WR121 in one term versus over the course of two years.) Students who's CPT score places them into WR95 can join ALP if they are ready to for a challenging, accelerated writing program. Interested students should send their X numbers to Chris Riseley at chris.riseley@linnbenton.edu, or contact Admissions.


The percentage of the 2013 fall term Roadrunner cohort who returned winter term is 75 percent. According to Institutional Research data, the fall-to-winter trend has been almost completely flat over the last six years, ranging from a high of 77 percent to a low of 72 percent. (Data provided by Institutional Research and “Better Know Your Data.”)



Chris Nystrom has joined LBCC as director of Community Education. Chris’ professional experience includes leadership roles at the Lane Community College’s Small Business Development Center, the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce, and in the private business sector in technology and professional services. Chris has a bachelor’s degree in business finance from California State University, Chico, and an accreditation from the United States Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organizational Management. In her free time, Chris enjoys scuba diving, skiing, meeting new people, community involvement, family and travel. Community Education also welcomes Ann Whittington as the Albany center coordinator (previously with LBCC Small Business Development Center), and Melissa Richey, program coordinator. New Benton Center staff include Maggie Underwood, Career Specialist, and Paulette Simmons, payroll, purchasing and events coordinator.

Chris Nystrom

Weekly Update, Dec. 13

Recently revised Board Policy 1010, which covers the college values statement, has been reviewed by College Council with the recommendation that it be submitted to the college Board of Education for approval at the January meeting. If approved by the board, the new policy will be available in the Paperless Office under Board Policies at http://po.linnbenton.edu/BPsandARs/.

English faculty members Chris Riseley, Matt Usner, Robin Havenick and Jane Walker undertook a trial of a new program during fall term, Accelerated Learning Program (ALP) in Writing, which can shorten students' path through the developmental writing sequence by two terms and save students $400. ALP Writing is an innovative program that allows students who have tested into WR 95 to take WR 121, along with WR 115, to develop their skills and complete WR 121 in their first term. Each instructor taught 10 under-prepared WR 121 students in their traditional class, along with the second WR 115 class designed to give one-on-one instruction. Normally the completion rate is 29 percent for under-prepared students in writing. The ALP program is hoping to double that completion rate to around 60 percent. While they cannot know the exact pass rates until final grades for the term have been posted, they are confident that they will meet that goal. Institutional Research will conduct an annual review process to compare the numbers of developmental students who succeeded in ALP with students who took the traditional writing sequence route, and will examine the success of students through the next highest writing class. Data gathered will be used to help track student success and completion, and will become part of Achieving the Dream data.

About 20 faculty and staff designed holiday cards to be sent to wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC.  Many people also stopped by at the DAC, SL&L and The Commuter offices to sign one of the 104 cards, which were sent to the center last week.

Seated, left to right, Marci Johnston, Leta Howell, Lynne Cox and Michelle Slay.
Standing, left to right, Kimberly Kopplien, Tammi Drury, Joy Hobbs,
Megan Pickens-Lloyd and Patti Ball.