Fox Valley Technical College has two
campuses and five regional centers which
serve a five-county geographic region in northeast Wisconsin. According to the
1990 census, the region has a population of approximately 381,000 people and is
home to approximately 10,500 businesses. Almost 90% of the businesses in the
service area employ less than twenty workers and only eighty employers have
more than 250 employees. In addition, there are 5,560 farms in the area. Thus,
the service area is nonmetropolitan and is more rural in respect to the larger
population centers in the state.
FVTC is one of sixteen postsecondary
educational districts in the state of
Wisconsin. Generally speaking, these individual regional education districts
receive approximately one-half of their annual budget revenue from local
government and less than 20% of their revenue from state aid. The balance of
their revenue comes from student tuition/fees, institutional revenue, and
miscellaneous revenue. FVTC generates approximately 15% of its operating
revenue from the institutional revenue category, which largely consists of
monies generated through contract revenue (i.e., customized training).
Considering the demographics of the
area and the fact that in 1995-1996 FVTC
customized training activities generated approximately 6 million dollars in
revenue, it is clear that partnerships are central to the financial health of
the college. According to FVTC's actual 1995-1996 budget figures, the program
fees (student tuition) budget category brought in slightly less than 5 million
dollars in revenue ($4,981,975) and approximately 8.1 million dollars in state
aid. Thus, customized training is an extremely important source of revenue to
FVTC.
FVTC is part of the fabric of the
community it serves. The college has formed
partnerships with employers, agencies, and other educational institutions (both
public and private) within the community, the state, and nationally.
FVTC (1997-1998a) is open and direct
in its commitment to building and
maintaining the community's workforce as expressed in the college's mission
statement:
The mission of Fox Valley Technical College is to help individuals
reach their potential by providing cost-effective education and training for
employment. We seek to build and maintain an effective and diverse work force
that supports the economic growth and stability of our communities. (p.
4)
The mission statement indicates that the college focuses onthe economic
well-being of the local community as a key ingredient in its
educational delivery plan. It further reinforces this commitment in the
document "Strategic Directions Through 2001." All four of the strategic
directions identified in this document are student focused; two of the four
strategic directions recognize internal and external customers, market
relevance, and the need to address unmet customer needs.
In addition, FVTC (1995-1996a) seeks
to "develop and expand its information
technology infrastructure to permit maximum linkages with its internal and
external customers." Partnerships are considered a necessary component of the
college.
FVTC has built its partnership base by implementing a series of successful
strategic plans focused on developing and maintaining partnerships. The FVTC
Strategic Business Plan for Economic Development Contract Services (1995-1997)
provides a five-year plan for contract services delivered by the college. The
strategic plan includes a general description and specific details of contract
services provided by the college. In addition, the college provides its
partners with a guarantee of quality in the contracted services it provides. If
agreed-upon client requirements are not met, services are redone at no charge
to the client.
The key features of FVTC partnerships are as follows:
- Involving traditional day school faculty in the delivery of customized
training. (Approximately 75% of the day school faculty teach customized
training courses.)
- Recognizing that customized training can enhance the college's operating
revenue (and then making it happen).
- Adhering to a master strategic plan focused on developing and maintaining
partnerships.
- Utilizing strong citizen advisory committees, including listening to and
implementing their ideas.
- Researching customers to find out what they need and want from the
college.
- Specially designed buildings (D. J. Bordini Conference Center in Appleton,
Wisconsin, and S. J. Spanbauer Center in Oshkosh, Wisconsin) on both campuses
that target specific industry training needs. The college has three such
centers to enhance educational delivery and communications capabilities.
- Perceiving students as customers.
- Committing to achievement of total customer satisfaction.
- Supporting administration that understands the importance and relevance of
customer training.
- Generating win/win situations between partners. (FVTC, 1995-1997)
FVTC (1995-1997) has a long history
of working together with a variety of
businesses within its service area and prides itself on its relationship with
business and industry. Thus, when the State of Wisconsin established a
commission to make policy recommendations on the development of a quality
workforce in the state, FVTC was off and running with its already
well-developed, industry-customized training program.
