Meeting & Agendas

Attendees: Jack Housworth, Liz Coccia, Rick Thompson, Jeanna Keener, Mariah Lossing, Lynn Beaman, David Houke and Kipa Smith. Absent: Tom Allen, Liz Salinas and Julie Stevens. Review of Terms for all Members Kipa agreed to renew her membership and will continue through 2019. Recommendations for New Members for 2017 Year Julie is moving and her position will need to be replaced. Liz will explore replacement members with particular emphasis on finding someone with a prevention background. Approval of 2015 Minutes Motion by Jack to approve minutes; seconded by Sandra.

Liz reviewed the results of last year’s Discipline Assessment Cycle and reported that the goals were met. Update on Curriculum Changes Approved at 2015 Meeting The change that was approved last year to add EDUC 1300, Effective Learning: Strategies for College Success to the HUSE program was completed. This course added to all HUSE AAS degrees and went into effect for academic school year 2016 – 2017.

RGC/College Updates ACC now has 12 campuses. More levels of administrators have been added and more Student Services personnel have also been added. One thing that may impact our department is whether the current Dean for our area will be divided into two Dean areas but this would not take effect until 2017-18. ACC is restructuring the enrollment process. Previously, students completed entrance applications and never heard back from ACC. In the new process, applicants now receive a phone call from enrollment management and are required to attend an Area of Study (AoS) meeting. The College has hired Adjunct faculty who specialize in specific areas to be AoS Coordinators and they will facilitate the meetings. Students are then referred to the correct department for advising; however, there are concerns about future student enrollment since these new steps may deter some students. Students officially become students via this process. Human Services (HUSE) is assigned to the Public and Social Services AoS (which also includes Fire Protection Technology, Criminal Justice, Paralegal and ASL & Interpreter Training (ASLI). Social work has also been moved into this AoS. The Rio Grande Campus (RGC) will close for renovations next summer. HUSE is on a priority list to remain at RGC but will be notified in December if the department will stay at RGC and move to building 3000. All HUSE summer classes have been moved to building 3000. We will know in December what impact that will have and whether or not classes will have to be moved to another campus (which may include changing class times, etc.). The rationale to stay at RGC was driven by the need to remain central to allow HUSE students access (especially students who need Capital Metro access). Proposed Curriculum Changes for 2017-18 - Removal of Certificates in Addiction Counseling in the Criminal Justice System, Deaf Services and Therapeutic Recreation Due to low enrollment the Department is asking the Board to review the need for the 3 certificates. However, the Department Chair asked the Board to defer any action on the Addiction Counseling in the Criminal Justice system because the Chair of the TCBAP is working on a national initiative to expand job growth in this area. The Deaf Services certificate was initiated by the superintendent of Texas School for the Deaf (TSD). ACC developed the coursework that would prepare both hearing and Deaf students for entry level positions. It was also created to encourage Deaf students to gain enough confidence to enroll in college. The concept was good but the interest in the Certificate didn’t develop as expected and the changes in administration at the School for the Deaf have also caused a lack of interest in this program. The Therapeutic Recreation Certificate was designed for students to obtain a one year certificate to be able to work in a TR setting. State standards for the TR Certificate have changed and this is no longer a viable entry to the job market. Motion by Jack to remove the Deaf Services and the TR certificates. Motion seconded by Jeanna. Passed unanimously Addition of New General Certificate – Mental Health Technician The Department would like to propose the possibility of adding a Mental Health Technician Certificate. This would be a more general certificate to allow students to get working skills for entry positions. Surveying employers in the area was suggested. Employers would need to commit to pay workers more by recognizing the certificate, otherwise the certificate will not benefit students. Kipa added some employers cannot pay more because of government standards; the private sector would be the only employers who could pay more. The Board approved exploring options for this certificate. Liz has already surveyed community college counterparts, two are considering it and three already have this certificate in place. Motion to approve the exploration of a new certificate made by Jack; seconded by David. Passed unanimously. Discipline assessment Cycle for 2016-17 Each year HUSE selects a new goal to measure. This year, using the end of semester evaluations for HUSE 2471 (Internship I) and HUSE 2472 (Internship II), internship supervisors will measure job readiness based on two criteria on end of semester evaluation: Intern arrives on time and Intern calls when absent. Demonstration of these skills will be evidenced by: 80% of students receiving a score of 4 (agree) or 5 (strongly agree) on these two measures on the end of semester evaluation form. Instructional Program Review All ACC programs must review their programs every 3 years. Liz has already begun the process of gathering data. The SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) is a planning tool that provides an overall view of the most important factors influencing the future of the program. It can either be done in person or as a survey. The Board agreed to conduct the SWOT by survey. Liz will have the results for the Board next year. Liz also mentioned that she is working on expanding transfer institutions and internship sites. Immunization and Criminal Background Checks There are some internship sites that require as part of the affiliation agreement that ACC provides immunization and criminal background checks. Because of this requirement, we have had to turn down certain sites as partners. Liz asked the board to decide whether it would be advisable to start requiring these two criteria for students. One disadvantage to this requirement is the additional upfront costs for students. One advantage is that we could expand internship sites. The Board agreed that it would not be in the programs best interest to add this as a requirement at this time. Updates Kipa discussed the lack of job interviewing skills in hiring Interns. Interns don’t know how to carry themselves in a job interview, write a letter, etc. ACC needs to incorporate a jobs skills course early on and it needs to be before Internship classes. Mariah volunteered to be a speaker on this topic. There is not a self-care medium for students to stop overworking. David suggested adding a class or workshop. Rick also suggested adding this information to PSYT 1313, Psychology of Personal Adjustment class to add balance to student workers lives. Meeting adjourned at 10.52am.