3.4.2 Continuing Education

The institution’s continuing education, outreach and service programs are consistent with the institution’s mission.

St. Petersburg College is in compliance with this comprehensive standard because its continuing education, outreach and service programs are consistent with the institution’s mission.

State of Florida policies addressing continuing education and lifelong learning

Florida Statute 1004.65 delineates St. Petersburg College’s responsibilities for providing continuing education and lifelong learning:

Excerpt from 1004.65 Community colleges; definition, mission, and responsibilities

(6) The primary mission and responsibility of community colleges is responding to community needs for postsecondary academic education and career degree education. This mission and responsibility includes being responsible for:

d) Promoting economic development for the state within each community college district …

7) A separate and secondary role for community colleges includes: …

(b) The offering of programs in:

1. Community services that are not directly related to academic or occupational advancement.

2. Adult general education.

3. Recreational and leisure services.

These programs are further defined in State Board of Education Rule 6A-14 as noncredit:

Community colleges are authorized to provide instruction and to confer degrees, certificates, and diplomas only as prescribed herein.

(8) Continuing Workforce Education. Each community college may provide continuing education instruction tailored to individual needs and designed to improve job performance. Such instruction shall be classified in the Community College Management Information System as continuing workforce education, a noncredit classification.

(11) Lifelong learning instruction. Each community college shall provide instructional activities to address community social and economic issues related to health and human relations, government, parenting, consumer economics, and senior citizens. Such instructional activities shall be classified in the Community College Management Information System as lifelong learning, a noncredit classification.

(12) Recreational and leisure time instruction. Each community college shall provide instructional activities to develop recreational or leisure time skills. Such instructional activities shall be classified in the Community College Management Information System as recreational and leisure time, a noncredit classification.

In response to state guidance, the College includes continuing education and outreach in its mission statement:

The mission of St. Petersburg College is to provide accessible, learner-centered education for students pursuing selected baccalaureate degrees, associate degrees, technical certificates, applied technology diplomas and continuing education within our service area as well as globally in programs in which the College has special expertise. As a comprehensive, multi-campus postsecondary institution, St. Petersburg College seeks to be a creative leader and partner with students, communities, and other educational institutions to deliver enriched learning experiences and to promote economic and workforce development.

SPC has two goals that support the College’s continuing education, outreach, and service mission:

§ To provide opportunities to improve employability, enhance career skills and attain personal enrichment through courses, seminars, workshops and other continuing education programs.

The following noncredit programs provide courses consistent with the institution’s goal to “Provide opportunities to improve employability, enhance career skills, and attain personal enrichment through courses, seminars, workshops and other continuing education programs.

The role and scope of the College’s CE Health program are defined in its purpose statement from the unit plans: to provide courses to improve employability, enhance career skills, and attain personal enrichment for nurses and allied health professionals.

Courses are published to students via quarterly brochuredistribution and Schedule Catalog. The CE Health program offered 682 courses in 2005 and served 6532 students. Examples of course offerings included: Introduction to Critical Care, IV Therapy, ALF Administrator Core Training, Florida Laws and Rules for 491 Licensure, Wound Care, Parkinson’s disease and Functional Mobilization of the Cervical Spine. Most courses are designed to target a multidisciplinary audience.

Course offerings are determined by meeting with local and national representatives of hospitals, organizations and agencies to provide discipline specific course topics. These topics are determined by cosponsor needs assessments and SPC student evaluation data. Courses are also designed based on Florida statutes for mandatory education requirements of all SPC provider approved disciplines.

Evaluation. The CE Health Advisory Committee meets three times per year and provides guidance for curriculum development, continued licensure requirements and employability skills opportunities. The Advisory committee was instrumental in securing a partnership with Family Resource Centers, Inc. to co-provide the newest mandatory training Ethics for 491 Licensure. Due to the Committee’s input, we were the first state approved provider for this course in the Tampa Bay area.

CE Health measures its success in accomplishing the institutions mission through the unit planning process. An example of a unit planning measure used to determine success: Course/Instructor evaluations given to each student at the completion of each course. Target to achieve: A mean 3.6 or greater response will be achieved. We monitor the quality and effectiveness of courses through Course and Instructor evaluation form completed by each student at the completion of each course. Evaluation responses are used to improve course content and as a needs assessment for future offerings.

