Monthly Highlights
May 2009
SEVEN LEGISLATORS INSPECTED STATE STIMULUS WORK on main campus at a kick-off event on May 2. The elected officials met with college leaders and at least 50 workers hired to help complete $8 million in deferred maintenance projects at Lane. Attendees included Rep. Phil Barnhart, Rep. Chris Edwards, Rep. Paul Holvey, Rep. Nancy Nathanson, Sen. Floyd Prozanski, and Sen. Vicki Walker.
THE LEGISLATIVE JOINT WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE wrapped up its road show with a public hearing at the University of Oregon on May 1, and Lane Community College was well represented. The hearing attracted approximately 350 people and lasted for two and a half hours, enough time for nearly 80 individuals to give testimony. The legislature's budget committee held nine public hearings over two weeks to collect input on the state's 2009-11 budget needs.
LANE PREPARED FOR A SWINE FLU OUTBREAK by seeing and advising students visiting the Health Clinic, staying in close touch with public health agencies, and posting helpful information on college web sites and in the staff newsletter.
KLCC HOSTED STORYCORPS, a national tour recording the stories of real people for National Public Radio and the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.
THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE RECOGNITION GALA hosted by the Career Technical Education Coordinating Council attracted more than 200 attendees. The Respiratory Care Advisory Committee and Child and Family Education Advisory Committee were honored, and the 2009 Employer of the Year Award was presented to representatives of Chambers Communications.
THE LANE PEACE CONFERENCE was held May 29 and 30 and featured speakers and performers including David Solnit, direct action organizer and editor of Globalize Liberation, and Joel Magnuson, author of "Mindful Economics."
THE LANE FOUNDATION NAMED DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI for 2009 including Greg Ausland, Fletcher Little, and Dr. Bill Moshofsky, all of Eugene, and Betty Doerr of Oakridge. Ausland is a principal engineer at OBEC Consulting Engineers of Eugene; Doerr works with special needs and at-risk students in the Oakridge public school system; Little is a retired senior manager at the Register-Guard and a leadership consultant; Moshofsky is a family practice physician at Sacred Heart. The awards were presented at the President’s Circle luncheon.
LANE BEGAN PARTNERSHIP DISCUSSIONS WITH THE CITY OF EUGENE to possibly relocate the college's Downtown Center, following Board of Education direction on May 13. The partnership could attract additional funding.
THE TORCH STUDENT NEWSPAPER raked in top awards at the Oregon Newspaper Publisher Association Collegiate Day conference on May 8 at Oregon State University. The Torch won First place – General Excellence, Torch staff; First place – Best Design, Torch staff; First place – Best Section, Arts, Torch staff; First place – Best Special Section, NWAACC track and field championship, Torch staff; First place – Best Sports Story, Tyler Pell; First place – Best Feature Story, Dillon Blanks; First place – Best Review, Lana Boles; First place – Best Photography, Isaac Viel; First place – Best Cartooning, Ken Ashcraft; First place – Best House Ad, Torch staff; Second place – Best Section, Sports, Torch staff; Second place – Best Special Section, Food, Torch staff; Second place – Best Series, 2008-09 Women's basketball, Tyler Pell, Trey Caldwell, JB Botwinick, Erik Olfson; Second place – Best Writing, Lana Boles; Second place – Best Review, Willa Bauman; Second place – Best House Ad, Torch staff; Honorable mention – Best News Story, Lana Boles; Honorable mention – Best Feature Story, Lana Boles; Honorable mention – Best Feature Photo, JB Botwinick; Honorable mention – Best Cartooning, Tommy Harbour.
GIFT OF LITERACY brought 1,000 first-graders to main campus on May 28. Volunteer readers included President Mary Spilde.
A $692,000 GRANT FROM THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION was awarded to Lane to expand the use of geographic information systems (GIS) in secondary and post-secondary classrooms over the next 2 1/2 years. The new grant follows up a 2006 NSF grant of $782,000 for similar work, increasing the national agency's support of GIS work at LCC to nearly $1.5 million. Lynn Songer, project principal investigator, and Eric Sproles, project co-principal investigator, received the new grant to continue their work in developing GIS curriculum. The new grant will implement the GEOSTAC (geospatial teaching across the curriculum) project to help high school teachers infuse web-based GIS lessons in their classes across a wide variety of subjects.
THE COLLEGE BUDGET COMMITTEE approved the 2009/10 budget for board adoption on June 10. The budget is based on $423 million in state funding for the Oregon’s 17 community colleges, as proposed by the Ways and Means Committee budget writers. Lane's budget includes an $80 million general fund and preserves instructional programs, services, and jobs. However, employees will sustain unpaid furlough days or the equivalent, and vacancies will remain unfilled. Students will pay more in tuition and fees.
Excerpted from Lane Weekly and news sources by Joan Aschim, Marketing and Public Relations, May 2009.