City and Green River Leaders Strategize Support for Enumclaw Campus

On the heels of news last week that would be to classes this summer due to budget cuts, college president Eileen Ely met with business and community leaders Wednesday morning to discuss concerns about the campus' future against the backdrop of a still uncertain state budget. 

"We value this campus," Ely said. In spite of the summer closure, "this campus will remain open."

The decision to close the Enumclaw campus this summer was made based on campus assessments that assumed a 10 percent cut scenario -- in alignment with Gov. Chris Gregoire's budget last year, Ely said. The House budget released last week was close to that budget, but the Senate version indicates a 22 percent cut in higher education.

"We have a plan in place for 18 percent," she said, expecting that the college as a whole will experience something close to a $3.5 million budget shortfall. "We're probably going to have to go back and re-examine that plan" when the final budget is complete.

College administrators through strategies like focus groups, are also looking at other ways to cut costs, including printing expenses associated with catalogs and schedules, in order to avoid having to eliminate personnel. Ely said 87 percent of the college budget is personnel.

George Frasier, vice president of resource development shared that in spite of the budget woes, the college has never been busier and continues to face the challenge of remaining an open access educational resource for the community. "We have historic levels of enrollment," he said. "It's literally 400 to 500 more student FTEs that we had year over year, so we're serving a much larger population of folks with a lot less money."

On the bright side, enrollment of international students has been solid and the college hopes to be able to benefit from those tuition and fees, he said. At the same time, the diversity benefits all students looking for experience in an international economy.

Meanwhile, "We will get through this and we will be a stronger institution," Ely said.

And take the time to contact your local legislators. "It's not over," she said. "Talk about the value of community colleges."

The Enumclaw Campus

Wednesday's meeting also served as a forum for administrators to hear from local leaders about their impressions of the local campus, its strengths, its responsiveness to community needs, its public perception and whether it was meeting the demands of the community. The forum was in part a way to gain input for the Enumclaw Campus’s Program Assessment and Improvement  (PA&I) report which, according to campus manager Diane Anderson also involves evaluations of faculty, of departments and by students.

Leaders including Mayor Liz Reynolds, City Councilman Jeff Beckwith and Schools Superintendent Mike Nelson voiced their concern about the summer closure and the loss of the this year.

But they were also eager to share their appreciation for the college's presence in the city and why it was vital.

"I believe Green River Community College is a part of who we are," said Reynolds. "It's a part of our community. It's a quality of life issue. It's nice to be able to say that even though we're a small community, we have a community college right here."

Darrell Dickson, president of the Enumclaw Rotary Club, said, "The education that Green River Community College provides here in Enumclaw is a lifeline to small businesses -- to be kept up to speed on the latest technological changes; it's essential that small businesses have access to that kind of training. That's what you provide here and it's a great image that you've got."

School Board member Cory Casell added, "Your efforts and the way you integrate into the community is a model." 

Tracey McCallum, director of the lauded the campus' Co-Hort program, which offers dual-credit courses intended to provide students with their high school diploma and 64 credits towards their Associate of Arts Degree and allows them to return to their high school by third period. 

"It's a great process to retain students and it's an awesome opportunity to give our students the chance to better themselves and to get an idea of where they're going," McCallum said.

She also praised the campus staff including Anderson who has done much of the work in helping to integrate the college into the local community. "She [Anderson] goes above and beyond in the community," McCallum said. "How she integrates the college and with community projects, the message she puts out there is huge. She's very valued and respected. ... and allowing them [campus staff] to have that freedom to work within the community, in Rotary and different facets, it's wonderful."

Nelson pressed administrators on how to further include local leaders in decisions that affect the campus, such as the summer closing, and the conversation turned to one about putting together a local advisory board. 

Ely said she fully supports such a board. "You have to have that link to industry to know what's going on to improve your program," she said. "In this case, you have to have an advisory board from your staellite campus to know what is happening in the community."

Administratrators indicated that such a board had existed in the past though it had waned due to a lack of need. However, given the present circumstances, it may be time to reform.

Beckwith, expressing his appreciation for the history of the college in Enumclaw and what it's done for his own family offered, "if you want to start a group, sign me up."

Enumclaw Student Earns National Recognition

Ely took the opportunity to share some good news with the local leaders as well about 20-year-old Jared Schiff of Enumclaw who is currently a mechanical engineering student at Green River. 

Schiff was named to the 2011 All-USA Academic Team earlier this week; he is one of only 20 community college students from around the country named to the team, according to a campus press release.

He was named the state's New Century Scholar by Gov. Christine Gregoire at a state ceremony last month.

"I was so proud, not only as an administrator but also as a parent," Ely said. 

Schiff, who will attend Eastern Washington University next fall, is a member of Green River's human-powered paper vehicle team that last year scored top honors in a competition with other colleges. He will graduate this spring with a 3.98 GPA.

Forum Topics Discussed and Ideas Contributed

Strengths of the Campus:

• Small Business Assistance Center (SBAC) and to bring it back
• Quality of Instruction
• Co-Hort Program 
• Use of Facility for Customized Training, Meetings, and Computer Lab
• Variety of Classes both academic and continuing education
• Touches vast area of the community and connets with the city in areas including health care and jobs

Future Opportunities:

• Partnerships with the city, Chamber of Commerce
• Program offerings to meet needs including social media training, local industry ties to campus instruction, and training in higher-skilled fields
• More online classes
• Rotation of classes every few years
• Synergy of training with Expo Center, towards realizing city vision of becoming an outdoors, high-adventure destination
• Training related to natural resources, forestry and Welcome Center

Responsiveness to Community:

• Would like to use the college as a way to reach participants in local music projects

Image/Public Perception:

• Local staff excellent in representing college
• Overall good integration into community
• College support for community involvement
• Adds to quality of life
• Provides access for high school students
• Is a lifeline for small businesses

Challenges:

• Gas and transportation for students
• Program and class mix
• Loss of SBAC and summer closure
• How can the community work so we never lose access to the campus?

Some Highlights about the Enumclaw Campus in the 2010-11 Year

• The campus serves about 1,050 students annually.
• Nearly all class offerings have been running full with waiting lists.
• Enrollment in non-credit courses have seen little growth; strong programs have been those that provide additional job skills and vocational training .
• College continues the Early College Co-Hort program with both Enumclaw and White River high schools.
• The SBAC though moved offsite this year due to budget constraints, continues to support Enumclaw businesses at Auburn and Kent locations. The SBAC since 2002 has served more than 176 Plateau business clients.
• Support from and helped bring a Transition's Workshop to Enumclaw in the winter quarter. The free, three-week class helped divorced, widowed, separated or under-employed individuals identify their skill's interests and helped them with job search skills or training options; nine students participated and completed the class.