APPFu’kESAL 0F ADEQUACY 0F PLACEMENT SERWCE PE‘GCESSES Ei‘i SELECTED iLfiNOIS PUBUC COMMUMTY COLLEGES Sisseriatim for the Degree 6? Ph. D. MECHEGAN STATE UNWERSE‘E’Y KE WETH JAMES MCCALEB 1974 LI 3 1 {R Y Aliclsij State Ulil‘fl Qty - 5 .“~ Cur-5:" This is to certify that the thesis entitled APPRAISAL OF ADEQUACY OF PLACEMENT SERVICE PROCESSES IN SELECTED ILLINOIS PUBLIC COMMUNITY COLLEGES presented by Kenneth James McCaleb has been accepted towards fulfillment of the requirements for Date April 19, 1974 0-7639 ABSTRACT APPRAISAL OF ADEQUACY OF PLACEMENT SERVICE PROCESSES IN SELECTED ILLINOIS PUBLIC COMMUNITY COLLEGES by Kenneth James McCaleb The purpose of this study was to appraise the adequacy of place— ment service processes in selected Illinois public comprehensive com— munity colleges and identify and describe conditions which are essential for the development of optimal student placement services in public comprehensive community colleges. A review of the literature revealed no studies directly related to the problem under investigation. The population consisted of 14 public community colleges located in suburban metropolitan Chicago, Illinois. Ten community colleges were selected as being comprehensive as established in criteria devel- oped from the Michigan pilot study. The Process Component Congruency Scale, and the Information Data Sheet RevisedJ Part I and II were devel- Oped and used as guides during the campus interviews to appraise the adequacy of placement service processes and gather opinions from place- , ment directors in the ten sample institutions. The findings of the study have been segmented into three parts. The first part presents the consensus of the Panel for Placement Ser- vices Criteria as to their viewpoints of critical and desirable charac— teristics for an ongoing operation for placement services in a compre- hensive community college. Items from the Scale were used as basis for their judgments. The second part summarizes the results of the apprai- sal of the adequacy of placement processes for colleges visited. The \. m r, \ ll A, I Kenneth James McCaleb third part features the results of the on-campus interviews held with each placement director. As a result of the study, the investigator presents recommenda— tions for the ongoing operations of a community college placement center. FINDINGS OF THE STUDY The Panel for Placement Services Criteria chose critical and de- sirable characteristics its members felt were important. Their choices would be influenced by being professional users of the placement center as recruiters. A summary of critical components chosen dealt with the placement center being centralized and conveniently located in quarters large enough to perform the function, defining its objectives, having a director assigned at least one-half time, having orientation sessions that introduced information about the center, explaining regulations and ethics for users of the services and constantly seeking new sources of employment for its clients. Placement center components choSen by the Panel as being desirable included: assigning a secretary at least one—half time, developing placement forms that are clear and concise, coordinating follow-up studies on students and sessions on career oppor— tunities and placement, arranging off-campus tours, supporting a career library, encouraging faculty involvement in career activities, coor— dinating career days or nights for its students and other interested personnel, developing interest in citizens not associated with the col— lege in using the service, arranging for faculty to meet on—campus re— cruiters, providing news media releases and assuring that adequate bulle- tin board spaces are available for placement announcements. Six processes of the placement function were defined in terms of organization, orientation, regulation, consultation, participation and Kenneth James McCaleb‘ public relations. Components that were observable behaviors and could be rated were developed for each placement process. A total of 35 items were developed, and the instrument was named Process Component Congruency Sgglg. The adequacy of representation for a placement process was de— termined in relations to the mode. Below mode was weak representation, mode was adequate representation and above mode was strong representa- tion. The §E§12_was used at each college in the final study. Components were rated independently by the investigator. One behavior rating per item was awarded. No activity received 0 points, planning stage re- ceived 1 point, initiatory stage received 2 points, and the operative stage received 3 points. Points were totaled for each process for each college, and the mode was determined. Analysis of the Sgalg_data col- lected resulted in the following findings: 1. Adequacy representations were not consistent for each process for all the colleges. 2. Adequacy representations varied between processes for each college. 3. Regulation was the only process that no strong representation rating was awarded to any college. 4. All of the processes, except public relations, had a higher total of mode or above mode scores than below mode scores. The process orientation had a total number of mode and above mode ratings equal with the below mode ratings. 5. Public relations process representation was rated weak at six of the ten colleges. 6. Orientation process representation was rated weak in five colleges, while regulation and consultation processes were rated weak in four colleges. Kenneth James McCaleb Five colleges were rated strong representation in the process organization and participation, but only three colleges had the strong rating for both processes. The investigation of placement services in public community colleges which were visited in the final study produced the following findings: 1. 2. 10. Centralized placement services were all established after 1964. Placement services were organized as a function of student personnel services. Responsibility for the placement function and the student fi— nancial aid function were usually assigned to one person who reported to the chief student personnel officer. Centralized placement services were understaffed in profes- sional and clerical personnel and were housed in inadequate facilities. Budget allocations for placement activities corresponds with the priority given to the placement function by the college. Working relationships between placement personnel and other groups associated with the college tends to fluctuate. The nature and level of student involvement in placement pro— cesses tends to vary according to enrollment status and aca- demic program affiliation. Committees to guide or support the placement function have not been established. Placement personnel do not have a professional organization to join. News releases for placement services are usually handled by the public relations office of the college. 11. RESULTS Kenneth James McCaleb Evaluation reports for placement services are infrequent and do not evaluate all activities offered by the placement center. The placement function must be an ongoing operation in a compre- hensive community college. Components essential to the establishment and continued growth of a comprehensive placement service are: 1. The college board of trustees and administration must both make a philosophical commitment and allocation of financial and hu- man resources for the placement function as a centralized service. The student financial aid function and placement function should each be assigned as full time positions and placed in separate facilities. The financial aid service would be iden- tified as a function of student personnel services. The centralized placement service should be identified as a specific function of student personnel services. The full time individual responsible for the placement center should report directly to the chief student personnel officer of the college. It is important that liaison be maintained with the chief academic officer of the college. The placement center should be staffed with placement counselors, para-professionals and clerical personnel who are capable of providing a comprehensive placement program. The centralized placement program should be organized in a manner which effectively responds to the needs of all segments of the student body including full time students, part time students, students enrolled in college parallel programs, voca- tional-technical students, and students enrolled in general 10. 11. Kenneth James McCaleb education and continuing education programs. It should also provide services for those who have graduated, or withdrawn from school, and other citizens residing within the community. This requires the initiation of a wide range of placement acti- vities as well as flexibility in program planning and scheduling. The effective operation of a comprehensive placement service requires continual programs and activities of articulation with faculty, administrators, employers, students, and student- personnel workers. The establishment and maintenance of well-organized contact systems with business and industry is critical to the Operation of a community college placement service. The effective operation of a comprehensive placement service requires facilities specifically designed to facilitate ongoing placement processes. The establishment of a student—faculty committee to help guide the direction of the placement function and an advisory com- mittee composed of area business and industry placement person- nel to support the placement center are necessary for an effec- tive placement service. To better serve the college district the placement center staff must continually develop and initiate the release of news items and publications to the college community and the general public. Six major processes are essential to the operation of a compre- hensive placement program: Organization, Orientation, Regula- tion, Consultation, Participation, and Public Relations. The arrangement of priorities for each process should be defined in accordance with the aims and objectives of the college and 12. Kenneth James McCaleb the academic services function. Immediate and long-range planning based on objective apprai- sals of status and prospects is essential to the development of comprehensive community college placement services. APPRAISAL OF ADEQUACY OF PLACEMENT SERVICE PROCESSES IN SELECTED ILLINOIS PUBLIC COMMUNITY COLLEGES by Kenneth James McCaleb A DISSERTATION Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY COLLEGE OF EDUCATION 1974 Continued positive motivation throughout the doctoral program has been in large part because of my family's untold assistance, encouragement, and sacrifices. To this spirit I dedicate this dissertation to my wife Elizabeth Ann and my children, Julie Ann and David James. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to pay tribute to my committee members, Dr. Walter F. Johnson, advisor for the study; Dr. William Sweetland; and Dr. John Useem for their guidance and constructive criticism in writing this study, as well as to Dr. James Nelson for assisting while Dr. Raines was on sabbatical my final term. A special thank you is owed to Dr. Max R. Raines for his continued encouragement and advice during my two years as his graduate assistant. As my major advisor, Dr. Raines' able assistance has been most helpful in developing a meaningful course of study and dissertation topic. During the last term, the professionalsim and assistance of Dr. Walter F. Johnson has been of the highest caliber, and without his help, the study would have floundered. I am deeply indebted to the College Placement Council, Inc. for permission to use their checklist instrument and to those Illinois and Michigan community college placement personnel who contributed to the study. A sincere expression of appreciation is extended to Dr. David E. Murphy, co-founder of Shamrock Enterprises, for his continued friend- ship and aid. The many drafts and countless changes to reach this final form would not have been possible without the dedication of typists Mrs. Patricia Ann Duncker and Mrs. Patricia Favoino. A special note of thanks to both of them for their help and patience. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE DEDICATION ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS iii LIST or FIGURES vi LIST OF TABLES vii LIST OF APPENDIXES viii Chapter I. INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Purpose of the Study . . . . . . l Deltmitations of the Study . . . . .2 Need for the Study . . . . . . 3 Definition of Terms . . . . . . 5 Assumptions Upon Which the Study is Based . . . 7 Organization of the Study . . . . . . . . . . . 8 II. LITERATURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Part I Speculative writings . . . . . . . . . . 10 Part II Related Studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 I I I . METHODOLOGY 0 C C C C O I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 3 7 Population and Sample . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Instrumentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Process Component Congruency Scale . . . . . . 38 Pilot Study Phase for Development of the Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Rating Form . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . 40 Information Data Sheet Revised, Parts I and II 43 Procedures for Collecting Data . . . . . . . . . 44 Panel for Placement Services Criteria . . . . 44 iv Table of Contents - - continued Chapter III. METHODOLOGY (continued) Field Testing . . . . . . . . . . . Collection of Data . . . . . . . . . . . Procedures for Analyzing Data . Non-Statistical Treatment of the Data . Statistical Treatment of the Data . IV. ANALYSIS OF DATA . . . . Part I Campus Interviews . . . . Part II Process Component Congruency Scale . V. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS . . . . Summary . . . .‘. . . . . . . . . . . . Purpose of Study . . . . . . . . . . Methodology . . . . . . . . . . Part I Findings -Panel for Placement Services Criteria . . . . . . . . . . . Part II Findings-Adequacy Patings . . . Part III Findings- Campus Interviews Conclusions and Recommendations . . . . For the Operation of a Community College Placement Center . . . . . . Implications for Further Research References Cited . . . . . 55 56 56 57 83 96 96 96 96 97 100 101 108 108 111 113 Figure LIST OF FIGURES Process Component Congruency Scale . Adequacy Rating Scale for Placement Identification of Rating Form Items Pertaining to Placement Processes . . . . . . . . . . . . Panel for Placement Services Criteria Frequency of Responses for Critical and Desirable Charac- teristics - Process Component Congruency Scale Point Totals for Process Component Congruency Scale Given to Selected Illinois Public Community Colleges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi Page 38 39 41 127 132 LIST OF TABLES Table Page I Support Data for the Criteria for Final Study Campus Visitations of Selected Illinois Public Community Colleges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 II Number of Occupational Programs Offered in Selected Illinois Public Community Colleges F811 1969 O O O O O O O O I O O O I I O O O O O 53 III Selected Illinois Community College Placement Directors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 IV Date of Establishment for Placement Centers in Selected Illinois Public Community Colleges . . 61 V Group Techniques of Orienting Students About Placement Services in Selected Illinois Public Community Colleges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 VI Placement Center Staffing Arrangements for Selected Illinois Public Community Colleges . . . . . . . 67 VII Selected Illinois Public Community Colleges Adequacy Rating for Placement Process Organization 84 VIII Selected Illinois Public Community Colleges Adequacy Rating for Placement Process Orientation 86 _IX Selected Illinois Public Community Colleges Adequacy Rating for Placement Process Regulation 88 X Selected Illinois Public Community Colleges Adequacy Rating for Placement Process Consultation 90 XI Selected Illinois Public Community Colleges Adequacy Rating for Placement Process Participation 92 XII Selected Illinois Public Community Colleges Adequacy Rating for Placement Process Public Relations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 vii LIST OF APPENDIXES Appendix Page A Process Component Congruency Scale . . . . . . . . . ll_ '8 Flow Chart of Placement Services for Career Placement of Students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 C Flow Chart of Placement Services for Part Time Employment of Currently Enrolled Students . . . . . 118 D Correspondence Concerning Permission to use Placement Guides: A Self-Evaluation Checklist for Placement Offices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 E Placement Guides: A Self—Evaluation Checklist for Placement Offices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 F Individual Estimate of Placement Center Activities . 121 G Information Data Sheet Revised, Part I and Part II . 122 H Supplemental Data Sheet for the Checklist . . . . . 123 I Interview Guideline for Campus Visits . . . . . . . 124 J Panel for Placement Services Criteria Roster . . . . 125 K Letter to Panel for Placement Services Criteria Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 L Panel for Placement Services Criteria Frequency of Responses for Critical and Desirable Charac- teristics - Process Component Congruency Scale . . . 127 M Criteria for College Visitation-Final Study . . . . 128 N Follow-up Letter to First Telephone Contact . . . . 129 0 Appointment Card for Campus Visit . . . . . . . . . 130 P Pilot Study Campus Interviews . . . . . . . . . . . 