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Shared Leadership for a Stronger Montana Economy
Montana University System / Business Partnership for Workforce Training and Education
A Brief for Resource Advisors submitted by Mary Sheehy Moe, Dean / CEO
Montana State University—Great Falls College of Technology
Author’s Note to the Reader:
It is a pleasure to provide you with the response of MSU—Great Falls to questions about workforce education and training issues. Anticipating your information needs, but mindful of the demands on your time, our response is provided in 3 layers, which you may use as you see fit:
- Short response with illustrative highlights
- Links human resources to provide additional information at your request
- Text links to relevant fact sheets and websites
Montana State University-Great Falls College of Technology in Context
Montana State University-Great Falls College of Technology (for short, MSU-Great Falls) is uniquely well-positioned to respond to workforce education and training needs:
Contact: Pam Parsons, Division Chief of Communications & Extended Learning [771.4314]
- MSU-Great Falls is one of eight institutions in the Montana University System (hereinafter, the System), that are independently accredited and administratively distinct.
- MSU-Great Falls, like UM-Helena, is one of two "stand-alone" two-year colleges in the System, operating autonomously in its community but reporting through MSU to the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education.
- MSU-Great Falls, unlike any other college of technology, is not just a two-year college, but a multi-institution campus, sharing a home with MSU-Northern and MSU's College of Nursing.
- MSU-Great Falls, like UM-Helena, is also a designated " Higher Education Center" within the Montana University System, charged with soliciting and coordinating the offerings of other institutions in the system to Great Falls. (Currently, every four-year institution but Montana Tech has at least one program offered in Great Falls.)
- MSU-Great Falls serves as the college of technology for MSU in Bozeman, the only institution in the System without two-year programming in its mission or structure. The Bozeman Tech Center, a branch of MSU- Great Falls, now offers computer technology degrees, office support certification, and customized training at MSU and in Bozeman. Soon we will offer much more.
- MSU-Great Falls is one of a handful of Cisco-designated training academies in the United States selected to offer Cisco-sponsored training and curriculum.
Fact Sheet: Cisco Training Academy
This combination of institutional autonomy and access to system and external resources has been crucial in supporting our continuous evolution as an innovative, flexible, highly responsive institution of higher education. We set our own priorities, make our own funding decisions, and develop our own curriculum. Like all institutions in the system, we must forward our proposals to the Montana Board of Regents through the "flagship" campus (MSU). As long as we are clearly engaged in strategic planning, operating within budget and mission parameters, and do not "build miracles into our business plans," MSU encourages our ambitious vision.
Engagement with Business, Industry and
Government in Workforce Development
Particularly in the area of workforce education and training, MSU- Great Falls is as far from the stereotype of a cloistered campus as you can get:
Contact: Dr. Mary Sheehy Moe, Dean [771.4310]
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MSU-Great Falls is actively engaged in the economic development conversations in our community, our region (e.g, through the Regional Growth Alliance), and our state (e.g., through Shared Leadership and Montana on the Move).
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MSU-Great Falls is an enthusiastic partner in community development.
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MSU-Great Falls is part of the business community, serving ex officio on the boards of the Chamber and the Great Falls Development Authority and providing an office in downtown Great Falls and downtown Bozeman to facilitate access to training and to build relationships in the business community.
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MSU-Great Falls has an institutional advisory committee to make recommendations on the College's overall direction, as well as program advisory committees reviewing workforce education programs for quality, currency, and efficacy.
Fact Sheet: Advisory Committees
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MSU-Great Falls is committed to strong and authentic relationships with Montana's public, private and home schools offering K-12 programming that responds to the needs of each sector.
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MSU-Great Falls is "out there" - on the road and on the Internet-bringing workforce education and training to high schools, training centers, and communities across the state.
Perspectives on Workforce Education and Training
These six principles guide the approaches of MSU-Great Falls College of Technology to workforce education and training:
A college is not a campus.
In the 21 st century, "going to college" means accessing a learning experience tailored to the demands, experiences, and contexts of adult learners. To be responsive and highly accessible, workforce education and training cannot be place- and time-bound. MSU-Great Falls is continually improving access to workforce preparation and training through "chunked" curriculum modules, on-line and "hybrid" learning, evening and weekend courses, compressed course work, and training/course work offered in community centers or regional "hubs" for rural areas.
Contact: Joe Schaffer, Director of Outreach [771.4313]
E=access 2.
In the knowledge economy in a large state with far-flung rural populations, distance learning options for workforce education and training are essential. Only through effective distance learning opportunities and sophisticated, demanding distance learners will Montana be able to preserve its rural nature and nurture its economy. MSU- Great Falls is developing the expectation among learners and teachers that everyone must learn to learn and/or teach online.
