Quarterly Report

Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Work Plan for 2002-2004

Actions for 2002-2003

January 23, 2003

Overview

In this new calendar year, the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities have entered into a period of some uncertainty as a result of the current fiscal status in the State of Minnesota. These challenges are very real, but the Board of Trustees may be assured that the Office of the Chancellor and the colleges and universities diligently continue to make progress in the directions of the strategic plan, Designing the Future.

Minnesota faces serious budget deficits, both for the current fiscal year (2003) and the coming biennium (2004-2005). The budget shortfall for the 2003 fiscal year is about $356 million. The 2004-2005 budget deficit is estimated to be approximately $4.5 billion, not including an estimated $1 billion inflation. Gubernatorial and legislative actions will result in immediate and long-term costs to the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities.

Until the legislative session ends in May, it will be very difficult to predict what impact the 2004-2005 deficit will have on the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities budget, but higher education makes up about 10 percent of the state budget, of which the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities receive about half, or 5 percent of the total state budget. Nonetheless, the Office of the Chancellor intends to do everything possible to achieve the Board of Trustees budget request for a $107.6 million increase to our $1.3 billion annual budget. If the system is not successful in getting the full amount of our request, the Board of Trustees would be involved in deciding what actions would be needed to balance the budget and to inform appropriate reductions in our annual work plan.

Pending information on what the budget impact will be, it has been decided that there will be limited out-of-state travel in the Office of the Chancellor. Further, an immediate halt to hiring is in place, and positions that become vacant will not be filled, except in dire emergencies. Office of the Chancellor staff are working to analyze the functions of each division and to prioritize them. Factors being considered include legislative mandates, Board of Trustees' policies and expectations, the system's strategic plan and impact on students. College and university presidents have been asked to undertake a similar analysis on their own campuses. It must be noted that we value all of our employees and will make every effort to minimize the use of layoffs.

While it certainly does not diminish or minimize what we face, we must acknowledge that Minnesota higher education is not alone in experiencing these challenges. On the national scene, governing boards for both the California State Universities and the University of California raised tuition in the current academic year (a mid-year rise) for the first time in eight years. California's Governor has proposed a doubling of community college tuition for next year, and the State University of New York's Board of Regents authorized a tuition increase of up to $1,400 per year.

Structure

The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities strategic plan has four strategic directions offering a blueprint for the system's future: increase access and opportunity, expand high-quality learning programs and services, strengthen community development and economic vitality and fully integrate the system.

The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities work plan addresses the four themes and adds two priorities to that list: increase support and accountability-oriented measurement.

These six priority categories were the basis for developing seventeen action steps, many of which go into even deeper, measurable detail allowing for greater accountability.

This report is the second of our series of quarterly reports for the academic year designed to further the accountability of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. With the exception of the previous quarter, these reports have focused on the efforts of the Office of the Chancellor to advance the agenda set forth in the Minnesota State College and Universities work plan. The October report, on the other hand, primarily highlighted the significant contribution made by campuses. In this and subsequent reports, shared responsibility and accountability will be reflected in a combined approach, including the important accomplishments of both the Office of the Chancellor and our thirty four colleges and universities as we work together in an increasingly integrated system to meet our shared goals.

The report is a snapshot of progress toward achieving the overall objectives of the work plan; it is a representation, not all-inclusive, of the enormous efforts undertaken by the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. The specific focus of this report is on the improvements/developments in achieving the overall objectives of the work plan during the second quarter (October through December) of 2002-2003. While the focus is on progress toward achievement of the broader seventeen action steps, taken together with the efforts reported in the first quarter, the report underscores an admirable contribution to completion of the specified tasks over the course of the plan's timeframe.

Priority: Increase Access and Opportunity.

Minnesota State Colleges and Universities will continue to recruit students from a broad spectrum of backgrounds, yet focus more intensely on the recruitment and retention of those who have been under-prepared for or traditionally under represented or under-served in higher education, including students of color, first generation college students, students for whom English is a second language and low income students.

Among the action steps in this priority area are the identification and removal of barriers to the participation in higher education for students of color, first generation students, and low-income students. Also included is the initiation of new pre-kindergarten through college (P-16) collaborative structures to improve student preparation for and transition into college and work, as well as the development of clear plans for the recruitment, professional development and retention of diverse faculty, staff and administrators.

At the cross-systems/statewide level, a first major planning meeting with multiple participants from key partnership organizations, agencies, and institutions and from the legislature was held on October 31, at Metropolitan State University. At this statewide meeting, key leaders-including University of Minnesota President Robert Bruininks, Department of Children, Families and Learning Commissioner Christine Jax, and Minnesota Private College Council President David Laird-joined the system to publicly express support for and commitment to a new Minnesota P-16 Education Partnership. Participants had an opportunity to hear a national perspective on statewide P-16 partnerships.

In recognition of the need to significantly reduce enrollment in developmental math courses, two efforts are in progress to improve the math skills of Minnesota high school graduates. Representatives of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, the University of Minnesota, the Minnesota Private Colleges, and P-12 mathematics specialists have completed a one-page statement of mathematics competencies needed by all students entering college in the state and have nearly finished a more detailed draft to guide P-12 mathematics educators. Distribution of the final document will be statewide. Simultaneously, the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities have begun development of a plan to better align high school and college readiness assessment in mathematics. Under development are design and implementation strategies to collect and analyze student assessment data for college readiness in mathematics and to identify Minnesota State Colleges and Universities math faculty to map items on the state's 11th Grade Math Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment against the content of initial college-level postsecondary mathematics courses (e.g., College Algebra).

