GCPTA MEETING MINUTES

Holiday Inn, Houston, TX

Date: Friday, July 25, 2003

Time: 9:00 am – 1:00 pm

 

Mike Gragg, GCPTA Treasurer, opened the meeting and welcomed everyone in attendance. Mike explained that Lisa Arnold, GCPTA Secretary, had broken her arm and had surgery on the arm; therefore she was not going to participate in the meeting. We wish Lisa a speedy recovery. Mike welcomed everyone in attendance.  He gave a special welcome to our guests, new participants, and those members who had not attended recent meetings.  He asked Bill Raley to introduce his guest from China, Javier Esparza with Conoco Phillips. 

 

The participants introduced themselves.  There were 41 members and guests in attendance.

 

Approval of Last Meeting Minutes

Minutes of the April 25, 2003 meeting were distributed, read, and approved July 25, 2003 with one amendment. The April 25, 2003 meeting minutes mentioned we would email our members the letter we received from Governor Rick Perry and this has not been done. The minutes will be changed to reflect this.

 

Subcommittee on Rules/By-Laws – Lisa Arnold

The following members were approved by the steering committee.

 

Non-Voting— Kelly Melton, Baker Energy, Houston, TX 

            Dean Schwarz, Southwestern Illinois College, Granite City, IL 

            John Shows, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Perkinston, MS

 

Executive Directors Report – Steve Erickson – reported that Bill Raley with College of the Mainland had retired from the Executive Committee and thanked Bill for his participation and hard work with the GCPTA. Steve reported that the Summer Institute for High School Female Students piloted by Baton Rouge Community College was very successful.  He also reported that Anita Riley had held a Summer Institute for High School Female Students, which was also very successful.  Steve was able to attend the Institute in Baton Rouge.  

 

Steve reported that Oran Sonnier, the Subject Matter Expert for Oil & Gas I and II had been paid $1,625 for his efforts.

 

He reported that the Executive Committee had spent a significant amount of time developing the Mission, Vision and Objectives for the GCPTA. 

 

Steve announced that Texas Senator Tommy Williams would be attending the November meeting and that Ronnie Baker would be giving a presentation on Job Shadowing.

 

Steve expressed his regrets for not being able to attend the Advisory Committee meeting at McNeese as planned.  He stated that he would be attending the Advisory Committee meeting for SOWELA in September.  He is going to try to make as many of the Advisory Committee meetings as possible.   

 

Mission, Vision, and Objectives Presentation – Mike Gragg

A flyer listing the Mission, Vision and Objectives of the GCPTA was given to everyone in attendance. This flyer provided a synopsis of each.  Mike’s presentation and the ensuing discussion follows:

 

Mission:  The GCPTA exists to provide Industry and Education with the Leadership, Resources, and Connectivity to assure that Process Technicians are Paraprofessionals that meet Industry needs.   

 

Vision:  The GCPTA will provide qualified Paraprofessionals that meet industry needs.

 

Objectives:

·         By 2008, a framework exists that assures quality graduates.

·         By 2008, the pool of PTech graduates will balance with Industry needs.

·         By 2008, 50% of GCPTA Industry members are utilizing PTech materials to upgrade their incumbent worker skills.

·         By 2008, a regional marketing plan is in place that effectively markets PTech careers to high school and college students and assists in PTech graduate job placement.

 

Mike identified some activities that might support each of the objectives.  The Executive Committee has not approved the entire plan and will be addressing it further in an Executive Committee meeting to be held later in the day.   

 

The Executive Committee is developing a 5-year plan to be used in accomplishing the goals of the objectives.   

 

Discussion:

·         In the Mission statement, the word Paraprofessionals was discussed.  A member questioned what was meant by “Paraprofessional”, which he did not feel fit Process Technicians.  It was explained that the Executive Committee spent quite a bit of time to decide on this word.  Their thinking behind this word is that they needed to come up with a word that fit a process technician with an associate degree verses a process technician without a degree, and the word professional would not fit because a person with a baccalaureate degree would qualify as “professional”.  There was quite a bit of discussion on this topic.

