College News - Week of April 24

Accommodations are being made for students who have been negatively impacted by the inclusion of the Visual Communications/Graphic Design major in the 2014-15 Catalog. The college is providing individualized support to students who have indicated their intent to earn the AAS in Visual Communication/Graphic Design, to ensure a pathway for them to earn the degree. This includes students who started this year under the mistakenly listed program. We are prepared to do whatever is necessary to enable all of these students to complete, including extending the availability of classes in the program beyond Spring 2016. College administration will continue to monitor our progress with regard to these commitments. The college will continue to offer graphic design classes.

Living Our Values: Dorthy Moran - Excellence, Engagement, Learning

IACE President Tammi Drury presents
Dorothy Moran (right) with the Outstanding Classified Award.

Dorothy Moran was selected as this year’s Independent Association of Classified Employees Outstanding Classified of the Year. An employee of the college for more than eight years, Dorothy continuously takes on added responsibility and duties in her job, and challenges herself to be the best employee she can be for our students, her division and the college. Dorothy is an active member of IACE and the college, having served on the IACE Bumping Sub-Committee and Social Committee, and on College Council and Merit teams. In addition, she has participated in the President's Leadership Retreat, LBCC Leadership, Navigating Differences, Foundations of Excellence and the Multicultural Fellowship. Dorothy is currently working on a degree through OSU, and continues to strive to do more, learn more, and achieve more. Congratulations, Dorothy!

President Hamann has been elected to serve on the American Association of Community Colleges National Board of Directors. Dr. Hamann will serve a three-year term, from July 1, 2015 through June 20, 2018.  Founded in 1920 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., AACC is governed by 32-member board of directors elected by membership representing nearly 1,200 two-year associate degree-granting institutions in the US, as well as a growing number of international member institutions. AACC is the primary advocacy organization for community colleges at the national level, and works closely with directors of state offices to inform and affect state policy. The association collaborates with a wide range of entities within the higher education community to monitor and influence federal policy and to collaborate on issues of common interest, and is the leading proponent and the national "voice for community colleges.

Two new sections have been added to the college web site: “About LBCC” and “Building Projects.” About LBCC is a new link that will provide information on the college mission, vision, goals and people. The site provides sections including “What Matters to Us,” “Our People,” and “Our Progress.” The link is located at the top of the navigation bar, which follows each web page. The “Building Projects” site will serve as a place to keep us informed on the progress of building projects, providing updates and information on the capital bond projects. The site will include descriptions of each bond project, periodic progress updates, and links to past updates. Once construction begins, images will be included showing the progress. You can find this link at https://www.linnbenton.edu/building-projects.

New hires, separations, promotions and transfers:
http://po.linnbenton.edu/boardmeeting/4_15_15BoardPacket/HR%20Board%20Memo%204-8-15.pdf


College Values
Opportunity
Excellence
Inclusiveness
Learning
Engagement

Core Themes
Economic Vitality
Cultural Richness
Educational Attainment







Insider published by: LBCC College Advancement Marketing Office
Writer/Editor: Lori Fluge-Brunker, Communications Specialist, College Advancement 

Weekly Wrap-Up

The Insider launches a new feature this week intended to help staff and faculty keep up to date on the discussions and decisions that shape LBCC. Designed to be a quick read rather than comprehensive report, it will include snippets on things like Board of Education decisions, College Council discussions, reminders of important events and deadlines – and whatever suggestions you have.

If you find there is information you’re not getting, let us know and we will try to work it in. If you are on a group or council and have information you’d like to share, you can share it here. Send to Insider editor Lori Fluge-Brunker at flugel@linnbenton.edu.

And now - our first try at this:

The college budget committee met last week and approved the proposed budget with no changes to the budgeted amount. Highlights included:

• Overall, the budget decreased by 21 percent from $122,098,774 this year to $96,392,221 due mostly to change in budgeting for Federal Direct Loans in the Financial Aid fund.
• The general fund budget decreased 4.85 percent from $46,004,671 this year to $43,771,330 next year. The bulk of that decrease on the resource side was due to the beginning fund balance declining from $4 million to $1.5 million.
• The budget committee also clarified the Board of Education directive to rebuild the fund balance to $4 million over the next 4 years. The change directs the college to make $600K of progress in restoring the ending fund balance in the next budget year resulting in a target for ending fund balance of $2.1 million at June 30, 2014.

The budget will now be published in area newspapers in summary form as a public notice. The Board of Education will hold a hearing and then vote whether to adopt it at the June Board meeting. The full 176 page budget document is available here: Review & Discussion of Proposed Budget Document.

 Mechatronics faculty member Denis Green explains new
equipment to Greg Hamann; Kip Much, NW Natural Gas
regional director; Secretary of State Kate Brown; Dan Lara,
dean, Business, Applied Technology and Industry; Dale Stowell,
executive director, College Advancement; and Dale
Bookwalter, Oregon Freeze Dry vice president, Finance.

Secretary of State Kate Brown took a brief tour of the Albany campus on Wednesday, learning more about Achieving the Dream, the advance diploma option that allows high school students to earn college credits, degree partnerships with OSU and OIT, and career and technical programs at LBCC including Automotive/Diesel technology, Welding and Mechatronics. Secretary Brown visited with staff, faculty, administration, representatives from local business and students.

