Awards and Recognition Roll In
From individual to campus-wide awards, Highline has been reaping widespread recognition. To learn more and read other campus news, visit here.
Highline Earns Spot in Top 50
Highline earned national recognition as one of the top 50 community colleges in the nation from the Washington Monthly, a D.C.-based magazine. The publication’s 2013 rankings of America’s best community colleges are based on two sources of information: the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) and U.S. Department of Education’s measurements of student retention and completion.
Faculty Member Wins Prestigious Award
 Michael “Mike” Girvin, Highline business faculty since 2002, has been named a 2013 Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP). The Microsoft MVP award is presented annually to recognize outstanding technology community leaders from around the world who share their respective expertise of Microsoft products with others. Girvin is internationally recognized for his more than 2,000 free Microsoft Excel how-to videos on YouTube. These video tutorials receive more than 15,000 views daily.
It’s Great to Work at Highline
The Chronicle of Higher Education, a top news source for colleges and universities, named Highline as one of the nation’s “Great Colleges to Work For.” Highline was recognized for excellence in diversity and teaching environment. The sixth annual report on “The Academic Workplace” was based on a survey of more than 44,000 employees at 300 colleges and universities. Only 97 institutions received “Great Colleges to Work For” status. Highline was the only two-year school in Washington state to be honored. Highline was also recognized by The Chronicle as a “Great College to Work For” in 2010.
Award for VP
Toni Castro, HCC’s Vice President for Student Services, received the 2013 Region V Outstanding Community College Professional Award from the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), a professional organization for student affairs administrators in higher education. The award recognizes Castro’s many achievements and efforts, including her passion for student success and her leadership in statewide student services initiatives. Castro has been with HCC for 17 years.
Highline Earns National Honor
Highline was a recipient of the annual Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award, a national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion. Given by INSIGHT into Diversity, the largest and oldest diversity magazine and website in higher education, the 2013 HEED Award was presented to only 56 institutions across the nation. Highline was the only recipient from Washington state and one of the very few from the West Coast.
College Ranks in Top 100 Degree and Certificate Producers
Highline earned national recognition as one of the top 100 associate degree producers in 2013 from Community College Week. Highline was recognized in two categories with a rank of 53 in the Top 100 Associate Degree Producers for Asian American Students and a rank of 29 in the Top 100 One-Year Certificate Producers for African American Students. Community College Week used data provided by the U.S. Dept. of Education for these rankings.
VP Earns Honor
 Dr. Lisa Skari, Highline’s Vice President for Institutional Advancement, earned honors as the 2013 District 7 Communicator of the Year by the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR). Skari’s award-winning accomplishments include leadership in creating community awareness of Highline’s programs and offerings. In the most recent survey conducted by Herbert Research in 2012, Highline garnered a 92 percent awareness rating by community members, a strong top-of-mind awareness comparable to that of the University of Washington. Skari has led the Institutional Advancement division since its inception in 2001.
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Highline alumna and soul/R&B singer 
Boasting approximately 1,100 Highline alumni, Japan was the natural choice to launch the college’s first international alumni event. In November 2013, HCC Alumni Relations traveled to Tokyo to host the event and initiate the development of the Japan Alumni Chapter. The successful event welcomed 70 alumni and friends of the college at the Hotel Grand Hill Ichigaya. Highline alumnus 
The fifth annual Foundation fundraising breakfast proved to be a great way to start the day, raising more than $5,500 to immediately help Highline students. During the February 4 event, 75 attendees enjoyed an inspiring breakfast with student speaker Sherise Wilcher and special guest speaker Captain John Creighton, who entertained the crowd with tales of his days as an astronaut. Creighton flew three space missions between 1985 and 1991. After retiring from the Navy and NASA, he became a chief test pilot with The Boeing Company. Students often find they need help paying for expenses during the year, so the money raised during the event will be put to use right away, helping students with the cost of books, bus passes and other expenses..jpg){kind=small}
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