Board of Trustees of Community-Technical Colleges

At a Glance

MARC S. HERZOG, Chancellor

Established - 1965

Statutory authority - CGS 10a-71 through 10a-80

System office - 61 Woodland Street,

Hartford, CT 06105

Approximate number of full-time employees - 2,232

Number of credit students - 46,489 fall 2,065; non-credit students - 39,162

Recurring operating expenditures (in thousands of dollars) -

General Fund* $145,087 * excluding fringe benefits

CTC Operating Fund $114,360

Grants $ 45,646

Capital Outlay $ 6,445

Organizational structure - A system of 12 colleges governed by an appointed Board of Trustees responsible for the system’s growth and development with operations coordinated by the System Chancellor’s Office.

Mission and Statutory Responsibility

The statutory responsibility of the community colleges, as reflected in Connecticut General Statutes 10a-80, is (1) to provide programs of occupational, vocational, technical and career education designed to provide training for immediate employment, job retraining or upgrading of skills to meet individual, community and state workforce needs; (2) to provide general programs including, but not limited to, remediation, general and adult and continuing education designed to meet individual student goals; (3) to provide liberal arts and sciences and career programs for college transfer; (4) to provide community services and continuing education to respond to workforce needs or to address career, personal, instructional, cultural and public interests; (5) to provide student support services including, but not limited to, admissions, counseling, testing, placement, individualized instruction and efforts to serve students with special needs.

Public Service

In the 2006-07 academic year, the system continued to enroll nearly 50 percent of all undergraduates in Connecticut public higher education. Fall 2006 headcount enrollment in credit courses totaled 46,489, and Full-Time Equivalent enrollments reached 26,050. 2006 marked the third year of record high enrollments in both headcount and FTE, with each year showing increases beyond the historic highs of 1992. Since 1998 headcount enrollment has grown by 18% and FTE enrollment has grown by 37%. The growth in the number of full-time students attending the colleges since 1998 stands at 74%, an increase that has significant implications for delivery of instruction, facilities planning, and demand for services by a younger, more traditional-age student population. Approximately 64% of students attended part-time while 36 percent attended full-time. The average age of students was 28, with more than 50 percent of the students in the system over age 22. Women comprised 62.5 percent of the student population; minority enrollments represented 32.5 percent, with African-Americans and Hispanics constituting 29 percent of the student population. These African-American and Hispanic students represent two-thirds of the African American and Hispanic undergraduates enrolled in public institutions of higher education in Connecticut. Approximately one-third of college enrollments (35%) were in Liberal Arts, General Studies and the College of Technology, a statewide pathway curriculum, all of which offer the first two years of baccalaureate education for students interested in transfer. Another twenty percent of enrollments were in non-degree courses that expand the student’s knowledge base while improving literacy, communication, and workforce skills. The remaining credit enrollments, (45%) are in occupational, vocational, technical, and career-related degree and certificate programs that provide training for immediate employment, job retraining, and upgrading of skills to meet the needs of Connecticut’s workers and employers. Non-credit programs, focused on skill building and personal interests, serve more than 39,000 students each calendar year. On average, forty-six percent of non-credit registrations are related to workforce development as individuals look for career advancement, retraining, new or upgraded skills by continuing their educations.

Improvements/Achievements 2006-07

Academic Affairs

During 2006-2007, the Board of Trustees approved 33 new associate degrees, degree options, and certificate programs and terminated 13 others. Program development responds to the needs of Connecticut's labor market, particularly the need for short-term, career-oriented educational opportunities that offer students expanded choices.  Programs are periodically modified to maintain currency or terminated as market demand and job prospects change. A common curriculum for Associate Degree Nursing programs was approved by the Board to provide increased coordination in preparing students for entry into these programs, greater opportunities for transfer and sharing of resources among the colleges, and increased retention and graduation rates to meet the demand for nurses in Connecticut’s healthcare industry.  A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Connecticut State University System and the Community College System to improve articulation and expand transfer opportunities for students interested in advancing to baccalaureate study. This expansion is in addition to the Guaranteed Admissions Program with the University of Connecticut's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences that now includes ten of the 12 colleges.

In 2006, The US Department of Labor awarded a second $2 million Community-Based Job Training Grant to the Connecticut Community Colleges to increase the number of students prepared to enter and succeed in Allied Health and Nursing programs.  This grant initiative continues to strengthen the strategic partnerships between the community colleges, business and industry, including hospitals, K-12 and postsecondary education, the workforce investment system, and the Office for Workforce Competitiveness. Called Bridges to Health Careers, the initiative targets educationally underserved and nontraditional students and provides financial aid incentives and support services previously unavailable in noncredit programs in order to open pathways to education and career opportunities.