At the system level, Academic and Student Affairs staff in the Office of the Chancellor met with the chief academic and chief student affairs officers to discuss the work plan diversity goals and campus climate surveys. Although a decision had earlier been made that institutions could individually choose the survey instrument they would use, it was later decided that institutions would include a common core of survey questions that were developed in December.

In addition, a study of best practices in recruitment and retention of under-represented students was completed and posted on the Academic and Student Affairs Web site. An agenda for a conference on best practices for the recruitment and retention of under-represented students conference-to be held on February 6 7, 2003-was developed by college and university representatives and posted on the same Web site. About 300 college and university staff members are expected to attend the conference.

The Office of Instructional Technology is working with the Attorney General's Office to clarify for campuses issues around Web access in order to improve services and access to students. An Instructional Technology project plan also was approved to make the Integrated Statewide Records System (ISRS) more accessible for students with disabilities.

Also at the system level, Minnesota Satellite and Technology (MnSAT) collaborated with the Department of Children, Families and Learning and PK 12 districts to provide special education and vocational education training across the state. MnSAT also collaborated with St. Paul College to provide training-the program was distributed nationally-to faculty serving hearing impaired learners.

As part of the Office of the Chancellor's advocacy efforts, the Equal Opportunity and Diversity area has participated in minority Chamber and press meetings with the Chancellor. In addition to ongoing support and attendance at four community of color annual events, representatives attended the quarterly meeting of the statewide Asian Pacific Council to promote system institutions and answer questions about opportunities for their students. Equal Opportunity and Diversity staff planned and executed training on campuses addressing protected class harassment, hostile environments, investigator, and decision maker training, while also co-facilitating anti racism and diversity workshops.

Public Affairs in the Office of the Chancellor has launched a new integrated marketing/public relations campaign to recruit first-generation college students and students of color, using minority media services. The initiative includes submitting press kits containing news releases about Minnesota State Colleges and Universities and feature stories that showcase successful graduates of color to six minority newspapers, placing ads in the minority newspapers, and sponsoring a 30-minute radio and cable television program on WRNB featuring Minnesota State Colleges and Universities students and graduates.

Alexandria Technical College completed an environmental scan of current student services functions with a focus on continuous improvement. As a result, the campus has enhanced (a) admissions process for home-schooled students by allowing more flexible and convenient testing and (b) new student orientation. Alexandria Technical College also improved their ability to address current and prospective student's questions and streamlined the application process.

At Anoka Ramsey Community College, the Human Resources division developed and is implementing a training plan while exploring new avenues for the recruitment of faculty and staff of color. In addition, an application for an additional Upward Bound grant allowing expansion for participation by three more high schools recently was submitted.

Bemidji State University has increased by ten percent-to 500 students-the number of under represented students served by the federally funded TRIO Program in Student Support Services. This increase reflects a collaborative effort within the university that involves additional faculty and staff referrals in areas such as tutorial services, career planning, more accommodations for students with disabilities, counseling and advising services. The Student Support Services program is designed specifically to serve first generation, low income and students with disabilities.

In addition, Bemidji State University has added a new mentoring program that connects college students with first generation, low income and/or ethnic minority students. This program has been added to the 11 high school sites served by the federally funded Upward Bound Program to improve student retention in the Upward Bound Program, as well as increase the number of student who will enroll in college.

Century College initiated early intervention strategies and developed a more comprehensive program of support for those students nearing or reaching probationary or suspension status. In addition, the college developed a comprehensive tutor training program to prepare 40-50 tutors per semester and implemented computerized assessment as a vehicle for assessing new entering students.

Dakota County Technical College submitted a $1 million TRIO Upward Bound grant designed to provide services to 60 eligible under-served students from South St. Paul High School and Henry Sibley High School. In addition, the campus Multicultural Advisor provides advising services weekly to inner city students at the HUBBS Center St. Paul.

Fergus Falls Community College has expanded English as a Second Language (ESL) offerings on campus. Additional ESL offerings will begin in the spring semester 2003 as a result of a collaborative diversity project with Minnesota State University Moorhead.

Inver Hills Community College's Urban Teacher Program Coordinator is chairing the St. Paul Partnership Committee on which there are five members from the St. Paul Schools, two from Inver Hills, and two from Metropolitan State University. The committee is addressing such issues as developing skills and abilities needed for education graduates to function well in the urban setting, working on curriculum alignment with the teacher education curriculum and St. Paul curricular needs, and coordinating student educational experiences in the schools with placements with teachers who are working with best practices in the schools. The focus is to cut down on retraining new teachers hired by St. Paul Schools and to identify educational assistants and teachers' aides that have the talent to become teachers.

Itasca Community College received a major grant ($265,000) from the Blandin Foundation to help students attend Itasca Community College. A portion of the grant provides funds for Child Care assistance for spring semester 2003 that will enable students previously denied child care assistance due to the state grant shortfall to receive assistance.

Among the action steps aimed at improving participation by and retention of under-served populations by Lake Superior College are assessing the needs of current students of color, teaching a multi-cultural studies course at a Duluth high school and applying for grant funds to assist Independent School District 709 (Duluth) with diversity programming. The college also has completed articulation agreements with the College of St. Scholastica for pre-professional education and for pre-social work majors; created a comprehensive plan for the recruitment and retention of students of color; offered cultural diversity activities as retention activities; increased outreach efforts with community agencies and educational entities which serve people of color; expanded diversity program offerings; and collaborated with Independent School District 709 to create a service learning program emphasizing work with diverse student populations.

Minneapolis Community and Technical College is studying the impact of developmental education and English as a Second Language programs. The partially completed cohort study has, to date, published the descriptive data.

Minnesota State University, Mankato hosted a metro area informational day for high school counselors, community colleges and minority community agency representatives. In addition, the Admissions Office partnered with the Office of Multicultural Affairs to visit high schools with large minority student populations to increase both the visibility and the comfort level of prospective minority students.

