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Preparing for the Future
Criterion Statement:
The organization’s allocation of resources and its processes for evaluation and planning demonstrate its capacity to fulfill its mission, improve the quality of its education and respond to future challenges and opportunities.
Tulsa Community College allocates resources in support of its mission. Since the last reaccreditation in 1998, the College has rewritten its mission statement, identified its core values, and created a strategic vision document to serve as a guide in responding to future challenges and opportunities. These documents have been created to speak to the “one-college” concept that attempts to bring together the five physical sites into one concerted direction. The new mission statement and the new strategic vision that help to define unit-level goals and objectives, combined with the core values, all reflect significant change. TCC has incorporated numerous methods to improve student learning, and constantly seeks ways to anticipate and plan for future societal and economic trends.
CORE COMPONENT 2a: The organization realistically plans for a future shaped by multiple societal and economic trends.
Tulsa Community College utilizes its position as an involved community partner to enhance the way it provides education to the Tulsa community. The College realistically prepares itself and its students for a future shaped by multiple societal and economic trends in such ways as the integration of newly developed technology, maintenance and creation of academic programs that meet the needs of a shifting economy, and a focus on the societal needs of the community through various innovative outreach initiatives. There is much evidence to support TCC’s commitment to remain at the forefront of high-standard educational delivery.
Technology
Several of the challenges identified in the 1998-99 comprehensive visit from North Central directly impacted the college’s future approach to technology innovation. They were: 1) the anticipated retirement wave with the resulting new hires and the impact on sustaining the diverse instructional delivery systems; 2) the impending change in institutional leadership, and, 3) the provision of a broad array of student support services for students in distance education programs. “TCC must continue to devote significant resources to the purchase of state-of-the-art technological equipment and to fund staff development that supports innovative curriculum and program development” was a recommendation for dealing with the challenges presented in the report.
In 2003, TCC requested a Higher Learning Commission on-site focused visit to evaluate the ability of the college to deliver associate degree programs via distance delivery methods. Since course offerings using various distance learning methodologies had greatly expanded from 1979 when the first telecourses were offered, it became apparent that there existed a great potential for completion of certificate and degree programs outside of the traditional classroom setting. The request to the HLC for this institutional change was in alignment with the college’s mission and philosophy and specifically linked with the Strategic Vision goal that stated that the college was to provide “. . .a flexible curriculum with a variety of delivery options.”
In March 2004, the focus team from HLC concluded that
. . .the institution has invested heavily in its faculty to develop and deliver courses, thus, degrees via distance delivery. As the result of extensive staff development and training opportunities, the provision of reassigned time and summer projects, the creation of a mentoring process, the TCC faculty ‘own’ the courses delivered via electronic media and protect the academic integrity of their offerings. . . .The college has recognized that student support services will be very important in the future to ensure the completion of degree programs. The team acknowledges that the basics have come into place in that students can register on line, order books, apply for financial aid, access lists of potential tutors, access career services and interest inventories, and the base is there for a strong electronic library. . .In addition, student e-mail and portal access appears to be available in the not too distant future. . .the college has devoted substantial resources in the past to develop their distance learning options and is presently investing $1.5 million for online instruction alone. . .
The HLC team recommended approval of TCC’s request for the institutional change. This formalized step toward maintaining the integrity of student learning via new technologies has been the impetus for additional innovation to support services for students, faculty, and staff throughout the college. In 2006 the college undertook an extensive reorganization of the college’s IT structure that is described in the Criterion 2b section of this report.
In 2007, TCC purchased a new Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERP) called Banner from Sungard to replace the SCT IA-Plus student system product currently in operation. This upgrade allows TCC to move away from mainframe systems to client server, mostly web-based processes. The ERP system consists of three components: financial, human resources, and the student system. The components will be implemented at different times beginning in July 2008 with the financial component followed by the human resources component in January 2009. The final phase, the student system, is targeted for implementation in July 2009. According to Pat Fischer, Associate VP of Human Resources, “The College faced many challenges the last time a new system was implemented, but this time, those involved in making the change are not facing the tight deadline of the ‘Y2K crisis,’ are more knowledgeable about purchased systems, and will have more time to test, all of which should result in a smoother transition.”
A recommendation from the previous self-study in 1998 was that more administrative procedural documents be handled electronically. Many institutional processes such as yearly budgeting, assessment reporting, and physical facilities work orders, to name only a few, have converted to being handled electronically. However, many key areas of the College are still operating with a basic paper format process, i.e., the entire purchase requisitioning process is still a paper process and makes tracking of individual purchase orders and reconciling unit accounts cumbersome at best and practically impossible at worst. Although it is anticipated that with the implementation of the new Banner system the complete switch to electronic processes can occur, the College should address why this change, that was put forth as a solid recommendation ten years ago, has still not been effectively accomplished.
Eventually, the new SCT Banner system will allow online submission of employment applications and personnel requisitions, streamline insurance billing, and simplify payroll for part-time faculty. The switch to online employment applications was begun in January 2008. The new system will communicate more easily with other systems and provide for easier access of data by the end users without the need for programming. Also, the College will have basic demographic information that will be consistent system-wide resulting in anticipated savings for the College. This huge investment of financial and human resources is clear evidence that TCC is adequately preparing for emerging technological trends that affect how the College operates.
One improvement that has occurred during this accreditation cycle in response to needs brought about by emerging technology is the adoption and implementation of the electronic communication portal, MyTCC. This internal communication tool, also from Sungard, has allowed the College to accommodate the need for a student e-mail system. The MyTCC Luminis portal was chosen due to its ease of integration with IA-Plus and because it automated much of the administration requirements. The automation characteristic has reduced the number of employees needed to maintain the product.
