An e-newsletter for friends and alumni of Highline College.

Highline Connections

Summer 2014

Table of Contents

MaST Center Receives Donations

Highline Changes Name

Highline Offers BAS Degrees

President Wins Awards

Alumni Service Challenge

Highline Hosts Soccer Camp
Calendar of Events

What’s happening? Below is a partial list of upcoming events. Check here for the full schedule.

Sept. 18: New Student Campus Welcome & Resource Fair; 10am-1pm & 5-7pm in Building 8

Oct. 1: Professional Technical Joint Advisory Committee Meeting and Dinner; 6-8pm

Dec. 13: Nursing Program's 50th Anniversary Celebration
Save the Date!
Highline Nursing Program’s 50th Anniversary Celebration
December 13, 2014

Join us as we celebrate 50 years of successful nursing students! Reconnect with classmates and faculty, and see how the program has grown through the decades. The festivities will include an open house and reunion dinner. More details will be available soon at alumni.highline.edu.

Looking for a New Career?

Get free help finding a new career with Career Coach. Now with a new career
assessment feature, Career Coach helps you explore your ideal career by matching your skills and talents.

This online tool is easy to use and provides current local data on wages, employment and job postings. It also provides a tool for building a professional resume. Click here to get started with Career Coach.

Scholarships Update

Thanks to the generosity of community members, businesses, service organizations and Highline employees, numerous scholarships were awarded in May 2014 to Highline students for use during the 2014–15 academic year. View the full list of grateful students and generous donors here.

Smile to Help Students

Raise money for Highline just by shopping on AmazonSmile!

AmazonSmile has the same products, prices and service as Amazon. The difference is in the donation: 0.5% of each eligible AmazonSmile purchase will be donated to the Highline College Foundation. It’s an easy way to help Highline students every time you shop. Get started at http://smile.amazon.com/ch/23-7428279.

About This Newsletter

Highline Connections will be published electronically four times a year in February, May, August and November for friends and alumni of Highline. Do you have questions or comments? Email Madison Gridley: mgridley@highline.edu.

Highline College was founded in 1961 as the first community college in King County. With approximately 15,000 annual students and 350,000 alumni, it is one of the state’s largest institutions of higher education.

DISCLAIMER: Highline College provides equal opportunity in education and employment and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, creed, religion, or status as a veteran of war. Prohibited sex discrimination includes sexual harassment (unwelcome sexual conduct of various types).

Commencement Celebration

Highline alumni ranks are swelling with new graduates fresh off their commencement celebration in June 2014. More than 550 of the eligible students participated in the ceremony.

Here’s a quick look at the certificates and diplomas awarded that night to students:

- 1,572 associate degrees
- 344+ certificates
- 105 high school diplomas
- 407 GED

Donations Flow In for Marine Science Camp

Article ImageHighline College’s Marine Science and Technology (MaST) Center recently
received two generous donations to support its annual Summer on the Sound Marine Science Camp.

Totem Ocean Trailer Express gave $2,500 and an anonymous donor contributed $10,000 to support the operations and the cost of students to attend the summer camp.

“These donations make it possible for children from any background or means to participate in camp,” said Dr. Kaddee Lawrence, director of the MaST Center. “The MaST Center and our generous donors recognize this experience as a cornerstone for life‐long environmental stewardship.”

Summer on the Sound is a week‐long, half‐day camp that focuses on life in the Puget Sound for third‐ through fifth‐grade students who are passionate about science and the ocean. The camp was July 7–11 at the MaST Center.

When Old Is New Again

Article ImageIf you were at Highline during the early days, then you attended Highline College. Now the current crop of students does too. The college officially changed its name back to Highline College on July 1, 2014.

The reason for the change? Highline now offers four new Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) degree programs [see “New Degrees at Highline” below].

“Students were at the core of the decision to change the name, as the community college title may disadvantage BAS graduates in the job market,” said President Jack Bermingham. “Changing the name will not change the mission. Highline has, and will always be, an institution of higher education, focused on serving the educational needs of our local community.”

New Degrees at Highline 

For the first time, Highline will begin offering Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) degrees. Two BAS programs will begin fall quarter 2014: Cybersecurity and Forensics as well as Global Trade and Logistics. Two others will begin winter quarter 2015: Respiratory Therapy and Youth Development.

More and more colleges like Highline are offering applied bachelor’s degrees. Why? Several years ago, the state of Washington recognized it needed to create more opportunities for students to earn bachelor’s degrees in our state. This new degree—the Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) degree—provides a pathway to a four‐year degree for students who have earned an associate degree in a professional‐technical field.

Before the BAS degree was created, students would often have to transfer to a regional or state college or university and take additional lower‐level coursework to complete a bachelor’s degree. Now, students can stay in the area and save time on their way to earning a four‐year degree.

President Wins Two Prestigious Awards 

Article ImageThe July/August 2014 issue of Insight into Diversity magazine features Dr. Jack Bermingham as one of the first four recipients of its Diversity Visionary Award. It is the only national individual honor of its kind in higher education.

Also this summer, Bermingham was chosen as the winner of the 2014 Pacific Region Chief Executive Officer Award presented by the Association of Community College Trustees.

Both awards recognize Bermingham’s passion, commitment and accomplishments in furthering the mission of the community college system, especially when it comes to providing access to education for underrepresented individuals. Under Bermingham’s guidance, Highline has come to embrace diversity, inclusion and social equity as institutional values.

Bermingham has been at Highline since 1994 and served as president since 2006.

Your Interests Can Help Others 

Share your interests and skills while making a difference in our community. Join other Highline alumni and participate in the 2014 Alumni Community Service Challenge. The program’s goal is to recruit Highline alumni to serve 2,014 hours of community service, find 14 new mentors and identify four new work‐based learning sites this year. See all the volunteer opportunities and sign up by visiting the Alumni Relations website.

Highline Hosts Free Youth Soccer Camp 

Article ImageOn August 9, Highline hosted its first International Soccer Event for local community members. Nearly 100 children and their families came to campus for the day-long camp. The free event provided soccer instruction and activities for children ages 10 to 15 years old, and college information and community resources for parents.

The camp was hosted by Highline alumnus and Sounders FC Academy Coach Fawzi Belal, and Highline Athletics. “The event was not only a great day full of fun, energetic kids running around scoring goals, but they also gained valuable information on resources available for them to pursue an educational path in the future,” said Coach Belal. “Our goal is to develop and build a love for the game in the community around us, stimulate the idea of higher education and provide opportunities for our community to interact with the college.”