September 22, 2021

Research and Growth Opportunities Subcommittee Minutes

Committee Members Present:

  • Joe Arrington, Co-chair
  • Celina Brown
  • Bradley Christian
  • Sally Frazier
  • Sharon Kenan, Co-chair
  • Gary Myles
  • Matt Porter
  • Steven Wenzel
  • Laura Wichman, Incoming Co-chair
  • Bryant Windham 

Committee Members Absent:

  • Annette Bigham
  • David Davenport
  • Glynnis Gaines
  • Lissette LaStrape 

The Research and Growth Opportunities Subcommittee was called to order in Zoom by Co-chair Joe Arrington at 1:05 p.m. on September 22, 2021.  

Minutes from the meeting on August 25, 2021, were unanimously approved. 

New Business 

  • Joe Arrington announced the upcoming retirement of Sharon Kenan, Co-chair of the Research and Growth Opportunities Subcommittee.
  • Joe introduced and welcomed the new Co-chair, Laura Wichman. 

Discussion Items (from questions posed in the agenda) 

  • Looking back, what are some of the accomplishments we achieved during the past year?
    • Completed a survey of deans, directors, division chairs, program coordinators, and faculty to determine programs that would benefit from increased marketing
    • Completed a recommendation that was approved by the Steering Committee to formalize a process for creating/emphasizing non-credit to credit pathways and for creating a resource repository with documents, etc. that could be shared across campus
    • Completed a community survey, in conjunction with Institutional Research, that will provide needed data and will guide future SEM efforts
  • What needs to be done?
    • Brad Christian’s group is working on incentives that will grow enrollment. The group needs to expand in order to move in a different direction. Funds were not available for ideas/concepts previously generated.
    • Joe Arrington’s group has conceptualized ideas for building connections between similar programs at high schools and MCC. Future work will focus on ways to operationalize those concepts/ideas.
    • Bryant Windham’s group is analyzing recently received survey results with the intent to make a recommendation for program specific marketing.
  • Are there any new challenges we need to address?
    • Subcommittee members indicated feedback from the community survey will be essential for providing data that working groups can use.
  • What about meeting times and location?
    • Most subcommittee members said the 4th Wednesday of each month at 1:00 p.m. worked well for them.
    • Members preferred to keep meeting in Zoom rather than in person.
  • Are you still wanting to be part of the working groups we formed?
    • Subcommittee members agreed that working groups should continue researching and formulating recommendations on topics chosen last spring.
    • Members were asked to send an email to Joe if they wanted to work with another group. 

Community Survey Results 

  • Laura Wichman presented highlights from community survey results, and a discussion followed.
  • Members expressed concern about how MCC communicates the amount of study time required for a course to new students. Suggestions included adding the information to course syllabi (since it is already being done in many courses), presenting the information in Learning Framework classes, discussing competing priorities with students who need to consider “trade-offs,” and offering college readiness courses or bridge courses like WISD’s courses that prepare students.
  • Laura was asked if the current topics that subcommittee groups are working on should be continued, and she said that “they tend to fit in with the results of the survey” and that “we need to do it all.” She encouraged members of the subcommittee to look at survey results for answers to questions. 

Working Group Survey Results 

  • Due to time considerations, a presentation of survey results by Bryant Windham and Steven Wenzel was tabled until the next meeting. 

The meeting adjourned at 2:16 p.m.  The next meeting is scheduled on October 27th at 1:00 p.m. 

Submitted by Sharon Kenan

September 23, 2021