Strategic Enrollment Management Committee Meeting Minutes (11/21/11)

Strategic Enrollment Management Committee (SEMC)

Meeting Summary

Monday, November 21, 2011

Present: Gayle Arries, Amanda Blanton, Jackie Blakley, Gwen Owens, Lisa Robinson, Linda Driggers, Lynn Lewis

Absent: Eugene Grant and Lou Ann Martin

The following is a summary of the SEMC meeting which occurred on Monday, November 21, 2011.

Review/Approval of Minutes

·         The minutes of the September 27 and October 20 meetings were approved.

Spring Enrollment Update:

·         Amanda gave a brief update regarding spring enrollment figures compared to the same week last year.  As of November 21, there are 485 new students who have been admitted for spring term but who are not registered. 

·         Report 041 shows that 538 current students have their RANs set but have not registered.  Student Records contact these students via I-Contact.  The breakdown of the students is as follows:  232 in Arts and Sciences Division, 82 in the B&PS Division, 97 in the EIT Division, and 127 in the Health Education Division.  The Gateway to College program would account for some of the 538 students; some of the students who have not registered are transient students, and 29 of the 538 students attempted to register but failed.  Some of the students may not have met prerequisites, and Dr. Lewis stated that some of the students in the Health Education Division may not have been chosen for competitive entry.  It was decided that each Division would evaluate the students in their division who are listed in Report 041 and determine which students to contact. 

Enrollment Projections:

·         Amanda distributed a handout on Enrollment Projections for 2010-2015.  The report shows that a larger portion of our enrollment is coming from recent high school graduates. 

College Strategic Plan:

·         Amanda asked what the College Strategic Objectives imply for the SEMC as a whole regarding planning initiatives and the overall retention plan, and if the SEMC needed to submit an additional activity for the 3-year plan.  Lynn stated that the Executive Staff would like to see visible seeds of retention awareness in deliberate ways.  Examples would be workshops and articles in Connection.  In Connection, a retention corner titled “A Spotlight on Retention,” or a “Brag and Share” that mentions a member of the faculty who has helped a student were suggested.  Amanda said that she has spoken with Rebecca and the plan is to start highlighting retention in Connection in January.

·         Lisa agreed to take the lead on establishing a portal in eTC that faculty and staff would be encouraged to join to keep apprised of what the College is doing to improve retention.  The portal would be mentioned in Connection.

Withdrawal Survey:

·         Amanda distributed information from a meeting she had with Scott Harvey and Chris Marino.  Chris indicated that it is very hard to contact students after they have left the college.  Current college data show that the majority of students withdraw for personal reasons, which correlates to national data for why students withdraw.

·         Suggestions on what the Committee can do to collect more helpful data include the following:

o   Include the following question on the withdrawal form, “What would need to happen in order for you to return to Tri-County and complete the program?”

o   Require Exit Interviews:  If students schedule an exit or re-entry interview, could they receive a refund of the amount paid up front for graduation?

o   Instructors could include the following question on their final exams, “Do you plan to return next semester?”  If the student answers “no,” then ask why they do not plan to return.

o   Late in the semester, call the students with RANs set but who are not registered and ask them if they need assistance registering.  If they answer they are not planning to return to Tri-County, ask them why.

o   Break down “personal reasons” on the withdrawal form and see how the College could impact that.

·         The Committee decided that each division would call its respective students on REP041 to assist with registration or to investigate why students may not be returning next semester and gather the data for the Committee.

Retention Plan/Updates:

·         The committee postponed until the December meeting individual updates as not all committee members were present.

Next Meeting:

·         Tuesday, December 6, at 10:00 am.

Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes (10/19/11)

Tri-CountyTechnical College
Faculty Senate Minutes

Date: October 19, 2011

Location:Fulp 400

Time: 12:15 PM

Members Present:Donna Shannon, Elizabeth Bryan, John Price, Robert Newton, Mandy Orzechowski, Bert Reed, Penny Edwards, Tonique Dennis, Cheryln Brown, Franklin Smith, Shannon Farr, Amoena Norcross, Rhonda Harris

Members Absent: Marla Roberson, Mark Franks

Guests: None

Presided: Donna Shannon

Approval of Minutes:September Minutes Approved

1. Issue discussed and major points of discussion:  Attendance Policy

Donna talked with Dr. Buckhiester regarding the proposed changes in the attendance policy.  Do we need to talk about readmittance in the new policy?  Should we take the last two sentences from the old and make it an entirely new paragraph that includes readmittance? 