131 Q Point Totals for Process Component Congruency Scale Given to Selected Illinois Public Community Colleges 132 viii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Introduction Recently institutions of higher education all over the world have been forced to re-evaluate their philosophy and commitment to society. Public community colleges are fulfilling a vital role in American higher education and are accepting numerous challenges to provide leadership to the society they serve. Two major functions of the community college that have more lati— tude to develop and innovate are student personnel services and community services. These two functions can complement each other in many ways, especially in the area of placement services. This decade, more empha- sis will be directed to placement services because of increasing enroll— ments which will include larger minority group representation, more students who will have greater financial need, and more adults who plan to re-enter various employment fields. The apparent need for adequate placement services in the community college prompted the following investigation. Purpose of the Study The purpose of the study is to identify and describe conditions which are essential for the development of optimal student placement services in public community junior colleges. More specifically the study involves: identifying critical characteristics needed to operate an adequate placement service in a public suburban comprehensive community college in Illinois, applying these characteristics to Illinois public suburban comprehensive community colleges as a means of appraising their operational effectiveness, developing a description of the critical characteristics and processes of the placement function in a placement center in a comprehensive community college. Delimitations of the Study The delimitations of the study fall into three categories: 1. The limitation of the pilot study to public community colleges in Michigan. The study is limited to suburban public community Colleges in Illinois. Investigation of additional public or private community colleges in other states may reveal differ— ent results. A regional or national study may provide data from which a different set of generalizations could be drawn. The choice of critical characteristics and processes of commun- ity college placement services as determined in the study. An optimal placement service in a community college may include characteristics or processes not reviewed or analyzed in this investigation. The method of investigation for the study. Use of other inves- tigating techniques rather than a structured interview method with selected staff members may reveal different results. Need for the Study The public community junior college has emerged as a significant part of contemporary American society to fulfill the immediate and future educational, cultural, and social goals of the citizens of the area or district it serves. This aspect of higher education pro-lies transfer programs, general education programs, technical—vocational programs, student personnel services, and community services for those persons who desire to participate. The community junior college may be described as a distributing agency since many of its students enter directly into business or industry upon completion of a given course of study. Other students may attend in order to transfer to senior insti- tutions, enroll in specialized schools, upgrade vocational skills, or merely pursue cultural interests. Technological and industrial developments since the turn of the century have created new positions which require employees to upgrade present skills and/or learn new skills as a means of keeping pace with the ever-changing labor market. Norman C. Harris elaborates upon this theme in the statement: Professional jobs, making up six per cent of the labor force in 1930, will probably constitute 12 per cent of the force by 1970. At the other extreme, unskilled, semi-skilled, and service jobs, which accounted for 56 per cent of the labor force in the 1930's will by 1970 decrease to only 26 per cent. But the really significant changes have occurred at the level of the semi-professional and technical fields. Many new openings are available in the managerial, business and sales, and the highly skilled jobs. These jobs, taken together, will account for over 50 per cent of the labor force by 1970. (16:144) Grant Venn indicates that by 1975 one-fourth of the 16—25 age group will be in the labor market as compared to one—fifth of this age group found in the 1955 labor market. (43:25-27) 4 These factors have contributed to the current demand for various types of educational programs. Many demands achieved little or no response due to a lack of interest and the fact that the higher educa— tion enterprise was not geared to respond on a mass education basis. Today, the community junior college has begun to respond to diverse community needs by initiating an almost endless variety of educational opportunities. As more students enroll in various educational programs offered by the community college, student personnel services will need to play an even more significant role by (l) assisting students in obtaining part time employment during their collegiate experience, and (2) assisting students in the process of embarking upon a career after graduation. According to the Carnegie Study, student placement is one of twenty- one critical functions of community college student personnel programs. Milton Mohs preceded the findings of the Carnegie Study with his defini- tion of the placement function: ...assists its student clients in relating their personal qualities, education, and experience to occupational requirements; assists them in their search for employment; and cooperates with employers in the successful induction of the student into part time and career positions. It also assists employers by screening and referring quali- fied applicants for jobs and acts as a liaison agent in acquainting college personnel with the needs of business and industry in curriculum development. (24:3) Many community junior colleges either maintain some type of formal placement office, or assign the placement function to faculty and staff. The present study is in response to the paucity of research con- cerning goals, functions, and processes of student placement. The following factors lend further support to the need for a study of this nature 2 5 1. the emergence of the community college function as a bridge between education and occupation, 2. the rapidly changing nature of American job markets, _ 3. the increasing need for student placement services in the community college, and 4. the absence of investigations regarding the status and prospects of student placement in the community college. As public community junior colleges continue to make available programs and services to the community, the need for a professional placement service becomes increasingly evident. It is hoped that this investigation will be of value in determining what the placement ser- vice should include and how it should function. Definition of Terms A Public Community Junior College. The term "community college" for the purpose of the study will be defined as an institution having the following characteristics: A two-year program that is: (a) locally controlled as provided by the statutes of the States of Michigan and Illinois; (b) financed in part by local tax funds; and (c) offers various programs of education to the community which it serves. In both states, the terms public "junior college" and "community college" are synonymous and many times are used interchangeably. Each state legislature has legally designated these institutions as community colleges with their purpose being to provide post-secondary education for the majority of people living within commuting distance. Student Personnel Services. This area may be defined in terms of specific services, exclusive of classroom teaching, that are offered to 6 students, prospective students, or alumni associated with the community college. Some of the major functions would include admissions, alumni organizations, registration, records, guidance and counseling, placement and financial aids, student activities, and administration. Community College Placement. This function is part of the student personnel division and is geared to meet the needs of the community it serves. The main placement goals are to assist in student development by making each student aware of his academic—vocational—social strengths and limitations, by urging personal investigation of various employment opportunities, and, with the cooperation of employers, by providing part time or career situations for the student to consider. The place- ment center assists employers by arranging interviews for prospective employees who meet job requirements, and the college staff by providing current feedback on program effectiveness for former students, and assists both groups in assessing the changing personnel needs of business and industry which may suggest college curriculum revision. ’ Placement Center. The campus facility, centralized or decentral— ized, that provides services or activities for qualified students or alumni seeking employment. Centralized Placement. One center responsible for all placement activities of the community college. Decentralized Placement. Each department or division of the community college holds major responsibility in the placement of its students. Function. A major service provided by the student personnel division of the community college. Process. A general grouping of similar activities related to the successful completion of a function. Critical Characteristic. A distinctive behavior which is an observable activity and is needed to operate an adequate placement service in a community college. The following processes are used in the study as a deSCriptLCd u; several related or similar activities that are accomplished in the student placement function: Organization. The day to day and long-range Operations of the placement center. Orientation. Individuals being exposed to the availability of placement information and materials so that they may become aware of the need to make decisions about their future. Regulation. The direction, management, or control of persons using the placement center. Consultation. Services that are provided for individuals for developing greater awareness of personal qualities and other factors related to career counseling and decision making. Participation. Individual involvement in placement center acti- vities and/or related campus activities. Public Relations. The procedures used by the placement center to make all citizens aware of its activities and services. Assumptions Upon Which the Study is Based The following assumptions were made as the delimiting factors for the purposes of the study: 8 1. That the results of pilot study in Michigan are appropriate for instrument development for use in Illinois public com— prehensive community colleges. 2. That the community college placement director is the most appropriate person to discuss placement services in public community colleges. 3. That the procedure by which the Process Component Congruency Sgalg_was developed adequately represents the critical charac- teristics of placement services as seen by industrial, busi— ness and university personnel with community college placement directors. 4. That the placement function is regarded as an integral part of the services to students in public suburban community colleges in Illinois. Organization of the Study The general plan of the study has been organized into five chapters. Chapter I: The introduction presents the study, its scope and delimitations, a definition of terms, and the assumptions upon which the study is based. Chapter II: The survey of the literature includes a review of speculative writings and related studies published to date. Chapter III: The methodology presents definitions of the sample for the Illinois study, method of data collection, a description and development of the scale used, a description of the development of the rating form, a description of the evaluation checklist used, and statis— tical techniques used to analyze the data. 9 Chapter IV: The analysis of the data includes a general descrip— tion of the data obtained, the results of the statistical analysis of the data, the findings, and the interpretations of the results. Chapter V: The final chapter presents a summary of findings of the study, conclusions and recommendations for the operation of com- munity college placement services, and implications for further research. CHAPTER II LITERATURE . The following chapter is divided into two parts. Part I reviews various positions regarding the scope of services which should be pro- vided by the community college placement center. Part II summarizes research findings pertinent to community college placement. Part I The inclusion of a placement service as a function of higher education is justified on the following basis. First, the community college is in the business of providing talent resources for the bene— fit of mankind in general and society in particular. The process of distributing that talent should not occur in a haphazard way. Carlton A. Erickson summarizes this point in the statement: "Placement acti— vity should become an integral part of total educational effort. I know of no successful business that allows its product to be introduced by chance." (11:91) The second justification focuses upon the triangulated interde- pendency that exists among the college, the student, and society at large. William G. Thomas explains this in the following statement: Placement is a logical and vital capstone to the structure of a university administration serving the academic com- munity, student personnel services, professional and occu- pational training programs, society, and, most important of all, the student. The values of the student, the institution, and the community are demonstrable. The university improves its communication with industrial, commercial, and service firms throughout the country; gains a valuable source of information for appraisal 10 ll of its institution, training, and services; and acquires an additional base upon which to build public under- standing and support. The community benefits when employers meet their personnel needs, and students are directed into productive employment. The student bene- fits by being given the full consideration and assis- tance he deserves in securing employment opportunity toward which he has been educated. (40:92) The following paragraphs examine selected positions regarding the nature, elements, and processes of placement services. The Nature of Placement The placement service concept is frequently defined in terms of benefits accrued to the student, the graduate, the alumnus, the uni— versity, the community, and the society at large. Raymond Stockard defines this service as a process of assisting the individual to choose an occupation, prepare for it, enter it, and progress in it. He states that successful placement is a culmination of (1) a realistic self- concept, (2) an understanding of career opportunities and requirements, and (3) an organized plan for embarking upon a career. (38:77) Robert J. Morrissey offers a similar definition of placement and suggests that assistance may occur in the form of career counseling, preparation and maintenance of credentials, provision of career litera— ture, or distribution of information regarding career and part time employment opportunities. (25:14) John L. Munschauer indicates that the definition of placement as a function varies according to the expectations of those individuals and agencies which influence or are involved in the placement process. These expectations tend to coincide with one of three alternative goals: (26:37) 12 1. Placement should match aptitude and training with employer requirements according to an organized and systematic plan. 2. Placement should concentrate upon the quality of human relationships and give second priority to matching aptitude and training with career requirements. 3. Placement should be a clearing house for employment information and employer-employee contacts. The third goal is most appropriate according to Munschauer. He views the placement function as a catalyst which operates in a manner that stimulates the student in the process of realizing vocational aspirations. (26:82) Carlton A. Erickson prOposes that the placement function be de- fined in terms of student need. He suggests that a successful place? ment program includes activities that respond effectively to student needs which emerge at various points in the collegiate experience. (11:94) The foregoing statements concerning the nature of placement services suggest the following principles. The placement center is a function of student personnel services. The goal of placement is to assist clientele in developing and realizing vocational aspirations. The placement center c00perates with business, industry, and outside agencies by providing services related to career employment. The placement center assists the college by providing feedback concerning the success of graduates. ,The placement function may include several distinct and yet re- lated processes: distinct in that each is in response to specific student needs, and related in that all seek to bridge the gap between student talent resources and career Opportunities. (13:114) These l3 processes include orientation, regulation, consultation, participation, public relations, and organization. Placement Processes Orientation. The provision of information ta :ssist in i.idulls in career decision makdng must occur before the student is formally inducted into the community college, and continue beyond the termina- tion of experience as a student. Carlton A. Erickson, placement director at Milwaukee Technical College, described orientation activities of value for community college students. Orientation meetings the first two semesters help students develop knowledge, skills, and positive personal characteristics about themselves in relation to the working world. Topics include growing demands for occupational skills, types of personnel sought by business and industry, successes of previous graduates, and kinds of interim services provided for students, i.e. testing, and part time employment. Third semester assistance is provided through mass meetings, prelim— inary interviews with campus counselors, a placement handbook, and student planning of personal interviewing schedules. Students are encouraged to consider the following employment factors: opportunity for professional growth, good supervision, Opportunities for additional training and education, pay, fringe benefits, and location. Regulation. Direction, management, and control of persons using the community college placement center should be clearly stated by the college. If placement is truly "community-oriented," then anyone residing in the college boundaries should have access to it. Some colleges tend to limit the placement function to prospective students, currently enrolled students, or alumni. Other institutions attempt 14 to provide services to anyone who seeks assistance. In an investigation of why students select certain employers for interviewing, it was found that students should be aware of placement service early in their college career -- possibly through summer job discussions during the first two years of college. (21:65) Consultation. The community college should provide services for individuals seeking counsel, advice, or opinion from qualified person- nel to gain insight into personal qualifications. Those placement centers that are not staffed to fulfill all individual needs rely upon assistance from other areas of the student personnel division, i.e. counseling center, financial aids, etc. Stephens advocates the need for early guidance of students who plan to enter the career market. His thesis states (a) that intelli- gent counseling does decrease the incidence of job dissatisfaction, (b) that students who follow recommendations of vocational counseling sessions tend to make better job adjustments, and (c) students who receive vocational counseling tend to remain on the job longer. (36:74) Participation. Participation suggests individual involvement in placement center services and/or related campus activities. Campus clubs that are career oriented, career day guidance programs, and in- dustrial plant visits exemplify the many placement activities available to students. Part time students, alumni, or community residents often become participants in the placement function through special application of registration.' Transfer students are usually concerned about academic programs and the ease of transition to senior institutions. The terminal student tends to be more interested in the placement center as it relates to career opportunities. 