The Washington State Budget and You

The Washington Legislature passed Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) increases for the 2017-2018 budget year at the conclusion of this year’s session. The budget funded a 2% increase for state employees for the coming year. While there are still some nuances to the budget, it is my pleasure to share with you how Green River College is implementing the increase.

Faculty

• Because faculty working in the summer are on a contract that began before the increase was effective, the easiest way to process the increase was to do so for the entire summer quarter. The 2% increase for the summer quarter will be paid as a lump sum on the final summer payroll which is September 11, 2017.
• All faculty (tenure, tenure-track and adjunct) not teaching in the summer will see the increase when they return this fall.

Classified

The salary schedule for classified employees was updated in the system. The increase will be reflected on the July 25th payroll.

Exempt/Administrative

The salaries for exempt and administrative employees were updated in the system. The increase will be reflected on the July 25th payroll.

Temporary/Hourly

• Employees making the state-mandated minimum wage of $11.00 have received adjustments as the minimum wage has increased.
• Employees making more than the state-mandated minimum wage of $11.00 have been updated via modification to PEN forms. As the employment data is re-entered each year in June, payroll entered the 2% increase into the system when performing the annual update.
• The WFSE has negotiated a $12.00 minimum wage for its part-time hourly members. Those represented, hourly employees making less than $12.00 per hour will have their rates increased to this negotiated minimum. Those above $12.00 will receive the 2% increase.
• Supervisors do not need to submit a new PEN form. HR will auto-correct the rate on forms submitted.

If you have specific questions after you review your Employee Earning & Leave Statement after the July 25 payroll cycle, do not hesitate to contact the Payroll Office at payroll@greenriver.edu.  Shirley, Elizabeth, and Dawnell are happy to assist you.

– Marshall Sampson
VP of Human Resources & Legal Affairs
Green River College

Cookies & Coffee for Classified Staff

Before its annual retreat on Tuesday, July 18th, the Classified Staff Training & Development Committee is holding an “Open House” from 12:30 – 1:30 in the Administrative Building Boardroom. All classified staff members are invited. Stop by for cookies, coffee, soda and juice, and while there, learn more about what the college can do for you as part of your training and development.

They will also share what you can do to help the committee in its important work that goes beyond training and development—food drives, college spirit events and more!

– Marshall Sampson
VP of Human Resources & Legal Affairs
Green River College

New Hourly Pay Scales

Human Resources and Payroll have worked tirelessly to improve our current system of compensating part-time hourly employees at Green River. Their efforts have resulted in a simplification of the hourly job classes, a standardization of hourly pay rates, and an improved PEN form. Below are the key changes:

• Consolidated multiple positions such as “Hourly Admin Assistant 1, 2 and 3” into “HRY Admin Asst.” This has helped us to match supervisor and department needs with appropriate positions.
• There are narrower pay ranges for hourly employees, which better reflect the Department of Personnel and Washington Federation of State Employees’ rates. As minimum wage increases over the next three years, the scales will also appropriately shift to accommodate these changes.
• The updated PEN form will automatically limit pay ranges according to position. Managers and supervisors will be notified of adjustments to the PEN Form. As we work to correct the minor bugs in this new form, please look to the GatorNet for the most up-to-date version.

Please don’t hesitate to contact Barbara Iribarren (ext. 2601) or Zack Smith (ext. 3447) with any questions.

2017 GRC Foundation Distinguished Faculty

Posted on behalf of Green River Foundation

Announcing the 2017 Green River College Foundation
Distinguished Faculty Award Recipients

We are pleased to announce the following three recipients of the 2017 Green River College Foundation Distinguished Faculty Awards:

• Catherine Duva, ESOL, TSW Division
• Jamie Fitzgerald, English, English Division
• Dan Sorensen, Automotive Technology, Trades Division

On behalf of the Awards Review Committee, we commend all the 2017 nominees: Coleman Boettger, Dr. Neil Duldulao, Adriana Mendoza and Jody Segal.

The awards will be formally presented at commencement on Friday, June 16 at the Showare Center in Kent. We are sharing this information with the campus community now to give you a chance to congratulate the recipients and all nominees.

