ALABAMA SOUTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE “High Technology and Economic Development Partnerships” Building Institutional Capacity Rural Community College Alliance Memphis, Tennessee October 8, 2002 Alabama Southern Community College Rural Southwest Alabama “Alabama’s Most Rural Region” Alabama Population Density Per Square Mile: 79 Service Area Population Density Per Square Mile: 19 STATE OF ALABAMA 8 Linden Marengo SERVICE AREA 8 Choctaw 8 [ 8 Gilbertown Wilcox 8 [ Camden Thomasville Thomasville Campus Gilbertown Campus Clarke Chatom 8 Monroe[ Monroeville Monroeville Campus Washington Miles 0 10 20 Alabama Southern Community College Service Area: 54% white, 45% black, 1% other Six rural counties (10,000 Square Miles) Largest city: 7,500 population Two large rivers Huge pine forest Superb hunting and fishing Economically and educationally disadvantaged Declining population Double digit unemployment Four day/evening campuses: Monroeville Thomasville Gilbertown Jackson Merger in 1991: Traditional junior college Trade/industrial institute College enrollment: 1,400 headcount 1,100 FTE Initial Status Limited, provincial view based upon institutional and personal experience Low expectations for support in equipment, supplies, and professional growth Resistance to cooperation and change based upon scarce resources and lack of trust History of limited involvement with area business and industry Low credibility as community change agent or political influence Distinctive programs: forestry technology; paper and chemical technology (both with low enrollments) College Choice: Status Quo OR New Shared Vision!! College Internal Questions: What did community/region need? How did college need to change to meet those needs? Were we capable of meeting those needs? Were we committed to change? Alabama Southern Goals: (1) Best rural community college in America (2) Catalyst and coordinator of community and economic development “Alabama Southern has achieved the most dramatic turn around of any college in the history of the Alabama College System!” Dr. Fred Gainous, Chancellor, The Alabama College System Alabama Southern selected one of the ten most innovative community colleges in America! (out of over 1200 colleges) NILIE, 1998 All Progress Must Begin With TRUST UNIVERSAL HUMAN RIGHTS PLEDGE adopted by Alabama Southern Community College I believe that every individual has infinite and eternal worth. I believe that recognition of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world. I believe that every individual is entitled to dignity and respect, without prejudice toward race, color, gender, disability, language, religion, creed, national origin, property, age, or other status. I believe that every thought and every act of such prejudice is harmful. If it is my thought or act, then it is harmful to me as well as to others. THEREFORE, I will strive every day of my life to eliminate such prejudice from my thoughts and actions. I will discourage such prejudice by others at every opportunity. I will treat all people with dignity and respect. I will strive daily to honor this pledge, knowing that the world will be a better place because of my effort. -- adapted from the Birmingham Pledge and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Components of Empowerment Sense of Significance Sense of Competence Sense of Community Sense of Enjoyment World-Class or “Best Ever” are the only standards that inspire or are truly fun!!! The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Commitment to Personal Independence – Habit 1: Be Proactive – Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind – Habit 3: Put First Things First Commitment to Interdependence – Habit 4: Think Win/Win – Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood – Habit 6: Seek Creative Cooperation/Synergy Commitment to Renewal/Revision/Refresh – Habit 7: Seek Continuous Renewal 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Common Language and Values Leadership 101 Customer Satisfaction Internal and External Partnering 7 Habits Across-the-Curriculum Initial Strategies Intensive contract training for business/industry with over 100 partners developed Invest in professional development of faculty Build partnerships College has role in all good things !! Alabama Southern Budget Strategy Commitment to reduce relative labor costs (only budget category large enough to help meet new priorities) Reduce staff largely through retirement and attrition Garner additional revenues (largely through contracts and grants) to support existing salaries (thereby reducing relative labor costs) Eliminate unnecessary or low priority functions and activities to optimize labor effectiveness. In order to increase budget for: professional development technology infrastructure equipment for instruction trust-building comfort/security with continuous change VISION 2020 Convened 25 movers and shakers, including 8 Fortune 500 companies located in ASCC’s service area in 1993 Survey: Priorities for ASCC Commitment to a new initiative - catalyst and coordinator of community and economic development for 6 rural counties Convened 300+ community leaders in regional rally