Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes 12-8-16

FACULTY SENATE MEETING

Thursday, December 8, 2016, RH 245, 10:00AM

 

In attendance: Meg Allan, Ann Barnes, Ed Eudy, Stacey Frank, Tonia Faulling, Tom Hiebel, Justin Herndon, Bill Leverette, Timeko McFadden, Laura McClain, Mary Orem, Mourning Pace,  Richard Reeves, Julia B. Seligson, Matthew Simon, Debbie Vance, Jonathan Warnock

Not in attendance.  Gregg Corley, Penny Edwards, Paula Scales Whitmire, Renee Turner,

Guests: Andrea Barnett, Melissa Blank, Amanda Blanton

Welcome and Agenda

Stacey Frank called the meeting to order at 10:01 AM.

Minutes of October 28, 2016

Minutes were distributed and approved via electronic vote prior to this meeting.

Old Business

Meg reported that the issue related to required input of the last date of attendance for online and hybrid students for the last week of class has been resolved starting next semester (Spring 2017).  After further research performed by Financial Aid  representatives, the government indicated that the LDA for the last week of class could be the same as the last scheduled class day for the semester. IT is working on a programming change that will eliminate the need for manual input of the LDA during the final week of class.  These changes should be reflected in the Attendance Memorandum that will distributed the first week of classes for the spring semester. 

New Business

Tom Hiebel reported on a situation where a student was required to take a pre-requisite math course (MAT 102) due to posted test scores which the student had taken while in high school.  The student in question had taken a higher level math course while enrolled as dual enrollment student.  When the student changed status to a full time Bridge student, there was no requirement to retest and the student was required to take MAT 102.  There was significant discussion about how this process works and whether or not additional students could be effected.  As a result, three follow up items were proposed:

1. Timeko McFadden, who is a member of an advising task force, will follow up with Bridge Program Director, Kristen Karasek, to determine if advising guidelines may need to be modified to address this situation.
2. Andrea Barnett is heading up a “Multiple Measures” task force which is looking at additional measures that could be used for placement decisions outside of the actual test scores on placement tests. The dual enrollment situation will be added to the scope of this initiative.
3. Tom Hiebel will determine if a report can be generated to identify former dual enrollment students who could also be impacted.

Committee Reports

• Strategic Initiatives-Classroom Design.   Stacey is working on this project team and updated FS on its purpose and status.  Stacey thinks that it is important to have as much faculty input as possible on how classrooms should be designed to best encourage student learning.  Given the focus on HIP’s; classroom design and technology will need to adapt to accommodate collaborative learning. After discussing several alternatives that would encourage faculty to provide input, group consensus included two preferred methods; one, conduct focus group sessions (could be added to Professional Development schedule), and two, schedule a number of town hall meetings for faculty participation.  Stacey thanked the group for their ideas and will follow up with scheduling.
• Calendar Committee.   Meg reported that the committee has been working on documenting all of the considerations that influence our academic calendar.  Committee members felt that it is important to communicate to all how this process works and why certain decisions are made.  The committee finalized its recommended changes to the Academic Calendar Considerations document which will be updated and posted.   Sharon Colcolough provided the TCTC holiday schedule for the years 2017 through 2020 which is also being added to the document.  The committee further agreed that when scheduling decisions are made, such as moving a date on which a holiday will be recognized, the information will be communicated and highlighted.  Meg will provide another update when the document is ready for posting.  A committee meeting that was to be held in December was cancelled due to a conflict and will be rescheduled.
• Parking Committee: Tom Hiebel reported the long term parking committee will re-engage during the Spring semester
• Academic Leadership Team.  Stacey reported that there were no updates from these team meetings but that there is a PAC meeting scheduled for Tuesday, December 13, 2016.
• New Portal Committee.  Ann Barnes reported that IT organized a committee to find a replacement portal for eTC which will no longer be supported. There are a number of faculty and staff areas represented on the committee to ensure broad participation in identifying the best solution.  IT has identified a possible replacement which the committee will assess.  The goal is to have the new portal in place no later than fall 2017.