 

·         Mike Kukuk explained that the original Mission Statement explains that the GCPTA is an industry and education partnership doing what needs to happen to meet the needs of industry.  It is an industry driven organization.  Bill Raley explained the industry weighted Voting membership.  There are two industry members and one college member for each college that is a member of the GCPTA.   

 

·         Steve Erickson iterated that “resources” would be the critical issue in achieving the goals of the GCPTA.  The more people we get involved in the committees, the quicker we can get them accomplished.

 

Trip to Jakarta, Indonesia – Bill Raley – reported that he and Mike Kukuk went to Jakarta on a United States funded effort to participate in an Educational Forum. There were 250 to 350 representatives who attended.  There were two delegations from the Houston area and the College of the Mainland was one of them.  This is an on-going effort to help developing countries to upgrade the educational opportunities for their local areas. Process Technology was the focal point.  In addition, he reported that he and Mike met with a number of industry and local community representatives to discuss how the College of the Mainland might assist them in their efforts to improve their education system.  They found these people hungry to learn how to behave in an independent situation and there was a widespread emphasis on education being the key. Bill reported that a delegation from Indonesia had visited the College of the Mainland earlier to learn first hand how a community college functions. As a result, they are very interested in modeling their education system based on their findings and in particular, they were very excited about the curriculum used in process technology education at the College of the Mainland. “This was a unique experience”.  

 

Subcommittee – Funding – John Payne – reported on the financial status of the GCPTA subscription program. John stated that the rate of income was the limiting factor on the GCPTA’s ability to meet the objectives established in their Mission and Vision statement. John reported that to-date; the income was just meeting the expenses.  He encouraged all those who had not yet paid their subscription to do so. He also reminded them that as a 501 (c)(3) organization, the GCPTA could not charge membership fees.  John reported that nearly 40 member companies have not sent in their 2003 subscriptions.

 

Subcommittee on Education – Martha McKinley

Martha reported they met on May 9, 2003. She explained that they are formulating their goals and objectives and are waiting to see how they will fit into the overall goals and objectives that are being established by the Executive Committee.

 

NSF Update – Joanna Kile   

Joanna gave the following report:

Skill Standards Activities

·         Validation for Chemical/Refining through August 2003 in seven (7) states

·         E & P Skill Standards in aggregation phase of worker oriented information by consultant

 

Joanna informed everyone that the database developed by the American Chemical Society had been constructed to accommodate the validation of skill standards electronically.  Several modifications are being made and after they are complete, the consultant will be contacting both chemical and refining facilities that have been identified in the following states; Texas, Louisiana, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, California, and Illinois.   

 

Curriculum Activities

·         Oil and Gas Production I – Ready for purchase and shipment between August 1 and August 15

·         Developing Oil and Gas Production II – Ready for pilot in the fall with those institutions that have met the criteria set by CAPT

·         Early Phases of Textbook Development – Working on survey to determine what is needed in a textbook

 

BP Internships and Scholarships

·         Sixty-nine Internship Applications were received and screened by CAPT

ü       3 awarded onshore

ü       5 awarded offshore

 

·         Twenty-two Scholarship Applications were received and screened by CAPT

ü       4 awarded by BP

 

Merv Treigle – CAPT – reported on the following:

Professional Development Activities

·         CIBP Conference at South Shore Harbour on 10/9 – 10/10/03

ü       Breakout Forums will be conducted at the conference on the following topics: 

§         Recruitment and Retention Strategies

§         Textbook Structure

§         High School Curriculum

ü       Assessment Forum – By invitation only and will be limited to one educator and one industry representative from each CAPT partner college.  This forum will be conducted using the CoVision CouncilÔ System and its objective is to establish guidelines needed to proceed with the development of an assessment tool for process technology program graduates across the United States.

ü       ROI Forum – By invitation only and will be limited to a selected number of industry representatives from chemical/ refining and exploration and production companies.

ü       Registration – PayPal has been chosen to handle online registration either using credit cards or drafts from checking accounts.  In addition, registration can be made through CAPT by the use of purchase order, checks, or VISA/MasterCard.

