Meeting & Agendas

The meeting was opened with a welcome and introductions of new members, and an overview of the program.

Jane began the discussion to review the minutes from the Fall 2018 meeting, noting that most of the members present are new to the committee. Referring to the previous minutes, Jane shared that the department was able to complete the process to add POFT 1127 to the degrees by decreasing the credit hours for the Internship, POFT 2386, by one hour to a two-credit course so POFT 1127 could be added to the degrees and entry-level certificates. Vote: The committee unanimously approved the Fall 2018 minutes.

Jane began the discussion by noting that EDUC 1100 and POFT 1171 are already in all three of the degrees that the department offers. She explained that the department wants to now add the courses to all of the certificates to increase student success. The certificates do not have caps on the number of hours, so the course can be easily added to the certificates. Vote: The committee unanimously approved the addition of EDUC 1100 or POFT 1171 to all Certificate Plans.

Jane explained the process of adding POFT 1127 Introduction to Keyboarding to the two entry-level certificates; that it had to be added to the degrees first, then to the certificates, which has been completed. Because the associate’s degrees are limited to exactly 60 hours credit, she had to take one hour away from the Internship, POFT 2386, and make it a two-credit course, currently listed as POFT 2286. Now the department wants to add it to the two remaining mid-level certificates for continuity and also so Financial Aid will cover the cost of the course. Jane brought up the observation that the department is seeing more students that cannot touch-type at a speed that will enable them to be successful in the courses, and this makes adding POFT 1127 to all of the certificates and degrees even more important. Vote: The committee unanimously approved adding POFT 1127 Introduction to Keyboarding to the Administrative Assistant Level 1 Certificate and Medical Administrative Assistant Level 1 Certificate.

Jane opened the discussion by informing the committee that the Provost has requested that the department retire the Software Applications Certificate because it is an entry-level certificate that is not stackable. It does not lead directly to an associate’s degree or mid-level certificate because none are offered in this category. The courses in the certificate can be completed within the other existing certificates offered by the department. Vote: The committee unanimously approved the request to expire the Software Applications Certificate.

Jane noted that enrollment continues to suffer partly because unemployment in the Capital Area is very low and people can get jobs very quickly without an education, but at a lower rate of pay. Roberto added that this also works against the Workforce programs. The committee agreed that we need more focus on enrollment. Debbie Benavidez mentioned that the Recruitment and Enrollment department is now divided into two separate departments so each one has a stronger focus and more resources allocated to their purpose. The department plans to have Cynthia Klist, Administrative Assistant, take the ACC training for the use of Social Media so we can increase our social media presence and promote the Office Administration program to more prospective students. Jane then reported that our graduation rate was improved in Spring 2019 to 19% of declared majors graduated, with 14 completed certificates, and 14 completed degrees. Debbie mentioned ideas about creating either two-day or week-long Summer camps for middle-school and high-school students to introduce them to our program. These could also be made applicable to Adult Education students at ACC and customers of Texas Workforce Solutions (TWS). Roberto added that OA&T could partner with TWS to advertise our program to program participants, some of whom are finishing high school but do not want to go straight to college, and some are older workers who want to return to the workforce or are seeking retraining after being laid off from a previous job. Juanita asked if Dual Credit was still an option for high-school students, but it is not currently being offered in the Capital Area high schools for Office Administration & Technology courses. Roberto added that TWS also partners with AARP to improve their skills to continue or return to the workforce. Additionally, TWS partners with Goodwill and is in the same building in Austin and both share the same goals of retraining customers who need to improve their skills to be competitive in the job market in Austin. He also offered to display OA&T program brochures and put our information on the information screens that scroll the advertisement on a loop in the reception/waiting area at the TWS Rundberg office. The committee unanimously agreed to follow up with Roberto and TWS to expand the department’s partnerships with TWS, AARP, and Goodwill to increase enrollment and graduation rates.

Jane opened the discussion of the SWOT results included in the Program Review recently completed for the department. Juanita asked about incorporating Social Media and Google Suite into our program curriculum and noted that THECB would need to approve adding Google Suite to the curriculum. Debbie Benavidez responded that Google currently has only a certification for instructors of Google Suite and not students, but has expressed interest in partnering with ACC. Jane then mentioned that the department needs to hire one or two adjunct instructors to teach some of the courses being offered now. The job will be posted within two weeks sometime in March. The committee discussed the advantages of having the new Office of Experiential Learning to help students find internships. Roberto then discussed how TWS is very pro-actively supporting internships in the Capital Area by combining training and internship support: o Finding employers who are receptive to the idea of offering internships to TWS customers and ACC students is the greatest hurdle. o Recruiting and screening interested participants, requiring a written commitment to attend all classes and scheduled work. o TWS pays for any training that the intern needs and that is currently in manufacturing. Apple and Amazon are actively participating in the programs. o TWS pays the intern wages while in the program and obtains an understanding with the employer that when the intern is hired, the wage will not drop below the intern rate. o Some employers are paying their employees more when they complete the certification. Roberto thought that OA&T could partner with TWS to improve and extend our internships in a similar way. The committee then discussed the threat of exempting students from the TSI requirement if they declare a certificate instead of a degree. If students declare a degree, they are required to take developmental courses if necessary and this could positively affect their success in college. The program sees many students that are not able to read and write English or do Math at a college level and this is a handicap to their success. At the same time, faculty is under increased pressure to pass all students. The 60x30 initiative was discussed: 60% of enrolled students to graduate by 2030. Roberto agreed that TWS has a similar situation when applicants have not completed ninth grade and are not qualified to be in a Workforce program due to a lack of education. The committee discussed the difficulty of tracking students after graduation. Many students reply better with text, but there are unresolved legal issues with texting students. The department has only student email to communicate and many students do not check their email after completing their educational goal at ACC. Jane noted that according to Capital Area WDA Occupational Projects, the outlook for growth of this career pathway is very good. A 16.3% growth in administrative assistant jobs is expected in this area between 2016-2026.

The meeting was adjourned at 1:30 p.m.