Next Meeting

The next meeting is tentatively scheduled on Friday,  January 27, 2017  at 1:00 PM. Stacey asked senators to look at their schedules for the spring semester and let Meg know if this conflicts with your schedules. If it does conflict be sure to provide Meg with your availability.

With no further business the meeting was adjourned at 11:14 AM.    

Recorded by:  Meg Allan, 12/8/2016

 

 

Service Excellence Team 11-11-2016

SERVICE EXCELLENCE TEAM
Meeting Minutes
Date: November 11, 2016
Opening

The regular meeting of the SET was held in RH 245 on Friday, November 11, 2016. The meeting was called to order by Cara Hamilton at 10:00 a.m.

Present
Cara Hamilton, Scott Jaeschke, Aida Laham, Kathy Brand, Richard Parker, Lynn Lewis, Laura McClain, Lisa Anderson
Absent:
Celebrations:

·         Cara reported that Greenwood Hall has done a great job as our call center management system during their pilot period.  They have come on campus for additional training with multiple departments to more effectively serve TCTC students who call in. The data we are receiving from them is invaluable. To date they serve 4 technical colleges within our system but are working on an RFP contract with the System Office to serve all 16 colleges.  While waiting on this process to take place, TCTC has decided to continue use of their services through our spring rush period.

·         Scott gave a shout out of praise for the planning of our recent PD day.

·         Lisa gave a shout out of praise to Marianne Yohannan for working with her on faculty development.

·         Cara also mentioned the importance of effective communication and how information should be disseminated within the College, departments, etc.

Review Decision & Action Tracking from last meeting:

Action items were reviewed and updated from the last meeting (see tracking chart below).

Update for Sub teams:
Communication- Aida reported the communication and response for Tri-Day apparel has been successful. To date 355 orders have been placed, with the deadline being November 14.  The orders should be delivered by the end of November.  She hopes to have the link that will provide additional options (such as vests, jackets, shirts) that can be ordered by individuals or departments ready in December. Student order options were discussed. Aida will discuss the option of having items available in the book store with Lou Moritz.  Aida will also work on possible competitive contest wearing the Tri-Day apparel in the near future.
Talent Management: Lisa reported

1) Information on a new Wellness Challenge will be sent out in the near future.  She stated there would be two parts to this challenge:  The first part being that all who participate try to maintain their weight over the holidays, weighing in before and after the holiday season.  The second part will be a 12 week challenge to track healthy activities.  These will incorporate SPARK videos or trainings, along with physical activities to earn points.  Chris Marino will set up a survey to track activities of individuals and teams. Lynn suggested making activities visible to students, such as a walking group on Fridays.

2) Lisa reported that in the last 3 weeks, SPARK, the new learning management system, has had 97 people log-in, 35 hours of training have taken place, and 41 courses have been completed. She stated that LC 101 and other groups will be required to complete courses within the system and all employees will be required to complete compliance training (OSHA, Cyber security, active shooter training, etc.) the first of the year in the system.  She noted the system tracks and can send email reminders of required trainings to employees and supervisors.

3) Professional Development Day data was shared.  80% of FT employees (279) signed up for sessions on PD day. Of those that signed up 88% attended sessions. Lisa stated the sessions were set up to reflect the College’s strategic initiatives. Discussion took place on mandatory requirements of attending PD day activities.  It was suggested to have supervisors encourage employees to participate in PD. Cara suggested adding the results of attendance on PD day into Connections and report out so folks realize how sessions are tied to strategic initiatives.  It was also suggested that sessions be recorded and put into SPARK.  The Spring PD (date to be communicated) will be a half day of training sessions and the other half team/department activities. Richard requested the dates be given out asap for planning.  Lisa asked for suggestions of sessions.  Lynn suggested a session on diversity and inclusion. 

Recognition: Laura McClain reported her team met on Oct. 22. Discussion took place on changing the name of the SweeTCart to the SweeTCarTCrew.  The Cafe has sent pricing figures for cookies, pastries and tea to Laura. The group wants to tie the Sweetcart to employee recognition. The crew will possibly take the treats to the whole department of the nominated employee that is selected.  Ross will be contacting Lou to discuss the food truck options in the spring. Aida shared a communication plan with Laura who has asked her group to all develop a plan for the Sweetcart.  They will meet and finalize a plan using all suggestions. 

