Minutes 04/13/1999

An executive session and strategic conversation of the Maricopa County Community College District Governing Board was scheduled to be held at 5:30 p.m. and approximately 6:30 p.m., respectively, at 2411 West 14th Street, Tempe, Arizona, 85281.

PRESENT

GOVERNING BOARD
Linda B. Rosenthal, President,Gene Eastin, Secretary, Nancy Stein, Member Ed Contreras, Member,Donald R. Campbell, Member

ADMINISTRATION
Paul Elsner, Bertha Landrum for Alfredo G. de los Santos Jr., Janet Gesin for Ron Bleed, Marilyn Anderson for Rufus Glasper, William F. Waechter, Janice Bradshaw, Larry Christiansen, John Cordova, Art DeCabooter, Stan Grossman, Homero Lopez, Alberto Sanchez for Tessa Martinez Pollack, Linda Thor, Arnette Ward, Phil Randolph, J. Marie Pepicello

ABSENT
STATE BOARD
Nick Balich

The meeting was called to order at 5:30 p.m. by President Linda Rosenthal.

EXECUTIVE SESSION
President Rosenthal called for a motion convening an executive session, notice having been previously given.

MOTION NO. 8851
Don Campbell moved that an executive session be convened. Motion carried 5-0.

The meeting recessed at 5:31 p.m.

The meeting reconvened at 6:30 p.m.

(I-A) STRATEGIC ISSUES REGARDING STUDENT SUCCESS IN THE MARICOPA COMMUNITY COLLEGES

This conversation was planned and led by the Deans of Student Services Council. The anticipated outcome for the meeting was to hear from students regarding their satisfaction/dissatisfaction with their general, learning, and campus-life experiences and discuss what can be done to enhance student success. Dean Morris Johnson welcomed the group. Barbara Thelander facilitated a panel discussion of five students who discussed what they were satisfied and unsatisfied with in their experiences as students at the Maricopa Community Colleges. Results by student are recorded below - Satisfied (+), Unsatisfied (-).

Dawn Russell - Chandler Gilbert Community College
Will graduate in May and plans to transfer to ASU Main

+ Good personal experiences
+ Family feeling on campus
+ College commitment to service and community outreach
+ Small classroom sizes
+ Diversity of students
+ College is student centered
+ Have gained a greater grasp on life/study skills
+ Teachers focus on collaborative learning
+ Great tutoring system
+ Community hour - clubs can meet/have speakers in, etc.
+ Warm, inviting environment
- Space problem for student life - no student center

Rose Villa - Phoenix College

+ Became MECHA representative for student forum
+ Met students from different walks and cultures
+ Trip to Guanajuato
+ Met students and got to know and bond with faculty
+ Feel safe and receive assistance from security personnel
- Moved bookstore into Bear's Dean where club meetings are held - students should have had a say in that decision
- Advisement
- Advisor she talked to did not know what he was doing
- Need experienced advisors
+ Students helping students

Chihiro Friedmand - Scottsdale Community College
Plans to transfer to ASU Main

+ Happy with community college education
+ Tutoring system and help such as computer lab
+ Math/science lab
+ Computer sign up for tutoring in math/science, social behavior, French, English as a Second Language
+ Help readily available that normally could not have afforded
+ Advisor - Ginny Stahl
+ Joined Phi Beta Kappa - Honors Program
+ Traveled to Mexico - Honors Program
+ Attended Honors Institute in Williamsburg, Virginia
+ Met people with same motivation
+ Improved English grammar

Carla Edwards - Mesa Community College
Majoring in elementary education/science. Plans to transfer to ASU.

+ Involved with student government
+ Service and student activities
+ Cultural/diverse clubs and activities
+ Vast and broad curriculum that transfers
+ Course equivalent to lower division courses
+ Hands on experience and help from teachers
+ Have worked with student activities and service learning which has enabled to build resume and broaden. Helps one stand out.
- Advisement lacking on courses that transfer

Jason May - Glendale Community College
Plans to transfer to ASU Honors College

+ Experience at GCC very fulfilling
+ Presented with many opportunities
+ This panel
+ Traveled to Chicago with Honors Program. Had an opportunity to interact with other college students.
+ Campus environment is safe, homey
+ Pleasant, nurturing faculty
+ Small classes - teachers know names of students
+ Teachers "take the time" with students
- Advisement Center lacking

Students were then asked to come forward from the audience to express what aspects they were satisfied with and what needed improvement. Responses included the following:

Brian Anderson - Paradise Valley Community College

+ Faculty personalize classes for you - enhances learning
- College just recently making computers Y2K compliant
- SSN student identification - was not informed that students can request another number be issued for student identification