Action to be taken as a result of discussion, person(s) responsible, and timeline:

Ameona will make the corrections and submit changes in time for the next executive staff meeting. Donna will give the date to Ameona.  Amoena made a motion to accept these changes.  Bert and Tonique seconded the motion. The motion passed.

2.   Issue discussed and major points of discussion: Election of Officers

Chris Marino and Donna discussed the plan for electronic voting.  Do we want the nominees to be generated in a uniform manner?  Nominees names will be submitted to Chris Marino and then he will add the names to a survey monkey electronic ballet. 

·        The President will solicit nominations from the Divisions. 

·        Once nominees are selected, the President will send the list to Chris with candidates by office. 

·        Chris will establish the SurveyMonkey

Action to be taken as a result of discussion, person(s) responsible, and timeline:

None

3.   Issue discussed and major points of discussion: Cameras in the Classroom

Bert talked to Jerry Marshall about the placement of cameras in the math classroom.  Cameras were placed in the hallway outside the math classroom.  Ameona wanted to know why we would need security cameras in the classroom for security. Mandy stated that there is small equipment in some labs (laptops/netbooks) that could be concealed.  Franklin noted that the new campus in Sandy Springs will have cameras for real time security.

Action to be taken as a result of discussion, person(s) responsible, and timeline:

No further action.

4.   Issue discussed and major points of discussion: College Divisions & Faculty Representation

Do some areas (small divisions) fell under represented in committees?  How are committees selected?  The example given to Dr. Buckhiester was SCTEA

Action to be taken as a result of discussion, person(s) responsible, and timeline:

Are there really? Donna will check with John for information concerning SCTEA voting and membership.

5.   Issue discussed and major points of discussion:

Are faculty using Outlook calendars? Why are they not using them? Reasons were discussed concerning the use of calendars. Training could be a possible reason for not using the calendar. The importance of using outlook calendar was discussed with regard for scheduling meetings and campus activities.

Action to be taken as a result of discussion, person(s) responsible, and timeline:

No action at this time.

Next meeting date, time, and location:

November 16, 2011

12:15 – 1:15 pm

Cleveland Hall 142.

Name of recorder:Mandy Orzechowski



Strategic Enrollment Management Committee (SEMC) Minutes 10/20/11

Strategic Enrollment Management Committee (SEMC)

Meeting Summary

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Present: Gayle Arries, Amanda Blanton, Jackie Blakley, Lou Ann Martin, Gwen Owens, Lisa Robinson, Linda Driggers, Eugene Grant, Lynn Lewis

The following is a summary of the SEMC meeting which occurred on Thursday, October 20, 2011.

Fall Enrollment Calendar

·         Amanda gave a brief update regarding changes that will be made to the fall calendar regarding admissions and registration deadlines. 

Retention Plan:

·         The committee discussed the status of the retention plan that was presented to the Executive Staff and the next steps involved in finalizing details, such as developing a project charter and a roll-out strategy.  Amanda announced that she and Deborah Brock had presented the plan framework in a faculty development workshop and that another workshop is planned in November, in addition to Amanda’s meeting with faculty and staff at the Anderson Campus in December.  The committee agreed that we should move forward with visible activities that emphasize student success and retention.  Examples might be

o   Developing a retention column in Connection to highlight best practices (Amanda to talk to Rebecca)

o   Gathering best practices from department heads/faculty

o   Talking to Sharon about planning the next Professional Development Day (next November 2012) to focus on the different aspects of retention (perhaps call it Professional Development for Student Success)

o   Developing retention resources for faculty and staff

·         Credit divisions gave examples of retention activities they are currently doing, such as

o   Eugene talked about asking all his faculty to put 1 idea for improving retention in the classroom on a post-it to be compiled (Eugene will send the compiled list to Amanda when done or bring to next meeting) and creating T-shirts to create a sense of community among students

o   Gwen talked about how the collaborations we have with other colleges to create 4-year pathways improves retention

·         The committee brainstormed with Gayle on questions she can ask students when she works on a video that will provide us with information on why students stay at TCTC or what they like about TCTC

·         The committee also talked about the need to make sure we recognize our own processes that may not be student friendly or help students be successful.  One process mentioned was the College’s withdrawal process, which is slated in the retention plan to be reviewed and improved, and discussed that perhaps we need a workgroup to begin reviewing this process.