Thank you to the students, faculty and staff for submitting nominations and letters of support and to everyone for participating in the recognition process. Special thanks to Anthony White and Megan Evans for creating the faculty awards website.

 

Student Affairs and Success Center Update

Student Affairs construction and remodeling is wrapping up. The directory below will help you familiarize yourself with the layout of the Student Affairs and Success Center (SASC).

As noted below, please direct new and prospective students to the Welcome Desk in the first floor lobby area of the SASC.

Career and Advising Center (ext. 2641)	SA-104
Welcome Desk (ext. 6000)	SA-120
Running Start (ext. 2674)	SA-122
TRiO (ext. 2655)	SA-211
Disability Support Services (ext. 2631)	SA-210
Veteran’s Lounge (ext. 2277)	SA-224
The Current (ext. 2375) *Move date TBD	SA-218A
Completion Center (ext. 4959) *Move date TBD	SA-105
Assessment and Testing Center (ext. 2650)	SA-148
Campus Safety (ext. 3350) – Dispatch staying in current location (AD Building) until Phase 2	SA-156

Per David Larsen, Dean of Enrollment and Completion:

Building maps, signage, and publications are in the process of being updated, so please bear with us as we iron out the wrinkles in the new spaces.

A few items of note:

• Offices are still settling in… while we’d love to give you all tours, doing so while serving students can be challenging and disruptive. Our plan is to invite the campus community to an open house in the future.

• The Assessment and Testing Center now has lockers to be used by students for personal belongings while they test. The lockers, while great to have, are not large enough to accommodate every size bag students may have. If possible, students should leave large backpacks and bags in another secure location.

• In the past, you’ve all been so fantastic referring new/prospective students to the Welcome Center. Please continue to make these referrals to the Welcome Desk, now located in the Student Affairs and Success Center in the first floor lobby area.

• Special thanks to IT, Facilities, and the Business Office for helping with this much needed renovation and move. You all rock!

Suzanne Johnson named next Green River President

Posted on behalf of College Relations

Auburn, Wash. (April 25, 2017) – Dr. Suzanne Johnson will be the next president of Green River College.

The Green River Board of Trustees announced the decision during an April 25 board meeting. Johnson, Vice President for Academic Affairs at Suffolk County Community College in Long Island, New York, will start effective July 1. She will succeed Interim President Scott Morgan, who was appointed by the Board of Trustees on July 28, 2016.

“Dr. Johnson has the leadership qualities, professionalism, personal background and strength to lead Green River College into the future,” said Green River College Board of Trustees Chair Claudia Kauffman.

Johnson began her career in higher education in 1988 as a psychology instructor at Dowling College, and moved through the ranks to become the Dean of the College in 2012. Johnson also served as the Interim Campus President of the Sylvania Campus of Portland Community College in Portland, OR. Johnson has been instrumental in accreditation reviews, providing leadership over both instruction and student affairs, as well as having a deep commitment to the community college mission.

The Board of Trustees chose Johnson as the next Green River College president from a pool of 36 applicants. A 12-member Presidential Search Committee chaired by Interim President Morgan, included trustees, faculty, staff, students, and community members who volunteered their time to screen applications and recommend finalists to the Board of Trustees.

Allison Friedly
Executive Director of College Relations

2017 Summer Business Hours

Effective Monday, July 10, 2017, the hours of college business operations will be from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday, with the campus closed on Fridays.

What does this mean to the public and our students? We will continue to provide support and services through the summer, but limited to a Monday to Thursday work week.

What does this mean to you as an employee? Although the college will be open to the public from 8am to 5pm, work days will consist of four, 10 hour days from Monday to Thursday.

*Note: The 30-minute meal and 15-minute rest breaks must still be taken in compliance with our respective collective bargaining agreements, and/or state and federal regulations. Please contact Barbara Iribarren or Chernenko Wheatley if you have any questions about the revised schedule or alternate work schedules.

Who should I contact if I have questions? Please reach out to your supervisor first. Supervisors should contact the appropriate Employee & Labor Relations Manager in the Human Resources office to make sure that any proposed schedule changes meet with federal, state, and local laws as well as negotiated agreements.

When will it end? Normal business hours will resume Monday, September 4, following the Labor Day holiday.