ü       Optional Activities at 2003 CIBP

§         Golf Outing

§         Dinner Reservations

§         Process Technology Tours

§         Texas Two-Step Outing

 

·         Faculty Workshop “Train the Trainer” 8/23/03 at College of the Mainland

CAPT is sponsoring this workshop for faculty and adjunct faculty.  Dr. John Reed will conduct the workshop.  Registration is limited to the first 40 participants and a stipend of $60 will be paid to participants who complete the workshop. Lunch will also be provided.

 

Dissemination of Activities

·         ROI Publication is available for purchase.  Pricing is available on the order form on the CAPT Website.

·         Trends in Process Technology Education is available for purchase at $5.00 per copy.

·         Student Success Stories Publication is available for purchase at $4.00 per copy.

 

Joanna Perkins – CAPT – reported on the following:

Capacity Building Activities

·         Industrial Technology Summer Institute for High School Females

 

As a part of the NSF grant, CAPT provided a sub-award to the GCPTA to pilot a High School Female Summer Institute.  The GCPTA chose Baton Rouge Community College to host this institute from among the many applicants.  The institute was held June 23rd through June 27th.  There were nine participants.  CAPT provided brochures, curriculum, and support to BRCC.   Joanna Perkins attended and represented CAPT at the institute. In addition to the classroom sessions, the participants were given a tour of two companies, Dow Chemical and Placid Refinery.   The students were able to see what they could expect in the workplace, and they were able to have one on one conversations with females in industry. The Institute was supported by industry from:  Atofina, BP, Crompton, Dow, ExxonMobil, Placid, Shell and Vulcan.

 

Anita Riley also hosted a High School Female Summer Institute June 9th through June 13th at Victoria College.  There were 12 participants.  Joanna Perkins attended and represented CAPT at this institute. In addition to their classroom instruction, the participants toured BP, Victoria. This Institute was supported by industry from:  Ashland, BP, DuPont, and Equistar.

 

A report on both of these Institutes will be sent out to all GCPTA members.

 

Steve Erickson attended the Baton Rouge Community College Institute and commented that the participants were astounded at the income level they would be able to achieve.  Excellent job.

 

For further information…

Joanna Kile

CAPT at College of the Mainland

1200 Amburn Road

Texas City, Texas 77591

(409) 938-1211, x101

jkile@com.edu

www.captech.org

 

Subcommittee on Standards & Quality – Ed Stiles and Kathy Trahan reported there are two on-going efforts of this committee. One is Advisory Committee involvement.  All Endorsed schools are required to have an Advisory Committee if they do not have one and to make them active.  The other one is to put the audit tool in place.  The audit tool helps keep your program consistent.  Ed read a list of schools that have reported back and provided their Advisory Committee and Audit process.  In addition, he stressed that as part of the Mission Statement all GCPTA Endorsed Institutions would be expected to have an active Advisory Committee and a recurring audit process.

 

Financial Report – Mike Gragg reported the following: Income Year-to-date $30,031.04, Expenses Year-to-Date $27,723.25, Bank Balance as of June 30, 2003 $50,008.64.

 

College Advisory Reports

SOWELA Technical Community College – Clarence Hughes reported the following:

·         110 students enrolled this summer

·         12 expected graduates this summer

·         High School PTech Programs: 

Two or three Intro courses planned for the fall.

·         New Equipment: 

All “glass labs” are operational and are used jointly by SOWELA and McNeese students.

·         Advisory Committee Meetings: 

Scheduled for July 23, 2003

Hot Topic: A Mechanical Aptitude and Spatial Relations course has been added to the PTEC curriculum.

·         New Best Practice: 

The PTEC and Instrumentation departments offered an Orientation to Industry Program for 60 high school Juniors this summer.  The 3-week program provided “hands-on” activities in Process Technology, Instrumentation and Electricity.  It proved to be a good recruiting tool.  Several Students applied for out Tech Prep program this fall while others planned to enroll after graduation next year.

·         Upcoming Events: 

Mr. Lecompte and Mr. Ecker will attend the advanced PTEC training offered at Brazosport.

