Data: Enrollment

One of the areas for improvement identified by our team in preparing the HLC Self-Study had to do with our use of data. With our conversion to Colleague, many standing reports needed to be recreated using new tools from new sources. In the midst of learning our new system and a priority placed on core functions such as section creation and management, load, payroll, HR functions, and mandated state reporting, we fell behind in our ability to produce data used to help us understand direction and trajectory changes in both enrollment and the use of resources. 

Fortunately, the situation is improving rapidly and with the addition of another analyst in the Institutional Research Office, data is beginning to flow again. Over the next few weeks, I will be posting (and perhaps commenting on) information that you might not have seen recently.

I'll begin with enrollment.

Annual Enrollment at Parkland 1967-Present
Year	A1 Enrollment*	Extract Count**	Unduplicated Headcount	FTE (FY hrs/30) ***	Sections****
1967	Data n/a	Data N/A	Data N/A	Data n/a	428
1968	Data n/a	2,042	2,042	Data n/a	573
1969	Data n/a	3,363	3,363	Data n/a	687
1970	Data n/a	4,141	4,141	Data n/a	743
1971	Data n/a	4,932	4,932	Data n/a	889
1972	Data n/a	5,329	5,329	Data n/a	995
1973	Data n/a	5,716	5,716	Data n/a	1,036
1974	Data n/a	6,353	6,353	Data n/a	1,347
1975	Data n/a	7,936	7,936	Data n/a	1,062
1976	Data n/a	9,703	9,703	Data n/a	1,021
1977	Data n/a	9,811	9,811	Data n/a	1,046
1978	Data n/a	10,276	10,276	Data n/a	1,112
1979	Data n/a	10,572	10,572	Data n/a	1,196
1980	Data n/a	11,456	11,456	Data n/a	1,266
1981	Data n/a	13,065	13,065	Data n/a	1,348
1982	14,432	14,163	14,432	Data n/a	1,387
1983	14,865	14,510	14,865	Data n/a	1,313
1984	13,180	13,773	13,180	Data n/a	1,377
1985	12,995	12,830	12,995	Data n/a	1,400
1986	12,767	12,677	12,767	Data n/a	1,476
1987	13,123	13,080	13,123	Data n/a	1,531
1988	13,130	13,082	13,130	Data n/a	1,415
1989	14,149	14,093	14,149	Data n/a	1,881
1990	14,781	14,739	14,781	Data n/a	3,713
1991	14,555	14,535	14,555	Data n/a	4,526
1992	16,987	16,890	16,987	6,270	4,056
1993	15,704	15,641	15,704	6,110	4,034
1994	14,598	14,502	14,598	5,783	3,813
1995	14,393	14,354	14,393	5,615	3,743
1996	14,065	14,182	14,065	5,559	3,786
1997	14,084	14,080	14,084	5,617	3,945
1998	13,713	13,715	13,713	5,677	3,947
1999	13,882	13,885	13,882	5,619	4,053
2000	14,640	14,568	14,640	5,663	4,220
2001	14,737	14,658	14,737	5,658	4,238
2002	15,248	15,108	15,248	5,981	4,418
2003	16,497	16,394	16,497	6,726	4,864
2004	16,895	16,764	16,895	6,839	4,776
2005	17,004	16,884	17,004	6,831	4,646
2006	17,075	16,979	17,075	6,959	5,020
2007	16,538	16,406	16,538	6,678	5,175
2008	16,820	16,719	16,820	6,811	5,074
2009	16,780	16,660	16,780	6,907	5,141
2010	17,909	17,945	17,909	7,580	5,354
2011	17,840	25,118	17,840	7,819	5,726
2012	24,045	23,917	24,045	7,440	5,543
* A1 Enrollments were submitted to ICCB and are considered official unduplicated headcounts for the college.
They include off-semester graduates and correct for student ID number changes.  There is no A1 data prior to 1982.
FY1992 and beyond, Unduplicated Headcount is represented by A1 counts.
** Extract data up through FY2010  was taken from Mainframe. For FY2011 and beyond, Extract data taken from Colleague.
Unduplicated headcount (1968-1981) are those who attempted credit hours during that Fiscal Year.
This count does not adjust for ID number changes, and does not include off-semester graduates.
*** FTE is based on the 12-month enrollment ICCB and IPEDS standardized definitions (Sum of Attempted hours for Summer, Fall, and Spring terms / 30)
**** Section counts prior to 1992 are from an unknown source, and are likely overcounted. Sections from 1992 and beyond are taken from Course Extracts, and some sections are filtered out as appropriate (e.g., Coordinated Lab sections).
FY2011 A1 did not include many IFSI students, but these are counted in the Student Extracts, due to submission timing on A1.

FTE

On deck: Persistence and Retention data.

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Green and Gold Awards

Congratulations to Lisa Brantley as the 2013 Outstanding Staff Award winner for five or fewer years of service at Parkland College!

Working within Technical Services in Parkland’s Library, Lisa Brantley routinely works with a wide variety of students, colleagues and outside vendors. To all of them she is known for her patience, reasonability and kindness in the face of sometimes trying circumstances, as well as being “innovative and tireless in her approach” to the tasks of her position.