·         It was mentioned that Diana Walter has developed some great retention techniques and that perhaps the SEMC should invite her to talk to the committee about some things she has done with Gateway.

Format of meeting:

·         Amanda asked if there were additional agenda items that should be included as part of the format of the SEMC meetings.  It was suggested that we include on a regular basis as part of the meeting a retention best practice section.

Strategic Enrollment Management Committee (SEMC) Minutes 9/27/11

Strategic Enrollment Management Committee (SEMC)

Meeting Summary

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Present: Gayle Arries, Amanda Blanton, Lou Ann Martin, Lisa Robinson, Eugene Grant, Lynn Lewis

The following is a summary of the SEMC meeting which occurred on Tuesday, September 27, 2011.

·         SEMC reviewed notes from prior week’s Executive Staff meeting and discussed next steps for meeting with Executive Staff on Wednesday, September 28.  Next steps include the following:

o   Refine retention plan by developing an executive summary of the plan that shows in a succinct format accomplishments in year 1 (foundation year) and how we plan to proceed;

o   SEMC discussed developing “quick wins” to add to the plan which contains more strategic and long-term activities. 

·         Gayle volunteered to develop the executive summary (Thank you Gayle!)

Strategic Enrollment Management Committee (SEMC) Minutes 9/27/11

Strategic Enrollment Management Committee (SEMC)

Meeting Summary

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Present: Gayle Arries, Amanda Blanton, Lou Ann Martin, Lisa Robinson, Eugene Grant, Lynn Lewis

The following is a summary of the SEMC meeting which occurred on Tuesday, September 27, 2011.

·         SEMC reviewed notes from prior week’s Executive Staff meeting and discussed next steps for meeting with Executive Staff on Wednesday, September 28.  Next steps include the following:

o   Refine retention plan by developing an executive summary of the plan that shows in a succinct format accomplishments in year 1 (foundation year) and how we plan to proceed;

o   SEMC discussed developing “quick wins” to add to the plan which contains more strategic and long-term activities. 

·         Gayle volunteered to develop the executive summary (Thank you Gayle!)

Faculty Senate Minutes (9/27/11)

Tri-CountyTechnicalCollege
Faculty Senate Minutes

Date: September 27, 2011

Location: CD 142

Time: 12:00 PM

Members Present:Donna Shannon, Elizabeth Bryan, John Price, Robert Newton, Mark Franks, Mandy Orzechowski, Bert Reed, Penny Edwards, Tonique Dennis, Cheryln Brown

Members Absent: Franklin Smith, Rhonda Harris, Marla Roberson, Amoena Norcross, Shannon Farr

Guests: Phil Buckhiester

Presided: Donna Shannon

Approval of Minutes:

1. Issue discussed and major points of discussion:  Purpose of Senate

Dr. Buckhiester spoke to members regarding the vision and purpose of the Faculty Senate.

Action to be taken as a result of discussion, person(s) responsible, and timeline:

None

2.   Issue discussed and major points of discussion: Election of Officers

Donna introduced herself discussed her role as President.  The Senate needs to elect a vice-president and secretary.  Penny agreed to serve as vice president.  Mandy agreed to serve as secretary.

Action to be taken as a result of discussion, person(s) responsible, and timeline:

None

3.   Issue discussed and major points of discussion: Senate Meetings

Donna asked what the best meeting time is for the members.  The Senate agreed to schedule regular meetings on the third Wednesday of the month at 12:15 PM.  Meetings will generally be held in CD 142.

Action to be taken as a result of discussion, person(s) responsible, and timeline:

Donna will schedule future meetings accordingly.

4.   Issue discussed and major points of discussion: Student Attendance Policy

Donna and Penny explained the history of the change in the student attendance policy as it appears in the catalog.  Dr. Buckhiester had reviewed the changes and questioned the removal of the first and last section.  The members of the Senate believe that the statement “Class attendance is crucial success” is implied in the new attendance policy.  The Senate also believes the final statement from the old policy is implied.  There are concerns regarding student awareness of the attendance policy.  How do we make sure that students get this information?  The Senate believes this information is covered in orientation.

Action to be taken as a result of discussion, person(s) responsible, and timeline:

Donna will ask Scott about the new attendance policy relative to new regulations.  Donna will ensure that the attendance policy is covered in orientation.

