TCCTA Blog

Colleges Turn Students Away

State budgets are in terrible shape all over the country. As reported here frequently, the revenue shortfalls are occurring simultaneously with a pressing need for schools to enroll unemployed students who need to retrain in the wake of the recession.

Community colleges in several states have begun to turn students away, according to a recent article in the Washington Post.

This is hardly news regarding highly competitive programs such as nursing, which has long experienced shortages in faculty and other resources. However, according to the article, students have also been prevented from enrolling in general education courses such as math and biology. One of the hardest hit states is Nevada, where community colleges don't have anywhere near the resources to serve the growing demand. In terms of sheer numbers, California undoubtedly takes the prize, not unexpectedly. The state's community colleges turned away 140,000 students last year because of budget cuts.

An excerpt form the Post article by Peter Whoriskey:

All over the United States, community college enrollments have surged with unemployed and underemployed people seeking new skills.

But just as workers have turned to community colleges, states have cut their budgets, forcing the institutions to turn away legions of students and stymieing the efforts to retrain the workforce.

Unemployment is highest among the nation's lesser-educated workers, and for them, community colleges offer a critical pathway to new jobs: Classes are open, relatively cheap and often tailored to picking up job skills.

The process of retraining these workers is considered vital to rebuilding the economy.

The institutions are "a gateway for millions of Americans to good jobs and a better life," President Obama said at a community college summit in the fall.

But with waning state budgets, that gateway is narrowing.

Even as community college enrollments have climbed during the recession, 35 states cut higher education budgets last year, and 31 will cut them for next, according to survey data from the National Association of State Budget Officers. Those shortages are expected to worsen next year when federal stimulus money that had plugged holes in state budgets is no longer available.

NEH Announces Summer Programs

The National Endowment for the Humanities has announced its list of seminars and institutes that are available this summer for college teachers to study a variety of humanities topics. The application deadline is March 1, 2011.

Community college faculty, including adjunct instructors and first-time participants are encouraged to apply.

The amount of the fixed stipends, to help cover living expenses, travel costs, and other expenditures are based on the length of the institute or seminar: $2,100 (2 weeks), $2,700 (3 weeks), $3,300 (4 weeks), $3,900 (5 weeks), or $4,500 (6 weeks).

NEH Summer Seminars and Institutes are designed primarily for teachers of American undergraduate students. You may apply to no more than two NEH Summer Programs (seminars, institutes, or Landmarks workshops), but must attend only one.

Here's the link for more information.

Seminars Include Social Security Briefing

The Financial Planning Seminars during the 2011 TCCTA convention will include a presentation from the Social Security Administration on recent developments in Congress regarding the Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision. These provisions of federal law can greatly affect those who plan to retire from colleges that do not participate in the Social Security system.

Presenting will be Oscar Garcia, public affairs specialist with the agency. Other aspects of Social Security law pertaining to all prospective retirees will be featured.

A separate seminar will feature “How to Build a Million Dollar Retirement,” with Jay Allen Finn, CPA, a financial planner (and former IRS agent), and Tim Webster, a financial advisor and seminar specialist. The session is designed for members of TRS and participants in ORP.

The seminars will be conducted on Friday and Saturday mornings at 8:00 a.m., during the convention.

TCCTA Legislative Program Adopted

The TCCTA Executive Committee has adopted the association's Legislative Program for the 2011 Regular Session. The program will also appear in the December Messenger. The items listed represent general principles on issues of concern, and are the result of recommendations from the Legislative Committee.

TCCTA 2011 Legislative Program

• Support the funding goals of the Texas Association of Community Colleges.
• Support approaches to incentive funding that are based upon valid measures, recognize the primary role of faculty in upholding academic standards, and do not diminish base formula appropriations or penalize workforce training.
• Support the Legislature’s historical commitment to full participation of community college educators in the Group Benefits Program for state and higher education employees under the Employees Retirement System of Texas, including adjustments for rising costs.
• Support efforts to maintain and improve benefits for community and technical college employees and retirees in TRS and ORP.
• Support institution-based developmental education while encouraging new programs derived from demonstrated best practices.
• Support efforts to address the cost of textbooks that do not restrict the professional judgment of faculty in selecting academically appropriate materials for students.

