GCPTA MEETING MINUTES

Holiday Inn, Houston, TX

Date:  Friday, November 21, 2003

Time:  9:00 am – 1:00 pm

 

Steve Ames, President, opened the meeting and welcomed everyone in attendance.  The participants introduced themselves.  There were 42 members and guests in attendance.

 

Special Presentation – A plaque was presented to Bill Raley with the College of the Mainland in recognition for his past & present contributions to the GCPTA and process technology.  Steve Ames, Mike Kukuk, Merv Treigle, and John Payne each spoke about Bill’s contributions.  Bill spoke of his experience and association with a number of individuals and organizations that led to the founding of the GCPTA and he thanked all those who have and continue to support the efforts to educate the workforce of the future.    

 

Approval of Last Meeting Minutes – Minutes of the July 25, 2003 meeting were distributed, read, and approved November 21, 2003 with two minor amendments.  The word annual was changed to recurring in the Standards & Quality report, page 4, last sentence; and the Alvin Community College’s Advisory report, page 7, first item, 61 students was changed to read 61students in “Summer 2003”.

 

Subcommittee on Rules/By-Laws – Lisa Arnold

The following members were approved by the steering committee.

 

Non-Voting     

            Javier Esparza, Conoco Phillips China, Bartlesville, Ohio                       

            Timothy Brown, Bayport Training & Technical Center, LaPorte, TX 

            Raymond Perry, Sterling Chemicals, Texas City, TX 

            Todd Griffen, Conoco Phillips, Westlake, LA 

            Paul Heidleberg, BASF Corporation, Beaumont, TX 

            Leavon Robinson, Union Carbide Corp./Subsidiary of Dow Chemical Co., Texas City, TX (taking the place of John Borecki) 

            John Sandell, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI (taking the place of Todd King)

 

GCPTA Officers’ Election – Steve Erickson – Steve’s first order of business was to announce and call for nominations for the offices of President and Treasurer for the GCPTA for the next two years.  He announced that Steve Ames and Mike Gragg were both standing for reelection to the offices of President and Treasurer respectively.  He called for nominations for President and Treasurer from the floor.  There were no nominations from the floor.  Ballots for nominations and election were then distributed to the voting members.  The ballots were tallied and Steve announced the results of the election.  Steve Ames and Mike Gragg were reelected to the offices of President and Treasurer respectively for the next two years.

 

Executive Directors Report – Steve Erickson – Steve spoke of the GCPTA’s involvement with faculty development workshops that are supported through a sub-award from CAPT.  He said that the Executive Committee would be determining the topics and locations for the two faculty professional development workshops. 

 

Steve stated that the GCPTA was going to develop a Website to market the process technology career to high school students and their parents.

 

Steve stated that he and the Executive Committee were working on the 2004 GCPTA budget and that it would be presented to the membership at the January 2004 meeting.

Steve stated that he and Ann would be working on the next GCPTA newsletter.

 

Steve explained how the 2004 GCPTA meetings would be structured and where they would be held.

 

Steve announced that the GCPTA Career Expo would be held in February at San Jacinto College Central.  He asked that the members show their support.

 

Steve then introduced Ronnie Baker with ExxonMobil, Beaumont, Texas, who was to give a presentation on Job Shadowing.  

 

Job Shadowing Presentation – Ronnie Baker – Ronnie presented ExxonMobil’s Job Shadowing program for Process Technology students from Lamar Institute of Technology in Beaumont, Texas.  He provided information on the selection, preparation, structure and orientation for the students and employees participating in the Job Shadowing program.  He also provided the daily schedule for the 2-day job shadowing experience.  Ronnie spoke of the benefits of the program for both the students and his company.  Ronnie’s presentation was well received and there were a number of questions asked by the attendees.  Ronnie stated that he had provided a copy of his slide presentation to Ann Treigle and that she would send it to those who request it.

 

Subcommittee – Funding – John Payne – reported on the financial status of the GCPTA.  For 2003: Total Income to-date $43,716.57, Subscription Income to-date $30,250.00, Expenses to-date $43,526.21, and Bank Balance as of 10/31/03 $43,217.78.  John reported that to-date; the income was just meeting the expenses and that the income should match the output each year.  John stated that we are about $27,000 short for the year in subscription income.  John asked the attendees and membership to let us know if there was anything GCPTA needed to be doing to help with or encourage their companies and institutions to pay their subscriptions.

