COLLEGE AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS
This chapter reviews the community involvement function of the Houston Community College System (HCCS) in the following sections:
- A. Community and Alumni Involvement
- B. Corporate Training and Continuing Education
- C. Marketing and Public Information
- D. HCC-TV
- E. Public Service
- F. Art Galleries
B. CORPORATE TRAINING AND CONTINUING EDUCATION
Offering a Corporate Training and Continuing Education (CTCE) program is an important part of the community involvement function because it allows a community college to involve businesses and individuals in the community with the college system by providing personal and professional development opportunities. Continuing education courses provide lifelong educational opportunities for community members of all ages and interests. Corporate training courses offer customized solutions to the ever-changing training needs of area businesses.
Offering corporate training and continuing education programs and courses are particularly beneficial for a college system like HCCS that serves such a large and diverse business market. Houston is Texas' biggest city, the fourth largest city in the nation and home to 18 Fortune 500 companies. Houston is also home to the Johnson Space Center and the Texas Medical Center, the largest medical center in the world. Employees of all credentials, backgrounds and industries can reap the benefits of continuing education. The businesses that employ them can benefit from flexible and responsive customized training courses that offer exactly what the company needs, at a time and a method of access that is convenient for the employees and at a lower cost than they could offer the training in-house.
The purpose of the CTCE program at HCCS is to provide lifelong learning, occupational skills training and professional development through affordable and accessible education; workforce skills development; customized training; continuing education; workforce literacy; corporate services; personal enrichment opportunities; community outreach; comprehensive student support services and an environment conducive to learning.
The executive director of Corporate Training and Continuing Education (CTCE) provides programmatic oversight for the systemwide CTCE program. Four positions report directly to the executive director of CTCE at the system office: an office manager, the director of Workforce and Continuing Education, the director of Outreach Services and the director of ACT/Online Continuing Education. A documentarian reports to the director of Outreach Services and an office manager reports to the director of the ACT/Online Continuing Education.
There is an informal reporting relationship between the executive director of CTCE at the system level and the directors of CTCE at each of the colleges. The directors of CTCE are in charge of the CTCE programs offered at their respective colleges and report to their college's dean of Workforce Development. The reporting relationships between the directors of CTCE and the system office and the reporting relationships between the directors of CTCE and their colleges are displayed in Exhibit 9-6.
Exhibit 9-6 Source: HCCS organizational charts, 2002.
Organization of CTCE Program
2002-03The directors of CTCE meet with the executive director of CTCE twice a month in the Director's Council meetings to discuss new courses, pricing of courses, catalog development and changes in the Workforce Education Course Manual (WECM). The WECM is a statewide inventory of workforce education courses for public two-year colleges. The WECM was developed by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) in an effort to meet state needs for high quality and consistent workforce education. The manual contains a catalog of course descriptions and specifies for each course the minimum and maximum number of contact hours; semester credit hours and/or continuing education units (CEU) and minimum learning outcomes. The WECM is particularly useful when a college system wants to create a new continuing education course or program because it allows the college to avoid the struggle of starting from scratch.
The system CTCE office is operating on a $336,758 budget during 2002-03. Exhibit 9-7 shows the main budget categories along with their respective dollar amounts for 2002-03.
Exhibit 9-7 Source: HCCS Budget Request for Fiscal Year, 2002-03.
System CTCE Office
2002-03 Budget
Category Amount Salaries and wages $303,078 Supplies and general expense $16,830 Publications $1,500 Brochures and advertising $2,300 Postage $500 Employee travel $6,400 Repair and maintenance $500 Furniture and equipment $450 Other expenses $5,200 Total $336,758 Exhibit 9-8 displays the budgets for the college-level CTCE programs.
Exhibit 9-8 Source: HCCS Budget Request for Fiscal Year, 2002-03.
College CTCE Programs
2002-03 Budget Expenditures
Category Central Northeast Northwest Southeast Southwest Payroll $491,300 $197,362 $625,680 $563,721 $829,136 Other expenses $197,350 $44,575 $93,550 $163,250 $283,123 Total $688,650 $241,937 $719,230 $726,971 $1,112,259 The budgets for the five colleges vary due to the fact that each college establishes its own contracts with companies and organizations in their service area. Variations in the number and types of contracts established leads to variations in the corporate training programs offered at the colleges. As a result, the colleges require different levels of monetary resources to support their programs.