5.   Issue discussed and major points of discussion: Cameras in the Classroom

Donna asked that we consider how we feel about cameras in the classroom.  This conversation started because the math department wants to place cameras in a traditional classroom that has expensive, specialized equipment for distance classes with Clemson.  These are some of the concerns:

Do we want to record sound?

Will cameras be “by request” or campus wide?

What are the legal ramifications/constitutional issues of adding cameras to the classroom?

Action to be taken as a result of discussion, person(s) responsible, and timeline:

We need to have answers to these questions before members present their questions to individual divisions.

6.   Issue discussed and major points of discussion: Electronic Voting for Senate

Now that we are a multisite campus, should we have electronic voting for senators?  After discussion, the senate is sure electronic voting in the constitution.  Can Chris Marino show us how to do this with Survey Monkey?

Action to be taken as a result of discussion, person(s) responsible, and timeline:

Check with Chris about the use of Survey Monkey.

Announcements/Concerns:

Contact Donna with items to go on the agenda at the next meeting.

Next meeting date, time, and location:

October 19, 2011

12:15 – 1:15 pm

Fulp 400

Name of recorder:Mandy Orzechowski

Academic Delivery Group Minutes (9/27/11)

Academic Delivery Group Meeting

September 27, 2011

1:00 p.m.

Personnel Conference Room

(Revised October 6, 2011)

Members Present:   Jackie Blakley, Tim Bowen, Eugene Grant, Scott Harvey, Lynn Lewis, Gwen Owens, Donna Shannon, Sarah Shumpert, Brian Swords

Members Absent:       

Others Present:          Richard Smith

Length of Meeting:  1.75 hours

Topics Discussed:

Dr. Buckhiester noted his pleasure that Brian Swords has accepted the Easley Campus Director position, and welcomed him to the Academic Delivery Group.  Dr. Buckhiester also welcomed Richard Smith and thanked him for his willingness to provide information and answer questions about Blackboard. 

Sarah reminded the group that the recent change in Blackboard was a major upgrade, and we are still filtering out the issues and trying to determine if they are problems with Blackboard, or just adjustments to the new product. 

Richard discussed several issues with Blackboard.

• Until the upgrade, Blackboard was located on one server.  With the upgrade, Blackboard was placed on a three-server system, which requires a balanced load.  This imbalance was the cause of some of the recent problems. 

• The problem with quizzes is another issue that they continue to work on.  At completely random times, quiz screens freeze.  Since it is random, it is incredibly difficult to track, and for the most part, we only know about it because a student calls for help.  If the student is only allowed one attempt at a quiz, he/she cannot start over and return to try to complete the quiz.  Blackboard technical support has made several suggestions, and provided patches to the system.  The first two patches were not successful.  Our IT staff is applying the third patch, but only time will tell if it is successful.  Richard noted that we are monitoring tickets.  Once they diminish, we will assume the problem is resolved.  Everyone involved understands the frustration.  He asked the deans to let the instructors know that we continue to work on this problem. 

Dr. Buckhiester stated that we need to err on the side of the student.  If a student reports that he/she was shut out of a test, that student needs to be allowed to re-take the test.   It was noted that students need to self-identify.  We cannot help them, if we do not know who they are.

• Richard also addressed the PowerPoint issue.  This is a MicroSoft issue and is caused by the new version of PowerPoint.   

At the next meeting, Sarah will update the group on financial aid audit reporting.

The minutes of the August 23, 2011 meeting were approved as written.  In following up on the minutes, Dr. Buckhiester met with Dan Holland about the international student attendance/withdrawal issue.  Renae Frazier will meet with the four deans to address this issue.

The ADG meeting pattern has been changed to the first and third Thursday of each month at 1:00.  The change will begin on October 6.

Gainful employment/tracking for advising purposes was discussed.  If a student is enrolled in a program that is not considered a gainful employment program, he/she will be moved into the gainful employment program nearest to the original program.  Scott reported that those students have been moved, except for students who do not have a high school diploma. 

Scott announced that the waitlist function is ready.  He distributed a Waitlist Introduction for Students and a Waitlist Primer for Faculty/Advisors.  He reminded the group that the 16 hour window of time for a student to accept a seat starts as soon as the seat opens and the e-mail is sent.  Scott also pointed out the Waitlist Considerations on the back of the Primer.

Scott discussed SC TRAC institutional reports.  A handout with the available reports was distributed.  He noted that a lot of information is available through SC TRAC and recommended that the members of the ADG request access.  Dr. Buckhiester asked the members of the group to e-mail him by October 7, if they would like to be an authorized viewer for SC TRAC. 

