Highline Connections on the Web

March 2005

In this Issue

Highline Seeks Nominations for Distinguished Alumnus Award

Highline began the award in 1990 with Norm Rice, former Mayor of Seattle, chosen as the first recipient .  Last year's award winner was Tricia L. Crozier, Chief Administrative Officer for the King County District Court.  Other recipients include Junki Yoshida, Founder and CEO of the Yoshida Food Group, Joan Enticknap, President and COO of Homestreet Bank, and Highline’s own Dr. T.M. Sell.

Eligible nominees are former students who attended Highline prior to the 2000 academic year and have made a significant contribution through community service, noteworthy professional achievement and/or recognized leadership.  Nominees will be asked to submit a resume and personal profile questionnaire for review by a campus selection committee.  Individuals nominated for the 2002, 2003 and 2004 Award who were determined to be of interest will carry over for consideration again this year.  You do not have to resubmit nomination materials for those years.  However, updating information annually to reflect new activities or honors may strengthen the nomination. The person selected will be recognized at commencement exercises on June 9^th.

 Please send your nominations for the Highline Community College Distinguished Alumnus Award via e-mail (rjamison@highline.edu) or hard copy, to Rachel Jamison, Resource Development Office, Highline Community College, PO Box 98000 MS 9-2, Des Moines, WA 98198-9800, by April 15, 2005.

Click here for a copy of the nomination form.   Nominations are due by April 15, 2005

 FORMER HIGHLINE COMMUNITY COLLEGE PRESIDENT
HONORED FOR NATIONAL LEADERSHIP

Shirley B. Gordon honored for lifetime commitment to community colleges, students

Shirley B. Gordon, a distinguished educator for more than 40 years and a tireless advocate for academic excellence among community college students, has been selected to receive the 2005 National Leadership Award from the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).

The National Leadership Award is given based on two principal criteria: outstanding leadership at the national level over an extended period of time and a long-standing commitment to community colleges. Dr. Gordon will be recognized at the opening session of the AACC Annual Convention, scheduled April 9-12, in Boston, Mass.

George R. Boggs, AACC president and CEO, noted that Gordon now joins a select group of leaders among the nation’s almost 1,200 two-year colleges.  “Shirley Gordon has earned our respect, our gratitude and our friendship for a lifetime of service. She has demonstrated exceptional leadership among and on behalf of our colleges and has significantly advanced academic opportunities for students through her work with Phi Theta Kappa.”

Dr. Gordon began her career in the Highline public schools in Burien, Wash., where she taught chemistry and later served as director for science and mathematics. Asked to serve on a study committee to help bring a community college to the region, she subsequently helped to found Highline Community College. When the college opened in 1961, she transitioned into postsecondary education and devoted her talents to two-year institutions and their students, serving as instructor, director of curriculum, dean of instruction and ultimately president of Highline from 1976-90.

During her tenure as Highline president, Dr. Gordon earned a national reputation as an outstanding administrator, serving on President Ronald Reagan’s 1981 National Commission on Excellence in Education and helping to author the landmark commission report, A Nation at Risk, published in 1983. Among other notable areas of service, Dr. Gordon served on the boards of the American Association of Community Colleges (1978-81) and the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges (1978-81), and as president of the Washington Association of Community College Presidents (1983-84).

Dr. Gordon’s later career has been devoted to increasing academic opportunities for community college students through her service as chair of the board of directors for Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society of the two-year college.

During her tenure as chair, Phi Theta Kappa has experienced its most dramatic and sustained period of growth, culminating with the opening of the organization’s $4.64 million Center for Excellence headquarters in 1997.  She supported the establishment of Phi Theta Kappa’s Leadership Development Studies program, a curriculum designed expressly for community college students, and worked to expand membership benefits, particularly in the area of student scholarships. She also led the development of the All-USA Academic Team for Community Colleges, which is sponsored by USA TODAY and annually recognizes 60 community college students nationwide for excellence in academic achievement and service.

Dr. Gordon holds bachelor of science, master of arts and doctorate degrees from Washington State University and received a doctor of humanities, honoris causa, from Seattle University in 1984.

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The American Association of Community Colleges represents the nation’s almost 1,200 regionally accredited community, junior and technical colleges and their 11 million students. Community colleges are the largest and fastest growing sector of higher education, enrolling close to half (45 percent) of all U.S. undergraduates.

For a complete list of National Leadership Award recipients, see the AACC Website at www.aacc.nche.edu .

Have a great idea for a story? 
Always wanted to see  your name in print?  Have you or someone you know done something that deserves a little recognition? 

Bev Dockstader
Margaret Hunsperger
John Pfeffer
Manuel Soto
Dave Kress
Joel McClueskey
Frank Cunningham
Lynn Boettcher
Jeramy Madrid
Donna Webber
Phanta Chambers
Jim Spack

Welcome to Our Team 
(as January & February 2005)

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Position

Department

Events

Highline Community College Foundation Gala
April 30, 2005
Cedarbrook
Contact:  Rachel  x3774