Weekly Update, Jan. 31

Jim Huckestein, VP of Finance and Operations, gave his final state-of-the-budget talk last week, stating that the college is financially on-track for the next budget cycle. According to Jim, the increase in state funding helped to offset any dip in tuition that the college experienced. His near-future forecast for LBCC looks good. Jim's last day at the college was today, Jan. 31. He starts in his new position as VP of College Services at Clackamas Community College Feb. 3.

Approximately 10 LBCC students are conducting a phone-a-thon for the LBCC Foundation to reconnect alumni to the college. The project’s focus is to build a friend network and solicit support for college programs through donations to the Foundation. Results so far show a number of the calls resulting in contributions to the college.

The next meeting of College Council will be Thursday, Feb. 6 from 3 to 5 p.m. in the college boardroom, CC-103. Topics under review include revisions to Administrative Rules 1025-01, Prevention of Workplace Violence, and 6025-01, Tuition and Fee Waivers. Changes to 1025-01 include language to clarify that the on-campus preclusion to carrying firearms or other deadly weapons extends both to work hours and to on-campus time when the employee is not directly engaged in work duties, and to clarify that the preclusion to carrying deadly weapons extends to clearly defined work-time off-campus, such as at graduation, while traveling with students for teaching or learning purposes, or while coaching a college athletic team off LBCC property. Changes to 6025-01 include language changes seek to align the terms and conditions of the tuition waiver for managers / confidential staff, with those of the classified bargaining unit The cost of increasing the benefit for mangers is expected to be nominal. Also recommended are removal of volunteers from the tuition waiver benefit, per the advice of our legal counsel and the Fair Labor Standards Act.  Also up for discussion are Administrative Rules on Articulation Agreements and Grading. If you have questions or concerns, contact your employee group representative to College Council. 

Former LB baseball coach Greg Hawk was chosen to receive the American Baseball Coaches Association Ethics in Coaching award. Coach Hawk, along with an Atlanta high school coach, will receive the award in January of next year at the ABCA convention held in Orlando. Said Coach Hawk about being notified of the award: “It's an awesome award. So many others could have gotten this, and I am honored. I’ve had a great career. It was more than just the sport. Baseball was a tool that I used to teach students about life and how to live.” Greg retired from the college in June 2013.

Retired baseball coach Greg Hawk.

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, Jan. 10

The final Math Fast Track data for the first term of 18 students shows eight students moved up one course test placement, seven moved up two placements, and three students moved up three test placements. The improved math test placements saved the 18 students a total of $2,659.50 and 13 terms! (thank you to Justeen Malosh in IR for her math skills)


The Career Center launched enhanced student employment job search software to help students connect with potential employers. “Career Connections” allows students to create a profile from which they can post resumes, search job listings and internships, view employer information, save favorite employers, schedule job workshops through their Google calendar and more. Employers post their positions directly to site, and can search the database using key words to help them find potential employees from our students and alumni. Faculty and staff are asked to direct students to the service, as well as employers who would like to hire our students. Find Career Connections at www.linnbenton.edu/current-students/work/career-services/career-center.

Fall term stats from the Institutional Research and “Better Know Your Data:”
•    12,265 fall term credits earned out of 14,647 attempted, an 84% success rate
•    69% of students attempting a math class passed (50% of students took math)
•    80% of students attempting a writing class passed (42% of students took writing)
•    Average GPA 2.64

Weekly Update, Jan. 3

The Financial Aid office offers two programs to help students learn to manage their college finances, with student loan debt in mind. SALT and Cash Course are free programs designed to help students better handle their finances. SALT, launched at LBCC the beginning of fall term, offers free counseling to help students borrow less, spend less and repay loans successfully. SALT also offers searchable job, internship and scholarship opportunities for students. Faculty and staff who teach financing to students can utilize SALT program materials, and Phi Theta Kappa plans to use the materials to help inform students. The free Cash Course program offers financial literacy and management tools to students, and is used by the Financial Aid office to help students who are having problems managing their student debts. LBCC currently has a 20 percent loan default rate. Financial Aid staff is working to bring that rate down, with two goals in mind: to keep students out of default, and help students with financial literacy. Find out more about these programs at: http://linnbenton.edu/current-students/money-matters/financial-aid/debt-management

LBCC Board of Education approved three new certificate programs and one new associate of applied science degree program at the December board meeting. The Profitable Small Farms certificate will focus on skills for starting and sustaining small farms. Two technical core level program certificates will offer hands-on training to support Welding, Mechatronics, Machine Tool, and Water, Environment and Technology courses. The new AAS degree in BioEnergy Operations will provide foundational skills for those seeking to be operators of bioenergy production systems. The AAS program will be offered online and include instruction from Walla Walla Community College in Washington, where it was developed through a National Science Foundation grant.

