South Seattle Community College is pleased to announce that two of its faculty members have been awarded tenure.

Tenure is a form of academic job assurance in recognition of the quality of an instructor's teaching, commitment to students and subject area, curriculum development, and service to the community. At South, the tenure process usually takes three years.

Jane Harness received her Associate of Arts Degree from North Seattle Community College followed by a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and Masters of Education in Adult Education and Training from Seattle University.

Harness has been an outstanding addition to our General Studies division. She has instructed a wide variety of courses ranging from Adult Basic Education and English as a Second Language, to specialty math and pre-vocational programs. She is a leader in the college's effort to transition students from pre-college to college level programs. With her involvement, South has increased the percentage of students transitioning from basic studies courses to college level courses from 12 percent in 2001-2002 to 27 percent in 2005-2006.

Kathy Whitham received her Bachelor of Arts and Masters of Education in English from Western Washington University. She served as a part-time instructor at Seattle Central Community College from 1992-2004. She also taught at Western.

Whitham has instructed developmental and college level English courses at South, ranging from College Writing Prep and Introduction to Composition to Introduction to Fiction and Literature of American Cultures. She utilizes innovative teaching methods to increase the learning and success of her students. She has been a faculty leader in developing and offering online courses, where she ensures that the rigor is the same as on campus courses.