North Hennepin Community College has worked to increase the access and success of under-served students by re-establishing the campus diversity council, creating a plan for the training of the entire campus as it relates to working with diverse student populations, creating relationships with diverse community organizations and broadening representation on all college advisory boards. In addition, North Hennepin Community College has made significant progress on efforts to enhance academic counseling and advising services, building sound working relationships within the counseling/advising center, implementing a Web Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS), promoting on-line advising and developing a plan for on-line tutoring appointments. In addition, they have decreased significantly the turn-around time from financial aid application to award letter.

In the area of enhanced relationships with schools, Lake Superior College has developed a Pre-Education Advisory Committee comprised of area public school personnel, signed an agreement with the Duluth Vocational Center to grant college credit to high school automotive students under the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF) certification process, increased High School Connections program partnerships by 20 percent, and developed a partnership with School District 704) to offer a Machine Tool program to high school students and to articulate this program with the college's program.

Minnesota West has responded to the needs of under-served and under-represented populations in manifold ways: recruitment of first generation college students is enhanced through the offering of Kids College, a collaboration with the Nobles County Integration Collaborative which gives 4th through 6th graders opportunity to explore college; hosted the Regional Laotian Conference; taught "Survival Spanish" to law enforcement officials, hospital personnel, and teachers in five school districts, area hospitals and law enforcement centers; and offered an on-line Dairy Technician Certificate entirely in Spanish.

Minnesota West is also a recipient of an Immigrant Work Readiness Grant to provide referral and access to college to a number of minority students in collaboration with the Continuing Education Department of the local school district and the Workforce Center. Through the campus' collaboration with the Nobles County Integration Collaborative, an off-campus tutoring center employing students of color as tutors has been established to help K-12 students.

Rochester Community and Technical College and the Rochester Public Schools have reached agreement regarding funding for Post Secondary Education Options (PSEO) students to ensure an additional pathway for K 12 students that improves access and readiness for post secondary education.

St. Cloud State University received a grant from the Otto Bremer Foundation to create an academic support program for second language residents, including immigrants and refugees. These residents are different from international-designated students in that their admission process is the same as a U.S. citizen who has English as a first or native language, but they are not identified in the process as needing language and academic support. In addition, the university is implementing a specific student of color recruitment plan to attract minority students to St. Cloud State University.

In the personnel arena, a retreat was held early this year with St. Cloud State University's provost, deans and associate vice presidents to consider recruitment and retention efforts. The university's hiring manual has been revised.

St. Cloud State University's new Lead Investigator has conducted training on harassment and discrimination issues for leadership teams and is developing a comprehensive training program on the search process, assuring compliance with hiring guidelines and affirmative action requirements. In cooperation with the University Communications Office, the Lead Investigator is creating new pamphlets on diversity awareness and sexual harassment.

St. Cloud Technical College has undertaken a major initiative to recruit students of color and has also worked with the Equal Opportunity and Diversity division in the Office of the Chancellor to distribute faculty and staff vacancies to communities of color. Additionally, the campus is working to form partnerships with the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce, St. Cloud State University and the St. Cloud Hospital to share ideas on recruiting and retaining people of color.

Southwest State University addressed access and opportunity by, among other efforts, creating a new scholarship program for low income students living in the resident halls to improve retention; initiating partnerships with the Flandreau American Indian Boarding School and with Sisseton-Wahpeton Tribal College; and creating a new outreach/recruiter position to focus on minority students in the metropolitan area of the Twin Cities. In addition, the campus also created the Multi-Cultural Education Project with Southwest Central Educational Services to recruit students of color to the teaching profession and hosted both a workshop on eliminating racism and the 12th Annual Prairie Festival Pow Wow for the Upper Sioux Community, the Lower Sioux Community and the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community.

Southwest State University also addressed the needs of another important group-they obtained a grant from the United Way to fund the cost of transportation to and from the campus for senior citizens attending Senior College, which is funded in part by the Minnesota Humanities Commission.

Priority: Increase Support.

Minnesota State Colleges and Universities will work to increase support for public higher education in order to maintain the core educational mission while keeping tuition reasonable and addressing the needs of the state.

The action steps in this priority area involve (1) an analysis of how Minnesota's policy on student financial aid affects Minnesota State Colleges and Universities students, (2) a subsequent strategy to obtain legislative changes benefiting public higher education students, (3) advocacy for responsible management of fiscal, facilities and technology resources and (4) efforts to obtain more non-state funding.

Five Minnesota State Colleges and Universities institutions secured new Non-Traditional Training and Employment Project Grants from the Carl D. Perkins Vocational-Technical Education Act State Leadership funds:

• Alexandria Technical College - Develop STEPS, a hands-on residential camp for 7th graders that invites them to explore opportunities in manufacturing and engineering.
• Northwest Technical College - Provide an on-campus technology, multi-day workshop giving women a chance to learn more about non traditional career/training opportunities in telecommunications, microcomputer technology and electronics.
• Central Lakes College - Provide one-on-one information sessions, a two-day skill building retreat, five-day hands-on experience with 11 nontraditional careers and follow-up and support services.
• Riverland Community College-Provide a planning project that will bring together community resources in developing a program to recruit women to the Construction Electrician trade and investigate resources for financial support to promote successful program entry and completion.
• Hennepin Technical College-Provide successful mentor relationships between 2nd semester HTC students and incoming nontraditional high school students from District 287 offering a support service to those in non-traditional careers.

Employees at Central Lakes College have donated nine $300 student scholarships to the college's Foundation through the Employee Scholarship Fund that was created last year.

