Meeting & Agendas

Introductions were made by all. Motion by Elizabeth H. to approve the minutes; seconded by Liz S.

Lynn spoke about changes within the department. The Substance Abuse Prevention I class offered in Fall has been successful. A Substance Abuse Prevention II class has been added to the Human Services (HUSE) inventory and both I & II will be online courses in Fall 2012. These classes will be great for those seeking state certification. Liz C. added the state is going to create a Substance Abuse Prevention Certificate for all state agencies. College credit will be a part of that. Affiliation Agreement- Lynn and Liz S. met with Jan Hodges at Texas State University (TSU). Students can do their AAS in Therapeutic Recreation at ACC and all courses will transfer to TSU in their Therapeutic Recreation degree. The Fall ACC catalog will now state that any Human Services courses taken ten years prior, will no longer be accepted. Elizabeth Huss refers all students with this type prior coursework directly over to Lynn and would also like the same verbiage applied to CE courses. Lynn discussed adding a computer course. She received feedback from TR students that advised they were required to know Excel spreadsheets in long-term facilities. Students can no longer just be familiar with Microsoft Word; and adding an Introduction to Computing course would allow students the opportunity to learn those things. Jack mentioned there wasn’t a computer class required at Park University; and that Power Point knowledge was expected for his graduate course classes. Lynn discussed that THECB has always collected data regarding academic programs with less than 15 graduates. Human Services’ degrees were good except for Therapeutic Recreation (TR), which had 13 graduates (instead of 15). Lynn was required to submit justification for the low number; and within that justification Lynn advised THECB that the quota was met in previous years. Lynn advised this was a good “check” for our other degrees since we fell very close to the 15 graduation limit.

Liz C. discussed the non-completion rates of DFW. She looked at the statistics for Fall 2010 (before interventions were initiated) and found there was a 42.9% non-successful completion rate. Beginning Fall 2012, HUSE will be requiring completing Advising sheets so that the students know what track they are on. If a student is not performing well within the 4-6 weeks they are provided a Status report. The data is generated from OIE and they are one year behind in recording statistics, so Fall 2011 statistics (to gauge whether or not HUSE’s intervention has made a difference) will not be available until Spring or Summer 2012. As of Fall 2011 Financial Aid requirements have become stricter, which may present a problem for marginal students. The rules now state that students have only one semester to bring up GPAs. Through the Student Success Initiative, ACC is requiring some students take a transition to college class so they will succeed. Rick stated the rules don’t really benefit HUSE students who have legitimate reasons for their struggles (relapse, going to jail, pregnancy). Lynn discussed the Student Success Initiative and having methods in place to be able to measure student outcomes. We (HUSE) are presently using our Internship classes to collect data (i.e., measuring interpersonal skills); and have actually already been measuring this data but not in the format being requested. Internship supervisors measure student skills on 29 different criteria. Lynn discussed the purchase of Highland Mall (HM) and Dr. Rhodes’ interest in developmental education in the reading, writing and math areas. One-third of the space at HM will be converted to computer and developmental discipline space (dedicated to the high percentage of ACC applicants who are not college-ready). Another one-third will be devoted to temporary classrooms (regarding RGC’s renovations-RGC is first on ACC’s renovation list, excluding bldg. 3000). It is anticipated the HUSE department will be at HM for about 2 years. Lynn discussed class limits and how they are being driven by financial needs. Currently, Spring 2012, all HUSE classes are at full capacity and we meet the class limit requirements. Lynn is now on a Task Force to look at this issue. Discussion was also held about TR classes not always making their class limits. Elizabeth H. shared their CE classes are also not meeting guidelines. Liz C. stated HUSE class limits are currently at 30 and really should be lowered (to 18). Lynn advised class limits are set according to room size. Liz C. reiterated many classes need to return to their original class limit. Jack shared that in treatment, everyone wants to be a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor. Lynn reminded everyone that ACC does have a recruiting office. If students visit the campus for a tour, HUSE could be a part of that visit. Liz C. added the recruiting office could also speak to students about Financial Aid, etc. during their campus visit. Jack agreed there is a need within the community for those measures. Sandra discussed her new company venture, Transformation in Recovery (similar to what she did at Austin Recovery). Tom Bentley, an Austin Recovery Board member, is her partner. The company’s mission is to work with local companies as a consultant. Donna added that good writing skills (and additional computer skills) are necessary, as well as teaching students more about diversity and flexibility. Also, some students may not seek a fulltime position, or they may decide on a position not even related to their degree. Lynn and Liz S. are already covering basic skills like these in their courses. Liz S. is currently serving on two TR Boards. The Texas Recreation & Park Society is considering beginning online CEUs and Liz inquired as to whether or not partnering can be done in this area. Elizabeth H. stated it would be possible. Meeting Adjourned at 11am.