15 Erickson states that job experiences during the break between the first and second year of college sometimes result in terminal student withdrawal in favor of full time employment. Reinforcement needs to be given to all students that completion of the program opens doors for additional educational Opportunities. (11:92) Public Relations. A community college placement center should make full use of all news media in order to inform everyone of its activities and services. To help individuals become cognizant of the placement function, the community college should collect and assess current data as a means of planning relevant activities. The college placement center staff should know current and future job market Opportunities. One placement director suggested that invitations be sent to companies who have hired or inquired about graduates to meet together to discuss employer needs and ways in which the college can be of assistance. Invitations may also be sent to local, state, and national agencies interested in hiring technically-oriented graduates. (11:93) The placement counselor's many contacts and bits Of information place him in a strategic position to serve the student, the employer, and the college. Dr. Erickson states: I know of no other activity with education that can reflect the organization's pulse more accurately as graduates, employers, and instructors meet and share common concerns. (11:94) Organization. Decision-making for immediate and long-range Opera- tions of the community college placement center should be based on pertinent facts gathered through research and evaluation. Class follow-up studies should be initiated approximately three months after graduation. Data regarding information such as place of employment, 16 employer, starting salary, Opportunities for continued schooling, and military obligation should be collected regularly. This data may be used to guide others who plan to enter the career market. It also becomes a useful tool for guidance in neighboring high schools and community colleges. Other research efforts of significance may include class plQllles, student transfers to four year institutions, reasons for students' - withdrawal, employment status of graduates, and part time employment Opportunities. Elements of Placement The placement function tends to be characterized by certain in— herent elements., These are clientele, personnel, budget, facilities, methods and procedures, advisory committees, and evaluation. The following paragraphs summarize literature pertaining to each. Clientele. The focal point of the placement Office is the clientele that it serves. It is vital that the placement center staff knows and understands the clientele. Service provided to student, faculty, employer, and the community at large is only as good as the staff's knowledge of human need and aspiration. Nansi Corson specifies that the placement service should be responsive to many different types Of students in order to justify its existence. These student types include: 1. The woman graduate. 2. The liberal arts major who has not decided upon a career. 3. The veteran. 4. The alumnus. l7 5. The college student who must leave college. 6. The working student. 7. The student enrolled in a non-technical program. 8. The average and marginal student. (8:30) James Thornton conducted a survey of junior college studpnrq which revealed that many problems related to the Operation of a junior college placement center are unique. His findings are summarized in the following charts: IQ_Range Of Students Per Cent of Students 110 + 25 91 - 109 50 - 90 25 Grade Enrolled Per Cent of Students in J.C. Did not begin high school 20 Did not finish high school 25 Graduated from high school 55 Started college 32 Graduated from college 12 (41:89-96) It is apparent that the student body represents a cross section of academic achievement and human potential. The placement center is obligated to provide adequate services to meet the diversity of talent and resources. In a study conducted at Flint Community Junior College, it was found that 65 per cent of those students employed on a part time basis were performing duties not related to their vocational goals. (9:194) One conclusion of the study was that the student who must work to meet college expenses should be assisted in locating pertinent part time employment. (9:195) 18 The placement center serves the employer by assisting him in meeting candidates ready to enter a career field. Several studies concerning newly employed graduates and their job problems reveal employer weaknesses in career employment procedures. In recent years students have become more flexible in the selec- tion and duration Of employment. Harry Seligson notes that the turn— over of newly recruited employees ranges from 30—50 per cent of college graduates in the first year and 80-90 per cent by the third year. (34:63) Seligson attributes this to the fact that our society has an accelerated rate in the tempo of change, that the emphasis Of many recruiters is on employee benefits rather than job description, that many companies have deficiencies in recruitment and training policies, and that the rapid expansion and contraction in defense- related industries encourages college graduates to move from job to job. One employee concern is that these factors make it difficult to find the unique characteristics and attributes which cement personal loyalty and relationship with a particular organization. Perhaps industrial and business organizations need to adopt policy which does not place great emphasis upon a life-long career. The value of the company recruiter should be appraised. One recruiter representing several companies may be equally effective. Another way to reduce cost and improve training Of new people is to jointly sponsor stan— dardized seminars relating to a particular career. Companies in a given career field may wish to rotate new employees in a pool to give them exposure and experience in different settings. (34:63—64) Company adoption of these ideas would affect the clientele that the college placement center serves. 19 In order to secure graduate perceptions regarding placement ser- vices offered by the colleges, Robert M. Palmer interviewed 400 graduates from 23 colleges located throughout New York and New England. (30:33—39) Sixty-seven per cent of the sample viewed placement as a matchmaking agency; 16 per cent perceived the placement Officer as a counselor and advisor. (30:35) When asked how Often they used the placement Office while they were at college, 50 per cent replied never. Students who used the office held lower scholastic averages and indicated that it was the duty of placement Offices to obtain employment for graduates. Stu- dents with higher scholastic averages tended to be more self-directing in securing employment. Approximately one—half of the graduates did not give the placement office credit in assisting them with employment. Three-fourths of the graduates felt that the process of securing more summer jobs for students needed to be intensified and improved. The placement center staff must interact with the faculty constantly to develop and retain favorable relationships. Without faculty support the successful operation of a placement center is extremely difficult. Palmer's study of 100 college teachers revealed that faculties tend to differ in their perceptions of the placement function. Thirty per cent of the teachers viewed placement as a college service; 25 per cent viewed it as part of the administration; 20 per cent perceived it as a necessary evil; and 10 per cent felt it was an unnecessary evil. The employer representative was viewed as a necessary evil in 40 per cent of the cases. However, 25 per cent of the teachers perceived the recruiter as a part of the college service. The majority Of teachers felt that the placement staff was not professional in nature. Many community colleges maintain an"open door" policy concerning the use of the placement center by those citizens who reside in the 20 district but who have never formally enrolled with the college. This policy may become more Widespread as community college placement centers become more professional in nature. Personnel. A placement center requires professionally trained staff members who understand and are committed to the goals and objectives Of the center. Many institutions cannot justify the need for full time staff assignments in placement. Placement activities are usually assigned as a part time or seasonal assignment together with financial aids or some other related student personnel function. In a survey of 57 university placement centers, R. D. McCabe found that smaller institutions seldom employ full time placement staffs. (28:31-33) Recommended student personnel staffing patterns for colleges with student enrollments of various sizes were given in the Carnegie study. In this study, placement and financial aids were combined as an adminis— trative unit. The following table indicates suggested staffing: (6-35) Staff Level Enrollment 500 1,000 2,5000 5,000 Director (combined) % 5 l 1 Professional (placement or scholarships) 0 O % 1 Clerical 1 1 1% 2 In sum, strong administrative commitment to student personnel ser- vices is of top priority if the placement function is to be adequate. The placement center should be professionally staffed according to the needs of the college and the community. Professional placement personnel do enhance the institution's philosophy, goals, and objectives given the opportunity to develop a professional service for all citizens. 21 Budget. Paramount to the successful Operation of a placement center is an adequate budget. A community college placement Office should have its own budget which defrays the cost Of services it provides. Most placement centers do not operate by student fee assessment. The place- ment budget is usually included in the operations budget of the college. Questions arise regarding the best way to determine a placement center budget. Robert Calvert reported that costs of college and uni— versity placement services are determined by dividing the total budget by the number of graduating seniors. (4:26-27) Other institutions divide the total placement cost by the number of persons who use the service to arrive at a budget. It appears that most colleges are not concerned with the cost per student ratio of the budget, but rather are interested in having a successful placement center in relation to the total college program. Facilities. The development of physical facilities for a community college placement center must be based upon the goals of placement as defined for each particular institution. Most placement centers goals are concerned with assisting students in securing part time jobs and/or career positions. Depending on the scope Of the placement function, other services may be provided that include persons not formally en- rolled in college. Considerations concerning important environmental factors were emphasized by William G. Thomas when he mentioned that "size, curricula, geographical location, placement organizational structure, and the public served" are essential elements involved in the placement setting. (40—88) Charles Collins pointed out ideal facilities for different acti- vities of student personnel services in a recent publication. According 22 to Collins, four distinct areas need to be considered when planning a placement center: Reception, Waiting;_and Information: Spacious, attractive, comfortable, appropriate for students and prospective employers. Facilities for the distribution of infor- mation by printed materials, announcements, and effi— cient reception techniques. Adequate space for com- pletion Of essential forms. Office: Pleasant Office suitable for coordination and direction of all placement services Offered by the college." Accessible to students and Off-campus visitors. Appropriate for brief conferences with students and employers. Clerical: Efficient, well—organized space for clerical work associated with placement function, including adequate telephonic communication, correspondence, record-keeping. Interviews: Attractive, efficient space for employers and others to conduct private interviews when visiting the college. Pleasant, uncluttered, comfortable. Accessible to students. (7:23) Methods and Procedures. A frequent question pertaining to the operation of a placement Office is whether the service should be cen- tralized or decentralized. A decentralized service (a) stresses closer contact between the departments and the employers, (b) allows for more specialized assistance in placement, (c) provides for more effective career counseling and advisement, (d) has a better esprit dg_corps because of its smallness, and (e) enables more effective evaluation. Conversely, a centralized service (3) makes more effective use of Office 1 space and personnel, (b) is more convenient for employers, (c) will be able to handle "interdisciplinary" opportunities more effectively, (d) can make better use of the counseling staff, and (e) is better able to help uncommitted students and non-specialized students to Obtain ' counseling and employment. (39:122, 124, 126) The recent trend in community college placement centers appears to be moving towards centralized 23 services rather than decentralized activities. Howard H. Lumsden foresees several requirements that college place- ment services need to improve. Soaring enrollments affect facility and personnel requirements, the public relations image and procedures that should be followed. Increased demands for jobs require renewed vigor in securing new employer contacts for job listings. Better public relations need to be developed with students, alumni, faculty, and administration. Greater skills need to be developed in interpreting the personnel needs of employers. It is very important that the employer understand his real need for talent and that he does not overhire. High employee turnover during the first year suggests a need for appraisal of the placement process. Is the employee fitted to employment needs? Does the employer know and understand the policies of the college? (20:15) 5 According to Lester Hale there are many undeveloped dimensions in placement. He states that, "The campus is the common plant for the educator-producer and the employer-consumer to develop the student- product." ‘(15:53) The placement officer should consider the following tasks: 1. Take stock Of what you are doing and how much is educationally oriented. 2. Greater development of research and business projects in cooperation with appropriate colleges and departments. 3. Greater part placement offices might play in the counseling of undergraduate students. 4. Placement offices should sponsor a campus forum in the area of employment opportunities. (15:49) One major service of the placement center is providing leads for part time jobs. Many students must retain part time employment while enrolled in college in order to remain in school. Guilford Jones states: 24 The part time commercial job is one method--perhaps the most important single one--by which the increasing number of college students in this country can finance their education. Placement Officers must realize the value of this gigantic resource and treat their part time function, not as a stepchild, but as a much-favored son. (19:53) Jones urges that methods and procedures be initiated with employers that "sell" students as desirable part time help. He suggests the following arguments in favor of part time student help: 1) students make outstanding workers becuase they are highly motivated; 2) regular full time workers do not feel threatened by the students' presence; 3) students become an excellent source for full time employees after graduation; 4) students Obtain experience and a chance to "try out" a career choice, and 5) employer benefits someone needing and deserving help. (19:55) Lilyan B. Bradshaw contends that summer experience should not be counted as a loss since it serves to help a student clarify his long- range career interests. A recent study Of Ohio engineer graduates revealed that 29 per cent of the graduates Obtained career employment through part time jobs. (2:37) It was also found that career retention was higher for this group as compared to students who had no part time employment in career related jobs. (2:39) William E. Sedlacek supports the importance Of the summer job. He suggests that summer employment be career-oriented; that it provide an opportunity for financial reward; and that it broaden the student's base of experience. In a survey of Kansas salary levels, Sedlacek found that summer job income varied by class (more education, more pay) and sex (males earn more than females because they are more technically trained). (33:62) He also found that only 10 per cent of foreign students were able to find jobs by the end of the school year. (33:64) 25 The placement director's role should be one of taking initiative in formulating procedures that help alleviate career, summer, and part time job inequities. Close relationships with employers, faculty, and advi— sory committees should be encouraged as a means for developing guidelines that offer solutions or alternatives to placement problems. Milton R. White reported that recruiters view summer jobs as valua- ble if the work is indicative of what the trainee would be doing in a full time assignment with the company, and if the summer program is pre— sented to the line supervisor as a means to fill future manpower needs. Otherwise it is probable that the program will not be effective. The breakdown in communication between recruiters and students in campus interviews was seen as the result of extensive role playing on the part of both participants. White visualized the problem as one in which com- panies must realize (a) that students know more about firms than thought, (b) that there must be more extensive exposures Of faculty members to business and government, and (c) that many students are painted an un- realistic picture for advancement Opportunities within the firm. (44:78) A study conducted at Brooklyn College in 1966 revealed reasons for student part time employment while attending college. (27:127-132) Per Cent of Student Body Reason Men Women Total Funds for leisure time 21.6 16.1 18.4 FOr a feeling or sense of independence 8.9 12.4 10.9 To provide funds for college expenses 8.3 11.4 10.1 Self-support 13.4 6.7 9.5 Others (less than 3% each) This study indicates the need for an accurate method of assuring that those students in need of financial assistance are given first 26 choice in applying for part time work. Unrest is frequently expressed by students attempting to define the relation between adult behavior patterns and moral values. Conflict in life styles may motivate students to seek ways Of resolving inconsisten- cies. These conflicts may also develop problems for placement directors in theoretical or physical confrontations. The military service, as well as business and industry, dictates policies that the college student must either adhere to, Oppose, or flee from. The placement director should be prepared to meet and communicate with students as they confront the social issues and moral dilemma related to career markets. Advisory Committees. The placement center should utilize advisory committees to recommend alternative internal and external policies. The advisory committee is usually composed Of selected college personnel and leaders from area business and industry. The aim Of this group is to present recommendations for improving placement services. Graham ward proposes three principles as guidelines for the place- ment service advisory committee. (42:45) 1. The placement function is most effective when it is identified and functions as a part of the academic process. 2. The public relations function can be enhanced if full advantage is taken of the potential recruits in the student body and alumni. 3. The placement activity is often overburdened during the peak recruiting periods. It is important that sight of the objectives is not lost in the perfor- mance of this heavy workload. The placement director must provide leadership and administrative skills in the on-going Operation of the placement center. His ability to work effectively with advisory groups will, in part, determine the consequences of his effort. 27 Evaluation. Prior to 1950 little research was published concerning college placement programs. Some colleges made surveys of internal prac— tices, but general studies concerning typical patterns of placement ser- vices were very scarce. (35:13-26) Dorothy Reeves conducted a study of 150 public and private colleges and universities in 1948. The sample also included several junior colleges. Results indicated that visitation, follow—up, and assistance in student job adjustment were inadequate in many Of the two year colleges. (32:32-40) In another evaluative study, Robert H. Farber listed the weaknesses of college placement services. These included scheduling, alumni place— ment, poor advance preparation, lack Of records and company literature, general relations with the faculty, relations with students, and contacts with company recruiters. (12:21-27) George Davenel suggests that follow-up procedures in placement Offer the following benefits: 1. Industry likes sustained interest. They will use the bureau more if personal contacts are kept Open. 2. This provides a good opportunity to introduce another candidate to an organization and thus reactivate that organization's interest in the bureau. 