Century College increased resources and foundation support through scholarships, equipment, program resources and facilities by cultivating partnerships in telecommunications, health care, education, and other areas. The college also expanded its grant development function in conjunction with the foundation.

Dakota County Technical College received $519,000 from a private estate to assist the college with their library remodeling project and student scholarships.

Hibbing Community College is utilizing auxiliary accounts to supplant the loss of state work study and child care monies.

Minnesota State University, Mankato has received several grants during the second quarter including a large grant from the Minnesota Department of Health awarded to the Dental Hygiene program.

Larry Jodsaas, a successful technologist with an affinity for community colleges, donated $1 million to Normandale Community College for scholarships and for laboratory equipment in the school's new science center.

Pine Technical College submitted a grant to the Federal Rural Utilities Service for telecommunications planning and development in East Central Minnesota.

The St. Cloud Technical College Foundation raised $4.5 million towards its $5 million goal.

A concentrated program of corporate visits by the Chancellor and selected staff, shaped to improve relationships with Minnesota's business and industry leaders, began last quarter. This quarter, another 14 visits were completed among other advocacy activities. Organizations and groups visited included St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, Midway Chamber of Commerce, Minnesota State Chamber, Hmong Chamber of Commerce, Metropolitan Area African American Chamber of Commerce, Insight News, Itasca Medical Center, St Paul Public Schools, Tennant Company, Minnesota Forest Industries, Minnesota Power/ALLETE, Stora Enso Duluth Paper Mill, Iron Miners Association of Minnesota, and Blandin Paper Company/UPM.

The Finance and Facilities division of the Office of the Chancellor-with the help of an advisory committee of representatives from faculty, employee and student groups, along with presidents and Office of the Chancellor staff-advised the Chancellor and the Leadership Council on components and strategies for generating a biennial budget request. The fiscal year 2004-2005 biennial budget request was presented for a first reading at the September 17-18, 2002, Board of Trustees meeting and public hearings on the preliminary budget request for the 2004-2005 biennium were held on September 27, 2002, at Southwest State University and on October 2, 2002, in the World Trade Center. As a result, the fiscal 2004-2005 biennial budget request was presented to the Board of Trustees at its October 15-16, 2002, Board meeting for a second reading and was approved.

In addition, the budget unit and the Leadership Council have begun discussions on how to approach the anticipated State budget reduction.

An operating budget initiative for the 2004-2005 biennium which would increase the base budget by $12 million for the biennium specifically targeted at facilities maintenance and repair was approved at the October 15-16, 2002, Board meeting.

Since the last quarterly report, the state and nation have completed elections for Governor, state constitutional officers, all state senators and representatives, the entire U.S. House of Representatives, and half of the U.S. senators. The Government Relations group has visited with numerous system groups and the Board of Trustees to analyze the outcome of the election. The Chancellor and Government Relations staff have begun visits to the 58 new Minnesota legislators and are also visiting the Minnesota Congressional delegation to present position statements and budget details on important agenda items-including a third e-learning Congressional Award grant of $2.5 million and a $10 million research, development and training grant from the new Department of Homeland Security.

To prepare for the 2003 state legislative session, staff have conducted meetings with the constituent groups to discuss budget options for 2004 and 2005. The primary purpose of the discussions has been to increase communication between the organizations and to promote a common agenda throughout the session. The meetings have been supported by weekly information sessions with the legislative liaisons from each organization.

Government Relations staff have made presentations to several system level organizations, including the academic and financial officers, customized training directors, and foundation staff directors about the important need to present a common system voice on the key budget messages. Finally, Government Relations has reported regularly to the Board's Advancement Committee with progress reports on the legislative session.

In support of these advocacy efforts, the Public Affairs division has developed and disseminated "talking points" for presidents and trustees on financial aid, the biennial budget request, e-learning, potential budget cuts, and the bonding request.

The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Foundation (formerly the Northstar Foundation) has completed its plan to raise funds to hire an experienced professional fundraiser.

Priority: Expand High Quality Learning Programs and Services.

The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities will provide students with a full range of high quality learning programs and services that respond to student needs and document student achievement.

Five action steps address basic issues in quality educational programming: a continued focus on providing a liberal arts foundation supporting lifelong learning, critical thinking, and citizenship skills; providing up-to-date education and training through well-equipped classrooms and laboratories and effective curriculum models; expanding professional development opportunities for faculty, staff, and administrators; continuing system responsiveness to the development of distance and technology enhanced education opportunities to meet learner needs; and providing and expanding graduate education and practical research.

The Center for Teaching and Learning began a series of monthly conversations with college administrators and faculty at several campuses about the use of student e-portfolios for documenting student learning and achievement. These conversations are informed by members' participation in national meetings and workshops on the design and implementation of e-portfolio projects. The Center for Teaching and Learning also hosted a faculty development conference on "Inquiry, Instruction, and Information" at Bemidji State University for 200 system faculty interested in building students' Internet and information literacy skills. In addition, the Center completed development of a prototype "on-line faculty development" area to be incorporated into their Web site to deliver workshops, services and resources to faculty across the state on-line.

Alexandria Technical College continued development of a strong mix of instructional programming by adding diplomas in advanced network operations and administration and distributed electrical generation technician; Associate in Science degrees in accounting, business administration and computer information specialist and marketing; certificates in phlebotomy, CAD technician (on-line), outdoor power equipment technician and automation systems integration; started a concrete mason program; articulated four new Associate in Science degrees with Capella University; and an Associate Degree in Nursing in partnership with Fergus Falls Community College (project started). In addition, they continue to partner with Southwest State University to offer baccalaureate degree courses at Alexandria Technical College.

Anoka Ramsey Community College seeks to maintain its national accreditations in the health area-National League of Nursing, Physical Therapists, etc.-and recently underwent a site visit by the Minnesota Board of Nursing.