 

Montana State University-Billings College of Technology – Bob Robertus reported the following:

·         23 students enrolled

·         22 expected graduates

·         4 students on scholarship

·         Comments: All students participate in an internship during their 4th semester. Local industries including refineries, power plant facilities and mining companies accommodate them. Each year of the program, Conoco Phillips has offered 2 each $1,000 scholarships. This year, ExxonMobil matched that amount.

·         New Equipment: 

Cooling tower from T.A. Rodgers, modified to actually work with their Distillation unit. PLC and conveyor training units.

·         Advisory Committee Meetings: 

Met Spring 2003

Scheduled to meet Fall 2003

Hot Topics: Placement, Recruitment, Retention, Power Plant Option

·         Upcoming Events: 

Advisory Board meeting September

 

The Victoria College – Anita Riley reported the following:

·         69 students enrolled

·         6 approximate graduates

·         3 students in Intern/Coops program

·         Comments: Three students co-oping this summer at the Dupont Victoria Plant.  Held a Summer Institute for High School Girls June 9 – 13—12 girls attended.   Gave an overview of the training received in the PTAC degree program at The Texas Chemical Council Environmental, Health and Safety Conference at Moody Gardens on June 4th—got to plug the GCPTA, CAPT and college partners of the GCPTA.

 

Lamar Institute of Technology – Harry Wood reported the following:

·         300 students enrolled

·         20 expected graduates

·         5 students in Interns/Coops

·         30 students on Scholarships

·         Comments: The scholarship total does not included $120,000 in scholarship funds donated by Port Arthur industries for process and instrumentation scholarships. Recipients have not been chosen at this time.

·         High School PTech Programs:

20 Students participating

2 High Schools participating

·         Advisory Committee Meetings:

Met April 15, 2003

Scheduled to Meet September 18, 2003

Hot Topics: How to incorporate the outside distillation unit in all PTAC classed.  How to get the information to industry about PTAC web-classes offered non-credit.

 

Louisiana Technical College-Ascension Campus – Cleveland Marchand reported the following:

·         9 students enrolled

·         0 expected graduates

·         3 students on scholarships

·         Comments: LTC, Ascension Campus has started the P-Tech program again—fall 2002.  We expect to have the full program approved for August 2003.  At that time, we will increase our student count, internships, and scholarships.

·         High School PTech Programs:

12 students participating

1 high school participating

Comments:  This was held Spring 2003 semester.  Next year, we will have a class at the new high school in our parish.

·         New Equipment: 

We have obtained funds through the Capital Outlay process for the remaining “Glass Labs” and for a Pilot Plant.

·         Advisory Committee Meetings:

Met July 3, 2003

Hot Topics: We meet monthly on the first Thursday of the month at 7:30 a.m.

·         New Best Practice:

Planning for the future.

·         Upcoming Events:

Waiting on approval of our program and to begin working on the additional “glass labs”.

 

Louisiana Community and Technical College-River Parishes Campus – George Foret reported the following:

·         106 students enrolled

·         6 expected graduates

·         6 students in Interns/Coops

·         4 students on scholarship

·         Student Organization Activities:

Student Government Association, Skills U.S.A.

·         Comments: Nine students interning with three companies; Shell Geismar, Entergy and Chevron Phillips. Scholarships given by Shell Geismar, Marathon and Ascension Parish. 

·         Special Programs:  Specialized training for new hires and incumbent worker programs.

Graduation Placement 2002-2003 – 100 percent.

·         High School PTech Programs:

35 students participating

5 high schools participating

Comments:  Fourteen East St. John High students, 13 Destrahan/Hanville High students, and 8 St. James/Lutcher high students. Tremendous success. Additional courses will be offered, and all participating schools will be involved again for Fall 2003. There may be the possibility of one additional high school joining into the PTEC Academy for the fall.

·         New Equipment:

Glass Labs Plant lab A,B,C,D,F – PLC Modicon

Methanol Plant (life size) – Honeywell TDC 3000

·         Advisory Committee Meetings:

Met May 23, 2003

Scheduled to meet July 30, 2003

Hot Topics: Implementation of mechanical aptitude course—as an elective.  Increase enrollment.

