Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Technology Workforce Development Grants Program Advisory Committee. Agenda Materials.

Transcription

1 Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Technology Workforce Development Grants Program Advisory Committee Agenda Materials June 02,

2 TEXAS HIGHER EDUCATION COORDINATING BOARD Technology Workforce Development Grants Program Advisory Committee Mr. H. Thomas Dickey, Chair (2005)* Director and General Manger Intel Corporation Austin, Texas (512) Dr. Moonis Ali (2005)* Chairman and Professor of Computer Science Texas State University - San Marcos San Marcos, TX (512) Mr. Ray Almgren (2005)* Vice President National Instruments Austin, TX (512) Ms. Cheryl R. Hewett (2003)* Higher Education Marketing Manager Hewlett Packard Company Spring, TX (281) Ms. Nan McRaven, M.P.A. (2006)* Vice President and Director Motorola Austin, TX (512) Mr. Torrence H. Robinson, Chair (2004)* Public Affairs Director Texas Instruments, Inc. Dallas, TX (214) Ms. Pamela Y. Sherman (2006)* Program Manager Applied Materials Austin, Texas (512) Dr. Ben Streetman (2004)* Dean, College of Engineering The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX (512) Dr. Valerie E. Taylor (2005)* Department Head and Stewart & Stevenson Professor Department of Computer Science Texas A&M University College Station, TX (979) Academic Member (2006)* XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Coordinating Board Support Staff: Dr. Reinold R. Cornelius Program Director in Research THECB P.O. Box Austin, TX / FAX: Reinold.Cornelius@thecb.state.tx.us Dr. Linda N. Domelsmith Director of Research THECB P. O. Box Austin, TX / FAX: 512/ Linda.Domelsmith@thecb.state.tx.us

3 TEXAS HIGHER EDUCATION COORDINATING BOARD Technology Workforce Development Grant Program Advisory Committee Southern Methodist University School of Engineering Jerry R. Junkins Building TI Board Room (Room 210) 6251 Airline Road Dallas, TX June 02, :30 a.m. Agenda Introduction of New Members... A Consideration of Minutes of the April 14, 2004 Meeting... B Discussion of Project Visits... C Consideration on Funding and Funding Priorities... D Consideration of Granting Time Extensions to 2002 Grants... E Update on Proposed Rule Changes for the Technology Workforce Development Grant Program...F Consideration of Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the TWD Grant Program... G Update on News and Information... H Reference Section... Ref

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5 AGENDA ITEM A Introduction of New Members Jerry Farrington, chair of the Coordinating Board, appointed tree new industry members to the Committee: Cheryl R. Hewett, Higher Education Marketing Manager, Hewlett Packard Company Nan McRaven, Vice President and Director of Communications and Public Affairs, Motorola, and Pamela Sherman, Human Resources Program Manage College Programs, Applied Materials. Biographical information is included in this section Action: Consideration of Minutes of the Previous Meeting None required. A-1

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7 Cheryl R. Hewett Salmon Lane Spring, TX EDUCATION Master of Business Administration / 1993 / University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT Bachelor of Science in Education, Curriculum and Instruction with emphasis in Physics and Physical Science / 1985 / Texas A&M University, College Station, TX EXPERIENCE Higher Education Marketing Manager, Hewlett Packard Company, Houston, TX Responsible for increasing market share centered around the HP Enterprise Solutions for the Higher Education Market. HP Higher Education has recently increased market share from 5 th to 3 rd place as well as doubled revenue contribution. Responsible for managing the communications and programs to position HP as a Total Solution Provider in Academic and Administrative computing, emphasizing ISV partnerships and service offerings. Serve as primary point of coordination with the Marketing Communications Group, Product Managers, ISV Alliance Managers and the Global Services Group. Manage customer events and tradeshow participation. Manage the relationships with partners such as Microsoft and Packeteer. Work closely with associations such as ACE, AACC, The League for Innovation and Educause as well as the newly formed Educause Center for Applied Research. Additional responsibilities include, RFP participation, business plan development, customer visits and briefings and sales force training. Received five internal commendations for outstanding performance. Contracts Manager, Compaq Computer Corporation, Houston, TX Responsible for negotiating and managing the Compaq direct contracts in the government and education markets in the Mountain and Pacific Areas (13 states). Large contracts included the CMAS (California Multiple Award Schedule) and the WSCA (Western States Contracting Alliance) contracts. Worked with individual customers on contracting issues for both new and established contracts. Aided Compaq Account Managers with the strategy and submittal of proposals to obtain new business. Received awards on all bids submitted, with top evaluation scores on WSIPC, WSCA and the State of Montana Term Contracts. The WSCA contract is a cooperative purchasing vehicle, which has grown to become Compaq s largest contract in the government and education space. The success of the contract is dependent on the pricing strategy in conjunction with the full Compaq product and service mix. Received internal commendations for effective teamwork and successful contracting strategies, with particular regard to presenting Compaq as the total solution provider. Obtained top score on the CPCM National Certification Examination on the November 1999 examination. A-3

8 Accountant, Apex Process Technologies, Houston, TX Established Accounting and Management Reporting function for a start-up corporation. Responsibility for installing software system and establishing accounting procedures and job-costing strategies. Sole responsibility for the General Ledger, Budget, Account Reconciliation, Foreign Funds Transfer, Payroll and 401K Administration. Produced management reports regarding budgets and financial status of the corporation. Worked with corporate attorney and CPA in a professional capacity on both incorporation and tax related issues. Deputy Program Manager, Universities Space Research Association, Huntsville, AL Deputy Program Manager of the NASA/JOVE Program, a NASA research program involving approximately 150 research scientists and 75 universities. Responsible for participant proposal review and selection. Managed initial funding of participants through subcontracts and later with the initiation of a NASA grant for ongoing funding. Assisted Program Manager in overall budgeting and cost containment. Maximized efficiency with the design and implementation of a new Microsoft Access database. Major role in marketing the program to potential participants and to NASA Headquarters for continued funding. Achieved 50% increase in funding during a period of unsubstantiated budget cuts. Took the lead role in individual researcher performance and overall program evaluation and reporting. Worked with all 150 program participants in day-to-day program operations and in special problem situations. Worked on proposal team for new business ventures. Program Evaluation Specialist, SAIC (Science Applications International Corp.), Ogden, UT Research, preparation and implementation of evaluation strategy for Department of Energy EM-522 Educational programs. Provided training workshops in evaluation practice to program managers in DOE EM-522. Evaluation workshop presenter at DOE EM Annual Review meeting in Washington DC. Physics Teacher, Klein Independent School District, Spring, TX Lead teacher of Physics, Physics-Honors, and Physics II. Purchased and coordinated inventory for the department. Planned curriculum and laboratory program for Physics Department. Achieved a 50% increase in enrollment in one year. Worked with all Physics students on Science Fair Projects and helped to plan and hold the Science Fair. Coached Science Olympiad team to National Finals. JETS (Junior Engineering and Technology Society) Sponsor. CERTIFICATION Certified Professional Contract Manager A-4

