GCPTA MEETING MINUTES

Sheraton Hotel – Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Date:  Friday, April 23, 2004

Time:  9:00 am – 1:00 pm

 

Stacey Chiasson introduced the Louisiana representatives from the Governor’s office for Economic Policy and Workforce Development.  They addressed the participants and briefly outlined how the efforts of the GCPTA and LAPTEC were on course with the Governor’s vision of providing a well-educated workforce for the development of Louisiana industry.

 

Stacey Chiasson introduced the GCPTA president, Steve Ames.

 

Steve Ames, President, opened the meeting and welcomed everyone in attendance.  The participants introduced themselves.  There were 75 members and guests in attendance.

 

Executive Director Comments – Steve Erickson

Steve Erickson, the Executive Director of GCPTA, addressed the audience about several issues.  Steve opened his talk with a statement on the aging workforce and the projected need for process technicians over the next 5 to 10 years.  Steve addressed the fact that there were not enough young people enrolled in PTEC to replace those in industry who plan to retire.  He went on to say that it was incumbent on groups such as the GCPTA to connect with the young adults to make them aware of the many things in their lives that are provided by the chemical, refining and exploration industries.  He spoke of how GCPTA and industry companies could help connect with the young people in their schools.  He spoke on how all industry must work together to recruit and develop the future workers needed.  He spoke about how GCPTA will work with industry and education to provide a plan to address the issues of connecting with the young people and providing for enough students to fill the coming shortages in the workforce brought about by retirements.  He ended by addressing the impact that the jobs provided by industry have on a number of lives and how it has turned despair into hope for people.

 

Approval of Last Meeting Minutes

Minutes of the January 30, 2004 meeting were distributed, read, and approved April 23, 2004.

 

Subcommittee on Rules/By-Laws – Mike Kukuk

The following members were approved by the steering committee:

 

Voting

In District    Fulton Briscoe, The Lubrizol Corporation, Deer Park, TX 

                  Mike Speegle, San Jacinto College, Pasadena, TX 

                  Walter Eric Newby, BASF, Port Arthur, TX 

                  James Dautenhaun, McNeese State University, Lake Charles, LA

 

Non-Voting

In District    Mike Mundy, Dow Chemical Company, LaPorte, TX                       

                  Wayne Stephens, Wharton County Junior College, Bay City, TX 

                  Mike Connella, McNeese State University, Lake Charles, LA

                       

Best Practice – Student Testimonial – Scott Waggenspack

Scott spoke on how his educational experience in process technology has impacted his life.  He traced his path from high school through his initial college experience and how his education helped him to land a job as a process technician with Shell Chemical in Geismar, Louisiana.  Scott outlined how he had started out pursuing an education in chemical engineering and how he had decided to pursue an education as a process technician.  He stated that he realized that a process technician was not just a job, but it was a career that was well worth pursuing.  He spoke of his experience at Shell over the past year and the many benefits that he has come to realize that it provides.  Scott’s talk was received well by those in attendance and he was given a robust round of applause for his presentation.

 

Best Practice – Plant Manager Testimonial – Bruce Martin, Vulcan Chemicals

Bruce Martin, chairman of the LAPTEC State Advisory Board, emphasized how the partnership between industry, education and government helped to make process technology education work for Louisiana.  He talked about the importance of the chemical industry to the Louisiana economy.  He then went on to explain that the workforce in the industry was aging and without a good plan to replace the required workforce, there would be a shortage of trained technicians over the next 5 to 10 years.  He spoke of industry and education’s efforts to change the perception of jobs in the industry and how industry has provided scholarships, internships, and community awareness in an effort to help change the perception that the process technician was just a blue-collar job.  He spoke of how these efforts have led to increased enrollment at all of the PTEC programs in Louisiana.

 

Best Practice – Website: A tool for you to use to accomplish these things – Katie Taylor, Career Builders

Katie demonstrated the new PTEC Website www.ptec101.com and the different information that is provided.  Some of the information that was shown was real people with real stories, information on the PTEC career, and the PTEC store where items such as hats, t-shirts, and related PTEC items can be acquired.

