Hazard Herald
March 30, 2005
KCTCS appoints Bob Hammonds as state director to lead homeland security initiatives
Hazard Community & Technical College’s Bob Hammonds has been appointed
the state director of homeland security initiatives for the Kentucky Community
and Technical College System (KCTCS).
HCTC President Dr. Jay K. Box noted, “During this last year, Bob served
in an interim role for KCTCS working on homeland security initiatives while
working for us as Director of Homeland Security and Government Relations. He
has developed a reputation across the nation as an intelligent, hard-working,
and informed individual in the realm of homeland security. Through Bob’s
efforts, KCTCS has received special funding for two notable projects--training
of certain Wal Mart employees across Kentucky on homeland security measures,
and a training exercise to be conducted by the University of Louisville in Hazard.
While we will miss him around Hazard, we wish Bob the best of luck in his new
position.
The KCTCS Homeland Security program provides specialized training across the
state to meet the current and emerging education needs for operational security.
The program focuses on three major initiatives: physical security, first responder,
and information and communication technologies security.
In his new position, Hammonds will direct and oversee homeland security initiatives
and projects for all of Kentucky’s community and technical colleges. His
duties will include working with state and federal agencies and developing requirements
and curriculum for homeland security and emergency response training. “I
am excited about the opportunity to work in the KCTCS System Office on such
an important issue as Homeland Security,” Hammonds noted. “I will
be working closely with the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security, all 16 community
college districts and the Kentucky Fire Commission to develop and fund training
programs for the prevention of and response/recover from terrorist attacks in
Kentucky,” he said.
For the past year, Hammonds served in an interim role before being appointed
to the permanent position effective March 1, 2005. He had previously served
12 years with Hazard Community and Technical College as assistant dean of business
affairs. Hammonds has 12 years of banking experience, four years of mining experience,
and three years experience with the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Hammonds is a founding member and co-chair of the national executive council
of Prepare America, a national collaborative effort of America’s community
colleges that provides training and educational instruction for homeland security
initiatives.
Hammonds earned his bachelor's degree in business administration from Eastern
Kentucky University and his master's in business administration from Sullivan
University in Lexington, Ky.
Bob and his wife, Jeannie, have three children—Ashley, a UK student;
Amber, a senior at Hazard High; and Aaron Noplis, a seventh grader at R.G. Eversole
School. Bob’s parents, Charlie and Bonnie Hammonds, live in Hazard.
The Times-Leader
March 27, 2005
HCC moving local site to high school
Beginning this fall, Hopkinsville Community College classes will be offered
locally at Caldwell County High School.
County school board members voted this week to grant the community college
permission to move its classes from the top floor of the Butler Annex on Washington
Street to the high school on Beckner Lane.
HCC President Dr. Bonnie Rogers addressed the school board last month about
the request. The college, she said, sought a location that was handicapped-accessible
and that allowed expanded course offerings.
Science courses, for example, could be taught in the high school’s lab
space, she said, but the Butler Annex had no such facilities available.
Moving HCC’s classes into the high school would assist the college in
its accreditation process.
Board members tabled discussion on the issue after hearing Rogers’ proposal.
Discussion resumed in Monday night’s meeting.
The college had previously paid the school district $4,000 a year to use the
classroom space in the Butler Annex, but Superintendent Carrell Boyd said the
college now offered $8,000 a year for use of the high school, after hours.
The move, Boyd said, would cause an increase in traffic in the building, but
the extra funds would likely allow the district to hire a half-time custodian
to keep the building clean and ready for use by high school students and staff
each morning.
The college had also asked for a room to house a new computer lab in the high
school, and Boyd said that had also been taken care of.
District Technology Director Pat Fralick, Systems Engineer Rocky Sears, high
school technology instructor Melissa Earnest and four HCC representatives looked
at the school’s ITV lab and determined it would meet installation requirements
for 20 computer stations.
In return for use of the lab, the college will furnish its own computers and
allow them to be used by the high school’s yearbook staff, the only users
of the current computers in the ITV lab, Boyd said.
One remaining concern, he said, was the lack of significant air conditioning
capacity at the high school during the summers. The school district’s current
air conditioning system does not have the capacity to keep the school cool in
those months.
“They’re going to be hot in August,” Boyd said.