The role and scope of the College’s Lifelong Learning department are defined in its purpose statement from the unit plans: to provide quality experiences that reflect and address the current and future educational wants and needs of a diversified community. Course offerings are determined from the comments section of the evaluation form, which is completed by the students. New courses are created from requests of community residents seeking specific classes. Additionally, new course offerings are created by attending statewide and national conferences and noting which classes have performed best at other institutions.

Students are drawn from the last three years they attended Lifelong Learning classes as our mailing list. A new mailing database is created from everyone who calls in and leaves their name and address. In addition, SPC’s alumni list, which is over 3,000 contacts, is used. The current mailing list for is at 5,000 with the exception of College for Kids. The College for Kids mailing list includes children from K-5 of Pinellas County schools K-5 which totals 55,000.

Lifelong Learning offers the following continuing education and community education programs:

§ Divorce: A Child’s View. An educational course designed to help parents and children cope with the divorce process. Parents will learn more effective ways of communicating with each other and how to identify children's behavioral reactions at difficult ages to the divorce. One attendee stated in her evaluation, “I liked the fact that is was not just ‘teaching’ but also audience interaction and discussion. I commend U all!”

§ Guardianship (3 courses) Minor Child Training – an 8 hour course designed to help family members with specific aspects of guardianship of a minor child; Professional Guardianship Training – 48 hour course to acquaint participants with the activities and requirements for legal guardians; and Guardian Family Training -- a 12 contact hour course is designed to help family members with specific aspects of guardianship.

§ Boater Education. An 8 hour class certified by the state of Florida to train boat owners on safe and proper boat handling.

§ Other classes. SPC also offers a wide variety of avocational classes including Academic/Test Preparation, Digital Photography, Computers for Seniors, Financial Planning, Foreign Languages, Music, Pet Training, and Personal Enrichment.

§ College for Kids. The mission of the College for Kids is to provide educational, cultural, and social experiences for community children. College for Kids is an eight-week summer educational experience hosted in area elementary schools and a local museum. All 150 teachers are certified school teachers. Each site offers math, reading foreign language, science, and physical education classes. In summer 2005, the College for Kids hosted 3730 Kindergarten through 5^th grade children. The program’s success has drawn individuals from other states to learn how to set up similar programs.

The courses are published in program brochures three times per year and class schedules are updated on the college Web site. To promote classes the Lifelong Learning program used the SPC electronic signs to market all classes (with the exception of the Divorce class), including College for Kids. Lifelong learning offered 1,500 classes for College for Kids and over 450 lifelong learning classes in 2005/06 and served 10,120 students.

The Lifelong Learning Program measures its success in accomplishing the institutions mission through the unit planning process. The program monitors the quality and effectiveness of its courses through Course Evaluations compiled from each class that are used to improve classes, teachers and curriculum. Student satisfaction ratings are 4.5 on a Likert scale of 5. The mid-year report of 2005 showed that the avocational enrollment increased by 34%, and course offerings by 7%. Enrollment increased in Divorce: A Child’s View class by 11% by midyear 2005.

As a result of complaints from students on the noncredit registration process, a team of noncredit program directors brought the students’ issues to the attention of the Academic Information Systems team to resolve and improve the registration system.

Mission. SPC Corporate Training will develop and deliver innovative, customized and client specific business solutions which result in social and economic prosperity for the local and global community. It accomplishes its purpose by providing courses in professional development, technology and regulated industry (licensed professionals).

· Technology: Courses include 1 to 2 day classes in areas such as security technology, networking technology, technology management, IT project management, internet commerce, programming, desktop publishing, computer-sided design, and a variety of software applications.

· Licensed Professions: Courses include real estate, mortgage, insurance, contractor, and appraisal.

· Professional Development: Courses are provided in areas such as leadership development, continuous improvement, problem solving, teamwork, management and supervision, communication, conflict, and change.

Twice a year, courses are published in a course booklet format and the schedule of classes is located on the program’s Web site.

