Holiday Inn Express, Sulphur, LA
Date: Friday,
March 30, 2001
Time: 9:00
am – 1:00 pm
Steve Ames, President opened the meeting and
welcomed everyone in attendance.
The participants introduced themselves.
There were 40 members in attendance.
§
No new applications for membership were submitted.
§
Merv Treigle reported that at the Executive
Committee Meeting on March 15, 2001, the Committee voted unanimously
to include an industry representative from the Louisiana State PTech
Advisory Committee on the Gulf Coast Process Technology Alliance
Executive Committee. Ronnie
Madere with Union Carbide was selected by Louisiana as the industry
representative from Louisiana on the GCPTA Executive Committee.
§
Steve Ames
announced that the Executive Committee had approved the position of
Executive Director for the GCPTA.
He explained that this position has been an on-going topic of
discussion for the past year. Steve
stated that this position would be part-time (5 days a month) to
start, and he outlined the duties of the Executive Director from a
list compiled by the Executive Committee.
Steve solicited suggestions from the attendees on any other
duties that might be performed by the Executive Director.
He informed the members that Merv Treigle has been selected
by the Executive Committee as the new Executive Director of the Gulf
Coast Process Technology Alliance and that Merv has accepted the
position effective April 1, 2001, coinciding with his retirement
from Albemarle Corporation. Steve
also announced that Merv would be resigning as Secretary of the
GCPTA effective April 1, 2001 because he cannot be an officer and a
staff member of the GCPTA at the same time.
As Executive Director, Merv Treigle is the person to contact
for all GCPTA related business.
§
Merv Treigle described the proposed underlined
changes to the By-Laws to reflect the Executive Committee’s
decision to select an Executive Director.
The changes are as follows:
Division I, Article 2, Section 1 is amended to read “the
Gulf Coast Process Technology Alliance will consist of the Steering
Committee, Associate Members and an Executive Director.
Division I, Article III, Section 4 is amended to read “The
Executive Director and staff members are Alliance employees and
cannot hold office, provide over standing committees or vote.”
Division I, Article III, Section 5 is added and will read “The
Executive Director is selected by and serves under the direction of
the Executive Committee.” It was moved and seconded from the floor that the
proposed changes be adopted. These
changes were unanimously approved by the 15 Steering Committee
members in attendance. Steve
Ames requested a proxy be requested to provide for the necessary
two-thirds majority needed to pass changes in the by-laws.
This will be done by soliciting proxy votes from those
members not in attendance through e-mail communications.
The proposed changes when approved will be posted on the
GCPTA web site.
§
Steve Ames explained the three (3) different GCPTA
membership categories, which are Voting, Associate and
Out-of-District. He
also explained that voting members were the officers, Executive
Committee, and each college, which has three voting members, one
from the college and two from their industry Advisory Board.
Steve reminded anyone interested in becoming a member in the
GCPTA to fill out the appropriate membership request form which is
available on the GCPTA web site and send it to Merv Treigle at atgcpta@msn.com
or by mail to 18596 White Oak, Prairieville, LA 70769.
§
Steve Ames urged everyone to get involved and
participate on one of the following GCPTA Sub-committees:
(1) Educational Sub-committee, (2) Public Relations
Sub-committee and (3) Tech Prep Sub-committee.
§
Steve Ames
announced that effective with Merv Treigle’s resignation as GCPTA
Secretary on
April
1, 2001, Ed Stiles would move from Treasurer to Secretary.
Kathy Trahan with PPG in Lake Charles, LA accepted the
position of GCPTA Treasurer.
Subcommittee – Funding – Steve Ames
Steve Ames explained that the GCPTA was financially
sound, but however, the 2001 Subscriptions were coming in slower
than the past year. He
urged everyone that had not yet contributed their subscription to
the GCPTA to encourage their company to do so.
The GCPTA receives no other funding other than the
subscription requests and a small amount of book sales from the
Intro to P-Tech and the Safety, Health and Environment Instructor
Guides and student workbooks.
§
Steve Ames reported the attendance of the Career
Expo held February 2, 2001, at San Jacinto College.
There were 14 companies manning booths with a total of 32
representatives from those companies.
There were 13 colleges with 215 students in attendance.
Several companies were taking applications for impending
hiring. Steve thanked
San Jacinto College Central Campus for hosting the Career Fair.
He also encouraged all companies to participate in future
Career Expos, as it is an important event in the students’
educational experience. Steve
also mentioned that in the future it might be advantageous to hold a
Career Expo in both Louisiana and Texas.