9 Nan McRaven, Motorola, 2004 Nan is Vice President and Director of Communications and Public Affairs for Motorola s Semiconductor Products Sector. In that capacity, Nan leads a global team of public relations and public affairs specialists. She directs the employee, analyst, regional, business, media and crisis communications functions as well as the community and government relations programs. This marks Nan's thirteenth year with Motorola. Nan joined Motorola in 1989 as the Southwest Regional Director of Government Relations for Motorola. In this role, she established the State Government Relations office to support Motorola businesses in Texas, New Mexico, and Virginia. Because of her early work in the government relations arena, SPS today enjoys a number of tax incentives that allow Motorola to compete equitably with competitors around the world. In the process, Nan has created continuous opportunities for Motorola to be involved in shaping public policy in the areas of workforce and education, environmental, tax and telecommunications policy. From 1995 to 1998, Nan provided the internal leadership for creation of SPS' first cross-functional communications team as Director of External Communications and Government Relations. During this time, she created processes through which a number of separate communication functions were able to come together to share information and leverage resources in delivery of messages to our key publics. This work represented a real effort in collaboration and was a major benchmark in the creation of the company's current Communications and Public Affairs structure. Nan served in a dual role as Director of Government Relations and as the Director for Strategic Communications for the Sector President's Office from 1999 to Nan received an M.P.A. - Public Affairs, from The University of Texas at Austin, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, She also has a B.A. degree from Sam Houston State University, Received Pennybacker award for outstanding University student. Her community service over the past 25 years is extensive. She presently serves on the following boards: Austin Community College Board of Trustees, The Austin Idea Network, Austin Area Research Organization, The Trust For Public Land and the University of Texas Alumni Advisory Board. A-5

10 Pamela Y. Sherman Metric Blvd., #1110 Austin, Texas (512) Home (512) Office Skills Summary Manage implementation of a strategic new college graduate training. Manage budget of approximately $3 million. Developed and maintained relationships with targeted technical schools and colleges to recruit, screen, and select qualified candidates for Engineering Technician positions. Managed a program staff of three ensuring division goals were successfully met for the Intern/ Co-op Program and NCG-Manufacturing Program. Provide coaching and feedback to new college graduates and interns to assist with successful assimilation into the company. Over 300 new college graduates have completed the program. Certified Franklin Covey Trainer in What Matters Most (Time Management) and Project Management. Professional Experience Applied Materials, Austin, TX Human Resources Program Manager College Programs 9/00 present Develop strategic objectives of assigned assimilation and rotational programs. Interface with executive and senior management to ensure program processes align with the business goals. Communicate relevant program data related to retention, diversity, and performance to executive and senior management. Manage the overall direction of the Intern/ Co-op Program for the Austin site. Partner with division Human Resources and Applied Global University to ensure successful assimilation of new college grads into the manufacturing environment. Coordinate and facilitate assimilation activities for new college graduates and interns. Human Resources Development Specialist - College Programs 6/98 9/00 Develop objectives and goals of assigned assimilation and rotational programs. Supervise, manage, and track project rotations and evaluation process. Assist with recruiting and hiring process of engineers, buyers, planners and technicians. Recommend, prioritize, and manage implementation of program enhancement methods and processes including mentoring, coaching, and developing career paths for all program participants. Identify training needs associated with assigned programs or projects, develop and implement training strategies. Facilitate basic Human Resources Development courses. Ensure that all course materials are ready for class presentation. Technical Recruiter - College Programs 9/97-6/99 Recruited, screened, and selected qualified candidates for Engineering Technician positions. Developed recruiting strategies and maintained relationships at 20 targeted schools for engineering technician and customer engineering positions. Coordinated interview schedules for managers and conducted Behavioral Style Interviewing. Represented company at collegiate and national organizational job fairs. Ensured that efficient communications were maintained with all hiring needs and in evaluating candidates. Developed an internship program targeting students seeking technology related degrees. Managed the placement and program coordination of over 80 intern and co-op students. Huston-Tillotson College, Austin, TX 9/95-9/97 Director of Student Activities Provided leadership for and work with students to plan and implement cultural, social, educational, and recreational programs for the campus community. Created leadership A-6

11 development materials which provided direction to all students. Developed department policies and procedures. Developed and implemented training seminars focused on leadership and personal development. Served on several campus and education committees to support leadership and community development. Maintained budget for the Office of Student Activities and the Student Government Association. Prepared and submitted all departmental reports. The Casey Family Program, Austin, TX 6/95-7/96 Contract Job Developer and Co-Facilitator Assessed the abilities of youth to assist with the identification of career interests in the context of strengths, abilities, and needs. Developed and facilitated vocational and career activities. Coordinated collaboratively with the Division Direction and Cross Cultural Specialist, with chambers of commerce representing minority owned and operated businesses in order to target job placement opportunities for youth. Co-facilitated a group for female youth to assist with identifying goals. Austin Area Urban League, Austin, TX 6/93-9/95 Case Manager/Job Developer Assisted clients with the development of personal and career goals utilizing Case Management techniques and individual service strategies. Developed and facilitated personal development and career development training seminars and programs which targeted youth and adults. Supervised and managed activities of a 26 member Business Advisory Council. Organized agency career fairs and represented the agency at area career/volunteer fairs. Worked closely with area corporations in developing job opportunities for clients. Coordinated recruitment efforts of students for the Employment and Training Program. Prepared and submitted monthly, quarterly, and yearly reports to administration and funding sources. Analyzed program contracts to ensure compliance. Texas A&M University, Multicultural Services, College Station, TX 10/92-5/93 Graduate Assistant Typed and edited correspondence to university officials and provided general clerical assistance. Responded to inquiries regarding student organizations and various University related information. Informed prospective students of the various opportunities available at Texas A&M. Presentations/ Training Certification What Matters Most, Franklin Covey, Applied Materials Project Management, Franklin Covey, Applied Materials Self-Performance Management, Applied Materials Working Through Networks, Applied Materials Memberships/ Affiliations American Society for Training and Development Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) The Casey Family Program Advisory Committee Education Texas A&M University Post-Baccalaureate - Educational Psychology Texas A&M University Bachelor of Science - Sociology Navarro College Associate of Science - Psychology A-7