Course offerings are determined twice a year by current and previous enrollment statistics. Courses offered are selected by whether or not courses were cancelled and the number enrolled. The Corporate Training Advisory Committee meets three times a year and provides guidance for curriculum development, employability skills, labor market review and technology updates. The Advisory Committee 2004-2005 Survey question number 10 indicating they reviewed Labor Market Data was below a 4, which is below what the college wanted to achieve. In response, we included as a standing item on the Advisory Committee meeting agenda “Labor Market Trends”. The 2005-2006 survey exceeded the college’s measurement goal of 4.

Corporate Training serves individuals who touch business at all levels. Participants are drawn from existing mailing databases, purchased mailing lists, and satisfied customers. Corporate Training also uses SPC’s Student and Course Information Management System (PeopleSoft) system and sends current course booklets to previously enrolled students. In addition, a second course booklet is sent halfway through the semester. This second booklet is targeted to students who were enrolled within the past year. To create enrollment in new courses, Corporate Training has developed customized mailers for target audiences and use an email database to communicate new and existing courses to potential students.

The second way Corporate Training works with clients is marketing directly to a business. Client account representatives actively call on current clients and research new clients. Corporate Training also uses grant opportunities from various sources to enhance the ability of clients to achieve their learning goals. Corporate Training shares customer information with Pinellas County Economic Development to put business solutions together for a specific industry segment.

In addition, the Corporate Training program customizes training and solutions in all topic areas to meet client expectations. Training is delivered through such methods as consulting, seminars, online, classroom/lab and blended courses. Examples of customized training include leadership, customer service, time and stress management, project management, and communications skills.

Evaluation. The Corporate Training program measures its success in accomplishing the institutions mission through the unit planning process. It monitors the quality and effectiveness of its courses through course and instructor evaluation forms completed by students and instructors. These evaluation responses are used to improve educational courses and schedules. For example, feedback on our DreamWeaver public class evaluations came back unfavorable; a new class was created that all participants could take for free with a different instructor. Evaluations revealed these students were pleased with our solution to the problem.

The number of courses offered in 2005 was 509 and the number of students who enrolled in those classes was 5,553. Corporate Training provided customized training to 47 corporate clients, which included 2,479 employees.

The role and scope of the College’s Fire Academy and In-service Training Programs are defined in its purpose statement from the unit plans. It accomplishes its purpose by providing opportunities for persons to gain certification as firefighters, enhance career skills, and improve opportunities for promotions.

The Fire Academy offers three “minimum standards” classes per year, each consisting of Fighter I and Firefighter II. These classes meet the State Fire Marshal’s Academic and Practical Requirement for certification as a firefighter based on National Fire Protection Association Standards NFPA 1001.

Firefighter I is designed to incorporate the basic theory and applications necessary to become a certified firefighter I. Firefighter II is designed to incorporate the advanced theory and applications necessary to become certified as a firefighter II. Both programs consist of classroom lecture and practical exercises covering topics such as fire chemistry and behavior, firefighter safety and survival, fire service organizational theory, NFPA standards, rescue practices, fire streams, and principles of ventilation. Students who complete Firefighter I and II are eligible to take the competency exam administered by the Bureau of Fire Standards and Training of the State Fire Marshal’s Office.

The Fire Science Academy and In-service programs offered 9 different courses in 2005-2006 and served 1679 students.

Students are drawn from Fire and Safety professionals and students with interest in pursuing these career paths. Courses are promoted in the College Catalog and are available on SPC Web sites. Because program areas are driven by the industry itself, SPC must maintain classes recognized by the Florida Bureau of Fire Standards and Training, Florida State Fire Marshal’s Office.

Evaluation. In-service course offerings are determined by surveying the local fire and emergency management community for needed courses. The Advisory Board meets twice a year and provides guidance to the program. It also has subcommittees to perform functions that bring in local and nationally recognized subject matter experts in the field. The program has recently undergone a program review and noncredit issues are discussed at the Advisory Board meetings. The minutes of the meetings reflect the discussion and any suggestions for program enhancement.

The Fire Science Academy and In-service Program measures its successes in accomplishing the institutions mission through the unit planning process. It monitors the quality and effectiveness of its courses through Course Evaluations compiled from each class and used to improve classes and curriculum. Evaluation responses are used to improve course content. After reviewing student suggestions and new material, instructors adjust the course content. Updated procedures and policies are incorporated into the course materials as they become available.

