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[Chapter 4] On the Road to Economic Development - December 1996
The institutions that participated in the study chose various ways to contribute to the economic development of their communities, regions, and states. Despite the barriers they encounter, they draw upon many promising practices to provide lifelong learning opportunities for the citizenry. The institutions varied widely on the following dimensions: types of economic environments and climates in which they found themselves, institutional missions, institution size, definitions of continuing education, organizational structures, and involvement of continuing education program with economic development activities. And yet, each one demonstrated tremendous potential for expanded involvement with community economic development efforts through its continuing education program.
The following vignettes of the continuing education programs at nine institutions provide information on the various ways in which HBCUs, in widely different economic environments and with varying resources, contribute to the economic development of their communities, regions, and states.(Note: The time periods for labor market data vary according to projections available from each state. Poverty rates were obtained from the decennial U.S. Census of Population, 1980 and 1990, and are based upon average poverty threshold levels for a family of four. The thresholds are based upon national data, and do not take into account regional differences in cost of living. Enrollment numbers for each institution are taken from National Center for Education Statistics data in Appendix A.)
FACTS
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
Carnegie Classification: Comprehensive I
Control: Public, Four Year, Land Grant
1994-95 Enrollment: 8,180
Economic Environment: Large City (>1,000,000) 4.3% Unemployment Rate 11.5% Poverty Rate
Tennessee State University, an 1890 land-grant institution, merged by court order with the Traditionally White Institution (TWI), the University of Tennessee at Nashville, in 1979. Prior to the merger, each institution had developed through a series of stages. Tennessee State University began as a normal business school for Negroes. A 1909 Act of the General Assembly created the Agricultural and Industrial State Normal School. In 1922, the institution became a four-year teachers' college; in 1924 the name changed to the Agricultural and Industrial State Normal College; and in 1927, "Normal" was dropped from the name. University status was granted to the institution in 1951 to form Tennessee Agricultural and Industrial University. Full land-grant university status was achieved in 1958. Subsequently, the name changed to Tennessee State University. The University of Tennessee at Nashville began as an extension center of the University of Tennessee which was based in Knoxville. It functioned mainly as an evening institution. By 1971, it had achieved status as a full-fledged, four-year, degree-granting institution and it became a campus of the University of Tennessee. The presence of two separate state universities in Nashville gave rise to a decade-long litigation process which resulted in the present-day Tennessee State University. It operates, like 45 other postsecondary institutions in the state, under the oversight of the Tennessee Board of Regents. According to the Undergraduate Catalog 1993-95, the unique combination of land-grant, urban, and comprehensive features distinguishes the institution from all other higher education institutions in Tennessee.
The University offers a comprehensive array of programs in agriculture, allied health, arts and sciences, business, education, engineering and technology, home economics, human services, nursing, and public administration. Degrees are offered at the baccalaureate and master's levels in a variety of disciplines and at the doctoral level in education and public administration.
Tennessee State University serves a racially diverse population of students: traditional and non-traditional students, commuters, residents, full-time, part-time, and non-degree students. As a Comprehensive I, land grant institution, it offers a wide range of programs at the baccalaureate and master's levels to approximately 8,000 students annually. Tennessee State is an urban institution, located in the state capital. According to the university catalog, the institution serves Nashville, Middle Tennessee, the state, the nation, and the international community. It aspires to be the public university of Nashville.
Tennessee State University offers a wide array of economic development services to the City of Nashville, to the region, and to the state. The continuing education program and other institutional departments provide outreach services to the community.
Mission of continuing education. The Center for Extended Education and Public Service is the unit of the institution with responsibility for carrying the institution's services to the Nashville community and to other parts of the state. The view of continuing education at Tennessee State University is a very broad one. The Center serves non-traditional students both on and off campus. The Center's responsibility for these students includes credit, non-credit, Continuing Education Units (CEUs), special training, and technical assistance programs. The Center identifies itself as addressing the professional, career development, personal, and civic awareness needs in Tennessee State University's service area and across the state.
The service area. The University is situated in an eight-county Standard Metropolitan Area (SMA) comprised of just over a million people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1994). In 1980, poverty rates in Davidson County and the Nashville area matched national averages, but by 1990, poverty rates in both the county and the region were significantly lower than in the country as a whole. One exception is that poverty among the elderly is considerably higher in the Nashville area than in the country as a whole.
Nashville's economic base is especially strong in several industries: music/entertainment, printing/publishing/distributing, health care management, transportation equipment manufacturing, and tourism. Occupational employment projections to the Year 2005, developed by the Tennessee Department of Employment Security (1994), indicate that the Nashville area's total wage and salary employment is likely to increase by some 101,000 jobs from 1990 to 2005. Approximately one-fourth of the new jobs are projected to be with the professional and technical occupations group. Service occupations are expected to account for another one-fifth of the total job growth. Broad occupational groups with projected significant job growth include health-related occupations, administrative support (clerical) occupations, management support occupations, and computer-related occupations.
The strong economy of the area and the projected growth occupations have implications for the types of services needed from the Center for Extended and Public Service. It has been organized to address those needs.
Organization of the unit. The Center is organized into four components, under the leadership of the Dean of Extended Education and Public Service. The Dean reports to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. One component of the Center's programs focuses on providing continuing education and non-credit courses to industry and government. Among the offerings are such diverse courses as "Court Reporting" and "Your Role as a Manager." A second component consists mainly of off-campus academic credit programs. Courses are offered at three suburban satellite locations around Nashville by faculty from the academic departments. The institution accomplishes two key objectives via these credit courses. First, by taking them to the areas where potential students live, it enhances the likelihood of students enrolling in an academic program. Second, it attracts white students who otherwise might not choose Tennessee State University. Another component of the Center is one that emphasizes adult services and conferences. Offerings include preparatory courses for entrance into academic programs (e.g., GRE, ACT). In addition to these training options, the University makes its facilities available for conferences and meetings of off-campus users. The fourth component is the Center for Labor Management Relations. A Tennessee Department of Labor funded program, this unit provides instructional services to companies and labor unions throughout the state.
Services offered. Faculty from regular academic departments teach the continuing education credit courses. Non-credit courses are taught by faculty and non-faculty members with expertise in the specific field. Both credit and non-credit courses are taught on and off the campus. The Center for Extended Education and Public Service has interactive distance learning capability and is thereby able to expand its offerings to the region and to the state.
Other outreach services. In addition to the four components of The Center for Extended Education and Public Service, Tennessee State University has a number of other programs that are involved with community outreach. As a land-grant institution, the institution's agricultural extension services are offered throughout the state of Tennessee. The College of Business, which was accredited under the tenure of the current president, has implemented several economic development initiatives. Among them are the Nashville Business Incubation Center, the Small Business Development Center, and Project DIANE (Diversified Information and Assistance Network), an interactive telecommunications system developed in conjunction with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and other agencies to allow the TVA and communities more efficient access to the expertise of the HBCUs in the region. The offerings provided by the College of Business are independent of the Center for Extended Education and Public Service.