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13 AGENDA ITEM B Consideration of the Minutes of the April 14, 2004 Meeting This section includes the minutes of the previous meeting. Consideration of Minutes of the Previous Meeting Action: The Committee will consider approving the minutes of its April 14, 2004 meeting. B-1

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15 DRAFT *** DRAFT *** DRAFT Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Technology Workforce Development Grant Program Advisory Committee April 14, 2004 Minutes (Draft) Linda Domelsmith called the meeting to order at 12:30 p.m. in the Dean s Room of the UT Club at Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium. Those present were: members Tom Dickey (Chair), Moonis Ali, Torrence Robinson, Ben Streetman, and Valerie Taylor. Committee members Ray Almgren, C. S. Burrus, Nan McRaven, Pamela Sherman, and Sue Snyder were absent. Staff members present were Deborah Greene, Linda Domelsmith, and Reinold Cornelius. Guests present were Anthony Ambler and John Werth, project leaders from The University of Texas at Austin. Agenda Item A: Election of Committee Chair Linda Domelsmith explained the statutory requirement for the Committee to elect its own chair on a yearly basis and asked for a nomination. Ben Streetman moved to elect Tom Dickey as chair. It would be advantageous for an industry representative to chair this committee, he said. Moonis Ali seconded the motion and the Committee elected Mr. Dickey by acclamation. Tom Dickey accepted the position. He thanked Torrence Robinson for his guidance, sense of direction, and balance he brought to the Committee during the two years he chaired it. Debbi Greene agreed and expressed her thanks to Torrence Robinson in her capacity as head of staff. Linda Domelsmith reported that two new members to the Committee, Nan McRaven and Pamela Sherman, were unable to attend. Agenda Item B: Consideration of Minutes of the January 8, 2004 Meeting Torrence Robinson moved for the approval of the minutes for the previous meeting, Valerie Taylor seconded, and the Committee approved the minutes unanimously. Agenda Item C: Discussion of Project Visits Tom Dickey opened the discussion by observing that the teams of the three projects visited earlier that day all presented their data to support the proposals in different forms and that it might be of advantage to create an easy-format template for such data and indicators. Debbi Greene said work on this had started through Ray Almgren s questionnaire. Valerie Taylor said such a template was very hard to create, because all projects have such different foci. Moonis Ali agreed saying the interpretation of the data was so important. Ben Streetman added that the institutions need to follow the kids to determine which disciplines they enter at higher education institutions, including out-ofstate institutions, to provide an accurate measure of the success of recruitment programs. Otherwise, an increase was hard to demonstrate. Tom Dickey suggested sending out a questionnaire to the departments to capture employment trends by mid-may and asking for a response in time for the early June Committee meeting. At a minimum the Committee would get feedback about the reasonableness of the data query. Reinold Cornelius offered to include the Committee s questionnaire as part of the annual report, due at the end of summer. Debbi Greene said she would investigate the Coordinating Board s ability to track B-3

16 DRAFT *** DRAFT *** DRAFT employment data. Ben Streetman gave compliments to the three departments visited for doing well on their Workforce Development grants projects. The Committee had seen varied approaches and different student targets addressed. Tom Dickey suggested inviting other project leaders to these visits and Ben Streetman concurred that there was much to be learned. Valerie Taylor said they had seen elaborate presentations and a coordinated effort would pull in people. Ben Streetman asked if these visits could be done with off-site presentations and slides. However, Valerie Taylor said she had enjoyed the large group of people involved with the projects, something possible only through onsite visits, and Linda Domelsmith added that the enthusiasm for and overall level of activity related to the project was better transmitted onsite as well. The Committee realized, that for their coming site visit in June, they would experience a mixture of onsite visits and off-site visits in that some of the departments from institutions in the area would travel to SMU to give a presentation. Tom Dickey thanked staff for handling the logistics for the project visits. Agenda Item D: Consideration on Funding, Funding Priorities and Guidelines for TWD Competitions. Linda Domelsmith summarized the collection of letters asking the Comptroller for a State match to federal grants and in-kind contributions. The request for a match came from TETC. The letters were necessary, because the federal dollars went straight to the institutions and cannot be routed through the TWD account at the Comptroller s office. Linda Domelsmith explained the wrinkle that caused the ongoing delay of State match to federal grants, in-kind contributions, as well as industry cash. The State match was supposed to have come from the Smart Jobs fund but the legislative appropriations bill appropriated this money twice with the money going to, besides TWD, the Governor s Texas Enterprise Fund. When staff tried to draw down the appropriated money as a match to TWD contributions, they learned that the funds were not available. The question now was whether the House and Senate would make other money available for this program. Debbi Greene added that not all of the $295 million Enterprise Fund had been obligated and that setting aside $8 million for this program might be accomplished through the House and Senate leadership working with the Governor. In the meantime State representatives wanted to see the benefits of the program and staff prepared many data sheets on request. They are collected in the agenda materials under this section. Other than providing data, the situation was completely out of the hands of staff, said Linda Domelsmith. Linda Domelsmith said she had conveyed to the House Appropriations Committee staff that the Board tracks progress toward goals of its higher education plan Closing the Gaps. The last progress report showed that in 2002, the State had achieved only 8.8 percent of the increase targeted for 2005 for technology degrees. This was far behind the progress for other goals. Ben Streetman noted that it was the intent for requesting as well as for receiving the $3 million dollars of federal earmarked appropriation to this program that it would be B-4