New courses are regularly added to meet the changing needs of the HCCS community. HCCS has a formal process in place that is used by the institution to identify and create new continuing education courses. Courses are identified through many sources including input from advisory boards at the colleges; identification of need by business or industry professional organizations; identification of need by state and federal sources such as Texas Workforce Commission reports, a targeted occupations list by Workforce Board and Department of Labor reports; requests for customized training from various companies; and review of classified ads for local employment trends.
The system also uses a variety of evaluation tools to assess program effectiveness. At the end of each CTCE class, students are provided the opportunity to evaluate the class. Results of the evaluation are used to make changes in the curriculum and instruction. The director of CTCE or appropriate designee observes each instructor in the classroom at least one time each semester. The instructors are also evaluated using an Instructor Observation/Evaluation form. A Class Review form provides feedback from students for the instructor.
FINDING
The CTCE program at HCCS offers a wide variety of courses through its Corporate Training and Continuing Education program. The program includes personal and professional continuing education courses as well as customized corporate training courses. The continuing education classes provide opportunities for personal development like golf and Tai Chai as well as professional classes like CISCO I and various certification courses. HCCS also works with businesses in the community to develop customized training courses that meet the exact training needs of the business. The corporate training program benefits HCCS by increasing program participation and college enrollment, but also helps businesses by giving them the ability to outsource their training needs.
The personal continuing education classes are referred to as Continuing Education Courses (CECs). The professional continuing education classes are referred to as Continuing Education Units (CEUs). CEUs are further divided into a CEU course or a CEU program. Each CEU has a designated number of contact hours, which represents the total number of instruction hours given to the students enrolled in the class. A CEU course ranges from seven to 359 contact hours. Once a CEU course reaches 360 contact hours in length, it must be approved as a certificate program by the THECB. A CEU program that meets or exceeds 780 contact hours of instruction must be converted to Semester Credit Hours (SCH) and may no longer be offered as a CEU. CEUs are recognized internationally as a measure of professional education and training. One CEU is worth 10 contact hours of successful participation and completion of an organized continuing education experience under responsible sponsorship, capable direction and qualified instruction. The CEUs are not substituted for credit hours but, rather, are a means of reporting continuing education activities. Several professions require completion of CEUs including accountants, lawyers, financial planners and insurance agents in order to maintain certification or to be recertified.
Exhibit 9-9 lists some of the professional and personal classes offered through the CTCE program at HCCS.
Exhibit 9-9 Source: HCCS Systemwide Schedule of CTCE Classes, Fall 2002.
Sample Course Offerings
Fall 2002
Professional PeopleSoft on Campus A+ Certification Introduction to Mediation HTML and Web Page Design Conversational Spanish I-IV Grant Writing CPS Review: Finance and Business Law Private Pilot Ground School Medical Office Procedures Substitute Teacher Training Beginning and Advanced Insurance Coding Certified Nurse Aide Refresher Real Estate Recertification and Ethics Real Estate Exam Review CISCO I Spanish for the Dental Office Advanced Drapery and Bedspread Making Troubleshooting and Maintaining PCs Beginning AutoCAD Fundamentals of Tax Prep Personal After 9/11: What to do when Disaster Strikes Recording Contract Basics for the Musician Financial Planning for Successful Retirement Entertainment Law Made Simple Tai Chi Latin Dance TASP Review The Dances of Brittany, France GED Review Issues in Elder Care: Treatment Considerations Book Club at Central Campus Managing Cash Flow and Record Keeping Citizenship Internet and the Web for Seniors Yoga for Every Body Golf Customer Service for the New Millennium Genealogy on the Internet Writing Articles for Magazines or Journals Building a Financial Foundation TSPR telephone survey results reveal that a majority of survey participants feel HCCS does a good job of serving business community needs: 72.1 percent of respondents strongly agree or agree that HCCS does a good job of serving the business community's training and education needs; almost 65 percent strongly agree or agree that HCCS works effectively with the business community; 59.3 percent strongly agree or agree that HCCS responds to changes in the economy or the business community's needs; and 58.3 percent strongly agree or agree that HCCS programs help attract new companies and jobs to the Houston area. The results are calculated based on responses from the 750 telephone interviews conducted with adult residents in the HCCS tax district, which is comprised of the Houston, Stafford and Missouri City ISDs. The chart in Exhibit 9-10 shows the percentage of respondents that agreed or strongly agreed with each survey question.
Exhibit 9-10 Source: Telesurveys Research Associates.
Survey Responses
HCCS Does a Good Job of Serving Business Community NeedsCOMMENDATION
HCCS responds to the needs and interests of both the community and area businesses by providing a wide array of corporate training and continuing education classes.
