Current Events

San Juan College Uses Technology To Serve Its Unique Student Body

Located in the Four Corners area of New Mexico, San Juan College serves a unique and diverse community. Rich in oil, gas, and petroleum deposits, energy is the primary industry in the region, representing about a quarter of the local workforce. And at least a quarter of the more than 18,000 students attending SJC each year are Native American, many of whom are the first in their families to attend college.

“About 65 percent of our students need some remedial education, particularly in math and English,” said David Eppich, SJC’s vice president for student services. “That’s key for the kind of education and training we provide in order to initially attract and retain our students. We provide that support through our Student Support Center, and we largely rely on technology to make it happen.”

Tracing its roots back a half century, the demands on SJC have changed over the years, along with the needs of its changing community. During the past six years, the number of students increased 35 percent, and a number of new programs and course offerings have been initiated, both on campus and online. As the college has evolved, its technology needs also have increased proportionately.

“When you think about the new generation of learners, San Juan College is positioned in an interesting place,” said president Carol Spencer. “But it may not be all that different from many community colleges. We still have, and will have for some time, a range of technology savvy across our student body. I have some students who live in very rural areas of New Mexico, who are just now getting, for the first time, electricity to their homes. I have other students who may be the second or third-generation in their family to expect and be comfortable using personal computing. Meeting the needs of that full range of students is the challenge.”

In 1999, SJC contracted with SunGard Higher Education to fully manage its IT operations, providing the college with both administrative and academic computing support. On-site Managed Services staff immediately developed a methodology for stabilizing the school’s network infrastructure and implementing online access to all student services, including admissions, registration, financial aid, unofficial transcripts and e-mail service. By aggressively evaluating maintenance costs and operating procedures, the IT operating budget has decreased by $100K annually while new services have been added and customer service increased.

In addition to operating and expanding the network, SunGard Higher Education provides 24x7 Help Desk Services and an Enterprise Reporting and Information Service (ERIS), which allows for warehousing the college’s institutional data. SJC also has engaged SunGard Higher Education to help lead the institution through an extensive strategic planning process.

“I came to San Juan after the contract with SunGard Higher Education was signed so the relationship was already strongly established at the college,” said Spencer. “And frankly, as a new president who came from outside New Mexico, I was somewhat skeptical about outsourcing our technology support services. My experience had not always been real positive with regard to outsourcing. However, within six months of observing and asking hard questions, I truly became a convert, believing outsourcing could work if you had the right partner, a partner who shared the same values, who was focused on the successes of both the students and the institution. I believe SunGard is the right partner for us here at San Juan College. We’re about building capacity in our students, our employees, and our community, and we believe they also are about helping us build that capacity for the long haul.”

Princess Benally, a second-year student majoring in criminal justice, who grew up with her family on the nearby Navajo reservation, first became introduced to SJC when she visited the campus with her mother, who was enrolled in classes there. Benally sought out the community college after graduating from high school because she felt it would allow her to remain close to home while providing a good foundation for continuing her studies at the University of New Mexico.

“I’ve really enjoyed my experience here,” Benally said. “They have so many computer labs available, which is great because not all the students have computers, and those that do, many don’t have Internet available at home. And the fact that the whole campus is wireless, I can plop down and study just about anywhere I want.”

SJC eventually came to the realization that it needed a more integrated, comprehensive administrative technology system in order to improve business processes and better serve the campus community. Staff training on the new Datatel system began in fall 2005 and the actual transition to the new system occurred in April 2006.

“We used the opportunity to streamline our business process,” said Cheryl Drangmeister, associate vice president of student services. “Our office collaborated with the folks in admissions, financial aid and others. Everybody feels good about the give and take that took place. As we reviewed our processes, we considered what was best for the students. We used it as a team-building exercise.”

In order to make the ERP implementation as smooth a transition as possible, Drangmeister and colleagues developed a campaign around a fictitious character named Daisy, an acronym for Datatel Information System. “We spent a lot of time putting training materials together,” she said. “We even held an open house for Daisy when the system switched over. Our CIO at the time told me it was the first time he’d ever attended a party for a software implementation.”

As a result of the campaign, students, faculty, and staff have remained positive and supportive throughout the implementation process, and in fall 2006, two thirds of the students registered online and the first financial aid disbursement was made with only a minimal number of problems.

Michael Tacha, vice president for learning, says SJC’s advanced use of technology is one of the reasons the college has been able to attract more than $16 million in state and federal grants as well as public-private partnerships that provide the institution with teaching aids such as a $1.3 million compressed gas simulator, the only one of its kind in the nation.

“San Juan is the fourth community college I’ve worked at during my career, and the cooperative attitude and team approach SunGard Higher Education maintains at the college has allowed us to move in new and innovative ways,” said Tacha. “SunGard Higher Education’s support here is deep—it’s not smoke and mirrors. The staff’s response time with solutions is fast and the answer to whatever the question is is usually ‘yes.’ It’s one of the few places I’ve seen where the faculty’s knowledge of technology doesn’t surpass that of the staff. SunGard Higher Education staff blend in well and are an integral part of this college. Here at San Juan, technology isn’t evasive. It’s just part of our world.”

In summer 2005, SJC got approval to offer online a physical therapy assistant program, the only fully accredited program of its kind. Sandra Tracy, SJC’s dean of the School of Extended Learning, knew the college would need help in order to meet the ambitious timeline. “At the League of Innovation conference the previous year, I’d talked with administrators from Ocean County Community College about how SunGard Higher Education had helped them take their nursing program online. Based on their recommendations and a little more research, I recommended to our administration that we do the same.”

With support from SunGard Higher Education Academic Development Services, the first courses in the physical therapy program were made available in January 2006. Since then, the college has added two instructional designers to the team with a goal of putting 10 new courses online each year. The college is focusing on offering new programs in the Schools of Energy and Allied Health.