17 DRAFT *** DRAFT *** DRAFT matched by the State. Debbi Greene acknowledged this. Tom Dickey added industry would also be disappointed if the State match to their cash and in-kind contributions would not be provided. The Committee took a five minute break. Agenda Item E: Update on Proposed Rule Changes for the Technology Workforce Development Grant Program Linda Domelsmith explained that the Board had not received any comments to the proposed rule changes to the program the Board had accepted in a first reading in January. The rule changes are going before the Board for a second time at its April 22 meeting. She highlighted the change for a longer grant period of up to five years. Reinold Cornelius introduced the Committee to guidelines for new rules regarding the State match for external grants. Debbi Greene explained that the Board s legal counsel will draft rules from these guidelines and staff will bring the drafted rules before the Committee at its next meeting. Ben Streetman asked why rules are necessary to get a State match to the $3 million federal appropriation. Staff said that these rules concern external grants to departments and in-kind donations to schools and departments and not the federal appropriation. TETC can deposit cash from the federal appropriation directly with the Comptroller for a match. Ben Streetman asked staff to add language to clarify this point. Agenda item F: Consideration of Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Technology Workforce Development Grant Program Reinold Cornelius introduced the summary of the written reviewer comments for the TWD 2003 competition under separate cover. The Committee had asked for this information at their last meeting to get a better insight into what kind of concerns the reviewer panels expressed in evaluating proposals. Tom Dickey asked what it meant that this material was marked confidential. Staff said they had redacted most of the terms that would identify a particular institution or person so the members could keep the collection, but that they would not like to have this information displayed publicly. Reinold Cornelius showed the present TWD roster. From fall 2001 to Fall 2003, the overall student count in electrical engineering had risen by 9 percent. In the computer sciences it had fallen by 12 percent. However, the number of graduated computer science baccalaureates increased considerably. This might indicate that students are now able to finish their studies because companies are not hiring the students before they finish. The roster was still undergoing changes, he said, since staff were continuing to work on programming improvements to the on-line tool used to collect data. The Committee discussed whether to hold a separate review of the 2003 proposal review via a group of reviewers similar to the NSF s Committee of Visitors, or whether to include such a review as part of the biennial external evaluation of the entire program required by statute. Staff explained that they would conduct the external review in the fall, since the new projects have not received funding and an earlier review would not make sense. B-5

18 DRAFT *** DRAFT *** DRAFT Committee members asked staff if they could direct the external review committee to include the review of the proposal review and staff said they could write a charge for the external review. Staff offered to include a draft to such a charge with the agenda materials for the next meeting. Valerie Taylor moved to charge the external review committee with this review and Ben Streetman seconded. The Committee approved unanimously. The committee adjourned at 2:30 p.m. rrc April B-6

19 AGENDA ITEM C Discussion of Project Visits The Committee will tour active TWD projects at The University of Texas at Arlington, The University of Texas at Dallas, and Southern Methodist University during the morning. Teams of projects from the Texas Woman s University and the University of North Texas will meet with members of the Committee on the SMU campus. Committee members will comment on the projects they visited and note any issues that they wish to address regarding program guidelines or administration. Action: Consideration of Minutes of the Previous Meeting None required. C-1

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21 AGENDA ITEM D Consideration on Funding and Funding Priorities The Advisory Committee decided to use the first $2.4 million dollars available for funding of the second round of TWD grants. TETC has sent $363,000 to the TWD account at the Comptroller s office and the program is awaiting a State match. Together with a match, this money would allow the second round of TWD grants to receive 30 percent of their funding. Action: Consideration of Minutes of the Previous Meeting The Committee will discuss implications of the funding situation for the program. D-1

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23 TETC Fundraising Successes, 2004/2005: Cash Balance Transfers Transfer Sum Comptroller: Month Year AMD Applied Lockheed Federal TETC's With State Sematech Motorola Intel to Comptroller Date Transfers Materials Martin Appropr. account Match Jan $100,000 $100, Feb $100,000 $5,000 $10,000 $215, Mar $225 $75,000 $100,000 $232,225 (158,000.00) 2-Mar , , Mar 3b 2004 $157,225 (75,000.00) 26-Mar , , Apr $57,225 (100,000.00) 26-Apr , , May $30,000 $57,225 (30,000.00) 21-May , , Jun $57, , , Jul $57, , , Aug $57, , , Sep $57, , , Oct $57, , , Nov $57, , , Dec $57, , , Jan $57, , , Feb $57, , , Mar $57, , , Apr $57, , , May $57, , , Jun $57, , , Jul $57, , , Aug $57, , , total $100,225 $100,000 $5,000 $40,000 $75,000 $100,000 $0 $ needed for 2003 funding: $2,399,949 available (with State match): $726,000 theoretical present funding level: 30.3% updated: 24-May-04

24 Technology Workforce Development Grant Proposals: 2003 Awards Pending sufficient funding in the TWD account with the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts Computer Sciences Fund Category 1 1. The University of Texas at Austin $447,990 Recruiting and Retaining Computer Science Students 2. Texas Engineering Experiment Station $173,158 Increasing Computer Science Retention with Peer Teachers and Learning Modules 3. Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi $235,817 More Attention for Retention and Recruitment 4. Texas Tech University $35,930 Integrated, Seamless, Education System to Recruit and Retain Students 5. The University of Texas - Pan American $67,105 Increasing Computer Science Graduates and Enrollment through Learning Communities and Outreach Electrical Engineering Fund Category 1 1. Texas A&M University Kingsville $50,325 Expansion of Electrical Engineering Program at TAMUK with Scholarships and Tutoring 2. The University of Texas - Pan American $104,518 Electrical Engineering Recruitment and Retention through On-Campus Jobs and Summer Scholarships 3. The University of Texas at El Paso $139,767 Creating Learning Communities at UTEP to Increase Throughput 4. Texas Tech University $255,562 Electrical Engineering Recruitment and Retention at Texas Tech 5. Texas Engineering Experiment Station $313,828 Improving the Quality, Quantity, and Diversity of Electrical and Computer Engineering Graduates Electrical Engineering Fund Category 2 6. Prairie View A&M University $52,449 Increasing the Quantity and Diversity of Students Pursuing Degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering 7. The University of Texas at San Antonio $69,000 Improving Retention in Electrical Engineering Using Programmable Logic Devices 8. Southern Methodist University $31,248 SHinE: Strengthening Hispanics in Engineering 9. The University of Texas at Arlington $91,803 Recruitment and Retention to Increase the Number of Undergraduate Students in the Electrical Engineering Program 10. University of Houston (Main) $331,449 Undergraduate Retention and Recruiting of Electrical and Computer Engineering Students at the University of Houston

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26 Enclosure: TI In-Kind donations summary sheet (CB compilation) Tegwin Pulley s letter from May 7, 2004 Cathy Wick s TI pricing from December 1, 2003 Confirmations to TETC from academic recipients Cc: Don Brown, Commissioner, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Kenneth Vickers, Assistant Commissioner, Administrative Services, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Tom Dickey, Chair, Technology Workforce Development Grant Program Advisory Committee Tegwin Pulley, Chair, Texas Engineering and Technical Consortium Advisory Committee AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER AND SERVICE PROVIDER