The Criminal Justice Academies offer students a diverse background in the history, philosophy, organization, and operation of the criminal justice system. The emphasis for police training is the process of social control, and the legal and philosophical issues associated with policing. The goal of the corrections officer training is to produce a corrections officer who will meet all of the State of Florida requirements to be employed by any correctional agency in the state. Both certificate programs allow students to become eligible for certification as a police or correctional officer in compliance with the requirements of the Florida Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission (CJSTC). Upon successful completion of the program the student is eligible to take the Florida State Certification exam for Police or Corrections.

The Criminal Justice academies are governed by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) which provides a mandated curriculum for all forty-one training centers in Florida. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement also regulates the state certification exams. In 2005-2006, the criminal justice academies offered 11 certificate programs with a total of 255 students.

The Police and Corrections academies measure successes in accomplishing the institution’s mission through the unit planning process. The academies monitor the quality and effectiveness of the courses through course evaluations compiled from each class which are used to improve classes and curriculum. Updated curriculum is provided by the Florida Department of Law enforcement.

The mission of the Southeastern Public Safety Institute In-service Program is to provide the most advanced and specialized training for criminal justice practitioners and support staff. The primary goal is to seek on a global basis the most knowledgeable trainers and subject matter experts to deliver training at the SEPSI In-service Program.

The Southeastern Public Safety Institute In-service Program offered over 300 in-service seminars in 2006 and served 11,700 students. In-service Program students are drawn from law enforcement, corrections and probation and parole.

Training classes are posted on the webpage, advertised in brochures and sent directly to agencies through email distribution. Course offerings are determined by agency and student demand and direction of the advisory committee. The SEPSI Advisory Committee meets quarterly.

SEPSI measures its success in accomplishing the institutions mission through the unit planning process. (Examples from EOY Evaluation Report) It monitors the quality and effectiveness of its courses through course evaluations. Evaluation responses are used to improve course content (please send evidence)

Driver Improvement (3 courses). In addition, the Criminal Justice program oversees the noncredit driver education courses:

· Basic Driver Improvement Course - a four-hour class to keep points off driving records and prevent increases in insurance.

· The First-time Driver Class provides instruction on Florida's traffic laws, cost and consequences of substance abuse, and the effects of alcohol and drugs on one's ability to drive safely.

· Advanced Driver Improvement course – for drivers that have lost their license due to excessive points or habitual traffic offenses, or were court-ordered to complete the course.

The Basic Driver Improvement class and First-Time Driver courses are offered both in-class and online. SPC teaches the Driver Training Associates curriculum, which is fully approved by the state of Florida. SPC's instructors are fully certified by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

The role and scope of the College’s EMS Continuing Medical Education (CME) Program are defined in its contract with Pinellas County: the EMS CME program is dedicated to saving lives and improving outcomes of all patients treated by the Pinellas County EMS System through quality Continuing Medical Education.

Course offerings are determined by the County Medical Director and the CME Steering Committee. The EMS CME program also:

· Provides courses to meet the recertification requirements of the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT).

· Provides courses and evaluations to meet the requirements of the Pinellas County Paramedic Orientation.

· Provides specialized courses based on specific remediation needs as determined by the Pinellas County EMS Medical director and the EMS/CME Program Coordinator.

The EMS Continuing Medical Education (CME) Program offered 12 course topics in 2006 and served approximately 11,100 students. Examples of courses included:

Students are drawn from all the Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) and Paramedics employed in Pinellas County, approximately 1500. These students are mandated to participate in 30 hours of continuing medical education on an annual basis.

The EMS CME program communicates to the students through its Web site, through the calendars placed on the Medical Director’s Web site, and through County Memos sent via the County 911 system.

Evaluation. The EMS Continuing Medical Education Program measures its success in accomplishing the institution’s mission through its contract with Pinellas County. The contract is performance-based to provide improved career skills through continuing education. It monitors the quality and effectiveness of its courses when at the end of each CME class each student is required to complete an evaluation of the content and the instructor. Every two years the system re-certifies EMTS and paramedics in ACLS, and every three years in BTLS. Each of these programs requires a written and practical assessment. In addition, an assessment process to evaluate paramedics on critical skills will be instituted in the near future. For example, in January 2006 each medic was required to perform an intubation and be evaluated on that skill by a CME instructor. All paramedics in the County went through the evaluation process and passed.

