REDWOODS COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT
Eureka Campus/101 Corridor Education Master Plan Advisory Committee
Meeting Location: Eureka Downtown Instructional Site (6th and K)
Monday, June 13, 2011
AGENDA
8:45 a.m.
Continental Breakfast
9:00 a.m.
Welcome and Introductions (Dr. Goswami)
9:10 a.m.
Review of Agenda and Process (Roxanne Metz)
9:15 a.m.
Overview of Pertinent Data (Zachary DeLoach)
10:00 a.m.
Targets of Opportunity Update (Ahn Fielding)
10:15 a.m.
Break
10:30 a.m.
Input from Community Members
11:15 a.m.
Discussion of Educational Needs
11:50 a.m.
Next Steps
12:00 p.m.
Adjournment
Redwoods Community College District
EUREKA CAMPUS/101 CORRIDOR
EDUCATION MASTER PLAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Monday, June 13, 2011
NOTES
PRESENT
WELCOME AND
INTRODUCTIONS
REVIEW OF
AGENDA AND
PROCESS
OVERVIEW OF
PERTINENT
DATA
(PowerPoint
Presentation)
Trustee, Richard Dorn, Trustee, Colleen Mullery, Rachel Anderson, Utpal Goswami,
Keith Snow-Flamer, Zach DeLoach, Juana Tabares, Matt Malkus, Julia Peterson,
Mary Beth Wolford, Mike Peterson, Jim Maher, Mark Lovelace, Gary Eagles, Dale
Warmuth, Buzz Webb, Jeanne O’Neale, Pat Girczyc, Roxanne Metz,
Utpal Goswami welcomed everyone and introductions were made. Utpal noted the
reason for discussion today is to receive input from the community regarding the
educational needs for students in Eureka and along the 101 Corridor.
Roxanne Metz briefly reviewed the Educational Master Plan goals of the college,
which include the development of individual service area sub-plans, to better inform
the needs of the different service areas, and comprehensively inform budget planning
district-wide. Mendocino Coast is posted on the internal website; Del Norte is in
draft form, and the other services areas are in beginning stages. For purposes of the
101 Corridor:
• Three meetings are anticipated. Today includes a presentation of data, brainstorming and discussion, and prioritization of community educational needs.
• The second meeting will include discussion and/or decisions regarding proposals
developed by staff and faculty based on the initial meeting. It will also involve
consideration of additional items as they emerge.
• The third meeting will be devoted to developing timelines and ratifying the
educational master plan which will identify the overarching goals and supporting
strategies.
Following is a summary of the data presented by Zach DeLoach:
• Certain characteristics, such as no high school diploma, part-time enrollments,
part-time jobs, single parent households, and dependents other than a spouse, can
reduce the chances of degree or certificate completion. (50% of students,
nationwide, fall within two or more of these categories).
• Between 2002 and 2009 degree completion steadily increased nationally, while
California showed a major downswing
• Nationally, persistence stabilizes at around 51%, while California overall, shows
a slight drop to 50% and CR’s persistence average falls to 45%
• A comparison of basic skills courses with other colleges shows CR having the
same average number of courses, but requiring more total units (15 credits for 3
courses). This means students coming to CR are enrolled in more credits just to
get to college level, which negates their ability to take college level courses. In
addition, basic skills credits do not count toward financial aid.
• The District yield of students enrolling right out of high school has increased but
is below the national average. Utpal noted CR is at cap and unable to
accommodate an increase in enrollments to the 50% level (national average). To
accommodate, CR would have to reduce the cost per student. He noted tuition is
fixed by the chancellor’s office. Full-time equivalent (FTE) reimbursement is
$4560 which is lower than any K-12s. Tuition is deducted from the
apportionment funds sent by the state.
• Over 50% of students receive financial aid; this is up since 2006.
•
TARGETS OF
OPPORTUNITY
UPDATE
INPUT FROM
COMMUNITY
MEMBERS
The 101 Corridor offers approximately 158 sections. The main campus about
1100. Total section offerings have declined over the last few years.
• CR offers 141 degree and certificate programs. Water, Wastewater Management
(WAT) was created in fall 2009 and starting in fall 2011 students can get AS
degree in WAT.
• A 2002 study showed that families making in excess of $75,000, 96% of the
children go to college, with 62% completing; and families with an income less
than $24,000, 78% go to college and 21% complete.
• The average household income for Humboldt is around $32,000.
• The Institutional Effectiveness Measures (handout) are available on the internal
site and show longitudinal data to assess how the institution is doing by specific
category: retention, persistence, access; revenue (per 320 report); success,
satisfaction/perception; and productivity
• “Success” is measured by state reporting standards: the state looks at the number
of students who have completed certificates and degrees. However, many
student circumstances that are typically success stories are not part of the official
success measure. There was discussion about awarding certificates upon
completion of significant milestones.
CR created and used Targets of Opportunity as one of many tools to assess current
and future training needs in the community. Six industry clusters (see PowerPoint)
were identified over a 15 year employment period showing firm growth:
• Diversified and Allied Health care
• Building and Systems Construction & Maintenance (not just home building)
• Specialty Agriculture, Food and Beverages
• Investment support Services
• Management & Innovation Services
• Niche Manufacturing
These industry clusters and data are being updated and refreshed to reflect more
current trends.
• Goswami noted that providing education for most of the target industries would
require a higher cost per student to implement (i.e. more labs; national and/or
state standards limiting number of students per class). Without outside help, CR
is unable to afford these programs. During a stable economy, high yield
programs can subsidize the higher cost programs, but a college cannot afford to
have too many high cost programs.
• Trustee Dorn thinks Healthcare should be a focus due to the aging baby-boomer
generation.
