A diverse team of instructors from Three Rivers recently finished a three-year project to improve institutional effectiveness. On Wednesday, the team presented its work, called the Assessment and Program Review to Improve Learning, during the monthly Three Rivers College Board of Trustees meeting.
APRIL was initially commissioned by the Dean of Institutional Effectiveness, Dr. Maribeth Payne, who said a key role of the office is to keep TRC in good light with its regional accreditor.
"One of the things we are now required to do as an institution of higher education is to produce a quality initiative every five years," she said. "About three years ago, we selected this project, and we have now come beyond that. We've gone to the results academy. The project was approved by the academy. This is all in preparation of our accreditation visit coming up in April 2018."
The team consisted of Assessment Coordinator from the Office of Institutional Effectiveness Michelle Lane, department chairs Nicole Sifford, Dr. Dan Lauder, Dr. Staci Foster and Chief Academic Officer and team leader Dr. Justin Hoggard.
"What we wanted to do was really focus on improving our college-wide outcomes, which we reduced from seven to four, and strengthening our comprehensive programmatic review," Lane said.
The group agreed its goal was to collect meaningful data, analyze the data and determine areas allowing room for improvement in student learning within TRC's programs.
"We've been able to roll out data assessment collection in a way that the faculty are engaged in the process," Foster said. "Now we're in the process of instituting meaningful change based on this data."
Lauder said APRIL has allowed the instructors to better align what they teach with what the students need to learn.
Chief Financial Officer Charlotte Eubank said the college is 33 percent through the 2017-18 academic year and the financials continue to trend as expected, which is slightly behind last year. Eubank said it is due to an anticipated and budgeted decline in enrollment.
"We're doing well in all of our categories," she said, regarding fall revenues.
Looking at expenses, Eubank said only two categories are trending ahead of the curve because they involve large payouts due at the beginning of the year. This trend was also anticipated, she said.
TRC has been consistently improving sidewalks and parking lots for a number of months using money approved by the state.
"The sidewalks and parking lot projects are funded through the state bonding, HB19. Of the $1.9 million the state appropriated for us, we've spent $1.5 million, with about $437,000 remaining to spend," Eubank added.
The funds will be used to cover remaining expenses for the projects, which president Dr. Wesley Payne said are nearly complete, as well as costs for the final stages of the Westover Building remodel.
"As we've progressed through this, different parts of our roadway system have been closed down," he said. "The final closings will be in front of one entrance of the Tinnin Center and then will switch to another entrance to the Tinnin Center."
Dr. Wesley Payne said he is thrilled to see the projects wrap up and that the last step will be updating signage around the campus.
Regarding the Westover Building remodel, Dr. Wesley Payne said the final phase includes cutting and installing a new entryway so visitors and students do not enter immediately into a stairwell. He said a goal to locate all things relative to student services in Westover is nearly complete after almost eight years.
"This is really the culmination of a very long term plan beginning in 2009,' he said. "When I came here, one of the first things I saw was that services for our students were spread all over the campus."
Dr. Wesley Payne also said construction of the Libla Family Sports Complex continues to move forward.
Upcoming events at TRC include An Evening with Mark Twain, which begins at 7 tonight at the Tinnin Center and at 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 7, the acapella group Six will perform.
Offices will be closed during TRC's holiday break, beginning Dec. 16 and running through Jan. 1.
The next board of trustees meeting will be held at noon Wed., Dec. 13, in the Tinnin Center board room.