Talking Points on Developmental Education Offered

In anticipation of the historic and complicated issues facing the next Regular Session of the Legislature, TCCTA is updating its collection of Talking Points. Included are a host of constructive assertions our association makes when discussing pertinent issues with public officials. Members may find them useful in communicating with lawmakers while they are “at home” in the districts.

The Talking Points are designed for individualized and selective use by educators who may also possess expertise or interest in a particular topic. Talking Points on other subjects will be posted here soon.

As pointed out in the TCCTA Guide to Political Participation, Capitol insiders have long maintained that form letters and petitions are not nearly as effective as individually written correspondence from constituents. Members are encouraged to consult the Guide (under “Legislative Resources” at www.tccta.org) for useful strategies. The site also contains a convenient link to find out “Who Represents Me?”

IMPORTANT: Do not use college equipment, e-mail addresses, or stationery when communicating with state policy makers. Also, it is crucial to  be constructive at all times when communicating with public officials. Be sure to thank them for their hard work on behalf of the people of Texas.

Background: Texas Higher Education Commissioner Raymund Paredes has testified repeatedly in legislative hearings that developmental education needs a “complete overhaul” because it “isn’t working.” One proposal includes shifting some “adult” students to Adult Basic Education, which would be administered by the Texas Education Agency. Pilot programs are currently being examined to determine the best funding strategy, including “non-course” approaches.

Talking Points on On Developmental Education

• Educators in the field report that the statistics gathered by the Coordinating Board are often confusing and difficult to interpret. Since TASP was replaced by TSI, each school has designed its own approach, making generalizations problematic if not impossible.
• Since the funding formula does not require that revenue generated by developmental education courses be spent on these courses, great variety exists statewide. Developmental education courses that receive adequate funding to hire talented faculty, and to provide necessary resources and training, are more successful.
• Legislators are urged to read published national studies on this subject carefully. Often a headline or caption can be very misleading. Furthermore, the most recent evidence may be missing.
  In the absence of authoritative statistical data, legislators are urged to listen to impressive and countless anecdotes from community college students whose academic careers were saved dramatically by effective developmental education.
• Teachers in the field are among the most creative, collaborative, and resourceful professionals in higher education. For a look at “best practices” currently being shared, please examine The Network, a resource provided by TCCTA and its partners, at www.txpod.org.

Session to Feature Strategies that Work—and Protect Standards

TCCTA members are urged to attend the general session of the TCCTA annual convention, on Thursday, January 27, 2011, at the Marriott Rivercenter Hotel in San Antonio.

Here's a link for more information, including a form in pdf format for ordering a banquet ticket (at the bottom of the page).

In collaboration with key foundations providing significant support to student success programs at community colleges in Texas, TCCTA  will feature presentations of programs on campuses that are achieving results today in preparing students to perform successfully in college. As the Coordinating Board and Legislature consider new approaches designed to enhance productivity and student performance, it is imperative to provide a showcase for “best practices” that are succeeding presently at the campus level. These programs show promise for other two-year colleges—without jeopardizing standards or academic integrity.

By participating in the session, faculty members will learn first hand about these impressive initiatives and will return to campuses all over Texas to share the results. To this end, TCCTA believes there is great value in bringing together representatives from the key foundations supporting such projects, to compare findings and generate discussion.

Each foundation will feature a breakthrough initiative it is currently supporting at a Texas community college, with a short video describing the program, key individuals in its development, and a summary of its impact. An award will be presented by TCCTA to representatives of the college and supporting foundation. Panel discussions will be scheduled for the next day, to explore each concept in more depth.

The program for Thursday evening includes:

El Paso Community College
Early College Start Program
Funded by the Greater Texas Foundation and Meadows Foundation

Houston Community College System
Entering Students Program
Funded by the Gates Foundation

Brazosport College
Student Success Classes
Funded by the Houston Endowment

“Please join us for this important session!” says TCCTA president Fred Newbury, Richland College.

Should the Coordinating Board Be Abolished?

Capitol observers are noticing dramatic proposals leading up to the next Regular Session of the Legislature. Part of the momentum derives from a truly grim budget prognosis, which has generated a host of ideas that were once unthinkable (such as, for example, a proposed withdrawal from the federal Medicaid program, which is funded jointly with the states). Then there's the 2010 freshmen lawmakers, who believe they have a mandate to shake things up.