 

Louisiana Recognition Award – Stacey Chiasson, Career Builders

Stacey handed out several “Apple Awards” to those in Louisiana that have provided outstanding support for PTEC education.  In addition, Stacey recognized and presented a Louisiana Trend Setter Award to the LCA for their support of Process Technology Education.  Bruce Martin on behalf of the LCA accepted this award.  At the same time, the LCA provided Stacey with flowers and a token of appreciation for the efforts that Career Builders has provided to PTEC education in Louisiana.

 

Committee on Standards and Quality – Ed Stiles and Kathy Trahan

Kathy Trahan handed out a “pocket toolbox” to the industry participants and a packet with academic information on Math and Mechanical Problem Worksheets to the educators.

 

Ed Stiles reviewed the Standards and Quality Committee’s role in defining the requirements for GCPTA’s endorsement of a college’s process technology program.  Ed then, gave the following Committee on Standards and Quality update:

 

Status Report – Requirements for GCPTA Member Schools to Remain “Endorsed”:

·         #1 – Establish and Maintain an Active Advisory Committee

·         #2 – Conduct P-Tech Program Audits

 

Background of Requirement #1

·         Establish and Maintain an Active Advisory Committee

As immediate evidence, affiliated colleges are to submit the following to the Standards and Quality Committee by no later than September 1, 2004 in order to remain an “Endorsed College”:

a)       Minutes of each of their Advisory Committee meetings (ongoing)

b)       Advisory Committee member names and their contact information (contact info optional)

 

·         Additional Evidence of an Active Advisory Committee (To be required later)

§         Meeting Frequency – meets at least quarterly (more often if required by the State of the school)

§         Membership Composition – there will be more industry members than college members; meetings will be chaired by industry members

 

·         Additional Evidence of an Active Advisory Committee

(To be required later)

§         Voting During Meetings – a quorum of members will be present for all votes (each college will define what makes up a quorum)

§         Documentation – a Charter/Mission/Vision Statement will be developed, agreed to, and formally approved by the advisory committee members, and it will define the purpose of the committee’s existence; minutes will be taken at each meeting and will show evidence of an agenda and who was in attendance.

§         Each college’s two voting members from industry will be actively involved in GCPTA activities.

 

 

Status:

To date, colleges that have submitted adequate immediate evidence of an active advisory committee are as follows:

Alvin, BRCC, Brazosport, College of the Mainland, Houston CC, McNeese, LTC-River Parishes, San Jacinto, Sowela, TSTC-Marshall, and Wharton

 

Background of Requirement #2

·         Conduct P-Tech Program Audits

As immediate evidence, colleges are to submit a copy of a completed audit of their P-Tech program to the Standards and Quality Committee by no later than September 1, 2004 in order to remain an “Endorsed College”

 

Status:

To date, colleges that have submitted completed audits are as follows:

BRCC, College of the Mainland, McNeese, River Parishes, San Jacinto, Sowela and TSTC-Marshall

 

Overall Status:

Colleges which have competed the two immediate requirements to remain an Endorsed College after September 1, 2004 are as follows:

BRCC, College of the Mainland, McNeese, River Parishes, San Jacinto, Sowela and TSTC-Marshall

 

Additional Information:

·         The Term “Recommended College Members” will be changed to “Associated College Members”

§         The Alliance will no longer “Recommend” a College which does not strive to meet the Alliance’s standards and goals for excellence

§         Associated College Members will not have voting rights

 

·         Endorsements of Colleges will be for one year periods

 

·         Pre-Hire and Post-Hire Standards will be implemented for instructors (to be implemented in the near future)

§         The following Pre-Hire standards for P-Tech instructors will be used:

Minimum Educational Requirements – for Full-Time Instructors: possess at least a degree at the level at which the person is teaching, i.e., at least an Associate’s Degree; for Adjunct Instructors: appropriate industry experience and evidence of previous training/classroom management experience; SACS requirements will be followed if more stringent

 

·         Pre-Hire and Post-Hire Standards will be implemented for instructors (to be implemented in the near future)

§         The following Post-Hire standards for P-Tech instructors will be used:

Professional Development Requirements – A minimum of 8 hours per year of related professional development in education and/or technical programs or seminars

 

Evaluation of Performance – Evidence of having been evaluated as part of a formal faculty evaluation process on an annual basis

 

·         All Requirements (with the exception of the Pre- and Post-Hire Instructor Standards) are to be completed by September 1, 2004

 

What happens next?

§         If a college fails to meet these requirements by September 1, 2004, the Standards and Quality Committee will recommend to the GCPTA Executive Committee that the status of the college be changed from “Endorsed” to “Associated”.

 

§         Those colleges that submit the required documentation after September 1 will become “Endorsed” at the time it is submitted.

 

Committee on Curriculum and Education – Gary Hicks and Martha McKinley

Martha McKinley reported that the committee was working closely with CAPT in reviewing chapters of the Instrumentation Textbook being developed by CAPT. She also reported that the committee had finished the review of the topics developed for Applied Physics in a forum that was held in Louisiana.  Martha reported that they were currently reviewing the HAZWOPER program and how it can be used by GCPTA partner institutions.  The program has been donated to GCPTA by Tim Brown, president of Bayport Training and Technical Center.

 

Martha stressed and requested that more industry members participate on the committee in its efforts to help develop and strengthen the curriculum that supports process technology education.  Teleconferencing is available for those that are unable to attend and video conferencing is being tested.

 

CAPT Update – Joanna Kile

Joanna provided information about CAPT, its six major alliance partners, its 40 institutional partners throughout the US and Canada, and its several international relationships.  Joanna provided a handout on the efforts of CAPT and addressed each of the items with the participants.

 

Joanna spoke first about the status of the Skill Standards for chemical and refining and the plans to validate the occupational knowledge and skills in the months of May and June.  She also addressed that a meeting would be held to determine the academic/employability knowledge and skills in August.  She pointed out that Skill Standards work-oriented information for Oil and Gas Production were being finalized and a national on-line validation is scheduled for late May.

 

Joanna spoke about the status of the Program Graduate Exit Assessment and stated that work on the program will begin in October 2004.  She pointed out that there would be a need for industry and education volunteers to help write assessment items.

 

Joanna spoke about the CAPT mentoring program and related that Gary Hicks will be mentoring South Arkansas Community College in Arkansas, John Payne will be mentoring Red Rock Community College in Colorado, and Kathy Trahan will be mentoring Nashville State Community College in Tennessee.

 

Joanna related that CAPT had sponsored 2-day instructional analysis sessions on Applied Chemistry, Physics and Math with SMEs from Louisiana and Texas that was hosted at Baton Rouge Community College.  The Physics topics were approved by the GCPTA ESC in March 2004.

 

Joanna spoke about the status of the instrumentation textbook and the handout denoted the industry and education partners that were currently involved in the development of the textbook.  She related that the GCPTA ESC is reviewing the chapter contents.  She also stressed that additional industry Subject Matter Expertise is needed for input to several of the textbook chapters.

 

Joanna related that the 2004 Critical Issues and Best Practices Conference would be held at South Shore Harbour Resort in Houston, Texas on September 29, 30 and October 1.  A one-day Training and Development Pre-Conference for training managers, supervisors and plant trainers will be held on September 29th.  The planning committee members for this Pre-Conference are Steve Ames, Earl Brown, Bill Draper, Barry Hardy, Mike Kukuk, Dennis Link and Jeff McSorley.  She related that educator scholarships will be available for the CIBP portion of the conference.

 

Joanna spoke about CAPT’s role in the BP student internships.  She asked John Payne to talk further about the program.  There were 151 applicants from partner institutions throughout the United States.