Central Lakes College has been selected by Microsoft as the Great Lakes Regional Microsoft IT Academy. The Central Lakes College Academy is one of only 15 such regional centers in the United States.

Century College expanded by 50 the numbers of nursing students admitted to the program. In addition, Century continues to develop initiatives with the Minnesota Job Skills Partnership that lead to such new programs as the Health Career Institute, interpreter training, and computer security. They continue to review and renew existing programs and departmental offerings for improved student learning. Hibbing Community College also has expanded nursing classes by 50 percent and is hosting an evening/weekend second-year nursing program for the Iron Range.

Hibbing Community College has expanded its on-line offerings by a fourth and significantly increased the number of students served in Web enhanced courses.

Inver Hills Community College is expanding its instructional technological capacity through upgrades/expansions in lab space and equipment for geology/geography and nursing. Extensive technological support is being provided for faculty and staff with an emphasis on integrating Web-enhanced options into courses. On-line course development is continuing.

Itasca Community College, in a partnership with the Itasca Technology Exchange, has developed a state of the art computer education training center-the Continued Learning Center-in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids.

Lake Superior College has begun offering the Associate in Arts degree through e-learning, having achieved accreditation status for this approach from the Higher Learning Commission. In addition, Lake Superior College has developed and restructured the new Business Administration and Paralegal Studies programs and the existing Professional Bookkeeping program for on-line delivery; developed a comprehensive Web site for providing library services to on-line students; established new staff development opportunities for e-learning faculty; surveyed current on-line learners regarding their service/student life needs; and enhanced on-line financial aid services and began working on the development of an expanded advising and orientation process for on-line students.

Mesabi Range Community and Technical College partnered with Vermilion Community College to expand the LPN nursing program to support the health facilities of Ely and with the College of St. Scholastica to develop a 3+1 program in social work with a chemical dependency emphasis.

Mesabi Range Community and Technical College also has developed on-line student services to support students learning from a distance-making available on-line self assessment tests, student orientation sessions, library resources and financial aid forms and other application forms students may need.

Metropolitan State University received approval from the Higher Learning Commission for the on-line delivery of a certificate in Law Enforcement Supervision, the Master of Science in Nursing, the individualized Bachelor of Arts and the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.

Minneapolis Community and Technical College has provided 40 more hours of classroom instruction of technology training to faculty and staff (81 of 250 hours are now completed).

Minnesota West now partners with the Central Services Cooperative to provide access to coursework that high school students do not have access to i.e., American Sign Language and Paraprofessional program, both of which make use of on-line delivery.

Minnesota West received an e-learning grant to develop Practical Nursing and Associate Degree Nursing for on-line delivery and to collaborate with Northwest Technical College in this effort. Readiness testing and nursing aptitude testing will be accomplished on-line.

Rainy River Community College recently became a partner in the Academic Quality Improvement Project (AQIP) sponsored by The Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Two of the required AQIP action projects developed by the campus address the expansion of high quality learning programs and services.

University Center Rochester (UCR) partners (Rochester Community and Technical College, The University of Minnesota Rochester, and Winona State University) have established an E Learning Task Force to develop enterprise approaches and strategies to position the UCR in the distance learning market.

St. Cloud State University is the first Minnesota university to register for the Carnegie Foundation and American Association for Higher Education co-sponsored Carnegie Teaching Academy Campus Program-Campus Conversations. This program offers excellent professional development opportunities.

St. Cloud Technical College has begun development of high purity water treatment courses, an LPN refresher course, and adapted the medical terminology course for the long term care component of the LPN program for on-line delivery.

Southwest State University entered into an agreement with the National Guard to offer the MBA and the BS in Business Administration and the BS in Wellness and Human Performance degrees to officer candidates, officers and non-commissioned officers. The campus also has enhanced existing offerings and developed new on-line courses for the Fire Service Program, developed on-line teacher education and chemistry courses, and developed customized training courses in education, computer science, executive business writing and accounting.

Southwest State University expanded and enhanced its off-campus PSEO program. Over 140 schools are now partnered with Southwest State to provide learning opportunities to over 5,000 high school students. At the collegiate level, Southwest State has strengthened its 2+2 programs on five community college campuses in order to serve more students. Southwest State also initiated collaboration with Minnesota West to offer a BA in Public Administration for employees of the 5th Judicial District and established a joint nursing program with Minnesota West. Southwest State and Minnesota West have also partnered to provide on-line and onsite degree completion programs for Schwan Food Services' employees and their families across the nation.

In an effort to provide up-to-date education and training, Lake Superior College secured donations from community members that increased the learning opportunities for students in the Industrial Division, completed preliminary planning efforts for the writing of a Title III grant request, and increased the college's equipment budget by 100 percent to meet the increased technological needs of students.

In the arena of general professional development, Lake Superior College has allocated funds for increased staff development efforts, devised a plan for members of the Computer Information Systems department to achieve additional professional IT certification within the next year and conducted professional development activities in the areas of diversity, continuous quality improvement training and supervisory training. Specifically targeting technology-enhanced education, Lake Superior College has (1) offered a required course for new on-line instructors; (2) designed a comprehensive schedule of technology training workshops for spring semester; (3) designed a training program for faculty and staff regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act; (4) involved 80 percent of the Business, Workforce Development, and Extended Campus Programs division faculty in e-learning course delivery; and (5) offered a faculty workshop on "Brain Compatible Education" to assist them in meeting the needs of students with various learning styles.

North Hennepin Community College has funded expanded training and development opportunities for faculty, staff, and administration with a particular focus on college-wide training efforts towards diversity and inclusiveness. In addition to training on diversity, the college offered development opportunities related to Windows XP and Office XP, WebCT, how to use the technology classrooms, service learning and outcomes assessment.