Plan to attend the President’s Forum with Dr. Greg Hamann Thursday, Jan. 16 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in the Forum building, room F-104. Hear from President Hamann regarding LBCC directions, opportunities and challenges, and bring your questions for a question and answer session.

Enrollment numbers for winter term are as follows: Full-time equivalent (FTE): 2,565; Part-time: 3,244; Non-credit: 857; total: 6,666 students currently registered.

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.

Weekly Update, Nov. 22

Developed by the math department, Math Fast Track is for students who have had algebra in the recent past, but tested into Math 20, 60 or 65. Math Fast Track helps “fill in the gaps” with the goal of moving students into a higher math placement, saving them both time and money. At mid-term, Hollis Duncan’s first Fast Track class is showing good results. With 18 students enrolled, mid-term data shows 12 students moved up one test placement, four moved up two placements, and one student moved up three placements. One student in class is struggling to move up for various reasons. Hollis plans to give full results at the end of the term. As part of the Achieving the Dream initiative, data generated will be used to track student progression and success.  

Barry Broadbent was sworn in as the newest Board of Education member at the board meeting Nov. 20, replacing outgoing board member Cathrine Thomas. A Scio resident, Mr. Broadbent will represent Sweet Home Zone 1, which includes parts of rural Linn County, Sweet Home, Scio and Brownsville. Mr. Broadbent is a marketing specialist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Portland, and is the former owner of Valley Industries, a lumber manufacturing facility in Scio. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture and Resource Management from OSU. The next board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 18, at 5 p.m. in the college board room, Calapooia Center.

Each November, the Board of Education takes time to review the most critical financial issues facing the College, which provides initial guidance to staff members who have budget development responsibilities, and helps in developing the proposed budget presented by the Board to the Budget Committee in May. The college is at a place where the outlook is improving. Enrollment has stabilized, state resources are improving, and pension costs increases have moderated. This puts the college in a position to rebuild reserves to restore the buffer and make a few investments for the future. Board  recommendations around critical financial issues, developed around the college’s strategic goals of increasing completion, ensuring student equity, and ensuring quality education, include: Adding $200,000 to the Mission, Effectiveness, Resources and Improvement Team (MERIT) for investments to move the college forward; continue to add at least $600,000 to the ending fund balance in order to meet target levels as directed by the board; freeze tuition for the 2013-14 academic year; continue funding specific projects pertaining to capital depreciation, technology, instructional equipment and the roof reserve, and continue not charging department payrolls to fund the PERS rate reserve fund. For more detailed information, see the Critical Conversations document in the Board of Education packet for Nov. 20: http://po.linnbenton.edu/boardmeeting/11_20_13BoardPacket/

Weekly Update, Nov. 15

LBCC's nursing program received numerous commendations for instruction and student support during its recent accreditation visit by the Oregon Board of Nursing. Program director and chair Sheryl Caddy led the lengthy process, which included a self-study report and a three-day visit from the Nursing Board with tours of clinical sites and classrooms, and interviews with students, staff and administrators.

LBCC’s Re-Choired Element Chamber Choir and the Concert Choir have been selected to compete in the eighth-annual World Choir Games held this coming July in Riga, Latvia. Students will compete in three categories including Mixed Chamber Singers (a cappella), Musica Sacra A cappella, and Musica Contemporanea, with approximately 300 choirs from six continents and more than 60 countries competing.

LBCC has five Automated External Defibrillators (AED’s) on campus to help stop an irregular heartbeat in the case of sudden cardiac arrest. AED locations are noted on campus maps as a heart shape, including the online campus map and building directory maps. Although the device should be operated by trained personnel, knowing the locations of these portable devices is important to everyone. Locations: Public Safety Office, first floor Red Cedar Hall; Takena Hall, first floor; Industrial A, second floor hallway; Activities Center hallway; and in the President’s Office, Calapooia Center.

Students in James Reddan's choir signing in the Bookstore atrium.