Cara asked that reminders be sent out regarding the recognition cards so they can be used often for employee recognition.  They are located in all mail rooms.  Roberta has information on cards if needed.

 

Measurement: Scott will report in December on the SLA training with the library staff due to a change in the training session.  He stated he has been charged with reviewing the bylaws of the Staff Advisory Board to see if revisions are necessary in order for the group to be more effective in accomplishing its objectives/goals.  He requested suggestions and stated F/S needed to be re-educated on the advocacy of the group.  Discussion took place and it was determined that the group needs clarification on its goals, good leadership, and a plan to re-educate members and F/S to rejuvenate SAB’s original purpose. 

Cara stated the SAB in the past planned the Holiday party and asked if the SET would be interested in organizing and implementing the event this year.  Discussion took place on the date, planned activities, incorporating the theme of celebration of service excellence into the party, food and budget.  The group agreed to move forward with planning of the event. Cara will contact Debbie Thrasher and Debbie Powell for information on past planning. She will set up a planning meeting asap inviting Lou and others not on SET to assist.

 

Service Obstacle System- Richard stated he presented 2 session on LEAN during the PD day with 37 people attending.  He had good feedback helping those who attended understand they are empowered to identify obstacles and make changes to improve processes.  He reported he will be starting his own project back up and stated others in the College are working on some major projects such as overnight travel, permission to travel, and P-card processes.  An article in Connections will feature how Lou Moritz has used LEAN to solve an issue in the book store and save the College money. 
 
Management Accountability: Cara reminded the group that the SET will vet the LEAN projects that Richard and Cathy send forward. She mentioned highlights from the article she sent regarding Student Shadowing and User Experience (UX: the term refers to the interaction between a person and a tool or system). Discussion took place on shadowing students to see what works for them and how processes can be improved.  More information on this concept will be presented in the future. 

Academic – Member At Large:  Lynn Lewis suggested having someone within the Chick-fil-a company come on campus to discuss their business’s hiring, employee trainings, and what their company looks for in employees.   This could be on a PD or another time to include F/S and students. Lisa and Lynn will follow up with the manager of the Seneca store to see about his availability.
Wrap Up:

                Review Next Steps for each SET:

                Confirm Next meeting – Friday, Dec. 9, 2016 at 10:00am in RH 245                                                                            

Placement Committee Meeting 11-7-2016

Tri- County Technical College – Placement Committee Meeting
Monday, November 7^th, 2016 (3:00 – 4:00 p.m.) -- Cleveland 142
Faculty/Staff Present

Andrea Barnett, Amanda Blanton, Keri Catalfomo, Elizabeth Cox, Galen Dehay, Allison Earley, George Fiori, Scott Harvey, Jennifer Hulehan, Tasheka Johnson, Donna Palmer, Amy Roberts, Julia Seligson, Carol Watts, and Hap Wheeler

Absent were K.C. Bryson, Trent Hulehan, and Tracy Kilgore.

 Opening Remarks

Andrea Barnett, mathematics instructor for the Arts and Sciences Division, stated that she appreciated everyone’s attendance at the meeting.  Galen Dehay will discuss the State Tech CAO meeting in October and decisions being discussed concerning Multiple Measures.

Galen Dehay, Comments and Update on the October Meeting with the State Tech CAO Meeting

§  MOU with Adult Education has been sent, and TCTC is waiting on approval.

§  According to research:  All other colleges use placement tests, but they are not always an accurate predictor.  Both Compass and Accuplacer lack predictability for English and Math.

§  All Tech Colleges in SC are using Accuplacer.

§  Other states such as North Carolina and California are using Multiple Measures to place students.

§  Measure most widely used is HS GPA and is most predictive of the student. Seventy percent of students are earning 2.5 GPA.

§  If they are program ready, start in the program, or prepare for the program.

§  Florida legislature abolished Developmental Education if the student graduated ready for college.

§  Education Oversight Committee is looking at ACT reading and math sections as predictor, but not for English.

§  CAO’s discussed using 3.0 GPA unweighted

§  TCTC could use HS GPA, required transcript, and Options 2 and 3 on the handout.