Tracy, who also oversees the Student Success Center, said they now have 29 online tutorials to support remedial programs and to increase retention, and are working to make even more Web-based programs available for students.

During the first three years of its existence, SJC’s School of Energy has trained more than 10,000 students. And unlike some of the general education programs offered, the retention rate of energy students is about 90 percent with a corresponding placement rate for graduates.

“The demand put on us by the energy companies is more than we can presently meet,” said dean Randy Pacheco. “They would love for us to expand our capacity and we’re working toward that goal. The technology in the energy industry is changing and they need to make their employees more productive. Four of our recent students, after completing only one course in our IPOP (Industrial Process Operating Program), were offered local jobs paying $18 per hour to start. There’s a lot of room for growth in the energy industry and technology is driving it.”

Spencer points out that if one looks up technology in the dictionary, “tool” is one of the words used to define it. “That’s a little bit simplistic, because our electronic technology has evolved and become more sophisticated, making it more than just a tool. But it really is a vehicle that helps us advance student learning, and our relationship with SunGard has helped us be thoughtful about that. We want to be a leader in using technology to help the students learn, but we don’t want it for technology’s sake, we want to do it because it helps students.”

Because of the value placed on technology at the college, and the role of SunGard Higher Education in supporting that component, the role of CIO at San Juan has been elevated to a vice presidential, cabinet-level position.

“SunGard Higher Education has helped us develop a very extensive planning system to help us think about where to best invest our limited resources,” Spencer added. “The people who come to us with SunGard Higher Education are folks who are committed to our mission, who work hard to understand who we are and become part of our team, and that’s absolutely critical in making that technology strong and vibrant and healthy in order to help our students.”

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Community College of Baltimore County Contracts With SunGard Higher Education for Help Offering Online Programs

New Programs Offer Students Flexibility and Convenience
While Helping Community Meet Need for Qualified Medical Professionals

MALVERN, Pa, Nov. 13, 2007 — The Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) and SunGard Higher Education have joined forces to help fill the need for more qualified medical professionals by creating new online nursing, paramedic, and medical lab technician programs.

The online nursing program, which is the first of its kind to be offered by CCBC, will consist of students spending one day per week at a hands-on clinical site and the remaining class time online. The program will help alleviate a backlog of potential students who previously were prevented from enrolling due to limited classroom space.

“We are pleased to be able to provide students with an alternative delivery format that may better fit their life circumstances, and help them achieve their goals of becoming an RN,” said Roberta Raymond, project director, CCBC.

“The online format, particularly for the paramedic to RN and the medical laboratory technology programs, will allow us to extend our geographical reach to address shortages in critical healthcare professions,” added Carol D. Eustis dean of the School of Health Professions at CCBC. “This is a winning solution for everyone, including our community.”

SunGard Higher Education’s Strategic & Academic Consulting Services will provide a full-time onsite academic director to lead all activities in the development of the programs. In addition to the onsite director, SunGard Higher Education will provide the college with instructional design assistance, course design services, training, and website development. SunGard Higher Education initially helped CCBC obtain two federal grants worth $808,000, which resulted in funding for the contracts. The college is striving to have the programs available for the students by fall 2008.

Ed Nadworny, president of Managed Services at SunGard Higher Education, said interest among institutions for assistance in developing online programs is increasing for a number of reasons. “Online programs are becoming understood and accepted as a great method for offering courses and extending programs to reach more learners. These programs benefit more students by making it easier to accommodate busy work and family schedules.”

About Community College of Baltimore County
Nationally recognized as a leader in innovative learning strategies, the Community College of Baltimore County educates more than 70,000 people each year, including more than half of all Baltimore County residents attending undergraduate college. The college offers more than 50 different associates degrees and more than 100 different certificate programs. It is the preferred training partner for Maryland businesses, serving more than 100 companies annually with customized employee development tranining. Visit the college at: www.ccbcmd.edu.

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ColorID, LLC offers all-in-one Mobile Badging case

 

SunGard Higher Education Opens Solution Center to Serve Unique Needs and Challenges of California Community Colleges

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San Diego Community College District Renews Contract With SunGard Higher Education for Assistance in Enhancing Technology Services to Students, Faculty and Staff

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Schmidt named Vice President for Information and Educational Technology at Clovis Community College

Michael Schmidt has been named Vice President for Information and Educational Technology at Clovis Community College. Schmidt, who previously served as Project Manager of Banner Implementation and Vice President for Finance & Human Resources, will take over the responsibilities July 1, when Eleonore Isham, who has been with CCC 27 years, retires from this position.

Schmidt has held several titles at the College during his 23-year tenure. He has served as project manager, Banner implementation 2004 – 2007; vice president for finance and human resources 1998 – 2004; director, administrative information systems 1996 – 1998; manager, computer systems and applications 1991 – 1996; programmer/ analyst, 1984 – 1988.

As Vice President for Information and Educational Technology, Schmidt will oversee the use of information technology and support delivery to the institution, guide the planning of educational technologies and direct the campus networking infrastructure. He will also serve as a member of the President’s Council.

Dr. John Neibling, President of CCC, states, “I am pleased to announce the appointment of Mike Schmidt as the new Vice President for Information and Educational Technology for Clovis Community College.  Mike has been a faithful CCC employee for many years, serving in a variety of capacities and I am happy he has accepted the challenge of leading CCC’s IT effort.” 

Dr. Eleonore Isham, added, “I have known Mike Schmidt since the early 1980s when he was hired as a programmer/analyst in the Information Technology department. Mike’s extensive experience in information technology and higher education will help him meet the challenges of a new technology era. I extend my heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to him.

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