Nebraska Career Pathways Project
FutureForce Finance
October 19, 2007

Location:  Grafton & Associates, 5935 S. 56th Street, Lincoln, Nebraska
In Attendance: Carol Andringa, Donna Dudney, Tom Grafton, Kath Henebry, Laura Ilcisin, Linda Miller, Heather Nelson, Richard Schenck, John Schultz, Bonnie Sibert, Trish Souliere, Dena Stevenson, Tom Upton, Erika Volker

FutureForce Nebraska Update – Trish Souliere provided an update on FutureForce activities.

FutureForce has identified four main pillars of work at various stages of implementation.

• Talent Pipeline – This includes the work of all seven career pathway committees.
• Think! Nebraska Scholars – Pending feedback from our pilot schools, we are in the process of redesigning this program to more effectively meet our objective of engaging middle achieving students.
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• Career Connections – This is the central online location for career, job, education, planning and training resources for Nebraska.  This tool has immense potential for use by students, teachers and business & industry.  There was a question about whether the site has any questions that specifically identify a student’s interest in entrepreneurship.  There is not at this time but that request will be added. 
• Partnerships for Innovation - (PFI) is a new consortium structure aimed at building statewide systems to accomplish program improvement and increased student achievement while meeting the requirements of the 2006 Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins IV).

The Finance page of the website is up.  This is a great place to share information.  If you have anything to add, send it to Trish.  The dual credit courses developed last summer have been posted in the Forum section.  Those will be updated as information is submitted.  If you wish to discuss the courses, it is an open forum.  Go to the website and set up an account to comment on anything posted there.

Talent Pipeline Summit – FutureForce would like to have representatives from all seven pathway committees meet sometime early in December to participate in a strategic planning session.  The idea is to share best practices and refocus the work of the pathway committees.  Future details on time and place will be forwarded as available.  Anyone who interested in participating should contact Trish.

Review of Three Dual Credit Courses developed in June - Bonnie gave a brief background on the development of the three dual credit courses.  Fifteen secondary teachers, instructors from 4-year institutions and community colleges, and representatives from business and industry met in June to create three dual credit finance courses based on validated knowledge and skill statements. 

Following that meeting, participants worked via email to revise and hone the course requirements.  Bev Newton and Bonnie have presented the courses at secondary and post secondary workshops and received input and feedback from across the state.  Bonnie shared the comments and questions they received about the courses and asked for responses from the committee on those.  Once the Finance Committee has created the best draft of the three courses, Partnerships for Innovation will work with the Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education to implement.
 
Comments received on the courses were:

Dual Credit College Personal Financial Management

• Does the title appropriately reflect the content?
• Is there too much emphasis on banking?
• Should “real estate” be moved to “investment”?
• A “critical consumer” section was added.

Dual Credit Introduction to Business – There were no questions or changes to this course. 

Principles of Accounting – This course was well received with no questions or changes.

Bonnie asked for a brief review of dual credit procedures at Northeast Community College.

At Northeast, dual credit courses are offered at participating high schools in their coverage area. The instructor must meet background requirements including a Masters degree with emphasis in accounting and business coursework.

They require the project challenge accounting classes to use their textbook, work from their syllabus, use their projects and participate in their college wide course assessment plan which consists of a comprehensive assessment of student learning activity at the end of the class.  The project challenge class is taught only to upper level high school students and the student must have one year of high school accounting prior to enrolling. 

Carol asked if there have been any issues with fees for dual credit courses.   In Lincoln, students are taking dual credit courses but not for credit because of financial issues. There was discussion about the inherent equity issue.  Many colleges offer dual credit classes for half tuition as a partial solution.

• Brainstorming for Future Plans - Bonnie asked the group to split up to discuss any questions regarding the dual credit classes.  A revised draft will be sent to everyone who participated in the June 22nd activity.  The committee was also asked to begin brainstorming to identify several goals/activities that could be accomplished during the coming year to promote the Finance pathways to students, teachers, counselors and administrators.

Potential activities to be put into action at the January 18 meeting include:

• Facilitate a Shadowing Day or Week during the summer. Consider asking a college to host a graduate credit course that would allow business teachers to spend five days in businesses that would feature each of the 5 pathways in the Finance Career Cluster.
• Publicize business training opportunities that business teachers may want to participate in to learn more about the industry.
• Make business teachers more aware of existing company resources that would be available, i.e. training simulations.
• Collaborate with the Nebraska Financial Education Coalition to promote a Nebraska Financial Education Literacy Week that would involve multiple activities across the state, i.e. Money Smart Week through UNK.
• Encourage 2-year and 4-year colleges to invite high school business teachers to bring business students on campus for informational sessions provided by colleges of business administration. For example, teachers could hear the college instructors talk about the courses, jobs, salaries, etc. along with their advanced business students.
• Share resources through the Nebraska Financial Education Coalition web site that is being developed.
• Promote teaser sessions for middle school students by asking businesses to get involved in career education.
• Develop a FutureForce Finance promotional flyer that can be shared electronically.
• Develop a flyer to promote Accounting as a career.
• Partner with existing professional industry organizations to reach out to students at all levels to promote the Finance Career Cluster.

• Future Presentations - The FutureForce Finance pipeline committee has been asked to do two panel presentations for teachers:

• Nebraska Career Education Conference, June 11, Kearney Holiday Inn, 10:45 - 11:45 a.m.
• Mt. Plains Business Education Conference, June 21 a.m., Lincoln Embassy Suites.

Bonnie has most of the panel members identified for the June 21st presentation but is looking for one more panel member to represent insurance. If you are interested, please email Bonnie at bonnie.sibert@nde.ne.gov.  Thanks to the following for volunteering to serve on these two panel presentations: Brian Klausen, Linda Miller, Laura Ilcisn, John Schultz, Dena Stevenson, Tom Grafton, and alternate Dick Schenck.

Bonnie also solicited volunteers to judge finance-related competitive events for the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) State Conference. Thanks to Heather Nelson, John Schultz, Lisa Moore and Dena Stevenson for volunteering to serve as judges. Judges are still needed for judging a written report for Business Financial Plan or judging a team demonstration for one of two events, Banking and Financial Systems as well as Management Decision Making.  The time commitment for each of these judging situations is approximately 4 hours. Judging for the Business Financial Plan will occur in Lincoln in March, tentative date is March 11. The other two events will be judged in Omaha on Friday, April 4. If you would like to know more about how you can be involved with these competitive events, please contact Bonnie Sibert at 402.471.4818 or send email to bonnie.sibert@nde.ne.gov.

Next Meetings – Mark your calendars for our next two meetings:

January 18 – 9:00-11:00 a.m., Wells Fargo Bank,
4650 South 24 (24th & L), Omaha, host Richard Schenck hosting

April 18 – 9:00-11:00 a.m., TierOne Bank
Lincoln, Dena Stevenson hosting

Adjourn