§  If we don’t come up with a Multiple Measures plan, then the State will.  So we need to have our own in place.

§  Galen proposes –

ü Convene task force

ü ACT is better predictor than SAT, which is a poor indicator

ü Try to continue to analyze ways to predict correct placement by using Multiple Measures

ü Program Ready versus Course Ready, then Transition Ready

ü Tie all options into Program recommendations

ü Assign Task Force for the transition (Placement & Math—Andrea Barnett, English—Allison Earley, Transition to College—Jennifer Hulehan, Student Data & Admissions—Scott Harvey, Institutional Research—K.C. Bryson, IT-- Pam McWhorter, Assessment—Carol Watts, and Dual Enrollment—Amanda Blanton)

Comments/Questions

§  Hap Wheeler suggested bringing Brad Bostian from NC to discuss what they are doing and what tweets they have had to make.

§  Carol Watts stated that Accuplacer showed students were not ready, but Compass said different.  Carol stated that Accuplacer score ranges were lower.

§  Donna Palmer is concerned about predictor for science courses.

§  Scott Harvey stated that we are always a year out after the task force completes its work.

§  There is a push to get K-12 students ready for college and dual enrollment.

§  We are the only tech college that uses our faculty to teach dual enrollment in the local high schools.

Requests

Send Andrea questions regarding what we need from Scott Harvey.

With no other business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned.

Recorded by Elizabeth Cox

Academic Leadership Team 9-27-2016

Academic Leadership Team
September 27, 2016
1:00 pm
Ruby Hicks Hall, Room 248
Members Present:     Gayle Arries, Tiffany Blackwell, Jackie Blakley, Matt Edwards, Penny Edwards, Stacey Frank, Adam Ghiloni, Scott Harvey, Glenn Hellenga, Linda Jameison, Lynn Lewis, Chris Marino, Crystal McLaughlin, Mandy Orzechowski, Sarah Shumpert, Brian Swords, Hap Wheeler, Tracey Williams

Members Absent:      Tim Bowen, Rick Cothran, Jenni Creamer, Mark Dougherty

Other Attendees:       Cara Hamilton
Length of Meeting:   1.50 hours
The minutes of the September 13, 2016 meeting were approved as presented.
Cara Hamilton discussed Project Board Training.  She distributed a PowerPoint presentation, Project Sponsors & Project Boards at Tri-County, the last page of procedure

1-7-1000.3, Project Management, and encouraged the group to review the procedure. In addition to the handouts, the following were noted:

·         Project categories:  Both need approval

o   Large – greater than $100,000 and more than 2,000 man-hours

o   Intermediate – greater than $50,000 and more than 1,000 man-hours

o   Over $1,000,000 must have state approval

o   State approval does not mean state funding

·         To determine if a project idea is viable, it should go through a feasibility study flow chart.  Every option is vetted with the best option moving forward. A subsequent study fleshes out more detailed design.  Keep in mind that sometimes not moving forward is the best decision.

·         Project management must balance:  time, resources, and quality

·         Project Sponsor is typically an Executive Staff member or Executive Staff member’s direct report, someone who can champion the project and assign needed resources.

·         Project Board acts as an advisory board.  Board members are usually subject matter experts, technical experts, or are passionate about the project 

After the discussion, the group noted the following obstacles:

·         Getting the necessary signatures. 

·         Treating as doctrine.  The Board does not push the decision-making down.

·         Missing next steps/project close out piece.

·         Time scale.

·         Lack of use/awareness of AchieveIt as a repository.

·         Needs assessment check-in points, after which the project cannot change.  Build into the project charter’s Milestones.

·         Need to consider inter-dependencies.

·         Need to consider risks/opportunity costs .

 Next Steps:

Cara, Lynn Lewis, and Adam will create a post-implementation/close out template, which will become a part of the project management system.

Brian Swords discussed Project Inter-dependencies and distributed Distance/Online Learning Charters & Workgroups.  As a member of each group, he realized that the college has four groups working on related topics.  It was noted that this is an example of awareness of inter-dependencies and of the need to bring “scope creep” into check.  The members of the group were encouraged to look at the groups in which they are involved and to bring any issues back to the ALT.  Project Charters tend to encompass many areas, so communication is key to avoid this duplicate work.  In order to limit the dependencies ask 1) who is the audience?, and 2) what are the questions?