Lisa’s supervisor applauds her leadership role in the complete overhaul of the way the library handles the materials withdrawn from its collection. In taking on the challenge,  Lisa acquired the skills and expertise to investigate different approaches to de-accessioning. The result is an entirely new system for which she “devised, inaugurated, and now runs an online store whose proceeds directly benefit the library’s book budget.” Additionally, she organizes and presides over the twice yearly library book sale in the College Center. Her supervisor attributes the event’s success to her leadership and enthusiasm, saying, “Like any good leader, she won’t delegate to another any task she wouldn’t be willing to perform herself. She leads by example and her leadership is the more powerful for that.”

A true Parkland success story, Lisa started her college career here as a non-traditional student and  provider for two children. Though there were several times when things got challenging and she wanted to quit, she remembers two Parkland employees who, “with only brief conversations made [her] feel important and valued.” Those conversations stuck with her and urged her towards her degree at Parkland, a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Illinois University, and now the pursuit of a master’s degree from  Franklin University.

Lisa is an powerful example of a continuous learner, not only through her pursuit of higher degrees but in her participation at the Center for Excellence, the Parkland Leadership Conference, and seminars on library-specific topics. Additionally, Lisa contributes to the college as a member of the Wellness Team and in her recent election to the position of Treasurer of the Professional Support Staff Association.

Lisa’s commitment to service and learning set a standard for excellence at Parkland and make her truly deserving of this award. Congratulations, Lisa!

Congratulations to Ellen Saveley as the 2013 Outstanding Staff Gold Award winner for six or more years of service at Parkland College!  

In her role as  the Department Secretary in Health Professions, Ellen is the first contact for many students and faculty. Though her days are filled with endless interruptions, her colleagues praise her welcoming demeanor and the “grace and poise” with which she meets any and all challenging situations. Ellen’s supervisor comments that she consistently communicates in a professional and pleasant manner even in the most difficult situations, adding "Ellen has a way of diffusing anger and conveying helpfulness and kindness.” She has even been known to drive students to the H Wing on Mattis when they erroneously got off the bus at the main campus!

Ellen not only handles much of the work that makes the Health Professions department run smoothly, she works closely with student workers as a mentor, encouraging independence and aiding their accomplishments at Parkland and beyond. Among the success stories of her student workers are a University of Illinois graduate in Early Childhood Education; a student whose goal was to be an advocate for women’s issues and recently earned a master’s degree and works in a women’s shelter in Boston; a graduate of the Office Professional program at Parkland who is now the manager of the H Wing facility; and a 2012 Prof Scholarship recipient.  Their success, and that of many other students Ellen has worked with over the years, is evidence of the leadership and development she inspires.

Throughout her time at Parkland, Ellen has been an EEO for multiple search committees, has served as a notary for the college, and has helped to organize functions for the yearly Veterinary Conference. She regularly attends sessions and training through the Center for Excellence to keep up with the changing demands of technology and the college.

A continuous theme in comments from Ellen’s colleagues is the quiet, understated way that Ellen goes about her work. According to her supervisor, Ellen does not “brag in any way. One must watch or listen carefully to see, hear, and understand what is happening. Ellen first and foremost cares about serving, she cares about people, and she cares about doing a good job.” She is an example of servant leadership and demonstrates every day what it means to lead and make a difference from any position within the college.

Congratulations, Ellen, on this well-deserved award!

Piercing the Bubble

From: http://collegecivility.blogspot.com/2012/06/piercing-bubble.html

Piercing the Bubble

It seems only natural that communities form around common beliefs and values. Sometimes, these communities become so exclusive and self-absorbed that interactions with others who do not share the same beliefs and values result in unproductive conflict.

I would refer to these self-absorbed communities as “bubbles.” People inside the bubble create their own reality. They are inclined to only surround themselves with people who share their perspectives, they constantly feed themselves with information that supports their views, and they see others who are outside their bubble as inferior or misguided and may even develop prejudices.

The bubble provides a filter through which others outside are viewed. Engagement between members of conflicting bubbles is not based on mutual respect and understanding, but often unfair preconceived notions created within the bubble.

In a democratic society, we are free to express our own beliefs and associate however we please. Clearly we are entitled to disagree with others views, especially in an educational environment. In the context of civility, the issue becomes how do we disagree with others or challenge their beliefs in a way that is productive and does not involve bashing or personal attacks?

I would suggest that an important first step is to pierce our bubbles. This can occur when we engage others with mutual respect. In a civil democratic society, we must acknowledge that everyone is entitled to their own perspectives. When confronting differences, it may also be helpful to recognize the merit of other’s positions and attempt to understand why a person holds a particular position. By extending this respect and courtesy, the tone of the discourse is likely to change when differing positions are presented.  The key is respect.  Perhaps when we learn to genuinely respect the diverse views of the people in our community meaningful engagement and expanded learning can occur. We may learn that we are similar in more ways than we are different. 

Kent M. Weeks


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