St. Cloud State University offers numerous training sessions on the use of technology enhanced courses, and the use of WebCT continues to grow.

In the realm of technology enhanced and e-learning at a system level, the Center for Teaching and Learning completed a detailed status report clarifying the role and processes for the Center to provide campus-based faculty development and coordinate systemwide teaching and learning initiatives.

The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Information Technology Services division engaged Gartner consultants to complete an assessment of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities information technology infrastructure/ISRS. This objective assessment will be reviewed in the coming months by staff and leadership groups for future planning. In addition, the Information Technology Services division completed a thorough assessment of institution bandwidth needs now and for the future so that internet capacity is managed and planned.

Minnesota Satellite and Technology established a process for integrating satellite delivered broadcasts into campus Local Area Networks and campus Wide Area Networks in order to facilitate learning and training programming directly to faculty and/or student desktop computers. The process has functioned successfully and is available to all digital receive sites which includes campuses. They are encouraged to integrate the satellite programs into their computer networks. This is a cost effective, efficient way to deliver video programming without utilizing excessive bandwidth on landline transport networks.

Minnesota Satellite and Technology also has completed development of a planning effort in collaboration with the Information Technology Division, the Midwest Higher Education Commission (MHEC), and NOVELL, Inc., for a series of training sessions to be offered via satellite from January through June to higher education campuses throughout the MHEC service area.

The Office of Instructional Technology has implemented a 24x7 help desk to provide faculty and students access to help on Blackboard and WebCT instructional management systems.

The Division of Academic and Student Affairs continues development of (1) an on-line module for training student services staff to build and implement on-line student services functions, (2) e-learning and e-mentoring programs, and (3) the Minnesota On-line Council. A Web site for Minnesota On-line is now in prototype development. A third round of e-learning RFPs is under development.

The e-Portfolio project has been piloted and achieved a "soft" launch this fall. The e-Portfolio is fully operational and is being used by some campuses, faculty and students in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, as well as Workforce Center and K-12 systems. The e-Portfolio Project staff has been invited to present at the Educause National Learning Infrastructure Initiative and a special portfolio meeting sponsored by American Association on Higher Learning.

Systemwide, the number of on-line programs offered in the fall of 2002 (28) has more than doubled from fall of 2001 (11). This strong increase has been encouraged from funding for e-learning curriculum development, from institutions receiving Higher Learning Commission approval to offer on-line programs and from the continued development of Minnesota On-line. Some campuses are implementing the best practices of the Western Cooperative for on-line student services and are improving their access to student processes and information via the Internet.

Additionally, the Training Fulfillment Center has increased knowledge and use of the Rapid Response mechanisms in iSEEK connecting businesses to educational providers and connecting counselors serving workforce clients so they can arrange educational opportunities.

In light of the projected budget shortfall, the Office of the Chancellor Human Resources division is rethinking the work plan's professional development goals. In times such as these, it is even more important to attend to the needs of current employees in order to gain the highest productivity possible; it may be necessary to broaden the responsibilities of some employees who in turn may need training and support to handle their new roles. To address these issues, the division will complete an inventory development by March 2003, of the professional development money currently being spent from all sources on all forms of development within the Office of the Chancellor, and by June 2003, explore gaps in these efforts by comparing Minnesota State Colleges and Universities with outside benchmarks.

Priority: Strengthen Community Development and Economic Vitality.

The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities will help meet the state's critical workforce and community needs in collaboration with statewide and local leadership groups.

The three action steps in this priority area focus on service to the state's critical workforce and community needs: providing enhanced capacity and flexibility in key workforce areas through flexible scheduling and alternative delivery of education and training; being responsive to the acknowledged critical workforce needs in teaching and health care careers; and improving the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities' ability to respond rapidly to accelerated or sudden change experienced at the industry, company, employee, or community level.

At a statewide or system level, the Office of the Chancellor, working together with campus and other stakeholders, appointed a 25 member Teacher Education Advisory Committee to provide a state-level perspective on the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities' role in preparing teachers to meet strategic and diverse needs of Minnesota schools and students and an 18 member Task Force on College and University Collaboration in Teacher Preparation to advise and make recommendations to the Office of the Chancellor and all of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities institutions on collaboration between colleges and universities in the delivery of teacher education. The Task Force on College and University Collaboration in Teacher Preparation identified two areas of focus: recruitment and retention of potential teachers of color and teachers in high demand fields, and seamless transfer.

Office of the Chancellor staff, working together with campus and other stakeholders, compiled a fact sheet on trends in teacher supply and demand using state and national data and identified five priority Teacher Education focus areas -teachers of color, teachers in special education, teachers of English to speakers of other languages, collaborative beginning teacher induction programs, and preparing all teachers for diverse classrooms. In addition, staff validated these areas of focus with key stakeholder groups; developed and submitted a $3.5 million biennial budget request to support these initiatives; identified and quantified current delivery capacity; discussed related campus and partnership proposals for potential future funding; and developed strategies to attract, recruit, retain and develop teachers of color based on the work of Student Affairs staff on "Best Practices" for Recruitment and Retention of Students of Color.

An Employer Services Partnership has been initiated to support metro area employers in developing a world-class competitive workforce by coordinating access to employer services focused on improving employee performance, assure quality staffing and enhance effective workforce planning. The Employer Services Partnership is a cooperative partnership of metro-area public, private and non-profit organizations dedicated to offering high value employer workforce services. Membership in Employer Services Partnership is voluntary; at least six metro area Minnesota State Colleges and Universities institutions and the iSeek Solutions unit are involved. Partnership members will work together and leverage organizational resources to create simple and convenient employer access to a comprehensive range of employer services.