Each of the four components of the Center targets different audiences and the Center uses different strategies for reaching them. An aggressive promotional approach is used.
Calling and visiting employers. In offering non-credit training to businesses and governmental agencies in the Nashville area, the Center for Extended Education and Public Service adopts a proactive direct marketing approach. The Director of Continuing Education (who heads up the non-credit unit within the Center) routinely makes telephone calls to personnel and training officers. Calls are followed by in-person visits to inform employers (whether business, industry, or government) about the offerings available through Tennessee State University. Emphasis is placed on the ability of the institution to tailor courses and training to the specific needs of the user and to provide services at the employer's site.
An example of the success of this strategy is the story of how the President of Tennessee State met with the publisher of a local newspaper and offered the University's services. A follow-up visit was made by the Director of Continuing Education. The Center subsequently began to provide training to the staff of the newspaper on a regular basis. The key to gaining users, according to the Director, is the ongoing personal contact and interaction with employers.
Using the power and range of mass media. The academic component targets a very different group of potential users--white individuals in the suburbs who work during the day, but are interested in attaining a college degree to enhance their employability. To reach this audience, the Director of Off-Campus Programs uses radio, newspapers, and graffiti advertising (an emerging form of paid advertisements that place posters and other print media in restrooms and on bulletin boards in public facilities). Radio advertisements are developed and played on several different stations in the local service area. Class offerings and schedules are published in the major Nashville newspapers as well as in local neighborhood weeklies. Capitalizing on the human interest in reading graffiti, the Center buys graffiti advertising space in the restrooms of restaurants and other locations frequented by the target group.
Sending personalized letters. Still another approach is used to gain the attention of persons targeted for adult services on the University campus. Since many of the offerings are preparatory courses for college entrance, the Center identifies individuals who might be interested in taking a standardized test, such as the ACT, and writes a letter inviting them to enroll in a preparatory course.
Distributing flyers and posting signs. Letters, along with flyers, are also sent to the counselors at the area high schools so that high school students can be made aware of these offerings. As the Center markets its services within the University, it distributes flyers to undergraduate and graduate academic departments encouraging students to enroll in the preparatory courses for the GRE, MAT, and GMAT. Information about upcoming continuing education offerings are also posted throughout the campus.
These various marketing and promotional strategies help Tennessee State University reach the segments of the community that it targets.
Promising Practices/Key Elements
The Center has been effective in penetrating the individual, business, and governmental markets. It is important to look at several organizational factors that contribute to Tennessee State's success in building its continuing education program. First, the Center for Extended Education and Public Service is staffed extremely well. A director or coordinator is assigned for each component. Second, all of the staff with responsibility for outreach to the larger community are members of the communities they seek to attract. The institution works around some of the barriers that plague Historically Black Colleges and Universities--limited resources, exclusion from informal networks, and racial prejudices. Tennessee State University utilized a variety of resources (financial, human, and intangibles) to develop and promote its continuing education program.
FACTS
Location: Fayetteville, North Carolina
Carnegie Classification: Comprehensive I
Control: Public, Four Year
1994-95 Enrollment: 4,109
Economic Environment: Small City (<100,000) 5.5% Unemployment Rate, 14.4% Poverty Rate
In 1867, seven black citizens of Fayetteville, North Carolina, pooled their money to buy two lots to be used for the education of black youths. By 1877, they had gained authorization from the State Legislature for the building of a teacher training institution for black North Carolinians. The school became known as the State Colored Normal School. In 1933, the institution became a four year college; and after more than 20 years, in 1956, degrees other than teaching were added to the curriculum and the school was renamed Fayetteville State Teachers College. The institution was again renamed in 1969. At that time the Legislature granted it regional university status and it became Fayetteville State University (FSU). And finally, in 1972, it was made a constituent member of the 16-campus University of North Carolina system. In 1985, FSU gained status as a Comprehensive Level I university. It admitted its first class of doctoral students in educational leadership in the fall of 1994.
Founded as a teacher training institution, Fayetteville State's current-day mission still reflects that emphasis. Taken from the University catalog (1994), it reads:
Its primary mission is to provide a basic liberal education, specialized professional training, and selective graduate programs that will help its students and graduates live meaningful and productive lives in a world with increasingly complex global challenges and technological advances.
Fayetteville State University experienced phenomenal growth between the period of 1988 through 1994 from an enrollment of 2,639 to 4,109. Sixty-four percent of the students are African American, 31 percent white, one percent Native American, and four percent are from other ethnic groups. With 92.2 percent of the students from households earning less than $20,000 a year, the General Administration of the University of North Carolina has judged Fayetteville State University as having the poorest population in the system.
The labor market area. Fayetteville is the county seat of Cumberland County and is centrally located close to the county lines of Harnett, Hoke, Moore, Sampson, Scotland, and Robeson Counties. Although Fayetteville is considered the retail hub of the southeastern part of the state with more than $2 billion in retail sales generated annually, the surrounding area is rural and underdeveloped. In 1989, over 14 percent of the area's population lived below the poverty level, including almost 20 percent of its citizens above the age of 65 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1994). Both of these rates are higher than the United States averages for 1989; the poverty rate of older citizens is almost seven percentage points higher than the national average.
The unemployment rate in the Fayetteville area averaged 5.5 percent during the 1990-93 period, compared to 5.2 percent for North Carolina as a whole. The relatively high rate of unemployment in the area is attributable primarily to a somewhat larger concentration of those lacking job skills, and to high mobility associated with the military presence.
Fort Bragg Army Base and Pope Air Force Base are in the Fayetteville labor market area. Both bases have been expanding in the midst of base closures and reductions in other regions of the country. Over 26 percent of the area labor force works for the Federal government, including 9,000 civilian workers at the bases. The main employer in the city of Fayetteville is Kelly-Springfield tires. As a manufacturing operation, the Company provides well paying jobs for the local labor force. However, the civilian economy of the larger labor market area is anchored in traditional low-wage, labor intensive manufacturing including textiles, apparel, and food processing industries.
Future needs. Occupational projections to the Year 2000, developed by the North Carolina Employment Security Commission (1994), indicate that 26 occupations in the Fayetteville area are expected to have at least 15 additional job openings per year. Of these, the great majority require no specialized education or formalized job training. The few that do require specialized training are registered nurses, elementary school teachers, and preschool teachers.
Institution's response. Fayetteville State University offers 36 baccalaureate degrees, 18 master's degrees, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership. The University has joined with Pembroke State University to develop a bachelor's level nursing program to meet the area's need for registered nurses.
As a regional institution, the population served by the institution has changed dramatically in recent years. The white student enrollment increased by 50 percent between 1988 and 1994; home county attendance (students from the county where the institution is located) grew by more than 100 percent. Much of the growth came from transfer enrollments and graduate students, particularly in the School of Education. With its tradition of providing teacher training, Fayetteville State University has sought to respond to local labor market needs by extending its teacher preparation offerings to the surrounding communities.