The LBCC Foundation Board of Trustees approved $150,000, which, in addition to a $50,000 grant received from the Oregon Drive Foundation, gives the college funds to purchase an advanced dynamometer for the new Advanced Transportation Technology Center. This equipment will be use to both train technicians in the program and generate revenues for operating the ATTC through rental to industry. The dynamometer will be the only one of its kind between Vancouver, B.C., and San Francisco.

The Meyer Memorial Trust announced this week it was supporting the ATTC with a $350,000 grant. The grant is contingent on the college raising an additional $1.5 million from other sources. The college currently has a $1.5 million Economic Development Administration grant in a strong position for funding, pending the EDA resolving budget questions surrounding sequestration.

LBCC President Greg Hamann has joined the Board of the Corvallis Boys and Girls Club. In addition to his support of the organization, he hopes that his involvement can lead to strong pathways to education and training for area youth.

LBCC board members and college administrators participated in a statewide effort that led to passage of bill ending “adverse impact” provisions in Oregon law. In the past, these provisions have created barriers for community colleges to add new programs, giving proprietary colleges the right to claim that the program would create an adverse impact because they either had a similar program or were considering adding it.

Get your nominations in early! Nominations are now open for the Pastega classified staff and faculty member awards, and the college Distinguished Staff award, which are due by June 10. For nomination materials or questions, contact Dale Stowell at stoweld@linnbenton.edu.

LBCC Receives $20k grant for Reverse Transfer Program with OSU

LBCC will receive $20,000 as part of a $450,000 two-year grant program awarded to the state of Oregon.

The “Credit When It’s Due: Recognizing the Value of Quality Associate Degrees” grant is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Helios Education Foundation, Kresge Foundation, Lumina Foundation and USA Funds.

LBCC’s portion of the grant will be used to help build its Reverse Transfer Program with Oregon Statue University, part of a new pilot program between Oregon’s public community colleges and universities offering students the option to obtain an associate’s degree after transferring to university.

This past summer, LBCC and OSU took the first steps to implement the program, allowing students who are enrolled in the college’s degree partnership program to be awarded an associate’s degree from LBCC upon completion of equivalent courses at OSU.

LBCC and OSU will track the student’s progress after they transfer, and once the student has met requirements for the LBCC associate degree, they will be awarded the degree by combining their OSU and LBCC class credits.

LBCC President Greg Hamann said the agreement will help students achieve their graduation goals, and enhances the strong ties already in place between the two schools.

“By working together, OSU and LBCC create an opportunity neither of us alone could do,” Hamann said. “So much of our future depends on us working together for the good of our students.”

There are several advantages to receiving your associate degree, said OSU President Ed Ray. “For students who are struggling to afford and/or complete the four-year degree, unexpectedly receiving their associates degree has been shown to be an enormously effective inducement to continue,” said Ray. “In fact, it appears to be the most effective inducement. It also reinforces for all potential transfer students the value, and the possibility, of pursuing and achieving the four-year degree.”

The reverse agreement also benefits LBCC by the college receiving credit for the degree completion, reflecting the investment of time, resources and support the college has provided.

LBCC receives $2 million, the largest private gift in its history

Future site of the Advanced Transportation
Technology Center in Lebanon.

The LBCC Foundation has received the largest single private gift in the 45-year history of the college from an anonymous donor.

The $2 million dollar donation is to be used as a matching gift to support the construction and development of LBCC’s new Advanced Transportation Technology Center.
This is a major achievement for the college, and another important step in the college's fundraising efforts.

While many people were involved over a long period of time, Foundation Development Director John McArdle and President Greg Hamann played key roles in making the donation happen.

LBCC finalized the purchase of an 11-acre site in Lebanon last week that will become home to its auto and diesel programs, and allow space to add hands-on training on alternative fuel technologies. The Lebanon site is the former home of PACE Manufacturing, and includes a 35,000-square-foot industrial building.

“We are humbled and very grateful for this historic contribution,” said Hamann. “Our donor was clear that this gift serves as an inspiration for others to support the college, and this contribution will help stimulate the support of others.”

The gift, in addition to support from the Lebanon Urban Renewal District, the Lebanon Industrial Development Council, and state lottery funds, brings money raised for the project to $4.3 million. The total cost of opening the center is estimated at $6.85 million.

While the anonymous contribution is designated to support the development of the ATTC, it coincides with planning efforts to significantly increase private fundraising in the LBCC Foundation, according to Foundation Executive Director Dale Stowell. Money would support initiatives at LBCC to help greater numbers of its students complete degree and certificate programs that lead directly to jobs and the ability to participate in and contribute to the community.

“This gift is a perfect example of what we need to do as a community,” Stowell said. “Because of it, we’ll be able to expand programs where we have students on waiting lists on one side and jobs waiting to be filled on the other. The students in this program will have clear goals, and that is a key to making sure they finish what they start. It supports both students and our communities."

The center will also mean this region will be able to build the infrastructure to support alternative fuel technology, which could significantly reduce costs for businesses that provide on or rely on transportation, Hamann added.

Plans call for the ATTC to provide training that involves applications, development and adoption of alternative energy in biofuels, electric vehicles, compressed national gas (CNG), propane, hydrogen, hybrid, and new technologies in addition to industry-specific and contracted training for people already in the auto and diesel mechanics field, and first -responder training to enable them to respond safely to incidents involving alternative fuel vehicles.

When the auto and diesel programs move from their current homes on the Albany campus, the project will also create room to expand programs in welding, machine tool technology and mechatronics.