Advanced airway remedial training has been provided through CME. Once a paramedic has gone through remediation, there have been no repeats. CME has also re-certified over 800 medics in ACLS and BTLS. In addition 1500+ EMS providers have been recertified by the State using CME to meet the educational requirements.

Evaluations have been used to determine potential future CME topics and provided feedback information to the Medical Director. Assessments have been used to identify students that need remediation. Information from CME has also impacted county EMS protocols.

Mission. The EMS Open Campus Program is primarily designed to meet the needs of EMTs and paramedics who need recertification hours to renew their state and/or National Registry credentials. The students are primarily from local and non local providers not covered by the Pinellas County contract. The second role is to offer advanced continuing education and lifelong learning courses for other medical providers as well as EMS providers, such as registered nurses, physicians, dentists, Physician Assistants, Respiratory Therapists, etc in content areas relevant to Emergency Medial Services. All courses are approved by the Florida State Bureau of EMS and except for the EMS Refreshers, the Florida Board of Nursing.

Prospective students learn of EMS Open Campus courses via SPC’s EMS Web site or by calling the EMS program. Referrals are also made by Open Campus Health and via its brochure.

Evaluation. Satisfaction is measured by student evaluation forms at the end of each course. Average satisfaction scores for all EMS Open Campus courses offered in 2006 were 3.6 out of 4. Course survey information is collated and reviewed with the instructors and staff to improve the class and registration process. For example, students in the ACLS classes requested handouts to be mailed out before the class rather than waiting until the day of the class. As a result, each registered student receives a course preparation packet approximately two weeks before the class. Students also list additional courses they would like the department to offer, from which several of the newer courses have been developed.

The quality of the courses is evaluated during program reaccreditation visits by the State Bureau of EMS every two years, according to state rule and statute. One example of evaluation results occurred as a result of a reaccreditation visit. The report of the results identified that additional authorized signatures were needed to verify student achievement of learning. From this result, additional authorization has been added to the “transcripts” that are provided demonstrating student learning. Another layer of evaluation is that of the American Heart Association (ACLS and BLS for the Healthcare Provider) which requires an annual site visit of the Training Center (TC) housed in the EMS program. The most recent visit identified that the program was meeting all the criteria identified for the evaluation process.

Achievement of course learning is built within the various course content. For example, the ACLS classes have a component whereby the students are tested for knowledge and skills. Once students demonstrate mastery of learning and skills, they receive a card stating their updated credential. To date, all students have passed the courses that have been offered.

In 2006, just over 500 health care providers received continuing education credits through EMS Open Campus. With the addition of new courses, it is expected that this number will increase by approximately 200 students next year.

All EMS continuing education programs are designed to ensure compliance with the State of Florida EMT and Paramedic recertification requirements and to meet local, state and National standards of care.

The following programs provide and support activities consistent with the institution’s goal to “promote economic and cultural development for the state through special education and training programs including collaborative lab initiatives, technical courses and workshops, promotion of the arts and services designed to enhance the competitiveness of individuals, agencies, businesses, and industries in the local, state, national, and global economies.”

Mission. The Collaborative Labs is an outreach of the College to our regional, national and international community. The Labs serve business, industry, governmental and non-profit groups with cutting edge facilitation that allows these organizations to design their future and their plans for getting there. The Collaborative Labs offers world class facilitation processes and facilities to help support local economic, community, and educational growth. The Labs process draws from the best practices of collaborative thought leaders in the areas of Appreciative Inquiry (AI), Open Space Technology (OST) and Future Search (FS). The Labs use an accelerated process that allows teams to accomplish in days what ordinarily takes weeks or months. EpiCenter’s innovative space consists of 4 studios with 10,000 square feet, which can be used individually or in combination with one another to support groups of five to 250. Since its opening in Oct. 2004, it has hosted close to 200 events with groups sized from 5 to conference forums of over 300.

Evaluation. The Collaborative Labs is designed to be a self-sustaining entity within the college. As a profit-center, SPC uses funds received from for-profit clients to help discount events for non-profit and governmental clients. As an outreach program, the Collaborative Labs seeks to help local, regional, national and international organizations grow and stay more competitive in a global environment by offing world-class facilitation processes and an environment that accelerates results. While the Collaborative Labs’ impact is affecting a broad constituency across the country, the College also benefits from using the Collaborative Labs process and space for much of its own strategic planning.