The continuing education program is the vehicle through which the institution extends its services to the community beyond the campus. The stated mission of continuing education is to:
... offer life-long educational experiences and opportunities to individuals of the local and adjacent communities and the Southeastern Region of North Carolina.
Fayetteville State University defines continuing education as credit and non-credit courses offered in extended hours (on or off campus) that serve the community and are not leading to a degree. Courses are expected to pay for themselves, but the university does not ask the continuing education program to be a net revenue generator.
Offerings. The staff of Graduate Studies and Continuing Education devote most of their time arranging for classes offered by the School of Education: in-services in mathematics and science for elementary school teachers and advanced certification and re-certification courses for teachers. These courses remain under the control of the School of Education. Department chairs review syllabi and recommend or assign instructors, most of whom are regular University faculty. These classes are currently offered in two counties beyond the main campus and the University intends to add classes in seven additional counties. Students earn academic credits or continuing education units (CEUs).
As a means of offering professional development classes that are most needed by teachers in the surrounding area, the continuing education program regularly surveys teachers in the adjoining school districts. These surveys are distributed through the superintendents' offices. By heeding the survey results, Fayetteville State University is able to respond to the needs of a large segment of its target population. It offers professional training and opportunities for advancement for thousands of teachers in the southeastern region of North Carolina.
Graduate Studies and Continuing Education also offers one program at The Fort Bragg-Pope Air Force Base Center through which students can earn an Associate in Arts (AA) degree. Classes are held on base in an educational building used by 16 different educational institutions; students can earn GEDs through master's degrees through one or another of these programs. The military pays 75 percent of the fees and the students pay the rest. Fayetteville State University grants the A.A. degree. With the exception of the Fort Bragg - Pope Air Force Base Center, the continuing education program serves mainly as a broker for the School of Education. That is, the program matches academic resources with potential users rather than providing the services.
A few non-credit courses are offered directly by the program. Most of them are related to community service and includes topics of interest to the community, like features of quality day care or supervisory development programs for middle management personnel. Though limited in scope, these offerings have some relevance for the economic development needs of the area.
Relationship of offerings to economic development. For Fayetteville State University, education is the key to economic development for southeastern North Carolina. To address issues of unemployment and poverty in its service area, the institution focuses on the root causes of these maladies lack of educational skills. Fayetteville State University is very clear about the type of economic development activity it is best suited to provide; it is human capital development. Through its continuing education program, the institution offers courses that prepare persons for elementary and secondary teaching, administration, and special education. It provides courses for re-certification of existing teachers. Reaching out to school districts in Cumberland, Harnett, and Moore Counties, the University, via its continuing education program, seeks to improve the skills of teachers and, thus, the skills of the region's citizens.
While fulfilling its mission of providing "... life-long educational experiences and opportunities to individuals of the local and adjacent communities and the Southeastern Region of North Carolina", Fayetteville State University continues to do what it was founded to do, and what it does best, train teachers. It uses its continuing education program to help fulfill the institutional mission. At the same time, it is responding to the region's critical need for preschool and elementary teachers. Considering the projected needs for teachers at all levels, the University is playing a critical role in this capacity and contributing to the economic development of the region.
Promising Practices/Key Elements
Mission makes a difference! Although all the institutions that participated in the study had demonstrated a commitment to continuing education and lifelong learning, whether the mission focused on local, regional, or national issues greatly affected the role the institution played in improving the economic conditions of their home communities. By definition, HBCUs have historically had the special mission of providing educational services to African Americans. Many of the institutions, especially public ones, are now focusing on a much broader client base, both geographically and ethnically. The potential exists for the institutions to affect the economic development not only of their local communities, but entire regions as exemplified by Fayetteville State.
The fact that Fayetteville State University has chosen to focus its continuing education resources on teacher preparation does not mean that this is the only educational need of the regional economy. It means that this particular institution has chosen to remain true to its mission and to extend its strongest offerings to the larger community. But, in addition to responding to this very basic human capital development need, institutions can make significant contributions to the local economy by identifying the present and future specialized needs of the communities in which they find themselves.
FACTS
Location: Tallahassee, Florida
Carnegie Classification: Comprehensive I
Control: Public, Four Year, Land Grant 1994-95 Enrollment: 10,084 Economic Environment: Small City (<100,000) 4% unemployment rate 18.9% poverty rate
Florida A & M University (FAMU) began as the State Normal College for Colored Students. From its humble beginning in 1887 with an enrollment of 15 students and two instructors, the institution has grown to more than 10,000 students. It has undergone major changes along the way. In 1891, the school received its first land-grant funding under the second Morrill Act; and the name was changed to the State Normal and Industrial College for Colored Students. The name was changed again in 1909 to the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College for Negroes. The institution flourished during the first half of the 20th Century and had grown to an enrollment of 2,000 by 1949. In 1953, the college achieved university status by legislative action and was renamed Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU). It is now a Comprehensive I, public, four-year, land grant institution and is one of nine institutions in the Florida State University System (FSUS). Located in Tallahassee, the state capital, FAMU is in the same city with Florida State University, another state institution.
The last decade has been one of significant growth and unsurpassed accomplishments for FAMU. In 1985, enrollment was 5,100; statistics for 1994-95 showed total enrollment of 10,084. Although long noted for the brilliant maneuvers of its marching band, FAMU has also gained recognition for its academic offerings. The University offers several doctoral programs. Enjoying increased stature as well as increased enrollment, FAMU views itself as "Florida's Opportunity University."
When talking with administrators at Florida A&M University, one quickly notices a consistent theme. There is a palpable commitment to community and to community development. It was articulated by the President of the University; it was stated by the Director of Continuing Education (who reports to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, Research, and Continuing Education); and it was repeated by other University officials.
Definition of community. Though located in Tallahassee, FAMU considers itself to be a regional university and, in some cases, offers services throughout the State of Florida. The service area for continuing education includes an 18-county region in the northwestern portion of the state. Whereas Tallahassee and its home county, Leon, experienced an unemployment rate of just 4.0 percent for the 1990-93 period, the rate for Florida was at 7.1 percent. The poverty rate for the region was at 18.9 percent in 1989, 1.44 times the national rate.
According to FAMU officials, the institution is committed to providing educational, social, and economic activities via community outreach. The University includes much of the state of Florida in its definition of community.
Identification of community needs. According to FAMU's Director of Continuing Education, program staff use a variety of means to determine the need for continuing education services. They:
The involvement of FAMU administrators and faculty in The Economic Development Council of Tallahassee/Leon County, Inc., a Chamber of Commerce initiative, provides an additional source of information about community needs.
A review of labor market needs reveals that the Florida Department of Labor and Employment Security (1994) projects an overall increase of 41,000 jobs in the Tallahassee area between 1991 and 2005. Occupational groups with above average projected rates of job growth are: service occupations; managerial and administrative occupations; professional and technical occupations; and marketing and sales occupations.