FINDING
The Outreach Services advisory board is an effort by the Outreach Services program at HCCS to involve the business community in the development of the CTCE program. The director of Outreach Services oversees the Outreach Services program and reports to the executive director of CTCE. The Outreach Services program was initiated in February 2001 as a means of coordinating and collaborating with the 34 Gulf Coast Careers One-Stop Centers for programs such as the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), Trade Adjustment Act (TAA) and several other programs and services. The system staff of the CTCE program recognized an opportunity for serving the hundreds of people that visit the Houston area career centers each year. Essentially, the Outreach Services can be in immediate contact with the career center customers, help them identify training needs, help them receive funding assistance for institutional certificate programs offered at HCCS and assist the students with the registration process at the college.
Outreach Services also works with business and industry to help companies secure grant funding for employee training through the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC). Outreach Services assists in the marketing and outreach of CTCE to the businesses, industries and community-based organizations in the greater Houston area.
The staff of the Outreach Services program has continually worked on the program to improve its overall efficiency and effectiveness, with one of these improvements being the creation of the Outreach Services advisory board. While some workforce advisory committees are a requirement of the THECB for program development and evaluation, the Outreach Services advisory board is not a requirement. Rather, the advisory board is an approach to involving the business community in the betterment of the CTCE program offered at HCCS.
The advisory board includes representatives from businesses and organizations in the Houston area. This advisory board was formed with the philosophy that success of any workforce development system depends largely on a strong business and education linkage. The advisory board meets in February, April, August and November each year. The objectives of the board are to:
- provide referrals to HCCS programs and services to increase enrollment;
- provide information, recommendations and advice about programs and services;
- assist HCCS in identifying "real world" training needs of various industry clusters;
- provide information on the various funding streams for potential and incumbent students;
- identify other business and community leaders to serve as resources for classes and expand the learning experiences for faculty and students;
- identify business and industry trends and issues that may have an impact on education or training delivery; and
- identify community resources and supportive services that will ensure successful student performance outcomes.
COMMENDATION
The Outreach Services advisory board works to involve the business community in the development and continuous improvement of the Corporate Training and Continuing Education program.
FINDING
The systemwide CTCE schedule of classes is not user-friendly. Each college has their own individual CTCE schedule of classes. In addition to these schedules, there is a consolidated listing of all classes offered at each of the five colleges, the systemwide CTCE schedule of classes. Some classes and certification programs, like A+ Certification, are offered at all five colleges. Other classes and certification programs, like the Agricultural Services Technician Certificate Program, are offered at only one of the colleges.
The directors of CTCE at each of the five colleges are responsible for entering CTCE course information into the ERP system. This information is extracted from the ERP system to produce the systemwide schedule of classes. Course information for each college is then extracted from the systemwide schedule of classes to produce the individual college schedule of classes. The college schedules have the same cover and general layout as the systemwide schedule of classes and are printed in black and white, with one identifying color that differentiates the schedules. For example, the color used by the Central College on the cover and throughout the schedule is red, and the color used by the Northwest College on its cover and throughout the schedule is green.
The systemwide schedule is divided into three parts: course descriptions, a listing of the CEUs offered at each campus and a listing of the CECs offered at each campus. All of the CEUs and CECs offered throughout the system are grouped into categories. For example, the Floral Design I, Interior Decorating and Sewing I classes are grouped under Design, Decorating and Sewing. Exhibit 9-11 lists the categories in the fall 2002 schedule of classes.
Exhibit 9-11 Source: HCCS Systemwide Schedule of CTCE Classes, Fall 2002.
Categories of CTCE Classes
Fall 2002
- Agriculture
- Financial Planning
- AutoCAD
- Foreign Languages
- Business
- Gerontology
- Cisco
- Horticulture
- Communications
- Job Skills
- Computer Hardware
- Landscaping
- Computer, Internet and Webpage Design
- Law
- Computer Education for Seniors
- Licensure and Certifications
- Computer Networking
- Management
- Computer Programming
- Massage Therapy
- Computer Skills
- Medical and Dental Office
- Construction/Building Technology
- Medical Record Technology
- Counseling
- Nursing and Nursing Aide
- Custom Tailoring and Textiles
- Enrichment
- Design, Decorating and Sewing
- Production, Film and Cinematography
- Desktop Publishing
- Real Estate
- Emergency Medical Services
- Small Business
- English as a Second Language
- Test Preparation and Study Skills
The course description section is relatively straightforward. The category name is listed with each of the classes belonging to that category beneath. The description includes the official class title, the course abbreviation and number and a brief description of the class with minimum learning requirements.