Among the college's quality and
productivity enhancement activities is its
partnership with the Quality/Productivity Resource Center (Q/PRC), a nonprofit
entity, that is housed at the D. J. Bordini Conference Center on the Appleton,
Wisconsin, campus. The Q/PRC controls and operates a specially designed media
resource area in the D. J. Bordini Conference Center. This resource area houses
a cutting edge collection of quality and productivity literature and other
resources. The resource center is available to Q/PRC members and also to the
staff and students of FVTC. The value and interest generated by the Q/PRC is
borne out in a 1993 survey of Training Director/Operations Managers at 435
companies querying them on their awareness and interest in the technical
assistance offerings of the college. The Q/PRC was the top-rated service (rated
#1 by 39% of the respondents) according to the survey (FVTC, 1995-1997, p.
41).
The Wisconsin Center for Industrial
Competitiveness - Northeast (WisCIC/NE) is
a joint collaboration between FVTC, other area technical colleges, Milwaukee
School of Engineering, Wisconsin Department of Development, and private
consultants. This particular "consortium provides comprehensive assessment
services and leadership to business and industry through a proactive network
designed to enhance productivity, competitiveness, and profitability" (FVTC,
1995-1997, p. 9). The focus remains on the college's continuing ability to form
partnerships and consortiums with a wide variety of companies, organizations,
miscellaneous industries, and other educational institutions that have the
common desire to improve their own organizations and help others while helping
themselves.
FVTC's formal entrance in August of
1996 into the Wisconsin Manufacturing
Extension Partnership (WMEP) is an expansion of its continued goal of providing
services to a larger audience. Previous partnerships with a variety of agencies
and industries had provided the college with a long list of capabilities (both
expertise and high technology equipment) that could be directly attributed to
the college's successful partnering efforts with business. WMEP is a
collaborative public-private partnership with the expressed interest of
promoting the competitiveness, strength, productivity, growth, and innovative
capabilities of Wisconsin's small and medium-sized manufacturers. The
affiliation with WMEP-Northeast continues to add both financial resources and
additional educational expertise to an already formidable array of services
(WMEP, 1996c).
The WMEP-Northeast consortium
consists of the following membership:
- Lakeshore Technical College, Cleveland, Wisconsin
- Mid State Technical College, Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin
- Moraine Park Technical College, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
- Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, Green Bay, Wisconsin
- University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
- University of Wisconsin, Green Bay, Wisconsin
- University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, Wisconsin
- University of Wisconsin Extension
- Milwaukee School of Engineering
- Wisconsin Department of Development (WMEP, 1996b)
In addition, the headquarters for
the new consortium will be the D. J. Bordini
Conference Center located on FVTC's Appleton, Wisconsin, campus. A number of
services are available to small and medium-sized manufacturing firms through
WMEP. These services include simple assessments and benchmarking of current
operations, developing human resource programs, evaluating new technologies,
and working with client firms to develop and carry out manufacturing strategies
to improve efficiency.
WMEP is now part of a network of 60
National Institute of Standards and
Technology affiliated manufacturing extension centers in the United States
(WMEP, 1996c). The National Institute of Standards and Technology is connected
with the U.S. Department of Commerce. Thus, this recent partnership extends the
college's reach into 42 states and territories. In essence, this affiliation
further enhances the college's ability to make available a greater array of
services that are designed to be client-driven, and link small and medium-sized
companies needing assistance with public and private sources of expertise. This
effort is in keeping with the college's Board of Trustees policy related to
"Governance Commitment," which lists as one of six core values, "Collaborative
Partnerships."
FVTC (1995-1996a) has also developed
a number of other successful
partnerships, resulting in leveraged resources for the college and mutual
benefit for all partners. These partnerships include the following:
- Flexographic Press/Corrugated Printing Press Industry: Major
manufacturers of high tech, high speed printing presses have contributed
several million dollars of state-of-the-art mass production printing press
equipment to the college. This partnership is located in the D. J. Bordini
Conference Center in Appleton, Wisconsin, and it is probably one of the most
sophisticated two-year college training facilities in the nation.
- Indentured Apprentice: In the 1995-1996 school year, FVTC led the
state in indentured apprenticeship enrollments (approximately 10% of the entire
state's enrollment). This appears to be a direct result of the college's strong
relationship with the state's unions.
- Federal Grants: FVTC has received four million dollars in federal
grants from the U.S. Department of Justice. These grants include $1.2 million
for "Youth Focused Community Policing" and $750,000 to provide "nation wide
training to law enforcement and other professionals assigned to cases of
missing and exploited children" (p. 8).