Jamey Taylor - Mesa Community College

+ Governing Board and teachers are there for the students
+ Private tutoring
- Computers needed in writing center
- Student government not student friendly

Raul Baltita - Estrella Mountain Community College

+ Inter-club association
+ Diverse population - makes a lot of things happen
+ Deans and president make time and listen to students

Tyrone Hanks - Mesa Community College

+ Student government trying to reach out to students as well as they can
+ Wide selection of available classes
- Advisement - wish more full time advisors could be afforded

(Name not clear) - Scottsdale Community College

+ Aware Club very helpful
+ Orientation information
+ Counseling services and encouragement by peers
- Advisement services

Stephanie Wyler - SCC

+ Faculty wonderful
+ Family feeling

The group was ask to participate in a small group exercise to discuss the issues presented by the students during the panel discussion and suggest ways to enhance student learning.
The small groups were facilitated by Brian Johnson, Ginny Stahl, Donna Murchland, Lois Batholomew, and Kay Martens.

The results recorded from the small groups are as follows:

GROUP ONE

• How do we assure students at home (distance learners) have Y2K capability?
- Basics of Y2K
- "How to"
- Y2k "for dummies" seminar
• Advising
- Assign to students to advisors
- Consideration of mandatory advising
- Advisors should be required to stay current in training and information
- Emphasis on what the student needs, provide support structure so student can follow through on advice
- Seek teacher/learner compatibility
- Transfer agreements, articulation specialists
- Place less emphasis on the acquisition of the A.A., recognize when students have transfer as the goal
- Advisors as points of contact/mentoring
- Have advisors "own" the relationship, initiate the contact and follow through
- Why is advising always at the bottom of the "satisfaction" survey?
• Campuses should encourage pedestrian activity and biking - ecologically sound approach
• Activities
- Club activities at satellite centers
- Activities for evening students
- Electronic bulletin boards/web pages for activities
- Lack of service in the evening could actually promote activities
- Create evening activities which are family-centered, but communicate it

GROUP TWO

• Improve advisement process
- More full-time advisors
- Reduce classes taken that don't count
- Go to orientations
- Stick with one advisor
- Keep 4-year check sheet
- Mandatory orientation, advisement, placement
- Tracking system for students, orientation and advisement
- Student responsibility also (education process)
- Orientation process
• Student space for study and interaction and clubs
• Repeat opportunities to hear students at least annually/semester
• Importance of experiences outside of classroom: connections
• Reward/Recognize importance of personal attention/small class size
• Televise Board meetings
• Look at websites, televised messages for spelling, image presented to community
• Televise more classes
• More flexible scheduling/shorter, condensed core courses
• More group advisement through "majors"
• Positive tutoring comments should be emphasized
• "Passionate" faculty influence students' choice of major

GROUP THREE

• Advisement
- Find more times/enough advisors
- Preparing students for transfer
- Advisor knowledge of transfer information
- "Sell" advisement center in classes
- Strategies to help students with their goals
- Use career center counselors to help with their goals
- Communicate same information to all students
- Promote full-time students, get more full-time involved
- Provide resources to attract and support full-time students
• Student Activities
- Money for clubs
- Process to hear all concerns
- Ways to communicate information on student activities and resources
- Take time for staff to share information
- Provide materials such as handbooks
- Problem motivating students to take advantage of resources, take extra time to introduce to new students
- "Campus Walkers", students who ask other students if need help, greeters for new students
• Athletics
- Make facilities and resources comparable across colleges
- Provide more PR for colleges
- Helping community know our strengths
• Challenge to keep closeness/smallness as colleges grow
• Maintaining quality of service, personal support
• Decreasing lines for service, using technology for services, such as registration payment on-line

GROUP FOUR

• Student Services
- Keep/Enhance:
- Connections
- Involvement
- Awesomeness of our colleges
- The MCCD spirit
- The service we give to students
- Improve:
- Personal scholarships
- Students who are not involved or motivated
• One important service you could have for your campus:
- Better gym
- Getting our students involved
- The need for a student center
- Marquee
- Child Care
- More money for book scholarships
- Cafeteria
- Instant remodeling
- Money
- Time
• What is most important?
- Communication
- Quality instruction
- Personal attention
- Time - time with a person
- Accurate information
- Customer services/spending time with a person
- Reaching your goal
- Caring - personal touch
- Achieving, through grades and involvement
- Classes at the right time
- Encouragement - helping to keep goals in sight
- Involvement
- Money/Scholarships
- Connection - role of students services/feel like they are part of a family
- Sincerity - communicate honestly, allow students to be who they are
- Students know that they are special
- Convenience
• Add
- Advisement - CGCC advisement is excellent
- Student government is very effective at CGCC
- Advising at GWCC is specialized for programs
- Nursing changes has been numerous, too many changes on a weekly program
- Advisement got a real hit during the discussion tonight, please discuss the complaints on a
campus level