Architects were, however, looking at the possibility of adding another chiller
unit at the high school to ease some of those capacity concerns, he said.
The board voted unanimously to approve the college’s proposal.
In other business:
• The board approved a new slogan and new vision, mission and belief statements
for the school district.
Boyd said such statements seemed to be a common denominator among successful
schools.
“This is how we get so united,” he said. “This is how we become
one.”
The new statements are:
• Vision statement: The Caldwell County School District will become a
model school district worthy of state and national recognition.
• Mission statement: The mission of the Caldwell County School District
is to educate students through the shared commitment of the home, community,
and school by providing a learning environment which prepares all students for
responsible and productive citizenship.
• Slogan: It’s All About Kids (IAAK).
A list of 12 belief statements was also approved.
The new statements were created after a recent community brainstorming/planning
session.
• Board members voted to approve a bid for a new sound system at the high
school’s Community Activities Building.
The current system is outdated and problematic, district officials said.
Two proposals were discussed: one from Music Zone, for $6,905, and one from
Music Central, for $10,813.60.
The Music Zone proposal consisted of a combination of speakers to replace the
current speakers in their same locations.
The Music Central proposal includes 14 speakers and 14 transformers placed
throughout the gym.
Installation costs are about the same for each, said Buildings Director Larry
Curling.
The proposal from Music Central includes more equipment and would likely provide
a much better sound, he said.
Board members approved the Music Central bid.
• Spring sports equipment bids were approved.
Low bids were approved on various supplies from Gus Doerner Sports, Nashville
Sports, Sikes Sports, Ken Tenn, AAE, ATS Sports and Sports Warehouse.
Bids were also received from Riddell and the Athletic Center.
The low bids for baseball, softball, tennis and track supplies totaled $2,899.32.
• The board approved the hiring of Howe and Melton, LLP, as district auditors
for the 2004-05 year.
The audit will cost an estimated $7,900. The firm has audited the school district
for the last several years.
• Master schedules were approved for each of the district’s four
schools for the next school year.
The schedules include:
• CCPS: classes begin at 7:35 a.m. and end at 2:40 p.m.
• CCES: instructional time begins at 7:45 a.m. and ends at 2:50 p.m.
• CCMS: first period begins at 7:50 a.m., and classes end at 3 p.m.
• CCHS: first block classes begin at 7:55 a.m., and classes end at 3:05
p.m.
• Two overnight trips were approved. They include:
• 12 Kentucky Junior Historical Society students from CCMS, a sponsor
and chaperone to attend the state KJHS convention at Frankfort from March 31
to April 2;
• Eight CCHS FBLA students, a sponsor and a chaperone to attend the state
FBLA convention at Louisville from April 12-14.
• The board approved use of the Butler lawn and gym by members of the
Board of Education Relay for Life team for a yard sale from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Saturday, May 7, and a charity auction from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 14.
• The board acknowledged the following personnel activity, as reported
by the superintendent:
• Employed: Cassie Driskill, assistant CCHS softball coach; Ashley Jo
Fraliex, Tara Beth Fraliex, Sarah Raye Oliver, substitute teachers; William
Robert Randall, substitute custodian; and Regina Wadlington, substitute cook
and baker.
Stacy Jones is also serving as a volunteer softball coach, Boyd said.
• The board next meets Thursday, April 21, at 7 p.m.
The meeting is rescheduled from Monday, April 18, due to a conflicting meeting
of the National School Boards Association in San Diego, Calif., board members
said.
Community College Week
March 28, 2005
Colleges Have Mixed Reactions to Workforce Reforms
Would pending legislation make Workforce Investment Act programs a bigger boon
for community colleges? A bill being debated in the Senate would create a special
role for community colleges and knock out some red tape that has limited community-college
participation in federally funded job training. The House has approved the Job
Training Improvement Act of 2005, which is now being considered in the Senate
Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions.
The House Education and the Workforce Committee acknowledged that “current
eligible training provider provisions include requirements that have proven
to be overly burdensome” to community colleges faced with mountains of
data to collect and forms to fill out. One major imposition: colleges had to
file data on all students in training programs, not just those getting WIA funding.
Congress had intended to create a list of eligible training providers so workers
getting services could choose schools. But the idea backfired when institutions
wouldn’t participate or limited the number of WIA students they took because
of the trouble.