 

Subcommittee on Public Relations – Stacey Chiasson and Mike Kukuk – reported that the Executive Committee had gone on a retreat for two days in Longview, Texas, hosted by Eastman Chemical.  At this retreat, each of the subcommittees formulated their goals and objectives for the next five years. 

 

Stacey reported that the name for this subcommittee has changed from Public Relations to Public Affairs.

 

Stacey reported that they would be hiring an outside consultant to develop a marketing plan for the GCPTA in 2004.

 

The first draft of a 14 page Marketing/PR plan was finished Monday. 

 

The Goals and Objectives should be available on the Website in the next few weeks. 

 

Stacey asked that if anyone is interested in helping with the Public Affairs Subcommittee, please notify Mike Gragg, Chairman, Mike Kukuk or Stacey Chiasson.

 

Mike Kukuk talked about why the name was changed to Public Affairs.  He explained that they are rebuilding the subcommittee with people who can make a meaningful and significant contribution to the efforts of the committee.  Mike stressed that all members are ambassadors for GCPTA.

 

Mike Kukuk invited vendor participation.  Tim Brown with Bayport Technical and Training Center offered assistance.

 

Subcommittee on Education –Gary Hicks and Martha McKinley   reported they met on October 31, 2003.  Martha stated that the action plans developed at that meeting will require plenty of help from plenty of people. 

 

Gary Hicks reported that at this meeting the Educational Subcommittee decided to adopt the GCPTA Mission and Vision and change the wording to include the Education Subcommittee.

 

Gary Hicks went over the goals and objectives for the next five years stressing that they would be working on Year One which would be to (1) Develop a process to keep instructional material evergreen, (2) Define instructional standards for instructional materials and (3) Develop a new instructor orientation manual. 

 

Gary discussed the MOC form on CAPT’s Website.  He stated that it has not been used as much as it should be used.  He stressed that it should not only be used for corrections, but also for updates and additional information that would add to the quality of the instructional materials.

 

Gary briefly went over the goals and objectives for the years 2 through 5.

 

Gary informed the group that Tim Brown with Bayport Training and Technical Center has offered to donate the rights to his Hazwoper Training Courses.  The Educational Subcommittee will review these courses and a recommendation will be made to the Executive Committee as to how to best utilize them.

 

Martha informed the group that Greg Curry had refined the goals and action plans for the Educational Subcommittee and they are available on the Website for review.

 

Gary made a request for information on test questions that could be used in a document that Dow Chemical and Brazosport College are developing to determine an incumbent’s level of knowledge and skills relating to process.  Anyone who would like to provide the information is requested to do so to Gary Hicks.  Any information received will be treated confidentially.

 

Gary spoke about textbook publishers requesting that colleges review their textbooks for process technology.  He explained that Kathy Trahan would be developing a document to be sent to the publishers requesting that they do a crosswalk between their textbooks and the objectives of the GCPTA/CAPT curriculum materials.  Kathy will develop the document, which will be sent to the Executive Committee for approval and will then be sent to all textbook and material vendors.

 

CAPT Update – Merv Treigle   

Merv gave the following report:

The top activity themes for specific critical issues were identified at the 2003 CIBP Conference.  These specific issues will be addressed by CAPT in the year 2004.

 

Critical Issue #1 – Education and industry members fail to recognize, fulfill and maintain their roles and responsibilities within an equitable partnership.

§         Individual support on Advisory Committees

CAPT will work with each alliance to identify best practices to create a “How to Guide” and will make it available on the Website.

§         Top Management

CAPT will engage top management from education and industry

 

Critical Issue #2 – The supply of qualified program graduates does not align with the needs of industry, understanding that this need is impacted by geographic location, industry sector, and the cyclical nature of the business.

§         Centralized database for job and graduate listings

CAPT will create a centralized database for job and graduate listings

§         Marketing

·         Use guidelines from Recruitment and Retention forum at CIBP for national and local marketing

·         Develop “How to Guide” for local recruitment – 6 best practices

·         Submit Process Technology information to national career publications

 

Critical Issue #5 – Programs may lack appropriate equipment and software to support the delivery of a quality education.