Announcements:

Mandy Orzechowski congratulated Gayle Arries on the AOP Showcase.  It was going to be a great event. 

Adam reported that the cohort to fail rate continues to decrease.  It is 17.1 % this year, trending to 16.3% next year, with a goal of 15%.
Matt Edwards reminded the group about the regularly scheduled IT maintenance window this Friday, 9/30 from 2:00 – 8:00 pm.  He also announced the kick-off of the Cyber Security Awareness Training Project.  All employees will be trained on what to look for from the IT standpoint.  Assessments will be taken to determine the effectiveness of the training. 
Mandy stressed that the college needs to be very aware of security and confidentiality issues and noted that simply closing your door and locking your computer can be very effective.
With no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
Recorded By:             Anne Bryan
Next Meeting:            Tuesday, October 25, at 1:00, in RH 248

Faculty Senate Minutes 10-28-16

Faculty Senate
Friday, October 28, 2016, OC 115, 1:00PM

 

In attendance: Meg Allan, Ann Barnes, Penny Edwards, Stacey Frank, Tom Hiebel, Bill Leverette, Timeko McFadden,  Richard Reeves, Matthew Simon, Debbie Vance,  Paula Scales Whitmire.

Not in attendance.  Gregg Corley, Ed Eudy, Tonia Faulling, Justin Herndon, Laura McClain, Mary Orem, Mourning Pace,  Aristide Sechandice, Renee Turner, Jonathan Warnock

Guests: Galen Dehay; Sue Andrus representing Mary Orem.

Welcome and Agenda

Stacey Frank called the meeting to order at 1:04 PM.

Minutes of September 30, 2016

Minutes were distributed and approved via electronic vote prior to this meeting.

Galen Dehay distributed copies of, “Who’s Coming to College?” which was presented at the President’s Advisory Committee (PAC) meeting on Tuesday, October 18. 2016.  The presentation was organized in three parts:

1. Snapshot of the students currently attending TCTC organized by a number of characteristics.
2. A description of the demographic shift facing community colleges over the next ten years with the only growth area occurring in the 25 years of age and over demographic.  Galen discussed how the institution will be targeting this “under-resourced” student demographic in the future.
3. The composition of TCTC’s workforce and talent management approach to replacing 40.2% of the college’s workforce that will be eligible for retirement during the next five years.

Galen stressed the importance of engaging faculty and staff to provide input regarding how we can meet the challenges associated with serving the targeted student population.    Additionally he encouraged those who would like more information regarding our planning for the future to attend the session entitled, “Challenges and Opportunities of Serving Under-resourced Students,” on professional development day on November 8, 2016.  

Old Business

New LDA requirement in accordance with Attendance Memorandum dated 8/16/2016.  Galen reported that Scott Harvey has been working on this issue with a committee and that progress was being made to find an automated solution.

New Business

No new business was presented to the senate.

Committee Reports

Calendar Committee.   Meg reported that the next meeting would be held the second week of November.  Stacey reported that she had discussed the ideas generated during the September senate meeting with Galen and that she had distributed an update to all faculty.  The one idea that could be explored in the future was to hold graduations on a Saturday if that will relieve some pressure on the calendar.  Meg agreed to mention this again at the next calendar committee meeting.

Leading Edge. Laura McClain provided an update to Stacey prior to the meeting.  Student participation has been growing thanks to faculty encouraging students or assigning students to attend individual workshops.  Faculty are encouraged to obtain feedback from students, make suggestions for workshop topics, and participate as speakers in their areas of expertise and interest.  Senators discussed topics that are especially needed including diversity and civility. 

Academic Leadership Team.  Stacey reported that there was an initiative underway to review the “Programs at a Glance,” section of the catalog to ensure that students are being provided with the correct information.  Also during the college admissions process there could be three measurements associated with student placement: Accuplacer scores, high school GPA, and ACT scores. 

Next Meeting

The next meeting will be held on Thursday, December 8, 2016 at 10:00 AM.  Meg will reserve a location for the meeting and send invitations.