The legislation would leave it up to states to set requirements for trainers
and reporting. But states would have to comply with the Family Educational Rights
and Privacy Act when setting their criteria.
The Job Training Improvement Act would create a $250 million community-based
job-training demonstration project to provide education and training and place
graduates in jobs through one-stop delivery systems. Only community colleges
could get the grants. When they apply for grants, they’d have to specify
an industry for which they plan to train.
Schools would apply directly to the Department of Labor for grants. In making
their case, they’d have to examine local labor-market conditions, including
the need for job training for a particular “high-growth, high-demand industry.”
They’ll also have to work with local workforce-investment boards, industry
and one-stop delivery systems.
The bill would let the Department of Labor issue rules requiring that trainees
participate in evaluations.
The bill also includes a Bush proposal to allow states and localities, with
permission from the Labor Department, to offer new Personal Re-employment Accounts
of up to $3,000. People who lose their jobs could choose the services they use
to help them find jobs, including community colleges. The bill doesn’t
specify a funding level.
The Bush administration supports the bill, and is pleased that it includes
the president’s ideas. But the Office of Management and Budget issued a
statement saying that “the administration is concerned. that, without consequences
for states that do not meet their agreed-on adult education performance levels,
(the Job Training Improvement Act) would not hold states accountable for improving
the performance of those programs.”
And while community colleges seem to be in favor of the paperwork reduction,
some say the bill only addresses part of the participation problem.
“The rules may be somewhat of a hindrance, but here in Pennsylvania, it’s
less an issue of rules and more an issue of local WIAs and community colleges,”
said Diane Bosak, executive director of the Pennsylvania Commission for Community
Colleges. “In many cases, there aren’t very good relationships, and
local WIAs are using very few dollars for training. I’m not sure that if
this legislation were to clear up the rules, that would make the situation here
all that much better.”
But she said that the grant program exclusively for community colleges may
help. “We would be driving, so that we wouldn’t have to sit around
and wait for local boards to make up their minds on how they were going to use
the money,” she said.
A community-college Work Incentive Act coordinator in Illinois, who asked not
to be named, complained, “I’ve seen hundreds of reports they generate.
I see it as a lot of redundant work. If you have 14 mandatory partners, why
is it that the person has to go to each one of the agencies and do redundant
paperwork?”
But the coordinator added that less paperwork wouldn’t solve the bigger
problem. “It’s pretty dismal here ... the population we’re working
with. They have so many barriers to employment. I’m seeing a lot of nonsuccess
stories. A lot of people don’t complete (programs). Hours aren’t convenient,”
the coordinator said.
Donna Hale, program manager of the Career Resources Network at Mission College
in Santa Clara, Calif., said, “We haven’t been able to come up with
an agreement with one of the WIAs because there is such a mountain of paperwork
involved that we just haven’t overcome that obstacle … It seems that
every time we tried to do something, there’d be another roadblock.”
But she said a lack of funding leading to long waiting lists impedes participation
more than filling out forms.
But Bush’s plan may be giving with one hand while taking away more with
the other, one lobbyist said. “Any new funding for community colleges is
certainly welcome. The problem is that it comes at the same time as (proposed)
cuts for workforce investment and elimination of the Perkins Act funding. If
the cuts were enacted (at the same time as the new program), it would do more
harm than good for the community colleges,” said Christin M. Driscoll,
senior director of public policy for the Association for Career and Technical
Education.
Community College Week
March 28, 2005
Senate Wants to Boost Pell Funding
The prospects for increased Pell Grant funding for 2006 got a boost when the
Senate Budget Committee recently approved a 10.1 percent increase from the 2005
fiscal budget for the program. The increase is $417 million above the Bush administration’s
request.
The resolution would increase the maximum grant by $100, to $4,150, as the
president requested. But the number of recipients would increase by 138,000,
or 2.6 percent, next year.
The committee also approved loan forgiveness of up to $4,000 for Pell Grant
recipients who finish their degrees within four years but carry student-loan
debt. The proposal would convert the loans into grants, up to an equivalent
of $5,150 per year of school once borrowers complete their degrees.
Additionally, the committee approved a one-time $4.3 billion pool as a reserve
fund to eliminate the current Pell Grant shortfall.
