Board for State Academic Awards

 

 

 

At a Glance

 

MERLE W. HARRIS, Executive Director

SHIRLEY M. ADAMS, Deputy Executive Director

Established - 1973

Statutory authority – CGS Sec. 10a-143

Central office – 55 Paul Manafort Drive,

        New Britain, CT 06053-2142

Charter Oak State College

Average number of full-time and part-time employees - 44

Recurring operating expenses BSAA Operating Fund - $ 3.1 million

Organizational structure- Main office

Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium

Ed Klonoski, Executive Director

Average number of full-time and part-time employees - 13

Recurring operating expenses - $ 1.2 million

Organizational structure – Main office

 

Mission

     The Board for State Academic Awards (BSAA), established in 1973 by the Connecticut General Assembly, provides diverse and alternate opportunities for adults to earn degrees.  The Board accomplishes its mission through Charter Oak State College and the Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium.  Relying on the judgment of professional educators, the Board validates learning acquired through examinations, independent study, work experience, noncollegiate sponsored instruction and traditional study.  The Board seeks to

        1.     offer coherent, college level curricula and degree programs which incorporate transfer credit, examinations, and other methods of credit and competency validation;

        2.     develop valid and reliable tests and other methods to evaluate and assess experiential and extracollegiate learning as alternatives to classroom study;

        3.     provide access to educationally sound learning through a variety of means including video, computer- and other electronically-mediated technologies;

        4.     inform and guide the public about opportunities for earning credentials by alternative means;

        5.     provide testing and credit registry services, and information regarding such services, to the public;

        6.     extend access to higher education to all adults who demonstrate the ability to perform on the collegiate level and to foster enrollment and graduation of diverse populations; and

        7.     encourage innovation in meeting the needs of adult learners and to serve as an advocate for adult learners in higher education.

 

Charter Oak State College

Improvements/Achievements 2002-03

·         The College is pleased with both its total enrollment and the significant growth of enrollment in its distance learning courses.  Total enrollment of 1,576 on June 30, 2003 is 3.5 percent higher than total enrollment of 1,523 on June 30, 2002. Distance Learning enrollment in credit courses increased 27.3 percent, from 1,234 in 2002 to 1,572 in 2003. Non-credit enrollment increased 151 percent from 79 students to 170 students.

·         Revenue from enrollment in video-based courses increased 45 percent, from $139,850 in 2002 to $146,142 in 2003, while revenue from enrollment in online courses increased 49.3 percent, from $348,800 to $520,866 during the same period. 

·         Distance learning courses have been developed to assist Charter Oak students to meet general education requirements, as well as some key requirements of Charter Oak concentrations.  In FY 2003, approximately 30 percent of Charter Oak students took at least one Charter Oak distance-learning course. 

 

     In addition to growth in total enrollment and an increase in the number of distance learning courses made available during the past year, Charter Oak:

·          Adopted a new logo and branding identification

·          Celebrated its 30th anniversary year of awarding Degree’s Without Boundaries

·          Hired a new Vice President for Academic Affairs

·          Developed and adopted a new strategic plan

·          Graduated its largest class – 424 students including 16 participants in the Women in Transition program

·          Increased the amount of financial aid awards 124 percent from $315,706 in 2002 to $707,148 in 2003

·          Developed and implemented the Connecticut Director’s Credential with 27 awards made during the year

·          Streamlined and restructured student fees

·          Developed, with the CTDLC, a Data Center that will host both CTDLC servers -- currently hosted by a private vendor -- and COSC servers

 

Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium (CTDLC)

Improvements/Achievements 2002-03

·         Courses offered by CTDLC member organizations increased from 942 in FY 2002 to 1,100 in FY 2003.  Online student enrollment increased from 12,000 to over 16,000 in the same time period.

·         The CTDLC funded nine new online degree and certificate programs for workforce development initiatives.

·         The CTDLC funded four faculty development grants to member schools for a total of $40,000.

·         The Consortium created an online student portfolio system for the State’s Vocational Technology System.

·         The CTDLC received a $458,000 grant from the US Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE).  This three-year project takes the best practices delivering academic support services to online students within a single institution and uses a model developed by the CTDLC to facilitate a collaborative solution among multiple institutions.  Goals include: expanding the online tutoring program, implementing a multi-institution electronic portfolio system, creating a technology literacy assessment instrument, and creating a campaign to disseminate the project and its products.

·         The CTDLC upgraded its three Course Management Systems (CMS) that provide service to 17 Connecticut higher education institutions.  It also integrated the WebCT CMS with SCT Banner, the Community College System’s Student Information Database so both systems share information.

 

     Members of the Board during 2001-02: Chandler Howard, Farmington, chair; Astrid Hanzalek, Suffield, vice chair; Vincent Socci, New Canaan, secretary; Joseph Halloran, Middlebury; Carl Johnson, Westport; Joan Lamm-Tennant, Fairfield; John H. Titley, Esq., Watertown; alumni member represented by Michael Smegielski, Waterbury; and student member represented by Donna Markie, South Windsor.