Responding to community needs.FAMU uses various data sources to determine the continuing education course offerings that best meet community needs. Continuing education is defined as the provision of educational opportunities for non-traditional students in the form of credit and non-credit courses, workshops, seminars, and conferences. Program activities focus on:
Program offerings. All credit courses are planned and scheduled by the relevant academic departments and the revenue and expenses of the courses accrue to the departments. Graduate level courses are taught by regular department faculty, but many of the undergraduate courses are taught by adjunct faculty.
Many academic departments provide courses through continuing education: education, pharmacy, psychology, foreign languages, social work, physical education, music, math, and science. Among these are many of the University's strongest programs.
The strongest enrollments for non-credit courses at FAMU are for certification and re-certification of pharmacists and other professionals. These enrollment trends are consistent with the labor market projections for professional and technical occupations.
A unique offering is training for translators by FAMU's Critical Language Institute. It specializes in languages like Chinese and Arabic which are vital to the nation's economic and political security. These courses are offered, through Continuing Education, to businesses.
Related areas. A Small Business Development Center operates out of the same administrative unit of the University as continuing education, but is separate from it. It offers an array of services free to small businesses in five nearby counties. The Cooperative Education Office, also in the School of Graduate Studies, Research and Continuing Education, places traditional students as interns in local government agencies and businesses, allowing them to earn credit while gaining employment experience.
Community outreach. Through this and other arrangements, the University has developed strong community links. FAMU operates a joint engineering degree program with Florida State University. Through surveys of employers and advertisement of course offerings in the 18 counties in Northwestern Florida where programs are offered, FAMU seeks to meet the labor market needs of the region.
By knowing the needs of its community businesses, government, and community- based organizations FAMU's Continuing Education Program is able to provide a wide range of credit and non-credit courses to citizens throughout the State of Florida. Although the institution is based in Tallahassee, its commitment to community outreach has driven it to define and serve a broader community.
Promising Practices/Key Elements
A major challenge for Florida A&M University and for other higher education institutions is to develop creative and cost- effective means for letting the community know about the services that are available via continuing education. The larger and more diverse the service area, the greater the challenge. Although all colleges and universities have resources (i.e., faculty expertise, programs, facilities) that could benefit the surrounding community, unless they are promoted they may go largely unnoticed and unused. One of the institutions in the study was especially effective in reaching out to the community.
FACTS
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Carnegie Classification: Baccalaureate I
Control: Private, Four Year, Women's College
1994-95 Enrollment: 1,977
Economic Environment: Large City (1,000,000) 5.2% Unemployment Rate 9.9% Poverty Rate
Of all the Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the country, Spelman College is one of only two institutions with the unique mission of providing educational services to African American women. It was established in 1881; it is a private, independent, liberal arts institution.
Spelman is one institution among six, collectively known as the Atlanta University Center, which occupy adjoining property in the southwest area of Atlanta. These institutions made an explicit decision to collaborate in 1929, so facilities planning and class schedules reflect joint effort and cross-campus accessibility. While Spelman College is all female, both male and female students from the other institutions can attend Spelman's classes and vice-versa.
As a selective institution, Spelman accepted only about one out of three applicants in the fall of 1994. Virtually all of its students are full time and 59 percent of the students live on campus. All enrolled students are female and 98 percent of them are African American. Only 21 percent of the students come from Georgia; 77 percent come from other states; 2 percent come from other countries.
With an annual enrollment of around 2,000 students, Spelman caters to a national and an international population. However, the continuing education program at Spelman attempts to respond to the needs of nontraditional female students from the Atlanta community as well as to some of the pressing economic needs of the local neighborhood in which Spelman is located.
Mission. Spelman's mission focuses on the development of young women as leaders. It says:
The mission extends beyond intellectual development and professional career preparation of students. It seeks to develop the total person. ...This environment attempts to instill in students both an appreciation for the multicultural communities of the world in which they live and a sense of responsibility for bringing about positive change in those communities.
Although the institutional mission focuses on developing the individual woman, Spelman acknowledges that the individual has a responsibility to the community. One of the institutional goals of the College is to encourage students to appreciate the multicultural communities of the world and to take responsibility for bringing about positive changes in those communities.
Mission of continuing education. The purpose of Spelman's Continuing Education Program is twofold. First, it seeks to meet the educational needs of women over the age of 25 by providing options that will aid them in attaining a degree, securing new skills and knowledge, or changing career directions. Second, it seeks to provide opportunities for learners (adults of both genders) to develop personal potential through educational experiences.
Community needs. Atlanta is the capital of the State of Georgia and is at the center of a 20-county metropolitan area. The region is one of the fastest growing of the large metropolitan areas of the country. It had an annual average employment growth rate of 3.7 percent between 1984 and 1993 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1994).
Like many center cities of major metropolitan areas in the U.S., parts of Atlanta are not sharing in the economic growth opportunities. Although the 1989 poverty rate for the area was at 9.9 percent, the neighborhoods surrounding Spelman reflect a higher rate. Through its continuing education program, the College seeks to respond to the conditions of the local community.
Continuing education at Spelman is organized around two major goals: providing credit courses for women who seek to obtain a bachelor's degree in the evening hours and offering non-credit courses to businesses and entrepreneurs. As such, one component utilizes faculty from the academic departments and the other component relies upon adjunct faculty.
Drawing upon the faculty. Spelman offers an evening major in Human Services, an interdisciplinary program that draws courses from psychology, sociology, political science, economics, and education. This program is available to women who wish to pursue a degree part time during evening hours.
Academic department chairs provide the instruction by seeking faculty volunteers who are interested in teaching evening courses. The Dean of Continuing Education requests a two year schedule of courses for the extended hours based on the needs and requests of the students in the program. Thus, existing faculty are drawn upon to teach the courses needed by a particular cohort of students.
Brokering expertise. Whereas the credit component uses internal resources in the form of faculty, the non-credit offerings rely almost exclusively on external personnel. In its non-credit component, Spelman operates two initiatives. One is named Quality First and is designed to provide tailored training to employers on a contract basis. The other, developed with funding from Dow Jones, is the Dow Jones - Spelman College Entrepreneurial Center which serves existing and aspiring business owners (mostly African Americans) in the West End area of Atlanta, an economically depressed neighborhood adjoining the Spelman campus. The emphasis here is on providing technical assistance to businesses, encouraging business development, and assisting a distressed community.
Both programs require instructors with business expertise. Spelman does not have a business faculty since the college does not offer a business major. In order to serve the needs of employers and entrepreneurs who are seeking business-related training, Spelman uses experienced external practitioners to provide training and technical assistance support. Thus, the program functions in a brokerage capacity. It identifies community needs, finds resources to meet those needs, and brings the two elements together.
Spelman College's mission is to provide women with a liberal arts education and to help them develop leadership skills. It draws upon a national student population. The academic programs offered by the institution are not those, such as business, that are generally associated with economic development. By conventional standards, Spelman would not be expected to be involved with traditional economic development activities. Yet, by drawing upon internal faculty resources and external business expertise, the College focuses on human capital development and business development activities.