·         New Best Practice:

Cooperative agreement between Nichols State University and Louisiana Community and Technical College System

Signing of Cooperative Agreement – TBA

Advisory Committee Meeting—Date July 30th—Location “Lutcher High School” St. James Technical Center.  Agenda—Tour Facility and conduct Advisory Meeting.

 

McNeese State University – Carol Schulte reported the following:

·         29 students enrolled

·         4 expected graduates

·         6 students in Interns/Coops

·         Comments: There were 17 graduates in Spring Semester 2003 including the first Process Plant Technology B.S. graduate.  Kenneth Fusilier received the first B.S. degree in Engineering Technology with a concentration in Process Plant Technology. Kenneth accepted a job from an offshore company, where he hopes to become a directional driller.

·         New Equipment:

Centrifugal Pump Demonstrator

·         Advisory Committee Meetings:

Met May 28, 2003

Scheduled to meet July 30, 2003

Hot Topics: See Sowela Report (joint industrial advisory board with Sowela)

 

Alvin Community College – Mark Demark reported the following:

·         61 students enrolled Summer 2003

·         5 expected graduates

·         2 students on Scholarships

·         High School PTech Programs:

8 high schools participating

·         New Equipment:

Scale Plastic Model – Olefins Cracking Furnace – BP Chocolate Bayou

High Speed Gear Box – Sundyne Compressors

Gas Turbine Cut Away Drawings – Rolls Royce

·         Advisory Committee Meetings:

Met June 4, 2003

Scheduled to meet September 10, 2003

Hot Topics: THECB Application for Exemplary Status.

Carol Keeton Rylander Texas School Performance – Higher Education Audit.

·         New Best Practice:

Advisory Committee Meeting schedule and recent past meeting minutes posted to ACC Website Process Technology page.

·         Upcoming events:

Advisory Committee would like to visit nearby colleges to tour Process Technology Facilities September 10, 2003.

 

Del Mar College – Denise Rector reported the following:

·         30 students enrolled (Summer)

·         5 expected graduates (Summer)

·         4 students in Interns/Coops (Fall)

·         Comments: There are approximately 10 students who will complete the course work for a certificate by December. They are being strongly encouraged to continue classes for an associate degree.

Information for companies sponsoring internships has grown to include Equistar and Javelina. We are currently in the process of answering questions that arise as the sponsorships are discussed in-company and hope to include these two companies in the near future, as well as our continued support of Valero.

·         Advisory Committee Meetings:

Met April 25, 2003

Scheduled to meet in the fall (no date yet)

Hot Topics: Discussion on auditing the program and creating a “generic” model for qualifications of experience or education our local industries look for in a new hire.

 

San Jacinto College – Mike Speegle reported the following:

·         378 students enrolled (Spring 2003)

·         7 expected graduates

·         7 students in Coops

·         Comments: Lubrizol donated eight $500 scholarships to PTAC students with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Shell donated two $1000 scholarships for freshman level PTAC students.

·         New Equipment:

Building two small plants similar to those at Brazosport.

·         Advisory Committee Meetings:

Met February 12, 2003

Scheduled to meet September 17, 2003

Hot Topics:

Internships to be offered by area plants

More hands-on training units

New simulation software

Externships in plants for instructors

·         Upcoming Events:

Seek two grants, one to upgrade our pneumatic controlled glycol distillation lab to DCS and the second grant for specific unit simulation software (amine unit, hydrotreater, etc.)

 

Louisiana PTEC – Stacey Chiasson reported the following:

The Louisiana Legislature made the Louisiana PTEC Board a State Board. The state legislature also increased spending for the community college system by 1.5 million dollars. She also said that the Louisiana industry was very interested in the Skill Standards being addressed by CAPT.