The next section, which contains the listing of CEUs and CECs by campus, names each campus with the address and phone number of the campus and lists each of the classes offered at that campus. Each class is listed by category, including the day of the week the course is scheduled, the time of day, the location of the class, the beginning and end date, the number of hours and the total fee for the class.
Each college in the system has two or more campuses at which classes are conducted. For example, the Southeast College conducts classes at the Eastside Center and the Health Science Center, and the Northwest College conducts classes at three campuses: Cinco Ranch, the Town and Country Center and the Westgate Center. In the consolidated catalog, the classes offered at each of the campuses are not grouped by college. For example, the classes offered at the Eastside Center and the Health Science Center are not grouped under a Southwest College heading. If the user is interested in classes offered through the Southwest College, he or she must read the entire schedule in order to identify the classes offered at each of the Southwest College campuses. In addition, one of the campuses is listed as Southeast-Off Campus without any indication of the off-campus location at which the class will be conducted.
There are two errors found in the fall 2002 course schedule. First, some of the classes have descriptions included in the course description section but they are not included in the schedule section. For example, Intercultural Etiquette: A Workshop on Manners and Mannerisms in a Multicultural Society has a description but is not listed as being offered anywhere in the schedule section. Second, the schedule section has ITCC 1006 listed with a course title of CISCO III; however, the description of classes names the abbreviated CISCO III as ITCC 1042.
The systemwide schedule of classes does not provide an index. If the reader is interested in finding a particular class in the catalog, they must peruse each individual page until the course is found.
The corporate and continuing education course schedule for North Harris College, a North Harris Montgomery Community College, has several characteristics that make it user-friendly. First, the schedule has a table of contents with the page number on which each of the main course categories begins, as well as the page number on which each of the classes that belong to the category are found. Next, the schedule has a chart that lists certificate programs along with the required courses for that certificate, course numbers, contact hours, course fees, page number on which that course is found, and the occupations that require the certificate. Third, the schedule section provides the main course category and lists the courses that are classified under that category with their description beneath. Immediately following the descriptions is a listing of the location(s) at which each course is offered, beginning and end date, and day of the week and time the course is offered. Finally, the schedule includes an alphabetical index that allows the reader to look up a particular course and find the page number on which the course is found.
Recommendation 86:
Redesign the systemwide Corporate Training and Continuing Education class schedule to make it easier to use.
Redesigning the schedule to include a table of contents and index, and changing the layout of the catalog to put the course schedule directly beneath the description of the course are some of the changes that will make the CTCE schedule of classes more user-friendly.
Although the college-level schedules are extracted from the systemwide schedule of classes and the two schedules share the same general layout, the college-level schedules are brief enough that a table of contents, index and change of layout are not necessary. The systemwide schedule contains much more information since it is a consolidation of all classes offered at all five colleges. Therefore, an index, table of contents and change of layout are necessary to make the information contained in the schedule easier to use.
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES AND TIMELINE
1. The executive director of CTCE directs the directors of CTCE to thoroughly read the CTCE schedule of classes and generate their comments on the items that hinder the schedule from being user-friendly. July 2003 2. The executive director of CTCE schedules a special Director's Council meeting devoted to discussing the comments of each of the directors of CTCE to identify the specific areas of the schedule that need to be redesigned. August 2003 3. The executive director of CTCE and the directors of CTCE research CTCE schedules of other community colleges to identify best practices. September 2003 4. The executive director of CTCE schedules a special Director's Council meeting devoted to discussing the best practices and how they can be incorporated in the HCCS schedule of classes for CTCE. October 2003 5. The executive director of CTCE and the directors of CTCE agree on the redesigned layout of the of the CTCE schedule of classes. November 2003 6. The executive director of CTCE follows standard procedures for printing the CTCE schedule of classes for the newly redesigned schedule. December 2003 FISCAL IMPACT
This recommendation can be implemented with existing resources.
FINDING
The CTCE program at HCCS is often an afterthought in matters of planning, budgeting and class scheduling. Only one goal for the CTCE program was included in the 2000-03 strategic plan: to expand the review process to include distance education and continuing education. Goals for CTCE programs are minimally represented, if at all, in the component plans, which are reviewed and revised as part of the strategic planning process. Component plans include the Financial Plan, Educational Plan, Facilities Plan, Technology Plan and the Recruitment and Retention Plan.
