Hansen to lead SCC Office of Advancement

With state support for higher education facing a continuing threat, President Lee Lambert says Shoreline Community College must take more control of its financial future.

"We have to reduce our reliance on state dollars.Tuition hikes just shift the burden to students who are already seeking financial aid in record numbers,” Lambert said. “However, we can help ourselves with a more vigorous and planned pursuit of grants, contracts and private giving.”

To that end, Lambert said he has appointed Judith Hansen as Interim Executive Director – College Advancement to head the Office of Advancement. Lambert made the announcement at the Tuesday, January 5, 2010, College Council meeting.  

“Judith came to us this past fall quarter as part-time grants administrator and her work is already starting to pay off,” Lambert said, adding that the college had gone without a grants administrator for a number of years. “With her background and experience, Judith is a good fit for the Office of Advancement.”

Lambert said that Hansen will continue with her work on grants, take a leadership position with the foundation and oversee efforts in PIO. The move will put the Office of Advancement in a stronger position to pursue a variety of revenue opportunities, Lambert said.

Hansen said she’s looking forward to the opportunity at Shoreline.

“It quickly became apparent that Shoreline has a culture of truly valuing students,” Hansen said. “That culture, combined with the vision that this institution is working toward, make Shoreline a very exciting place to be.”

One of Hansen’s first chores will be to outline a three-year plan for Advancement at the Jan. 27, Board of Trustees meeting. Also at that meeting, Lambert said he’d ask the trustees to consider funding Hansen’s position from the board’s fund. “This would be a strong investment in the college,” Lambert told the Council members.

Hansen comes with plenty of community college experience, most recently serving as president at Southwestern Oregon Community College, in Coos Bay. Ore., for three years. While her time in Oregon ended in resignation, college board members there praised Hansen for her work in carrying the college’s message into the community and building new programs. “Judith’s strengths at Southwestern are exactly what we need here at Shoreline,” Lambert said.

The Office of Advancement was created in April, 2008, by combining the Public Information Office and the Shoreline Community College Foundation. Since its inception, however, the office has not had a person in the leadership position. The office has been operated cooperatively between Jim Hills, interim special assistant to the president for communications, marketing and government relations, and Ritva Manchester, interim director of the foundation and director of community and alumni relations. Both Hills and Manchester will continue with the Office of Advancement.