Community College Times
May 11, 2004
Next AACC Board Chair and Nine New Members Announced
New members of the American Association of Community Colleges Board of Directors
were introduced at the annual business meeting at the AACC convention in Minneapolis
last month.
Henry D. Shannon, chancellor of St. Louis Community College in Missouri will
become board chair and Michael B. McCall, president of the Kentucky Community
and Technical Colleges System, will be chair-elect, both effective July 1.
Shannon has devoted his entire professional life to improving St. Louis’s
colleges and universities, serving as St. Louis Community Colleges’ chancellor
since 1999. Shannon was also a teacher and counselor in the St. Louis Public
School System and worked as a counselor and administrator at Harris Stowe State
College. After leaving Harris Stowe, Shannon was the administrator at St. Louis
University directing the Upward Bound Program. Shannon continues to be an advocate
for students and student success, and his dissertation focused on strategies
to enhance the achievement of African-American high school students. He is active
in many community organizations that support the success of students in the
metropolitan area.
Set to take the reins in 2005, Michael B. McCall is the founding president
of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. McCall was also an instructor,
associate professor, and assistant dean at New River Community College (Virginia).
After leaving New River, McCall worked as a division chairman and associate
professor at Tidewater Community College. In addition to serving as the executive
director of the South Carolina State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education,
he has held presidencies at the Florence-Darlington Technical College (S.C.)
as well as the Paul D. Camp Community College (Virginia). McCall is recognized
for his achievements in increasing employment of women and minorities. He serves
on taskforces and has memberships on boards that strengthen the economic development
of the Kentucky region.
Nine new members also joined the AACC board with terms beginning July 1, 2004.
Institutional representatives are Kenneth H. Atwater, president of South Mountain
Community College in Arizona; Susan Cota, chancellor of the Chabot-Las Positas
Community College District in California; Ding-Jo H. Currie, president of Coastline
Community College in California; Allen G. Edwards, president of Pellissippi
State Technical Community College in Tennessee; Sylvester McKay, president of
Baltimore City Community College in Baltimore, Maryland; Mary S. Spangler, chancellor
of Oakland Community College in Michigan; and Stafford L. Thompson, president
of Enterprise-Ozark Community College in Alabama. Council Representatives are
Mary M. Carr, dean of instructional services and telecommunications at Spokane
Community College in Washington and Marlene Tignor, vice president of instruction
at Laramie County Community College in Wyoming.
Public-at-large representative is John Theodore (Ted) Sanders, president and
chief executive officer of the Education Commission of the States.
Community College Times
May 11, 2004
Grant News
The Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) has been awarded
a $95,221 grant from the Association Liaison Office for University Cooperation
in Development (ALO) to partner with Kien Giang Community College in Vietnam.
KCTCS will join with three other U.S. educational institutions to provide faculty
training and curriculum development for the establishment of a quality information
technology workforce-training program.
The U.S. institutions are Mohawk Valley Community College in New York, Richland
College of Dallas County Community College District in Texas, and Texas Tech
University.
Located in the small fishing community of Rach Gia, Kien Giang Community College
is in a key position to assist new industries that are taking root in the community
– building products, cement production, and shipyards.
“The ALO grant provides the college an excellent opportunity to introduce
computers and IT systems into the community’s workforce,” Michael
B. McCall, KCTCS president, said. “We are in the position to help the country’s
economic development by training skilled laborers in this field.”
The Vietnam government has selected Kien Giang Community College as a place
to lay the groundwork for the IT workforce-training program.
“This program will be a model for community colleges and other institutions
throughout Vietnam,” Keith Bird, KCTCS chancellor, said. “It will
further the goals of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to
achieve economic modernization and particularly to serve the exploding youth
population and reduce poverty.”
The Independent
May 19, 2004
A 16.5 percent hike
Each increase in tuition makes college less affordable for students
with modest means
More of the burden of paying for higher education in Kentucky continues to
be shifted from taxpayers to students. And each time tuition rates are increased,
it becomes that much more difficult for students from families of modest means
to afford to attend college.
The board of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System has joined
the state's four-year universities in approving large tuition increases for
the second consecutive year in response to decreases in state funding. The cost
of courses at the 62 community and technical college campuses will increase
by 16.5 percent.