As part of the HCCS annual budget process, the directors of CTCE submit their budget requests to their college's workforce dean and president where their budget is considered along with the budget requests for all other operational units at the college. The workforce dean and president develop, based on the requests, the college's annual budget request which is submitted to the chancellor's executive team for review and discussion. The directors of CTCE compete with the credit department and other operational units at the college for the money it receives as part of the budget process.
The lack of space for CTCE classes is an ongoing and unresolved issue. Only 18 percent of the CEUs listed in the fall 2002 CTCE catalog have a designated location. The others have To Be Announced (TBA) as the location. Out of the 49 CECs listed, only eight have a designated location. Scheduling CTCE classes is second priority to the scheduling of credit courses. The scheduling of CTCE classes is determined by the availability of space and time after the scheduling of credit courses is complete.
The THECB On-Site Review of HCCS, conducted in February and March of 2001, cites the following observations as they relate to the resources available to the CTCE program:
- staffing, classroom space and equipment are a challenge to the provision of quality and quantity of the CTCE program at Central College;
- a deficiency in the area of computer laboratory resources for CTCE and Workforce Development at the Northeast College exists, and many classes could not be offered as a result of the shortage;
- the adequacy of facilities for the CTCE program at Northwest College is questionable;
- lack of professional staff in the CTCE program at Southeast College is the limiting factor affecting the future growth of the contract training service; and
- the HCCS 2000-03 strategic plan is primarily geared towards credit instruction and it is a concern that only brief mention of non-credit programs is made.
The system CTCE office developed and implemented an annual program evaluation process that is conducted at each college. These college evaluations were implemented in 2001 to address the need for a program evaluation to guide the overall management and development of the college CTCE functions. A systemwide task force consisting of the college presidents, directors of CTCE, Workforce Education deans and representatives from finance, marketing and student services was convened on December 2001. Guided by an external consultant, the committee reviewed the college evaluations and developed a five-year business plan. This plan includes benchmarks, such as revenue generated, contact hours, enrollment and facility needs. The directors of CTCE will review the plan annually and make recommendations to the presidents regarding budgetary requirements and other management responsibilities. The business plan clearly articulates the needs of the CTCE program, one of which is to "assure adequate resources and facilities."
HCCS faces competition with other institutes of higher education that offer CTCE programs. Houston is home to more than 40 colleges, universities and institutions of higher learning and must strategically market itself to be appealing to interested individuals and businesses in the Houston area.
Southwest Missouri State University (SMSU) has placed a high priority on its continuing education program. The College of Continuing Education has its own dean with responsibility for continuing education programs and services. According to a message from the dean on the college's Web site, SMSU is "proud to be part of a university that places high priority on moving beyond the ivy walls of academia to reach out and serve the educational needs of [the] community and region." As a result of SMSU's high priority on continuing education, the program is continually one of the fastest growing organizational units at the university, and participation in non-credit programs through the Center for Continuing and Professional Education exceeded 6,300 during the 2001-02 school year, a 109.2 percent increase from the 3,011 participants during the previous year. One of the "core values" of the continuing education program at SMSU states that an effective continuing education program is one that is goal-oriented, dynamic, innovative, supportive of new ideas and skillful at managing its resources.
Recommendation 87:
Develop plans and procedures to promote HCCS' Corporate Training and Continuing Education program.
Such plans and procedures should consider CTCE in strategic planning, resource allocation, class scheduling and marketing.
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES AND TIMELINE
1. The vice chancellor for Economic Development assigns responsibility for representing the CTCE program in the strategic plan to the executive director of CTCE. July 2003 2. The executive director of CTCE discusses goals for the CTCE program with the directors of CTCE on a regular basis. August 2003 and Ongoing 3. The executive director of CTCE articulates the goals of the CTCE program from feedback and input gained from the directors of CTCE and the CTCE Business Plan. Ongoing 4. The executive director of CTCE ensures inclusion of CTCE goals in the strategic plan and regularly monitors the system's progress towards those goals. Ongoing 5. The chancellor and the executive director of CTCE meet with the college presidents to communicate the importance of CTCE to the business community and encourage the presidents to be advocates of the program by increasing the funding necessary for adequate staff, facilities and marketing materials. Ongoing FISCAL IMPACT
This recommendation can be implemented with existing resources.
FINDING
Tuition money received for CTCE courses in excess of the actual costs incurred to provide the courses is not returned to the CTCE program. The excess funds are deposited into the general fund at the system level.
