FIW program Update: FIW Advisory Committee Meeting of June 22, 2017
LM
Fellow Woodworkers,
We trust everyone is enjoying the summer, including vacations. David is at the beach; don't we all wish we were there? The following provides you with a program update. As always please feel free to post or e-mail any questions or concerns you may have.
The FIW Advisory Committee held two meetings since our April 24, 2017 post about the Committee’s April meeting. RRCC President Michele Haney attended the last three committee meetings and in May promised to bring the proposed FY 2018 budget to the June 22, 2017 meeting.
Anyone needing background information on the Advisory Committee may read the April 24th post, “Student Perception of the FIW Advisory Committee Meeting, April 20, 2017”.
As to the May meeting, there was nothing substantive to report. If you should have any questions about that meeting, please let me know. A summary report of the June 22 meeting follows. As always, the minutes of the meeting serve as the official record and are maintained by J. Brown, the committee secretary. Minutes are considered draft minutes until approved by the committee.
To the heart of the matter, President Michele Haney continued to affirm her commitment to the FIW program. She has stated many times throughout these past months that she values the program and doesn’t want to lose it. She also stated she doesn’t want the program to lose our valuable, experienced staff. She continues to pledge RRCC will honor the teach-out period to help currently enrolled students complete certificates in progress. From our perspective she has demonstrated in several ways her sincerity in her commitment. She listens, she explains, she responds, she affirms her ongoing commitment to FIW. She again did that at the June 22, 2017 meeting.
Budget
VP Peggy Morgan presented to the committee the draft FY (fiscal year) 2018 budget. The draft numbers are subject to minor revisions pending receipt of the final FY 2017 expenditures at the end of June. FY 2018 begins July 1, 2017. The current budget deficit (meaning how much we overspent in FY 2017 from the budgeted amount) is approximately $182,000 in the salary categories of adjunct and hourly employees. Michele and Peggy expressed their understanding that FIW cannot absorb the $182,000 deficit in the next fiscal year. Michele clarified she wants to see progress by the department to bring the budget in line. She also stressed this may take the department a while to implement, but she wants to see continuing progress made.
As an aside, during the meeting per Jeremy Cox and VP Peggy Morgan, we will have to submit a Colorado Open Records Request for access to the final FY 2018 budget. We will submit that written request and advise you when we have the document.
The Advisory Committee members advocate growing the program, rather than cutting aspects of the program as a solution to the deficit. The program constraints for growth include the current deficit, space limitations, tools and equipment needed for growth.
Current FIW Certificates and Curriculum
For the last three months the RRCC executive team has expressed the desire to see the FIW program certificates streamlined, the number reduced, redundancy eliminated and the certificates made less confusing. The executive team in the last three months, repeatedly has asked FIW to implement this request. Please note: This does not mean eliminating programs, classes, or certificates necessary for current students to complete their certificates in process. For the future sustainability of FIW, it does mean redesigning the certificates, as well as some redesign of curriculum, which has been discussed as an outcome of the one year program review.
Many students agree that FIW certificates are too confusing. Some are impossible to earn due to class cancellations and some are on the books but are considered as “we don’t do those anymore.”
President Michele Haney has mentioned at each meeting how many classes are cancelled each semester in FIW, and wants to see the department better manage scheduling. She has stated her concerns about too many last minute class cancellations along with the impact on students left without classes at the beginning of semesters.
FIW Program Review
President Haney stated she does not want to impose decisions upon the department. She is looking to the FIW community to come up with solutions.
President’s Announcements
President Michele Haney announced she has signed MOUs (Memorandum of Understanding) with the Peyton School District and Pikes Peaks Community College. More information about this will be forthcoming.
President Haney also announced the new dean will be coming on board in the upcoming week.
FIW Long Range Plan
Jeremy Cox presented a draft Long Range Plan document to the committee for review and comment. This is part of a Colorado Community College System CTE initiative. Jeremy advised he will post the final document to the google group.
Special Working Meeting of the FIW Advisory Committee
The FIW Advisory Committee will hold a special working meeting for June 28, 2017, to undertake specific tasks. One, the committee will determine a list of core competencies necessary for FIW students to succeed in their future woodworking careers. The core competencies will help provide needed direction to redesign FIW program certificates for future students. The committee will then begin work on simplifying program certificates, reducing the number, eliminating redundancy and confusion, and making them more relevant for future students. In addition, FIW anticipates the need for some curriculum redesign to better serve students. It is important to note, there appears to be a unanimous consensus to preserve what makes FIW unique and special. Note: Reducing the number of certificates does not mean eliminating various programs of FIW.
We will keep you updated. Again, feel free to post or forward any questions or concerns so we can try to answer those.