 

Joanna provided an update on the USDOL grant proposal.  The proposal was submitted the first week of March 2004 and it is anticipated that the status of the proposal will be received some time in May.

 

Joanna reported that CAPT is working on a Sustainability and Business Plan that includes activities that were ascertained from a survey requesting a priority of CAPT activities from its partners.  This planning is necessary to sustain CAPT activities when federal funding substantially declines in 2010.  An initial Business Planning subcommittee met on Monday, April 19th. 

 

Joanna reported that a formal agreement had been made with Del Mar College for CAPT to house and disseminate the “STATE” modules that had been developed through an NSF grant.

 

Joanna previewed several of the new additions to the CAPT Website www.captech.org in particular the Career Guide and the Best Practices Guide.  

 

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

 

Membership – Stacey Chiasson

Stacey related that the Public Affairs Committee is developing a packet on how you can be involved in the GCPTA PTEC efforts.  These will be sent out to our membership.

 

Financial Report – Mike Gragg

Mike Gragg gave the following financial report for 2004:  Income to-date $28,524.02, Expenses to-date $29,874.10 and the Bank Balance as of 2/29/04 $55,816.54.  

 

Poker Run Presentation – Tim Brown

Tim Brown put together a Poker Run to help raise funds for the GCPTA.  The Poker Run required participants to stop at specific institutional locations to secure flyers about the supporting vendors with playing cards attached.  The person with the best poker hand made up from the cards acquired was the winner.  There were five participants and Martha McKinley held the winning hand.  She was presented a $50 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble.  The vendors who participated and contributed $300 each to support the Poker Run were:  Bayport Technical & Training Center, Applied Training Resources, Uhai Publishing and Simtronics Corporation.  The colleges who hosted the stops were Lamar Institute of Technology, McNeese University, and Baton Rouge Community College.  Tim thanked all who had participated and especially the vendors that helped raise $1,200 for support of the GCPTA.  Tim presented a ceremonial replica of the $1200 check to Steve Ames and Steve Erickson.

 

College Advisory Reports

1.       Del Mar College “STATE” – Dee Salmon reported the following:

Dr. Lee Sloan and Ms. Dee Salmon are delighted to report that our South Texas Advanced Technology Education Project (funded by the National Science Foundation under DUE 0053268) was selected for the President’s Award for Excellence 2004 for Best Practices in Technical Education by the Texas Association of College Technical Educators (TACTE).  Mr. Jose L. Alaniz, Acting President of Del Mar College, was present with Dr. Sloan and Ms. Salmon to receive the award on April 1, 2004.  The award is a tribute to the efforts of each team member responsible for the successes of STATE, which includes faculty, staff, the Technical Experts Panel, the National Visiting Committee, industry partners and educational institution collaborators.  We are honored and proud!!!

 

2.       Texas State Technical College – Tommy Edgar reported the following:

The PTAC program at TSTC-Marshall is doing fine but need additional students in the program.  We have 6 students graduating on April 30 and are helping them arrange interviews, etc.  We are looking into hosting, along with Eastman, a Women’s Institute this summer.  Using the GCPTA curriculum, I have put together an Internet course for PTAC 1308 that we will offer this summer.  Our skid unit which includes a reverse osmosis unit is up and running and can be used for the PTAC and Instrumentation program courses.  We are looking at installing a Delta-V system and wireless system for control.

 

3.       San Jacinto Community College Central – Mike Speegle reported the following:

§         220 students enrolled

§         9 expected graduates

§         14 students on scholarships

§         Comments:

Offering Oil and Gas Production I in the summer of 2004 as lecture only; Oil and Gas Production II in the fall of 2004 as lecture/lab.

§         Advisory Committee Meetings:

Met February 22, 2004

Scheduled to meet April 8, 2004

Hot Topics:

Donation of equipment to the department—Akzo-Nobel donated a large amount of chemical laboratory equipment to be used in our applied chemistry laboratory.