Jackie, Tim, and Gwen gave an overview of the Achieving the Dream workshop.  Key points that they mentioned were:

• Good focus on retention with a lot of good ideas
• Colleges spend 90% of funds to recruit students; spend only 10% of funds to retain students
• Possible shift from an academic to a cost-effective perspective
• Need someone for the student to connect with immediately
• Is the branding message cost effective?

Dr. Buckhiester discussed registration restrictions/student criteria. Dr. Booth would like to explore options to restrict registration for certain subsets of students.  During discussion, it was noted that, philosophically, we do not want student success to become student irresponsibility.  Advising is a shared responsibility, and the student needs to be involved in the process.  If we take all the responsibility, we take all the liability too.  Logistically, if we set criteria to restrict registration, how difficult would it be to implement? Scott noted that students on warning and probation, and students in online courses could be coded and identified fairly simply. He also noted that the RAN would drive the implementation and success of this initiative and it could be heavily dependent on the advisor.  It may make the faculty member too responsible for student success.  Dr. Buckhiester noted that the initial input was very valuable as he works with Dr. Booth on this issue.

With agenda items remaining, the meeting was adjourned.

Recorded by:             Anne Bryan

Next Meeting:            Thursday, October 6, at 1:00 p.m., in the Personnel Conf. Room, RH 102

Academic Delivery Group Minutes (8/23/11)

Academic Delivery Group Meeting

August 23, 2011

1:00 p.m.

Personnel Conference Room

Members Present:   Jackie Blakley, Tim Bowen, Eugene Grant, Scott Harvey, Lynn Lewis, Gwen Owens, Donna Shannon, Sarah Shumpert

Members Absent:       

Others Present:          Mary Heyer

Length of Meeting:  2.0 hours

Topics Discussed:

Dr. Buckhiester welcomed Mary Heyer to the meeting and mentioned that the group appreciated her expertise when it came to attendance verification for online classes.  As background, Dr. Buckhiester noted that we plan to develop an institution-wide, common criterion for a student’s  first documented attendance in an online class.  Since that criterion is not ready for implementation yet, the group discussed how to handle this issue for fall.  E-mail with our contact at the Department of Education indicated that a common criterion with a reading assignment and response was a step in the right direction.  The DOE definition of attendance requires that a student either

• Post on a discussion board
• Complete an assignment or
• Take a test.

In order for any of these to be used as documentation for a DOE audit, the date and time for each activity must be noted.  Earlier versions of Blackboard had the capability to run a date/time report for audit purposes.  Our upgraded version does not have that capability, so that information would have to be gathered manually.  Mary stated that, for audit purposes, she will ask for a student, not a class, and she will need the first day attendance and the LDA.  Students who received a combination of W, F, or WF for all classes will be audited. 

For spring, Dr. Buckhiester asked Sarah to convene a small group to discuss options to document initial enrollment and last day of attendance.  In addition to Sarah, Mary Heyer, Scott Harvey and Jackie Blakley will be members of this group.

The minutes of the July 11, 2011 meeting were approved.

The group approved the dates of November 7 and 8 for the fall student survey conducted by Institutional Research. 

Scott reported that the new drop/add period was well received by the faculty.  Since JumpStart needs flexibility to move students around, he recommended that the procedure be revised to exclude JumpStart.  The group agreed.  Scott will revise the procedure and bring it to the next ADG meeting.  In response to a question, Scott noted that the 0 and 1 enrollment verification notations will be explained on the official class roll memo. 

Dr. Buckhiester discussed recognition for part-time students.  He reported that from fall 2010 to spring 2011, 31 students met the criteria.  To follow the same process as the other recognitions, Dan Holland will prepare a letter and certificate for these students, and Rebecca Eidson will prepare a media release.  This new recognition will start this fall. 

Gwen and Scott discussed the placement retesting procedure.  The group could not determine why the Compass ATB is not considered a retest.  Gwen will take this procedure back to the Placement Committee for review and revision.  Gwen reported that currently there are no Compass resources in the bookstore, so removing that wording in the procedure would not be problematic.  The Library has Compass resources, so the wording in the procedure about the Library resources will remain. 