GROUP FIVE

• Community newspapers could have columns where we share what is going on
• Chambers of Commerce - our students are the average age of customers who use small business
services
• Visits to our campuses
- high schools
- tap adjunct faculty who teach in high schools
• More sophisticated consumer moving to the valley. Want to know there is quality education for
their children
• Need more presence at high school affairs
• Sports promote community interest
• Alumni development & accomplishments
• Convince legislature to support education - apathetic public
• Community colleges are the lowest priority in state (K-12, vocational, community colleges)
• We have county tax base so the State sees us lower in funding order
• Community often not aware of who we are/what we do
- Need to improve our discrimination of information
- Understand that we are a resource
• Reaching out to high schools
• Involve community in our activities
• What is the impact when shows "It's taking Johnny 5.5 years to complete his degree"?
• Must continue to develop articulation agreements with universities
• As a District do a better job promoting our successes
• To which universities to our students transfer? Would like to hear that as a student
• Publicize the fact that our students are active in the community - service
• Advertise high caliber of our instructors

Comments turned in on cards at the end of the meeting are recorded as follows. There may be some duplication from what recorded in the small group notes, as participants may have indicated their recommendations during the small group exercise.

CARDS SUBMITTED FOLLOWING SMALL GROUP EXERCISE

Name one thing you are most satisfied(+)/unsatisfied(-) with in your MCCD Experience, MCCD Learning Experience and/or MCCD Campus Life Experience.

+ At Rio Salado - Distance Learning is high quality - internet, videos and flexible with starting dates - variety - tutoring
+ User friendly for working people
+ Many opportunities through Phi Theta Kappa
+ I am very satisfied with Rio Salado College’s instructors for their Program for Adult Student Success (PASS). The instructors work in the field in which they teach, they have hands on experience and help us apply the knowledge that we are learning in real life situations.
- One thing that could be improved is the quality, availability, and advertisement of tutoring for English (reading and writing). I understand the Math tutoring program is great (and greatly advertised).
+ The advisor I had (the one I went to and who contacted me spontaneously) throughout my Rio Salado experience listened to my needs and wants, helped me with those, then pushed me to do more. She did not let me quit after I got my A.A. I still take miscellaneous courses. I will continue my relationship with this advisor. I hope that relationship is also with Rio Salado College. In other words, “Don’t lose Janine Adkins-Pierce!”
+ My experience at Rio Salado has been wonderful. Many pluses instructors, staff, advisors almost all: unbelievably interested in student success, very personable. Pushing/promoting me to do more than that which I would have thought I could, telling me about opportunities, encouraging me onward and upward. Examples: Janine Adkins, advisor making it a personal goal to make sure I succeeded and excelled (join PTK, run for offices, enter competitions). She would say I know you will do well and so I would try things I would have been to timid to try, and I would excel. President Linda Thor - very supportive - interested in student’s success, personal touch.
+ Great communication of Math tutoring, but have heard from some students that reading/English tutoring needs to be more available/advertised.
+ Great use of technology communication/distance learning/internet - maybe even offer more courses this way
- MCCD keep trying for Bachelor Degree Program please, thanks for this opportunity!
- I am very upset about the negative PR that South Mountain Community College gets. If we push some of the smaller community colleges we may be able to spread the number of students. While SMCC would get bigger, schools like MCC and PC would get smaller. This would be more efficient and give all of the community colleges equal opportunities because of the equal demand.
+ I’m satisfied with the general concern that most of my teachers have for me.
+ Most satisfied with schedule availability
- Suggestion: Book should be issued for whole semester.
- In high school I took the AP Calculus test and passed. I was planning on taking the next math class when I entered college. When I came to register they said that the calculus credits that I had earned did not correspond with the course in the catalog. That meant that I would have to take calculus over. There was no reason for me to study, take, and pay the $75 to take the test in high school. There should be less encouragement towards the test or make it equivalent to the college course.
+ As a student I enjoyed my experiences on campus. The teachers are very helpful and I have a great overall experience. I was fortunate to have joined MCC student government I feel we are like a family.
- I feel that there is little representation of the older student, the student who works full time and squeezes in time for their education.
+ Rio Salado’s Distance Learning program is the only way for many of us to further our education. Learning over the internet is the best, because I own my learning experience and I manage my own time. I do homework at 11pm and 5am - quiet times in my busy household.
- Greater emphasis on outreach to businesses will benefit community at large (national and international) with Rio’s program.
- We do need to improve our technology support for students who squeeze in their learning at “odd” hours like I do.
- I agree advisement needs more clarity. That’s about the only thing I have been unsatisfied with.
+ The adult re-entry program has been wonderful experience. The adult re-entry program is designed to meet the unique needs of re-entry students - students age 25 or older who are facing the challenge of going back to school and juggling a family life. This is an age of lifelong learning.
- The way the changes in the nursing program occurred I felt unimportant! Next time I think the change should be more thought out. I believe that the change will enhance the nursing program, but students should have been warned of an “application cut off date.” I went to apply, but was told that the program had been changed. Changed, but no one knew what the changes would really be. Most schools work on a grandfather clause. I feel that many students should be under this clause. I suggest that the next time changes are made, that the changes are first decided upon before applications for current program are no longer accepted. Anew program should be designed before ending the current program.
+ Very satisfied with CGCC. Back in April of 1998 I visited Chandler-Gilbert on a College Preview Day. There were 5 people/students there to the one me. That day I was advised by excellent advisors and then got involved with student government where I serve as Campus Events Commissioner.
- I think that because of adjunct faculty the students miss out on a lot. The college is there for the students and that is why Chandler-Gilbert needs a student center.
+ I enjoy the many programs that are accessible for students to succeed in their classes. Also the instructors that are willing to go out of their way to help me, as a student, to succeed.
+ Mesa Community College has the best selection of classes available to us.
- I think that more full time advisors in the Advisement Center would be beneficial to that department.
- Need students support rights when miss treatment by ten year faculty. Who can they turn to in such an incident which prevents department retaliation.
+ The Distance Learning Program is wonderful! I am taking an Internet class which is extremely convenient and easy to use. All of the necessary information I need is on the Internet and I can work at my own pace, at any time of the day. The on-line support staff has also been very helpful and obviously know their computers.
+ I’ve really enjoyed getting to know faculty, advisors, student services, etc. on a personal level through all the extra curricular activities I’m in. I’m involved in student government and MEChA, both have given me support to achieve my goals. A “Leadership Today” retreat I went on really opened my eyes and made me feel closer to a lot of students. Educationally - the class selection is phenomenal. My teachers have been really available for questions and helping with any difficulties you have. The teachers have made learning fun and interesting. Our school is very diverse and welcoming. I’m having a very good college experience. Thank you.