• O’Neale believes there is a need for end-of-life caregivers, and hospitals will
need more registered nurses, also because of the baby boomer issue.
• Girczyc noted there should be careful consideration of long-term educational
programs, due to the changing and transitional nature of target industries. She
asked the question of how we can prepare academically for such changes.
• Wolford noted Arcata is not a good location to offer the culinary classes: bad
location, no transportation and dangerous. Goswami noted the plan to put
Culinary into hiatus until it can be moved to the CR campus.
• Wolford noted with the current economy, problems exist in convincing high
school students to go to college. They see it as a waste because there are no jobs,
and they believe there are other ways to make money.
• Girczyc asked what “provide an education” really means. Is it about training
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people for minimum wage jobs, or creating a whole person who can give more
back to the community.
Webb sees the dilemma in how to train people for targets of opportunity when
CR will lose money.
Goswami noted that needs in rural areas are same as needs in urban areas; the
difference is the numbers. The challenge is how to position the institution to
deliver programs and services as needed. We need good partnerships with
industry and find ways for the college to respond to emerging needs without
having to commit to the long term. He noted, for example, fishermen in
Humboldt have a need to update their diesel engines.
Warmuth generally foots the expense to train his own people. He champions
vocational education programs.
Trustee Dorn believes planning needs to be visionary, especially in two fields: 1)
forestry (Humboldt will need new sawmills, forestry engineers, technicians in the
next 10 years and 2) green technology – in 10 years anyone with a green
technology education can be both local and global
Webb noted that in the short run niche industries need assistance with web
design and maintenance, accounting, marketing (consulting to better get a
product out) and there will likely be more of the niche industries, especially with
the internet, who will need technical services
Goswami noted that career/technical training and transfer education courses are
pretty well 50/50. He would like local industries to be able to call CR when a
need for training comes up; think of CR as a centralized support for business.
Does not happen now. CR can’t be just a credit-granting institution. The college
must play other roles, but once we put “education” into “credits,” we have to
follow ed-code and state law.
Eagles noted that state and federal expectations of a community college aren’t
the expectations of the community. We need to re-think education for the future,
including how to reduce the bureaucratic steps helps for access; stop being
driven by federal, state criteria. If the system can’t afford people, then we need to
find another mechanism. Eagles asked basically the same question as Goswami:
When people look at CR what do you want people to see? What is CR doing
that meets community need?
Trustee Mullery indicated that the viability of multiple sites along the corridor
should be considered.
Maher was involved in a leadership program where students met with business
people and this had a huge impact on the students
Girczyc suggested instead of advisory committees, set up focus workgroups to
provide a more holistic approach for both the institution and the students
Trustee Mullery suggested that getting students on campus, versus so many sites,
might create more awareness of what is available
Webb suggested the sites are good for people taking “fun” class, or allowing
employees ease in taking a class, but they are not good for a range of degree
programs
Malkus suggested utilizing funds for transportation, rather than sinking into
overhead for sites, to allow better access to the main campuses
Malkus suggested having K-12 students visit campus more often, as an
inexpensive marketing venue. This was done recently and fired up a lot of kids
Goswami wants to see CR as more than just an institution offering basic
education and transfer credits; we are already there. He hears from the group
DISCUSSION OF
EDUCATIONAL
NEEDS
NEXT STEPS
there is a bigger role. CR is limited on the credit side, but with creative thinking,
we can find a way.
• Broadly CR should be more than an institution that just gives out degrees and
certificates. A level of entrepreneurialism needs to be explored; how to market
the campus and create linkages, partnerships. The more exposure CR gets for
meeting business and community needs, the more marketing will be created.
• Eagles suggested discussions with HSU to co-sponsor non-credit programs, and
to break down the corridors of K-12, CR, HSU and look at partnerships to utilize
all resources at all schools
• It was noted that marketing is not just what you do but what you differently and
better than anyone else; whether as an individual, business or college
• A systemic approach to all training, educational availability is needed
• Clarification of community college general funds: The 50% law basically states
that 50% of generally funded expenditures must be for instruction (for credit)
classes. This impacts CR providing start up funding to initiate for-fee programs
to meet community needs
• Eagles stated that partnerships are needed to provide start up funding. In fact, it
might be more economical for businesses to provide funding for programs than
to bring in or provide outside training or marketing.
• Peterson noted that Eureka downtown utilizes a lot of the creative thinking in
being able to offer courses that community businesses require (cross institutional
support)
• Goswami note that as long at the College meets the requirements of the state and
chancellor’s office, we are free to do whatever else we wish to do.
In summary the following themes were identified:
• Career and Ed pathways
• Out of box partnership; educational and business partners
• Includes marketing and outreach piece
• Entrepreneurial spirit for education
• Credit vs. not for credit. Significant opportunities are there to explore and
expand in this arena.
• Consideration of a support/mentoring center for local businesses
• The plan should look ahead ten to fifteen years; forestry, green technology, etc.
are likely to be a continuing need in the future
• Reducing bureaucracy and how work thru to meet needs student
• Rethink purposes of sites - how utilize opportunity of various sites
• Selling education to kids (outreach to schools); keeping eyes open to future
• Selling the value of education to businesses
• Marketing for the main campus and marketing opportunities so people can see
connections; see the bigger picture (i.e. a forestry career is seen as cutting trees
or driving a log truck, but forestry has a huge number of other types of jobs not
realized by the public at large)
• Take this information to faculty and staff and develop strategy options and
courses of action
• The next meeting will be around September 7th, 10th or 12th (member will be
contacted in mid-July to set a date)
• More faculty will be involved at the next meeting
• Develop a prioritization list of what we can do (broad groups)
ADJOURNED
The meeting was adjourned at 12noon
SUBMITTED
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