§         Investigate grant sources to fund equipment purchases

·         CAPT will research and identify equipment sources – Information will be made available at the CAPT Website

·         Surplus equipment database

·         CAPT will develop an online database of industry and vendor equipment that institutions can bid on based on demonstrated need

 

Critical Issue #6 – Programs experience difficulties in attracting and retaining quality instructors.

§         Provide paid Summer internships for faculty

·         CAPT provides 10-15 paid summer internships Summer 2004

·         50% CAPT U.S. partner institutions one internship

·         Remaining 50% will be allotted one internship in 2005

§         Proper Classroom Techniques

·         Offer professional development for full-time and part-time instructors on effectiveness in the classroom and provide skills upgrade

 

Merv stated that these top activity themes were identified by the CAPT staff from all the data and input gathered at the 2003 CIBP Conference.  He further stressed that he and Joanna would be making numerous contacts and visits to partner institutions and conferences to strengthen and build the alliances and partnerships with CAPT. Merv asked that all partner institutions provide to CAPT a schedule of their advisory committee meetings for the year 2004.

 

Merv reported on Skill Standards Activities stating there were still a couple of states left to complete the validation for Chemical and Refining skill standards.  He further stated that the information gathered at the 2003 CIBP forum on an exit assessment test for program graduates would be analyzed and used to construct the final assessment.

 

Merv reported that the Oil and Gas Production I course was ready for use and that the Oil and Gas Production II course was being piloted this fall.  He also reported that CAPT was in the early phases of textbook development and will incorporate the information gained at the 2003 CIBP Conference.

 

Merv provided the tentative dates for 2004 CIBP Conference.  It will be held at the South Shore Harbour Hotel and Resort in League City, TX.  The dates are September 29, 30 and October 1, 2004.  The third day is predicated on being able to partner with the API to provide an agenda for plant trainers and training supervisors similar to those that were provided in the past by the API Gulf Coast Committee on Training and Development.

 

Merv also took the opportunity to thank Eastman Chemical for their sponsorship of the reception at the 2003 CIBP Conference and encouraged other industries to participate in sponsorships for the next conference in 2004.

 

Merv also informed the attendees that CAPT had available a video titled Pathways to Technology produced by WGBH under an NSF grant.  There are limited copies available through CAPT for use by partner institutions.  These videos are also available on the Website www.pathwaystotechnology.org.   Copies of these videos are also available through Jerry Duncan or Mike Cobb at the College of the Mainland.

 

Merv also informed the attendees that CAPT was providing expenses for individuals from both industry and education to participate in a 2-day activity to identify objectives and outline for an Applied Physics Course for process technology.  The dates for the meeting to be held in Baton Rouge, Louisiana at BRCC are December 4th and 5th.  Those interested in participating should contact Steve Erickson.

 

For further information…

Merv Treigle

CAPT at College of the Mainland

1200 Amburn Road

Texas City, Texas 77591

(409) 938-1211, x107

mtreigle@com.edu

www.captech.org

 

Subcommittee on Standards & Quality – Ed Stiles and Kathy Trahan addressed the goals and objectives for the Subcommittee on Standards & Quality for years 1 through 5.  Ed reinforced how the goals tied in with that of the Education Subcommittee and the overall goals of the GCPTA.

 

Ed and Kathy gave an update on the activities of the Standards & Quality Committee.  The topics were:

1.       Status Report – Previously announced requirements for GCPTA member schools

§         Establish and Maintain a Viable Advisory Committee

In order to establish and maintain a viable Advisory Committee, all affiliated colleges (Endorsed and Recommended) were to have submitted the following to the Standards and Quality Committee by no later than the end of the Spring Semester of 2003:  (1) minutes of each of their Advisory Committee meetings (and continuing thereafter), and (2) Advisory Committee member names and their contact information (contact info optional).

 

§         Conduct P-Tech Program Audits

Colleges were to have submitted the guidelines of their audit process by no later than the end of the Spring Semester of 2003 and colleges will provide this Committee with abbreviated status reports on their auditing efforts as they occur.  (An audit not required to have been conducted yet.)