Through the Collaborative Labs, St Petersburg College has donated over $425,000 of facilitation services to the community. Serving non-profit organizations at a 50% rate reduction, the Labs have helped museums, local service organizations and even larger groups like the United Way and the YWCA develop plans and set priorities. Government groups such as Pinellas County Economic Development, City and County leadership teams, as well as two state wide commissions have made use of this unique facility and process. Community issue forums on Affordable Housing, Mass Transportation, Green Building and Park Revitalization have been hosted by the Collaborative Labs staff for the benefit of the community at large.

For-profit clients are seeing success as well. Honeywell was able to respond to a competitive RFP 80% faster with the aid of the Collaborative Labs. A local interior design company attributed a 25% increase in sales to a redesigned customer interaction process developed at the Collaborative Labs.

The Collaborative Labs stay in ongoing contact with former clients to help track their progress and the best measures come from the evaluative responses from clients after events. Collaborative Labs staff has personal contact with the client leaders shortly after an event and also send each participant an optional survey requesting their evaluation of the process and soliciting opportunities for improvement. These surveys are reviewed by staff facilitators and the executive team and enhancements are made as needed. Sample responses include:

· “The Collaborative Labs helped United Way of Tampa Bay develop a Web site strategy, which we have implemented. Throughout every phase, the staff at the Labs was fantastic: great design, excellent facilitators and easy to use technology. We saved time and accomplished more than we could have using traditional methods.”

· “In this unique setting, we were able to bring together, for the first time, a diverse group of topnotch folks – our core steering group for the Tampa Bay Vision 21 regional visioning process. We succeeded in forging effective working relationships and beginning to outline some of the bold steps that will add to our economic strength and a better quality of life in Tampa Bay over the next 50 years.”

· “We held a Bus Rapid Transit collaborative engagement with representatives from seven counties around the Tampa Bay area. The people who participated at the Collaborative Labs are still hyped up about it and we’ve had some marvelous successes. I can say that our one-day collaborative engagement produced results that were comparable to other projects I’ve worked on for over a year.”

· “Honestly, the fact that your team wrangled this unruly bunch into a "brand" name they could all accept is a miracle.” Pinellas Redevelopment, whose team reached consensus on a brand name and logo in a half-day session.

Comments have driven improvements and planned improvements such as: building audio recording capability for public forums, developing plans for a mobile Labs environment to take the process to those who cannot get to SPC’s facility, and investing in new voting technology to capture clients’ priority ranking more rapidly.

Mission. The Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art, Inc. commits to excellence in visual arts education, fosters aesthetic, critical and ethical thinking as a bridge to the future and nurtures interest in 20^th century art history by collecting, preserving and exhibiting the art of Abraham Rattner, Esther Gentle, Allen Leepa and their contemporaries. The museum supports the mission of partnering with the community to provide enriched learning experiences by offering numerous events such as family workshops, hands on gallery, summer camps, and arts and cultural programs. The mission of the museum is aligned with the St. Petersburg College mission and goals:

The Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art manages a collection of more than 5000 works of art donated, beginning in 1997, to the St. Petersburg College Foundation, Inc. by Isabelle and Allen Leepa. Since the Museum opened in January 2002 the collection has expanded to include donations of more than 1000 works of art from individuals, trusts, art funds and corporate donors. The Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art is a full-service cultural institution whose exhibitions, educational programs and activities provide quality enhancement for the College community and student experience.

Evaluation. St. Petersburg College includes the Leepa-Rattner Museum in its long-range Strategic Directions and annual Institutional Objectives. As the Leepa-Rattner museum continues to grow and thrive, it was given a separate objective with the goal of achieving a level of financial self-sufficiency in the 2006-2007 Institutional Objectives:

Excerpt from 2006-2009 Strategic Directions and 2006-2007 Institutional Objectives

F. STRENGTHEN THE COLLEGE’S IDENTITY AS A VITAL RESOURCE TO THE LOCAL COMMUNITY, NATIONALLY AND GLOBALLY, WITH AN EMPHASIS ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TARGETED LEADERSHIP INITIATIVES

8. Continue to support the Leepa Rattner Museum of Arts and to expand the visibility of its programs throughout the community; and to complete phase one of endowment aimed at achieving a level of financial self sufficiency (June 30, 2007)

In addition to evaluation of the museum within the President’s annual evaluation, the Leepa-Rattner Museum has its own strategic plan with specific measurable goals, which are reviewed and updated annually. Among the goals of the museum, for example, is a goal in the area of programming and education to:

Develop exhibitions and programming that introduce and educate adults and children about the meaning and relevance of modern art, that engage SPC students and the larger community and that strengthen the base of support for the Museum.

