National Association of Branch Campus Administrators
2009 Conference Information
Conference Theme
Quest for Distinction: Challenges & Opportunities
This year's conference will focus on the uniqueness of branch campuses, their relationship with stakeholders; expanding opportunities, minimizing challenges, and sharing best practices.
Keynote Speakers
Arthur Criscillas, Ed.D., Alexander Haas Martin & Partners
David Harrison, Ph.D., Vice Provost for Regional Campuses University of Central Florida
The Power of Partnerships
Successful partnerships can help all stakeholders achieve in collaboration what they could never achieve alone. In times of diminishing resources and community uncertainty, partnering can be an especially effective strategy. But partnerships are hard. Using examples from higher education and other fields, this keynote address will examine the benefits of strategic partnerships along with the difficulties of collaboration. Why are successful partnerships so difficult? What conditions are required for partnerships to be successful? These questions will be discussed, along with factors such as competition, trust, time pressures, and politics. Of particular importance to branch campus administrators is the need to develop deep internal partnerships within our institutions. This aspect will be examined as well.
Round Table Presenters
George DePuy, Ph.D., Dean Jim Kerley, Ph.D., President Florida State University Gulf Coast Community CollegePanama City
Partnerships between Community Colleges and Universities
This session will begin by highlighting key components of how Florida State University Panama City and Gulf Coast Community College have teamed to create innovative ways to assist students in achieving a quality education. Their CONNECT! program will be showcased. The purposes of the CONNECT! program are to promote a seamless transition from the community college to the university, to promote student engagement in selecting and planning for a specific major, to improve student success and guard against the accumulation of excess hours, and to encourage student persistence toward degree completion. In addition to the CONNECT! program, how these institutions provide joint recruitment efforts and collaborate on contracts and grants will also be shared. During the last 40 minutes, participants will be able to share their reactions to the presentation and share their partnership experiences.
Donna L. Clevinger, Ph.D. Dean John Mcalister, Chief Mississippi State University Campus Police Mississippi State University
Safety and Security
For the first part of the session, the discussion will center on how Mississippi State University-Meridian Campus police officers have joined the university's newly organized Safety Committee and Crisis Action Team to provide a variety of measures to keep their campus and grounds safe and secure. Specifically, the discussion will concentrate on the equipment the officers use or hope to use, the training of the university's officers, faculty, staff and students through workshops, training sessions and drills; establishing relationships with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, Homeland Security office, the local weather service, and the area Emergency Management Agency. The presenters will also discuss coordination with the main campus of Mississippi State University, creating guidelines and safety measures for the Meridian campus as well as their other campus site in downtown Meridian, the MSU Riley Center for Education and the Performing Arts, which has its own set of needs. The presenters will make recommendations on how "to get started" with a safety plan and how "to afford" the equipment through yearly budgets, grants and "free materials" from local and federal agencies. The remainder of the presentation will be spent in an open discussion with participants commenting on the presentation and sharing how their campus deals with safety and security.
Join us in April for our National 2009 Conference in Panama City Beach, Florida; Location of The World's Most Beautiful Beaches.
12th Annual NABCA Conference
April 15-17, 2009
Panama City Beach, Florida