In collaboration with Independent School District 206, Alexandria Technical College provided leadership for an innovative K-14 Regional Learning Center vision. The college also encouraged the involvement of campus leaders in, among other local organizations, the Alex Area Economic Development Commission, the Minnesota Council for Customized Training and Continuing Education, West Central Initiative, Young People's Place, and Head Start of Alexandria.

Alexandria Technical College initiated new learning partnerships with Palmer Industries, Global Electric Motorcars, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Caterpillar/Ziegler, Rural Cellular Corporation, Custom Cabinets, Northern Food and Dairy, Douglas County, and Independent School District 206. They also expanded Partnerships with Minnesota Department of Trade and Economic Development, Minnesota Technology, Inc, Lean Manufacturing Training, West Central Initiative, the Minnesota State Highway Patrol and 70 central Minnesota community law enforcement departments.

Anoka Ramsey Community College expanded its partnerships with business by securing a new Minnesota Job Skills Partnership Grant to work with MedSource.

Century College has strengthened its linkages to Ramsey and Washington County Workforce Centers and expanded the number of students in both its nursing program and the Health Career Institute.

In a partnership with Alliance Hospitals and Clinics, Fairview Health System and Regina Medical Center, Dakota County Technical College secured a $500,000 Minnesota Job Skills Partnership Grant to prepare public assistance recipients for employment in the healthcare industry. Dakota County Technical College also secured a $331,000 Minnesota Job Skills Partnership Grant to assist Con Agra in Lakeville to improve their efficiency by training operators and technicians. In addition, the College has worked with the Metro Alliance to organize the Machine Tool Summit to improve curriculum and outreach to the manufacturing industry.

Inver Hills Community College has partnered with the Dakota County Workforce Center to open a computer-training classroom in the new Northern Dakota County Service Center in West St. Paul. Training for the 600 employees in the building and workforce center clients will be provided in this new classroom. Inver Hills Community College also has partnered with the Cottage Grove School District, Chamber of Commerce, and several Cottage Grove businesses to open a new College Center facility in Cottage Grove. The center will provide college classes for high school students, customized training for businesses and evening college credit degree classes.

Inver Hills Community College just received a large Minnesota Job Skills Partnership Workforce Training Grant to provide training in the areas of network security and wireless computer networks for the employees of Cisco Systems, 3-M Corporate Center, Fortis, Park Nicollet Medical, Wells Fargo, Cargill, Eco Lab, Northwest Airlines, U.S. Bank and West Group. The college also has become the first Check Point Training Academy in the United States. Check Point, Inc. is the leading company in the world for Network Security Software.

Inver Hills Community College's Continuing Education/Customized Training Division has provided business/industry in the southeast metro region emergency responder training; foreign language training; medical billing training for dislocated workers for placement at Blue Cross Blue Shield, Allina, and Children's Hospital and basic chemistry training for 3-M Chemolite.

The Itasca Community College Engineering Center opened its doors on December 3, 2002, with more than 800 community members attending the opening ceremonies. The engineering program, an integral part of the community and economic development of the Itasca area, has grown from three students in 1987, to more than 120 students in 2002.

Lake Superior College has (1) developed an accelerated short-term certificate for computer networking skills for displaced workers; (2) implemented flexible scheduling plan through Continuing Education, including evening/weekend, and late-start classes; and (3) permitted three academic deans to serve on the Mayor's Workforce Council.

Meeting the need for nurses and other health care workers is a theme in the work plan, and several institutions have responded. Fergus Falls Community College is working with Morris area - recipients of an H 1B grant to fund nursing education. Fergus Falls Community College has been invited to provide practical nursing and Associate degree nursing courses over the next two years in the Morris area. Lake Superior College has designed a joint nursing program with Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College to meet the needs of the American Indian community; has discussed a joint nursing program with Pine Technical College to meet the needs of trained registered nursing in the central part of the state; and collaborated with Minneapolis Community and Technical College to offer its Surgical Technology program at the Phillips Neighborhood site. In addition, Lake Superior College has collaborated with St. Mary's Hospital/Duluth Clinic and St. Luke's Hospital to review health programs and to identify their educational needs; restructured the Health Unit Coordinator program to better fit industry's needs; collaborated with MHHP Region B hospitals in rural northeastern Minnesota to offer an accelerated Radiologic Technology program through customized training to meet rural health facility training needs; developed an evening/weekend nursing program for working students; and offered the Practical Nursing program to the North Shore area of northeastern Minnesota in collaboration with Cook County Higher Education. Vermilion Community College is engaged in conversations with Mesabi Range Community and Technical College and Hibbing Community College exploring the possible delivery of LPN and RN nursing programs to Ely.

Lake Superior College has developed a process with the Arrowhead Manufacturers and Fabricators Association and the Duluth Workforce Center to ensure immediate notification of stakeholder needs.

Mesabi Range Community and Technical College received a Minnesota Jobs Skills Partnership Grant to train Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota employees and promote better workplace habits.

Minneapolis Community and Technical College received a major Minnesota Job Skills Partnership Grant to fund a training and education continuum in banking and finance for economically challenged immigrant residents of Minneapolis. Pine Technical College secured a Minnesota Job Skills Partnership Grant to train manufacturing workers on-site at Wyoming Machine Tool. Pine Technical College has also begun development of a partnership with Lake Superior College to deliver LPN to RN advancement programs for the East Central Minnesota healthcare industry at the Pine Technical College facility. Rochester Community and Technical College was awarded two new Minnesota Job Skill Partnership Grants.

North Hennepin Community College significantly has increased awareness and developed partnerships with area businesses and community organizations through visits to area businesses and organizations and increased college participation in community organizations.