Under Announcements, Dr. Buckhiester mentioned the Faculty Development booklet and noted the many good programs that will be offered this year.  He followed up on the need for IT to run maintenance at critical times during the semester.  After meeting with Lee Tennent, Lee explained that we cannot avoid testing, but if the potential exists that production would be impacted, the testing would be delayed.  Now, the college has two separate systems, one for production and one for testing, so testing should not be a problem.  Dr. Buckhiester noted that he has not received feedback on any problems concerning the students in the seven certificates that are not considered gainful employment programs.  He distributed information about DegreeSC, which is a statewide bachelor’s degree program.  No one in the group had any information on it.  He asked the group to encourage employees to load their schedules into the Outlook calendar. 

Scott stated that the enrollment verification (0s and 1s) is due on Tuesday by 9:00 p.m.   He will turn the system back on so that faculty can input data after the deadline.  Scott noted that the Business & Public Services and Industrial & Engineering Technology divisions will need to appoint new representatives to the Calendar Committee.  He introduced a new Student Records form that tracks students taking courses at other institutions.  In order for Student Records to be in the loop, Scott will add a signature line for Records. 

Jackie announced that the new accounting/management instructor, Esayas Araya, will be on campus on Aug. 29.  Jackie noted that, as a result of a BPS Division meeting discussion, faculty members believe they are being asked to carry international students on their class rolls, even if the students have stopped attending.  Dr. Buckhiester stated that he is not supportive of international students being treated differently from other students with respect to instructor’s attendance/withdrawal policy, and that he will follow up and report back to the group.  Also, Jackie noted that the ECD students spent clinical time at the DAR school this summer, and this joint venture worked very well.  She briefly mentioned some issues and problems with Blackboard.

Tim reported that the Anderson Campus has its first ever 7:00 a.m. class this fall.  Jerry Marshall is teaching a Probability and Statistics class, which seems to be well attended and is moving along.  Tim asked about the process for the first day rosters.  After some discussion it was decided that Scott would set a campus field on the rosters’ report, and someone on each community campus could print them so they are available on the first class day.  Scott, Tim and Brian will meet to discuss this.  Tim reported on the Oconee Campus.  Wayne Frady is on board and is moving forward with the campus.  Currently he is addressing a variety of things, including  IT issues, the installation of new equipment, and determining which services are needed at Oconee. 

Gwen announced that she will retire next June.

Sarah gave a Blackboard update.  She noted that the recent upgrade was a major upgrade and she was pleased that there were no critical issues.  IT continues to monitor Blackboard.  IT anticipates that there would be some issues and they are working on any problems.  Sarah stressed that this version of Blackboard is different, and many training sessions are available during the fall.  Sarah discussed WIDS and noted that the college is moving to the web-based version.  She will be working with a consultant during the week of December 12.  The consultant is very knowledgeable, and Sarah is pleased that we are working with her.  WIDS training will take place in the spring, and she encouraged deans, department heads and program coordinators to attend the training.  Sarah will attend a Deans’ meeting to provide more information on WIDS and to select a training date.

Donna noted that the Faculty Senate representatives should be posted soon.  She still needs four adjunct representatives.  Faculty Senate will hold its first meeting in September.

Eugene announced that enrollment for the I & ET division will likely break the 700 mark this fall. This will be the first time this has happened since 1993.  He is very pleased that the enrollment is increasing in undersubscribed programs.  He noted that he is still looking for an engineering transfer adjunct instructor. He also noted that we plan to build a Rosenwald School at the Anderson Campus this year. Dr. Buckhiester mentioned an e-mail from Elisabeth Gadd in which she thanked Eugene for the time he spent with a potential donor.  Because of his efforts, we have a new donor who will make a sizeable contribution to the college.    Eugene announced that Tri-County has partnered with Indian River Community College and Central Carolina Community College on a Southeast regional NSF grant, and they have been awarded the planning grant.

Recorded by:             Anne Bryan

Next Meeting:            Tuesday, Sept. 27, at 1:00 p.m. in the Personnel Conf. Room, RH 102s

Academic Delivery Group Minutes (7/11/11)

Academic Delivery Group Meeting

July 11, 2011

10:00 a.m.