 

2.       Additional Requirements/Changes

§         “Active” Advisory Committee Defined

Evidence—

Each Endorsed College will provide the following evidence to the S&Q Committee in order to demonstrate that its advisory committee membership is “active”:

·         Meeting Frequency—meets at least quarterly (more often if required by the State or the school)

·         Membership Composition—there will be more industry members than college members and the meetings will be chaired by industry members

·         Voting During Meetings—a quorum of members will be present for all votes (each college will define what makes up a quorum)

·         Documentation—a Charter/Mission/Vision Statement will be developed, agreed to, and formally approved by the advisory committee members, and it will define the purpose of the committee’s existence; minutes will be taken at each meeting and will show evidence of an agenda and who was in attendance

·         Each college’s two voting members from industry will be actively involved in GCPTA activities

§         The term “Recommended College Members” Will Be Changed to “Associated College Members”

·         The Alliance will no longer “Recommend” a College which does not strive to meet the Alliance’s standards and goals for excellence

·         Associated College Members will not have voting rights

§         Endorsement Periods of Colleges

·         Endorsements of Colleges will be for one year periods

§         Instructor standards to be implemented

·         Pre-Hire and Post-Hire Standards will be Implemented for Instructors

The following Pre-Hire standards for P-Tech Instructors will be used:

Minimum Educational Requirements—for Full-Time Instructors:  possess at least a degree at the level of which the person is teaching, i.e. at least an Associate’s Degree; for Adjunct Instructors:  appropriate industry experience and evidence of previous training/classroom management experience; SACS requirements will be followed if more stringent

 

The following Post-Hire standards for P-Tech Instructors will be used:

Professional Development Requirements—A minimum of 8 hours per year of related professional development in education and/or technical programs or seminars

 

Evaluation of Performance—Evidence of having been evaluated as part of a formal faculty evaluation process on an annual basis

 

§         All Requirements/Changes will go into effect on September 1, 2004

§         If a college fails to meet these requirements by September 1, 2004, the Standards and Quality Committee will recommend to the GCPTA Executive Committee that the status of the college be changed from “Endorsed College” to “Associated College”.

 

College Advisory Reports

Texas State Technical College – Tommy Edgar reported the following:

§         18 students enrolled

§         0 expected graduates

§         Comments:

1.       No internships were offered to our students for this semester—plan to have a couple in the spring. 

2.       We will be doing a lot of recruiting this spring.

3.       New PTAC Instructor—Bobby Smith, former Eastman Chemical Manufacturing Department Superintendent.

4.       Pilot Plant project—to enhance the practical application of PTAC competencies

5.       New Advisory Committee member from local high school (Beth Goodwin, Director of Career & Technology Education, Hallsville ISD)

6.       Tommy Edgar gave a presentation during the Longview Career and College Night about technical careers, specifically process operations and instrumentation.

7.       Project to award TSTC-Marshall credit for Eastman Chemical and Maintenance Apprenticeship Training Courses

8.       TSTC-Marshall and Eastman Chemical have joined the IICTA

§         New Equipment: 

1.       Building a skid unit that will give the students more hands-on opportunities.

 

Louisiana Technical College-Ascension Campus – Cleve Marchand reported the following:

§         27 students enrolled (fall 2003)

§         0 expected graduates

§         2 students in Intern/Coop program (spring 2004)

§         7 students on scholarship

§         Comments: 

1.       Advisory members are working on the internship program. 

2.       We will make a presentation to other companies concerning our internships for Process Technology.

§         High School PTech Programs:

2 students participating

1 high school participating

Comments: 

1.       Meeting set with the Ascension Parish Schools for November 18, 2003

§         New Equipment: 

1.       “Glass Labs” scheduled from state funds.

§         Advisory Committee Meetings: 

Met October 16, 2003

Scheduled to meet November 2003

Hot Topics:

1.       Internships and approval by Board of Regents of our program working to increase courses in the high schools for Fall 2004.

