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[References] On the Road to Economic Development - December 1996
If an institution chooses to adopt the Continuing Education Economic Development (CEED) Model, it will have major implications for institutional administrators, continuing education program administrators, collaborators, current and prospective users of the services, the community, and policymakers. Some of the implications for key stakeholders are briefly explored.
Adoption of the CEED Model by an institution represents, at the minimum, a three-year commitment of staff, faculty, and financial resources. Allowing at least three years is important because much of the first year will need to be devoted to data gathering, developing and/or strengthening internal and external relationships, developing a strategic plan, and organizing the program. During the second year, the program can be fully implemented. Results of the effort will likely become evident during the third year.
For the effort to be successful, the program needs the blessings and support of the chief executive officer, the chief academic officer, and the chief financial officer. Blessings connote public and private endorsement of the initiative. Support means making available the personnel, material, and financial resources that are needed to launch the effort and allow it time to become viable and self-sufficient.
Support also means that the senior officers of the institution:
The other major implication of model adoption for administrators is assumption of responsibility for its success. The model calls for evaluation as a component of implementation. Senior administrators will need to monitor the program and see that corrections are made if it veers off course. If full institutional support is provided and the initiative is not successful after three years, the tough decision of abolishing that aspect of the continuing education program must be made.
Day-to-day responsibility for implementing the CEED Model will rest with the director of continuing education or a designee. This individual may need to depart radically from customary operating procedures.
For example, some program administrators scoff at the notion of using labor market data and conducting surveys of potential service users. They indicate that they offer courses and if they "make" there is a market; if they don't, then there is not a need. Identification of current and projected labor market needs is at the crux of the model. Conducting assessments of community needs are also essential. Carrying out this type of systematic analysis of labor market and community needs may be tedious, but it is necessary. Program offerings must be based on future occupational needs of the area and they must reflect the needs of changing communities.
Development of a detailed strategic plan also will demand considerable time and energy by program staff. The process requires:
Implementing the strategic plan and organizing the program call for political savvy and diplomatic aplomb. The continuing education administrator will need to work with, and through, many other people to accomplish program objectives. This must be done in such a manner that no one is alienated or left out of the process. At the same time, senior institutional administrators need to be kept apprised of developments and achievements.
The continuing education administrator will be held operationally responsible for whether or not the foray into economic development activities makes or breaks the department. This person must be totally committed to the effort before a decision is made to embark on the journey.
A major challenge for the continuing education administrator and his or her economic development coordinator will be developing collaborative arrangements with business, industry, and governmental entities as well as other educational entities and community-based organizations. The initiative, however, must come from the institution.
Many business leaders profess a lack of knowledge or information about the capabilities and offerings of HBCUs in their communities. Once informed about an institution's services and repeatedly encouraged to use those that match employee needs, the business as a corporate citizen has some responsibility for availing itself of the offerings. It is important that business, industry, and governmental bodies provide HBCUs the same opportunities to work collaboratively with them as are afforded other colleges and universities. Through such partnerships, an HBCU may be better able to serve all its customers.
Potential users of economic development-related continuing education services include individuals seeking to gain or enhance employment opportunities, organizations striving to improve the skills of their employees, governmental agencies needing data and analyses, entrepreneurs trying to develop businesses, and mature businesses looking for avenues to expand. The consumers should be willing to pay a fair price in exchange for the use of the institution's expertise.
The key to assuring that consumers will pay a fair price for the institution's services is to provide high quality services at convenient times in accessible locations. The evaluation component of the CEED Model is designed to address the quality assurance issue. Consumers and prospective clients will need to be encouraged to provide the program with candid feedback about the quality and value of the services rendered. For example, if businesses are dissatisfied with training or analyses provided under contract, they have an obligation to inform the program administrator so that adjustments can be made. In traveling new paths, mistakes are sometimes made. The institution needs to be informed of its shortcomings, so that corrective actions can be taken.
Time and location are other factors that will affect use of services. To be responsive to consumer needs, the institution may be required to offer weekend sessions, in addition to evening classes. Serving business and industry may involve conducting more courses during the normal business day. Serving clients in rural areas or clients in diverse locations may require the use of distance learning technology. Many continuing education programs expand their client base geographically by offering programs in the communities.
For the purpose of this guide, community is defined as the amorphous entity that includes people, institutions, and social systems within the context of a defined geographical and economic environment. Within a community, there will be individuals and organizations that utilize services and many that do not. The institution, however, will be affected by both users and non-users. It is important that HBCUs solicit the support of non-users, who may benefit indirectly from its efforts to contribute to the economic uplift of the area.
Such support might be in the form of making classroom facilities available in public schools, church fellowship halls, community colleges, and community centers. It might be in the form of a neighboring higher education institution making its distance learning equipment accessible. It might be in the form of the local police force providing additional patrols in the area of evening classes. Or it might be in the form of a community escort service that accompanies people to their cars after evening classes. It is especially important that as HBCUs attract new clients that they continue to make overtures to the communities which have traditionally supported them. The focus is on expanding the populations served rather than on exchanging one segment of the community for another.
It is, therefore, critical that HBCUs enlist the support of area residents to promote and publicize offerings. Neighborhood volunteers can post signs, distribute flyers, make announcements during public gatherings, or contribute items for newsletters. Strong community support for institutional programs have the potential for garnering additional resources for the institution and the community.
The CEED Model has strong implications for an institution's interactions with policymakers at local, state, and federal levels. Many different economic development models and strategies have been undertaken during the last quarter century, particularly for blighted neighborhoods in African American communities. Most of those efforts have bypassed HBCUs.
The colleges and universities that have served the historic role of providing baccalaureate and graduate degrees for the vast majority of African Americans would seem to be the logical instruments for providing educational and training opportunities for the larger community. They have demonstrated their ability to educate, refine, and cultivate persons from disadvantaged and disenfranchised backgrounds. As HBCUs increasingly open their doors to individuals from various racial and ethnic groups, it seems appropriate for them also to expand their sphere of influence to include all aspects of the community.
Policymakers should have a particular interest in the extent to which HBCUs can contribute to the economic development of their immediate and regional communities. There is a widening gap in American society between high and low wage earners. HBCUs have consistently demonstrated their ability to help individuals move from low-income to middle-income families. Local, state, and federal policymakers should consider HBCUs as viable avenues for providing skills to underemployed and unemployed residents. This has tremendous implications for resource allocations at all levels of government. For example, federal initiatives such as the Joint Training Partnership Act might contract directly with HBCUs to provide training for unemployed persons. State social service agencies might utilize HBCUs to provide adult training for programs such as Aid to Families with Dependent Children. These are but a few of the ways in which HBCUs' involvement in economic development might affect policy.
For policymakers, the issue of worker preparation is very important. Can HBCUs, by increasing their involvement in economic development activities, significantly affect the number of adults who enter the 21st Century with knowledge and skills that will enable them to participate fully in the workforce? HBCUs already play a major role in the education and workforce preparation of large numbers of young people. Those institutions that strategically develop continuing education programs that focus on providing lifelong learning experiences for all of their citizenry will contribute greatly to their local communities and to the American economy. Implementation of the CEED Model will help Historically Black Colleges and Universities assume a key role in shaping the workforce of the 21st Century.
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