Personnel Conference Room

Members Present:   Jackie Blakley, Scott Harvey, Lynn Lewis, Gwen Owens, Donna Shannon, Sarah Shumpert

Members Absent:      Tim Bowen, Eugene Grant  

Others Present:          Deborah Brock

Length of Meeting:  1.50 hours

Topics Discussed:

Dr. Buckhiester welcomed Deborah Brock to the meeting.  Deborah discussed New Faculty Orientation Advisor Training and distributed a handout.  She noted how much she appreciates the designated space for the Faculty Development office, and the released time to work with faculty development. She mentioned that one of the themes for this year is retention.  She is working on things that faculty can do to retain students, and is open to suggestions.  She briefly discussed new faculty orientation, noted the tentative schedule, and polled the group to determine that we are expecting 12 new full-time faculty on campus this fall. 

Deborah discussed advisor training, and is trying to help new faculty become advisors.  She noted that most of the orientation session is technical rather than philosophical.  She wants new advisors to have the philosophical background, but feels that it is too much information to try to add to the new faculty orientation session.  She suggested moving that aspect to a later time, and the group agreed that a second session would be beneficial.  Deborah noted that six advising sessions will be offered to update seasoned advisors.  These sessions are open to everyone.

Dr. Buckhiester welcomed Donna Shannon, the new Faculty Senate President, and Sarah Shumpert to the group. 

The minutes of the May 27, 2011 meeting were approved.  In following up on the minutes, Dr. Buckhiester noted that the Maximum Student Load procedure was approved by the College Commission at its last meeting.

Gwen discussed Policy 3-2-1015, Placement Testing, and Procedure 3-2-1010.4, Placement Retesting, and distributed the procedure.  The group discussed, at length, the use of the Ability to Benefit (ATB) guidelines and asked for clarification on why it is not considered a test attempt.  The group also questioned removing textbooks and study guides from purchase at the Bookstore and use in the Library.  Scott will try to get some clarification on the ATB issue, and Gwen will work with Wanda Screws for additional clarification. This will be an item on the next meeting’s agenda.

Dr. Buckhiester discussed procedures for addressing complaints of online students and noted that SACS is requiring a process to allow an online student to register a complaint and to go through the entire procedure without coming on campus.  Our procedure will accommodate those students who take only online courses.  If a student drives to class, he/she can drive to attend an appeal meeting.  Dr. Buckhiester noted that confirming the identity of the student is a FERPA concern, and Scott mentioned the identity questions that the Student Records’ staff asks for phone inquiries.  He agreed that there is only so much that we can do to identify the student.  Scott will discuss FERPA issues with Margaret Burdette and Chris Marino, and will conduct further research.  We will put this procedure in place and then wait for further input concerning FERPA.

Under announcements, Gwen reported that there are five finalists for the math positions.  The last two interviews will be completed today (7/11/11).  She also noted that we are moving forward with a feasibility study and looking into grant possibilities for a Fine Arts program. 

Lynn reported that the air conditioning in Fulp Hall is not working well, and ants have become a problem.  During the week of August 8, the air conditioning unit will be repaired.

Donna reported that she has two Faculty Senate vacancies, one in Health Education and one in Business & Public Services.  Faculty Senate will also need an adjunct faculty representative from each of the divisions.  Donna also noted that the attendance policy will go back to Faculty Senate for further review and revision. 

Scott noted that he plans to attend the Business & Public Services fall division meeting to update the division and to answer any questions.  He also reported that this year’s graduation served as a pilot to see how many Bridge students would graduate with the University Studies Certificate.  Scott would like to expand the pilot and asked the deans to think of any degree programs in which the student could get a diploma or a certificate.  Lynn mentioned the Nursing Prep Certificate. 

Sarah stated that due to a problem with SunGard, Blackboard will not be integrated with Banner.  We will upgrade Blackboard, so the training is still beneficial.  And, while it is not real time communication, it will be much better.  Sarah noted that we are working on securing passwords.

Dr. Buckhiester announced that Educational Talent Search received a grant of over $391,000.

He thanked the group for all the work on the request from Worklink to update the programs in their provider listing.  The updated spreadsheet was sent to Windy Graham on July 7. 

It was noted that we have seven certificates that do not qualify for gainful employment.  Scott will send a letter to students in these programs to make them aware of financial aid options.  As a new program moves through the Curriculum Committee, the gainful employment requirements need to be taken into account.  The Department of Education needs a 90-day advance notice that we plan to offer a new program.  The Department of Education can follow up with questions about the program at any time prior to our being 30 days away from implementation. Bill Whitlock needs new program information as early as possible.  Margaret Burdette is working on a draft of what is needed for a new certificate or diploma.  A new program should not be listed in the catalog until it has gone through the entire approval process.  Quick responses to needs will be provided by Corporate and Community Education. 