3. Employers are inclined to be more honest and realistic in their dealings with the bureau. 4. Many educational and guidance benefits can be derived from good follow-up. a. determine the effectiveness of placement and its progress, b. will provide data for influencing educational policy decisions. (10:45-50) In a study of college placement services, the Midwest College Placement Association requested over 1,800 recruiters from business and industry to evaluate the placement Offices of several universities. 28 (3:39) Results of the study revealed that facilities for interviews were considered good or excellent by 92 per cent of the respondents; 95 per cent felt credentials were well prepared, as were the individual can- didates; 86 per cent indicated that the staff of the placement Office was most helpful during their campus visit. Robert Haklisch of RCA surveyed 200 college graduates representing 60 different colleges who were recently employed by his company. The majority of graduates felt that the placement offices were effective despite inadequate staffing and facilities. They did indicate that im— provement is needed in most areas of the placement Operation. Recommen- dations included more student meetings with placement offices, increased individual counseling sessions, better notification of company visits, and more information concerning the company. (14:29-30) The Third Annual Houston Research Seminar Placement Services on Evaluation proposed that the placement director needs to improve pro— fessionally in the following areas: 1. increase his knowledge of the educational programs Of his own institution, 2. strive to gain a better understanding Of the business and industrial world, 3. broaden and update his knowledge and specific employ- ment needs of individual companies, 4. provide meaningful personal counseling and orientation to the students he serves, 5. improve management of the placement office, 6. attempt to make fuller utilization of present facilities, and 7. strengthen communication between placement personnel and administration, faculty, and students. (37:84—86) Continued evaluation is vital to the successful operation Of a community college placement center. Without current data about student 29 characteristics and attitudes, the placement center tends to operate on a hit or miss basis in meeting the needs of its clientele. The placement staff must also be aware of the research techniques and findings employed by other professionals in the placement field. Part II Research directly connected with placement services in the community junior college has been somewhat neglected. Dorothy Reeves conducted a study in 1948 that surveyed 150 universities and colleges and 10 large junior colleges. The findings revealed that placement bureaus are poorly planned and coordinated and are not functioning in a satisfactory manner. The author concluded that junior colleges were far behind other institu— tions of higher education especially in the area of follow—up studies. (31:48) Intensive self-study and reorganization was recommended. Charlotte Meinecke, in a survey of 320 junior colleges, found that typical placement services provide three types Of student assistance: (a) selection of colleges, (b) part time employment, and (c) full time employment. She noted that public junior colleges tend to provide more comprehensive placement service than private junior colleges. (22:60) By 1939, 34 per cent of the junior colleges included in Meinecke's study offered placement programs. The Depression, scarce job Opportunities, extended schooling, keen job competition, and socio—economic trends are cited as reasons for growth in junior college placement at present. Prior to 1925, only 26 per cent of Meinecke's sample Offered some type of organized placement function whereas 60 per cent included placement programs after 1940. Some junior colleges had shared placement responsi- bilities. In several instances, emphasis was upon employment for graduates 30 rather than non-graduates. Meinecke noted two apparent weaknesses in junior college placement programs: (a) a disproportionate emphasis on students transferring to senior institutions in contrast to job place- ment of junior college graduates, and (b) a lack Of carefully planned placement programs organized within the guidance function of the college. Placement is a specific service which cannot be isolated, rather, it must be related to every phase of the long- term process of counseling and must be planned and eval- uated in light of the aims and educational philosophy of the institution. (22:65) Meinecke concluded that the junior college, because of its unique position within the public education enterprise, should provide leader- ship in re-defining the concept and organization Of placement services. In fulfilling this responsibility, interest must be augmented with facts, foresight, organization, and action. (22:67) Harold R. Newman's 1958 study of job placement in public junior colleges is one of the few works directly related to the topic presently being explored. Dr. Newman developed a guide for the administration, organization, and operation of placement in public junior colleges. He also provided descriptive data regarding placement services in public junior colleges in California. (29) Historically, Newman examines the question of responsibility assumed by the placement bureau as it attempts to Offer services for clientele. Issues include degree of college involvement with the place- ment function, cooperation with outside placement agencies, and articu- lation between placement services and academic programs of the college. In summary, Newman declares that wide agreement exists between guidance and student personnel specialists with reference to job placement as an essential service provided by the college for the benefit of those it 31 serves. However, each community college should develop a placement service that is suitable to its needs, and not necessarily pattern its services after others. (29:23-24) The College Placement Council, Inc. offers national leadership for placement services in colleges and universities. The Council subscribes to the motto, "Service to the Student; Service to the Employer; Service to the Institution." It views the placement director not as a traffic regulator, but as "an individual capable of organizing and supervising all of the many facets of the operation, as well as one who can realize the full importance of its threefold goal." (5:2) The author stressed that the placement office exists to serve students in their jobs prior to and following graduation. (5:2) The role of the placement director is vital in assisting students: 1. By providing counsel and guidance to help them with their career decisions, as well as with the less important questions that arise along the way; 2. By furnishing materials with which to carry on employer contacts; 3. By maintaining an ample supply of reading materials on careers and employing organizations; 4. By stimulating and encouraging each one to attain his own individual goals; 5. By having a full and complete knowledge of any supplementary or other advisory services on the campus which could complement the placement pro— gram; and 6. By creating a warm and friendly atmosphere that will stimulate them to continue their relationships with the placement office after they have become alumni. (5:3) ' The placement office aids employers in many ways: 1. By making their needs and Operations known to the students and alumni; 32 By enabling them to visit and interview qualified applicants and to make contact with the professors and other college personnel; By serving as a channel for considerations of special nature, such as scholarships, equipment needs, speaker services, consultant and research contacts, etc.; By keeping them informed of changes in educational programs or in student preparation for degress; and By helping them to gain a deeper insight into the areas of mutual professional organizations that draw the employer and the placement organization together. (5:5) The placement office serves the college through the breadth of information and knowledge gained as a part of its effective natural operation: 1. 6. By establishing a source of accurate and timely information concerning economical and industrial market trends; By knowing campus personnel and the means of ob- taining and distributing important information; By knowing contacts that contribute to the advance- ment or enlightenment of the staff; By informing employers of the several areas of academic specialization; By remaining alert to additional areas of service that might be helpful to the school; and By participating actively in activities that will further the recognition of the service. (5:6-7) Milton C. Mohs has gathered extensive data regarding the various aspects of junior college placement. He specifies the following place- ment objectives: 1. to assist student clients in relating their personal qualities, education, and experiences to occupational requirements; to assist students in their search for employment; tion 33 to cooperate with employers in the successful introduction of the student into part time and career positions; to assist employers by screening and referring qualified applicants for jobs; and to act as a liaison agent in acquainting college personnel with the needs of business and industry in curriculum development. (24:3) Ten functions are listed by Mohs as vital to the successful Opera- of a junior college placement program. These functions include: 1. 10. Job Solicitation Student Applicant Recruitment and Registration Applicant Interviewing and Referral The Accumulation of Records and Recommendations Vocational Counseling of Applicants Interpretation of the College Program to Employers Scheduling Student-Recruiter Interviews Record Keeping of Applicants, Referrals, and Placmeents Evaluation of the College Program in Meeting College Needs Reports and Studies of Working Students and Full Time Placement Max R. Raines, in the 1964 Carnegie Study, reported that basic stu- dent personnel functions are not being adequately performed in junior colleges. (6:25) The results of this study indicate that strong and weak programs can be easily distinguished, and that factors which distin— guish them can be ascertained and analyzed. (6:25) Item 17, Placement was the only function which failed to exceed the 70 per cent level, which in the case of small junior colleges dropped to 58 per cent. (6:19) 34 A recommendation was made for placement and financial aids staffing to be more closely related to both guidance and counseling and to student activities. Most larger junior colleges appointed individuals whose primary duties were to placement and/or financial aids. In many smaller colleges a counselor who was interested or had had relevant eXperience was given part time responsibilities in this area. Positions in place- ment and financial aids require people with firsthand knowledge of and close contact with the community. Many staff positions are filled with. persons who have had wide experiences in business and industry. (6:34) Conducted in October 1967, the study by Michigan State Board of Education revealed counselor perceptions and discussed activities per— taining to counseling and guidance programs in Michigan community colleges. According to results, the counselors' role in placement in- cludes the following activities listed in order of importance: 1.. Write student recommendations to employers. 2. Talk to students about applying for a job. 3. Provide current information to students concerning work available in the community. 4. Maintain bulletin boards with job information. 5. Handle inquires from prospective employers of students. 6. WOrk with college departments to help place graduates. 7. WOrk with Employment Security Office in placement of students.. v 8. Set up interviews for students with employers. 9. Bring employers to campus for tour or take students on tour of plant or business. 10. Maintain student employment records. (23:25) These results indicate that counselors initially perceived their roles in terms of support rather than direct responsibility. The wyoming State Department of Education conducted a survey of 14 western states using 166 community colleges to determine the attitudes of presidents on the establishment of a regional placement service for 35 vocational-technical students. A summary of the findings revealed that: The local community must compete actively with "outside" interests for the talents of the community-junior college graduate. Many community-junior colleges are not properly equipped, either in a material or a personnel sense, to properly serve the placement needs of the candidates. Many community-junior college placement programs are not providing good placement services for their candidates. Little is being done to match up an applicant's capa— cities with the employer's job specifications. From the community-junior college presidents responding to the questionnaire that was sent as part of this study, the following results were obtained: a. Over 73 per cent of the respondents would be in favor of the establishment of a regional place- ment service. b. Over 95 per cent of those respondents who were in favor of a regional placement service saw the need for it within 5 years or less. c. Over 71 per cent of those respondents who were in favor of a regional placement service thought that the size of the geographical region to be served should be somewhere between 2 and 10 states. d. Seventy-one per cent of those respondents who were in favor of a regional placement service would support a nation-wide placement informa- tion exchange service. e. Over 72 per cent of the respondents felt that some type of combined student, business, and/ or educational fee should be used to finan- cially support a regional placement service. f. Of the total number of colleges responding to the questionnaire, only 52.3 per cent main- tained a vocational—technical placement service. g. The estimated number of vocational-technical students enrolled at the time of the survey in the colleges sampled was 167,812. (18:24-25) 36 Conclusions drawn from the study cited a need (a) for development of improved placement services with the community colleges; (b) increased operating funds, (c) knowledgeable and experienced placement personnel, and (d) a foundation of college support for placement services. The establishment of a regional placement service within the framework of community colleges is recommended as a means for Opening new geogra- phical areas for job opportunities, eliminating the difficulty of placing some candidates locally, providing more exposure of candidates to pros- pective employers, and allowing many junior colleges to expand curricula. (18:25-26) CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY Methodology and procedures for collecting data for the study 'will be presented in this chapter. Population and Sample The state of Illinois had 57 junior colleges operational in the fall of 1970. (1:32-34) Ten of the two year colleges were defined as private and were either church related or independent non-public. Forty-seven of the community colleges were established as public and supported in part financially by the State of Illinois. The location of some of the 47 public colleges is in a rural or small City setting. The largest are located in urban-suburban areas. A decision was made that the population for the study should be confined to suburban community colleges in the Chicago, Illinois area only. Thus, the total number of institutions in the area which met this criterion was 14. When the criteria to be employed in studying placement services in a community college, as developed for the study, were applied to the 14 colleges, ten qualified for inclusion. Therefore, the sample of college placement services which was studied was ten. The colleges meeting the criteria for the study are College of DuPage, Triton College, Elgin Community College, Thornton Community College, William Rainey Harper College, Prairie State College, Waubonsee Community College, Moraine Valley Community College, Joliet Junior College and Morton College. Procedure for selecting the ten colleges 37 38 are discussed in a separate section of this chapter entitled Panel for Placement Services Criteria. Instrumentation Process Component Congguency Scale The Process Component Congruency Scale was developed by the inves- tigator, his doctoral guidance committee and the Panel for Placement Ser— vices Criteria to determine the adequacy of placement processes that are . presently operational in Illinois community college placement centers (See Appendix A). Each of the six processes, organization, orientation, regulation, consultation, participation, and public relations, of the placement function are made of behaviors that are observable and can be rated. Thirty-five items identify these behaviors. The following scale was applied to each process component. Points Behavior 0 No Activity, 1 Planning45tage 2 Initiatory Stage 3 Operative Stage Figure 1 Process Component Congruency Scale The stages of behavior were assigned points from O to 3. Differ- ences between stages of behavior were considered equal. Each item on the §g§lg_was rated by the investigator for one behavior stage only. No more than 3 points could be earned on a single item. The points earned for items in each placement process were totaled for each college visited. The mode was determined for each placement process. 39 The following scale was applied to determine an adequacy rating for each process. Total Points Process Mode Plus Strong Representation Mode Adequate Representation Below Mode Weak Representation Figure 2 Adequacy Rating Scale For Placement Processes Pilot Study Phase for Development of the Instruments The development of the two final study instruments resulted from a pilot study conducted in Michigan community colleges. These were the Process Component Congruency Scale and the Data Information Sheet Revised, Parts I and II. Community college students usually are provided services which en— compass two of the major placement aims: part time job assistance while enrolled and career employment after graduation. To better understand the activities in performing these tasks, flow charts were developed to represent graphically what happens to a student who desires employ- ment assistance. Separate flow patterns for career and part time employment are given (Appendixes B and C). Max R. Raines in the Carnegie Study (6) listed twenty-one basic functions of student personnel services grouped according to seven major classifications. These functions were modified for this study in rela- tionship to community college student placement services and the flow charts described above. 