Program Unit Review Committee
PURC FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Program/Unit Reviewed: Administrative Professional
Self-Study Chair(s): Amy Williams
Division: Business
Year of Review: 2014-2015
Date Submitted to VPAA:
Committee findings of self-study strengths:
Curriculum:
● Program has a Mission statement which should guide the program.
● Instructors are well-qualified.
● Thorough analysis completed by Workforce Development and Continuing Education (WDCE) to
ensure program effectiveness. Thoroughly addressed all recommendations from the 2003
comprehensive review. Program has been revamped since the last PUR to meet the needs of
the students and industry, which requires higher levels of responsibility placed on
administrative professionals. Program modifications have resulted in some increased
enrollment.
● Offer both an AA and Certificate of Achievement.
● Course Assessment Reports (CARs) submitted in all emphasis courses.
● Multiple modalities of instruction employed that are responsive to student needs. There is an
option to complete the program online or in-person.
● Provided a clear understanding of factors that are expected to impact the program, including
the closing of Morrison University and coming of Tesla to the Reno/Sparks area.
● Most courses are now being assessed regularly as of 2011-2012. Uses assessment to guide
curriculum changes.
● Active advisory board under the Division of Business.
● Meeting planned in December to determine whether an articulation between the
Administrative Professional program and the newly-revised College and Technical Education
(formerly Tech Prep) program can be reached. This would benefit both high school students
and the program’s FTE.
● Excellent analysis of employment prospects for Administrative Professionals based on U.S.
Bureau of Labor statistics.
● Excellent plan to review and potentially submit revised course objectives and Student
Learning Outcomes (SLOs) through Curriculum and Assessment Programs (CAP) Committee.
Demographics and Enrollment:
● The Administrative Professional (AP) Program Unit Report (PUR) is a well-written self-study
that clearly explained the origins, changes, accomplishments and challenges of the AP
Page
1 of 5; Program Unit Review Committee Findings and Recommendations
TMCC is an EEO/AA institution. See http://eeo.tmcc.edu for more information.
Rev.: 12/2/2014
Program Unit Review Committee
PURC FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Program.
While below the percent at the College, the percentage of males represented in the
Administrative Professional program reflect national trends and are above national levels in
this professional area.
Student Educational Goal of “Earn a Degree” has increased and remains high and exceeds the
college average.
The Program’s faculty, administration and advisory board’s hard work appears to be paying off
in a consistent increase in the number of active declared AP students.
Gender enrollment mirrors national trend of female predominance in the field.
Closely tracking the national trend and ahead of the state trend for diversity in the field.
Low enrollment classes are now offered only in spring or fall semesters. This avoids
cancellation and serves to bolster enrollment in those sections while ensuring student
progress toward completion.
Steady improvement in retention rates, 2% lower than College average.
Making efforts to reach out to current students to encourage success and completion.
Resources:
● All part-time faculty members have the required education and experience.
● Even though there are currently no full-time faculty, the part-time faculty are meeting the
needs of the program.
● There is one classified Administrative Assistant that ensures all administrative needs are
properly handled.
● The state-supported budget and lab fees cover costs of running the program.
Committee findings on self-study weaknesses:
Curriculum:
● Reviews by the department and advisory board ensures content relevancy, but no
documentation or explanation of how this occurs, such as faculty meetings, employer or
graduate surveys, etc.
● No External Recommendations are noted, however, with an active advisory board,
recommendations or commendations are usually part of the process.
● While there is an excellent analysis of needs for Administrative Professionals based on U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, analysis of Post Completion Objectives section does not address
job placement.
Demographics and Enrollment:
● Low or slow graduation rate due to part time status of students.
● Hispanics are represented below the community and College populations.
● Average 5% decrease in FTE over this 5 year period, which is similar to college trends.
Page
2 of 5; Program Unit Review Committee Findings and Recommendations
TMCC is an EEO/AA institution. See http://eeo.tmcc.edu for more information.
Rev.: 12/2/2014
Program Unit Review Committee
PURC FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
●
●
Include the acronym WDCE in the first page where you first mention Workforce Development
and Continuing Education, and use the acronym after that. (Will amend in the self-study
document.)
Relationship between the Administrative Professional program and Workforce Development
and Continuing Education needs to be clarified. (Will briefly clarify again in the Demographics
and Enrollment section of the self-study document.)
