Board for State Academic Awards

 

 

 

 

At a Glance

 

MERLE W. HARRIS, Executive Director

SHIRLEY M. ADAM, Deputy Executive Director

Established - 1973

Statutory authority – CGS Sec. 10a-143

Central office – 55 Paul Manafort Drive, New Britain, CT 06053-2150

Charter Oak State College

Average number of full-time and part-time employees - 45

Recurring operating expenses BSAA Operating Fund - $ 3.7 million

Organizational structure - Main office

Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium

ED KLONOSKI, Executive Director

Average number of full-time and part-time employees - 14

Recurring operating expenses - $ 1.1 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 college 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 computer, video 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 2003-04

·         Distance Learning enrollment increased 12.5 percent during the fiscal year.

·         The College increased its distance learning course offerings from 135 to 159.

·         The completion rate for students who enrolled in Charter Oak distance learning courses was 91 percent. 

·         The Class of 2004, the largest in the College’s history, numbered 507 and included 269 women and 238 men from 40 states. Graduates ranged in age from 18 to 65. Charter Oak awarded 358 Bachelor of Science degrees, 79 Bachelor of Arts degrees, 48 Associate of Science degrees and 22 Associate of Arts degrees. Average age of the graduates was 41. Ninety-three percent of graduates were employed full or part-time.

·         Developed a new concentration in Healthcare Administration.

·         Developed a new bachelor’s degree completion program in Public Safety Administration.

·         Inaugurated a new program in Homecare Nursing to assist nurses interested in transitioning to this new area of specialty practice.

·         The College’s Website was upgraded and redesigned allowing access to a wider range of information.

·         The staff of the Board for State Academic Awards implemented CoreCT (statewide financial, human resource and payroll systems) with outstanding ratings.

·         The College realized an increase in the number of students seeking non-traditional means, such as contract learning and portfolio review, to earn credits.

·         The College entered into two new educational partnerships to assist more students in completing their degrees.

·         Two new private sector grants and TANF Bonus Funds were received to support up to 45 new participants in the College’s Women In Transition program.

·         Financial aid programs grew from $707,148 in awards to 203 students in FY 2003 to $939,361 awarded to 210 students during FY 2004.

 

 

Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium (CTDLC)

                                  Improvements/Achievements 2003-04

·         Courses offered by CTDLC member organizations increased from 1,100 in FY 2003 to 1,300 in FY 2004.  Online student enrollment increased from 17,000 to over 20,000 in the same time period.

·         Completed the second year of a grant from the US Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE).  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.

·         Created an ePortfolio platform and a technology-literacy assessment instrument which is currently being piloted by 12 member institutions. Also created an online student portfolio system for the State’s Vocational Technology System.

·         Expanded the collaborative tutoring project.  Student usage more than doubled over the past year and currently 15 institutions are now paying to participate. 

·         Negotiated a collaboratively managed license for WebCT Vista, an enterprise Learning Management System, on behalf of UCONN, CSU and the Community Colleges.  The license is held by the CTDLC, and the collaborative purchase saved the State over $200,000.

·         Signed a five-year, $1.1 million dollar agreement with the CT Community Colleges to host their instance of WebCT Vista. By centralizing hosting support and expertise, the arrangement saves money and improves service.

·         Under a grant from the CT State Department of Education, the CTDLC developed a working model to deliver five online courses for the Adult Credit Diploma Program. This project finished its second year and looks forward to continuation in FY2004-05 with additional State Department funding, and an increased number of Adult Credit Diploma programs and students participating in collaborative online learning

 

Members of the Board during 2003-2004: Chandler Howard, Farmington, chair; Astrid Hanzalek, Suffield, vice chair; Vincent Socci, New Canaan, secretary; Joseph Halloran, Middlebury; Joan Lamm-Tennant, Fairfield; John Padilla, New Haven; John H. Titley, Esq., Watertown; alumni member represented by Michael Smegielski, Waterbury; and student member represented by Donna Markie, South Windsor.