Facilities Development

Fiscal year 2006-07 saw progress on numerous facilities projects that were part of the State’s capital investment plan. The purchase of the Asnuntuck Community College campus from the town of Enfield has begun, while Capital Community College continues working with the Department of Public Works on expanding its downtown Hartford campus to accommodate significant enrollment growth. Construction of the campus expansion at Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport has begun with groundbreaking ceremonies taking place in May 2007. With the awarding of the construction bid, Manchester Community College took the next steps in the development of Great Path Academy, the regional magnet school that it hosts on campus to serve eight neighboring communities. Construction of the new Technology Center at Naugatuck Valley Community College, Waterbury, is underway with summer 2008 targeted for completion. At Northwestern Connecticut Community College in Winsted, the new Arts and Science building neared completion during the summer 2007. The design phase for Norwalk Community College’s Center for Health and Science continued at the same time. At Quinebaug Valley Community College in Danielson, the new campus expansion, including renovations to the college Library, opened for fall 2006 classes. Three-Rivers Community College began construction in spring 2007, with a groundbreaking ceremony held in June, for consolidation of its two campuses at the Thames Valley campus in Norwich. The first phase of campus expansion at Tunxis Community College in Farmington, is anticipating completion for fall 2007 classes. The commitment of funding support from the State, the contribution of property by the City of New Haven, and the continuation of the design process have advanced the consolidation of Gateway Community College in a state-of-the-art campus at the entrance to historic downtown New Haven.

Partnerships with State Agencies and with Business and Industry

The colleges continued to serve as the primary provider of in-service training for state agencies through the Department of Administrative Services. Cooperative ventures with the Department of Economic and Community Development, the Governor’s Competitiveness Council, the workforce investment boards, and industry organizations have involved the colleges in numerous efforts to expand business growth, investment, and jobs by expanding access to the educational resources and services that will ensure a skilled workforce for Connecticut.

Labor Relations and Employee Relations

An initiative to increase the number of full-time faculty at the colleges during 2006 and 2007 continued to generate legislative support in recognition of the important role played by college faculty in program development and oversight, quality assurance and student advising. Special funding was directed at recruitment and retention of faculty and staff for nursing and allied health programs. A comprehensive Core-CT data audit program was implemented to ensure data quality, accuracy and reliability, and training was delivered for system human resources, benefits and payroll staff in the areas of State retirement programs and benefits administration.

Data and Information Management

Continued support of the Management Administrative Systems, including enhancements and upgrades, have resulted in 24/7 system availability. These Management Systems (Banner and Core-CT) help the Community Colleges maintain student records, financial aid, human resources and payroll, financial reporting, budget management, interagency reporting, billing, receipts and invoicing.  Supporting online system access offers many services for students and faculty including registration, payment of tuition and fees, direct deposit, online courses (via WebCT Vista), grading, and acceptance of Financial Aid awards.    

The Information Technology support for all 12 colleges involved providing ongoing improvements of the IT infrastructure including a WAN upgrade, a web portal project, Banner and Oracle upgrades, a system wide Identity Integration project, implementation of a main telecommunications room, a wireless network project, LAN reports & monitoring, information security risk assessment, backup tape library replacement, enhanced patch and virus management, Citrix upgrade, SAN implementation, various hardware and software upgrades, in addition to the development of several new policies, standards and procedures.

Information Reported as Required by State Statute

Ongoing efforts to advance equity, eliminate discriminatory barriers, and ensure a diverse workforce were advanced by:

· The Minority Fellowship Program, begun in 1989, is an initiative sponsored jointly by the Board of Trustees and a coalition of professional staff unions to enrich each college’s community by attracting minority graduate students to serve as teaching and administrative fellows, mentors, and role models for system students.

· Diversity Training, utilizing a train-the-trainer approach, continues to deliver training throughout the system.

Names, Locations, and Presidents of the 12 Community Colleges

Asnuntuck CC, Enfield – Martha McLeod

Capital CC, Hartford – Calvin Woodland

Gateway CC, New Haven – Dorsey L. Kendrick

Housatonic CC, Bridgeport –Anita Gliniecki

Manchester CC, Manchester – Jonathan M. Daube

Middlesex CC, Middletown – Wilfredo Nieves

Naugatuck Valley CC, Waterbury – Richard L. Sanders

Northwestern CT CC, Winsted – Barbara Douglass

Norwalk CC, Norwalk – David Levinson

Quinebaug Valley CC, Danielson - Dianne Williams

Three-Rivers CC, Norwich - Grace S. Jones

Tunxis CC, Farmington – Cathryn L. Addy

Members of the Board of Trustees as of June 30, 2007 - Timothy Ackert, Coventry; Murali Atluru, North Haven; Hilary Barhydt, Litchfield; Louise S. Berry, Chair, Danielson; David H. Blackwell, Secretary, Manchester; Reverend David L. Cannon, Preston; Hugh Cox, Middletown; Carolyn Fabbri, West Hartford; Sonia Googins, Glastonbury; Jules Lang, Norwalk; William McGurk, Somers; Jesse McIntyre, Watertown; J. Ashley Odell, Manchester; Win Oppel, Shelton; Marie M. Spivey, Vice Chair, Hartford; Carol P. Wallace, Middlefield; Virginia D. Zawoy, Clinton.