Promising Practices/Key Elements
As a part of the Atlanta University Center, which operates a Community Development Corporation (CDC), Spelman has access to the CDC as an additional resource that it might draw upon. Some institutions rely upon collaborative relationships as the basis for expanding their services.
FACTS Location: Orangeburg, South Carolina
Carnegie Classification: Comprehensive I
Control: Public, Four Year, Land Grant
1994-95 Enrollment: 4,693
Economic Environment: Rural Area (<25,000) 7.8% unemployment rate 21.1% poverty rate
South Carolina State University was originally established in 1872 in compliance with the first Morrill Act of 1862. It was first named South Carolina Agricultural and Mechanical Institute and existed within Claflin University. Later, to comply with the second Morrill Act of 1890, the South Carolina General Assembly enacted legislation for the severance of the institution from Claflin University. At that point, the institution was renamed the Colored, Normal, Industrial Agricultural and Mechanical College of South Carolina. In 1954, the name was officially changed to South Carolina State University by an Act of the General Assembly (South Carolina State University Undergraduate University Catalog 1994-1995).
South Carolina State University awards 40 percent of all baccalaureate degrees earned by African Americans in South Carolina. Catering mainly to undergraduate students, the University offers master's degrees in teaching professions, human services, and agribusiness; it also offers a doctoral degree in Educational Administration. As the 1890 land-grant institution in South Carolina, the University is considered to be a statewide resource. It has historically served the black citizenry of the state and continues in this tradition.
South Carolina State University is located in Orangeburg, South Carolina, a town with a population of 13,000. Located near the geographical center of the state, the town is in the county of Orangeburg, which has an overall population of 86,000. The University's service area goes beyond the county boundaries and includes the entire state.
Institutional mission. The University catalog says:
With its traditional focus on teacher education, research, and service, South Carolina State University has as its mission the obligation to provide undergraduate instruction which combines liberal arts with vocational education.... Furthermore, as a land-grant institution, the University conducts research which is directed toward improving the quality of life for rural South Carolinians.
The mission statement embodies two specific purposes: (1) to produce graduates who are capable of earning a living and participating in the dynamics of community and societal concerns and (2) to fulfill the function of serving the continuing academic needs of educational, social services, and business personnel in the University's geographical region of the state.
Labor market area. The Orangeburg labor market area is defined as a nine county, largely rural area. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (1994) data indicate an average unemployment rate of 7.8 percent over the 1990-93 period; the Executive Director of the Orangeburg County Development Commission reported a 9.2 percent 1995 rate of unemployment. The poverty rate in the area hovers above 20 percent. By widely accepted economic indicators, Orangeburg is a poor area.
Area employers described a struggling work force where many of the employees cannot read and comprehend written instructions. They expressed a strong need for training in basic skills reading, writing, and mathematics. Some companies have moved to institute their own basic skills training programs.
This is the environment in which South Carolina State University finds itself, and its continuing education program has made a commitment to contribute to changing that environment. The Center for Adult and Continuing Education is the administrative unit which extends the University's resources to non-traditional students throughout the central area of South Carolina. The Director of the Center for Adult and Continuing Education, who reports to the Vice President for Academic Affairs through the Assistant Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies, says that education enhances employability and promotability; it creates higher paid employees; these are key elements of economic development (MacGillivray & Richmond, 1996).
Education services. Teacher education is one of the major resources that the institution offers to the community, and it is the primary focus of the Center for Adult and Continuing Education. Regular curriculum courses are offered through four components:
All of the credit courses are the same as those offered in the regular curriculum and they are normally taught by regular faculty members. On certain occasions, courses are taught by adjunct faculty. The Center's priority has been providing training to teachers and aspiring teachers.
Other services.
In addition to the educational offerings of the Center for Adult and Continuing Education, the University operates a Small Business Development Center. This center
provides technical assistance to small businesses and is housed in the School of Business. Although these two units of the institution do not work collaboratively, there is great potential for them to do so.
The Center for Adult and Continuing Education has extended its services beyond the Orangeburg campus to the larger community through collaborative arrangements with other educational institutions.
School district relationships. The University serves 17 school districts with undergraduate and graduate courses. University personnel provide continuing education courses to school personnel through the employee's school district. Public school superintendents request special needs courses which normally would not be listed in the course catalog. The Center for Adult and Continuing Education also regularly surveys school districts throughout the state on the training needs of their employees. Based on requests and responses to surveys, the Center provides courses to nearly 2,000 non-traditional students annually through its campus offerings and its continuing education sites throughout the state.
Community college linkage. The Center further extends its services beyond its historic boundaries by participating in a "2 + 2" arrangement with Greenville Technical College, a two year institution. Greenville Tech students desiring four-year degrees can complete the first two years at the Technical College. South Carolina State University will provide faculty to go to Greenville Technical College to offer the next two years of instruction. Through this arrangement, South Carolina State University is able to extend its educational services to persons in other areas of the state.
By both of these collaborative arrangements, the Center for Adult and Continuing Education is able to provide its educational capabilities to a wider and larger audience than it could have by operating alone. The Center has gained a reputation for effectively preparing teachers who pass the state's certification examination and who get jobs.
Approximately 81 percent of the students in the continuing education program are African American females who are currently employed as teaching assistants, bus drivers, and in other low paying positions. The Director of the Center is most proud of the program's success in helping to elevate people from lower to higher paying positions. The Center, through collaborative arrangements, is helping to improve occupational opportunities and, therefore, contributing to the economic development of the rural areas of South Carolina.
Promising Practices/Key Elements
The continuing education program at South Carolina State University demonstrates how an HBCU can significantly expand its service area and its client base through collaborative arrangements. Collaborations may take a number of different forms such as:
Collaborative arrangements enable institutions to extend their services beyond historic and geographic boundaries. In addition to helping institutions to reach new clienteles, such involvements contribute to enhanced opportunities to upgrade the skills of a larger segment of the population. This is especially important in rural areas where people are geographically dispersed. Other approaches may be more effective for urban areas.
FACTS
Location: Washington, D.C.
Carnegie Classification: Comprehensive I
Control: Public, Four Year, Metropolitan Land Grant
1994-95 Enrollment: 10,599
Economic Environment: Large Urban Area (>1,000,000) 7.4% Unemployment Rate 14.4% Poverty Rate
The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) is a Comprehensive I, land grant institution situated in the heart of Washington, D.C. the nation's capital. It was founded in 1977 by consolidating The District of Columbia's Teachers College, Federal City College, and the Washington Technical Institute under one management. The history of the institution is an interesting one. In 1851, Myrtilla Miner founded a "school for colored girls." It became Miner Normal School in 1879 and was made part of the public school system. Meanwhile, Washington Normal School was established in 1873 for white girls, and was renamed Wilson Normal School in 1913. The two schools merged in 1955 to form the District of Columbia Teachers College.