27 Texas Instruments In-Kind Donation of DSP Equipment and Software Hardware Software Total Institution Kits Studio May-04 1 Sam Houston State University $3,950 $9,000 $12,950 2 Southern Methodist University $3,160 $0 $3,160 3 Texas A&M University at Commerce $750 $900 $1,650 4 Texas Tech University $3,950 $9,000 $12,950 5(a) University of Texas at Arlington (Computer Science) $3,550 $9,000 $12,550 5(b) University of Texas at Arlington (Electrical Engineering) $3,750 $9,000 $12,750 6 University of Texas at Brownsville $3,950 $9,000 $12,950 7 University of Texas at San Antonio $3,950 $9,000 $12,950 sum $27,010 $54,900 $81,910 THECB 11-May-04

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39 AGENDA ITEM E Consideration of Granting Time Extensions to 2002 Grants In April the Board changed its rules for TWD to include section b: Grants shall be for a period of no longer than five years. This allows the Committee to extend the grant period for the 2002 TWD grants beyond the present termination date of August 31, The 2002 grants started April 1, This section contains the list of grants for the 2002 grants. The list of grants for the 2003 grants is under Agenda Item D. Action: The Committee will consider granting a time extension for the 2002 TWD grants. E-1

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41 Texas Technology Workforce Development Grants Funded Awards: 2002 Electrical Engineering Awards Funding received by August 2003: 64 percent of potential funding Launching the Texas Engineering Education Pipeline: Deploying The Infinity Project Statewide Baylor University $24,435 of $38,000 Lamar University $45,656 of $71,000 Prairie View A&M University $49,900 of $77,600 Rice University $18,052 of $29,763 Southern Methodist University $62,180 of $96,697 St. Mary s University of San Antonio $31,940 of $49,670 Texas A&M University $37,296 of $58,000 The University of Texas at Arlington $57,678 of $89,697 The University of Texas at Austin $59,256 of $92,150 The University of Texas at El Paso $57,873 of $90,000 The University of Texas at San Antonio $57,680 of $89,700 Increasing Electrical Engineering Program Enrollment: New Program, Increased Retention and College Transfers Prairie View A&M University $248,084 of $385,800 Enhancing the Quality and Quantity of Electrical and Computer Engineering Graduates Texas A&M University (TEES) $546,705 of $850,192 Expansion of the EE Program at TAMU-K with Scholarships and Tutoring Texas A&M University Kingsville $41,335 of $64,280 Electrical Engineering Workforce Development at Texas Tech Texas Tech University $204,176 of $317,518 Undergraduate Retention and Recruiting of ECE Students at the University of Houston University of Houston (Main Campus) $388,684 of $604,450 Recruitment and Retention to Increase the Number of Undergraduate Students in the Electrical Engineering Program The University of Texas at Arlington $197,200 of $306,670 Increasing and Improving Texas Capability in Electrical Engineering The University of Texas at Austin $546,581 of $850,000 UTD School of Engineering and Computer Science -- TETC Undergraduate Expansion Program The University of Texas at Dallas $446,911 of $695,000 Electrical Engineering Recruitment and Retention Enhancement The University of Texas - Pan American $172,450 of $268,180 E-3

42 Computer Science Awards Study, Research, and Achievement in Lamar University Computer Science Lamar University $63,526 of $98,790 Enhance Computing Workforce & Provide Higher Education in Computer Science to Working Professionals Southwest Texas State University $391,932 of $609,502 Launching the Texas Engineering Education Pipeline: Deploying the Infinity Project Statewide Tarleton State University $14,799 of $23,014 Texas Woman s University $36,975 of $57,500 The University of Texas at Arlington $72,756 of $113,144 The University of Texas at Tyler $28,551 of $44,400 Increasing Computer Science Retention by Developing and Deploying Self- Paced Learning Modules Texas A&M University (TEES) $271,807 of $422,692 Efficient, Cost-Effective, Seamless, Advising Process to Increase CS Graduates Texas Tech University $125,278 of $194,822 Texas Scholars in Computer Science University of Houston - Clear Lake $327,252 of $508,916 Recruitment and Retention of Computer Science Students University of Houston Victoria $40,635 of $63,192 Retention Strategies for Computer Sciences University of North Texas $83,322 of $129,575 Target Diversity: Increasing Graduation Rates by Recruiting and Retaining Underrepresented Populations The University of Texas at Austin $235,858 of $366,788 Building Strategic Pathways to the Baccalaureate Degree in Computer Science The University of Texas at San Antonio $313,224 of $487,102 E-4

43 AGENDA ITEM F Update on Proposed Rule Changes for the Technology Workforce Development Grant Program The guidelines include now the Committee s recommendation from it s April 14 meeting to include this sentence: (a) Cash contributions for TETC purposes from federal or other external sources may be deposited without CB verification into the TWD account at the Comptroller s office for State match. Action: Consideration of Minutes of the Previous Meeting None required. F-1

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45 Developing Guidelines for State Matching Funds for External Grants State Match for Federal or Other External (Non-State) Grants (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) Cash contributions for TETC purposes from federal or other external sources may be deposited without CB verification into the TWD account at the Comptroller s office for State match. Institutions that have received approval for Technology Workforce Development grants can apply for federal or other external (non-state) funding and indicate that the grants process of the Technology Workforce Development grants program has approved them for State funding. Strategies proposed for federal/external funding must be similar to those submitted to the Technology Workforce Development Grant Program. The Board will review federal/external grants to determine if the grants are eligible for generating State matching funds in the Technology Workforce Development account. The review process is initiated when an institution provides the Board with a copy of the proposal submitted for federal/external funding, a copy of the federal/external award letter, and a stipulation letter that explains why the purpose and goals of the federal/external grant align with the institution s Technology Workforce Development grant and references relevant sections of the federal/external proposal. If the Coordinating Board deems the federal/external grant eligible for a State match to the TWD account, it will verify the value of the match from the Comptroller. Criteria for eligibility are: (1) The Technology Workforce Development grant project was a pilot project for a larger scope federal/external project. (2) The Technology Workforce Development grant project created conditions used for proposing the federal/external project. (3) The Technology Workforce Development grant strategy and the federal/external grant strategy are unique to the institution or its department. (4) The institution or its department has no prior funding through the particular external funding program. (5) A majority of funding must go to the type of departments the Technology Workforce Development grants target for funding (Texas Engineering and Technical Consortium members). Support areas, e.g., mathematics, chemistry, or physics, can be included, if funding prepares students to succeed in the target departments. (6) Funding must support strategies to increase the number of graduates as described in Texas Education Code, Section (7) The federal/external grant amount (dollar value) must be in-line with the scope of Technology Workforce Development grant projects at that institution or its department. (8) A fraction of external funding can be in-line with goals of the Texas Engineering and Technical Consortium and the suitable portion only may be approved for requesting a State match for the Technology Workforce Development grant program. (f) The Texas Engineering and Technical Consortium will submit a letter to the Comptroller requesting the State match for the federal/external grant because the F-3

