Meeting & Agendas

Land Surveying Technology/Geomatics Department Chair Sean Moran welcomed attendees to the meeting and asked everyone to introduce themselves. Each attendee introduced him or herself, summarized their professional background, and described any affiliations with ACC. During the introduction, members discussed the need for an articulated transfer agreement with a Texas university. Known as a 2+2, students that complete a two-year Land Surveying Technology/Geomatics AAS Degree at Austin Community College (ACC) could transfer two years of credit toward a four-year Land Surveying related degree at a university. Committee Member Dave Klotz mentioned that this type of agreement has existed with Texas State University (formerly Southwest Texas State University) in the past and that he was able to take advantage of it. Other members mentioned Land Surveying related programs at University of Texas, University of Texas at Tyler, Texas A&M University, and Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi as universities that might support a 2+2 agreement. Mr Moran asked which school he should start with and the committee suggested Texas State University. Mr Moran agreed to contact Texas State University and report back to the committee.

Mr. Moran introduced this item by summarizing the role and responsibilities of the Committee Chair. He stated that ACC faculty and staff are there to support the committee, but that the Committee Chair and Members advise and vote on recommendations for ACC to consider. Mr. Moran asked for volunteers to serve as Committee Chair. Mr. Bill O’Hara volunteered. Committee Members held a simple majority vote and unanimously confirmed Mr. O’Hara as Committee Chair.

Land Surveying Technology/Geomatics Committee Chair Bill O’Hara introduced this item and asked Mr. Moran if he had any comments. Mr. Moran suggested that the committee could have informal or formal rules and even bylaws if they desired. Committee Chair O’Hara briefly discussed this with Committee Members and the group decided on using a simple majority for votes and Robert’s Rules of Order when needed to facilitate the process of recommending items for vote. Committee Chair O’Hara also mentioned the need to keep accurate meeting minutes and asked if there were any volunteers to serve as Committee Secretary. Mr. Moran stated that he could record the minutes for this meeting and that our new GIS Admin would record the minutes for future meetings. At this time, the committee took a break for lunch.

Committee Chair O’Hara introduced Design, Manufacturing, Construction, and Applied Technologies (DMCAT) Dean Brandon Whatley. He conveyed that many of the Committee Members are from ACC and have gone onto illustrious careers in the land surveying field. Dean Whatley thanked Committee Members for agreeing to serve and highlighted their role in developing the Land Surveying Technology/Geomatics program. He also summarized his background and role at ACC. Land Surveying Technology/Geomatics Faculty Mike Ritter and Adam Long then summarized the history of the program for Committee Members. Currently, there are 9 students enrolled in the 16 seat summer section of SRVY 1301 Introduction to Surveying. Committee Chair O’Hara asked what type of students are in the program. Mr. Long responded that most students are seeking their 2-year AAS Degree, but some are just trying to get enough hours to sit for the exam. Mr. Ritter estimated that ⅔ of our students are seeking their degree and ⅓ their certificate. Mr. Ritter followed by saying the goal is to get them into SRVY 1301 and then let Adam hook them into the program. Committee Chair O’Hara asked if there are students from Texas universities (e.g. Texas State University, University of Texas, Texas Tech University, etc.). Mr. Ritter responded that there are some, but not at the levels we’ve seen in the past. This was followed by a more general discussion about creating a 2+2 degree with a university. Committee Member Joe Webber suggested that potential and current students need to be willing to work in the field and that maybe we need a more targeted approach when trying to attract students to the program. Mr. Long stated that he teaches students in SRVY 1301 how to work in the field. Committee Member Klotz described how he took his first class at ACC so that he could take the SIT exam. He then progressed to Southwest Texas State University and completed his Bachelor’s degree. Mr. Moran suggested that we could highlight how ACC Land Surveying students can get a job once they’ve completed SRVY 1301 and before they’ve even completed their certificate. Next, Dean Whatley talked about the future of the program. He discussed his plan to move the Land Surveying Technology/Geomatics program to the Riverside Campus from the Eastview Campus. This move will help build a stronger community within the division, encourage shared resources (e.g. a new computer lab), and open up the surrounding Riverside Campus property for field work. He also discussed the need to expand our marketing efforts through a departmental website and outreach effort. Last, he discussed his desire to grow the program by attracting more students...even high school students. All of these activities he pointed out will allow us to expand our student body, faculty, and facilities. This was followed by a more general discussion on event marketing. Committee Member suggestions included: Reviewing the TSPS website and videos about becoming a Texas Surveyor for ideas on developing marketing language; possibly marketing at TSPS conventions and symposiums; contacting Chris Young with TxDOT workforce development and attending TxDOT employment fairs; and using social media (e.g. Instagram, etc.) to market potential students.