§
There was much discussion from the floor and the
Chair concerning the number of students and graduates from the
different area colleges. It
was suggested that perhaps there is a necessity to inform student
graduates in P-Tech that their job opportunities may be outside
their home area. Steve
encouraged those companies that were hiring to post their job
openings and applicant requirements on the GCPTA web site www.processtech.org.
He also reminded the colleges to inform their AAS graduates
that they could also post their resumes on the web site.
§
Steve reminded everyone that while a student may
have an AAS Degree in P-Tech, he or she will still be required to
pass a pre-employment test at most companies, which includes Math
and Science. Steve Ames
stressed the importance of Math and Science because while the AAS
Degree students generally do far better on the test than those
without the degree, a significant percentage do not pass the
pre-employment test.
§
Steve Ames reminded anyone interested in providing
a news article for the newsletter to submit his or her article to
Merv Treigle. Articles
could include what’s happening at the colleges, what’s happening
at the companies that are hiring the P-Tech graduates, testimonials
concerning Internships and how they are running, etc.
Ed Stiles reported that the GCPTA expenses through
March 28, 2001, were $6,534.84 and the Income as of March 28, 2001,
was $20,563.07. The
Bank Balance as of February 28, 2001 was $43,546.38.
Ed read a list of the subscription contributors to-date and
urged those who have not contributed to do so.
Continued support ensures the viability and growth of the
GCPTA and its efforts to educate and provide the skilled workforce
for the future of our industries.
Merv Treigle displayed the National Alliance of
Business Award presented to the GCPTA as the 2000 Business Coalition
of the Year. Merv
explained that the Award Certificate denotes the GCPTA and the
College of the Mainland as the recipients, but it was the collective
efforts of all the member colleges and industry that influenced the
award. This type of
national recognition has made the GCPTA a leading force in the
education of America’s Process Technicians of the future.
Copies of this award will be made available to the member
colleges for display at their institutions.
Steve Ames
reported that Martha McKinley with Eastman Chemical Company is the
new industry co-chair of the Education Sub-committee.
She is replacing Steve Erickson who has retired from BP
Amoco. Steve mentioned
that Steve Erickson was a driving force behind the Education
Subcommittee during its formative years.
Our thanks and gratitude go out to Steve Erickson and we wish
him well in his retirement. However,
it should be noted that Steve has made it known that he wishes to
remain an active member of the GCPTA.
Joanna reported that Mike Kukuk and Bill Raley
representing the GCPTA went to Washington, D. C. the prior week
along with Tom Rankin from the New Jersey Alliance to meet with Bob
Hofsteader, Sam Stevenson and Mark Connelly from the American
Chemical Society to discuss collaborative efforts between the GCPTA
and the ACS in our pursuit of grant funding.
Mike Kukuk reported that the ACS wanted to know what they
could do to support the efforts of the GCPTA and how we could
partner to collectively support and not duplicate each other’s
efforts. Mike reported
that the ACS was very much interested in developing high school
level curriculum, which would feed into the colleges for P-Tech like
they had for the Chem-Tech. Mike
also displayed a CD and tape that the ACS had produced on marketing
the Pulp and Paper Industry showing the amount of expertise the ACS
has in this realm. He
said the ACS had done a lot of work on the voluntary industry
standards and competencies that will be made available in a database
accessible on the web. These
competencies will be divided into levels that can be cross-walked
for education and curriculum purposes.
Special Note – Joanna Kile
Joanna reported that the ACS and CAPT would be
sponsoring a 3-day workshop in June for high school chemistry
instructors on how to use Science in Technology.
Two modules will be presented:
Petroleum Refining and Wastewater Treatment.
Applicants will be paid $300 and applications can be gotten
from Joanna Kile.
Special Note – Joanna Kile
Joanna reported that Brazosport would be conducting
a workshop for P-Tech faculty sponsored by the ACS. Contact Gary Hicks at Brazosport for the dates of
the workshop. Gary’s
e-mail is ghicks@brazosport.cc.tx.us.
§
A question from the floor was asked about the GCPTA
sponsored video for high school students.
These videos were produced LarMar Video Productions and a
copy can be secured through Merv Treigle on request.
This material is copyrighted and should not be reproduced.
The initial copies for colleges will be sent free of charge.