[The strategies used for accomplishing the goal are:]

Strategy 1: Collaborate with SPC Faculty to use the Museum in the curriculum.

Strategy 2: Engage SPC Faculty, students and alumni in program planning and implementation.

Strategy 3: Design programs that are appealing to families and children.

Strategy 4: Strengthen relationships with public schools throughout Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco counties.

Strategy 5: Fully develop and use the Challenge of Modern Art Interactive Gallery.

In support of the Museum’s goals, SPC has Humanities classes visit the museum at the appropriate point in their course.

In the annual update, the Museum Director reported the following to the Museum Board of Directors:

UPDATE: The Museum continues to find ways to collaborate with the Tarpon Springs Faculty. In addition to supporting the campus Art Club and quarterly Student Charrette exhibitions, we also utilize the art Faculty to assist with Museum programming. We encourage all Faculty to develop curriculum activities with the Museum. In addition to the art and humanities teachers who use the Museum for student projects, one of the math teachers integrates a Museum visit to demonstrate how math is used in art, exhibition design and planning; a government instructor uses the Guernica mural as a backdrop to discuss issues of artistic freedom, governmental oppression and constitutional issues; and other teachers find relevancy in changing exhibits to relate to their curriculum.

To expand the needs and wants of parents for arts education, the summer camps this year will include drama classes as well as art classes. The drama classes appear to be quite successful. Rather than focus on family workshops that have been unsuccessful in the past, the Education Department coordinated the children’s activity area at the 2005 Palm Harbor Fine Arts & Crafts festival and it was a catalyst for attracting new audiences. This year the 9^th Congressional Student Art Awards was finally successful in getting Hillsborough County to participate for the first time in the show. Recently the installation of a stage in front of the Guernica mural in the Interactive Gallery has resulted in a new space that can be used for Museum programming.

Mission. In support of its mission to promote economic and workforce development, St Petersburg College operates as the primary service provider for the regional workforce development board, WorkNet Pinellas. As the workforce board’s primary service provider, St. Petersburg College provides the operational framework for the region’s workforce preparation and employment system and is designed to meet the needs of businesses, job seekers, and those who want to further their careers. The primary service provider to WorkNet also assists in achieving the College’s goal of providing additional services to students and the community.

Through a county-wide system of One-Stop Career Centers, including co-located sites on six St. Petersburg College campuses, WorkNet’s primary service provider offers a variety of services including career assessment, job search and placement assistance, career counseling, information on the availability of supportive services such as child care and transportation, labor market information and follow-up services. WorkNet’s co-location on campus was the result of a survey conducted by Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) which showed a low job placement rate for graduating students. After analyzing the CCSSE data, the recommendation made by the members of SPC’s Leadership Graduate Program to the President’s Cabinet and then the Board of Trustees was to incorporate WorkNet representatives into the Career Development Centers on College campuses throughout the County. This would provide workforce services to students as well as citizens of the local community.

WorkNet expanded its services installing computers and granting students access to labor market information, job listings and referrals to employers job openings. WorkNet has also been instrumental in bringing employers on campus for job fairs resulting in easy access for students to meet with company recruiters to discuss a variety of career opportunities.

Evaluation. Further student surveys measuring satisfaction with the services provided by WorkNet Pinellas have been extremely favorable thus showing a positive outcome regarding the use of the original survey results.

For the Program Year ended June 30, 2006, WorkNet’s primary service provider registered 33,765 job seekers and served 3,302 businesses. In serving local businesses, WorkNet Pinellas entered 6,635 positions into its job order entry system making a wide variety of employment opportunities available to both students and the community. Of the total registered job seekers, 21,811 entered employment as a result of services provided by WorkNet.