In terms of dollars and cents, that means full-time Kentucky students at Ashland
Community and Technical College who take 12 hours of credit next fall will be
paying $156 more in tuition this fall than students who took the same course
load last fall. Out-of-state students who live in counties contiguous to Kentucky
— and this includes a number of ACTC students — will see their tuition
climb from $95 per credit hour to $110. The tuition rate for other out-of-state
residents — of which there are not many — will jump from $237 per
credit hour to $276.
When it comes to attracting students, the two-year community and technical
colleges have been a real success story in Kentucky. Despite a large increase
in tuition, they experienced a record enrollment of 72,023 credit-seeking students
this year.
As the cost of college continues to increase at a much higher rate than inflation,
one must wonder how long the good news can continue. We've said this before
but we'll say it again: As a state with one of the nation's lowest percentages
of college graduates, Kentucky's public policy should be to encourage more people
to seek a higher education, not discourage them by making it more and more expensive.
The Journal of Commerce and Industry
May 13, 2004
KCTCS Flexible Manufacturing Labs offer industry outstanding training potential
From the May 13, 2004 issue of the Kentucky Journal of Commerce and Industry
newspaper, published by Associated Industries of Kentucky.
Existing and potential Kentucky companies now have access to multiple Flexible
Manufacturing Laboratories developed to meet the increasing educational and
workforce development needs of the community through the Kentucky Community
and Technical College System (KCTCS).
The labs are designed to allow companies ample space in a safe, pristine environment
to conduct off-site worker training, from computer training to orientation on
large-scale industrial equipment, with minimal disruption or loss of production
to their plant.
Companies in or near the Shelbyville area can now draw on the Jefferson Community
and Technical College's new Flexible Use Lab at the Shelby County Campus. Ashland
Community and Technical College has opened its Business and Industry Innovation
Center. Henderson Community College has had its Industrial and Engineering Technology
building up and running for the past two years, while Somerset Community and
Technical College has just completed a training center lab at the Somerset Campus
and is completing another at its Albany Campus in Clinton County.
"These facilities give incoming and existing companies the opportunity
to train personnel in a well-equipped and prepared multi-purpose facility while
eliminating interruptions," said Allen D. Rose, vice president for business
and government relations for Jefferson Community and Technical College. "It's
very flexible, an ideal situation. We expect great things for the use of our
facilities."
Gary P. Bradford, dean for community, workforce and economic development at
Ashland CTC, said the labs are modeled on vestibule training programs. They
are an ideal solution for training new or upgrading employees.
"There's an inherent problem when you build a plant and move to a new
location. Before I put someone on my assembly line, I've got an area in my plant
where I can ensure he or she knows how to work properly there," Mr. Bradford
said. "Here, you can expose your employees to the process so they can be
a lot more productive when they start at your real plant."
"When the shop floor is running, it's hard to do training without some
disruption. This setting really fosters a good training environment," adds
Dr. John Wieland, president of the JTC Shelby County Campus.
Bob Bihr, vice president of Associated Industries of Kentucky (AIK) in Louisville
and former vice president of ACK Controls in Glasgow, says ACK Controls could
have opened their facility three months earlier if such a training site existed
when the company opened its plant in the late 1980s.
"We could have placed our equipment in this plant floor setting and trained
many of our operators in advance of the plant opening, enabling us to enter
straight into production instead of devoting our initial weeks to company training,"
Mr. Bihr said. "We would have loved this opportunity."
Each lab facility was expressly designed to provide a location for business
and industry to train employees. There is space for industrial-sized equipment
that can be set up and dismantled as needed. The Shelby County Flexible Use
Lab, built at a cost of $7 million, is equipped with the latest in telecommunications
capabilities, including full Internet access and video conferencing. Ashland
has two facilities, each with loading dock access, an independent electrical
supply and a sizable workplace area. There's room, for instance, for as five
large injection molding machines, says Mr. Bradford.
Dr. Patrick Lake, president of Henderson Community College, notes that his
26,000 square foot building is designed to accommodate about anything, from
lectures to hands-on skill training with various industrial equipment.