Additional copies will be sent at a cost of $5.00 each plus
shipping. Colleges
should check with their Tech Prep and School to Work area
coordinators should you need to order large quantities of the video
as this type of cost is considered part of their funding
capabilities.
Joanna
presented the following update on the NSF and LAAP Grant Updates:
§
Core
Curriculum products for PTI, PTIII and Quality are now available
through CAPT for both instructor manuals and students workbooks.
§
PTII
revisions are complete and are being edited.
Those who have draft copies will have them replaced free of
charge with the revision when it is finalized.
§
Instrumentation
I & II will shortly be under revision and combined into One
Instructor Manual. The
final revision will be named “Instrumentation” and the
institutions that teach only one instrumentation course will decide
how much of the curriculum to deliver to meet the stated GCPTA
objectives for Instrumentation.
The date for completion is yet to be determined.
§
Texas Skills
Standards – The GCPTA and CAPT have submitted a Notification of
Intent Form to work on these. Our
current DACUM is four plus years old and a new DACUM is planned for
May 10 and 11, 2001. The
planned completion date for this effort is August, 2001.
§
The
Web-Based Product now available is Introduction to Process
Technology which is hosted through Web CT Course Management Software
and it consists of 24 modules approximately 45 minutes in length and
does not include any interactivities, but instructors are given a
suggested list of interactivities for each module and it is up to
them to determine what to do.
§
Web-Based
Products in production are Safety, Health and Environment, Process
Technology I, Process Technology II and Quality.
These products will be piloted in the fall.
Anyone interested in doing so should contact Joanna Kile.
§
Joanna
presented the following process for purchasing Web-Based Courses:
1)
College
fills out order form and send to CAPT
2)
CAPT pays
WebCT and provides info re: College and instructor
3)
WebCT sends
class URL and password to CAPT
4)
CAPT sends
URL and password info to College
5)
College
relays pertinent info to students
§
Joanna
informed everyone that the Return To Industry Program would be
conducted again this year and that seven of the ten available spaces
were filled. Those
interested in applying can get the application and information from
the CAPT web site. This program affords Chemistry, Physics and Math
Instructors the opportunity to shadow operators and supervisors in
industry and to use their experience to write a module depicting the
use of their discipline in the real world of industry.
§
Leslie Hunt
with the grant team demonstrated one of the modules in the SH&E
course and the animation that is being incorporated to enhance the
learning experience. She
is working with graphic artists and animators to construct this
course. Leslie went
through a detailed explanation of what would be available and what
was needed to support the student while taking the course.
§
The Virtual
World is now complete. The
interfaces with the Virtual World are in the development stage along
with interactivities such as safety hazard recognition, valve
manipulation and measurement activity.
Kathy Gardner gave a tour and demonstration on how an
interactivity will be incorporated into the Virtual World.
§
Joanna
reminded everyone of the extensive survey that she sent out and
asked those who had not yet completed their survey to return it to
her in a timely manner. She
read a list of those who had responded and let everyone know that
the final results will be posted on the CAPT web site when
finalized.
§
For further
information on grant activity contact Joanna Kile at:
Center
for the Advancement of Process Technology
1200
Amburn Road
Texas
City, Texas 77591
(409)
938-1211, ext. 103
§
McNeese State University – Carol Schulte reported
that they are trying to develop a 4-year program in Process
Technology and are seeking information and feedback on what should
be included for a BS in Process Technology.
Please contact her for a survey form to provide feedback.
§
Alvin Community College – Lou Caserta reported
that their Process Tech Department Chair had resigned and the
college had a need to fulfill the position.
Should anyone be interested, please apply to Alvin Community
College.
§
Baton Rouge Community College – Brian Keating
reported that they would have 4 modules for the pilot plants
delivered by September. He
said that they would have 14 P-Tech graduates in May.
He also reported that the Intern Program was working very
well.
§
Louisiana Technical College – River Parishes –
Dennis Murphy reported that they had just gone through a
comprehensive evaluation of their Process Technology Program.
The evaluation was an instrument developed by Ronnie Madere
and will be used once a year on a rotating basis with other schools
in Louisiana. Dennis
also reported that plant personnel who will be certified by the
college will teach the Intro To Process Technology Course in 2 area
high schools. The
students will receive high school credit along with college credit
towards an AAS degree for these courses taken in high school. The tuition is free.
Note: Merv
Treigle asked the question about making the above-mentioned
evaluation available to all GCPTA members.
Ronnie Madere agreed that he would make it available and that
it could be posted on the GCPTA web site for all to reference.