Contact: Ryan Schrenk, Director of Distance Learning [771.4444]
You're either a boss or a temp (and even the boss is a temp).
In the global economy of the 21 st century, employees will be free agents-mobile, restless, and entrepreneurial. The "value added" by any employee-especially the boss-is the extent to which she or he can anticipate and respond to opportunity, challenge, and change. Workforce education and training must give would-be and current workers tools, experiences, and the mindset to innovate, add value, and expand markets in their workplaces.
Contact: Dr. Vernon Pedersen, Associate Dean [771.4422]
Boutiques R-Not-Us .
In critical workforce areas that require expensive educational programming - e.g., healthcare - Montana cannot afford programs that unnecessarily compete with one another or that "boutique" curriculum so preciously that (a) students get lost when they shuffle, (b) employers in a particular industry have no consistently met expectation, and (c) opportunities for sharing and stewarding resources are lost. MSU-Great Falls is working with other two-year colleges to make commonly offered workforce preparation programs commonly structured-when that commonality is the best thing for students, the industry, and each college's service area.
Contact: Dr. Vernon Pedersen, Associate Dean [771.4422]
Howdy, partner.
Workforce development cannot succeed without true, sustained, and mutually supportive partnerships among (a) the education providers, (b) the business or industry seeking employees, and (c) the web of support services that can connect an individual learner with (a) and (b). MSU-Great Falls has developed innovative partnerships - e.g., with DPHHS, with Cisco, with area high schools, with healthcare providers - to make education and training opportunities available, affordable, accessible, and effective.
Contact: Joe Schaffer, Director of Outreach [771.4313]
Connect the dots.
To capitalize on Montana's assets and minimize her challenges, workforce education and training must be tied to clear, sensible, data-driven strategies for economic development. MSU-Great Falls is actively participating in the collection and interpretation of data related to economic, community, and workforce development. Working with Montana on the Move at the statewide level, TA3 at the national/ international level, and the Regional Growth Alliance and the Chamber in Great Falls has helped us connect our strategies for workforce development with projected needs and opportunities in our service areas, region, and state.
Contact: Dr. Mary Sheehy Moe, Dean [771.4310]
Current Workforce Education and Training Endeavors
at MSU-Great Falls COT
Traditional educational programs. Our traditional education programs are the most important contribution MSU-Great Falls makes to developing Montana's workforce.
Contact: Dr. Vernon Pedersen, Associate Dean [771.4422]
Highlights:
- 20 AAS degree program options and 13 certificate programs prepare traditional and nontraditional students for jobs. The AAS degree programs range in length from 60 - 84 credits, with 15-18 credits/semester the standard full-time course load. Certificate programs are usually 30-36 credits in length, but occasionally require 50 - 64 credits for completion.
Fact Sheet: Workforce Education Program
- Our programs are niched to supply the healthcare workforce pipeline; provide technical, administrative, and clerical support in computer, business, and office technologies; supply skilled workers in specialized fields - auto body, interior design, design drafting; and provide lower division course work in "articulated programs" - e.g., elementary education, nursing - that transfers as a block to four-year colleges.
Fact Sheet: Programs of Study
- Our health care programs typically include a summer session, reducing the pressure on clinical sites in Great Falls and improving student retention.
Fact Sheet: Evening Enrollments
- Evening and on-line alternatives for courses in our occupational programs are heavily used because they serve working adults and students whose circumstances do not allow them to enroll full-time.
Fact Sheet: Evening Enrollments
2. Expanding access through Distance Learning and hybrid courses/training.
MSU- Great Falls offered its first online course in 1997; today 29% of our enrollment is in one or more of our 82 online offerings. The College has achieved this growth not only by adding on-line offerings and options but also by developing faculty expertise and program innovations.
Fact Sheet: Distance Learning
Notable achievements related to workforce education:
- Certificate and AAS-degree options of our Health Information Technology program are available entirely on-line, attracting enrollments from throughout Montana and the United States.
- The entire general education core, which transfers to meet general education requirements throughout the Montana University System, is available on-line.
- The courses fundamental to computer technology proficiency - spreadsheets, database management, desktop publishing, internet essentials - are all on-line.
- We offer roughly 90% of the Cisco course work leading to the CCNA certification on-line, which vastly improves high school teachers' and students' access to Cisco offerings.
- Our new "hybrid" courses (a blend of on-line and "face-to-face" instruction) combine the convenience of distance learning with the comfort of classroom connections.
3. Partnering with Montana communities and economic development entities to identify and respond to training needs.
Our Outreach Department has been working with business, industry, community groups, and state offices and organizations for over a decade to provide customized training locally, and increasingly we are asked to provide customized training services on a broader scale.