Both Federal City College, a liberal arts institution, and Washington Technical Institute were founded in the early 1960's to meet the educational needs of the District of Columbia. They were both granted land grant status in 1968. After a series of administrative and legislative acts, all three institutions were consolidated into one in 1977 (The University of the District of Columbia 1995 Self-Study Report, "Stepping into the 21st Century," February 23, 1995).
Unique in status and in setting, UDC is also unique in several other aspects:
The University occupies three campuses in the Northwest sector of Washington, D.C., but its service area encompasses the entire city.
The Provost of UDC spoke passionately about the commitment of the University to provide the education necessary for District residents to "acquire careers, occupations, and professions" and to "promote a healthy, energized community by focusing teaching and research on the community's problems." This commitment is embodied in the University's mission statements.
Mission. In 1995, UDC was undergoing major administrative and organizational changes. One such change was reflected in the differences between its approved and its proposed mission statements. The existing mission, approved in 1977, reads, in part:
Among the land grant institutions of America, the University of the District of Columbia has a unique opportunity to direct the land grant traditions of teaching, research, and public service to urban problems. Aware of the urgent need for strengthening intercultural harmony, the University is committed to fostering an appreciation of the variety of cultural styles which characterize our city and the American people.
The proposed mission statement, which had not been approved at the time of data collection for this study, shows a somewhat different focus:
As an urban institution serving a diverse population, the University focuses and deploys its resources toward identifying and alleviating urban problems, especially those of the Nation's Capital.... Its urban land grant status affords it unique opportunities to perform teaching, research, and service activities that extend into the community at large and that touch on personal and family daily living issues...
The latter focus acknowledges that Washington is comprised of persons from many different backgrounds. It also emphasizes the importance of using the institution's resources to meet community needs. For UDC, the community includes the population of Washington, DC as well as some of the surrounding areas.
Labor market area. The larger Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) includes counties in Maryland as well as counties and cities in Virginia. While the District of Columbia is the economic center of this expansive region, it represents only a small portion of the total economic activity of the area. The larger region tends to compare favorably with the rest of the nation on economic indicators such as unemployment rates and poverty rates. The District of Columbia, by itself, is significantly higher on these variables than the rate for the region. For example, the poverty rate for the region was at 6.1 percent in 1989 (1990 Census data) while the poverty rate for Washington was at 14.4 percent.
Occupational employment projections developed by the District of Columbia Department of Employment Services (1994) indicate that the region will experience an annual average total employment growth rate of 2.5 percent to the Year 2000. There are about 60 specific occupations in which jobs are projected to increase by an average of at least 50 annually. Occupations with a 70 percent or higher anticipated growth rate include: paralegal personnel, office machine services, computer operators, teacher aides, food preparation workers, and elementary school teachers.
The educational needs of the District are affected by the future availability of jobs, the poverty rate of the area, and the unique makeup of the District's population. UDC has organized its continuing education unit -- The Continuing Education Program -- to make maximum use of the resources available to meet the needs of the citizens and residents of the District of Columbia.
Identification of needs. Several sources of information are used to design the program. Requests from the District of Columbia Government are given particular attention since it has been the single largest and most consistent user. Program staff review labor market data published by the D.C. Department of Employment Services which points out general occupational trends. Staff also are closely attuned to changes in Federal and District policies to determine implications for the program. For example, the decision of area hospitals to require rectification for all nurses aides meant that 2,000 nurses aides needed training. UDC bid for, and won, the contract to provide the training. The Continuing Education Program is able to identify, and move quickly to respond to, needs due to its organizational structure and staffing plan.
Administrative organization. The Director of Continuing Education reports directly to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. Interaction with academic departments of the University is informal and based on contacts for courses to be offered in the Continuing Education Program. Faculty help to design new curricula and courses; and in some cases, they may also teach in the program. Faculty are paid for these extra services by an internal contractual arrangement with the departmental chairs. Most of the teaching is performed by teachers hired directly by the Program.
Operating with a very small administrative staff the Director and a secretary the Continuing Education Program uses program directors to coordinate the direct delivery of services to the public. Among the program areas are Employment and Training which provides services on an ongoing contractual basis to the District of Columbia Department of Employment Services; the Youth Offender Program which provides vocational skills training; the Lorton Prison Program which provides basic and vocational skills training; and the Health Aide Program which prepares persons for certification. In addition to these programs, the Continuing Education Program provides (1) certification training for taxicab drivers, food handling supervisors, and real estate brokers; (2) preparation for the General Education Development test; (3) retraining for dislocated workers, and (4) English as a Second Language (ESL) training.
The Director of Continuing Education and the respective program directors meet monthly to review offerings and to make decisions regarding programs. As long as the activity can be provided within the Continuing Education Program's space and can be offered within the Program's budget, no one else reviews the decision to proceed. If an offering requires the assistance of an academic department, then the departmental chair is consulted. This simplicity of organizational administration is essential given the geographical dispersion of the Continuing Education Program.
Locations. Consistent with its philosophy of seeking to address urban problems, the Community Education Program is headquartered just off 14th Street in Northwest Washington (away from the main Van Ness Campus on Connecticut Avenue, NW). In addition to the headquarters site, where many courses are offered, there are sites in downtown Washington on Vermont Avenue, at a youth offenders facility, at a prison unit, and on the main campus.
Employees of the District of Columbia are able to enroll in computer courses and management skills improvement courses at their work sites. Clients of District government agencies may take basic skills courses and ESL classes at District facilities.
Program activities are offered at locations that are deemed to be most accessible for the clientele. The Continuing Education Program is the arm of the University that provides outreach services and training to the residents of the Washington metropolitan area. This is facilitated by offering programs at sites throughout the City.
Program structures. All courses offered by the Continuing Education Program are non-credit. The unit provides a continuum of courses that help individuals prepare for the workforce. Basic skills and ESL classes are often required before students are able to begin certification courses. Certain occupations in the District require certification (e.g., taxicab drivers, food handling supervisors, health environment technicians, health aides). Persons with minimal English language skills are able to gain ESL training and certification training through the continuing education program.
The continuing education program offers extensive training in computer skills, and provides computer assisted learning. The Computer Maintenance and Repair Certificate program has samples of all the leading personal computers on the market for students to dissemble, study, and reassemble.
In addition to providing certification training for many occupations, the Continuing Education Program also serves as a point of entry to the University for many students. According to the Director, 56 percent of the students who take continuing education courses go on to take additional courses at the University.
The Community Education Program has been organized so that (1) resources can be quickly mobilized to respond to requests for training, (2) training sites are easily accessible, and (3) course offerings meet the needs of the diverse population of the District of Columbia. By locating its headquarters in one of the most economically depressed areas of the City, the Continuing Education Program demonstrated its commitment to contributing to the economic improvement of the District.
Promising Practices/Key Elements
UDC recognizes the diverse needs of the residents of the nation's capital. Many are new to the country; many are new to the District; many do not speak or read English; and many are unskilled. The Continuing Education Program reaches out to all of the residents (free and incarcerated) and attempts to meet their needs for educational and vocational training. The University's academic, physical, and personnel resources are fully utilized to provide instruction that spans the gamut from the most basic to the highly specialized.
