Leveraging Resources Within the Institution and Region

1. Leveraging Resources Within the Institution and Region Sponsored by: National Council for Continuing Education & Training Presented by: Stephen B. Kinslow, President, Austin Community College Sandra Gaskin, NCCET Executive Director Kirk White, Austin Community College District

2. Agenda • Partnerships in a Region • Scope of the I-35 Corridor Partnership • Partnerships within a College • Examples of successes • Lessons learned • Q&A

3. I-35 Corridor Collaborative Why: • Hosted Regional Green Economy Forum (business/industry, workforce groups, academia) • To create coordination & sharing of green programs • To formalize regional collaborative/enhance competitiveness • I-35 Corridor Collaborative then created • ACC formed Federal Stimulus Response Office • To track funding opportunities • Linked to Workforce Education, Governmental Relations, Grants, and President’s Office

4. I–35 Collaborative Goals • Goals: • Form collaborative group of education and training partners focused on green/sustainable programs • Leverage resources by sharing curriculum and faculty development • Pursue grants and training opportunities • Contribute to the development of a sustained regional Green Economy

5. I-35 Collaborative • Enhance communication and collaboration • Enhance higher ed/workforce investment boards collaboration • Enhance competitiveness for federal stimulus dollars

6. Partners Agree to: • Design curriculum materials on a regional basis, and to share existing materials • Design and share faculty professional development activities and materials • Develop regional proposals for funding Green Economy initiatives • Develop processes to facilitate a high level of cooperation and coordination

7. Members • Alamo Colleges – San Antonio • Austin Community College District - Austin • Dallas County Community College District – Dallas • Temple College - Temple • Texas State Technical College System - Waco • Central Texas College - Killeen • McClennan Community College - Waco • 8 Workforce Investment Boards associated with the colleges • Texas Foundation for Innovative Communities (non-profit group facilitating industry interfaces)

8. Impact of Collaborative • Grant development and funding • Much larger impact • Sharing of resources • Avoid duplication of effort • Potential for collaborations beyond the I-35 Corridor

9. Impact of Collaborative • Current Projects: • Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Curriculum Development Project [$1,133,186.00] • I-35 Life Sciences Cluster Regional Cooperation Grant [$380,094.00] • Health Information Technology (HITECH) Community College Consortium Project [Year 1 - $683,705.00; Year 2 - $533,133.00 (requested); plus access to HITECH curriculum developed under another $10 million dollar project]

10. Leveraging Resources Within an Institution • Utilizing Continuing Education as a way of expanding or initiating new workforce training in an institution • Creating strong internal partnerships to benefit students

11. CE as an Incubator • Strengths of Continuing Education • Quality driven with competitive pricing • Typically follows a business model • Responds quickly to community needs • Generates revenue to pay for development • Flexibility & entrepreneurial approach to program development • Not limited by many “credit” related barriers

12. CE Strengths for Success • Responsiveness – often the “front line” of the college • Leveraging of Resources – maximize what is available • Sustainability – build it so it can stand on it’s own

13. Responsiveness • Community often comes to CE & customized training first with requests for new programs • Used to creating new programs within weeks/months rather than years • Frequently engaged with community groups – Chambers, Workforce Boards, Community Based Organizations

14. Leveraging of Resources • Working with college credit departments • Sharing of faculty & expertise • Utilizing specialized classroom, lab space, and internship sites • Joint use of expensive equipment • Sharing revenue with credit departments • Coordinating grant funded projects

15. Sustainability • Building program on identified need • Building the CE program with the goal of becoming a credit program • Integrated courses (or program) • Flexibility for various student groups • Demonstrate success before committing significant college resources

16. Models that Work • Video Game Development • Renewable Energy

17. Video Game Development • Began in CE based on industry request • Advisory council with game companies • Three college departments, 2 Deans • 3 identified tracks / degrees • Joint work with credit faculty to move to “Game Development Institute” (GDI) • GDI Director position

18. www.viscom.austincc.edu/gamesgroup

19. Renewable Energy • Started in CE at request of industry • Emphasis on solar technologies (both certifications and degree/certificate) • Several grants that leveraged funding for resources & development • Shared equipment, space and faculty • I-35 Corridor Consortium & TREEC

20. www.austincc.edu/ce/renewable

21. www.austincc.edu/green

22. www.austincc.edu/ce/greentraining

23. Lessons Learned • Importance of departments / partners working together to develop programs • Developing with the end in mind • Credit course hour requirements • Credit faculty credentials • Ease of transition / articulation for students • Who “owns” the program after it grows into a credit program?

24. Lessons Learned (cont) • Transcript issues need to be resolved with CE offering a letter grade • Students need to be recognized by the college as a “student” regardless of how they are registered (CE or Credit) • All college resources need to be available to all students (advising, library, etc)

25. “Leveraging resources” means capitalizing on what each partner does best.Questions?

26. Contact Information • Stephen B. Kinslow, President, ACC president@austincc.edu • Kirk White, Associate Dean of CE ACC, kwhite@austincc.edu • Sandra Gaskin, Executive Director NCCET, nccet@sbcglobal.net