Veteran House member Rep. Fred Brown (R-Bryan) has frequently criticized the structure of the educational bureaucracy in Texas, holding a consistent belief that the separation of public education from higher education is outmoded and needs to go. Lately he has proposed that the Coordinating Board be merged with the Texas Education Agency (TEA), which is under the jurisdiction of the elected State Board of Education (SBOE)—most notably in matters of curriculum, testing, and textbook selection. Here's his bill.

Rep. Brown, who served many years on the House Committee on Higher Education, thinks the merger would save revenue, but also believes cost is not the principal issue. The matter is covered in a recent article by Reeve Hamilton in the Texas Tribune. By all means, please read the entire piece, since the points below are highly selective.

Community and technical college educators who have occasionally tossed a complaint or two in the direction of the Coordinating Board may wish to consider the implications of a mega-agency in charge of all education in Texas.

This quote from the Tribune piece is particularly interesting:

Higher Education Commissioner Raymund Paredes, whose position would be eliminated under such a proposal, sees several problems with the bill. “First of all, higher ed is pretty much overseen by appointed boards, and public ed is primarily overseen by elected boards,” he says, “and I don’t know how you reconcile that fundamental difference.”

The commisioner undoubtedly refers to university regents, who are appointed by the governor. However, community colleges are, like Independent School Districts, governed by elected trustees. Whether two-year schools would make a good fit under the umbrella of TEA is another matter.

More importantly, from the perspective of faculty, it might be worth contemplating perennial issues such as curriculum development and textbook selection. The SBOE for years has been embroiled in cultural controversies and ideological disputes attracting nationwide attention, most notably in the fields of evolutionary biology, history, and religion—areas in which conservative activists believe the subject matter has been hijacked by liberalism and secularism.

To put it charitably, the issues swirling around the SBOE have not always been covered favorably in the national press. Some Texas political leaders might say, "Who cares"? But reputation makes a difference in education. It's hard to imagine, for instance, a promising scholar from another state finding Texas very attractive if the culture wars of SBOE creep into higher ed. We've got enough problems already.

It's unclear at this point if Rep. Brown's bill has a chance of passage, but it's worth watching carefully in today's volatile political environment.

Volunteer Coaches Help Retention

Students who meet regularly with volunteer "coaches" are significantly more likely to continue their studies than classmates who do not. At least that's the experience reported by Howard Community College, in the greater Washington, D.C. area.

According to the Washington Post, students who volunteer to participate in in the school's "Step UP" program are paired with a faculty or staff coach who provides one-on-one support. "There are no agendas or set goals; instead, students are encouraged to question, share, and explore ideas with a caring listener," according to the article by Daniel de Vise.

The Howard program began with 15 students and their volunteer coaches. It has grown to 121 participants, mostly by word of mouth. Coaches include the college president, Kate Hetherington, two trustees and dozens of faculty and staff. Adjuncts and part-timers get a $300 stipend each semester; everyone else coaches without monetary compensation, according to the piece.

Howard is in a wealthy suburban county, which could be a factor. However, the school reports that 57 percent of students either graduate or transfer to four-year colleges within four years of enrolling. That's quite a bit above the norm nationwide. Obviously, performing this service for all students could be problematic logistically and financially, but the experience appears to validate studies indicating that student "engagement" is crucial to retention. Here's a link to the Step Up program.

Other schools have similar results, using a variety of approaches. Here's an excerpt from the Post article:

At Northern Virginia Community College, the largest community college in the region, Pathway to the Baccalaureate guides at-risk students from public high schools through community college to George Mason University and other four-year schools, with trained Pathway counselors and specially programmed courses. Four-fifths of participating students are retained from year to year. Last year, the school ranked second in the nation among two-year colleges for degrees granted.

Students in the First-Year Experience Program at Montgomery College write personal education plans. Retention from the first semester to the second is 10 percent higher for students who are in the program than for those who are not.

Male students at Prince George's Community College meet twice a month to discuss books, sports and relationships in a program called Men Moving Forward. The initiative proved so popular that female students launched their own program, called Meeting in the Ladies' Room.

State Profits from Community Colleges

According to a new study, Texas taxpayers see a 6.9 percent rate of return on their investment in community colleges. The study was reported recently in an article by Reeve Hamilton in the Texas Tribune.