Dr. Buckhiester stated that he was notified recently by a SACS staff member that the Horticulture Certificate does not qualify as a workforce development certificate.  Upon inquiry, he learned that SACS is in the process of modifying its criteria for what constitutes a workforce development certificate.  It appears that new criteria will likely include (1) the certificate is offered in response to a specific employer request; (2) the institution plans to offer the certificate only once, in response to the specific employer need; and (3) the certificate is not offered at what SACS would call the “main campus” of the institution.  Any credential not considered a workforce development certificate requires a full prospectus, rather than a modified prospectus.

With no further business, the meeting was adjourned.

Recorded by:             Anne Bryan

Next Meeting:            Tuesday, August 23, at 1:00 p.m. in the Personnel Conf. Room, RH 102

Staff Advisory Board Minutes (9/21/11)

Staff Advisory Board Meeting

September 21, 2011

9:00 a.m.

Ruby Hicks Conference Room, RH-102

Members Present:    Rick Cothran, Jennifer Creamer, Tonique Dennis, Vicky Graves, Kelli                                Harrison, and Melinda Zeigler

Members Absent:     Lisa Anderson and Tonia McClain 

Others Present:        Cathy Payne

Length of Meeting:  40 Minutes

1.          ISSUE DISCUSSED:          Election of Officers

Cathy Payne, Chair of the Staff Advisory Board last year, opened the meeting and explained that the Board from last year assumed that the Vice Chair would move to the Chair position for the next year; however, according to the By-Laws, this is incorrect. The Board elects the officers at the first meeting each year. This year, Cathy Payne and Sue Bladzik rotated off the Board; and Kelli Harrison and Tonia McClain were appointed as their replacements. Cathy Payne left the meeting after sharing this information with the Board.

The By-Laws also state that the newly elected Chair must have served on the Board for one year to be eligible to serve as Chair. Vicky Graves nominated Tonique Dennis as the Chair and Jennifer Creamer seconded the nomination. Kelli Harrison was nominated as Vice Chair and Melinda Zeigler was nominated as Secretary. The group voted, and the nominations passed with no opposition.

Action Item:   Melinda Zeigler will inform Doris Simpson and Rebecca Edison of the newly elected officers, members that rotated off the Board, and the names of the new members.

2.          ISSUE DISCUSSED:          Scheduled Meetings

The Board meetings will be held on the second Thursday of every month at 8:30 a.m. in RH-102.

Action Item:   Melinda Zeigler will send a meeting request and reserve the Ruby Hicks Conference room (RH-102) on the appropriate dates.

3.          ISSUE DISCUSSED:          Policies and Procedures for Review

Rick Cothran stated that Dr. Booth commented to him that he wants the Staff Advisory Board to be more involved in reviewing policies and procedures and give feedback to him and to the Executive Staff. Rick suggested that Tonique schedule a meeting with Dr. Booth to discuss the role of the Staff Advisory Board and determine what he feels should be the duties of the Board.

Staff Advisory Board Meeting Minutes

Page 2

September 21, 2011

Action Items: Tonique will schedule a meeting with Dr. Booth. She will also check with Lisa Saxon to see if she has a list of policies and procedures that are up for review this year.

4.          ISSUE DISCUSSED:          Faculty/Staff Picnic and Christmas Drop-In

Last year, the Board discussed developing a spreadsheet of expenses incurred for both of these events; however, it has not been determined if this was completed. Jennifer suggested that Debbie Nelms would probably have the amount spent for both of these events since they were funded by the Foundation.

Action Items: Jennifer Creamer will contact Debbie Nelms to determine the amount of funds available for the Christmas Drop-In and the Faculty/Staff Picnic this year. Melinda will follow up to see if a spreadsheet was completed last year; and, if not, she will get the amounts spent last year and create a spreadsheet.

5.       ISSUE DISCUSSED:          By-Laws

           Kelli Harrison was given a copy of the By-Laws for the Board. After Tonique meets with Dr. Booth, the Board will review the By-Laws to determine if changes need to be made.

Action Item:   Melinda will send a copy of the By-Laws to Tonia McClain.

Motion was made at 9:40 a.m. by Vicky to adjourn the meeting with all members in favor.

Recorded by:           Melinda Zeigler

Next meeting:          Thursday, October 13, at 8:30 a.m., RH-102