§         New Best Practices:

1.       Starting meeting as an Education Subcommittee from state Process Technology group.

§         Upcoming Events: 

1.       Breakfast meeting for all area plants personnel for Process Technology updates

 

Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College – Tommie Ann Broome reported the following:

§         5 students enrolled (first semester)

§         Comments:

1.       We expect to have summer internships available for students for summer of 2004. 

2.       Three large company supporters (Chevron Texaco, DuPont, Southern Company) have committed to work out a program to offer internships.  We are waiting on details from them. 

§         Student Organization Activities:

1.       Students are encouraged to join Skills USA.

§         New Equipment:

1.       This is the first semester for our program and we are constructing facilities and installing equipment. 

2.       Chevron Texaco has committed instrument technicians to do installation and wiring of the equipment, which was relocated from another facility. 

3.       We will have instrument panels for the four major control elements, flow, temperature, level and pressure.

§         Advisory Committee Meetings:

Met October 16, 2003

Hot Topics: 

1.       Summer internships for students

2.       Approval of curriculum by Mississippi DOE

3.       Survey of curriculum by industry representatives and suggestions

4.       Industry commitments to support the program and give graduates a priority I hiring

 

Louisiana Technical College-River Parishes Campus – George Foret reported the following:

§         88 students enrolled

§         6 expected graduates

§         2 students in Interns/Coops

§         4 students on Scholarships

§         Comments: 

1.       Internships:  Entergy (1) student, Shell Geismar, LA (1) student

2.       Scholarships:  Dow St. Charles Operation, Marathon, Ascension Parish, British Petroleum

3.       Specialized training for new hires, and incumbent worker programs.

4.       Evening Division:  Process Technology (offering all courses)

5.       Graduation Placement Rate 100%

§         Student Organization Activities:

1.       Student Government Association, and Skills U.S.A.

§         High School PTech Programs:

18 Students participating

5 High Schools participating

Comments:

1.       Off campus:  14 students Hahnville High/Destrahan High

2.       On campus:    4 students St. James/Lutcher/Riverside High

§         New Equipment:

1.       Glass Labs:  Units A,B,C,D,F

§         Advisory Committee Meetings:

Met July 30, 2003

Scheduled to Meet November 19, 2003

Hot Topics

1.       Marketing PTEC

2.       Education Subcommittee—comprised of educators from all campuses offering PTEC.  This subcommittee reports suggestions and recommendations to Advisory Committees.

§         New Best Practice:

1.       Introduced Mechanical Aptitude as a new required course.

2.       Articulate process and general education courses to four year degree at Nicholls State University

§         Upcoming Events:

1.       Field trip scheduled for November 5 at Dow St. Charles

2.       Specialized training:  New Hires (Shell Motiva) and (Dow)

 

Lamar Institute of Technology – Harry Wood reported the following:

§         312 students enrolled

§         50 expected graduates

§         20 students on scholarships

§         Comments:

1.       BASF Sabina Industries in Port Arthur has donated $5,000 to LIT for two new process technology scholarships. 

2.       LIT also trained eight new BASF employees in a nine-week orientation course.

§         Student Organization Activities: 

1.       OPT Club participated in the Alumni Association’s Fall Fling and raised funds for plant tours members plan in the spring.  The club annually travels to the Baton Rouge area for tours.

§         High School PTech Programs:

15 students participating

1 high school participating

Comments: 

1.       LIT is attempting to qualify a high school instructor to offer more PTech classes. 

§         Advisory Committee Meetings:

Met September 18, 2003

Scheduled to meet February, 2004

Hot Topics: 

1.       Plans have begun for 40-hour continuous operations of the college’s Distillation Unit.  A subcommittee has been appointed to work with the faculty on plans for the activity.

 

Montana State University-Billings College of Technology – Bob Robertus reported the following:

§         35 students enrolled

§         10 expected graduates

§         11 students in Interns/Coops

§         4 students on scholarship

§         Student Organization Activities:

§         Field trips (2/semester)

§         Comments:

1.       Internships are 40 hours of shadowing an operator in an existing plant.  To satisfy union requirements, they can do no work and are not paid.

2.       Conoco Phillips and ExxonMobil each supply two $1,000 scholarships per year for four total.

3.       We do require a Hazardous Material Technician training class, which gives students a Level III certificate.

§         High School PTech Programs:

Comments:  We keep talking about this, but haven’t taken action yet.