"We can do pretty much anything a company wants to do," says Aimee
Newberry of Henderson's Tri-County Business and Industry Training Consortium
She noted that 70 of the 73 consortium member companies have utilized the facility,
with training costs often funded up to 70 percent through state grants.
Many of the sites, such as the Shelby County campus, provide access to meeting
rooms, and companies can often draw upon college resources, such as instructor
skills and existing computer training courses.
"We can do anything, and if we can't do it, we'll find the people who
can," said Mr. Bradford.
Lab availability is publicized through advertising in trade journal and industry
publications, targeted both to potential and current Kentucky industry. Mr.
Rose said KCTCS representatives would also "knock on doors and introduce
ourselves" to companies in the community.
"Our motto is our place, your place, anytime, anywhere, we'll be there
to assist in training your workforce," Mr. Rose said.
The labs are expected to be an asset for drawing companies that might locate
a plant in Kentucky. "We know of instances where, if we had the building,
it would have been a beautiful selling point," Mr. Bradford said.
Dr. Wieland noted that there are no limits to the time space can be leased.
Use by multiple companies is possible, depending upon the nature of the training
required. His Shelby County lab can be leased for the going market rate for
warehouse space in Shelby County, approximately $1,500 a month.
Points of Contact
Ashland Community and Technical College - Mr. Gary Bradford, gary.bradford@kctcs.edu,
606-326-2130
Shelby County Campus - Dr. John Wieland, john.wieland@kctcs.edu, 502-633-5524,
etx. 3653
Somerset Community College - Mr. Dave Cazalet, david.cazalet@kctcs.edu,
606-679-8501
Henderson Community College - Ms. Rachael Baar, Rachael.baar@kctcs.edu,
270-830-5281
The goal of KCTCS is to change lives by providing accessible and affordable
education and training through academic and technical associate degrees; diploma
and certificate programs in occupational fields; pre-baccalaureate education;
adult, continuing and developmental education; customized training for business
and industry; and distance learning.
For more information about how KCTCS can help your organization, visit www.kctcs.edu.
Hazard Herald
May 12, 2004
Sebastian honored at Civic Night
The Hazard Community and Technical College Board of Directors honored posthumously
Eugene Sebastian with the prestigious Distinguished Service award for his dedication
to education, presented during the annual Hazard-Perry County Chamber of Commerce
Civic Night on May 4. The recognition was announced by HCTC Board of Directors
Chair William Engle and the unveiling of the award included HCTC President/CEO
Jay K. Box and Ted Edmonds of Breathitt County.
Sebastian served as superintendent of Breathitt County Schools from 1969 to
1985 when he retired. Prior to that, he served as assistant superintendent,
instructional supervisor, and three years as school principal. For seven years
prior, he was a school teacher.
He left retirement to teach an Introduction to Education course at the Lees
College Campus of Hazard Community and Technical College for 11 years, Fall
1989 to Fall 2000. He drew upon his vast experience as superintendent to teach
the class, which was filled with stories of his professional experiences.
His excellence in education has been recognized in other ways. A middle school
was built and dedicated in his honor in Breathitt County.
Barbara Deaton, faculty member at the college, remembers Sebastian and made
note that he and his wife, Vada Sebastian, had 105 years of combined educational
service. Mrs. Sebastian also served as elementary teacher in the Breathitt County
school system.
He understood the value of an education and so he financed five Eugene Sebastian
Scholarships each year at Lees—the school from which he received his education.
Sebastian, a native of Breathitt County, passed away Feb. 26, 2002.
The Distinguished Service Award is the highest award given by the Board of
Directors, noted Bill Engle, chair of the Board. Past recipients include: the
late Carl D. Perkins (2003), Leon L. Hollon (2001), J. Phil Smith (1999), Marie
R. Turner (1998), L.D. Gorman (1997), William D. Gorman Sr. (1994), Dr. C. Vernon
Cooper Jr. (1993), George B. Campbell ( 1992) Bruce Stephens Jr. (1991), Eddie
J. Moore (1990), Lewis A. Hopper (1989), Joe C. Eversole (1988) and Marvin Kohl
Eblen (1986). The recognition awards hang in the First Federal Center in a conference
room on the first floor.
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