Mr. Moran suggested that the department name was too long, not very intuitive, and not marketing friendly. He requested that the committee consider changing the name. After a spirited discussion about possible names, Committee Chair O’Hara requested a vote on whether to change the name or not. Committee Members voted to change the name by a vote of 7 for and 2 against. Committee Chair O’Hara then requested that Mr. Moran put together a one-page summary of what names and terms other educational institutions are using to describe their programs for Committee Members to review at the next meeting. Mr. Long noted that most Committee Member’s professional title was Land Surveyor and that their certification was Registered Professional Land Surveyor (RPLS).

Dean Whatley introduced Committee Members to ACC’s Guided Pathways, Areas of Study, and Program Maps. Mr. Moran reviewed the recommended changes in the Land Surveying Technology/Geomatics Program Map, including: Amending the Semester 3 course note for SRVY 2339 - Engineering Design Surveying as “Capstone course for Level I Certificate and AAS Degree.; deleting the Semester 4 course note for SRVY 2486 - Internship - Survey Technology/Surveying “Capstone course for AAS Degree.”; and adding GISC 1411 to the Semester 4 course “GEOG 2470 - Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) OR GISC 1411 - Introduction to GIS”. Mr. Long explained that SRVY 2339 is the true capstone course for both the certificate and degree. Mr Moran explained that GISC 1411 was recently added to the course catalog and is simply a workforce version of the academic GEOG 2470. A general discussion ensued about the role of the capstone course and whether it should be in the final semester. This led to additional questions about how long it takes to complete the certificate and the degree and how the courses are sequenced. Dean Whatley suggested that the committee should consider creating ‘stackable’ awards...where a certificate is completed first and all credit hours for a certificate can be applied toward a degree. Committee Members asked if we should consider scaling back the Level I Certificate and creating a Level II Certificate. Mr. Moran asked if employers would hire a student that completes a scaled back Level I Certificate? Committee Members generally responded that they would. Committee Member Anna Rios suggested we review the National Society of Professional Surveyors Certified Survey Technician (CST) program for guidance on creating stackable awards. Mr. Moran asked Committee Members to consider the proposed Program Map revisions for this meeting and that staff could propose a stackable Program Map at the next meeting. Committee Chair O’Hara requested a motion on the proposed Program Map revisions. Committee Member Coleen Johnson recommended approval of the proposed revisions to the Land Surveying Technology/Geomatics Program Map and Committee Member Rios seconded the motion. Committee Members voted unanimously to approve the proposed revisions to the Land Surveying Technology/Geomatics Program Map. Committee Chair O’Hara requested a motion for committee staff to draft a stackable Level I, Level II, and AAS awards to be considered at the next committee meeting. Committee Member Joe Breaux recommended that staff draft a stackable Level I, Level II, and AAS awards to be considered at the next committee meeting and Committee Member Johnson seconded the motion. Committee Members voted unanimously that staff draft a stackable Level I, Level II, and AAS awards to be considered at the next committee meeting.

Mr. Moran noted that technological developments in the surveying and GIS professions are increasing the type and number of sensors used to survey the Earth. ACC has recently acquired an Eclipse Robota fixed-wing mapping drone and a ZEB-REVO GeoSLAM 3D mapper. Both technologies can acquire high resolution data, but that we do not have an easy way to validate or certify the precision and accuracy of these sensors. Mr. Moran asked Committee Members if their industry would benefit from developing a geomatics field calibration facility in Central Texas? Committee Members reacted positively to the concept. Committee Chair O’Hara suggested that this concept has been proposed a number of times in the past, but struggled to identify a suitable location. A number of Committee Members suggested that the proposed facility must be located on protected land that is not in a road or railroad right-of-way. Others suggested that you should consider FAA-approved airspace where drone or unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) can legally operate. Dean Whatley stated that ACC has a number of campuses and land holdings that might be considered as candidates for the proposed facility. Committee Member Bob Williams stated that any facility should support the calibration of sensors deployed by hand, driving, and flying. Mr. Moran thanked everyone for their input and stated that he would develop a rough draft of a proposal for Committee Members to consider at the next meeting.

Committee Member Rios invited Dean Whatley and Mr. Moran to present at the upcoming monthly meeting of the Capitol Area Chapter 13 of the Texas Society of Professional Surveyors. Committee Member Rios coordinated the committee in setting the tentative date for the next meeting as Friday, November 2nd from 11AM to 2PM at the ACC Riverside Campus. Committee Chair O’Hara adjourned the meeting.