46 grant supports the goals and program of the Technology Workforce Development program. (g) (h) (i) If the Comptroller provides matching funds to the Technology Workforce Development account because of an institution s federal/external grant, the Coordinating Board will use these funds to fill the partially funded active TWD grant(s) that generated the funding up to the approved funding level for the project(s). The Coordinating Board will use matching funds generated by federal/external grants over and above the award limit of a partially funded grant to provide additional funding for approved grants in the priority order established by the review panels and recommended by the Technology Workforce Development Grant Program Advisory Committee. All funding from federal/external grants made to institutions for these projects will remain with the grantee institutions. F-4

47 AGENDA ITEM G Consideration of Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the TWD Grant Program At its April 14, 2004 meeting, the Committee decided to include an explicit charge for the upcoming biennial external program review to include functioning as a kind of Committee of Visitors for the proposal selection process. This section contains a draft for an all-encompassing charge for external review committee, an up-date of the TWD roster summary compilation, a cost per student tabulation, and CB forms for annual and final reports by the grantees. Action: Consideration of Minutes of the Previous Meeting The Committee will consider its charge to the external Grant Program Evaluation Committee. G-1

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49 Grant Program Evaluation Committee The Chair of the Coordinating Board (CB) will appoint a committee to review the effectiveness of the Technology Workforce Development (TWD) grant program. This committee, hereinafter referred to as the Evaluation Team, will consist of higher education representatives; and experts in the fields of engineering and computer science The Evaluation Team shall meet with: a. representatives of State government b. CB staff c. TWD Grant Program Advisory Committee d. Texas Engineering and Technical Consortium (TETC) Executive Committee e. project leaders f. members of past proposal review teams CB staff will supply, at a minimum, review materials containing: a. review schedule b. enabling legislation, CB rules, and TETC bylaws c. program announcements and grant conditions d. instruction for reviewers and evaluation criteria e. list of awards f. funding statistics g. CB annual reports h. TWD roster statistics i. previous external review The Evaluation Team will have access to: a. proposals and review sheets b. grantee s annual reports c. TWC Grant Program Advisory Committee agenda materials The Evaluation Team will make observations and offer recommendations about fulfilling the statutory purposes for the program with regard to these activities: 1. CB Administration 2. Proposal Review Process: a. program announcement b. review criteria c. reviewer recruitment d. proposal review, ranking, and selection 3. Grant Program Implementation and Operation: a. proposal submissions b. collaboration between academic TETC members 4. Program Metrics: a. TWD rosters b. progress reports G-3

50 5. Funding and Continuance Issues 6. Participation of Independent Engineering Institutions 7. Industry Participation 8. Value of Program to the State of Texas G-4

51 From: Cornelius, Reinold Dr. Sent: Tuesday, May 25, :59 AM To: Subject: RE: Metrics for TWD Ray, I attach the measurement definitions as well as some FAQs including roster questions. The more classical classifications of Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior would be easier to report for most departments, I assume. When our former Assistant Commissioner Roger Elliott determined the present TWD measurement definitions (I don't know who else was involved in the process), he stressed that we should include accounting of specific classroom milestones. He felt is was important for the departments to have a close tap on how far along their students are in reaching the actual goal of graduation. We relaxed the requirement a bit by allowing large institutions to use a "benchmark" course for their measurement, if this benchmark course implies the same minimum requirements as for the TWD roster definitions (see FAQ). Important is that each department is consistent in reporting over time. By now all departments are getting more used to the reporting and I feel the data collection is getting better. The revised web entry for the data input also helps. I don't think we can change the measurement definitions mid-stream without rendering the entire effort useless. The problem is the sensitivity of the system: if we have, say, 7000 EE students total in the state, and we have ca. 20 EE departments reporting, a small error from each department (e.g., five students) can easily translate into a one to two percent error of the overall measurement. This is not good if we try to detect a five percent growth. (I have not done a rigorous error calculation yet; it is probably something we should do.) Worse, we have departments with vastly different populations. Less than careful reporting at one large department can throw the entire measurement into disarray. I think the best way to improve the data is to make known how important it is for TETC. We will be here Friday. If you want to meet somewhere or if you would like to talk on the phone, please tell us. So long, Reinold > -----Original Message----- > From: ray.almgren@ni.com [mailto:ray.almgren@ni.com] > Sent: Tuesday, May 25, :56 AM > To: Cornelius, Reinold Dr. > Subject: Metrics for TWD > > Hello Reinold, > > Before we make any new recommendations on what metrics we should obtain from the TETC institutions, we wanted to be sure we completely understand the process that G-5

52 you use to obtain the current metrics on entering, progressing, graduating etc. We assume that these are the only metrics you currently obtain from the universities > > Can you provide me with any information that will help us understand how well this process works for you. A specific question we have is whether schools would more easily supply information based upon the more classical classifications of Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior. > > Also, we would like to know what suggestions you have for either improving the process or improving the quality of the data you receive. > > If you prefer, I can come to your office to discuss this. I'm out of the office this week until Friday. Would you have time to meet this Friday afternoon? > > Best Regards, > > Ray Almgren G-6

53 Measuring Progress 2002 Texas Technology Workforce Development Grants Program Announcement The goal of the grant program is to increase the number of graduates. While some increase in graduates can be obtained in the near term by increased retention, in general, it requires four to six years to produce a graduate and the Coordinating Board defined three pre-graduation enrollment measures: ENTERING - a student with a declared major in the eligible engineering or computer science programs who has a GPA of at least 2.0 or is in good standing during the first semester of enrollment and who has not yet completed both the semester credit and course requirements for "Progressing" students. PROGRESSING - a student with a declared major in the eligible engineering or computer science programs who has a GPA of at least 2.0 and who has completed between 30 and 89 semester credits that count toward his or her degree, including two semesters of calculus and two semesters of a required science course. ADVANCED - a student who has been admitted to an eligible engineering or computer science degree program and who has accumulated at least 90 semester credits that count toward his or her degree with a GPA of at least 2.0. GRADUATED - a student who was awarded a baccalaureate degree from an eligible engineering or computer science program during the previous 12-month period from the beginning of the present semester. All participating institutions track all four measures. G-7

