Methods of Promoting Academic, Business,
and Community Partnerships
Dr. Peg Morelli
Colorado Community College System
Tuesday, October 8, 2002
10:45 - 12:15
Topics for discussion
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Overview of Colorado System
Colorado Rural Development Council
Rural Telecommunications Summit
Opening Windows
Rural Education Access Program
Rural Colorado E-Commerce Initiative
Rural New Economy Initiative
Academic Workshops
Challenges and Conclusions
Replicating Successes
Overview of Colorado System
• Individual community colleges for decades
• CCCOES created by Colorado General Assembly (1967)
– Governing board appointed by governor
– has full governing authority over 13 community colleges
– regulation and administration of all CTE at Area Vocational
schools (8) and public secondary system (154 school districts)
– coordination of two local district colleges
• Colorado Community College System operates under the authority of
the Colorado Commission on Higher Education (CCHE)
• Name changed to Colorado Community College System (2002)
Colorado Rural Development
Council (1993)
• Is part of National Rural Development Partnership
• Began formation in 1993
– 30 member interim steering committee created
– Interim steering committee hired the council’s executive director
– Partnerships
• Each CRDC sector has two private, two non-profit, and two
local government representatives
• Denver supplied ten federal liaisons
• Governor appointed ten state partners at cabinet level
• 2 tribal nations have seats
• 1 general member
• Full CRDC Board meets in rural communities around
Colorado each quarter.
• Executive Committee meets 8 times each year in rural
communities.
• Each meeting is preceded by a community forum.
• CRDC Benefits to Rural Colorado
– Facilitates statewide networking and idea sharing.
– Serves as rural representation to numerous organizations and
initiatives to encourage accountability to grass roots.
– Forum for information sharing between rural communities and
governmental agencies.
– Provides educational opportunities at request of rural
communities.
– Directly involves state and federal agencies in rural issues.
– Encourages partnerships to address challenges.
– Addresses rural policy issues at the federal level through
involvement with the Rural Development Council and National
Rural Development Partnership.
Rural Telecommunications
Summit (1997)
• CRDC compiled partnerships to sponsor
and host a summit on current and future
status of rural access to
telecommunications and technology.
• Established resources data base.
Opening Windows (1998-2000)
• Theater and human services project that
addresses adolescent health and behavior
issues.
• CRDC brought Opening Windows to Colorado and
purchased exclusive rights for two years.
• Play was made available, at minimal cost, to rural
theater/drama groups for performance
throughout Colorado.
• Reached about 600 people in five performances.
Rural Education Access Program
(2001)
• The Rural Education Access Program (REAP)
provides financial support to four-year colleges
to deliver degree completion programs on the
campuses of rural community colleges.
• The student earns an Associate Degree and stays
to earn an advanced degree.
Rural Colorado E-Commerce
Initiative (RCECI) (1999)
• CCHE leveraged 1.3 million dollars in
Colorado technology funds.
• RCECI included seven community colleges.
• Community colleges are now working with
local businesses and individuals.
• Community colleges share resources and
products with each other
• Results of RCECI:
– Small business development center programs
– All seven community colleges to offer 30 hour
program designed to promote development of
business networking
– Emphasis on local accountability
– Colleges offer customized programs to meet
employer needs
– When local programs are in place, colleges
focus on bringing them to scale by sharing
programs and curricula
• RCECI Strengths:
– Shared governance
– Increased resources because of pooling,
shared networking, and leadership support
– Responding to local needs
Rural New Economy Initiative
(2001)
• Includes fourteen colleges:
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Seven state-run rural colleges
Four four-year colleges
Two local district colleges
One area vocational center
• Present outcomes of Rural New Economy
Initiative (RNEI) project:
– More than 500 participants currently in RNEI workshops.
– Local needs and gaps in available programs and resources have
been pinpointed to decide how to best address them.
• Focus
– Educate elected officials
– Fulfill need for healthcare workers
– Increase offerings to small business
– Pilot a leadership development effort to address the digital age
– Local resources are being gathered in a common statewide
pool
– One of the four-year colleges is formatting outlines/ curriculum
in a database that other institutions can access
– RNEI will fund curriculum development for areas of interest that
have not been addressed
Academic Workshops
(2001 - Present)
• Provided throughout Colorado for secondary and
post-secondary teachers
• Topic is: Incorporating E-Commerce Into
Curriculum
• Four days training, participants receive resource
materials, curriculum notebooks and CD’s, lesson
plans to facilitate incorporation into programs at
participants’ home sites.
Challenges and Conclusions
• Role (s) identification:
– Provision of business services
– Customized training based upon specific
local/regional needs
– Community training
– Industry certification programs
– Skills upgrades
– Language and employability skills for immigrants
– Entrepreneurial training
– E-Business, E-Commerce
• Keys:
– Clear mission identification, particularly as it relates
to rural identity
– Rather than all things to all people, need to fulfill
mission that will compliment and supplement own
strengths
• Leadership:
– Is critical to identification, fulfillment of, and
improvement upon roles
– Must be devoid of self-grandisement, truly cognizant of
needs and how to leverage multiplicity of partnerships
to meet those needs
Replicating Successes
• Community colleges are important to rural
economic development
• Quality of leadership is critical
• A state system influences the nature of
replication
• Finding money to replicate innovative
practices can be difficult