With no further business the meeting was adjourned at 2:24 PM.  

Recorded by:  Meg Allan, 10/28//2016.

 

 

Faculty Senate Meeting 9-30-16

FACULTY SENATE MINUTES

Friday, September 30, 2016 - CD 142 - 1:00PM

 

In attendance: Meg Allan, Ann Barnes, Gregg Corley, Penny Edwards, Ed Eudy, Stacey Frank, Tonia Faulling, Justin Herndon, Bill Leverette. Laura McClain, Timeko McFadden, Mourning Pace, Matthew Simon, Renee Turner, Debbie Vance, Jonathan Warnock, Paula Scales Whitmire.

Not in attendance.  Tom Hiebel, Mary Orem, Richard Reeves, Aristide Sechandice

Guests: Ashlan Ferguson,

Welcome and Agenda

Stacey Frank welcomed the new adjunct/lecturer senators, asked attendees to introduce themselves, and presented the agenda for the meeting.

Minutes of August 25, 2016

Minutes were distributed and approved via electronic vote prior to this meeting.

Old Business

Overload contracts. Stacey reported that a number of faculty expressed concerns about calculations of overload contract compensation.   Stacey looked into the matter and as a result, the following changes were implemented:

• Two (2) hours were added for the exam period for those who are giving exams.
• If after the two (2) hour adjustment an instructor’s contract amount is less than in previous terms, the higher amount would be applied, which is the practice currently in place for adjunct instructors.

Copies of Sharon Colcolough’s September 21^st e-mail, Adjunct Compensation and Overload were distributed.  In this communication, Sharon reported the above-referenced changes, and clarified the process for calculating contacts.

Stacey indicated that she was pleased that administration had responded quickly to issues raised and asked senators if there were any outstanding items related to this matter  There were two points raised: 1) faculty expressed disappointment that administration had to be contacted after the fact to remedy the contract calculations, and 2) a question remained regarding why the minimum instructional minutes in accordance with  SACSCOC guidelines of 750 minutes per credit hour were selected as opposed to the 770 minutes which would be the minimum for teaching a MWF class.

Stacey indicated she would follow up on this question and report back.

New Business

• Faculty titles.  A question was raised regarding the use of “non-official” titles on e- mail correspondence. After full discussion, the majority of the senators conveyed that they did not see a need to establish a policy or guidelines related to the matter. 
• Attendance memorandum dated 8/16/2016 and new LDA requirements.  A preliminary calculation estimated that at a minimum this new procedure would require faculty to input 13,000 LDA’s at the end of the term. Faculty senate would like to get a better understanding of why this is required.  The matter was added to the Agenda for the next Academic Leadership Team (ALT) meeting in order to obtain clarification of the potential impact.  Stacey will report back the results.
• Clemson student learning evaluation process.  Stacey brought this matter forward on behalf of Aristide Sechandice and distributed an outline of the process which was designed by a Clemson professor.  The methodology includes a pre-course knowledge essay and a post course knowledge essay which is written by the student as a method to evaluate learning.  After some discussion, it was recommended that faculty wanting more information reach out to Aristide and if there is enough interest, ask the Clemson professor to conduct an information session for faculty here on campus.

Committee Reports

• Parking. Stacey distributed a copy of an update provided by Cara Hamilton.  The update included; 1) Shuttle service to Mechanic Street parking lot now has its last run at 5:45 PM, 2) twenty (20) additional spaces behind Fulp Hall will be designated for faculty/staff,   3) parking permits will no longer be issued to work study students, and 4) when the current permits expire (Fall 2017) they will be replaced by permit stickers.
• Calendar. Meg reported that due to many considerations related to creating the calendar for each term that the following were either approved or recommended by the committee members:
  • Approved.  The Memorial Day holiday during summer 2017 term will be designated as a work day in exchange for a Monday, July 3^rd holiday to precede Tuesday’s July 4^th, to allow for a long weekend.
  • Recommended. Scheduling professional development day during fall 2017 term.  A number of alternatives were explored and the final recommendation was to schedule on Tuesday, October 17, 2017 which had originally been designated as day two (2) of fall break. This appeared to be the best way to ensure that the college could be closed the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.  The plan is for “A” term to end Monday December 4, 2017 followed by 5 days for exams, and grades due on Wednesday December 16, 2017.  Post grade processing takes three business days after grades are submitted.