40 The flow charts were useful in several phases of the study: one, each participating group to be investigated could be graphically analyzed for its involvement in the placement function; two, in conjunction with the findings from the review of literature, six processes of placement were identified and elements inherent to these processes were defined; three, the development of the rating form for perceptions of the ade- quacy of placement services was an outgrowth of points one and two; four, all materials that were forwarded to each placement center in the study were related to the graphic data on the flow charts; and five, the pilot study committee used the flow charts and their related materials in selecting the placement centers to be visited in Michigan. Checklist (Pilot Study) Permission was granted by the College Placement Council, Inc. to use A Self Evaluation Checklist for Placement Offices. This instrument provides an estimate of strengths and weaknesses of the placement center as determined by the placement director (See Appendixes D and E). The Checklist was used to select community college placement centers in Michigan for campus visits. RatinggForm (Initial Pilot Study) A twenty item rating form was developed by the investigator on the basis of literature review to determine how different groups perceive placement processes. These processes include orientation, regulation, consultation, participation, public relations, and organization (See Appendix F). Figure 3 identifies rating form items pertaining to each process. Process 41 Related Items Orientation 1) 2) 9) 13) Students are encouraged by the college to become aware of their talents and develop self-realiza- tion so they can be realistic in their future plans. College orientation sessions include adequate information about the college placement center. The placement center offers or coordinates counseling and/or gui- dance sessions, individually or in groups, dealing with career opportunities and placement. Tours to area plants and businesses are arranged by the placement office. Regulation 3) 4) 5) 10) The placement center staff explains the regulations and ethics concerning one's eligibility to use the center. Prospective clients are invited to register with the placement center. Sources of new employment, part and full time, are constantly being solicited by the placement center. Faculty involvement in career activities or clubs at the college is adequate. Consultation 6) 7) 8) 9) 12) 13) Ideas for curriculum improvement are sought by the placement center staff. The occupational—technical career library on the college campus is current and relevant to student- employer needs. Registrants at the placement center have opportunities to have a personal appraisal of their academic record. The placement center offers or coor— dinates counseling and/or guidance sessions, individually or in groups, dealing with career opportunities and placement. The placement center staff makes arrangements for the faculty to meet employers when they are interviewing students on campus. Tours to area plants and businesses are arranged by the placement office. 42 Process Related Items Participation 10) Faculty involvement in career activities or clubs at the college is adequate. 11) The college sponsored career days and/or nights appear to be worthwhile. 12) The placement center staff makes arrangements for the faculty to meet employers when they are interviewing students on campus. 13) Tours to area plants and businesses are arranged by the placement office. 14) All citizens living in the area are encouraged to investigate the advan- tages of using the facilities of the college placement center. 16) The placement center is active in keeping area businesses informed on prOSpective community college graduates. Public Relations 4 11) The college sponsored career days and/ or nights appear to be worthwhile. 14) All citizens living in the area are encouraged to investigate the advan— tages of using the facilities of the college placement center. 15) There are many news releases about student employment in local and area news media. 16) The placement center is active in keeping area businesses informed on prospective community college graduates. Organization 17) The placement counselors know and perform their jobs well. 18) The clerical staff is friendly and helpful. 19) The studies and data compiled by the placement center are released to interested parties regularly. 20) An overall rating for the placement center. Figure 3 Identification of Rating Form Items Pertaining to Placement Processes 43 The Process Component Congruency Scale was developed to determine the adequacy of placement processes that are presently operational in Illinois community college placement centers. The pilot study rating form was determined and the decision made by the investigator and gui— dance committee to be eliminated from the final study because it did not differentiate among the samples effectively. The resources for the development of the §gal§_were from data gained from the review of litera- ture and the results of field testing in Michigan community colleges with the Rating Form, Checklist, and Data Form. Information Data Sheet Revised, Parts I and II A second instrument which was developed for the study was Information Data Sheet Revised, Parts I and II (Appendix G). This instrument was developed from an initial form used in the pilot study phase, Sppplemental Data Form (Appendix H). Findings from using the Form in the pilot phase resulted in the Information Data Sheet Revised, Parts I and II being developed for the final study. Pertinent information not requested in the Process Component Congruency Scale was requested on the revised data sheet. Part I of the Data Sheet requested numerical data and historical questions to be answered; Part II was an outline of the structured interview held on the ten campuses with each placement director. Part II was a revision of the Interview Guideline for Campus Visits used in the pilot study phase (Appendix I). 44 Procedures For Collecting Data Procedures for collecting data involved the Panel of Placement Services Criteria, structured interviews conducted by the investigator on the ten campuses, and the investigator's observing and rating be- haviors of placement processes at the ten colleges visited. Panel for Placement Services Criteria A panel of industrial, civic and university placement personne1.was established for the Illinois study. The Panel for Placement Services Criteria was composed of six industrial placement directors who utilized area and national placement services of junior and senior institutions of higher education, two placement directors who are employed by state or federal agencies, and two university placement directors located in metropolitan Chicago (See Appendixes J and K). Bill Hafer, Placement Director at Thornton Community College, provided a list of business placement personnel who used his placement center. Panel members were selected from this list by the investigator. All members were directly involved in hiring career and part time employees for their company and had used college placement centers for three or more year . Mr. William Smith, Illinois Institute of Technology, and Mr. William Sheaham, Purdue University, were active in the College Placement Council. The panel met on Thursday, November 18, 1971, in the Board Room of Thornton Community College, South Holland, Illinois. The role and pur— poses of the panel were discussed in relation to the study. Comments and results of the meeting are presented in the following paragraphs. 1. Purpose. To review the Process Component Congruency Scale and recommend necessary additions and/or deletions. Till llll' lll‘..||ll| Ill LIIIAII l 45 Result. Item seventeen was considered vague and the phrase "for placement" was inserted after the words, "prospective clients.' All other items were determined to be worded correctly and clearly. The panel endorsed the instrument for the final study. Purpose. To review the Process Component Congruency Scale as revised and select characteristics which are considered: a. critical for the on-going Operation of a placement center in a comprehensive community college in suburban Illinois, and b. desirable characteristics which support the placement center but are not considered critical to the on-going operations. Result. The Panel for Placement Services Criteria as a whole discussed each item on the Sgalg_and voted on each item in regard to its importance for the on-going operations of a sub- urban community college placement center. The frequency of responses are found in Appendix L. The panel decided if an item received six or more votes, it was a critical charac- teristic. a. Critical characteristics chosen were as follows (item number corresponds to Scale item number): Process: Organization 2. The placement function is a centralized service located on the campus (one office staff provides services rather than college departments). £l£[[.‘l‘{ I: .. nlll‘lfllllll’ AF‘AI 46 "Should be centralized in order to maximize services of the school." W. R. Smith, Illinois Institute of Technology. ”Most important." James Miller, Sears. 3. The accountability and responsibility of the objec- tives of the placement service and its staff have been defined. "Especially in the handling of personal records of prospective employees." Joe Foutch, Ford Motor Company. 5. The director of placement is at least a one-half time position. "Preferably full time." James Miller, Sears. "Should be full time." Illinois Bell Telephone Company. Process: Orientation l4. Pre-college and college orientation sessions include introductory information about the college placement center . "Very important and should be compulsory exposure." W. R. Smith, Illinois Institute of Technology. "Could be an opportunity for selected business employers to stress academic record and skills to beginning students." Bob Marks, Marks Toggery. Process: Regulation 18. The placement center staff explains the regulations and ethics concerning one's eligibility to use the center. "we use the College Placement Council book." W. R. Smith, Illinois Institute of Technology. "It helps first time business users of the center stay within professional guidelines." William Sheaham, Purdue University. III II. III [III- l I [II I I. I'll 4 all I III! I l I. l‘ 'I‘ I I'll . Ill [ll 47 "If none are available, our company stays within standard regulations deve10ped by professional organizations." Norman Burns, Ingalls Hospital. 19. Sources of new employment, part and full time, are constantly being solicited by the placement center. "This is done for individual students." W. R. Smith, Illinois Institute of Technology. "To maintain an active file of job openings, this is vital to the operation." Leon Weson, Illinois State Employment Office. Process: Public Relations 34. The facilities of the placement center are conveni- ently located on the campus, attractive and large enough to perform the placement function. "So much time can be wasted on a campus trying to find the placement center and a parking place near it. The placement center location should be easy to find for both employers and students." A composite statement by the panel. b. The panel decided if an item received six votes or more, that item would be determined a desirable characteristic. Any item receiving five votes in the critical characteris- tics column would automatically be selected as a desirable characteristic. Desirable characteristics chosen were as follows: Process: Organization 7. There is a college secretary assigned on at least a half time basis or more to the placement office. "Extremely necessary.” James Miller, Sears. 48 "At the heart of having a small staff." W. R. Smith, Illinois Institute of Technology. 8. Forms used by the placement center are clear, concise, and do not overlap in purpose. "Too many forms can drive away prospective clients." Leon Weson, Illinois State Employment Service. "Clear easy to read forms make interviewing more profitable in time and purpose." Joe Foutch, Ford Motor Company. 11. Follow-up studies of students are organized or coor— dinated as a service of the placement function. "Most often neglected area." Vern Lund, Social Security Administration. "Should be done by someone and placement is probably the best location." W.R. Smith, Illinois Institute of Technology. "It is helpful to see which curriculums are preparing students for employment." Leon Weson, Illinois State Employment Office. Process: Orientation 15. The placement center offers, or coordinates, counseling and/or guidance sessions, individually or in groups, dealing with career Opportunities and placement. "Provided adequate personnel are available." Illinois Bell Telephone Company. "Best location." W. R. Smith, Illinois Institute of Technology. "Makes for a better Operation for the student." William Sheaham, Purdue University. 16. The placement office arranges or coordinates with appropriate faculty members or student clubs, tours 49 to area plants and businesses who are seeking community college—trained personnel. "This would help us better prepare for some groups coming from the campus that we are not familiar with when they make the appointment. If there are questions, the company has a reliable campus source for information." Norman Burns, Ingalls Hospital. Process: Consultation 21. The placement center supports an occupational-tech- nical career library that contains current informa- tion that is continuously updated. "Yes, but should be better." W. R. Smith, Illinois Institute of Technology. "Staff and money to maintain system always a problem." William Sheaham, Purdue University. "Many of the students' general questions can be answered by reading beforehand. Also, Specific questions can be asked the recruiter by the student if he has read worthwhile materials." Bob Marks, Marks Toggery. Process: Participation 27. Adequate faculty involvement in career activities and/or clubs at the college is evident. "Any university recognized student activity has a faculty advisor." William Sheaham, Purdue University and W. R. Smith, Illinois Institute of Technology. "All companies are willing to send speakers to career activities if invited." Composite statement of the panel. 28. The college sponsors career days and/or nights for its students and other interested personnel. l 'i l I l [.{l loll.) .II\ [.1 I I. [It IIII‘ [I'll 'l‘ [ I|II\. . {(‘I‘ f -[{'|II‘[ [ I .1}...er I (If) t .l‘c ll .ll‘l‘ I‘l‘ .“ 50 "Usually a good way to introduce your company to small groups of interested students." Illinois Bell Telephone Company. "The counseling center usually sponsors most career programs we attend." James Miller, Sears. 29. Citizens living in the college district are encour- . aged to investigate the advantages of using the facilities of the college placement center. "The evening school director can be most helpful." William Sheaham, Purdue University. Process: Public Relations 31. The placement center staff makes arrangements for the faculty to meet employers when they are inter- viewing students on campus. "This is done daily when recruiters are on campus." W. R. Smith, Illinois Institute of Technology. "The faculty are most helpful in des- cribing curriculum contents and student strengths." Norman Burns, Ingalls HOSpital. 32. There are at least monthly news releases concerning student employment in local and area news media. "Interesting articles are included in our plant paper." Joe Foutch, Ford Motor Company. "Items in the local papers help advertise the services provided by the placement center." Leon weson, Illinois State Employment Officer. 35. Adequate bulletin board space for placement announce- ments and listings are on the college campus. 3. 51 "Probably the most important way, besides individual notices, to inform the student body." W. R. Smith, Illinois Institute of Technology, and William Sheaham, Purdue University. "An attractive poster that is posted ahead of the campus visit gets results." Vern Lund, Social Security Administration. Purpose. Review the Information Data Sheet Revised and recommend necessary additions and/or deletions. Result. The Panel for Placement Services Criteria reviewed the Information Data Sheet Revised, Parts I and II and approved the document as presented. Purpose. To review the criteria for the selection of sub- urban Illinois comprehensive community colleges for the Illinois study. Result. Each member of the Panel for Placement Services Criteria was given the Criteria for College Visitation - Illinois Ssgdz_(Appendix M), and copies of Tables I and II which con- tained support data for the criteria. After careful review, questions concerning the criteria or tables were answered. Purpose. To select those Illinois suburban comprehensive community colleges which are judged to meet the established criteria. Result. The Panel for Placement Services Criteria unanimously selected the following community colleges for the final study. The Illinois Junior College District, college name and location are: District 502, College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn; District 504, Triton College, River Grove; District 509, Elgin Community College, Elgin; District 52 TABLE I SUPPORT DATA FOR THE CRITERIA FOR FINAL STUDY CAMPUS VISITATIONS OF SELECTED ILLINOIS PUBLIC COMMUNITY COLLEGES Student District College Miles? Established Headcountb 502 DuPage 23 1967 8215 504 Triton 13 1965 7159 509 Elgin 36 1949 2509 510 Thornton 23 1927 4827 512 Harper 26 1967 7120 515 Prairie State 28 1958 3696 516 Waubonsee 39 1967 3088 520 Kankakee S7 1968 1083 524 Moraine Valley 23 1968 3973 525 Joliet 40 1901 4130 527 Morton 8 1924 2694 528 McHenry 51 1968 1825 532 Lake County 43 1969 4268 535 Oakton 16 1970 832 8Miles from Chicago, Illinois, business district (Loop) b1970 student headcount Source (1:30-32) 53 TABLE I I NUMBER OF OCCUPATIONAL PROGRAMS OFFERED IN SELECTED ILLINOIS PUBLIC COMMUNITY COLLEGES FALL 1969 00 H G a) a) U) m H U 8 E: ‘H “(1} -H (U (C u>u .4 m m > u u a u m m c 'O p cm on .a m «44¢: O c m o o u a m u o -a mcn u u o-o m m u u a. awe m a m nth .c m 0.4 m CH ‘30) U0. Hm H HH «4 and: H23 H14 m can) 00"!) (DUO CCU .00 .13 U‘H Cit: Scum (DU :10 u 04-: District College “1 ‘0 “H09 330 mm 0 HO 502 DuPage 8 9 3 5 28 504 Triton 18 13 7 3 2 43 509 Elgin 4 8 2 1 O 15 510 Thornton 4 8 4 3 l 20 512 Harper 6 6 3 2 3 20 515 Prairie State 6 2 4 5 1 18 516 Waubonsee 5 3 O l 0 9 520 Kankakee 2 4 2 2 4 14 524 Moraine Valley 2 6 5 3 0 16 .525 Joliet 9 5 l 1 3 19 527 Morton 2 5 3 2 0 12 528 McHenry 7 9 1 1 2 20 532 Lake County 6 8 3 2 O 19 535 Oakton 0 0 0 0 0 O Source (17) 54 510, Thornton Community College, South Holland; District 512, William Rainey Harper College, Palatine; District 515, Prairie State College, Chicago Heights; District 516, Waubonsee Community College, Sugar Grove; District 524, Moraine Valley Community College, Palos Hills; District 525, Joliet Junior College, Joliet; and District 527, Morton College, Cicero. Joliet, Waubonsee, and Elgin Community Colleges are located in indus- trial cities near the edge of the metropolitan Chicago area. The remainder of the colleges in the study are located in the Chicago suburbs. Table III lists the placement directors of each community college visited for the final study. One could define the population as all community colleges in an urban, suburban or rural setting in the state of Illinois. However, for the purposes of this study, the sample that was selected was con- fined to those colleges which met the criteria established from experi- ence gained in the pilot study conducted in Michigan by the investiga- tor . Student head counts ranged from 2509 to 8315 (see Table I). The ratio of students enrolled in occupational programs when compared to transfer programs ranged from approximately 15 per cent to 48 per cent for each student body. The final study sample of Illinois community colleges to be visited would encompass approximately 32 per cent of all students enrolled in Illinois public community colleges. Each college had a person designated on a full or part time basis to supervise placement services which appeared to be functioning, on- going enterprises. All of the colleges selected by the Panel for Placement Services Criteria agreed to participate in the study. Ilil Illlllll llll Ill... lilll't‘llllll-‘Illtll ll‘l‘.‘ III; [[‘llllll'l 'Ill!‘ 55 TABLE III SELECTED ILLINOIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE PLACEMENT DIRECTORS DISTRICT COLLEGE DIRECTOR? 502 DuPage Mr. Herb Rinehart 504 Triton Miss Trudye Wilson I” 509 Elgin Mr. Jim Galbraith 510 Thornton Mr. William J. Hafer 512 Harper Mr. Fred Vaisvil 515 Prairie State Mr. Ellis Falk 516 Waubonsee Mr. Lawrence 3. Dukes .fi- 524 Moraine Valley Mrs. Betty Stiles .