54 Frequently Asked Questions for the Texas Technology Workforce Development Grants Competition Question: Measuring Progress. First semester students have not taken any exams and will not have a GPA. Shall they be counted? Answer: Yes, first semester students in "good standing" should be counted as "ENTERING" Question: Measuring Progress. Some students do not fall into any category: those who have more than 30 semester credits but who have not yet completed the math and science requirements for "PROGRESSING" status. Answer: All students who not yet have acquired all conditions to be counted as "PROGRESSING" should be counted as "ENTERING", as long as their GPA is at least 2.0 (or first semesters in good standing), even if their semester credits are more than 30 hours. Question: Measuring Progress. With thousands of students to count, a manual check of whether or not courses taken "count toward [a student's] degree" may be too difficult to conduct. Answer: One of the purposes of the tracking system is to ensure that departments are tracking the progress of their students. We measure progress at only three points - progressing, advanced, and graduating. A department might use some department specific criteria for classifying students, such as the completion of, or the enrollment in, a certain course. This is acceptable if it guarantees, that the Program Announcement's criteria are met at a minimum. You should also be consistent in your measuring from year to year! Question: Proposal Format. For the 'Description of undergraduate program', do we need to calculate the overview of historical enrollments in terms of "ENTERING", "PROGRESSING", "ADVANCED", and "GRAD"? Answer: No. You need to include those measuring measures from the fall of 2001 only. You should point out peculiarities of your system, which explain all your statistics. The goal is to give the reviewers of your grant the best information, with which they can fairly compare your department from other. Question: Proposal Format. We are double-spacing our text for the proposal, but we are including some tables. Can tables be single-spaced? Answer: Yes. Tables are commonly single-spaced. Question: Proposal Format. What are 'quality indicators', asked for under 'Description of undergraduate program'? Answer: Some indicators of quality of your program might include, among others, the entrance requirements for students entering the program; academic qualifications of your students; percentage of courses taught by full-time faculty; qualifications of your faculty; accreditation, in the case of CS programs (all EE programs must be accredited); quality of laboratory facilities. G-8

55 Question: Budget. Is there a limit I can budget for faculty salary (as it is the case for the ARP/ATP competition)? Answer: No. Your plan might conceivably be to hire new faculty. Question: Budget. If I do not budget time as cost for the TETC grant, will this be seen as a detriment - even though the University will give me time out of their budget to further our effort. Answer: No. Make sure you include such arrangements in your proposal body for the review panel to understand clearly. G-9

56 Table 1 TETC Roster Data Summary - Electrical Engineering Semester Roster Data by Category Percentage Increase Relative to Base Line Department Goals of TWD Grant E P A Electrical Engineering fall fall base line spring 2002 spring base line Change in Student Numbers over Previous Year Percentage Increase over Previous Year E+P+ A G E+P+A+G E P A G E+P+A G fall % % 12% spring 2003 fall % % -28% spring 2004 fall 2004 "2002" GOAL for fall % "2003" GOAL for fall % Table 2 TETC Roster Data Summary - Computer Sciences Semester Roster Data by Category Percentage Increase Relative to Base Line Department Goals of TWD Grant E P A Computer Sciences fall fall base line spring 2002 spring base line Change in Student Numbers over Previous Year Percentage Increase over Previous Year E+P+ A G E+P+A+G E P A G E+P+A G fall % % 25% spring 2003 fall % % 12% spring 2004 fall 2004 "2002" GOAL for fall % "2003" GOAL for fall % page 1 of 2 May 1, 2004

57 Department Computer Sciences and Electrical Engineering, combined page 2 of 2 Table 3 TETC Roster Data Summary - Computer Sciences and Electrical Engineering Semester Roster Data by Category Goals of TWD Grant E P A Percentage Increase Relative to Base Line Change in Student Numbers over Previous Year Percentage Increase over Previous Year E+P+ A G E+P+A+G E P A G E+P+A G fall fall base line spring 2002 spring base line fall % % 19% spring 2003 fall % % -5% spring 2004 fall 2004 "2002" GOAL for fall % "2003" GOAL for fall %

58 Annual Report for Texas Technology Workforce Development Grant Fall 2003 Through Summer 2004 Deadline: July Institution: Department: Project Title: Project Number: Grant Cycle (2002 or 2003): Name of Person completing report: Title: Phone: Date: Signature or name of OSP representative: (Electronic submission is preferred; please cc your OSP.) Any previous project summaries and reports are listed on Activity Type Student Recruitment Student Retention Student Mentoring Efforts Concerning Underrepresented Students Outreach Placement Other: ( ) Emphasis of Activity Type as Percent of Overall Project Number of Students Involved (fall 03 through summer 04) A) For each strategy in your approved project, describe in abstract form the activities followed through with TWD grant money. (Please keep your answers short and concise. If a strategy covers more than one activity type, please use the type that you feel is most relevant.) a. Student Recruitment b. Student Retention c. Student Mentoring G-12

59 d. Efforts Concerning Under-represented Students e. Outreach f. Placement g. Other ( ) B) Please state if you believe your program was successful and why or why not. C) What constraints do you see as impacting the progress of your project (e.g. staff time, availability of equipment, facilities, other)? D) Please list recommendations for other project leaders regarding improving recruitment and retention of students based on your experience. E) Please list any publications. F) Please list any additional grants for which TWD funding served as seed funding. G) If you received in-kind contributions to TETC, i.e., NI, TI, or Motorola hardware and software, please describe if and how you put them to use for the purposes of TWD. H) What suggestions/requests do you have for the Texas Workforce Development Grants Advisory Committee? a. Grant proposal process b. Review process c. Award amounts d. Assessment process e. Other I) We are interested in detailed information on curriculum changes. Please summarize improvements you have made to courses based on your TWD grant project. List only those changes, which you added fall 2003 through summer 2004 (for previous changes you reported see: Course number: Course name: Curriculum improvement: Number of students effected: J) You may want to relay any Success Stories related to the TWD project: K) Additional Comments: G-13

60 Final Report for Texas Technology Workforce Development Grants Institution: Department: Project Title: Project Number: Name of Project Leader completing report: Title: Phone: Date: Signature or name of OSP representative: TWD 2002 (For electronic submission please cc your OSP.) Any previous project summaries and reports are listed on Activity Type Student Recruitment Student Retention Student Mentoring Efforts Concerning Underrepresented Students Outreach Placement Other: ( ) Emphasis of Activity Type as Percent of Overall Project Number of Students Involved Over Period of Grant L) For each strategy in your approved project, describe in abstract form the activities followed through with TWD grant money. (Please keep your answers short and concise. If a strategy covers more than one activity type, please use the type that you feel is most relevant.) a. Student Recruitment b. Student Retention c. Student Mentoring G-14