The resolution also includes a $4.5 billion reserve account to cover increases
over five years for Higher Education Act programs if Congress renews the legislation.
While budget resolutions set guidelines, they don’t require appropriations
bills to follow their advice.
The House Budget Committee, meanwhile, passed a resolution that remains silent
on these issues. “We set the numbers,” explained a House committee
spokesperson who wised to remain anonymous.. “The (appropriations) committees
decide what to do with them. The budget doesn’t set policy.”
Community College Week
March 28, 2005
Fast Forward
These days, being tapped to head a community college means being able to
shift gears fast and frequently — a feat that's both trying and rewarding.
So you’ve just been made president of a community college. Ready to sit
back, unpack your office and go to a few welcome luncheons as you gear up for
your indefinite tenure? Uh, sorry. That describes a kickoff to the community-college
presidency of the last millennium. These days, being president or chancellor
means you hit the ground running, often beginning work long before you’re
even on the payroll of your new college. For schools, it’s no longer a
matter of sifting through responses to job advertisements — it’s hiring
a search consultant and spending tens of thousands of dollars before even bringing
a candidate on campus.
Dr. Marsi Liddell, president of Aims Community College outside Denver said
expectations set before her were high when she took office in January 2003.
Hitting the ground running “was the board’s charge to me,” she
said. “With the rate of change and the fluctuations in finances and pedagogy,
you don’t have a chance to relax. No, there is no honeymoon period.”
Like Carreon, Liddell also came fresh from another presidency — she led
Glen Oaks Community College in Michigan before moving on to Colorado.
Dr. Jesus “Jess” Carreon, chancellor of the Dallas County Community
College District in Texas said he started planning for his current job as soon
as he got approval from the board. Before being named chancellor at Dallas in
June 2003, Carreon was president of Portland Community College in Oregon, where
he was responsible for more than 45,000 students. Before Portland, he served
as president of two community colleges in California.
“It’s not a good or a bad thing,” Carreon said of the changes.
“It’s just the nature of the job today.”
And just because you’ve done your homework, don’t think that’s
enough. The community-college president of 2005 is responsible for raising funds
and being a presence in the local community, in addition to the traditional
role of being the visible leader on campus.
“I went to every meeting I was invited to,” said Dr. Kevin Drumm,
president of Sheridan College in Wyoming, who started his position in August
2004. “I felt it was important to learn as much about the community needs
and economic needs as possible. It had to come from the district as much as
from the school itself,” he said.
Though boards are making more and more specific requests from their new presidents,
there’s still room for creative leadership.
“The only mandate I was given was: ‘You make this college your college
— make it run how you think it ought to run,’” Drumm said. “There
was a clear list of issues my board wanted me to tackle,” but he was given
the leeway to solve them in his own way.
Knocking on Doors
As fiscal cuts impinge on nonprofit budgets, presidents and chancellors face
either cutting staff and services or stumping to raise money.
“All of a sudden, I have to be able to work with and talk to legislators,”
Carreon said. “Having to raise funds outside of public dollars is not only
an option, it’s a reality”
Drumm was fortunate enough to inherit a school that’s reasonably fiscally
healthy, but that doesn’t mean he can sit back and relax. Upon his arrival,
“the foundation was in the throes of planning a $4.5 million endowment
challenge,”; so even though his school is relatively well-funded, he’s
still looking for ways to bring in more dollars.
“Money is certainly an issue,” Liddell said. “It’s raising
money and saving money, and accountability is the mega issue. Depending on what
your state’s economic situation is … you’re looking at having
to downsize staff or raise money.”
Liddell isn’t just speaking in the abstract. In the two years before her
appointment in January 2003, the Aims system had a rough ride, with resignations
and a couple of interim presidents before she entered the picture.
“It was a little awe-inspiring,” she said of the troubles the school
had been through. “I think that the board and college community were very
clear that they wanted some stability in their leadership. For me, it was an
opportunity to say, ‘I can do this.’”
With such financial worries, it’s not surprising that boards are leaning
toward CEO-style presidents, who can understand and rein in finances. But it’s
a fine line to walk.