- 525 . Joliet Hr. Tarry G. Slusherb T.. 527 ”. NortOnJT—- Mr. A. P. Kovanic aDirectly responsible for the placement function in conjunction with other assigned duties. bur. Slusher was on academic leave and Mr. Wilbur Miner was acting director on a part time basis. Field Testing The Panel for Placement Services Criteria recommended that one of the four public community colleges in the Illinois study criteria which was not selected be used as a field test before commencing the study. Kankakee Community College, Kankakee, was selected because it was similar to the geography and industrial status of Flint Community Junior College, Flint, Michigan, which was visited in the pilot study. k[lll.llllll‘llllllll [I'll 56 Contact was made with Carl Jensen, Director of Financial Aids and Placement, to arrange a campus visit. The on-campus visit was held on December 3, 1971 in the placement office. A discussion and review of the Information Data Sheet Revised,_Parts I and II and the Process Component Congruency Scale was accomplished. Techniques to be used in future discussions in campus visits were tested and proven to be satisfactory. Collection of Data Campus interviews were conducted December 7-9, 13, and 14, 1971. Tape recorded interviews were held with placement directors using the Information Data Sheet Revised,_Parts I and II as a basis for dis- cussion. A tour of each campus facility was made. Copies of corres— pondence made with each director are found in Appendixes N and O. The placement director and the writer discussed each item of the Process Component Congruency Scale. Each behavior was then independently rated by the investigator. PROCEDURES FOR ANALYZING DATA Non-Statistical Treatment of the Data The investigator visited ten suburban Illinois comprehensive community college placement centers. Each center had the placement function analyzed in terms of nature, six processes, and relationship to the elements of placement described in the previous chapter. The data collected via the Information Data Sheet Revised, Parts I and II and the personal interview at each campus were reviewed and analyzed to determine personal feelings of placement directors. 57 These feelings were in regard to the on-going Operation of what each director considered an optimal placement service for a comprehensive community college in a suburban setting of a greater metropolitan area. The placement directors in Illinois eXpressed concerns and feelings similar to some of the findings found in the pilot study in Michigan. The results of pilot study interviews held in Michigan are found in Appendix P. Statistical Treatment of the Data The Process Comppnent Congruency Scale was develOped to determine the adequacy of placement processes that are presently operational in community college placement centers. This instrument was used in each Illinois campus visit. Each behavior component for each process was rated on a scale ranging from 0 (No Activity) to 3 (Operating Stage). The mode was determined for each process after all colleges in the study were visited. The adequacy of the process (strong, adequate, or weak representation) was determined if the total points earned were above, the same, or below the mode for that particular process. CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS OF DATA This chapter is divided into two parts. Part I presents the results of campus interviews with placement directors during campus visits. Part II represents the responses and analysis of data collected from the completed Process Component Congruency Scale given during each campus visit. PART I Campus Interviews Appointments for on-campus interviews were made with each place- ment director selected for the interviews. A11 interviews were con- ducted on each campus in the placement center. Private interviews with the placement directors were tape recorded. Morton College, Triton College and William Rainey Harper College were visited on December 7, 1971. On December 8, 1971, College of DuPage, Elgin Community College, and Waubonsee Community College were visited. December 9, 1971, Joliet Junior College and Moraine Valley Community College were rated. Prairie State College was visited on December 13, 1971, with Thornton Community College being observed on the following day, December 14, 1971. The Information Data Sheet Revised, Parts I and II, Appendix C, were used as a guideline for discussion. Each director was urged to define and discuss his feelings in regards to an optimal placement service for a public comprehensive community college. The following comments and insights represent the results of these interviews. 58 59 Definition All of the placement directors had similar views when defining placement services in a comprehensive community college. Each director related his placement center to the philosophy of the college. All noted that the college's mission was to train people, whether it be in a one or two year terminal program, or a transfer program. The direc- tors stated it was the placement center's function to assist anyone who could benefit from their services. This included assisting current students, former students, and other members of the college district not formally associated with the college with part time and full time employment opportunities. To accomplish these ends, the directors noted, requires a cooperative attitude with public and private agencies. In Part I of this chapter, the significant elements that are influential to the success of a placement center are discussed. Each of these elements will be presented with findings and comments from the Illinois campus interviews. All of the colleges visited provided major student placement services, i.e., part time employment and career placement. Collegg Commitment to Student Services Each community college assigned a high priority to providing personnel services for prospective, current and former students. The college trustees and administration enacted this philosophy by assign- ing a professional and para-professional staff of personnel specialists to perform the various functions related to student affairs. One of these functions defined was student placement services. Each college assigned a professional person to fulfill this task. 60 Table IV shows the date of establishment of placement centers in.the Illinois study. The Illinois Junior College Act was passed by the state legislature in 1966. Shortly thereafter, DuPage, Triton, Harper, Waubonsee, and Moraine Valley became recognized public community colleges. The older sister institutions, Elgin, Thornton, Prairie State, Joliet, and Morton began as a part of a local public high school and did not form their own college districts until the passage of the Junior College Act. The findings indicate that the establishment of a formal place- ment center, except at Elgin Community College, did not become a trend in Illinois until the later part of the sixties. The main reasons for the late establishment of the placement centers in the older colleges were: 1) the major emphasis was on transfer programs, 2) vocational- technical programs were few in number, and graduates were placed by the instructors, 3) part time employment was handled by a student services staff member, and 4) small amounts of monies were available for student employment or scholarships. During the 1960's federal and state support for student work pro— grams, loans, grants, and scholarships were established or funding was greatly increased. Local college administrations budgeted more monies for student aid by providing more campus part time job Opportunities. A state directed emphasis for more two year career programs in com- munity colleges began. In sum, the need for a professional employee to manage and assist the numerous student requests for financial assis- tance and placement became evident. Thus, a student services staff member was assigned the dual responsibility of the financial aid and placement functions. These two functions were centralized and combined 61 TABLE IV DATE OF ESTABLISHMENT FOR PLACEMENT CENTERS IN SELECTED ILLINOIS PUBLIC COMMUNITY COLLEGES COLLEGE PLACEMENT CENTER DISTRICT COLLEGE ESTABLISHED ESTABLISHED 502 DuPage 1967 9-1967 504 Triton 1965 9—1970 509 Elgin 1949 None3 510 Thornton 1927 9—1967 512 Harper 1967 6-1967 515 Prairie State 1958 7—1969 516 waubonsee 1967 6—1967 524 Moraine Valley 1968 9-1968 525 Joliet 1901 7—1970 527 Morton 1924 9-1965 8‘No formal placement center has been established. duties are performed by the counseling center. Some placement 62 in one office setting except at Joliet Junior College where the place— ment function is centralized separately. Faculty commitment and support for placement services varied according to college teaching area and department. Herb Rinehart of DuPage noted that the vocational—technical coOrdinators tended to be more involved with placement activities. The transfer faculty gener- ally became involved more with the financial aid function because of individual student referrals. The older community colleges in the study, those established be- fore 1960, had a tradition of the vocational-technical faculty securing jobs for their students. With the establishment of a centralized placement center, many of these instructors were not willing to trans— fer this responsibility immediately. Fred Vaisvil of William Rainey Harper College made two comments that may point out some instructors' reluctance to use a centralized placement service. 1. I think the most important function of the college is to develop the product (student) and then advertise it. This is our bread and butter. I think some people feel threatened about the kind of program (placement services) we're running, because their whole life may depend on it. I mean, graduates that have to be placed, and if they're not doing a good job, it's going to be reflected. And if they are doing a good job, it's also going to be reflected. There'll be a demand for the graduates coming out of that program. 2. I see another fear that a lot of coordinators have. I think this is one of the battles you'll have to fight on any campus where you'll find programs like this. One of the fears that they verbalize at you is they're afraid of the placement service doing too good a job at getting students working in related fields to their major. This is why they (coordinators) kind of shy away from some co-ops. They lose the student for the whole term working towards an Associate Degree. You get a good student in the computer curriculum and after completing half his courses, industry will take him full time. 63 Bill Hafer of Thornton stressed that the placement director has to meet with faculty in division meetings and individually to con— stantly develop and maintain a professional and personal relationship. we must sell the idea that the placement center is a support service for both students and the faculty. Placement is not in competition with anyone, but rather is trying to make the college experience more meaningful. Success for the student has to be the main goal and I think the placement center can contribute to that success. All of the directors noted that in some highly specialized career programs that the instructor was instrumental in placing his graduates. The placement director did not have the business contacts because of lack of time to develop them and was grateful for the assistance by the instructor. All placement offices had referral systems with the counseling center. The role of the counseling center in relation to the place- ment function was described in terms of individual testing, and assisting students to gain insight into personal and vocational pro- blems. As time permitted, members of the placement staff attended meetings of counseling division. The counseling centers are responsible for orienting new students. Group techniques of orienting students to the placement center are presented in Table V. The findings of Table V show that students entering the college the first time are made aware of the placement service via summer orientation. DuPage, Moraine Valley, Thornton and Harper were planning video tapes to be made by the placement director to be shown at orientation sessions. Joliet Junior College used direct mailings to each student instead of talks at summer programs. 1 \1! I (I. ' . Ir '1!“ [I [I : I I‘ l [ flln‘ . '1 [’11. 'lill [Ill . '4 I? III\ III‘ , . "II‘ oi E ’l [L r it (.le‘.’ l ’l‘ 64 TABLE V GROUP TECHNIQUES OF ORIENTING STUDENTS ABOUT PLACEMENT SERVICES IN SELECTED ILLINOIS PUBLIC COMMUNITY COLLEGES SUMMER TALK BY ORIENTATION ADMISSIONS DISTRICT COLLEGE ORIENTATION WHOMa CREDIT COURSE MATERIALS 502 DuPage Yes Counselor NO Yes Video 504 Triton Yes Tape No Yes 509 Elgin Yes Counselor No Yes 510 Thornton Yes Director No Yes 512 Harper Yes Director No Yes 515 Prairie State Yes Director NO Yes 516 waubonsee Yes Director Yes Yes 524 Moraine Valley Yes Counselor No Yes » Mail Outs 525 Joliet No To Students No Yes 527 Morton Yes Director No Yes Printed materials about placement services are given to each student. aCounselor assigned to counseling center or placement director. 65 Larry Dukes of Waubonsee Community College taught a one credit ' hour orientation course which emphasized vocational planning. A con- cern by many of the directors about summer orientation programs was the mass of materials and information given students in a short period. They felt that information about placement services became "lost in the maze of things to do and not to do in order to enroll for the term." Unless the student needs a part time job, he or she is not a user Of the center. Therefore, the placement staff has to constantly advertise to encourage students to acquaint themselves with the many activities the center provides. A11 colleges interviewed were committed to a centralized place- ment center. As the services of the placement center became more known by faculty, students, and business personnel, the volume of users increased. This has resulted in a wider choice of career and part time job opportunities for students, and a wider choice of applicants for the employer. Clientele Each of the placement centers provided services for various sub- groups in the college district. Prairie State College limited its place- ment services to current and former students. The nine other colleges visited tried to assist anyone who requested help, regardless of their college status. Alumni awareness and usage of the placement center needed to be improved. Those colleges that were established after 1966 did not have a large number of alumni. The placement directors were aware that this group would be more active when more challenging job opportunities were being sought. The older institutions had similar problems because 66 their alumni contacts were not kept active, nor were their placement centers functioning very long before the newer colleges. Joliet Junior College was in the initial stage of developing an exit interview for college drOpouts. In the rest of the nine colleges, there was no formal exit interview for college dropouts.. If the counseling center was aware of a student's choice, he was referred to the placement center if he needed a job. Some dropouts had financial obligations with the student financial aid office. These students would stop there before leaving campus, thus giving the financial aid- placement director a chance to discuss their future plans. Betty Stiles at Moraine Valley stated that she wanted to develop exit interviews for dropouts, but with her other duties she was directing her energies to helping the prospective graduate. Lack of time dictated this choice. All the colleges attempted to assist their graduates find employment. Contacts were made by letter and/or informal talks and signs to encourage enrollment at the placement center. Continuing education and evening college students used the place- ment center infrequently, mainly because they already had full time employment and were attending college on a part time basis. All of the placement centers operated five days a week. The place- ment director was available during special activities, for example, registration, career days and/or nights, and advisory committee meetings. Personnel All colleges were committed to providing a centralized placement function. Table VI shows the placement center staffing arrangements for the colleges in the final study. All placement directors report to the chief student personnel officer of the college. 67 .uoaomcaoo Hmcoammmwoueoummn .OOHOHOOO Hammond OH mums» mo Hones: condemned» Ave O O Om H O O On HNO H coupon can mm H Om H O O OOH HHO H uoHHoO mam Om H mm H O O mm HNO H aHHS, oeHmuoz «an OOH H OH H . O O mm HOV H seasoned: OHm mm H mm H O O Om Axe H «swam mHuHsum . mHm Om H OOH H O O Om HmO H assume NHO OO H Os H O O OO HOV H souauoes OHm O O OH H OH HxOH O O chHm OOn ms H mm H O O ON HNO H souHus «On On n an H . Om H Om HxHO H awamsc NOm OH H H szmo mum szmnssm ssz ems HaoHsmHo ssz «we «OHmszOO szmo ems imeOHOHmHO mOmHHOO sOHesmHn mmHHH>HBU< Hzmzmo mam<8 68 The director at Joliet Junior College was the only professional hired on a full time basis for placement. Jim Galbraith Of the counseling center at Elgin was assigned part time duties in placement with his major responsibility being counseling. The other eight place— ment directors also were responsible for the student financial aid function at their college. All had previous counseling experience. The College of DuPage used two para—professionals part time to assist in placement. None of the other colleges had any additional professional personnel assigned to placement. Clerical help consisted of one person dividing her time between placement and financial aids, with less time being devoted to placement matters. Harper College had one full time secretary assigned to placement. Student part time help was shared between placement and financial aids. Waubonsee Community College did use one student strictly for placement tasks. All directors stressed the need for additional personnel in placement. The financial aid duties demanded time needed to develop the place- ment function more fully. Moraine Valley placement director Betty Stiles sees a definite need for more staff. She wanted more staff ...so that we can get to counseling sessions; we can get to screening sessions. More staff to go out into the field. I feel that's a big weakness. Timewise, I'm a one-woman Operation so I am going out when I can, but that's not enough. We can then extend our services to even the part time job market. In Prairie State College's five year plan, an assistant to the director is planned. This professional will be assigned on a full time basis in assisting in placement. Several of the colleges were interested in adding vocational counselors to their counseling staff but were having difficulty locating competent people. 