§         New Equipment:

1.       Some promises, but no deliveries yet.

2.       ExxonMobil donated a plastic scale model of their Platformer.  Repairs are being made.

§         Advisory Committee Meetings:

Met September 30, 2003

Scheduled to meet November 13, 2003

Hot Topics: 

1.       Program Evaluation 

2.       Accreditation

3.       Jobs

4.       Funding

§         New Best Practice:

1.       Met with College National Advisory Committee to brief them on status of the program and its focus/problems.

§         Upcoming Events: 

1.       Thanksgiving, Christmas

 

San Jacinto Community College Central – Mike Speegle reported the following:

§         195 students enrolled

§         8 expected graduates

§         1 students in Interns/Coops

§         12 students on scholarship

§         Comments: 

1.       Offering Oil and Gas Production I in the summer of 2004. 

2.       Oil and Gas Production II in the fall of 2004.

§         New Equipment:

1.       Three small tabletop Amatrol training units that demonstrate various instrumentation and control principles were donated by our North Campus.

2.       Two large training units with pumps, instruments and vessels were donated by the North Campus.  These are being modified into working hands-on training units.

3.       New software that demonstrates the operation and control of a vacuum distillation unit and crude distillation unit.

§         Advisory Committee Meetings:

Met February 5, 2003

Scheduled to meet November 13, 2003

Hot Topics: 

1.       Donation of equipment to the department

2.       Externships for faculty

3.       Department audit

4.       Committee roles and goals

§         Upcoming Events:

1.       Glycol distillation lab to be upgraded to DCS (Delta V) control system.

 

ITI Technical College – Jerry Hidalgo reported the following:

§         78 students enrolled

§         65 expected graduates

§         3 students in Interns/Coops

§         0 students on Scholarships

§         Comments: 

1.       Process internship has been with BP off-shore 2002 and 2003

2.       Process tour program includes—in-plant tours at Motiva, Exxon Refinery, Exxon Chemicals, Enterprise Pipeline, Colonial Pipeline, City of Baton Rouge waste treatment plant, City of Donaldsonville raw water treatment plant

3.       At ITI campus, new outside “pilot plant” is complete and is being used now as an instruction aid

§         Advisory Committee Meetings:

Met March, 2003

Scheduled to meet November 12, 2003

Hot Topics: 

1.       What is the number one problem industry experiences with new entry-level employees?

2.       Develop new ways to address the problems of critical-thinking; problem solving, and industry need for soft skills.

3.       What is the profile of the perfect process operator?

4.       How to recruit better students for process operation?

§         New Best Practice:

1.       Using seven part-time instructors (SME) to teach applied courses.

2.       Have instructors spend more time with students working their personal problems for retention.

§         Upcoming events:

1.       Ground breaking for new 16-classroom building for campus.

2.       Due to heart illness, in January 2004, I (Jerry Hidalgo) will go to part-time.  I hope to continue to play a small role in the program.

 

McNeese State University—Carol Schulte reported the following:

§         87 students enrolled

§         21 A.S. expected graduates & 2 B.S. 

§         6 students in Interns/Coops

§         34 students on Scholarships

§         Comments: 

1.       Al Hodges completed an internship with BP-Amoco through CAPT. Al worked on an offshore oil platform and said he learned a lot and really enjoyed his internship experience.  Al has been offered a full-time position and will begin work after graduation in December.

2.       Charles Bertrand received a BP-Amoco scholarship through CAPT for
$2000.  Charles was the only recipient from Louisiana.  He is a student in the 2-yr Process Plant Associate Degree program.

3.       McNeese State University and Lamar State College-Orange signed an articulation agreement allowing transfer of credit from Lamar’s 1-yr Process Technology program to the McNeese 2-yr Associate of Science degree program.  Up to 51 credits are eligible for transfer from LSC-Orange to the Process Plant A.S. degree.  In addition, students may be able to transfer an additional 16 hours if they decide to pursue the B.S. degree.