 

Baton Rouge Community College – Kathy Trahan reported the following:

·         85 students enrolled (summer 2003), 197 students enrolled (fall 2003 as of 7/30/03)

·         30-35 expected graduates (spring 2004)

·         6 students in Interns/Coops

·         Student Organization Activities:

PTEC Club Ambassadors assisting with recruitment

PTEC Club working on Website tie in with PTEC101 Website

·         Comments:

Scholarships:  2 @ Dow, 2 @Shell, 2 @ Placid, ISA Scholarship, Desk & Derrick Scholarship, PTEC 101 Industry Scholarship.  Instructor Professional Development at Brazosport, Michigan in June and July. 5 interns hired after internship.  Summer Institute June 23-27th.

·         High School PTech Programs:

35 students participating

8 high schools participating

Comments:  The course was held on the BRCC campus in the evening.  Students provided their own transportation.

·         New Equipment:

ExxonMobil IWTG anticipated equipment – Simtronics simulators, Honeywell ShadowPlant simulators TR International acrylic models and cutaways.

·         Advisory Committee Meetings:

Met June 19, 2003

Scheduled to meet August 28, 2003

Hot Topics: Instructor development, Outdoor training unit, Industry hiring needs, Summer Institute, Enrollment up 15% overall

·         New Best Practice:

Block Schedule has assisted in increasing enrollment, as our Main Campus is 10 minutes away from the PTEC building.  By alternating Academic and PTEC courses in a fixed timeslot, our students are able to take most of the classes at one location thus eliminating travel time and increasing study time and work time.

·         Upcoming Events:

Teacher Workshop for HS instructors July 28th

STATE Summer Institute for PTEC Modules August 6th – 8th

Alaska Workshop for LA Audit Practices August 12th – 13th

Fall Classes start August 25th

 

College of the Mainland – COM Student reported the following:

·         Enrollment up 37% over last summer

·         3 students in Interns/Coops

·         Comments:

We have 3 Internships with BP this fall and two others in the “works” with two other local companies.

·         New Equipment:

Moved the feed location to the Glycol Separation Unit in increase the stripping section of the tower to improve bottoms separation.  Works very well.

·         Advisory Committee Meetings:

Met June 12, 2003

Scheduled to meet August 7, 2003

Hot Topics: Technical Math Course, Student Retention, Increasing Female Students, 40 Hour Run

·         New Best Practice:

Bonus Board

·         Upcoming Events:

July 31 – 40 Hour Run

August 13 – PTEC Night

 

Texas State Technical College – Martha McKinley reported the following:

·         23 active students in the program

·         Graduated first 3 students in May and 2 went to work for Eastman

·         1 student working co-op with Eastman and 1 working co-op at a local power plant this summer

·         In the planning stage for a pilot unit to be built

 

Special Note:

Dr. Bob Krienke, President, Lamar Institute of Technology, Beaumont, TX, reported that Lamar was number one in the nation for the number of graduates produced in their Process Technology program in the category of Engineering Related Technology Programs.

 

New Business – Mike Gragg

·         Officer Election at next GCPTA meeting on Friday, November 21, 2003.  The office of President and the office of Treasurer will be up for election. If you would like to run for one of these offices, please contact Steve Erickson. Nominations will also be made from the floor.

 

·         Dee Salmon reported on her NSF grant activities.  She held a meeting after the GCPTA business meeting to discuss the use of the web-based training modules that had been developed by the South Texas Advance Technology Education an NSF funded grant.

 

Alliance Website

§         Website www.processtech.org is fully active and maintained by Bob Kosar of Grand Isle Group Information Delivery Specialists.  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. 

 

§         Center for the Advancement of Process Technology (CAPT) Website www.captech.org.

 

§         Contact the GCPTA at atgcpta@msn.com.

 

Future GCPTA Meetings

Holiday Inn, Houston, TX                              Friday, November 21, 2003

 

***Other Events***

Critical Issues & Best Practices Conference (CAPT)

South Shore Harbour Resort and Conference Center

October 9 & 10, 2003                

                                                                                               

Meeting adjourned at 1:00 p.m.

 

Respectfully submitted,

  

Lisa Arnold, Secretary

Gulf Coast Process Technology Alliance

 

LA/at