69 Facilities All of the colleges assigned office space which was designated for placement activities. Harper College's placement center was sit- uated in the student center building and shared a reception area with the central counseling center. One Of the concerns Fred Vaisvil ex- pressed was his office was in a permanent building and, due to in- creasing enrollments, his placement area was becoming too small. The counseling center at Elgin Community College was located in the stu- dent center area. Jim Galbraith, counselor, conducted placement acti— vities in this area. The placement center at Triton College was tem— porarily located in the student records area. The new student services building was to be completed the following spring with the placement center being located near the counseling center. Triton's present facility for placement activities was the most undesirable of all the colleges visited. Joliet, Prairie State, Waubonsee, and DuPage colleges were located in temporary campuses. Each placement center had offices located in the student center building. Moraine Valley's placement center had the largest space assigned of any of the colleges visited. Though in temporary buildings, student quiet lounges were situated in various campus locations. The place- ment center was adjacent to one of these quiet, informal lounge areas. One problem was that student records were not close for quick reference. Morton College had a storefront operation in five locations in addition to using part of a local high school. The placement center was in the lower level of the student center located approximately six blocks from the high school. Thornton Community College was on an interim campus with two instruction areas located approximately three miles 70 away. The placement center was in the same building with admissions, records and counseling. The student center was in the next building. According to guidelines specified in Chapter II, none of the facilities were adequate in terms of stated objectives. Student use of the placement centers was good because of easy accessibility and need for the service. Budget The annual budget appropriation for placement services at each college differed in amount and ways of record keeping. All of the placement services were supported by college funds. No center charged a fee for use of its services. Excluding salaries, Harper, DuPage and Joliet colleges had budgeted monies of $3975, $4000, and $5000 res- pectively for their placement activities for the fiscal year. Elgin did not separately budget for placement services, and any mailing or printing costs were covered by the counseling center. The remainder of the colleges had lumped the costs of the financial aid and place- ment functions together. They did not separate each function for a line item budget analysis. Several of the directors did make an es- timate of what they thought they spent for placement services excluding salaries. These figures were Morton, $600; Thornton, $200; Prairie State, $1000; and Waubonsee, $500. Triton and Moraine Valley were un- able to make an estimation of placement budget costs. Cost analysis of the reported placement budget figure divided by 1970 student head- count for each college indicates a unit cost per student. Unit cost calculations for those colleges estimating a placement budget ranged from a high at Joliet of $1.21 to a low at Thornton of $ .04. The median unit cost was $ .42 per student. Accurate records \ .Illrnl'z'if I| [r'llllll [[{l‘lll‘fll 71 were not maintained of the number of students who actually used each placement center. If the budget estimation was divided by the number of students who used the center, the unit cost figure would increase significantly. Methods and Procedures Methods and procedures of placement centers varied according to the needs of the students, the size of the student body, and the dis- trict the college serves. Orientation procedures for new students appear to be relatively standard for the colleges visited. Sessions during the summer or at the beginning of each semester also acquaint students with the center. Students become aware of the placement center as early as their junior or senior year in high school through the college admissions staff. Harper College presented a career carnival for area high school students the previous spring. The college clubs and departments set up booths to develop an awareness of the career job training offered by Harper for new students. Students were bussed to the college for the carnival. Fred Vaisvil noted that he didn't look upon this acti— vity as a placement related function. He felt he would gain more stu— dent business after the students enrolled at Harper. The colleges devote catalog space to a description of placement services. All of the colleges had adequate bulletin board space around the campuses for posting current placement information. Students are encouraged to register with the placement center at any time. William Rainey Harper College develOped a community counseling clinic for the general public. A small fee to cover materials used is charged. Some referrals are made to the placement center. 72 Career programs in which business and industry are invited to send representatives to talk with prospective employees are generally scheduled once a year at each community college. Herb Rinehart of the College of DuPage held more frequent career programs than any of the other colleges visited. He commented We set up the planned organized schedule of college admissions reps quarterly, and also the businesses. We invite recruiters quarterly. We don't necessarily think that this should be done March until June; we do it on a yearly basis. If we've got students that are interested in jobs, need jobs, and are interested in the employer, than we help. We use a sign—up method for them to interview with employers. Then we will invite the employers to campus and do quite a bit of advertising and soliciting for them. The national economy was experiencing a slow down and many busi- nesses were not seeking as many new employees. Some recruiters would attend career programs but offered few if any positions to be filled. Harper's Fred Vaisvil made an interesting comment in regards to career programs during slack employment periods. I don't think you should promise the student some— thing that's not there. You don't want to embarrass the employers who attend. We had employment oppor— tunities day and we had a number of businesses come out and just chat with out students. Some businesses signed students up for work, or talked about what they had available, or what they would have available. I think there's a lot of merit just getting students exposed to ideas about various industries and what they are like. I could justify employers coming out even though no jobs were available, just to tell why, or when they will be available. Career and part time job recruitment is an important component in all placement centers. Knowledge of current employment needs or trends was indicated as essential to provide adequate assistance to clientele. 73 The College of DuPage maintains a mailing list which is sent to 1400 employers in its district who have used the service. Herb Rinehart schedules one half-day a week to meet employers in their businesses. Larry Dukes of Waubonsee noted that a lack of a large number of graduates to date has not caused real pressure on his center. He noted: I'm not saying placement is concerned just with gra- duates, but yet, I think that's one of our principal concerns. We'll have more again this year and this is an area which I feel is actually a real problem. I guess I really don't feel there is any problem with the listings; we've had more part time jobs this year that we've ever had before. I think this is a field I'm getting a little panicky about, because in a year or two, I think we're going to have more than we can handle in terms of a full time job. Mr. A. P. Kovanic of Morton College noted that he had more part time listings than students who wanted jobs. He contributed this back- log of jobs to knowing personnel directors personally, and even though the economy was slowing, they still contacted him. Betty Stiles of Moraine Valley stated she did not have enough time to get out into the field and meet employers. Presently she, as well as the other direc- tors, attempt to send notices to employers about their students and solicit jobs for their students. Triton, like MortOn, had a backlog of job listings. None of the colleges visited were lacking off-campus job opportunities for their students. Usually there were not enough on-campus, part time jobs even though the pay was less. Some students preferred on-campus jobs because they did not have personal tranporta- tion, or their class schedules were such that it was not possible to arrange a free block of time for work during the day. None of the colleges release student information without the stu- dent's permission. The directors did not compile recommendations for 74 student part time jobs. If an employer was concerned about a student's honesty or political activity, he made inquiries or investigations to area law enforcement offices. The placement directors believed that a primary activity of the placement center is to bring the student and employer together. Prac— tice interview sessions were arranged for students to prepare them for forthcoming interviews with employers. Moraine Valley developed a six hour seminar with their internships which helped students become prepared for seeking employment. Topics covered included letters of application, developing a resume and making a simulated interview video tape. A critique was held on each tape. Each student in the class determined what the important aspects were of what he intended to do and how to go about achieving his goals. Another important aspect of the seminar was that each student developed a folder of his personal data which was given to the placement office. When the interviewers recruited on campus, they had in their hands the whole history of the student. Thus, the recruiters could make valid judgments if they had a continued interest in an applicant. Whubonsee's placement center did give Kuder Vocational Interest Tests to those students who were interested. Otherwise, the counseling centers at each college were responsible for testing. Referral systems between counselors and placement personnel seemed well developed and Opportunities for vocational counseling were excellent. Advisory Committees None of the colleges visited had an advisory committee formed of area citizens to make suggestions or recommendations to the placement center. Any recommendations received were on an informal, personal 75 basis. Any active college committees were generally in the area of financial aid, and none was directly concerned about student placement. Professional Affiliations Presently there is no national community college organization for I placement offices. Midwest College Placement Association had not made its position clear on whether to invite community colleges into its association. Betty Stiles of Moraine Valley commented on this point: My associates tell me they had a vote and our invitation to join was turned down. Again this is not clear, but I understand it will be voted on again this spring. I am ready to try to launch our own association. I will be contacting other placement directors to determine if they are interested. During campus interviews, each of the directors expressed a need for an organization whose aim and purpose are to foster better commun- ity college placement services. Public Relations Placement center news releases to commercial radio, television and newspapers are handled by the college public relations staff. Releases to campus newspapers are submitted by the placement director. A11 colleges used their student campus newspaper frequently. Relationships with state and federal employment agencies were favorable. Most of the directors were willing to share general data about students with public employment agencies. Jack McCrary, a voca- tional counselor at Elgin Community College, had a different view con- cerning the state employment agency. Previous experience in California led him to comment: In California the employment rate went up and the state employment agency was not as successful in placing the unemployed. Pressure developed from 76 the state capitol and Washington, D.C. about their ability to perform. So they went looking for a patsy group to take over that was easy to place. The college graduate is a fantastically easy person to place, in terms of their system. So they make 150-200 placements to make their statistics look good and then hire 3 or 4 more people. I've seen the first gleams of this in Illinois in the last six months because the unemployment rate has finally gone up to six per cent. I'm very worried about this. Again, I guess it's because of my experience. I see the Illinois State Employment Service becoming very interested in this whole process. Especially with the amount of money that's available for veterans now. I see the possibility of the I.S.E.S. wanting to come out to the junior college. And if they are successful in doing that, then they will want to take over the other placement services at the college, at no cost except office space. I see this as a distinct possibility from some of the meetings I've gone to dealing with I.S.E.S. in the last six months. Up until that time, I had no fears or problems about this. But with college budgets and tax rates hitting the top, I can see something like this being attractive to a college president. So I can see some pressures are coming. On the other hand, I think the Association of Financial Aid people are totally strong enough with the college deans to probably fight it. But again, if we get to 1973 and everybody's uptight with the tax rate, some-. thing has to be done about it. This is a possibility since there is not formal organization of placement peOple in the State. 4 None of the other placement directors interviewed expressed any views similar to Mr. McCrary's comments. Talks to civic groups about placement were limited because of the pressure of duties on campus. Betty Stiles of Moraine Valley commented, "...my chicken-turkey route (Kiwanis, Lions, Rotary) has to be done at night during spring semester because of time limitations." Printed materials (handouts) were available from each placement center. Also, information concerning placement services was available in the college catalog and student handbook. 77 Evaluation Each placement director affirmed the need for constant data for evaluation purposes. The placement director's involvement in evaluating placement services was on an input basis for the instruments used. The management of the students was conducted by the student services staff or the research and develOpment staff. Harper COllege had adopted a management by Objectives administra- tive style, and this technique was used by the placement office. Evalu— ation was on a yearly basis plus input from an annual student services survey which contained items about placement. Harper's annual report also contained a summary of the past year's placement activities. From a placement evaluation standpoint, Harper College was the most suc- cessful of the colleges visited in the final study. In each college's annual report, mention was made of the place- ment center's activities. Most colleges conducted annual surveys of their recent graduates. Feedback from personnel directors in business and industry to the placement center needed improvement. Most contacts were of a personal nature, and no one had an organized procedure for feedback. Jim Galbraith of Elgin was developing a rating scale of skills that each employer would be asked to complete on each new employee. Rating items would request the employer to ascertain which skills are essential for satisfactory job performance, which skills are unnecessary and how adequate are the skills being performed. When career/business programs are held on campus, each director informs the appropriate departments that certain companies will be represented. The faculty are invited to meet informally with the recruiters. I [1' l l 'l 'l‘ I 1.1 J 78 Each placement director did submit written reports to his superior about placement activities that were being planned or had been accom- plished. Sigpificant Strengths of the Prpgrams Visited During each interview the director was requested to state the strong points of his placement program. All of the directors felt they had a good start in developing their placement program and had accom— plished some significant components of placement. None of the directors was completely satisfied with his program and expressed a need to streng- ' then various elements of the service. Some comments by placement directors outlining their placement center strengths were: "Part time job listings with constant updating." Trudye Wilson, Triton College. "Free access to the service without barriers or hoops for students to jump through. I'd say another would be the informal registration pro- cedure, very simple, not complex. We don't deal with student recommendations which many colleges do." Herb Rinehart, College of DuPage. "Right now the strongest part of my program is, I think, we have the campus jobs pretty well under control. We watch those pretty closely and develop a good relationship with the campus supervisors be- cause it's tangled up with work study too. Not all students we place are work study students, but a good many of them are." Betty Stiles, Moraine Valley Community College. Mrs. Stiles also stated she felt the six hour seminar for interns on preparation for employment was an outstanding feature of their college. "I think it's diversified enough that it makes infor- mation accessible to everyone. We're not hesitant to share, but we do think the dissemination is there." Fred Vaisvil, William Rainey Harper College. nlul- I ll II I l III II II II [It'll I'll ll. 79 "I think probably our strongest point is our smallness and the forceful working relation- ships we have here." Jack McCrary, Elgin Community College. "The location of our office and its proximity to the students. Surely, if there's any interest at all, they can stumble in to look over what we have. And the second is...through the years that that college has been here, there has always been a pretty good rapport with the Voc-Tech areas." Ellis Falk, Prairie State College. "My feeling is at this point we have gotten through the initial stages of establishing a reliable place- ment service. Our contact, I think, with the com- munity is very good. It needs to be better to have more time spent on it.” Larry Dukes, Waubonsee Community College. Joliet Junior College appears to have strengths in having assigned a full time director, an adequate budget for placement and good contacts in the community. A major strength at Morton College was that the di- rector personally investigates 90 per cent of the jobs listed with his center. "Thornton Community College has been fortunate in being able to have a wide number of community con- tacts which provide the placement center with numer— ous job listings." Bill Hafer, Thornton Community College. College of DuPage also used the computer to develop a weekly bulletin to advertise part time jobs, full time jobs, and placement opportunities which was viewed as a community service. Their terminal was tied in with Computerized Locational Information System in Willowbrook, Illinois, under a state funding project. The project was named CLASS--Computerized Learning Aid System for Students, which had a wide range of programs. DuPage's local job opportunities is a section of that project. The computer was also used to develOp and update monthly and weekly a master mailing list of all employers who listed jobs with the college. | l l I II III III llll | v 11" ’l 1" ll . l 80 Factors Needing Improvement Each director was concerned about particular components or acti~ vities of the placement function that he felt needed strengthening. The main concern of the directors was the dual responsibility of finan— cial aids and placement. They stated that to be able to perform the placement function well would require a full time person. The way pro- grams and funds have developed for financial aids requires another full time position to be develOped. Colleges with large enrollments need placement counselors to assist in interviewing and helping students. Other specified needs expressed by the directors included larger facilities, more Opportunities to visit with employers, better follow- up and evaluation procedures, develOpment of an advisory committee, a separate budget, and lack of a state or national organization for community college placement peOple. Related Comments Near the end of the interview, each director was asked to make closing comments related to the placement function that were not necessarily discussed before. A synopsis of these comments follows. All of the directors agreed that the comprehensive community college is not understood by the community it serves. Too many busi— nesses are not knowledgeable of what an associate degree is, what a trained technician is and how to use them in the corporate structure. Fred Vaisvil of Harper commented to this point. I think, from a certain point of view, that there is this lack of education about the community college concept. They are familiar with the high school but not with the comprehensive community college. So what frequently happens is that many times industries are, as my local studies indicate, not differentiating anyway between the student coming out of high school 81 and the student coming from a junior college as far as starting salaries are concerned. Bill Hafer of Thornton, Betty Stiles of Moraine Valley, Larry Dukes of Waubonsee, Fred