Contact: Joe Schaffer, Director of Outreach [771.4313]
Highlights:
- In FY 2004 MSU-Great Falls offered 42 customized training programs to 562 enrollees representing 25 businesses. An additional 527 workshops and seminars were offered to 1,824 enrollees.
- We provide Customized Training Representatives in downtown Great Falls and in downtown Bozeman at the Bozeman Tech Center to facilitate a direct connection and an ongoing relationship with the business community.
- In response to a request from the Department of Public Health and Human Services, we've developed and provided customized training to over 1/3 of Montana's public health care workers in training centers/two-year colleges throughout Montana.
4. Developing the creative enterprise cluster in Montana. In response to an analysis of promising sectors in Montana's economy, MSU-Great Falls is partnering with the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education (OCHE); the Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity; and local arts, culture and community development groups to tap the economic potential of creative people.
Contact: Dr. Mary Sheehy Moe, Dean [771.4310]
Highlights:
- Through the TRACE Project, made possible by an OCHE State Leadership grant, MSU-Great Falls is providing a combination of training and course work in on-line, hybrid, customized, and compressed formats to prepare Montana artists for sustainable creative enterprise.
Fact Sheet: TRACE Project
Contact: Dr. Cindy Kittredge, TRACE Project Director [771.3713]
- MSU-Great Falls is working with Montana high schools and colleges to establish career pathways in the arts, connecting high school programs with two-year and four-year college degrees.
Contact: Dr. Mary Sheehy Moe, Dean [771.4310] or Dr. Cindy Kittredge, TRACE Project Director [771.3713]
- MSU-Great Falls is developing a certificate in creative entrepreneurship, envisioned as an educational incubator for promising Montana artists and artisans culminating in a certification to the consumer of quality in the art and quality in service.
Contact: Dr. Vernon Pedersen, Associate Dean [771.4422] or Dr. Cindy Kittredge, TRACE Project Director [771.3713]
- An AAS degree in Montana Handcraft is being explored, envisioned as a first-year program in a specific craft offered by individual two-year colleges in Montana and a second-year in creative entrepreneurship offered by MSU-Great Falls.
Contact: Dr. Vernon Pedersen,Associate Dean [771.4422] or Dr. Cindy Kittredge, TRACE Project Director [771.3713]
- We're partnering with museums, tourism groups, community development and economic development organizations to connect the dots that will honor and add value to the desirable impacts of tourism, the arts, and the hospitality industry on community and economic development.
Contact: Dr. Cindy Kittredge, TRACE Project Director [771.3717]
5. Developing opportunities for kids to get a "running start" on careers. Responding to a national report on "the lost senior year," MSUGF is partnering with high schools to make sure that students have access to high-tech course work and are encouraged to pursue their postsecondary interests as soon as they are able.
Highlights:
- By articulating high school and college credit for "tech prep," "dual credit," and "running start" courses, we've given kids with advanced ability some affordable, accessible opportunities to begin their postsecondary education while they are still in high school.
Contacts: Carol Schopfer, Registrar [771.4312] or Dena Wagner-Fossen, Central MT Tech Prep Coordinator [771.4324]
- We've made Cisco course work more affordable for local school districts - and more accessible to high school kids - by creating regional "Cisco Academy Hubs" that allow area high schools to share the costs of Cisco sponsorship.
Contact: Bruce Gottwig, Cisco Programming Coordinator [771.3719]
- Through a National Science Foundation Grant, we are upgrading the skills of high school teachers and high school students through delivery of specialized computer course work to 10 Montana high schools and providing technology training to teachers.
Fact Sheet: RITE Program
Contact: Jeri Pullam, RITE Project Director [771.5120]
- We provide release time for a faculty member to cultivate high school kids' preparation for an early association with health care careers through our Med Prep program and Health Occupations Students Association.
Fact Sheet: Health Career Connections
6. Partnering with other colleges to provide high-quality programming in high-demand areas in a cost-effective way.
MSU- Great Falls is constantly trying to expand its articulations with four-year colleges, especially so that place-bound North Central Montanans have access to more workforce education opportunities. In addition, MSU- Great Falls is pursuing partnerships with interested two-year colleges to share curriculum and program delivery in areas critical to Montana's economic vitality.
Highlights:
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Through "2+2" programs articulated with MSU-Northern, students may earn bachelor's degrees in elementary education, business education, and computer information systems without relocating to a community with a public four-year college.
Contact: Dr. Vernon Pedersen, Associate Dean [771.4422]
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MSU-Great Falls provides "ladder" course work in our nursing program that allows students to complete or exit early from our AAS degree program preparing LPNs to enroll with advanced standing in MSU-Northern's ASN program or Bozeman's BSN program, both preparing RNs. These programs, too, can be completed in Great Falls.
