GCPTA MEETING MINUTES

Holiday Inn Express-Sulphur, LA

Date:  Friday, March 31, 2000

Time:  10:00 am - 1:00 pm

 

Steve Ames, President opened the meeting.  The participants introduced themselves.  There were 41 members in attendance.

 

Steve explained the membership differences between Voting, In-District, Out-of-District, Other Interested Parties as well as the subcommittees and their functions.

 

Approval of Last Meeting MinutesMinutes of the January 28, 2000 meeting were approved March 31, 2000.

 

Subcommittee on Rules/By-Laws – Merv Treigle

The following members and changes were approved by the steering committee:

 

Voting – (1) Jeff Johnston, Texas Eastman-Longview, TX (2) Dennis Jones, Dow Chemical Company-Freeport, TX, and Rich Patterson, Valspar-Garland, TX (Rich Patterson moved from an Out-of District Associate to a Voting Member)

 

In-District Associate – (1) Frank Mancuso, Shell Oil-Houston, TX (2) Ronnie Madere, Union Carbide-Hahnville, LA

 

Out-of-District Associate – (1) Johnny Tynes, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College-Perkinston, MS

 

Associate Membership – (1) Alaska Process Industries Career Consortium

 

Subcommittee - Funding – Steve Ames

§        Instructor Manuals –

Produced by the Perkins Grant, Introduction to Process Technology and Safety Health & Environment manuals have been available since last summer.  Copies have been purchased by a number of colleges throughout the United States.  Order forms were made available on the display table.

 

§        Student Workbooks –

Should be purchased through the college bookstores and made available to the students for these two courses.

 

§        Troubleshooting –

Mike Kukuk, the GCPTA Founding Chairman, has produced an instructor guide and accompanying student workbook on Troubleshooting.  This is the only GCPTA Core Course that has not been developed nor will it be developed with Perkins or NSF Grant funds.  Mike developed and wrote the course, which he has taught in the PTech Program at the College of the Mainland for the past six years.  Mike collaborated his efforts with the GCPTA Education Subcommittee to insure adherence to the GCPTA objectives for this Core Course.  This course is marketed by and can be ordered from: 

                              Troubleshooting Resources

                              P. O. Box 4725

                              Lago Vista, Texas 78645-4725

                              Telephone:  512-267-4059

The cost of the instructor manual is $195 and the student workbooks are sold in lots of 20 for $25 each.

 

Colleges need to plan in their 2001 budget to purchase the four new instructor guides that will be ready for the spring 2001 semester. These are Quality, Process Technology I-Equipment, Process Technology II-Systems, Process Technology III-Operations guides.  Estimated cost will be $190 per set of guides for each course.

 

Colleges and attendees were urged to purchase and use the Course Instructor Guides and Student Workbooks developed and adopted by the GCPTA.  Information on ordering these materials is on the web site www.processtech.org.

 

Subcommittee - Public Relations – Steve Ames

Due to prior business commitments, Bill Raley and Karen Baird were unable to attend this meeting. 

 

§        Newsletter

Steve explained that the newsletter had recently been mailed out.  If any of the members present did not receive a copy, one was made available to them on the display table.

The newsletter helps keep the members and other interested parties apprised of the main happenings in the GCPTA.

 

§        Career Fair

Has been held for the past three years at San Jacinto College-Central Campus.  The Career Fair held February 11th, 2000 provided Process Technology Students and Industry an opportunity to interface.  There were 229 students and 15 companies who participated.  Conoco, Inc. from Ponca City, Oklahoma used the opportunity to test, interview, and recruit prospective process technicians for employment.

 

§        Brochure

The GCPTA brochure is in the process of being redesigned to reflect the new logo and to more aptly represent the changes in college and industry membership.

 

Texas Skills Standards Board – Cathy-Williams Foster

Cathy has been in communication with Lee Rector, the Director of the Texas Skills Standards Board.  She explained all the information available from the Job DACUM and the Perkins Grant efforts and offered a model, which Ms. Rector agreed, was on target with what was needed for the skills standards development.

 

Education Subcommittee – Leslie Hunt and Lou Caserta

Leslie and Lou gave a handout entitled “Virtual Plant Drawing Package” to all members in attendance.  A demonstration of a prototype Virtual 3-D Plant Layout for electronic delivery was presented.  It is still in design.  Lou Caserta along with two drafting students from the College of the Mainland are generously donating their time and efforts to develop a plant model which is primarily being designed to enhance the Process Technology III Course, but can also be used in the other Process Technology I & II Courses.