Further, E-Print (a report-generating tool) and E-Gradebook were implemented to streamline the paperwork associated with grade challenges and grade changes. By having these available electronically, it is much easier to archive, search, and provide permissions to those authorized to view and change records. When fully implemented, other electronic tools will include E-syllabus, the Incomplete form, and the Grade Change form on-line. Although progress has been somewhat slow in this regard, the push toward a fully electronic processing system has gained momentum in the past several years.
TCC’s success lies in being proactive and visionary when approaching change. The advancement of technology and a growing student body dictate a comprehensive need to meet the demands of the future. TCC understands that the current capacity is being challenged by this growth and the need for modification and improvement is evident. Although many examples of evidence can be cited to show that TCC is an environment that supports innovation and change, the challenge to the College is the need to constantly monitor the viability of the changes being implemented and adjust accordingly as quickly as possible. Completion of the process and HLC approval for institutional change regarding distance learning, the significant organizational restructuring of all IT services at the college described elsewhere in this report, and the tremendous outlay of fiscal and human resources all serve as evidence that TCC remains focused on emerging factors such as technology.
Innovation and Change
The institution’s attempt to convert all enrollment management services to a “One Stop” model is a major example of TCC’s support of an organizational environment of innovation and change. In 2000, TCC began to develop its own “Welcome Center” process which we named “First Stop.” The goal was to streamline student services college-wide in a consistent manner. The First Stop Mission Statement asserts that it be implemented “[t]o make TCC’s educational offerings accessible to the community with integrated enrollment services and student development programs that uphold TCC’s commitment to the value of each individual, the potential for lifelong learning and the highest standards for service excellence.”
First Stop seeks to establish a single service model which provides the same student services in person, on-line, and on the telephone. This integrated process involves student services such as academic counseling and advising, career counseling, financial aid and enrollment services through in-person assistance and call centers. With First Stop, TCC hopes to efficiently provide the support that students need.
Since 2000, TCC has employed different strategies toward the implementation of First Stop. In June of 2003, TCC utilized a consultant to facilitate cross-training of staff and administration and organized site visits by TCC employees to other educational institutions with a Welcome Center. In 2004, process mapping began to further specify the functions of First Stop. Further, since 2005, TCC contracted with an outside firm to solicit feedback from mystery shoppers and conduct focus groups. Student input was also obtained through surveys in order to formulate a comprehensive plan for First Stop.
The TCC student affairs administration developed the Tulsa Community College First Stop Project Plan in 2004. The plan states that TCC needs a First Stop because “students coming to TCC need the most supportive and efficient services with regard to admissions, registration, financial aid, academic and career advising.” The project plan and the feedback provided from the initial efforts of the consulting firm, employees and students contributed to formulating a First Stop process.
In 2006, the First Stop project was assigned to the Deans of Student Services and associated directors. This transition increased conversation concerning First Stop at the direct service level and involved the front-line staff in First Stop planning. This transition allows, as one of the First Stop Guiding Principles states, “key stakeholders throughout the college” to be “essential partners in the design and implementation.”
One challenge the college has faced with this initiative is the perception that First Stop is wholly integrated with physical changes occurring on each campus. While two campuses have undergone physical renovations since the idea of First Stop was formulated, these renovations have erroneously been considered intertwined with the First Stop process. In 2005, Metro Campus renovated their campus and called the renovation First Stop; however, at the time, the process had not been fully defined. In contrast, the Northeast Campus completed renovations in 2006 and refer to their new site as a Welcome Center. While attempts were made in each case to implement First Stop principles, the process itself is still not complete. This disparity in nomenclature underscores the challenge of a multi-campus change in philosophy and delivery of enrollment services.
Another challenge lies in attempting to implement the philosophy of First Stop college-wide. Each campus has its own unique needs and must be allowed to make decisions that best fit its unique student population. Over several years of effort on this project, the college has broadened its scope to focus more on the services provided, not the method of providing these services. In this way, the importance of consistent services coupled with how best to deliver those to unique student populations are emphasized over the delivery method.
INSERT PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS HERE—TO BE INTERVIEWED 2/29/08
TCC has kept up with advancements in other areas of innovation as well. In March 2007, TCC announced a program called “Tulsa Achieves” for high school graduates from Tulsa County to attend college immediately upon graduation. TCC’s President Dr. Tom McKeon stated in his letter announcing the program, “Our primary goal is to increase the number of our residents participating in higher education and receiving college degrees.” Dr. McKeon wrote that “every measurable indicator tells us that the quality of our lives . . . our health . . . our community and. . . our future is directly tied to higher education.” In conclusion, Dr. McKeon wrote, “The more students succeed in college, the more our community will succeed.”
The Tulsa Achieves scholarship is a gap funding scholarship, which means that TCC will pay tuition and fees after any other state, federal, or private aid is processed. The Tulsa Achieves program provides students with 63 hours of paid tuition and fees for graduating high school students in Tulsa County. Any student who graduates from a public or private high school, is a Tulsa County resident, and has maintained a 2.0 GPA in high school is eligible.
To maintain participation in the program, all Tulsa Achieves Scholars are required to complete 40 hours of volunteer service. Students must register, find volunteer agencies and keep track of their hours through a database. This involvement in the community allows the Tulsa Achieves Scholars to engage in “learning and service opportunities that transform and enrich lives,” as stated in the TCC Mission Statement.