Senators asked if we needed to have a professional day during fall 2017 term, and if so, suggested that we recommend that professional development day be held on the day of fall convocation.  This would take some pressure off calendar restrictions allowing for a two (2) day fall break, or end the term a day earlier.  Stacey agreed to follow up with ALT and Meg agreed to present the idea to the calendar committee

• Academic Leadership Team.  Stacey reported that faculty have been assigned to the 5 key strategic initiative project teams.

Next Meeting

The next meeting will be held on Friday, October 28, 2016 at 1:00 PM.  Meg will attempt to find a larger room for the next meeting and will notify senators. 

With no further business the meeting was adjourned at 2:43 PM.  

Recorded by:  Meg Allan, 9/30/2016.

 

 

Service Excellence Team 10-14-2016

SERVICE EXCELLENCE TEAM
Meeting Minutes
 Date: October 14, 2016

Opening

The regular meeting of the SET was held in RH 245 on Friday, October 14, 2016. The meeting was called to order by Cara Hamilton at 10:00 a.m.

Present

Cara Hamilton, Scott Jaeschke, Aida Laham, Kathy Brand, Richard Parker, Lynn Lewis, Sharetta Bufford, Laura McClain,  Jeff Lawless for Lisa Anderson

Absent:

Celebrations:

·         Cara reported on how well the on-site SACS visit went this week.  The chair, Dr. Ingram commented on how well the College prepared for the visit and stated the committee had no recommendations related to the QEP.  Dr. Baird, the SACS liaison, stated there are no next steps unless we want to add/embed some of their suggestions/comments into the report. 

·         Cara mentioned she was excited about SPARK, System for Performance and Achievement through Resources and Knowledge.  Jeff will share more info on this new online employee learning and development system.

·          Lynn Lewis reiterated the fact of having no issues with assessment from the SACS team and how important this is to all programs within the College.

·         Laura McClain discussed the volunteer hours their students are required to complete.  She stated students usually complain about having to complete these activities, but in the long run see the value and learning experiences that come from it.  Students benefit from this type of real life experience.

·         Aida stated that one of the SACS visitors tweeted thanks for the southern hospitality he received while at TCTC and she re-tweeted and thanked him for the compliment.

·         Scott praised the 20 Clemson students who serve as resident assistants at Highpoint. Student conduct has been challenging this year.  He reported how dedicated, professional, and committed the residents assistants have been, stating 17 are former Bridge students themselves. 

·         Jeff praised the treatment of a recent candidate on campus for an interview.  He appreciated the welcome he received.

·         Richard stated he needed the help from maintenance to clean up an area that makes our area unimpressive.  Cara will get him Steven Wilkins, the new Budd group leader, contact information.  

 

Review Decision & Action Tracking from last meeting:

Action items were reviewed and updated from the last meeting (see tracking chart below).
Update for Sub teams:
Communication- Aida reported that she had taken the Tri-Day information before the Executive staff for approval and that Dr. Booth announced information at the Faculty/Staff meeting.  She stated the timeline has been pushed back due to finalizing the type of shirts, but will send an update on the timeline as soon as possible.
Talent Management: Jeff reported on 5 major areas:

1) SMART Supervisor training: Supervisor Methods Actions and Response Training has begun with Cohort 1 currently on session 3 of 4.  There will be a total of 4 cohorts, 2 in the fall semester and 2 in the spring semester, which should meet the goal of training all supervisors on campus. Going forward, one session per year will be conducted to catch new supervisors and allow open seats to those identified in succession as needed. Lynn asked about program directors who manage people, but are not direct supervisors. Jeff stated that if there is a need to have others participate, additional sessions could be added.

2) LC101 is midway through its classes, with 11 faculty and 19 staff members participating. They are working on their IDPs, Individual Development Plans. In addition, the class has been split into groups and assigned the task of developing group project charters on improving customer service as a College. This familiarizes them with the project charter process and allows them to work in diverse teams.  This activity has evolved and now reflects HIP. 