“I think the vision of some boards is to bring in a businessperson,”
Carreon said, adding that though boards want someone to whip the school into
financial shape, the position is not comparable to the same position at a large
corporation. “Some management things are standard, but this environment
has a different function. We’re nonprofit; we’re focused on service
to students.” People coming in from the business environment will be successful,
Carreon said, if they make the transition from the business mentality to embracing
the service goals of the community college.
Shell Shock
Even when preparation has been a priority, there are bound to be surprises.
For Liddell, it was the announcement that she had to make major budget cuts.
“The second or third day I was here, I heard the commissioner say I had
to make a 40 percent cut,” she said. “It turned out to be 20, but
still.”
For Drumm, “The biggest adjustment had been to my time. It’s a longer
day, a long week, a longer month. I’m only seven months in, so we’ll
see if it’s a longer year. The time demands of [being] a new president
are really dramatic. And for some it goes on that way forever,” said Drumm,
a first-time president.
The idea of life on a campus being stressful may be laughable for those not
in academia. For those in the trenches, though, it’s a different story.
And for the president-cum-CEO of today, stress is a real issue.
“The environment is so fast-paced that you can’t hide,” Carreon
said, citing cell phones and pagers. “I think a person could be pulled
in too many directions, but I’ve learned how to say no,” The stress
takes quantum leaps,” as an administrator moves up the ladder and into
schools with larger enrollments.“
“I go home and I click it off. Up until the time I became a vice president,
I would bring the stress with me everywhere. But in the last 12 years, I’ve
learned to walk away and shift gears,” Carreon said.
“Don’t think because of your age or gender you’re safe from
stress,” he said, adding that to be successful, leaders need to learn to
find time away and recharge.
Ah, the good old days
Carreon said what he misses most in his new role is spending time with students.
In his previous position at Portland, he met with students often, even if it
was just the editor of the school newspaper or student council members. Interacting
with the students reminded him of why he was doing his job in the first place.
“Now I see students three or four times a year in a group setting,”
he said. At Dallas he works in the chancellor offices, not on a campus, and
he lamented that he couldn’t just walk out on campus as he used to do.
For Drumm, teaching is a touchstone. He teaches graduate and post-graduate
students at Antioch University. “I think it’s important for administration
to stay in touch with the classroom, since that’s the core service. It’s
important to stay in touch on the ground,” he said.
Welcome — Now Leave
“Almost 50 percent of all institutions now use an executive search firm
to find their next president,” said Dr. James Samels, who teamed with Dr.
James Martin to write “Presidential Transition in Higher Education: Managing
Leadership Change” (see Q&A on pg. 8).
“The successful candidate is not sitting in the library paging through
the Chronicle of Higher Education. The successful candidate isn’t even
looking,” Samels said.
For college presidents these days, getting too comfortable in the office is
rarely an option. CEOs or CFOs are often brought in as “turn-around specialists”
to fix a problem and are then shown the door. Community-college boards often
expect a similar performance from their newly hired presidents.
“I think the average tenure is six years, which is not a lifetime commitment,
but does allow for some stability,” Liddell said. Saying that shorter tenures
could be a good thing for both school and president, she added, “The issue
is when the board is not honest with the CEO. If they’re honest about just
wanting a change agent, that’s one thing. I think there’s something
to be said for not staying 15 years at a school.”
Carreon sees the shorter-term stay as a mission.
“I believe that it’s crucial that I’m here at this time. Transformational
leaders get the school ready for the next chapter,” he said. “There
are challenges and tremendous opportunities, because I believe community colleges
are the sector of education that will lead us into the next century.”
For Drumm, it’s a little bit a matter of skill set, a little bit chemistry,
a little bit synchronicity. There are a small number of college presidents,
Drumm said, who do have the capability to change as the school changes, such
as Father Ted Hesburgh at Notre Dame University, with his 35-year tenure and
creative leadership — but it’s the anomaly rather than the rule.
“Most of us are suited to a particular institution at a particular time.
Finding the magical fit — the fit matters a lot, Drumm said. There’s
a certain period of time when the fit will be good, and then you’re going
to reach a point — it may be in a couple of years if there’s a real
mess and you’ve had to change a lot of people. On the other hand, if you
have a four-, five-, six-, seven-year period and you’ve been able to take
the college and fulfill your vision, then the question becomes if you’re
still the right fit. Most of us don’t have the skill to change with our
institution over a long period of time.”
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