1. THE RISE AND FALL OF A COLLABORATIVE PROGRAM Bobby R Nowlin Northwestern State University of Louisiana

2. Overview  NSU developed program with international company  Great start with fanfare  Changes in NSU program  Changes in company management  Program still operating  With reduced numbers  Present what happened and can it be fixed

3. The Goal  “Provide Training Opportunities for Continuous Development and Growth”

4. Students  Non-traditional –Out of high school several years –Must have GRE or high school diploma –Family –May have tried college before –Work full time job

5. The University  Would offer classes – at night – on week-ends – Monday-Thursday – VIA internet – at the plant  Would establish early registration  No fee payments at registration  Present certificates of achievement

6. The Company  Will pay for school up to bachelor degree  Will work with schedule  Give pay raises for progress  Give opportunities for promotion  Give space for classes at plant –Employees –Non-employees

7. The Rise  Started Fall 2000 –27 enrolled –Students excited about degree possibilities  Started Spring 2001 –35 enrolled  Started Summer 2001 –13 enrolled  92% completed 2000/2001 school year

9. The Fall  Year 3 shows start of decline  Year 5 shows 25 with 3 resignations  Year 6 appears to be similar to year 5

10. The University  Degree change from IT to IET –Pre-requisites  ABET accreditation requirements  University did not do early registration  Internet courses fell short of expectations  Night and weekend courses lack support

11. The Company  Changed plant and HR management –Support was changed to maintenance personnel only –Classes could no longer be taught at plant  Pay raises were not supported  Must attend classes during off time

12. Failed Company Support  No pre-training of faculty  Minimum CO-OP (field experience)  No technical consultation and troubleshooting  No guest lectures

13. The Employee  Thought the degree would be easy  The company would give them time off  The university and company would meet program requirements  The Employees did their part

14. The Rise?  NSU –Make pre-requisites known –Honor early registration –Make classes available according to work schedules

15.  The Company –Support the program and list that support  Pay raises  promotions  time to attend –Inform the employees of requirements –Evaluate courses requirements

16. Conclusion  The program started great, until changes  NSU and The Company let the employees/students down  Program is still working, primarily for degrees  We hope that NSU and The Company can revive the program