 

Education Subcommittee – Joanna Kile

Joanna provided a handout to show how both the NSF and LAAP Grants tie into the GCPTA Efforts on Curriculum Development.  She also reported that the NSF Grant Update Report was filed at 12:01 a.m., March 31, 2000.  The results of this report determine future funding of the grant.  Joanna stated that 80% of the NSF in-kind required donations have been met for the year.  In addition 100% of the in-kind donations for the LAAP Grant have been met.  This has resulted in over 4,200 hours of in-kind time donation.  She also stated that our grant evaluator would be visiting in mid April.  The National Advisory Board for the NSF Grant will meet sometime in late July or early August when determined by availability of its members to meet. 

 

Joanna stated that the website “Center for the Advancement of Process Technology” (CAPT) for the NSF and LAAP Grant Efforts is now on the web at www.captech.org.  The PowerPoint Presentations, which have been used to explain and present the history and efforts of the GCPTA, are available on the website and can be downloaded for use as needed.  Also listed are all the state community colleges associated with the GCPTA.  At present, this website is not linked to the GCPTA website and, at present, has no webmaster.  CAPT Partners are listed on a separate page and e-mail addresses will be available.  Those who do not want to be listed should contact Joanna to have their address removed.

 

Education Subcommittee – Cathy Williams Foster

Cathy provided a handout depicting a Course Development Model under the NSF Grant.  In addition, she provided a handout depicting the available Process Technology Instructor Resources and the stage of development for the courses being developed under the NSF Grant. 

 

Distance Learning – Joanna Kile & Scott Bruno

Joanna provided information that the Committee on Distance Education has identified two possible third party deliverers for the Web Base Courses being developed under the LAAP Grant by TDS.

 

Scott Bruno gave an update on the status of the Introduction to Process Technology Course being developed by TDS.  He presented a visual demonstration on how a module would look and how it interacts with the student.  The course will be piloted in September of 2000 by Ronnie Calvert of Wharton County Jr. College, Mike Kukuk of College of the Mainland, and David Borque of San Jacinto College-Central Campus.  These three instructors are currently undergoing instruction by the Virtual College of Texas on How to Deliver Web Base Instruction.  This Introduction to Process Technology Course is for incumbents in the industry.

 

Louisiana Report – Dr. John Reed

Dr. John Reed gave a brief history of the development and structure of the Louisiana Process Technology Alliance where he defined the expectations of industry and their role in partnership with the state, education and government.  He elaborated on the collaborative effort between Louisiana and Texas to develop the standardized curriculum for Process Technology.  He emphasized the necessity to integrate education on the soft skills such as teamwork and personal responsibility in all the courses.  Louisiana is also working on developing Physics and Chemistry Courses which will provide what industry needs and also articulate to a baccelorate degree.  He showed a slide which depicted the Louisiana Statewide Industry Advisory Committee.

 

Louisiana Report – Bruce Waguespack, Advisory Chair Greater Baton Rouge Area Community College

Bruce explained that the Statewide Committee’s objective is to speak with one voice and provide the same message to all of Louisiana’s industry plant managers.  The current activities of the Regional Chair Subcommittee are:

§        Program entry/testing requirements

§        Local charters and business & education responsibility

§        Initial exposure to job and job requirements

§        Qualifications for internship

§        Employment support indicators

§        Train the Trainer

 

Ronnie Madere – River Parishes Advisory Committee Chair

Ronnie explained that he had just come on-board and is currently involved in defining the resources and support of industry in the area.  The Committee is looking at ways to encourage industry to provide internships as well as looking for ways to develop feedback and evaluation on student and graduate performance in industry.

 

Financial Report – Ed Stiles

Ed provided a handout and gave a report on:

§        The budget for the year 2000

§        The expenses to-date for the year 2000

§        The subscription receipts to-date

§        The subscription receipts for 1999

Ed explained the GCPTA’s dependence on subscription returns and encouraged those who have not yet returned their subscription to do so.  He further explained that the GCPTA is dependent on the voluntary participation in the subscription process and without participation, the GCPTA cannot function. 

 

College Advisory Committee Reports

Because of the time factor, Advisory Committee Reports were not given.  Steve Ames asked if there were any crucial points to be made, and none being offered, he asked that the members network during lunch. He also suggested that the colleges put resumes of spring graduates on the website. 

 

New Business

None

 

Alliance Websites

§        Website www.processtech.org is fully active and maintained by Bob Kosar.  If your school or company has a website 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) website www.captech.org.

   

Future GCPTA Meetings

Friday, June 2, 2000

Friday, August 11, 2000

Friday, November 17, 2000

9:00 am - 1:00 pm

Nassau Bay Hilton

 

***Other Events***

IPTA Conference

Tuesday, September 12, 2000

Fairmont Hotel - New Orleans

 

API National Training & Development Conference

September 13-15, 2000

Fairmont Hotel – New Orleans

 

Meeting Adjourned at 1:00 pm.

 

Respectfully submitted,

  

Merv Treigle, Secretary

Gulf Coast Process Technology Alliance

 

MT/at