SCCC/ATS Board Of Trustees Meet

The Seward County Community College/Area Technical School Board of Trustees met in their regular meeting Monday, Feb. 6 to discuss the Title V Grant, Respiratory Therapy program review and the Kansas Board of Regents performance agreement.
Steve Wiens, Title V project director gave an overview of the Title V Hispanic Serving Institution grant annual performance report, which was submitted to the U.S. Department of Education. During year one, the college began the Corrosion Technology program in fall 2011 with 17 students. Students will move into the new building addition this month that will house Corrosion Technology and Process Technology. The corrosion field lab is near completion with most of the pipe purchased or donated by industry, and trenching plans in progress.
The board approved the new program request application for the Process Technology certificate and the Associate in Applied Science degree and granted authorization to submit the proposal to the Kansas Board of Regents. Process Technology, scheduled to begin this fall, will prepare students for careers in chemical manufacturing, the oil and gas industry, power generation, food and beverage, mining, pharmaceuticals, pulp and paper manufacturing and waste water treatment.
The Respiratory Therapy program is accredited by the Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care and was granted continue accreditation status following approval of the program self study in 2010. The board approved the program review for Respiratory Therapy with the next formal accreditation self-study scheduled no later than 2020. The board will review the program annually.
The RT program is planning to re-align its curriculum to require students to take pre-requisite general education courses to include science and math courses. This will help improve pass rates on the Registered Respiratory Therapy exams and encourage students to take their credentialing exams after graduation. In addition, students are encouraged to attend a review for their boards prior to graduation. “Not all health-care facilities require a graduate to be a registered Respiratory Therapist so some graduates take just a portion of the registry exam,” said Ed Anderson, program coordinator.
One of the suggested enhancements for Respiratory Therapy include adding Garden City Community College as a satellite site with all RT courses offered via poly-com and lab courses taught on the GCCC site. SCCC/ATS has already begun teaching the labs on the GCCC campus one day a week, as explained by Anderson.
Anderson also explained that new enhancements, which increase the employment opportunities for students, include the addition of clinical rotations in sleep studies, pulmonary rehabilitation and home care.
The board approved a new rate structure for student housing effective July 1, 2012. Both single and double occupancy in the Student Living Center and mansions will increase $60 per semester. Both single and double occupancy in Hale Court will increase $460 per semester. All rate increases reflect changes in food, cable, utilities and insurance costs. The college will improve the amenities at Hale Court to bring the cost in line with the other dorms.
The board approved the Performance Agreement that will be submitted to the Kansas Board of Regents. The college is in the second year of a three-year agreement based on the achievements toward meeting the goals. The college has met or exceeded its target on nine of the indicators and made directional improvement on 10 of the indicators. The college is required to make directional improvement on the majority of the goals. Kansas statutes require that any new funds appropriated to a college are dependent upon whether that college met the expectations of their performance agreement.
The college is waiting for data from the board of regents for institutional goal three regarding job placement of industrial technology completers.
Dean of Instruction, Cynthia Rapp, provided information to the Board indicating that SCCC/ATS is now participating in a new grant initiative called Accelerating Opportunities for Kansans with other Kansas community or technical colleges. Through AO-K, SCCC/ATS is now offering simultaneous basic education and dual language programs with career technical skill programs in Certified Nurses Assistant and Machine Tool Technology. A representative from the SCCC/ATS Colvin Adult Learning Center is team-teaching with the instructors in both of these technical programs.
SCCC/ATS will have $92,000 in year one to use for this program that will help fund additional instructors. These and other programs that the college will add in the future allow a student to develop the technical skills needed in today’s society with different stop levels of instruction.
Students in the CNA program, for example, can begin at this level, obtain a certificate and begin working in this field. They can also receive additional credentials to become a Certified Medication Aide, Medical Assistant, Licensed Practical Nurse or an Associate Degree Nurse.
In the Machine Tool Technology program students can develop a valuable skill at each 16 credit hours of student instruction. They can choose to work after basic instruction or continue their education, developing additional skills for Machine Tool, Drafting and Design Technology, Welding Technology or Manufacturing.
Dr. Duane Dunn, who has appointed to the Association of Community College Trustees Advisory Committee of Presidents, gave an overview of legislation that may affect community colleges during the 2012 session, including tax credits, community college funding, concealed weapons and machinery and equipment tax exemptions.
Board members and staff will travel to Topeka next week for the annual Phi Theta Kappa Honor’s luncheon. Being honored from SCCC/ATS are sophomores Kelsey Willson of Ripley, Okla., and Kelsey Cook of Ulysses.

Rapp gave an overview of the applied course fees for the 2012-13 school year. These fees are used for course equipment, software, and supplies as well as the cost of background checks, insurance, certification and testing for allied health students.
The Department of Commerce is planning to fund the registration for about 70 students to attend the Gas Compressor Institute in April in Liberal, Rapp told the board.
Staff who have completed advanced degrees include Rusty Tuman, Computer Information Systems instructor, bachelor’s degree; Kim Thomas, Business Instructor, second bachelor’s degree; Teddi Winslow, Agricultural instructor, master’s degree.
In other action, the board
1. Accepted the resignation of Mike McClure, truck driving instructor; Justin Morales, assistant director Adult Basic Education; and William Worley, Corrosion Technology program specialist;
2. Approved the early retirement of Gina Palmgren, Business Administrative Technology instructor; and
3. Moved the June meeting to Monday, June 25 and the July meeting to Monday, July 16;
Upcoming events include: SCCC/ATS Homecoming, Saturday, Feb. 11; Saints Basketball against Pratt, 6 and 8 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 11; College Goal Sunday (financial aid assistance for families), 2-4 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 12; Valentine’s Day Dance from 7-9 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 14 for seniors 55 and older, hosted by the presidential scholars; Come-and-Go Brunch, 11:30 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 19; Career Day with the Liberal Chamber of Commerce, Feb. 28-29; Foundation Annual Meeting for the Board of Governors, 11:30 a.m., Wednesday, Feb. 29.