A-B Tech Rated Superior on State Performance Measures
A-B Tech has earned a "superior" rating on a state report card that evaluates how well North Carolina's 58 community colleges serve their students and business and industry.
The results of the evaluations, published in the 2005 Critical Success Factors Report, show high satisfaction rates among A-B Tech students about the quality of the college's programs and services, and among employers about the performance of the A-B Tech students they hire.
The evaluations began in 2001 as the result of a mandate from the General Assembly to ensure strict public accountability from the colleges. The most recent report, based on the 2003-04 academic year, found:
- 100 percent of A-B Tech's completers met their educational goal
- 99.8 percent of graduates were employed within one year of graduation
- 100 percent of the businesses and industries surveyed reported satisfaction with the services provided by the college
- 97 percent of employers reported satisfaction with the performance of the students they hired
- 97 percent of completers and non-completers said they were satisfied with the quality of the college's programs and services.
For a complete summary of A-B Tech's results on the Performance Measures, visit http://www.abtech.edu/factbook/performance/summary2005.htm .
Program Planning Committee Presents Final Report
A-B Tech's Long-Range Program Planning Committee has finalized a report identifying new program opportunities and training needs for Buncombe and Madison counties over the next decade.
Presented to the President's Council June 22 and at the General Staff Meeting June 27, the report was compiled by a 15-member committee chaired by Vice President of Instructional Services Sharon Morrissey. Results will be used to guide the development of a new facilities master plan for the College.
Morrissey described the creation of the plan as "one of the most collaborative processes I've ever participated in," adding that it involved not only A-B Tech faculty and staff but more than 160 community leaders.
The planning committee followed a three-step process that began last fall with analyses of enrollment growth projections, occupational demand projections, demographic projections, economic trends, and new and emerging technologies.
Faculty and staff were then invited to project changes in the College's existing programs and to identify new programs and training opportunities for A-B Tech to consider. They also were asked to provide justification for their recommendations, project enrollment growth over the next decade, and estimate the additional square footage needed in classroom, lab and shop space to support the opportunities they identified.
Seven focus group meetings followed the internal survey. More than 160 people representing a variety of fields participated in the sessions, identifying trends that will impact the community over the next decade, proposing new programs and training opportunities; and identifying funding sources that could help offset program start-up costs.
The committee's complete report can be found online at http://intranet/is/default.asp.
President K. Ray Bailey commended the committee for its work. Requests for proposals to develop a new master plan have been submitted to architects with a July 15 deadline, he said.
Pomp and Circumstance
Shelley White (right), coordinator of Human Resources Development, leads students into Ferguson Auditorium for the 2005 GED and Adult High School Diploma Recognition Ceremony. The event featured remarks by Asheville City Council Member Terry Bellamy (below); reflections from student speakers; and the announcement of College Bridge Scholarship Awards to two graduates Matthew Davidson and John Bigard who plan to enter curriculum programs at A-B Tech.
Bellamy encouraged graduates to PUSH Persevere, Understand, Shift, and Hope. "I encourage you to persevere to the next step. Do not stop at getting your GED. Continue to persevere to complete an associate, bachelor, master and even a doctorate degree. You should see your GED as a diving board that helps you dive into the deeper waters of education," she said.