Externships for faculty.

Department audit completed in 2002.  One is due this year.

Committee roles and goals.

§         Upcoming Events:

Glycol distillation lab upgrade to DCS (Delta V) control system will be completed by the end of April.  Unit is installed with smart transmitters, digital positioners, radar level detectors and mass flow meters.

 

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

§         19 students enrolled

§         1 expected graduate

§         Comments:

Student Scholarships usually arrive for Fall Semester only.

No internships because of switch to December graduations (requires long explanation) 

§         Student Organization Activities:

We have no formal student organization.

§         High School PTech Programs:

Not a priority at the moment.

§         Advisory Committee Meetings:

Met January, 2004

Scheduled to Meet September 2004

Hot Topics:

1.       Employment statistics

2.       Accreditation activities

3.       Addition of Power Plant Technician Option to the program

§         New Best Practice:

Business as usual.

§         Upcoming Events:

Nothing special.

 

5.       Lamar Institute of Technology – Jim Hebert & Harry Wood reported the following:

§         271 students enrolled

§         40 expected graduates

§         2 students in Interns/Coops

§         33 students on scholarships

Comments:

DuPont-Sabine Rivers Works in Orange, Invista-River Works in Orange, Bridgestone-Firestone in Orange, ChevronPhillips in Orange, ExxonMobil in Beaumont, and BASF in Port Arthur are all sponsoring scholarships this year.

§         Student Organization Activities: 

Link sales to raise money for trip to Louisiana refineries.

§         High School PTech Programs:

3 students participating

1 high school participating 

§         Advisory Committee Meetings:

Met April 8, 2004

Scheduled to meet Fall 2004

Hot Topics:

40 hour run on our outside Glycol unit.

CAPT update with Merv Treigle. 

Audit of the program has begun.

 

6.       College of the Mainland – Mike Cobb and Jerry Duncan reported the following:

§         250 students enrolled

§         40 expected graduates

§         8 students in Interns/Coops

§         8 students on scholarships

Comments:

Visitors from China looked at our PTEC program and possibly implement one in their country. 

The PTEC Lattner Boiler has been going through a maintenance “turnaround” during April.  The tubes were soda ash blasted, quite a bit of refractory and insulation was repaired and much of the boiler was repainted.  Our students were quite impressed with the entire operation.

§         High School PTech Programs:

2 students enrolled

2 high schools participating

§         New Equipment:

Nash Liquid Seal Vacuum Pump being installed on the GSU (almost done).

New tertiary 4 inch glass distillation column being commissioned.

Major control system upgrade on the glycol separation unit.

Rejuvenated an old acrylic distillation demonstrator.  Shows liquid and air flow through various types of trays.

§         Advisory Committee Meetings:

Met February 17, 2004

Scheduled to meet April 20, 2004

Hot Topics: 

1.       Science and Technology Preview (SteP) Female Summer Institute update.

2.       Combining the SHE course with the hazardous materials course.

3.       Discontinued giving credit for certificates received before 1996.

§         Upcoming Events: 

COM will be hosting the Science and Technology Preview (SteP) Female Summer Institute the week of June 21st.

Our PTEC “40 Hour Run” begins on April 29th at 4 pm and continues through May 1 at 8 am.

 

7.       Jefferson Community College – Jim Thorne reported the following:

§         23 students enrolled

§         6 expected graduates

§         1 student in Interns/Coops

§         3 students on scholarship

Comments:

I have two students on scholarship from Dow Corning and 1 from the local community in Carrollton, KY.

§         High School PTech Programs:

13 students participating

1 high school participating

Comments:

A local school has been designated as a Chemical Technology program.

§         New Equipment:

Filtration Unit.

§         Advisory Committee Meetings:

Met February 19, 2004

Scheduled to meet May 18, 2004

Hot Topics:

Curriculum revision, high school dual credit enrollment, chemical plant pollution.