FACTS
Location: Dover, Delaware
Carnegie Classification: Comprehensive II
Control: Public, Four Year, Land Grant
1994-95 Enrollment: 3,381
Economic Environment: Small City (<100,000) 6.7% Unemployment Rate 10.2% Poverty Rate
Established by the Delaware General Assembly under the provisions of the Morrill Act of 1890, Delaware State University was originally named The State College for Colored Students. In 1947, the name was changed to Delaware State College. The institution attained university status in 1993, at which time it was named Delaware State University. It is a public, 1890 land grant, Comprehensive II institution.
While 92 percent of its students are undergraduates, the institution does offer master's degrees in biology, chemistry, business administration, education, physics, and social work. Sixty-nine percent of the undergraduate students are African American and 26 percent are Caucasian. Of the approximately 300 graduate students, 53 percent of them are white. Most of Delaware State's students are enrolled full time, with 18 percent enrolled part-time; most of the part-time students are white.
Located in the middle of a compact, three-county state, Delaware State University draws students from neighboring states of New Jersey, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. However, 68 percent of the students come from Delaware. With its main campus located in Dover, Delaware State University is the public four-year institution closest to the population of the southern part of the state. Thus, it is the campus of convenience for many commuter students. The institution also offers off-campus programs about an hour's drive from Dover in each of the other two counties of the state.
The State of Delaware consists of three counties: New Castle to the north (home of Wilmington, Delaware), Kent in the Center (the location of Delaware State University and Dover, the State Capital), and Sussex to the south. Ranked 49th in the nation in size, Delaware is only 96 miles long. Because of the State's size, Delaware State University is able to offer programs in the north, central, and southern regions of the state.
While recognizing its heritage as a historically black institution, the University now serves a diverse student population. The mission is to "... provide for the people of Delaware, and others who are admitted, meaningful and relevant education that emphasizes both the liberal and professional aspects of higher education."
The continuing education efforts of the University uphold this mission by offering both credit-bearing degree programs and non-credit bearing classes. Programs are offered on the main campus in Dover and at two off-campus sites: one in New Castle County (Wilmington) and one in Sussex County to the south.
Programming for the Dover area. The continuing education offerings on the main campus are coordinated by the Assistant Vice President for Continuing Education and Summer Programs, who reports to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The major focus of these non-credit courses is on professional development and personal development. Some courses are offered by University faculty and others are offered by local community practitioners. Most of the credit-bearing offerings are provided by the two off-campus sites.
Most of the continuing education offerings of the main campus are not geared toward economic development. However, three outreach efforts, all in the Business School, exist solely for that purpose. They are: Minority and Small Business Entrepreneurial Center (MASBEC), Small Business Development Center (SBDC), and the Delaware Procurement Technical Assistance Center (DPTAC). The off-campus continuing education functions are supportive of economic development.
Programming at off-campus sites. Each of the two off-campus programs operates under the auspices of a director who reports to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The Sussex County program operates in a State Higher Education building in a rural area near the southern border of the state. The principal occupant of the building is the Delaware Technical and Community College; but the University of Delaware, Wilmington College, and Delaware State all share the facility. The directors of the programs for these different institutions meet to coordinate their various programs to avoid duplication or competition. Delaware Technical and Community College is a feeder school for the four-year programs, and students can take courses simultaneously from more than one institution.
The Director of Higher Education, Delaware State University - Sussex, surveys area employers regarding their higher education needs. One such survey identified the need for employees with strong preparation in biology to work in an animal vaccine production company. The Director arranged with Biology faculty from the main campus to prepare the curriculum for a master's degree program to be offered at Sussex during evening hours.
The Wilmington Center operates in much the same manner as the Sussex site. It offers three master's level programs in addition to other credit and non-credit courses. Both University faculty and local practitioners serve as course instructors. The directors of the off-campus sites negotiate directly with department chairs at the Dover campus for faculty to teach their credit courses.
This configuration, of offering courses on the main campus and at two satellite locations, enables citizens in all regions of the state to partake of Delaware State's educational offerings. Because the sites are shared with other higher education institutions with different offerings, students may, on a flexible schedule, complete courses from the GED level through a master's degree. Delaware State's students are able to take advantage of offerings from their own institution and from other colleges and universities.
Delaware State University is in the position of using its strongest academic programs to positively influence economic development throughout the state. Its continuing education program mainly focuses its efforts to supporting the human capital development role.
Although the age of electronic communications renders it possible to provide instruction to persons in almost any location in the country, the geographical location of an institution still has an impact on its ability to affect its economic environment. With its main campus centrally located in the state, Delaware State University has been able to develop programs that serve the entire state.
Promising Practices/Key Elements
Delaware is a state with urban, small town, and rural areas. Delaware State University, by virtue of its location in the center of the state, has been able to develop continuing education programs that respond to citizens in the northern urban area, to citizens in the central area with small towns, and to citizens in the southern rural areas. By, in effect, establishing three independently operating continuing education programs, the institution has been able to take advantage of its location in each area. The offerings in each location respond to the special needs of that locale.
FACTS
Location: Hampton, Virginia
Carnegie Classification: Comprehensive I
Control: Private, Four Year
1994-95 Enrollment: 5,769
Economic Environment: Small City (<100,000) 5.5% Unemployment Rate 11.4% Poverty Rate Located on the Virginia Peninsula where the James and York Rivers join, Hampton University commands a picturesque presence. It is a Comprehensive I, coeducational, nonsectarian, private institution. It was established in 1868 as Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute. In 1930, the name was changed to Hampton Institute to reflect the expanded role the institution was playing in industrial society.
In 1984, after more than a century of expansion and growth, the name was changed to Hampton University in recognition of the historic evolution of the institution. The name Hampton Institute was retained to refer to the Undergraduate College. At the time of this change, two other principal units of the institution were identified: the Graduate College and the College of Continuing Education.
Of Hampton's 5,769 students enrolled in 1994-95, 445 were graduate students. Most of the undergraduate students (60 percent) reside on the campus. The enrollment is mainly reflective of the school's heritage with 85 percent of the students being African American, 10 percent being Caucasian, and other ethnic/racial groups comprising the remaining five percent. Hampton draws 80 percent of its students from outside the State of Virginia.
Hampton is uniquely situated in an area that is dominated by military installations. The region is the hub of Norfolk-Newport News-Portsmouth military defense activity provided by the United States Navy. It is fed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Langley Research Center, Langley Air Force Base, and Fort Monroe (an Army installation).
The economy of the region has been historically dominated by military activity. Approximately half of the area's labor force is involved in services and government employment. Virginia Employment Commission (1994) projections to the Year 2005 indicate that the greatest occupational growth will be in the area of professional and technical occupations, service occupations, and administrative support occupations.
