THE STCC DIVERSITY INTIATIVE – HOMEGROWN AND POWERFUL

Myra Smith, VP for Human Relations and Multi-cultural Affairs and one of the leaders of the STCC Diversity Council

Five years ago the STCC Diversity Council was formed to lead efforts to make our college multi-culturally competent. During that time, the college has developed a unique approach that stresses connection to the broader Springfield area community.

With limited resources, the Council wanted to bring national speakers to campus. To augment college funding, they reached out to other area colleges and major businesses. Thus was born an informal diversity network that now includes Peoples Bank, Baystate Health Systems, Mass Mutual Financial Group, Springfield College, Western New England College and Westfield State College. These businesses and colleges have partnered with STCC to bring such luminaries as Juan Williams, Bill Cosby, Morris Dees, Dick Gregory, and Nikki Giovanni.

This institutional partnership mandated that the college open diversity events on campus to Western Massachusetts residents. Because they are our future, we were motivated attracting area high school students especially those from the City of Springfield. We wanted to expand high school students’ understanding of diversity issues but also to expose them to the idea that they should and can attend college. In fact, a number of speakers stressed that theme – education is the key to economic opportunity and community empowerment.

To bring high school students to campus diversity events we reached out to teachers and administrators and, in many cases, assisted with transportation using college vans. As a result of this work, crowds at events have grown and area high schools look forward eagerly to each year’s programming. More area high school students, especially from the City of Springfield, are attending STCC, a result that I believe is directly linked to our diversity programming.

This spring’s events include: Chloe Arnold, Tap Dancer on Thursday, February 11; Nu Direxion, Jazz, Reggae, Pop & Classical R&B on Thursday, February 25 and Dr. John Francis, "The Planetwalker" on Thursday, March 11.

Discussion about "Good to Great" in Professor Thornton's leadership class.

PROFESSOR THORNTON'S CLASS ON LEADERSHIP

Last Thursday, December 10, Professor Paul Thornton invited me to speak to his leadership class about “Good to Great”, a book by Jim Collins (http://www.jimcollins.com/). I had used this work as a guide to improve performance at STCC with administrators asked to read and discuss it. Like so many of our students, those in this class were articulate, bright and focused. I know that they have a great future in front of them. They questioned everything I said adding examples from their own experience.

Professor Thornton’s students were interested in how a college like STCC could use the lessons of Good to Great. They agreed that hiring the excellent people – what Collins calls getting the right people on the bus in the right seats – was important. Furthermore, we talked about the need for discipline, a key principle of Good to Great was applicable to any organization. We spent time discussing what Collins in a companion monograph calls executive vs. legislative leadership. Collins argues, I think correctly, that in a for-profit business the CEO and top management exercise executive power that enables them to make a decision and make sure it is carried out. In a non-profit such as a college because of the diffusion of authority among faculty and other stakeholders, administrators must consult and build support for new initiatives. This makes the change process more difficult but also potentially more meaningful in social sector institutions.

Holiday E-Card from Springfield Technical Community College

At Springfield Technical Community College we are always seeking ways to use technology to improve our effectiveness. Exploiting electronic media, the college designed a holiday greeting that, in a photo essay, celebrates the year of 2009.

Our staff and faculty took the pictures, built out the software and designed the presentation. Total cost to the college: $29.00 for the music which we had to purchase.

I think you will enjoy this look at STCC by going to:

http://www.stcc.edu/yearinphotos/

Happy Holidays from the students, faculty, staff, alumni,Trustees and friends of STCC!

REVIEWING PROPOSALS AT NSF

Last week I served on a National Science Foundation peer review panel for community college proposals involving Advanced Technology Education (ATE). Twenty-two panels convened for a three days in Arlington, Virginia assisted by NSF staff.

At a plenary session ending the meeting, panel leaders discussed ways to improve submissions. Here are the key points mentioned to which anyone writing an NSF grant, especially from community colleges, should attend:

1) Generally, planning grants are necessary (and usually sufficient) for development of a fundable ATE center proposal.

2) Proposals should include and emphasize metrics and objectives on student outcomes- program graduation data, job placement, enrollment, retention, under-represented students served.

3) Investigators should contact existing centers that relate to the field before submitting a proposal and that connection should be documented in the proposal.

4) Authors should conduct a data review to learn about the research on proposed activities.

5) An evaluation plan should link to objectives and provide a measure of accountability.

6) For a regional center that aims to increase the production of technical workers, the investigators should have data about workforce demand locally, not just nationally.

7) For continuation grants, include an evaluation report to document progress.

8) Focus on student learning outcomes, not just workforce needs. Try to find answers to the questions: What are students learning; how do we know?

9) Describe what success would look like. How would we know if project success is achieved?

10) Focus on soft skills, not just technology.

To find out more about NSF opportunities in undergraduate education, visit the website

http://www.nsf.gov/funding/education.jsp?fund_type=1

Students at STCC's Admission Office

Aligning High School and College Mathematics

At STCC like other community colleges, the majority of incoming students place into developmental mathematics. This means that they have to take preparatory courses – algebra or arithmetic – before beginning college level mathematics.

Looking at this issue, Steven Davis of the Davis Foundation and former owner of Lenox Saw commented recently that this is rework since students should have acquired those mathematics skills in High School. And to address this problem will require cooperation between high schools and colleges. Although traditionally, there has been a gap between these two segments of education, there are signs of new cooperation. An important example has taken place at Seminole State College of Florida, a community college near Orlando, where area high schools have worked with the college to improve mathematics preparation. As reported by Bill Maxwell in the St. Petersburg Times,

“The main problem was obvious: Florida was requiring high school students to take only three years of math. Most did not take math in 12th grade. The chairman offered the principals a special 12th-grade course he would bring to their campuses to reduce the number of students needing remediation when they entered the college.

Only one school, Oviedo High, initially accepted the challenge. Seminole State College provided the course content and mentoring, and Oviedo's teachers taught the course.

Within a few years, Oviedo High reduced its remediation rate from 70 percent to 10 percent. A team of SSC and Seminole County public schools administrators began meeting once a month for breakfast at a local Denny's to collaborate and replicate the Oviedo program in all Seminole high schools.”

(Go to http://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/editorial/ci_13710499?source=rss for the full article.)

This example is encouraging; we are trying to institute a similar program here at STCC.