§
Lamar Institute of Technology – Beaumont –
Harry Wood reported that they had received approval of $300,000 to
be spent constructing a Distillation Unit for Process Technology.
He also reported that ExxonMobil in Beaumont had donated
$15,500 towards the completion of the unit, which should be
completed in the fall. He
also said that Honeywell will donate the necessary interface for the
unit. He said that
Wharton Community College was looking at using the same engineering
firm to design a similar unit for Process Technology.
§
Louisiana Technical College – Sowela Campus –
Clarence Hughes reported that they had expanded their Process
Technology staff and he introduced Jacob Echerd and Fred Slawson.
He reported that they now had 80 students enrolled in the
Process Technology Program. He
said that the Glass Labs should be in place by the fall.
He also reported that Georgia Gulf had donated a Slab
Stripper Unit, which should be in place next month.
§
Lee College – Paul Bolmanskie & Chuck Carter
– Paul reported that he was teaching college credit P-Tech Courses
in the area high schools. For
more information about the high school program and how to promote
the program in high schools feel free to contact him.
Chuck Carter reported that they are working with Southern
Instruments in Alberta, Canada on developing Instrumentation Courses
in Field Buss Technology. He is interested in partnering with the GCPTA in
helping to develop an Instrumentation Alliance.
He reported that Steve Ames had been asked to head up the
Advisory Committee for the Instrumentation Course development.
§
The GCPTA is looking for volunteers for the Public
Relations Subcommittee. If
you are interested in serving on this subcommittee, please contact
Merv Treigle.
§
The IPTA 2001 Meeting is scheduled for October 25th
from 1:30 p.m to 5:30 p.m. and October 26th
from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 Noon.
The meeting will be held at the Nassau Bay Hilton in Nassau
Bay, Texas. Further
information on this meeting will be sent out when finalized.
The IPTA is no longer
meeting in conjunction with the national API Training Conference.
The reasons for this is the API is meeting in areas where the
hotel rates are very high and the API can no longer help defray the
cost of the IPTA meeting rooms, audio visual, and food service
expenses. Therefore, we
are bringing the meeting back to an area of easy access and less
cost for the attendees.
§
The GCPTA Meeting for May 25th, 2001,
will be held at the Nassau Bay Hilton from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
This meeting is planned to showcase all the efforts and work
that the GCPTA has accomplished through their industry and education
partners. Plans are to
invite all of the area industry Plant Managers, HR Managers,
Advisory Committee Members, Operations Managers, College Presidents
and the media. In order
to accomplish this, a marketing firm, Griffin Marketing, has been
engaged. The cost for
this meeting will be around $18,000 of which we now have $14,000
donated from other sources such as TDS, Simulation Solutions,
Hampden Engineering, and College of the Mainland.
Steve Ames asked that if
donations can be made to help defray the cost shortfall, please
contact Joanna Kile at the Center for the Advancement of Process
Technology. This includes vendors, colleges, and industry.
Word needs to be gotten
out informally about the May 25th meeting so that these
very busy managers can put it on their calendars.
PLEASE take the time to inform your managers of the
meeting. We
will be sending out formal invitations to them in the near future.
If you inform your plant manager and he cannot come, then go
to the next obvious person such as the HR Manager or Operations
Manager.
§
Mike Kukuk, founding chairman of the GCPTA, gave a
testimonial of Merv Treigle’s involvement with the GCPTA since its
inception and presented Merv with a plaque of appreciation for his
service from 1996 through 2001.
This was presented on the eve of Merv’s retirement from
industry and his resignation as Secretary of the GCPTA.
Merv will now serve as the Executive Director for the GCPTA
effective April 1, 2001.
§
Web site www.processtech.org
is fully active and maintained by Bob Kosar.
If your school or company has a web site and it is not
accessible by just a click, contact the Webmaster by e-mail bobkosar@hal-pc.org.
College of the Mainland is providing the host server.
§
Center for the Advancement of Process Technology
(CAPT) web site www.captech.org.
§
Contact the GCPTA at atgcpta@msn.com.
Friday, August 17, 2001
Thursday, October 25, 2001
Nassau Bay Hilton
9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
***Other Events***
1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Friday, October 26, 2001
8:00 a.m. to 12:00 Noon
Nassau Bay Hilton
Meeting adjourned at 1:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Merv Treigle, Secretary
Gulf Coast Process Technology Alliance
MT/at