Resources:
● The current classroom for COT 110 is not ideal since students do not use the computers.
● The lack of full-time faculty could be an issue in the future if the program grows.
Committee Strategies and Recommendations:
Curriculum:
● Document Business advisory board agenda items relevant to the Administrative Professional
program if not already in practice. Provide documentation of sufficient advisory board
representation of this program. Include past students on Advisory Board if possible.
● Investigate the need for bilingual administrative professionals, and intensify recruitment
and/or develop new curriculum if appropriate.
● Describe/and or develop plan for evaluating content relevancy for industry and student needs
and conduct regular meetings with all faculty to ensure consistency.
● Clearly identify who will be responsible for continuity, articulation agreements, specialized
training for large industry employment, and higher graduate numbers. If these are PT faculty,
request stipends for participating in program management. Though the report indicates there
is no appetite to hire a full-time instructor, the growth of the program might be insured with a
person dedicated to that end. Analyze program growth, graduation rate, recruitment,
advertising, expansion, articulation agreements to determine if hiring a full-time person will
be an asset to facilitate stated program goals.
● Develop a plan for graduate tracking and/or employment status and satisfaction. Work with
IR to review data from the Graduate Outcomes and Graduate Follow-up surveys and develop
a more specific graduate or employer survey, if necessary, to obtain timely feedback on
curriculum and student preparedness.
Demographics and Enrollment:
Demographic strategies:
● They intend to focus more recruitment efforts towards the Hispanic population by promoting
the program within TMCC’s own English as a Second Language (ESL) classes as well as to
students taking Spanish/English short-term Computer Technologies (CT) program. Agree that
Page
3 of 5; Program Unit Review Committee Findings and Recommendations
TMCC is an EEO/AA institution. See http://eeo.tmcc.edu for more information.
Rev.: 12/2/2014
Program Unit Review Committee
PURC FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
●
this is a sound strategy. Carry out this self-identified recommendation
Suggest change in marketing to include the faces of more males and Hispanic males.
Student Status strategies:
● Promote COT courses as good general skills-builders. Market COT courses to students who
may not be interested in AP as a major, but who see value in COT course content and its
applicability to their own studies.
Enrollment Patterns strategies:
● Offering two required courses in fall and the other two in spring is a sound strategy to ensure
they meet minimum enrollment numbers and avoiding cancelling classes. This will also
increase the SFR of the sections. Carry out this self-proposed strategy.
● Author suggests a strategy of more personal and frequent outreach to its active students.
This is a proven strategy for increasing FTE and retention, as well as increasing the number of
declared admin pro majors. Accept this strategy as sound for enrollment growth. Carry out
this self-identified recommendation.
Resources:
● Develop a plan to get a classroom with enough electrical outlets for COT 110.
● Develop a new marketing plan to promote the Administrative Professional program in the
community. Estimated cost $1,000.
● Request funding for stipends for PT faculty who go above their teaching duties and assist with
program management. Proposed annual cost: $3,120 for 2 PT instructors at PT rate of 1credit equivalent.
Page
4 of 5; Program Unit Review Committee Findings and Recommendations
TMCC is an EEO/AA institution. See http://eeo.tmcc.edu for more information.
Rev.: 12/2/2014
Program Unit Review Committee
PURC FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
PURC Members
Name
Title
Melissa Deadmond
Chair, PURC; Interim Associate Dean of Assessment and Planning
Julia Bledsoe
Program Officer, VPAA’s Office
Gabriella Brochu
Instructor, Foreign Languages
Jody Covert
Director, Nursing
Erin Frock
Counselor, Counseling
Meeghan Gray
Instructor, Biology
Julie Muhle
Professor, Dental Assisting
Cheryl Scott
Asstant Director, Institutional Research
Henry Sotelo
Instructor, Paralegal/Law
Anne Tiscareno
Executive Assistant, Assessment & Planning
By signing, the Self-Study Chair(s) and Dean acknowledge the findings and recommendations made
by the Program Unit Review Committee and, that following VPAA and President approval,
acknowledge that the program must continue to address recommendations until completed through
Annual Progress Reports (APRs).
Self-Study Chair(s):
Date: 12/18/2014
Date:
Dean:
Page
5 of 5; Program Unit Review Committee Findings and Recommendations
TMCC is an EEO/AA institution. See http://eeo.tmcc.edu for more information.
Date:
Rev.: 12/2/2014