3) Professional Development Day will offer a faculty track with sessions by Dr. John Zubizarreta.

In addition, Galen DeHay and Diana Walter will offer challenges and opportunities of serving under-resourced students. Other shorter sessions are being offered and can be signed up for through the email sent on Oct. 12^th. Refresher emails will be sent.  The goal is to have all sign up by Oct. 31. 

4) SPARK: The System for Performance and Achievement through Resources and Knowledge is TCTC’s new online employee learning and development system. The email included information and has links to take a tour, TCTC values, IT information and much more.  Trainings will be added within SPARK to include: Compliance trainings, Title IX training, Harassment training, active shooter trainings, and OSHA trainings, HIPA training, and much more.  Our goal is to have all of our learning information housed in one area. New employees will be given a time frame to complete required trainings.  Current employees will also have specific trainings to complete starting in November. This information will be disseminated in the near future. Jeff reported that departments/division heads will have the ability to run reports and track employee’s activities within SPARK. Cara interjected that departments should be creative with these required learning activities doing such things as lunch and learns to complete requirements. More emails with SPARK information are planned and employee access to SPARK is through eTC on the employee tab.   The suggestion of having an advisory board for SPARK was mentioned in order to cover a cross section of ideas of things that may be added into SPARK.   

5) Competencies initiatives: Identified competencies are now part of EPMS so supervisors be able to cover these areas with employees.   

 

Recognition: Sharetta introduced Laura McClain as her replacement as the SET Recognition lead, stating she will be an asset to the group with a new prospective. Sharetta will continue to be on the recognition sub-team.  She reported that Ross has not gotten pricing for the SweeTCart to date, but will have them in the near future. Cara stated the SweeTCart needs a plan developed to include a goal, objective, purpose and cost.  This plan needs to be brought to Executive Staff for approval.  She reported talking with Lou Moritz regarding the food trucks on campus.  There is already a plan to have food trucks here on Oct. 27 when the café will be closed for the Annual Report Luncheon. Sharetta stated they may wait and plan a spring food truck event, possibly on a day the café is closed. Discussion took place regarding possible vendors. Chick-fil-a and their service and relationship to TCTC was discussed as a viable option.  Discussion also took place regarding the dissemination of recognition cards.   Cara questioned how do we keep this type of recognition alive and remind people about the cards.  It was suggested to include information in employee announcements and possibility on SPARK.
Measurement: Scott shared his excitement over the first service level agreement (SLA) workshop being held on Monday, Oct. 17 with the Library department.  Plans are to make adjustments as needed and continue presenting/training with other departments across campus developing SLA in different areas. The benchmarks for offices will be developed and used to measure and track service levels internally over time. 
Service Obstacle System- Richard stated he is schedule to present two sessions on Nov. 8 during our FS Professional Development day. He reported previous projects are moving slowly with Linda Jameison currently working on a large project and multiple smaller projects are in the works.  He reiterated the purpose of LEAN is to empower employees to make changes in processes when current processes need changing/updating.
Management Accountability: Cara reported sending out questions to her group concerning cultural changes and accountability.  She stated she received responses regarding clear expectation and better service, supporting peer recognition and managing consistency.    Discussion took place with the following mentioned: better service and expectations have improved and SLA will continue to help in all areas; work needs to continue on holding people accountable; Faculty Senate is another avenue to promote and get information out; there has been a shift in the right direction for better service; a new set of competencies has been added to EPMS and faculty needs training; new questions have been added on search committees to include behavioral expectations and passion for service, and the introduction of SPARK shows the importance of investing in employee development and training.
Academic – Member At Large:  Lynn Lewis stated that she had been watching the positive comments on social media from alumni, retirees, past principals, etc. regarding the recent SACS visit report. She stated it was a great form of marketing but reminded all the power of social media and to always use caution.  Lewis asked if the Commission spotlight in Connections had been discussed.  Cara reported she had contacted Lisa Garrett and Rebecca Eidson who are moving forward with this for future publications.

Wrap Up:

                Review Next Steps for each SET:

                Confirm Next meeting – Friday, Nov. 11, 2016 at 10:00am in RH 245