First Advisory Board Meeting 8.20.07
Posted On Thursday, August 30, 2007 at at 8/30/2007 10:10:00 PM by L SantoroCPATH Advisory Board Meeting
Aug 20, 2007
In attendance: Barry Brown, Walter Di Mantova, Sandy Feder, Dan Francisco, Bernard Gibson, Gary Hartley, Pat Hogarty, Marc Olsen, Jason Pittman, Dan Ross, Phil Sandoval, Linda Santoro, John Shirley, Phil Tierney, Stu Van Horn, Du Zhang
Aug 20, 2007
In attendance: Barry Brown, Walter Di Mantova, Sandy Feder, Dan Francisco, Bernard Gibson, Gary Hartley, Pat Hogarty, Marc Olsen, Jason Pittman, Dan Ross, Phil Sandoval, Linda Santoro, John Shirley, Phil Tierney, Stu Van Horn, Du Zhang
Meeting Summary
1. Stu Van Horn welcomed visitors to FLC and gave a summary of the CISE CPATH Grant, explaining that it is not unlike the recent Earmark Grant, which resulted in forty-eight course outlines, sixteen new program areas, and generated college growth. CPATH replaces Earmark with its important focus on undergraduate Computing Education. The goal is to see more enrollment in computing fields and to prepare workers for the needs of the workplace.
2. Gary Hartley explained that the grant proposes four deliverables:
a. Creating a mechanism by which people can talk across industries, continuing dialogue to learn each other’s perspectives.
b. Creating an advisory board to guide the project. Setting dates for meetings is “job one.”
c. Producing a symposium similar to STEM, Convergence, etc.
d. Developing an implementation grant proposal.
3. A copy of the ICER Report from January of 2006 will be emailed to Board.
a. High correlation between success in the economy and a workforce that is well prepared for the needs of the industry.
b. Although demand for employees rises, enrollment in computer information science classes has been declining.
c. See questions at the end of this record.
d. Need articles or white papers that apply to our goals.
e. Steering committee will be Du Zhang, John Shirley, Stu Van Horn, Gary Hartley, and Linda Santoro.
4. Stu explained importance of collaboration between business partners and educational members of Advisory Board, and the obligations and guidelines for the grant and referred members to the second paragraph of the grant summary.
Summaries of current situation from the educators:
b. Although demand for employees rises, enrollment in computer information science classes has been declining.
c. See questions at the end of this record.
d. Need articles or white papers that apply to our goals.
e. Steering committee will be Du Zhang, John Shirley, Stu Van Horn, Gary Hartley, and Linda Santoro.
4. Stu explained importance of collaboration between business partners and educational members of Advisory Board, and the obligations and guidelines for the grant and referred members to the second paragraph of the grant summary.
Summaries of current situation from the educators:
LRCCD: general downtrend on all campus locations.
Networking classes are well enrolled but programming classes start with one hundred and then finish much lower. Web courses are relatively strong, but down to 1/3 the enrollment of prior strong years. Applications courses: interest remains high. 40% of students leave after initial start
Sierra College has ½ to 1/3 enrollment today compared to 2002. CIS area down in enrollment, online classes fill, not on ground. High attrition rate in upper level courses.
In 2001 there were 6 fulltime instructors at FLC, but now 3 FT; database certificate losing interest.
Nationwide there is a dip in enrollment in CIS classes. An ACM study regarding offshore jobs casts a negative light on the job situation.
New jobs are being created in the area of computer games, animation, and security, which cannot easily be filled off shore.
Height of CSUS enrollment was 1000, but currently is 500, of which 140 are graduate level
Today’s high school students are not interested in STEM disciplines
No celebrity as a spokesperson for the Computer Science industry. Nationwide study commissioned by NSF “Rising above the Gathering Storm”. (see link)
Need to get elementary and secondary faculty to join this group.
Real Estate programs are doing well. Students can do their own web sites.
Industry Participant Comments:
Intel, Micron and other companies are all involved to get students interested in STEM.
Game industry is bigger than movies and music combined.
Schools should partner with the industry for successful outreach to students
Intel and others go offshore because the US is not producing enough workers.
Factories are not built here because it costs too much.
USA not producing enough competent workers.
Industry needs to tell Community Colleges what their needs are.
5. Stu gave brief overview of initiatives, groups, and educational collaborations in the region. Suggests combining multiple boards instead of duplicating efforts.
6. Next Advisory Board meeting to be early September. Proposed seminar dates (separate and distinct from Advisory Board Meetings):
a. Monthly from September 2007 through May 2008
b.Purpose of the interdisciplinary seminars is crosstalk to discuss why there isn’t more of a fit between industry needs and courses being offered.
c.It will not necessary to have the same people in the room for each seminar. Advisory board members are asked to forward names for the appropriate attendees for the seminars.
d. Next advisory board meeting recommended to take place before Sept 21.
e.Marketing strategy: advise students that those who complete degrees in the computer science area will be employed immediately!
f. Need to define a model for handling the lack of student enrollment in the CIS discipline.
Questions to consider:
1. What is the feedback from students?
2. Why aren’t we getting the attention of students for these disciplines?
3. How can we get their attention?
4. How can we communicate that a viable living can be made, portable anywhere in the world?
5. Where are we headed with our curriculum?
6. 40% of students leave after initial start; once we get them, how do we keep them?
7. What is the feedback from students? Do they think that jobs don’t exist?
8. Is there a mechanism to reach down into the lower grade levels to interest students earlier in their educational careers?
1. What is the feedback from students?
2. Why aren’t we getting the attention of students for these disciplines?
3. How can we get their attention?
4. How can we communicate that a viable living can be made, portable anywhere in the world?
5. Where are we headed with our curriculum?
6. 40% of students leave after initial start; once we get them, how do we keep them?
7. What is the feedback from students? Do they think that jobs don’t exist?
8. Is there a mechanism to reach down into the lower grade levels to interest students earlier in their educational careers?
