Shoreline Community College’s president, Jack Kahn, traveled to three cities in China earlier this quarter on his first trip abroad representing the college. He visited Shanghai, Beijing and Qingdao to meet with online students enrolled at Shoreline and their families. The trip’s primary goal was to intimately connect foreign students with school representatives and discuss all that Shoreline has to offer them.

Beijing, the capital of China, and Shanghai are two of the most well known and populated cities in the country, with the largest Chinese metro populations of 22 million and 40 million respectively. Qingdao, across the Yellow Sea from North and South Korea, has a relatively small population of just 7 million.

Kahn traveled with two representatives from the International Education department. While in China, they met with international schools, regular high schools, the parents of both Shoreline alumni and presently enrolled students, and high school students concurrently enrolled online.

Kahn stated, “[we went] to further our partnerships, expand our international program, and visit with institutions that want to meet the president before making big decisions.”

He returned to campus on Oct. 21 and conveyed excitement about overseas high school students enrolling in Shoreline’s online programs. He highlighted the benefits of students completing their high school degrees and simultaneously earning college credits, a practice “only Washington state allows for international students.”

More Food on Campus?

“We’re really trying to figure out a way to bring hot food to campus besides the food trucks,” Kahn said.
Bureaucratic and marketing difficulties have obstructed the permanent establishment of a food destination on campus. To bring a business into Shoreline’s empty cafeteria, the college has had to fill out a request for proposal (RFP), which only one company has responded to. Black Coffee Northwest had plans to open shop in 2023, but they ultimately didn’t have the resources after just opening another new location. Some students have bought instant meals at the on-campus bookstore, but it will be closed by the end of the quarter. For now, students can find free food at the many clubs on campus.

Sustainability on Campus

There is an upcoming Sustainability Commission, in which student representatives will “make recommendations on projects and anything else to do with sustainability and environmental factors,” as described by Kahn.

With the new Bracken building finishing in around two years, President Kahn hopes to renew the QR codes on trees on campus to educate passersby on sustainability, indigenous connections, and Shoreline’s history. There’s been a recent student-led initiative to add composting to Campus Living’s utilities. Additionally, the Gender Equity Center’s Plant Medicine Workshop had great turnout, and there will be another workshop in the near future.