MT. HOOD PREPARES TO MAKE CUTS AND MOVE FORWARD WITH ‘REVITALIZATION’

The first major step has been taken in a months-long initiative to evaluate the academic programs offered at MHCC, part of a sweeping campuswide review driven by the college’s new strategic goals.

On Nov. 8, it was announced that seven academic programs involving several dozens of students and faculty members have been selected to be eliminated, through a phase-out process. The news sent shockwaves across the campus.

The programs facing the possibility of elimination are:

Cosmetology

Broadcasting

Practical nursing

Automotive maintenance and light repair

Environmental health and safety

Wilderness leadership and experience education

Business technology

Why the dramatic move? 

In Winter Term 2019, the MHCC District Board of Education directed administration to initiate the revitalization process. This process included a review of 61 programs and disciplines, each of which was placed in one of four categories: grow, phase out, modify, or maintain.

As revealed by Alfred McQuarters, Mt. Hood’s vice president of instruction, on Nov. 8, the remaining 54 programs were placed in the modify category.

CRITERIA FOR REVIEW

Criteria for this review was developed by a team of full- and part-time faculty members, instructional deans, and classified staff members. McQuarters said the team reviewed quantitative and qualitative data for all 61 disciplines, including enrollments over the past five years, how many degrees each program has awarded, earnings and jobs economic value for program “completers,” narratives from faculty members, and the relevance of the program’s credentials to its specific industry or business.

The overarching goal is to increase college completion rates at Mt. Hood and provide students with “robust and relevant programs” that are financially sustainable with community partnerships, according to college president Lisa Skari.  

How does this affect current Mt. Hood students? 

Should the recommendations announced by McQuarters be approved, students who are currently enrolled in the affected seven programs would still be able to complete their degree or certificate at Mt. Hood. In part, that’s because existing contractual agreements for full-time faculty members must be honored, and so their positions cannot be swiftly eliminated.

This would mean, however, that potential incoming students would no longer be able to apply to these programs, starting as early as Fall Term 2020.  

The cuts announced on Nov. 8 jolted faculty members, for a variety of reasons. Some are concerned that the program cuts could lead to even less student enrollment at Mt. Hood in the future. The college ran similar data in 2004 and assumed that cutting several instructional programs would lead students to choose different majors, political science instructor Janet Campbell said.

However, that reform plan went about as well as “selling burgers without pickles, lettuce, or tomato,” and did not improve enrollment numbers, Campbell said. 

THE AFTERSHOCK

The Advocate has had the chance to talk with representatives of several of the affected departments since last Friday.

Each situation is unique, and The Advocate will be following this article with more information from each individual department as it becomes available. 

Students and staff across the campus say they’re confounded by the announcement that the cosmetology department will be cut, especially since the department aligns so well with the college’s community outreach goals, its advocates said.

Each year, the cosmetology department brings home awards from the Taste of Style Choice Awards (which is also a fundraiser). The cosmetology department has offered free hair cuts to women in local women’s shelters, veterans, and other community members during cut-a-thons. 

There were two main reasons for the decision provided by McQuarters to cosmetology department Director Marty Castellanos, said the latter – the two being that MHCC offers only an associate cosmetology degree, and that the starting wage in the profession is put at $13 per hour, or basically, minimum wage.  

“Having an associate degree opens more doors for our students later on,” said Castellanos, including jobs with higher pay. MHCC is the only college in Oregon that offers a cosmetology associate degree; private cosmetology schools only offer certificates, he said.

Castellanos believes that a cosmetology associate degree is valuable because if the students decide to change careers later, they will still have their two-year degree. And hourly pay is not necessarily the most accurate measure of the job. 

“Cosmetology as an industry is pushing for more honest reporting of wages,” said MHCC cosmetology instructor Carol Redwine. The $13 per hour may not be accurate, due to unreported tips, she said. 

On the heels of the Nov. 8 announcement, the cosmetology department is working with other institutions to get data and reports that might show this discrepancy, Redwine said. 

The cosmetology department has recently drafted a proposal to change the program, prior to McQuarters’ announcement. To work with those who desire to earn the professional certificate without the associate degree, they would like to offer either option to students, Castellanos and Redwine said.

NEXT STEPS 

What is the timeline for the proposed cuts, and other revitalization efforts, from here? 

This week, the District Board will be taking public input at its regularly scheduled meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday (Nov. 20) – at which time affected staff or students might push back on the proposal.

By the end of the second week of the Winter Term that begins on Jan. 6, college leadership will meet with each of the academic departments listed to discuss how to modify their operations.

By the end of the fourth week, any reduction-in-force notices for the 2020-21 school year would be given to faculty members in line to lose their positions.

Also, by the start of the Winter Term, standardized assessment reports for nonacademic programs (i.e., support staff and administration) are due for completion, to help facilitate similar strategic decision making.