What can our group do to keep and enhance (+) those things that work, while making changes (∆) to further improve student success?

+ I loved the ideas on the Y2K problem - specifically showing interest in not just the colleges' computers, but also helping students prepare with their home computers. Great ideas - offer seminars on Y2K preparation with CD-Rom and/or checklists to take home.

+ Advisement - energetic, enthusiastic, involved advisors (like Janine Adkins) who even initiate contact (as at Rio Salado) and follow through. Ideas of one advisor following a student throughout MCCD journey or different advisors that specialize. Another good idea is taking advantage of the various universities working with advisors to inform of requirements/changes.

∆ Activities - find out what students want for activities, survey students including night students who have different needs often - communicate - use internet.

∆ Advisement - on first visit with student, conduct more of an interview about student's goals and needs - lifestyle - and construct a plan (step by step to achieve goals) and follow through periodically. Have advisors who specialize in particular areas. Have well qualified advisors and encourage keeping up to date.

∆ Support and attendance at school activities

∆ Some way of effectively mass communicating different events or issues to the whole student body.

+ I enjoy going to school where Deans and Directors are easily accessible and continuously make efforts to make direct contact with students. It is great seeing them on campus and have the opportunity to interact with them personally.

∆ Publicity, within the community, outside of sports issues and lead news, is a general exercise in futility. Unless a concentrated effort is seriously undertaken within the District as a uniform element. Not one college over the other, which we currently have. The community political representatives need to be behind the colleges more.

∆ We have tutors within the colleges, why can't we have an internship program that puts tutors into the community (i.e. high schools, elementary, community centers, adult literacy programs, etc.).

∆ On the subject of advisement; having a specialized/discipline specific advisor is a good idea, but perhaps a better idea would be to have each department designate an advisor. The ASU Geology Department has a designated under grad advisor (the position is rotated) as an example. The community college counterpart could work closely with their university fellow to smooth transitions for the student and general course plans.

PLUS(+)/DELTA(∆)

+ Problem solving
+ Good experience
+ Student groups
+ Interest from Governing Board
+ Faculty and staff interest
+ Promote re-entry
+ Open microphone
+ Cards
+ Kudos to organizers

∆ Mix groups more
∆ More students, have all colleges represented
∆ More publicity
∆ More conversation
∆ Student advice to Governing Board
∆ More involvement from campus presidents in discussions
∆ Take conversations to campuses
∆ District Board needs to be informed of ASDAC

The minutes from this session will be provided to the strategic conversation planning team for them to review and make suggestions to the Governing Board.

ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m.