Under the entrepreneurial leadership of its president, Hampton University has embarked on several business development efforts. The institution owns a shopping center and an apartment complex on property adjoining the campus. The College of Continuing Education and several other university programs, along with commercial businesses, are housed in the shopping center developed by Hampton University.
The College of Continuing Education at Hampton has developed its program around the needs of adult learners who are interested in for-credit courses in professional, technical, and administrative fields. The program offers certificates as well as associate, bachelor, and master's degrees. Continuing education is viewed as "... a lifelong process which builds upon the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of the individual...." The program functions exclusively to accommodate the adult learner with an alternative way of meeting educational goals.
Identification of needs. According to the Dean of the College of Continuing Education, the goals of the program are to prepare students to:
With these clearly established goals, Hampton chose to make the offerings in continuing education completely different from those of the regular day-time academic programs. For example, all of the degree majors offered through continuing education are different from those of the Undergraduate College and the Graduate School.
Developing programs to meet needs. The College of Continuing Education offers bachelor's degrees in: General Studies, Emergency Medical Systems Management, Paralegal Studies, Business Management, Fire Administration, Systems Organization and Management, and Nuclear Engineering Technology. Courses are designed and developed based on the requests of the client population. The major clients are the military installations and local governmental agencies.
Program areas are coordinated by four educational specialists who have responsibility for arranging courses, recruiting faculty, registering students, counseling students, and in some cases, teaching. The responsibilities of the specialists are divided as follows:
The organization of the unit as well as the offerings highlight the populations served by the program military and government workers.
Making courses accessible. Recognizing that working adults needed courses that were easily accessible to their jobs, the College of Continuing Education at Hampton offers classes on the main campus as well as at Langley Air Force Base, Fort Monroe, Huntington Hall (Newport News Shipyard), Fort Eustis, Riverside Hospital, Patrick Henry Airport, and at various fire stations throughout the Peninsula area.
In a further move to make courses convenient to students, Hampton offers both day time and evening courses. The College of Continuing Education uses practitioners rather than regular faculty to teach most of its courses. Therefore, scheduling around other courses is not an issue. The College operates on a calendar year schedule and offers five 9-week evening sessions each year to permit students to complete a four-year degree program in four years.
By focusing on military installations and governmental entities and by developing degree programs in response to the needs of those clients, Hampton has a well-defined niche in strengthening the job skills of persons in the Peninsula area. The special niches are in providing degrees in fire administration, emergency services, and paralegal studies. By having the ability to operate independently, by identifying needs of the local labor market, and by responding to those needs, Hampton University has been able to carve out a niche for its continuing education program that is unrivaled in the area. The unique configuration of the local labor market, coupled with the unique organization of the continuing education program, enabled the institution to draw upon relationships and use its resources to tailor offerings for the military and government.
Promising Practices/Key Elements
Hampton has been able to develop and maintain a thriving continuing education program that focuses almost exclusively on serving the public sector of the economy. The continuing education staff systematically studies the labor market needs of the area, identifies the major public and private contributors to the economy, and develops relationships with key players.
FACTS
Location: Houston, Texas
Carnegie Classification: Comprehensive I
Control: Public, Four Year, Land Grant
1994-95 Enrollment: 10,078
Economic Environment: Large City (>1,000,000) 6.3% Unemployment Rate 15.1% Poverty Rate
Relatively young, Texas Southern University was established in 1947 for the purpose of serving the black population of Texas. The Comprehensive I, land grant institution is located in Houston. By 1995, the institution had grown to serve more than 10,000 students annually. The scope of the institution has been broadened to provide educational opportunities for all Texas citizens and, to a lesser extent, for a world citizenry.
The University defines itself as a special purpose institution for urban programming which offers programs and instruction leading to baccalaureate, master's, professional, and doctorate degrees through four schools and four colleges.
The Houston Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area (PMSA) contains a population of 3.6 million people, which makes it the nation's eighth most populous metropolitan area, and it is Texas' largest metro area. Houston proper has a population of 1.7 million inhabitants. Houston is an international city. One in eight Houstonians (more than 500,000) is foreign-born. Houston represents the nation's sixth largest concentration of Hispanics and its largest concentration of Asians.
Houston is in the somewhat enviable position of having more trained employees than skilled jobs require. Many college graduates are working in jobs that would be filled elsewhere by high school graduates (MacGillivray & Richmond, 1996).
The College of Continuing Education's mission is
"... to remain fiscally sound while delivering quality service and programs which augment the goals of the University, College and School, and urban community through broadbased collaboration."
Its vision is to provide lifelong learning opportunities for urban citizens. Through collaboration with university schools and colleges in credit and non-credit initiatives, its goals are to:
Collaboration with the other institutional units is facilitated by the organizational structure of the University. The Dean of the College of Continuing Education reports to the Provost, as do all the other deans. The continuing education program is integrated with the academic units of the University and all continuing education classes and programs are offered through that unit.
The Dean and the staff of continuing education engage in a strategic planning process including a "SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) Analysis" to determine the economic and social environment and the windows of opportunity in which the continuing education program has to operate. As a part of this analysis, the College of Continuing Education conducts surveys of, and makes contacts with, businesses and governmental agencies to identify the educational requirements of the service area. Using the collected information, the College develops a strategic plan for the continuing education program. The plan addresses the mission of the University and the mission of the College of Continuing Education; it identifies state and national trends for enrollment in continuing education programs; and it highlights the needs of the Houston economy. The plan specifically calls for the University to address two critical issues: resource allocations and collaborations.
College of Continuing Education staff focus on cultivating relationships both internally and externally. The internal need is for staff to work with academic departments to develop and implement credit programs that are offered through continuing education.
The external need is for staff to continue to establish and cultivate relationships with businesses, governmental agencies, professional organizations, and community agencies. Existing relationships include:
The latter collaborative effort is designed for colleges and universities to be actively involved in rebuilding Houston's economy. The College of Continuing Education at Texas Southern University is engaging in the strategic planning and the cultivating of relationships that will enable it to play a significant role in rebuilding Houston's economy.
Promising Practices/Key Elements
The College of Continuing Education at Texas Southern University has been successful in building collaborative relationships with business, industry, and government for a number of reasons. One, the leadership of the College promotes collaboration with other units of the institution. Two, the program carefully assesses community and industry needs. Three, the findings are used to plan programs strategically. Four, the College recognizes that relationship building is an ongoing process. Consequently, it is involved with the economic development of the Houston area.
These vignettes about nine HBCUs describe the functions of their continuing education programs within the context of their economic environments. Most of them provide offerings that support their institutional missions.
Approximately half of the programs choose offerings based on the results of labor market data and community assessments. Offerings range from basic skills instruction to master's degrees. Client bases are equally broad and include individuals, governmental agencies, military installations, school districts, and to a lesser extent, businesses.
For the most part, HBCUs are fulfilling human capital development and business development roles as they support the economic development needs of their service areas. Continuing education departments at HBCUs facilitate institutional involvement with the development of their communities. They have the capacity to do even more.
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