December 5, 2025

President Eric Murray's weekly Friday letter

I hope the holiday allowed you time with family and friends last week. Mine did, but I brought a California virus (aka a cold) home with me to usher in winter. One thing I’ll say about the pandemic, I was sick a lot less as we quarantined.

But onward with a busy week in the President’s Office:

The College Advisory Council talked about virtual meeting norms, the use of Mobius for student learning and success, and DIAs. You’ll hear more about these topics from your representatives on the Council.
The Chair of our Board of Trustees, Dr. Meghan Quint, and I met with Northshore School leadership to begin planning for the enrollment drop working its way through the school system. Data modeling shows a significant decrease in the number of graduating high school seniors by 2033. We are embarking on a 2-year project with the district to work out how we will collectively respond to that.
Our Community Advisory Council met yesterday. We host community leaders quarterly to discuss current joys and challenges in our agencies and businesses. This is always a well-attended event and places Cascadia as a hub for inter-agency communication.
This week the draft report about our future potential marketing and communication efforts was delivered. Over the last two months, we engaged a consultant to review our strengths and opportunities. They have offered suggestions about how we will lead the college in this domain as Meagan Walker steps into retirement. Remember to stop by the President’s Office next week (1–5pm) to sign her Cascadia retirement photo. In January, I’ll share more about our future directions in this area.

Finally, don’t forget to let me know if you want to participate in the Great Cascadia Bake Off on February 18 by bringing in a shareable blue dessert.

Shoutouts

Thanksgiving week prompted a number of Shoutouts deposited into the IN Box:

Many of us are shouting out to Jacqueline Webb this quarter. Jacqueline's cheerfully responsive adjustments to schedule changes we've made to accommodate students is very much appreciated. This is exceptionally true for Natural Science, which has seen unprecedented growth this year. Whether it is a staffing shift or modality adjustment or a newly added class, Jacqueline is on top of things—and communicates back out to us when changes are made.

AND

I would like to add to the above submission by saying that I have come to rely on what I like to call Jacqueline’s “quiet competence.” They have an amazing ability to interpret what can sometimes be very complicated requests for changes, cancellations, or additions to schedule data, and handle all the various tasks associated with the changes including updating ctcLink and the classroom system, and notifying students and other impacted staff. Often times the work is done and they’ve replied before I’ve even wrapped my head around what was being asked. We are truly lucky to have Jacqueline at Cascadia!

AND

Congratulations to Dr. Soraya Cardenas for being asked to be the keynote speaker for a brown bag at the UW Jackson School on November 21st. Her presentation, A.I. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: Rethinking the Future of Education, was well-received and demonstrates that Cascadia faculty contribute to important scholarship.

AND

I'd like to shout out to our campus library. The English Language Learners section moved from the 3^rd floor to the 1^st floor of the library this fall. This may not sound very important, but it makes the resources much more accessible to students. Now, it's easy for them to find books and students can talk freely in that area. I've heard great feedback from students who are very appreciative of this change. Also, a special shout out to our librarians who partner with classes (such as Chelsea Nesvig). I appreciate the extra effort that they put in and the support they offer our students.

AND

Congratulations to all the individuals who contributed to the Design of Innovation Hall. The building received a Civic Design award from the American Institute of Architects! Washington Council.

AND

This is a shoutout to Bryan Fauth and Brandy Long for launching Friday drop-in hours to help employees make our digital content accessible to all users. This is a significant commitment of their time and is essential for meeting state requirements by April, not to mention advancing Cascadia’s mission to deliver accessible educational experiences to everyone!

Shoutouts can be sent to FLShoutout@cascadia.edu.

Have a great weekend. Stay healthy!