4.       Well Drilling course is being offered this semester at McNeese through Nicholls State University.  Dr. John Griffen who teaches in the Petroleum Services B.S. degree at Nicholls is teaching this course.  It is being delivered via compressed video to McNeese.  Students communicate with Dr. Griffen via e-mail and get their homework assignments via blackboard.

5.       James Dautenhahn, Associate Professor in the Process Plant Technology program, received a Pinnacle Excellence Award for teaching and advising.  Funds will be used for advertising, recruiting, and course enhancement in Technology programs at McNeese.

6.       The A.S. degree in Process Plant Technology received full 8-yr accreditation by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).  The McNeese program is the first PTEC program on the Gulf Coast to earn such accreditation and only the second in the nation.  (Program is already SACS accredited.)

§         New Equipment:

Three grants were received by Process Plant Technology faculty (Total: $12,544) for purchase of equipment.

§         Advisory Committee Meetings:

Met September 24, 2003

Scheduled to meet November 19, 2003

Hot Topics: 

1.       Professional development workshop preparation for Louisiana PTEC faculty jointly being put on by Sowela & McNeese on October 24th.

2.       Arrangement of Mock Interview Sessions for Sowela & McNeese students on October 29/30th.  Advisory board will recruit interviewers from their companies.

§         New Best Practice:

1.       Glass Lab Analytical Procedures faculty development workshop held for Louisiana PTEC instructors on October 24th.  Eleven faculty attended from five colleges.

2.       First Mock Interview Sessions held for Sowela and McNeese students on October 29/30th.  Forty-six students participated and eight industry representatives from five companies did the interviewing.

 

Del Mar College – Denise Rector reported the following:

§         The Process Technology Program at Del Mar College remains strong—good enrollment in current classes for Fall, 2003, and telephone calls have been coming in almost daily for information about Process Technology from prospective students for the spring semester, 2004.  Early registration for the spring semester has just begun and will end on December 5.

§         This semester, there are four interns with Valero; three of these students will complete their coursework in December.  There are four more students who will complete the coursework in December for the certificate program.

§         We expect to have about 10 graduates in May with both the associate’s degree and certificates.

§         Our certificate program is generating students who stay on to complete associate’s degrees.  Many of our students have been out of school for a number of years before attending Del Mar College and the certificate curriculum gets them back in the classroom/studying/student mode.  Except for two courses, all certificate coursework applies towards the associate’s degree.

§         Our program has received Perkins Grant funds to purchase equipment for the laboratory.  An order has been placed for the Bayport Training & Technical Center’s Process Trainer.  The trainer should be in place and in use sometime in January, 2004.  We anxiously await its arrival!!!  It will be a welcomed addition to our Process Technology equipment.

 

Alvin Community College – Mark Demark reported the following:

§         102 students enrolled

§         30 expected graduates

§         3 students on scholarships

§         Student Organization Activities:

No change since last report 2nd Q 2003

§         High School PTech Programs:

No change since last report 2nd Q 2003

§         New Equipment:

1.       High-speed gear box donated by Sundyne Corporation

§         Advisory Committee Meetings:

Met September 10, 2003

Scheduled to meet December 10, 2003

Hot Topics:

1.       Process Technology web page at ACC

2.       Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Exemplary Program status

3.       Advisory Committee audit academic program & facilities (see web site)

4.       ACC Process Technology Department Vision, Mission, and Strategy

§         New Best Practice:

No change since last report 2nd Q 2003

§         Upcoming Events:

1.       Advisory Committee meeting 12/10/2003 at ACC:

·         Discuss CIBP conference activity themes

·         Presentation on GCPTA by Steve Erickson

 

Baton Rouge Community College – Kathy Trahan reported the following:

§         309 students enrolled (fall 2003)

§         30-35 expected graduates (spring 2004)

§         9 student interns

§         Student Organization Activities:

PTEC student ambassadors assisting in recruiting efforts

§         Comments:

1.       Interns—5 at Dow, 2 at Shell, 2 at Placid

2.       Scholarships—ISA Scholarship, Desk & Derrick Scholarship, PTEC 101 Industry Scholarship

3.       Instructor Professional Development on Analytical procedures at McNeese/Sowela

4.       Five students hired last month

5.       PAPAC request for January 04 Training

6.       15K in new scholarships funded by ExxonMobil

§         High School PTech Programs:

One high school participating—Port Allen High

Note:  PTEC Tech Prep enrollment is traditionally during the spring as students are choosing a career path during this semester.

