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Minnesota State Colleges & UniversitiesProgram Advisory Committee Project

A joint project between Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Office of the Chancellor, Academic and Student Affairs Division and Minnesota State

College Faculty (MSCF)

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Project Background

• Phase I

–On-line Survey Aggregated

Results

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4

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

Number of participants responding

0-20% 21-40% 41-60% Over 60%

Percentage time spent per meeting

Presentations about college/campus tours Presentations about program

Review curriculum components Discuss new industry developments

Job opportunities/ placement Lab/equipment needs

Discuss industry experiences for students/faculty Special issues/problems/needs

Open discussion

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• The meeting agenda for most committee meetings is planned by the faculty or division/department/program chair, with input from committee members and sometimes from program students

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• Most advisory committees (83%) suggest recommendations for major program revisions and improvements.

• If a change in the curriculum is recommended, the approval and implementation process usually takes less than a year.

• If the process is delayed, respondents explain that the delay is built in to the academic standards curricular review process.

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FY04 Regional Training Workshops

• Background & Acknowledgements

• Purpose of handbook• Intro of Advisory

Councils• Governance, Policy &

Structure• Advisory Council

Functions• Communications &

Meetings• Sustainability• Special

Considerations/Issues

• 82 participants• Sites:

– Hennepin TC (Eden Prairie)

– St. Paul College

– Central Lakes College (Brainerd)

– South Central TC (Mankato)

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• http://vfc6.project.mnscu.edu/

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Phase II Activities FY05

• Data Analysis of Current Practice

• Establishment of Project Working Group

• Regional Training Workshops

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Establishment of Project Working Group

• Bruce Hemstad• Scott Norcia• Mike Lehn• Vonnie Youngs• Brenda Koneczny• Herb O’Neil• Marty Patterson• Dennis Hampel

• Judi Anderson• Dave Hellmich• Steve Alston• Michael Smoczyk• Dan Smith• Lloyd Petri• Pradeep Kotzmraju• Deena Allen• Carol Steimer Bailey

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Data Analysis of Current Practice

• Sort Survey–College –Program area

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Regional Training Workshops

• Select one or more:– 1) Education and Economic Development –

Making the Connection– 2) Re-Engineering Career and Technical

Education as a Vehicle to Improve Academic Proficiency

– 3) Strengthening the Role of Two-Year Colleges: Easing Student Transition from Secondary to Postsecondary

– 4) Reinventing Your Partnerships: A Fresh Approach to Building Relationships.

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• NORTH WEST REGION: BRUCE HEMSTAD– Minnesota State Community & Technical College – Detroit Lakes, Fergus Falls, Moorhead, Wadena– Northwest Technical College – Bemidji– Northland Community & Technical College

• NORTH EAST REGION: SCOTT NORCIA– Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College– Lake Superior College– Northeast Higher Education District– Hibbing Community & Technical College– Itasca Community College– Mesabi Range Community & Technical College– Rainy River Community College– Vermilion Community College– Pine Technical College

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• CENTRAL REGION: JUDI ANDERSON– Alexandria Technical College– Central Lakes College– St. Cloud Technical College

• SOUTH WEST REGION: DENNIS HAMPEL– Minnesota West Community & Technical College– Canby Technical College– Granite Falls Technical College– Jackson Technical College– Pipestone Technical College – Worthington Community College– Ridgewater Community & Technical College

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• SOUTH CENTRAL REGION: DAVE HELLMICH– Minnesota State College – Southeast Technical– Riverland Community & Technical College– Rochester Community & Technical College– South Central Technical College

• METRO REGION: MARTY PATTERSON– Anoka Technical College– Anoka-Ramsey Community College– Century Community & Technical College– Dakota County Technical College– Hennepin Technical College– Inver Hills Community College– Minneapolis Community & Technical College– Normandale Community College– North Hennepin Community College– St. Paul College

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• Over 90% of the college program advisory committees responding do not advise high school programs or university programs also, although some individual members serve on similar committees for other colleges and universities.

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“Begin with the End in Mind”• Programs that match the

economic development needs of your community and graduates that possess the skills to ensure a high quality workforce.

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Define “Economic Development”

• Many definitions

–Creation and Retention of well-paying jobs

–Improve the tax base

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Attracting Businesses• Quality of Life

• Skilled Professionals• Proximity to markets

• Skilled labor pool• Low business costs• Access to research• Climate• Taxes

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•It is not education itself, but its coordination with local economic activity that matters.

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Strengthening the Community College (Technical College)

Role

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• Communication & Leadership

• Multi-Level Linkages

• Make it a three-way partnership

– Secondary

–Postsecondary

–Business/Industry

• Community Outreach: Dispelling the Myths

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Employers Supporting Career Pathways

• Industry Clusters– Organized groups of local businesses

stimulating community awareness of and interest in career pathway opportunities.

– Facilitate partnerships with the K-16 education systems and assist in the immediate and ongoing change and development of curriculum to better prepare students for these career pathways.

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9-14/16 Career Pathways1. Precision Metal Production2. Production Design3. MFG-Tech4. Engineering (Eng Tech)

Mfg Industry Cluster

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9-14/16 Career Pathways 1. Precision Metal Production 2. Production Design3. MFG-Tech 4. Engineering

Mfg Industry Cluster

CC ProgramAdvisory Committee

HS ProgramAdvisory

Committee

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9-16 Career Pathways 1. Precision Metal Production 2. Production Design3. MFG-Tech 4. Engineering

Mfg Industry Cluster

9-14 Program AdvisoryCommittee

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9-16 Career Pathways1. Precision Metal Production2. Production Design

3. MFG-Tech4. Engineering

Mfg Industry Cluster

9-14 Curriculum 9-14 Staff Dev

Community Outreach

Career DevWBL

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Role of Advisory Committees

• Provide specifications for your program

• Ensure the quality of your graduates

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….it is NOT to Rubber Stamp your program

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Advisory committees are a quality control

function of your program and are a

tool for administration and faculty to “talk to

the customer”

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Talk to you customer…

• What are the specifications?

• How will it change in the future?

• A “program of work” is a tool for the advisory committee to use so that it may guide education to level of specifications that it needs.– Curriculum– Staff development– Career Dev & wbl– Marketing & Advocacy– Student recruitment &

placement– Program resources– Evaluation

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Rules that are universal…• In real estate,

it’s location, location, location!

• In advisory committees, it’s

employers, employers, employers!

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Help! No one comes to meetings!

• Empowerment + Ownership EQUALS =

• Activities/Attendance + Sustainability

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Strategies from across the country

• Cluster (like industries) approach from the EDC

• Pathway Partners (Chamber M adopt instructor)

• Staff Dev delivered by B/I

• Joint Advisory Committees (sec & ps)• Thinking outside the box (13-month Mfg program)

• Digital Communication• B/I Tours for ALL faculty in a program

(including gen ed)

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Advice for New Beginnings

• Business must provide leadership• Relationships need to be built at ALL levels• Think in SYSTEM terms

– Academic & technical skills– Secondary & Postsecondary– Connect to existing entities (Chamber, EDC)

• Educate your community (gold-collar worker)• Always focus on your mission (economic dev)

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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FY06

• To provide technical assistance to Minnesota State Colleges and Universities two-year college grantees during FY2006; working closely with administrators and faculty responsible for facilitating advisory committees and the employers who serve on those committees.

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Grantees• Alexandria Technical College & Northland

Community and Technical College

• Lake Superior College

• Mesabi Range Northeast Higher Education District

• Minneapolis Community and Technical College

• Northland Community & Technical College and Minnesota State Community Technical College

• Northwest Technical College

• South Central College