 

8.       Sowela Technical Community College – Linton Lecompte reported the following:

§         About 129 students enrolled

§         About 22 expected graduates in May, 2004

§         0 students in Interns/Coops

§         0 students on Scholarships

Comments:

We do not have any Industry sponsored Internships; we have two classes of Interns, one during the day, and one during early evening hours.  I might add, this has been a very successful program for us.

§         Student Organization Activities:

PTEC students participate in The Student Government Association here on campus.

§         New Equipment:

No new equipment, however, we have six Glass Labs and assortment of Cutaways, Compressor, pump, and about eight different kinds of valves.

We also have a number of valves donated to us by CONOCO Phillips and Vulcan.

§         Advisory Committee Meetings:

Met March 24, 2004

Scheduled to meet May 19, 2004

Hot Topics:

HAZWOPER:

We’re trying to develop a program where our students graduate with a 24 hrs. HAZWOPER Certification. 

§         New Best Practice:

It’s not new, but we keep Safety in the forefront.

§         Upcoming Events:

LAPTEC audit has been re-scheduled for the fall 2004.

News to Share—Employment has really picked up in the Lake Charles, Louisiana area.

 

9.       Wharton County Junior College — Wayne Stephens reported the following:

§         32 students enrolled

§         9 expected graduates

§         0 students in Interns/Coops

§         0 students on scholarships

§         New Equipment:

Simtronics Distillation Simulator (Celanese/EquaStar/Nalco)

§         Advisory Committee Meetings:

Past Due

§         Upcoming Events:

Mock interviews for expected graduates.

 

10.   Del Mar College – Denise Rector reported the following:

During the spring semester, eight courses are being conducted in the Process Technology program.  Enrollment remains steady and we are expecting a full schedule of summer classes.

 

We just completed a year-long program review process.  A committee, comprised of faculty from several disciplines, industry representatives, advisory committee representatives, and a graduate of the program, studied all of the data collected on the program since its inception.  A report was written that examined areas such as instruction-related activities, curriculum integration, student educational intent, satisfactory mobility to other programs, universities, or employment, personnel utilization, and cost effectiveness.

 

Goals for the program covering the next five years were developed and course objectives versus student outcomes and quality of education were examined during this review.  The document has been forwarded on for college administration approval.

 

Our Bayport Training and Technical Center process trainer is in place, but to this point, our use has been limited because of an electrical problem in our building.  We expect to have the trainer fully operational this summer.  We have also purchased a cutaway of a steam turbine and centrifugal pump from BTTC.

 

11.   Baton Rouge Community College – Kathy Trahan reported the following:

§         184 full-time students enrolled

§         70 part-time students enrolled

§         7 students in Interns/Coops

Internship Participants:  3 Shell, 1 Georgia Gulf and 3 Dow Chemical

§         14 expected graduates

§         22 Active scholarships

Scholarship Sponsors:  ExxonMobil, Dow, and Ascension Parish Chemical Industry.

Comments:

·         Faculty is still in the progress of identifying lab activities for integration into specific courses to prevent duplication in PTEC core courses.

·         Internal Internship approved by BRCC curriculum in place of Business 140.

·         PTEC Pocket Tool box is ready to be rolled out at the April GCPTA meeting.

§         PTEC Instructor Development:

·         Simtronics software training by vendor took place Wednesday, March 17, 2004 11:30-2:30.

·         Awaiting approval by LA ESC on BRCC request to have Patrick Reichel, Brazosport put on a workshop with PTEC instructors on additional lab activities to more fully utilize glass labs.

·         NIDA Vendor demonstrated how the instrumentation trainers can be integrated into the instrumentation coursework on 3-19-04.

·         Richard Cox and Kathy Gallion continuing to work towards Masters Degrees in Adult Education.

·         Director attended best in co-op programs @ Cincinnati State Technical and Community College with other campus representatives (April 1-2, 2004)

·         NISOD, Austin—May 2004

§         New Equipment:

Construction complete on one new bay in Frazier building, DAC unit utilities installed, electrical in analytical area resolved, safety lighting and acoustical improvements made to all three bays, including glass lab area.  Wet lab area still under construction.

