Greetings, Roadrunners. As May winds down on this beautiful Friday, here are a few highlights and updates…
Earlier this month, I was pleased to participate in a panel on women’s leadership, at the AAWCC Oregon Conference in Salem. On the panel, we had a robust discussion of challenges and opportunities of leading in this challenging context. A number of LBCC folks attended, and we were also able to celebrate a few special honorees. Notably, LBCC superstars Dr. Kristina Holton and Amy Burbee were awarded the Carolyn DesJardins Leadership Award for outstanding contributions to Oregon community college leadership development. Congratulations, Amy and Kristina!
Closer to home, Community Health faculty Kristi Murphey and Liv Gifford hosted a very productive gathering on campus - the 2025 Public Health Summit. I was proud to attend and provide a welcome, and was joined by LBCC Board Member Sherlyn Dahl, who has a background in public health and very much enjoyed the event. For LBCC, it is valuable that our community health programs are adding important new employees to help fill this critical workforce need.
I wanted to thank all of our employees who contributed to the success of LBCC Give Day. We raised ~$40,000 to support student emergency funds. Allison and I were happy to contribute; I also enjoyed visiting with students and volunteers during the pancake breakfast. Thank you to Justin Williams and the entire Foundation team for their heavy lift during Give Day.
In the face of many federal challenges, LBCC’s global education efforts continue. It’s more important than ever, in my view, to dig deep into global partnerships that can advance education and goodwill. To that end, we hosted two delegations from Ukraine higher education institutions this month at Chinook Hall. Given the impacts of their long war, Ukrainian educators are keenly interested in serving veteran students and assisting with mental health challenges related to trauma. The delegates valued learning from Jana Svoboda and Keryn Neary on those issues, and from Dean Rick Goranflo, Dean Katie Winder, SBDC Director Britt Hoskins, Foundation Executive Director Steven Broncheau and me on community college structures and services.
The LBCC Choir starred in "Albany Sings," a local choir festival earlier this month. Led by Raymund Ocampo, all of Albany’s middle and high school choirs perform, as well as LBCC’s chamber choir. It’s a great way to engage local youth in music, and to demonstrate LBCC’s arts offerings. Ella’s choir performed as well, and the stage was full with 200+ singers in a jubilant group finale. Bravo, Raymund and choir students!
In an event that was a long time coming, our Agriculture Center Groundbreaking was held on May 22. Organized by our Foundation team (thanks, Lydia Parker), the groundbreaking brought together our local supporters, legislators and board members to celebrate agricultural education here in the mid-Valley. Rep. Shelly Boshart Davis and Rep. Sarah Finger McDonald provided congratulatory remarks, and anchored our legislative support. I appreciate the attendance and support from our elected Board of Education; in attendance were Chair Jeff Davis, Vice Chair Stacie Wyss-Schoenborn, Sherlyn Dahl, Dick Running, and Dr. John Sarna. Foundation board chair Hedie Schulte and several Foundation Board members also attended. Agriculture faculty Jenny Strooband, Clay Weber, Sierra Meyers (and recently retired Rick Klampe): we are so thrilled for you all and we can’t wait to complete the project. Next up: ribbon-cutting (hopefully in 2026).
Earlier this week, I wrote to brag about our LBCC NWAC Baseball Championship repeat. The Commuter also covered this success.
Yesterday, our Business, Education and Liberal Arts (BELA) crew celebrated students who had completed focus awards in Cornerstone, Speech Communication and Biliteracy. About 10 students attended, and many brought family members to join in the celebration. I was honored to make welcome remarks emphasizing the value of the arts and humanities in helping promote critical thinking, communication and dialogue.
Though I have highlighted a number of “good news” items above, we also are still in the midst of budget preparations for the next biennium. To that end, I have an update on the long legislative session. Last week, Steven Broncheau and I met with three members of our delegation, along with several legislative staffers. The tepid May revenue forecast has raised concerns about the Oregon budget, especially related to the amount of funds our legislature will be able to allocate to colleges and universities. By the end of next week, we hope to have an estimate of our budget for the next biennium. When that arrives, I will share it with you, along with some tentative plans about our budget task force’s plans for next year.
At home, Ella is wrapping up her Sophomore year at South Albany High School and a pretty good softball season (go Redhawks!). Emily, after working as a Marine Science Instructor at Catalina Island Marine Institute, is home now, preparing for graduate school this coming fall. We are all looking forward to the sunny days ahead together. We'll be doing a little traveling this summer, but we're also planning to do some kayaking and hiking locally and just enjoy our lovely backyard that attracts bees, birds, and even bunnies.
Best wishes to you all for a wonderful weekend of springtime sunshine.
Thanks,
Lisa