In FVTC's (1995-1996a) case, its financial statement and annual report confirm
its success in delivering cost-effective training. In 1996, the Institute of
Higher Education at the University of Florida named FVTC as a finalist in their
Bellwether Awards Competition. The college was one of nine TYIs in the nation
to be nominated in the "planning, governance, and finance" category. Mentioned
specifically in regard to the award was a project/grant program that internally
funded "full-time faculty's creative projects for enhancing the
teaching/learning environment" (p. 9).
It becomes increasingly obvious that FVTC (1995-1996a) recognizes the entire
teacher-student learning relationship and places value on technology
innovation, the teacher, the facility, and the student. This is further
developed by the Board of Trustees in its policy related to "Governance
Commitment." In this commitment, the Board points out the following core
values: integrity, collaborative partnerships, innovation, continuous
improvement, customer focus, and diversity. True partnerships must be designed
in ways that all partners are winners as a result of the partnership.
Furthermore, the importance of partnerships and outside collaboration is very
apparent in the college's overall enrollment (FVTC, 1995-1996a). According to
enrollment figures released by the college, customized training/contracting has
produced an average of almost 400 FTEs on an annual basis each of the last five
years. In the 1995-1996 school year, FVTC produced more FTEs by contracting
than any other technical college in Wisconsin and more than doubled the revenue
generated ($6,004,251 to $2,782,882) by the next closest ranking technical
college in Wisconsin.
It is anticipated by the college leadership that FVTC (1997-1998b) will
continue to evolve its partnerships. In 1997-1998, the college plans on moving
into a shared facility with Lakeland College, which, in turn, contributes to
its expansion of partnerships within higher education. Continued participation
and new added ventures in interactive television (ITV) is an expanding area for
the college. For example, in 1997-1998, the college's commitment to K-12
School/College Alliance for Distance Education (KSCADE) fiber-optic leasing and
ITV classroom will continue the sharing of ITV among high schools. It is
apparent that the college will continue to find new business and industry
partnerships, but will also supplement these high profile and usually immediate
financial providers with other educational partners. FVTC is committed to the
pursuit of quality, both on the inside and as an educational partner and
provider to others.
Both public and private TYIs across the United States are faced with the
dilemma of how to best serve their respective community's needs. Our fast
changing economy dictates that the truly successful TYIs monitor their
communities to identify new challenges, opportunities, and potential new
partners. Business and industry has the ability to contribute needed resources
to TYIs. TYIs can contribute to meeting the needs of employers by providing
education for a quality workforce. Collaborative relationships between TYIs and
employers are important for the vitality of all partners and the community as a
whole.
The following design implications appear warranted on the basis of the
benchmarking study of learning partnerships at FVTC:
- Increase Revenues: Learning partnerships can provide a significant
source of funds to increase and/or stabilize the budget of a two-year
institution of higher education. Partnerships can produce a multiplier effect
for local, state, and federal public funds.
- Develop Community: Learning partnerships can be used to focus economic
and social development, create synergy among available assets, and reveal new
opportunities for communities (and institutions).
- Focus on Quality: Lasting learning partnerships are built by providing
high-quality, dependable educational services.
- Respond to Needs: Learning partnerships need to be client-driven, with
constant checking for satisfaction and quick response to changing
requirements.
- Build Infrastructure: Learning partnerships are based on good
communications, clear expectations, and trusting relationships. All of these
depend on having a supportive infrastructure with active informal information
networks, decentralized authority, and flexible organization.
- Involve All Staff: As more and more staff are involved in successful
partnerships, the use and benefits of partnerships become a part of the
institution's culture and way of day-to-day operation.
- Generate Mutual Benefit: Finding win-win relationships is a key to
sustaining lasting partnerships.
- Expand Geographic Boundaries: Learning partnerships that make use of
regional, state, national, and international opportunities can sometimes
significantly enhance the benefits of collaborating.
- Make a Part of Strategic Planning: Learning partnerships need to be
planned for in a serious and foresighted way. Many partnerships need a long
time to build into productive relationships. Institutional needs must be put on
a planning time horizon with partnership building.
Study Author
|
G. David Sayre, President, Perry and Sayre Associates, LLP, 8855 Kibirnie Terrace,
|
| | | | Brooklyn Park, MN 55443, (612) 493-9051
|
Site Contact
|
Martin Gentz, Vice President of Instructional Services, Fox Valley Technical College,
|
| | | | | Appleton Campus, 1825 N. Bluemound Drive,
P.O. Box 2277, Appleton, WI54913-2277, (920) 735-5600 |
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