in 1994 Convened 6 county-by-county community leadership sessions in 1995 Convened regional rally for Vision 2020, March 2000 Other Regional Planning/Visioning Create collaborations between chambers of commerce, industrial recruiting, industrial development boards, and tourism boards throughout region Create strategic partnerships with major land holders Identify niches - What is distinctive about region? About individual community? What are advantages? How to create or enhance advantages? Issues of Accountability Guarantees of Quality University transfer Job placement - technical degrees Employer satisfaction - certificate programs Results Improved advising system 30% increase in rigor and standards in technology programs Forestry, paper, and chemical industries are the heart and soul of the economy of southwest Alabama. (Large, high technology industries) Special Professional Development Strategies for High Technology Faculty All high technology faculty have conducted in-plant training courses All high technology faculty have participated in one term internships in-plant to study industrial processes for curriculum development High technology faculty have visited the best training centers in eleven states to steal best practices Center for Excellence for Forestry, Paper and Chemical Technology Partnership of Alabama Southern/Auburn University and regional industries Established in 1995 by the Alabama legislature as Alabama Technology Network Center @ Alabama Southern-- with $350,000 annual allocation NIST Manufacturing Extension Center for seven counties Ties 5 instructional programs to the Center: Forestry Technology, Industrial Maintenance, Electronics and Instrumentation, Electrical Technology, and Paper and Chemical Technology CIBA Partnership Scholarships/internships/jobs 20 scholarships annually to high school seniors in two counties Complete associate degree curriculum based upon Voluntary Standards of American Chemical Society Three-month internships on industrial site Virtually guaranteed jobs @ $30,000+ annually Recognized by the American Chemical Society as “workforce development model for the nation” Great public relations for company Improves workforce competency and reduces training costs Alabama Southern’s scholarship-internship-jobs partners include: CIBA Specialty Chemicals Alabama River Pulp Temple-Inland Boise-Cascade External Resources for High Tech Development National Science Foundation (NSF) grant (1998-2001) of $870,000 for laboratory and curriculum development (partners: Auburn University and area industries) U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) annual grants of $220,000 for laboratory development (1998-2001) CIBA specialty chemicals in-kind support of $100,000 (1998) for engineering design of laboratory pilot plants Piping and instrument diagrams contributed by Brazosport Community College for adaptation from petroleum pilot plants to paper and chemicals (resulting from Dow Chemical collaboration) High Tech Development Results--1998-2001 Completion of $1.1 million process industries laboratory including eleven pilot plant trainers Curriculum development support of $700,000 in concert with industry and Auburn University to include paper and chemical technology, instrumentation and electronics, electrical technology, and industrial maintenance Laboratory for programmable logic controllers (PLC’s) ($300,000); ranked by Lab Volt Corporation as “best in four-state district” New welding laboratory ($150,000) in expanded facility ($250,000) Alabama Southern’s PLC Lab is the best in four southern states! (Better than Mercedes!!) Lab Volt Corporation, 2000 Alabama Southern’s process industries lab is one of the three best in the United States! (over $1 million in equipment) National Science Foundation Visiting Committee, 2001 Alabama Southern has one of the six top industry/education alliances in the United States! American Chemical Society, Alliances, 1999 Alabama Southern’s scholarship-internship-jobs model is a “workforce development model for the nation!” American Chemical Society, 1998 Alabama Southern and it’s partners have created a “national model for technical training.” National Science Foundation Visiting Committee, 2001 “Alabama Southern’s technical training for the pulp and paper industry is without equal in the United States!” Dr. Harry Cullinan, Auburn University, Pulp and Paper Research Center Two New NSF Grants $488,000 two-year grant to complete additional curriculum and equipment projects $50,000 one-year grant to develop a plan for the National Network for Pulp and Paper Technology Alabama Southern—National Center for Pulp and Paper Technology Partners: Auburn University, American Forest and Paper Association, Maine, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Washington Alabama Works— Manufacturing Technology Institute Alabama Works MTI coming to Thomasville in 2003. Machine Technology (32 weeks): Lathes Milling machines Computer Numerical Control machining Estimated investment: Over $1,000,000. Partnerships for Education TRIO . . . .Over $1.5 million annually exclusively for K-12 students (Talent Search, Upward Bound, other) Over $1.2 million for Adult Education and Out-of-school Youth. Baccalaureate degrees through new University Center--partnership with Troy State University (pending) Tourism Monroeville and Monroe County designated “Literary Capital of Alabama” in 1997 Helped to develop annual community theatre production of “To Kill a Mockingbird” Developed an annual writers’ symposium Created Alabama Center for Literary Arts and Alabama Writers Hall of Honor(pending) Helped to obtain grant funds for restoration of Old Monroe County Courthouse Demopolis Higher Education Center Demopolis City Council to receive $1.245 million Delta Regional Authority grant. 