In addition, North Hennepin Community College developed a comprehensive process/system improvement program in the Center for Training and Development (CTD). The result has been increased customized training contracts, the identification of areas and timelines for process system improvement, development of a system for training and review, and initial implementation of process/systems improvements.

Rainy River Community College is providing a repository for a research consortium addressing water quality including the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota Department of Health, Voyageurs National Park, Koochiching County Environmental Services, East and West Kooch Sanitary Districts and Rainy River Community College.

In addition, Rainy River Community College is implementing the relocation of the International Falls Work Force Center to the campus. This co-location, encouraged in a report to the Minnesota Legislature in January 2001, will provide opportunities for prospective students to connect with the college, give current students easy access to the training, information and support available from the Work Force Center staff.

Rochester Community and Technical College has been nominated and applied to participate in the new phase of the Rural Community College Initiative, an effort funded by the Ford Foundation. The purpose of the program is to foster economic development, increase access to education, enhance civic participation, develop new partnerships and initiate new programs to address the variety of challenges and opportunities existing in rural communities.

St. Cloud State University has received additional grant funding for digitization of regional library collections and continued planning for a statewide digital project. St. Cloud State University provides leadership for a partnership that includes Minnesota State University, Mankato, Winona State University, University of Minnesota, Minnesota Historical Society, Walker Art Institute, Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the St. Paul Public Library.

St. Cloud State University's Anderson Entrepreneurial Center (AEC) completed "Succession Planning" sessions with five area businesses. The AEC consulted on the development of business plans for seven new business ventures and conducted a "Starting your Own Business" seminar which was attended by 125 people. Fifty-five of the participants followed-up with one-on-one consulting meetings after attending the seminar.

St. Cloud Technical College in partnership with the St. Cloud Workforce Center, Quebecor World and Independent School District 742, implemented a training standards replication model. They also collaborated with the St. Cloud Workforce Center to assist with the dislocated workers from Fingerhut.

In partnership with Schwan Food Services, Southwest State University has established a course to introduce and welcome newcomers to the region. The university also has established the Minnesota County Law Library collaboration to connect 15 rural law libraries so that they can be accessed from through out the region.

Southwest State University also has partnered with Schwan Food Services to form an Executive in Residence Program at the university to assist with the creation, development and maintenance of mutually advantageous partnerships between the university and leading corporations. Southwest State's partnership with the Southwest Minnesota Foundation and Prairieland Economic Development Corporation will fund/expand the reach, scope, and influence of the Small Business Development Center's economic development work. The university has also expanded and enhanced the Summit Program, a partnership with regional agencies that involves Southwest State University students in solving the real-world problems of local businesses.

At the system level, the System Ready Response Strategy project developed an action plan to answer four key questions: what is a working definition of "ready response" in relation to community development and economic vitality; what mechanisms currently in place or in development have been designed to respond effectively to workforce and economic development opportunities and challenges; what data sources will inform the system of the need to develop future "ready response" mechanisms at the industry, company, employee or community level; and what operating models should be adopted to bring consistency and quality to the response capability of the system at large?

Priority: Fully Integrate the System.

Minnesota State Colleges and Universities will become a more efficient, effective and fully coordinated higher education system while respecting the differences and distinctiveness of the individual colleges and universities.

Bemidji State University has consciously dedicated additional resources toward direct networking in developing an increasingly diverse pool of applicants for vacant positions. For instance, department chairs and deans are participating in professional conference recruitment fairs, deans are visiting graduate schools with significant numbers of ethnic minority students, contact with the tribal communities has increased and additional on-line subscriptions have been added that target more diverse populations. In addition, an ethnic minority faculty and staff mentoring program is under development.

As examples of increasing collaboration among Minnesota State Colleges and Universities institutions, Anoka-Hennepin Technical College and Dakota County Technical College implemented, in partnership, a new Medical Coding program. Under the leadership of Hennepin Technical College, Anoka Hennepin Technical College and Dakota County Technical College submitted a Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education (FIPSE) Grant designed to refine the model for serving ESL students in the technical colleges. A Perkins III Collaborative Curriculum Alignment Grant of $12,000 was awarded to a consortium of Anoka-Hennepin Technical College, Pine Technical College and Dakota County Technical College to develop and revise their curricula for Virtual Reality and other Computer Information Systems. Anoka Ramsey Community College added sections/offerings to its Connection Program with St. Cloud State University.

As another example of increasing collaboration among Minnesota State Colleges and Universities institutions, Lake Superior College has developed plans to submit a cooperative Title III grant application with Winona State University, Rochester Community and Technical College and Minnesota Southeast Technical College -Winona/Redwing to develop a system of assessment information from students that will be accessible by many constituents.

Working with planners and managers in the financial, technology and facilities areas at the institutional level, Office of the Chancellor staff continue work on integrating planning processes. Moving this effort along is work with Anoka-Hennepin Technical College and Vermilion Community College to help the colleges develop academic plans that drive and are integrated with their strategic, financial, technology and facilities plans. The Office of Instructional Technology has worked with campuses to develop a technology master planning framework to further integrate plans and encourage a more uniform approach to planning in this area.

Across-the-Board Priority-Measurement.

A cross-functional team of 34 members has been formed to draft this framework. Membership includes presidents, vice presidents, institutional researchers, information technology and finance specialists, faculty and student association representatives, and staff from the Office of the Chancellor. The drafting team met twice during the quarter to develop a common understanding of the challenge and to focus the team on system-level accountability from the perspective of the Board of Trustees. The first meeting produced a purpose statement, the framework dimensions and agreement that the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities' strategic plan is the guiding document.

Conclusion

The second quarter of the second year saw significant progress toward our new goals. We are confident that the progress will continue and will move the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities forward as a system to better serve students and citizens.