The report, Moving Texas Forward, was conducted by Economic Modeling Specialists, Inc., on behalf of the Texas Association of Community Colleges. Not surprisingly, the researchers affirm statistically that incomes go up strikingly with educational level. This link from TACC provides access to the full report and executive summaries of various components.

The report includes a number of significant findings.

Importantly, the higher earnings of former students expand the tax base in Texas by about $4.25 billion annually. "And because of improvements in health, employment, and economic well-being associated with higher education, the state saves $190.9 million each year," the study concludes.

"As the state of Texas faces a looming budget shortfall, there is a clear concern that additional cuts to these critical institutions could reduce their ability to impact the state's economy," noted TACC President Reynaldo Garcia in a statement urging the state to "remain committed" to investing in community colleges or risk losing economic ground.

Significantly, everyone benefits whether a student actually completes a program or not. This is perhaps the most notable finding, in light of constant discussions of low rates of "success." From the executive summary:

Every year students leave Texas Community Colleges and join or rejoin the state workforce. Their added skills translate to higher income and a more robust state economy. Based on historical enrollment and credit production at Texas Community Colleges over the past 30-year period, it is estimated that the accumulated contribution of instruction received by former students at Texas Community Colleges (both completers and non-completers) annually adds some $28.7 billion in income to Texas.

 

Talking Points on Performance Funding Offered

In anticipation of the historic and complicated issues facing the next Regular Session of the Legislature, TCCTA is updating its collection of Talking Points. Included are a host of constructive assertions our association makes when discussing pertinent issues with public officials. Members may find them useful in communicating with lawmakers while they are “at home” in the districts.

The Talking Points are designed for individualized and selective use by educators who may also possess expertise or interest in a particular topic. Talking Points on other subjects will be posted here soon.

As pointed out in the TCCTA Guide to Political Participation, Capitol insiders have long maintained that form letters and petitions are not nearly as effective as individually written correspondence from constituents. Members are encouraged to consult the Guide (under “Legislative Resources” at www.tccta.org) for useful strategies. The site also contains a convenient link to find out “Who Represents Me?”

IMPORTANT: Do not use college equipment, e-mail addresses, or stationery when communicating with state policy makers. Also, it is crucial to  be constructive at all times when communicating with public officials. Be sure to thank them for their hard work on behalf of the people of Texas.

Talking Points on Performance Funding

Background: Commissioner of Higher Education Raymund Paredes and the Coordinating Board have endorsed a proposal to fund higher education based partially on Momentum Points achieved by students, as they complete developmental education course work, transfer successfully, or accomplish milestones of semester hours with passing grades. Ten percent of the funding formula would be devoted to such achievement by colleges, according to the most current proposal. The Coordinating Board has also proposed that funding should be determined by the number of students who finish each course, rather than based on enrollment early in the semester.

• TCCTA welcomes all valid documentation of college performance, such as the measures reported under current law to the Coordinating Board.
• Students often take workforce training courses with no intention of certification or graduation, and part-time students (who constitute the majority of two-year college enrollment) may take many years to reach a personal objective. The complete mission of community colleges should be funded without penalty.
• Community colleges are held accountable by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the regional accrediting agency for professional standards. Faculty in many workforce disciplines must report to accrediting agencies at the state or national level. Colleges are also accountable to local taxpayers through policies enacted by elected trustees. Faculty members are evaluated routinely by college administrators under local board policies. Student evaluations are an important component of this process. Colleges are now implementing HB 2504 (81st Regular Session), which mandates that schools formulate a plan to post course and faculty information online, including student evaluations.
• No one wants students to succeed more than teachers. The Coordinating Board’s proposal to reward student success assumes that a new funding mechanism will create a novel motivation. We see no empirical evidence to suggest such a correlation. If the state wishes to undertake a policy of performance or incentive funding, it should do so carefully and with ample opportunity for students, faculty, and other stakeholders to provide insights about the unintended consequences it could have.
• The Coordinating Board’s current proposals could place the interests of students at odds with the financial interests of institutions. We believe a student should never be advised to choose a particular option simply because of the way the college receives its appropriation.
• There are times when advising a student to stay in class would be unethical, since a failing grade often closes the door on a fresh start later. These decisions are highly personal and complex and should not be subjected to a simplistic, centralized remedy.