61 d. Efforts Concerning Under-represented Students e. Outreach f. Placement g. Other ( ) M) Please state if you believe your program was successful and why or why not. N) What constraints did you see as impacting the progress of your project (e.g. staff time, availability of equipment, facilities, other)? O) Please list recommendations for other project leaders regarding improving recruitment and retention of students based on your experience. P) Please list any publications. Q) Please list any additional grants for which TWD funding served as seed funding. R) If you received in-kind contributions to TETC, i.e., NI, TI, or Motorola hardware and software, please describe if and how you put them to use for the purposes of TWD. S) What suggestions/requests do you have for the Texas Workforce Development Grants Advisory Committee? a. Grant proposal process b. Review process c. Award amounts d. Assessment process e. Other T) We are interested in detailed information on curriculum changes. Please summarize improvements you have made to courses based on your TWD grant project. Course number: Course name: Curriculum improvement: Number of students effected: U) You may want to relay any Success Stories related to the TWD project: V) Additional Comments: G-15

62 Technology Workforce Development Grants Final Financial Report Institution Department Project Title Project Number Grant Cycle (2002 or 2003) Project Leader Date Signature A B Budget Institutional Matching # Approved Received Expended Unexpended Approved Received Expended Unexpended 54 percent 64 percent Personnel Project Leader $0 $0 Graduates/Post-Doc $0 $0 Undergraduates $0 $0 Other $0 $0 Total $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 Fringe Benefits ## $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 Capital Equipment Total $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 C Travel Total $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 D Other Direct Costs Total $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 Total Budget $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 # For Independent Institutions ## Fringe Benefits were not part of the original budgets. Fringe Beneftis were allowed due to a change in Grant Conditions in June (see:

63 AGENDA ITEM H News and Information TWD s new website: E-3 CB Press Release, April 22, 2004: Raymund A. Paredes appointed Commissioner E-5 The New York Times Op-Ed, May 13, 2004: Where the Jobs Are E-7 Action: Consideration of Minutes of the Previous Meeting None required. H-1

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65 THECB > Technology Workforce Development Grants Program Page 1 of 2 Technology Workforce Development Grants Program In 2001, the 77th Texas Legislature passed the Technology Workforce Development Act, in response to requests by industry to increase the number of electrical engineering and computer science graduates from higher education institutions in the state. The purpose of the law is to provide seed money that would enable institutions to expand enrollments in engineering and computer science programs, to increase both the quantity and quality of baccalaureate-level engineers and computer scientists, to foster cooperative relationships and activities involving technology companies and universities that offer engineering and computer science degrees. This legislation created the Texas Engineering and Technical Consortium (TETC), the Technology Workforce Development (TWD) Grants Program, and charged the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) with administration of the grant program. TWD Advisory Committee TWD Calendar What are TWD Grants Programs? (including links to statute and CB rules) What is TETC? TETC's Web Site Program Successes... Program Benefits... External Evaluations of the TWD Grants Program ( January 200) TWD Awards ( 2002), ( 200) TWD Project Summaries and Annual Reports 2002 and 200, listed by departments TWD Student Roster Fall '01 through Fall '0 TWD Annual Reports by THECB Log in to Edit Yo Department's TW Roster (for academic TETC m Annual Report 2 (Deadline: July 15) Final Report for Final Report a Financial Repo Audit Guide an for Institutional A Forms for a bud 5/24/2004

66 THECB > Technology Workforce Development Grants Program Page 2 of 2 TWD Grants Statistics Closing the Gaps by 2015 (2000), (Progress Report 200) Expanding the Technology Workforce - Higher Education's Role ( 2002), ( 200) TWD Program Announcements ( 2002), ( 2002 revised grant conditions), ( 200) (MS Excel) or a s change (MS Wo 5/24/2004

67 TEXAS HIGHER EDUCATION COORDINATING BOARD Ray Grasshoff Public Information (512) East Anderson Lane P.O. Box 12788, Austin, Texas AUSTIN, April 22, 2004 Raymund A. Paredes, Vice President for Programs at the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, a former professor and university administrator with long experience in student outreach efforts, and a native Texan with degrees from a Texas university was appointed Commissioner of Higher Education today by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Dr. Paredes has the special mix of knowledge, skill, and experience that Texas must have in a higher education leader, said Jerry Farrington, Chairman of the Coordinating Board. He s the right person at the right time to continue and build on the progress we ve made in closing the gaps in student participation and success, in excellence, and in research. Dr. Paredes has experience in working with a wide range of people in higher education, public education, and state government, said Bob Shepard, Vice Chairman of the Coordinating Board. In particular, his experience in reaching out to public schools will help Texas further strengthen collaboration and cooperation between that sector and our colleges and universities. Paredes, a native of El Paso, holds a bachelor s degree in English and a doctoral degree in American Civilization from The University of Texas at Austin. He holds a master s degree in American Studies from the University of Southern California. Before his current position at the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, Paredes was Director of Creativity and Culture at The Rockefeller Foundation, where from 2001 to 2003 he managed a program that awarded arts and humanities grants worldwide. He was also a senior scholar and adjunct professor at The University of Texas at San Antonio from January to August H-5

68 Prior to his work with The Rockefeller Foundation, Paredes was Associate Vice Chancellor-Academic Development for 10 years at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). His duties included oversight of outreach efforts to K-12 and community college students. At UCLA, he also served as an English professor from 1973 to 2001, Assistant to the Executive Vice Chancellor from 1982 to 1986, Associate Dean in the Graduate Division from 1986 to 1989, and Chair of the Cesar Chavez Center for Chicano Studies from 1996 to In addition, he was Special Assistant to the President of the University of California System from 1998 to 2000, a position in which he was responsible for improving access to higher education for students from economically disadvantaged communities. Paredes extensive research and writing has focused on Mexican American literature and culture, as well as the impact of demographic change on American culture, art, and education. In addition, he has been a judge for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in fiction, a cultural diversity consultant for National Public Radio, and a consultant on several film projects. -more- A U.S. Army veteran, he served a 14-month tour of duty in the Vietnam conflict. Paredes will succeed Commissioner of Higher Education Don W. Brown, who at the end of May is stepping down from the position after seven years and after more than 20 years with the Coordinating Board. Brown is leaving to help the College for All Texans Foundation and other efforts to reach the goals of Closing the Gaps by 2015, the state s higher education plan. ### H-6

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