Browsing by Subject "Technical College"

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    An investigation into fundraising initiatives that will potentially impact Wisconsin Technical Colleges
    (2014-09) Kwosek, Craig Thomas
    As higher education institutions face a decrease in external funding, the need to identify alternative funding resources continues to be discussed. Historically, universities have dedicated a considerable amount of time and resources in the research and development of their fundraising initiatives. While university fundraising practices are well established, this is not the case with Technical Colleges. Fundraising is a relatively new approach that Technical Colleges are beginning to explore. There is no previous literature to specifically guide Technical College presidents efforts to increase fundraising. This study describes new fundraising initiatives that seven Wisconsin Technical Colleges presidents have implemented over the past two years, or plan on implementing over the next two years. The study utilized a qualitative descriptive method to provide a comprehensive summary of fundraising initiatives in everyday terms. Results indicated that presidents believe fundraising is a viable option to increase support for students and that they are ultimately responsible for their institutions fundraising success. Fundraising initiatives identified during the interviews focused on informing the communities of the need for student scholarships, developing active alumni, identifying alumni with the greatest giving potential, utilizing foundation board members and their acquaintances, and cultivating relationships and partnerships with business and industry.
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    Strategies utilized by African refugee and immigrant students in order to persist in post-secondary career and technical education programs
    (2013-05) Prokop, Pamela Ann
    This research study was a constructivist case study designed to elicit the strategies utilized by African refugees and immigrant students in order to persist in their post-secondary career and technical education programs. The eleven students interviewed were currently enrolled in or recently graduated from a technical college in a suburb of the Twin Cities. The interview questions focused on the strategies these students have employed in order to persist academically: Which programs and/or services were utilized? What support networks were found to be beneficial? What kept these students motivated to continue in their studies? The findings which emerged from the analysis of the interviews indicate that the students felt challenged by the academic nature of the English language utilized in the classroom and course material as well as the time required to comprehend the course material. The students had little hesitation when asking for assistance from their instructors or lab assistants; however they tended not to use most of the academic and social programs and services offered on campus or in the community. iv Each student mentioned having a busy life due to juggling multiple life-roles, but few knew how to effectively manage their time. Finally the students reported receiving encouragement from many sources which kept them motivated to persist. These findings had two main implications: critical thinking skills were not being developed and there may be a reliance on impractical strategies. Several recommendations include (a) encourage students to be more proactive in initiating conversation with their U.S.-born classmates, (b) utilize lab assistants to help with the development of critical thinking skills, (c) hire non-U.S.-born peer-tutors, (d) offer summer bridge courses to teach background scientific concepts and technical vocabulary, and (e) develop an information scavenger hunt to introduce on-campus resources. Recommendations for future research include expanding this study to include other demographics to gain a better understanding of the persistence strategies utilized in post-secondary career and technical education.