Contact: Dr. Vernon Pedersen, Associate Dean [771.4422]
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MSU-Great Falls is currently engaged in articulation discussions with MSU-Billings to connect our extensive on-line two-year programming with MSU-B's extensive four-year offerings.
Contact: Dr. Vernon Pedersen, Associate Dean [771.4422]
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MSU-Great Falls is exploring shared courses and programming with other two-year colleges in a variety of healthcare areas - e.g., surgical technology and health information coding.
Contact: Dr. Vernon Pedersen, Associate Dean [771.4422]
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MSU- Great Falls has developed a template for shared workforce training that could be applied to a variety of high-demand training areas. Partnering with the Department of Public Health and Human Services, MSUGF developed training modules, recruited a statewide cadre of trainers, and delivered the training to public health care workers, using two-year colleges or designated training centers in communities without colleges.
Contact: Joe Schaffer, Director of Outreach [771.4313]
Barriers to Workforce Education and Training
at MSU-Great Falls COT
Affordability.
Tuition at Montana's two-year colleges is above the regional average. Need-based aid provided by the state is approximately 25% of the regional average. Financial aid options and the amount of financial aid available severely underserve the needs of Montana students.
Fact Sheet: Financial Aid
Contact: Leah Habel, Director of Financial Aid [771.4327]
High cost of health care programs.
The faculty/student ratios required in accredited health care programs limit enrollments, and when funding is driven primarily by enrollment, no health care program can be self-sustaining.
Contact: Dr. Christine Kowalski, Health Sciences Department Chair [771.4359]
Faculty recruitment and retention in high-wage fields.
Salaries standardized through collective bargaining do not allow colleges to compete with the private sector for faculty.
- The highest entry-level salary that MSU-Great Falls may offer any faculty, regardless of credentials, is $36,836.
Contact: Dr. Vernon Pedersen, Associate Dean [771.4422]
- Although a market adjustment of $4,000 is allowed, our collective bargaining agreement does not provide for adjustment of other faculty salaries thrown out of equity by market adjustments for a new hire. As a result, we've never "market-adjusted."
- Of the 16 contracted faculty in the Allied Health Department in FY 2000, only 5 remain today. Of the 11 who left the College, only 1 was due to retirement.
Contact: Dr. Christine Kowalski, Health Sciences Department Chair [771.4359]
- In the past five years, MSU-Great Falls has closed two health care programs, in part because of the inability to attract and keep faculty. Two more high-demand programs are currently jeopardized by our inability to recruit qualified faculty.
Fragmentation of Training Funds and Services.
Montana has so many entities - profit, non-profit, and private - providing training and education that the maze of training opportunities is difficult to navigate and even more difficult to differentiate. Only a very savvy employer or employee could sort through the array of training opportunities and business support services to find the one best-suited to his/her needs. Duplicated services and a multiplicity of under-funded programs are residual effects of this fragmentation.
Fact Sheet: Business Training
Shared data; shared vision.
Montana has scarce resources for workforce development programs. We must invest them intelligently and deliberately on those workforce areas with the greatest potential for returns. To do that, we need statewide agreement on the data to collect, the means to collect it, and strong mechanisms for ensuring that data guides planning and decision-making to achieve a shared vision of Montana's future economy.
Contact: Dr. Mary Sheehy Moe, Dean [771.4310]
Mindsets
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"Distance resistance." We have to stop telling ourselves, "Distance learning is not for everyone." Two centuries ago, cramming 25 people into desks in rows in a rectangular room to learn the same material at the same pace from a single sage was probably also resisted as "not for everyone." That system created the highly competitive American workforce of the 20 th century. In the 21st century in a rural state where continuing education, creativity, and entrepreneurship are the keys to success in a global economy, Montanans must not just be comfortable with but hungry for distance learning.
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"Two-year fear." Underserved by two-year colleges for time immemorial, Montanans are fearful that education at a two-year college will hold them, or their kids, back somehow-the degree won't be respected, the course work won't transfer, the trade will disappear. The image of two-year education must come into alignment with its potential in this state. Look for a state with a thriving economy and you'll find a state and a citizenry relying heavily on two-year colleges.
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"School is for kids." Montanans talk about lifelong learning, but few of us engage in it. Once past "college age," we seldom return to education and training settings. Even professionals grouse about the continuing education required in their fields - and some actually dodge it, or seek the least instructive options! Small wonder that we are dead last in the nation for higher education enrollment levels of learners over 25 years of age. Small wonder that many businesses, skeptical of the value of regular training, do not build continuing education into their business plans. Small wonder that we do not yet have the workforce to build a vibrant Montana economy.
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