According to the Texas Administrative Code, any non-credit workforce education course that results in continuing education units (CEUs) is eligible for state funding at the same rate as credit workforce education courses. THECB approves a reimbursement rate per contact hour for funding of programs at community colleges. The rates vary by the cost of the program. To qualify for state funding, a CEU course must be occupationally related, comply with the Workforce Education Course Manual (WECM) guidelines and consist of at least seven contact hours of instruction.
Before March 2000, HCCS continuing education courses did not receive reimbursement money from the state. The system office of the CTCE program at HCCS coordinated the conversion of all eligible continuing education courses to the state-approved WECM courses. The state reimbursement money for CTCE courses at HCCS goes to the HCCS systemwide budget and is not remitted to the department that offered the course.
The THECB On-Site Review of HCCS cites the following observations as they related to the budgetary process for the CTCE program:
The CTCE program at Central College is concerned that the lack of flexibility involving the budgetary process does not allow them to be responsive to the needs of the community in the contract training area; and
Availability of fiscal resources at Central College is a challenge to the provision of quality and quantity of CTCE programs.
In order for the CTCE program to grow and potentially become a self-sustaining program, the CTCE staff at the colleges must be motivated to generate increased revenue from the program. Without awarding them with the money they generate, the system is hindering the colleges from the results they could potentially achieve.
Many community colleges and universities across the country have made their continuing education programs self-sustaining. The Board of Trustees at Montgomery College in Maryland approved policies in April of 1986 that made the college's continuing education program self-sustaining. The policy states that in order to facilitate the development and offering of a wide variety of continuing education programs, the college president or designee is authorized, within the authority of pertinent board policies:
- To establish a separate, continuing, revolving fund and budget....for the support of the college's continuing education program. This fund shall be for the receipt and expenditure of tuition, fees, special charges, state aid, grants and other revenue necessary to conduct a continuing education program.
- To establish the tuition and fees to be charged by those who enroll or otherwise participate in the various non-credit continuing education offerings so that the continuing education program is self-supporting.
- To establish a salary schedule for non-credit instructional faculty that operates within the guidelines necessary for the support of the programs and activities sponsored by the Office for Continuing Education.
Procedures were established to implement this policy, one of which deals with fiscal management. The procedure states:
- Each continuing education non-credit enterprise normally generates sufficient revenue to pay its share of general administrative expenses, as well as direct operating expenses, including provision for renewal and replacement of furniture and equipment.
- Proceeds from all Continuing Education enterprises will be deposited in the Continuing Education Revolving Fund. Expenditures from the fund will normally be made solely for the support of Continuing Education. Expenditures for other purposes must be approved by the president.
- College policies and procedures for the control of fiscal, procurement, contractual, personnel and other operations will be applicable to the operation of Continuing Education. Continuing Education is subject to auditing, both internal and external.
- Each type of Continuing Education enterprise will have a budget developed and administered in accordance with College policies and procedures. Indirect costs for administration, plant operation and maintenance should also be apportioned to each activity.
- The College Finance Office will provide the necessary support to expeditiously carry out Continuing Education business. This office will also monitor regularly the revenue and expenditures of the unit to assure effective financial management.
Additionally, a procedure for tuition and fees states that "it is the responsibility of the provost for Continuing Education, within Board of Trustee policies, to establish such tuition and fees for non-credit continuing education activities as will promote the fiscal stability and the self-sustaining nature of the program."
Recommendation 88:
Develop a policy and procedures for the HCCS Corporate Training and Continuing Education program to become self-sustaining.
Developing policies and procedures at HCCS will ensure that making CTCE a self-sustaining program is a systemwide prerogative. The self-sustaining nature of the program will increase the motivation among CTCE employees at the system and college-level to generate increased revenue and will give the directors more control over the monetary resources available to enhance the program offered to the community.
The policy should establish a separate enterprise fund and budget process for the CTCE program and will require board approval. Once the board approves the policy, procedures should be developed that outline specifically how the CTCE program will operate as a self-sustaining program at HCCS.
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES AND TIMELINE
1. The chancellor and the executive director of CTCE develop a policy to establish a separate enterprise fund and budget process for the CTCE program. July 2003-August 2003 2. The chancellor submits the policy to the Board of Trustees for approval. September 2003 3. The executive director of CTCE and the directors of CTCE at each of the colleges establish procedures that outline how the program will operate as a self-sustaining unit at HCCS. October 2003-November 2003 4. The executive director of CTCE submits the goals and procedures to the chancellor for approval. December 2003 FISCAL IMPACT
This recommendation can be implemented with existing resources.