§         Advisory Committee Meetings:

Scheduled to meet April 29, 2004

Hot Topics:

Audits, PET unit progress, new equipment and simulation integration into curriculum.

§         New Best Practices/Successes to Share:

·         GCPTA ESC approved instructional analysis with slight modifications on applied physics.  Dr. Michael Canella-McNeese, Richard Cox-BRCC and Kathy Trahan-BRCC were present at GCPTA ESC.  Content can be covered in BOR Matrix transferable Physical Science 101 and companion lab.  BRCC is awaiting recommendation from State PTEC Advisory Board to move forward with program improvement.

·         SACS accreditation team visited campus April 20-21, 2004.

·         BRCC PTEC Program Director is participating in the Center for the Advancement of Process Technology Mentoring Program as a mentor to a new PTEC Mentee College, Nashville State Community College in Tennessee.

§         Upcoming Events:

Louisiana Depart of Economic Development is to sponsor the Crawfish Boil at the USS Kidd Thursday, April 22nd.  Dow Chemical Company is sponsoring the meeting room for the GCPTA General Meeting in Baton Rouge.  Immediately following the meeting, ExxonMobil is providing transportation to the BRCC Frazier Building.  This tour will showcase the BRCC program improvements that ExxonMobil through the Department of Labor’s Incumbent Worker Training Program has been able to provide while simultaneously assisting in enhancing their many in-house training programs.  This is definitely a best practice in education and industry collaboration.

 

12.   Alvin Community College – Mark Demark reported the following:

§         115 students enrolled

§         20 expected graduates

§         4 students on scholarships

§         New Equipment:

Wyle Laboratories donated a 34 component combination GLC and Mass Spec VOC Analyzer.

NASA contributed a slide projector and laser printer.

Dwyer Instruments provided a Scientific Inclined and Vertical portable manometer.

§         Advisory Committee Meetings

Met March 31, 2004

Steve Erickson presented and discussed GCPTA activities

Reviewed adding a Maintenance Program to the curriculum

Reviewed the 2004/2005 Budget+

Scheduled to meet June 9, 2004—Selection of new members

Hot Topics:

As of Friday, April 23, 2004 two students accepted intern positions with BP Oil & Gas Production one onshore and one offshore.

Held open house for Alvin High School

§         GCPTA/CAPT Activities

Participated with the Education & Curriculum Committee reviewing the Instrumentation Texts and Physics subject matter.

Conducted a Focus Group Session to get input and feedback on CAPT’s new Website.

 

13.   McNeese State University – Carol Schulte reported the following:

§         66 students enrolled

§         11 expected graduates

§         3 students in Interns/Coops

§         14 students on scholarships (2 industry)

Comments:

300+ high school students visited McNeese during Engineering Week activities.

James Dautenhahn presented paper on McNeese’s PTEC program at Conference for Industry and Education Collaboration (CIEC) on February 4, 2004.

§         New Equipment:

Cutaways of reciprocating compressor & globe valve through Drew Grant

§         Advisory Committee Meetings:

Met March 24, 2004

Scheduled to meet May 19, 2004

See Sowela Report

 

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 gcpta@msn.com.

 

Future GCPTA Meetings

Lake Jackson, TX                                         Friday, July 30, 2004

Lake Charles, Louisiana                        Friday, November 12, 2004

 

***Other Events***

(CAPT) Critical Issues & Best Practices Conference

South Shore Harbour Resort and Conference Center

September 29, 30 & October 1, 2004

September 29 Training and Development Pre-Conference

                      “Improving Business Results thru People Development”

September 30 & October 1 Critical Issues and Best Practices Conference                   

                                                                                               

Meeting adjourned at 1:00 p.m.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Lisa Arnold, Secretary

Gulf Coast Process Technology Alliance

 

LA/at