15,000 square foot building to be built on 30 acres in Demopolis Sportsplex. Alabama Southern to serve as Managing Partner. (ASCC Demopolis Campus) Other partners: University of West Alabama and University of Alabama To open: Fall 2003. The Learning Paradigm at Alabama Southern Strategies Strong commitment to faculty/staff development (at least one percent of faculty/staff salaries budget) Required faculty mentoring: National network of professionals: (a) content/evaluation mentor (b) instructional methodologies mentor 100% Full-Time Faculty are Technologically Competent Perhaps the most technologically competent faculty in America!! Windows Internet Proficiency Microsoft Office Electronic Periodical Research – Word Mainframe Ability – Excel to Schedule and – Access Advise – Powerpoint Front Page (40% and growing) Alabama Southern “Most Wired College in Alabama” More Computers per Student Fiber-Optic Infrastructure on each campus Fast EtherNet to each Computer T-1 Lines deliver Voice/Data/Video between all four campuses Two-way Audio/Video Teleconference Centers on all four campuses (Fall 2001) Optical Drive Storage for all records Hosting WEBCT courses on own server 90% of classrooms on 4 campuses--Multi-media “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead ALABAMA SOUTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE “CLEARLY ONE OF THE MOST INNOVATIVE COMMUNITY COLLEGES IN AMERICA!!” Visit our website: http://www.ascc.edu E-mail: jajohnson@ascc.edu Building College Capacity for Community and Economic Development Create shared dynamic vision Eliminate historical practices, policies, attitudes that are barriers to new vision High expectations for all faculty and staff Reorganize annually (or at least periodically) Highest standards for selecting/retaining non-tenured personnel Zero-based budgeting (eliminate the less than necessary) Promote internal partnering Focus on learning, rather than teaching (The Learning Paradigm) College and University Contributions to Economic Development Colleges and universities play an integral part in the economic development of the communities in which they are based. Services include: (1) Leadership in visioning and planning (2) Technical Assistance to Existing Business/Industry (3) Business Incubators (4) Workforce Training (A) Literacy (B) Basic Skills (C) Traditional Programs (D) High Technology (E) Customized Contract Training (5) Manufacturing Extension Services (6) Partnerships for Education (7) Tourism (8) Healthcare (9 Telecommunications Alabama Southern Milestones In Achieving Goals 1992 1993 1994 Fred Gainous, Chancellor, Alabama Department of Postsecondary Education: “Alabama Southern has achieved the most dramatic turnaround of any college in the history of the Alabama College System.” Debbie Dahl, Director of Finance, Alabama Department of Postsecondary Education: “Alabama Southern is one of the five most efficient community colleges in Alabama.” Selected by the Ford Foundation to be a charter member of Rural Community College Initiative, based exclusively on the college’s reputation. Milestones (cont.) 1997 George Baker, North Carolina State University: “Alabama Southern is clearly one of the most innovative community colleges in America.” 1998 Alabama Southern selected to receive 1998 David Pierce Organizational Leadership Award from National Initiative for Leadership and Institutional Effectiveness (NILIE) and North Carolina State University. 1998 Alabama Southern selected as one of ten community colleges featured in AACC national monograph – “Managing Change: A Model for Community College Leaders.” 1998 One of only three colleges/universities cited for excellence in MDC’S The State of the South 1998. ALABAMA SOUTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE “CLEARLY ONE OF THE MOST INNOVATIVE COMMUNITY COLLEGES IN AMERICA!!” Alabama Southern Teaching/Learning Initiative “Perhaps the nation’s most coherent, comprehensive, state-of-the-art approach to the Learning Paradigm” Teaching/Learning Initiative Learning Syllabus Outcomes-based/Competency-driven Curriculum Learning-Styles-Driven Multiple Methodologies Every Course Web-Augmented External Assessment Technology Augmentation The Learning Paradigm at Alabama Southern Multiple learning styles assessment for every entering student: Myers-Briggs Personality Type Multiple Intelligences (Howard Gardner) Auditory/Visual/Tactual Left/Right Brain Dominance Results printed on class rosters so that faculty know how to diversify learning strategies Students are taught how to make their own learning efficient and effective .