§         New Equipment:

1.       ExxonMobil IWTG anticipated equipment—Simtronics simulators, Honeywell Shadow Plant simulators Bayport Cut-a-ways and acrylic models

§         Advisory Committee Meetings:

Met November 13, 2003

Scheduled to meet January 29, 2003

Hot Topics:

1.       Instructor development

2.       Outdoor training unit

3.       Industry hiring needs

4.       Instructional Analysis for Physics, Chemistry and Trig

§         New Best Practice:

Using multiple cut-a-ways permanently mounted on dual rolling rack to easily move from class to class (Bayport design)

§         Upcoming Events:

1.       Instructional Analysis December 4th and 5th at BRCC—Frazier Campus to be co-sponsored by CAPT

2.       LA ESC meeting December 5th

3.       PAPAC workshop January, 2004

4.       Spring Classes start January 15, 2004

 

Sowela Technical Community College – Linton Lecompte reported the following:

§         143 students enrolled (fall 2004)

§         17 expected graduates

§         Comments:

1.       Total Placement as of November 19, 2003;

Related Field – 46.6%

Non-related Field – 46.6%

Not Working – 6.8%

2.       Lab Implementation Status into Curriculum:

Lab exercises are fully implemented throughout the Curriculum

3.       Audit Action Plan Gap Closures:

We’ve been reviewing our October 18, 2001 Audit in preparation for our 2004 PTEC Audit.

4.       PTEC Instructor Development:

Two instructors attended the Brazosport College Workshop and most recently the Critical Issues and Best Practices Conference.

5.       Successes to Share:

1.       McNeese Professor, Carol Schulte conducted an Analytical Workshop for the Louisiana PTEC Instructors on October 24, 2003.  The Workshop was very successful—all participants were very pleased.

2.       On Plant “E”, we made modifications that will enhance the life of the Vacuum Compressor by installing a couple of liquid knockout pots and a block valve.

3.       Ten Sowela students completed Aerial Lift Certification at ABC Training Facility on November 18, 2003.  The same has been setup for McNeese students on November 24, 2003.

6.       Process Technology Classes on High School campuses may need to be revisited from the standpoint of cost.  It is questionable as to whether or not we will be able to continue to offer these classes free of charge due to budget constraints.

 

New Business – Steve Ames

Steve reminded everyone that the subcommittees are always looking for new members.  If you are interested in serving on one of the subcommittees, contact one of the members of that subcommittee.  They are listed on the Website.

 

Mike Kukuk reported that the College of the Mainland has received a $700,000 grant to establish a technical high school (11th and 12th graders) on the COM campus.  This would be a feeder system into other programs at the college.

 

John Payne talked about the USDOL grant proposal for $3,000,000.  This proposal would provide funds for a Texas P-Tech Director.

 

Stacey Chiasson reported that the Louisiana Board of Regents has approved Louisiana Technical College—Ascension Campus as a 2-year Associate’s Degree program.

 

Alliance Website

§         Website www.processtech.org is fully active and maintained by Bob Kosar of Grand Isle Group Information Delivery Specialists.  If your school or company has a Website and it is not accessible by just a click, contact the Webmaster by e-mail bobkosar@hal-pc.org. 

 

§         Center for the Advancement of Process Technology (CAPT) Website www.captech.org.

 

§         Contact the GCPTA at atgcpta@msn.com.

 

Future GCPTA Meetings

Holiday Inn, Houston, TX              Friday, January 30, 2004

Baton Rouge, Louisiana                Friday, April 30, 2004

Houston, TX                                Friday, July 30, 2004

Lake Charles, Louisiana               Friday, November 12, 2004

 

***Other Events***

(CAPT) Critical Issues & Best Practices Conference

South Shore Harbour Resort and Conference Center

September 29, 30 & October 1, 2004 (tentative dates)              

                                                                                               

Meeting adjourned at 1:00 p.m.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Lisa Arnold, Secretary

Gulf Coast Process Technology Alliance

 

LA/at