Vaisvil of Harper, and Herb Rinehart of DuPage de— clared that the banking, insurance and real estate industries were be- coming more interested in junior college graduates and were actively recruiting on their campuses. They also noted that the computer indus— try also looked favorably to the community college, while the mechanical, production and process industries had not committed themselves to date. Selected businesses have recently discovered a new manpower pool of talent, the comprehensive community college. Industries are looking towards the two year career graduate in lieu of some four year liberal arts graduates. The banks of Chicago are looking for new management people and prefer a two year graduate over many four year graduates. The banks have discovered that the two year graduate is not over educated for the job, does not have too high starting job expectations, can be employed for less salary, and yet possesses ample skills, knowledge, and willingness to work. Some industries are beginning to recognize the two year career degree in other ways. Illinois Bell Telephone Company does not require Waubonsee secretarial graduates to take entrance tests for clerical positions. Western Electric employs draftsmen from Waubonsee because of the high rating placed on the drafting sequence taught at the college. Another concern facing placement directors is the diverse ever- changing student body they serve. From fall to spring a community college may have a slight drop in enrollment, but there may be up to a fifty per cent turnover in the student body. Many of the students do not know what they want to do or become and enter a general transfer I II III II lfllll l‘l .Iri 'IIII‘ 82 curriculum. Majors in the social sciences are the most difficult stu- dents to place in full time positions. Many students seem to be taking the view now that four years of college does not guarantee them a job. They are beginning to view education as something for them to use to their advantage. It is no longer a must to take certain courses to remain exempt from the military draft. They are more selective in their course enrollments, and many are training for a particular type of job without bothering to meet graduation requirements. Industry, in some cases, has begun to think this way too. They are not interested in how much schooling the student has had, but rather how much training he has had for a particular job. Unfortunately, the high school student or counselor is not aware of the growing interest by industry for the two year college graduate. Placement personnel are aware of the need for more vocational guidance in elementary and secondary schools. They are working with the admis- sions staff to insure this message is presented in recruitment sessions. The status of the military draft changed since the pilot study was conducted. A lottery replaced the deferrment system. Students could make more definite plans about their future without the fear Of inter- ruption by the draft. The placement directors noted it was too soon to see any trend developing because of the lottery. Looking towards the future, the directors made several points on what they felt the direction of placement will or should go. These points included more use of the computer, possibly on a region or na- tional scope for placing students; use of video tapes to be sent to pro- spective employers for screening and hiring purposes; more services for alumni and community citizens; a community placement center for adults 83 which could be decentralized in local village halls throughout the college district; and wide industry acceptance of the associate degree will mean the placement service at a community college will have to separate from financial aids and expand in its own right. PART II Process Component Congruency_Scale An assumption of the study is that the six processes of community college placement services have behavior components that are observable and can be rated. Therefore, during the campus visit, each placement director was given a copy of the Process Component Congruency Scale to review. Comments were solicited for each item of the scale. All behavior components were separately rated only by the investigator after each discussion and observation. Figure 4, page 127 shows the point totals of each process for each college in the study. Table VII shows the adequacy rating for placement process organiza- tion. Scores ranged from 17 to 33 with a mode of 27. Five colleges had strong representation, three adequate representation, and two weak representation. Components that were rated weak generally were the lack of a separate budget for placement, no assigned placement counselor, limited filing system for placement, lack of an advisory committee, few if any follow-up studies for placement activities, and follow-up studies which were seldom released to the general public on an organized basis. The findings indicate that placement directors, except for Joliet Junior College, are assigned additional student affairs duties. Theo- retically, those directors with other responsibilities should spend at 84 TABLE VII SELECTED ILLINOIS PUBLIC COMMUNITY COLLEGES ADEQUACY RATING FOR PLACEMENT PROCESS ORGANIZATION* DISTRICT COLLEGE POINTS REPRESENTATION 502 DuPage 31 7 Strong 504 Triton 24 Weak 509 Elgin 1? Weak 510 Thornton 27 Adequate 512 Harper 32 Strong, 515 Prairie State 27 Adequate 516 Waubonsee 32 Strong 524 Moraine Valley 31 Strong 525 Joliet 33 Strong 527 Morton 27 Adeguate TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE 39 MODE 27 *Scale items 1-13 (Appendix A) 85 least one half of their time on placement and the other half with the other duties (8 directors, financial; 1 counselor, counseling). In reality, only four of the directors are able to spend at least fifty per cent of their time doing placement activities. The remaining four directors (Triton, Thornton, waubonsee, and Moraine Valley) were able to devote less than fifty per cent of their work load to placement activities. Table VIII shows the adequacy rating for placement process orien- tstion. Scores ranged from 2 to 8 with a mode of 7. Two colleges had strong orientation representation; three colleges, adequate representa- tion; and five colleges, weak orientation. Components that were rated weak consistently involved the placement center's involvement with sessions for career/guidance and arranging tours to area plants and businesses. The findings indicate that career/guidance sessions were develOped and sponsored by the counseling center with minor planning contributed by the placement director. Arrangements for tours, except in a rare individual instance, were made by the vocational coordinator assigned to academic services. Harper College placement director, Fred Vaisvil, made the following observations concerning the orientation process. Question concerning the placement center arranging tours to area plants and businesses. Item 16 on the Scale. Answer: 'First of all, I don't know how many tours are made by the vocational departments. What the placement center has done has been with people coming to us. we've taken groups down to the Chicago Governmental Relations Council. I don't know if you're familiar with that, but it's the Civil Service component they have for organizations of colleges. I've taken students to Roosevelt University (Chicago) place- ment services. But it's difficult with community college students to have an on-going thing of that kind. we run into a problem trying to get 86 TABLE VIII SELECTED ILLINOIS PUBLIC COMMUNITY COLLEGES ADEQUACY RATING FOR PLACEMENT PROCESS ORIENTATION* DISTRICT COLLEGE POINTS REPRESENTATION 502 DuPage 2 Weak 504 Triton 3 Weak 509 Elgin 5 Weak 510 Thornton 6 Weak 512 Harper 8 Strong 515 Prairie State 7 Adequate 516 waubonsee 3 Weak .___*_“ 524 Moraine Valley 7 Adequate 525 Joliet 8 Strong 527 Morton 7 Adequate TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE 9 MODE 7 *Scale items 14-16 (Appendix A) 87 baccalaureate classes to make room for this kind of activity. I would like to see some— thing mapped into it, maybe one course, or a specialized group where you can handle the place- ment function. Now I don't know that's really the solution, but we've got to attack the pro- blem of getting placement ideas conveyed to stu- dents. There must be some way we could incor- porate a group of placement activities into a course, a short course students could take, and get the placement service explained to them. There's no way that, in the present situation, where you can get more than just a quick shot. I think it's really ineffective, because when we're in orientation, the kids are not even tuned in to placement. You know, they're thinking about "I want to get that course be- fore somebody else does," "I want to find out what my classes are like." They are not ready to think about placement. Question: Do you think video tapes explaining placement services would help? At least you use two senses, sight and hearing. Answer: That's a start. But as I say, I think that if we quiz orientation students a week later, we would be shocked at the low retention rate. Question: Would an orientation course with a credit of one hour have some value? Answer: I think so. Because you could adjust and use materials in a more detailed manner. What we really need is a block of time during the semester to be successful. Presently our time is minimal. Table IX shows the adequacy rating for placement process regulation. Scores ranged from 3 to 11 with a mode of 11. Six colleges had adequate representation for the process regulation, while four colleges had weak representation. Components that were rated weak were in the placement center staff explaining regulations and ethics and faculty involvement in career activities or clubs. Placement center regulations and ethics varied among the colleges visited. Prairie State requires that a user of the placement center be previously enrolled or currently enrolled in the college. The other 88 TABLE IX SELECTED ILLINOIS PUBLIC COMMUNITY COLLEGES ADEQUACY RATING FOR PLACEMENT PROCESS REGULATION* DISTRICT COLLEGE POINTS REPRESENTATION 502 DuPage 10 Weak 504 Triton 3 Weak 509 Elgin 4 Weak 510 Thornton ll Adequate 512 Harper 11 Adequate 515 Prairie State 11 Adequate 516 Waubonsee 11 Adequate 524 Moraine Valley 10 Weak ._ 525 Joliet 11 Adequate 527 Morton 11 Adequate TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE 12 MODE 11 *Scale items 17-20 (Appendix A) 89 colleges would assist anyone who asked for placement services. Colleges in the final study did not experience any difficulty in securing part time job listings for college students from area employers in spite of the slowing national economy. Faculty involvement with student clubs and career activities was weak in transfer oriented curriculums. Morton College did not have career clubs. The nine other colleges had career clubs and activities that were active in the vocational-technical curriculums. Table X shows the adequacy rating for placement process consulta- tion. Scores ranged from 0 to 18 with a mode of 16. Three colleges had strong representation for the process consultation, three colleges had adequate representation, while four colleges had weak representa- tion. Consultation components that were rated weak were the location of occupational—technical career libraries, access of student records for personal placement appraisal, placement office pre—screening of off-campus student referrals, and exit interviews for college dropouts _and graduates. All of the placement centers support the concept and nétu Lc~ occupational-technical career libraries in the placement center. Elgin Iand Triton had their career libraries located in the counseling center. Prairie State's career library was established in the main campus 114 brsry. Thornton had their career materials split between the placement office, counseling center, and main library. Except for Morton, Triton and Thornton, student records were available in a nearby office for personal appraisals. Triton and Elgin made lists of employers who were seeking students (part time and full time employment) and posted the lists at different 90 TABLE X SELECTED ILLINOIS PUBLIC COMMUNITY COLLEGES ADEQUACY RATING FOR PLACEMENT PROCESS CONSULTATION* DISTRICT. COLLEGE ‘ POINTS REPRESENTATION 502 DuPage 16 Adequate 504 Triton 0 Weak 509 Elgin l3 Weak 510 ' Thornton 16 Adequate 512 Harper 18 Strong_ 515 Prairie State 13 Weak 516 waubonsee 17 Strong 526 Mbraine Valley 13 Weak 525 Joliet 17 Strong 527 Merton 16 Adequate TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE 18 MODE 16 *Scale items 21-26 (Appendix A) 91 locations on campus. No advanced screening of students for employers was done by the placement staff. Waubonsee had a similar approach except they would screen student candidates if requested by the employer. The other colleges would attempt to match student skills with listed positions before the student was referred. Placement exit interviews for graduates are offered by six of the colleges via personal letters sent to the students' homes. The other colleges rely on referrals by the faculty or a self referral by the student. Exit interviews for dropouts are initiated through the counseling centers at Harper, Morton, Elgin, waubonsee, and Thornton. The remaining colleges will assist a dropout if a referral or personal request is made. Eight of the ten placement directors also manage the financial aids program at their colleges. Many students on aid must see the financial aids officer before drOpping college, especially if the student has obligations to repay funds back to the college. Jack.McCrary of Elgin commented that the first question he asks a student who is leaving is "Do you have a job right now?" Practically ninety per cent of the students dropping need money, and if they don't have a job lined up, they might as well forget about dropping until they do. Table XI shows the adequacy rating for placement process partici— pation. Scores ranged from 3 to 8 with a mode of 6. Five colleges had strong representation for the process participation; four colleges, adequate representation; and one college had weak representation. Components that were rated week were evidence of the total faculty not being involved in career activities or clubs at the college and the sponsoring of career days and/or nights. 92 TABLE XI SELECTED ILLINOIS PUBLIC COMMUNITY COLLEGES ADEQUACY RATING FOR PLACEMENT PROCESS PARTICIPATION* DISTRICT COLLEGE POINTS REPRESENTATION 502 DuPage 7 Strogg 504 Triton 6 Adequate 509« Elgin 6 Adequate 510 Thornton 7 Strong 512 Harper 8 Strong_g 515 Prairie State 6 Adequate 516 Waubonsee 8 Strong 524 Moraine Valley 8 Strong, 525 Joliet 3 Weak 527 Morton 6 Adequate TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE 9 MODE 6 *Scale items 27-29 (Appendix A) 93 The vocational-technical staff of the college supported career activities and clubs but the remainder of the staff supported related placement activities on a limited basis. Faculty who taught tradi- tional transfer programs did not become involved in career programs unless their personal philosophy of teaching emphasized student ori- ented activities. The major weakness of career days and/or nights held by nine of the colleges was their frequency. DuPage College invited business representatives to the campus quarterly for career programs. Career days and/or nights at the remainder of the colleges were generally a once a year event. Table XII shows the adequacy rating for placement process public relations. Scores ranged from 8 to 18 with a mode of 17. One college had a strong representation for the process public relations; three colleges, adequate representation; and six colleges, weak representa- tion. Components that were rated weak included seeking ideas for curriculum improvement from employers, monthly news releases in area media, and placement reports distributed throughout the college dis- trict. Placement directors did not have ample time to visit their counterparts in business and industry. Any ideas for curriculum im- provements were received informally and were relayed by the placement director to the academic office. All the colleges had a public rela;ions person who handled all news releases. All placement directors help develop news stories about placement activities. The frequency of articles ranged from once a semester to twice a month. 94 TABLE XII SELECTED ILLINOIS PUBLIC COMMUNITY COLLEGES ADEQUACY RATING FOR PLACEMENT PROCESS PUBLIC RELATIONS* DISTRICT COLLEGE POINTS REPRESENTATION 502 DuPage l6 Weak 504 Triton 8 Weak 509 Elgin 9 Weak 510 Thornton l7 Adequate 512 Harper 18 Strong 515 Prairie State 15 Weak 516 Waubonsee l7 Adequate 524 Moraine Valley 17 Adequate 525 Joliet 15 Weak 527 f7 Morton l3 Weak TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE 18 MODE 17 *Scale items 27-35 (Appendix A) llllli’lll' I'ltl 95 Reports about placement activities were usually combined with financial aids data for the annual college report. Elgin, Triton and DuPage spent minor efforts on developing statistical data concerning 'usage of the placement center. The other colleges were more compre— hensive in their data collecting. CHAPTER V SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS SUMMARY Purpose of the Study The purpose of this study was to appraise the adequacy of place- ment service processes in selected Illinois public comprehensive community colleges and identify and describe conditions which are essen— tial for the development of optimal student placement services in pub- lic comprehensive community colleges. A review of the literature revealed no studies directly related to the problem under investigation. Limited research has been done in studying public community junior college placement services. {owever, no investigations specifically concerned with appraising Illinois community colleges have been conducted. Methodology The instruments used in the study are based on a pilot study conducted in Michigan community colleges. A Panel for Placement Services Criteria was established to review the instruments, select critical and desirable characteristics of an on-going communlt college placement center and review the criteria and select suburban comprehensive community colleges in Illinois for campus visits. The population consisted of 14 community colleges located in suburban metropolitan Chicago, Illinois. Ten community colleges were selected 96 97 as being comprehensive as established in criteria developed from the Michigan pilot study. The Process Component Congruency Scale and the Information Data Sheet Revised,_Part I and II were used as guides during the campus interviews to appraise the adequacy of placement service processes in the ten sample institutions. The findings of the study have been segmented into three parts. PART I Findings - Panel for Placement Services Criteria The Panel for Placement Services Criteria reviewed the Process Component Congguency Scale and selected characteristics they felt were critical to the on-going operations of a placement center in a compre- hensive community college. The process and item number correspond to the instrument reviewed. Process: Organisation 2. The placement function is a centralized service located on the campus (one office staff provides services rather than college departments). 3. The accountability and responsibility of the objectives of the placement service and its staff have been defined. 5. The director of placement is at least a one-half time position. Process: Orientation 14. Pre-college and college orientation sessions include intro- ductory information about the college placement center. Process: Regulation 18. The placement center staff explains the regulations and 19. Process: 34. 98 ethics concerning one's eligibility to use the center. Sources of new employment, part and full time are constantly being solicited by the placement center. Public Relations The facilities of the placement center are conveniently located on the campus, attractive and large enough to perform the placement function. The Panel for Placement Services Criteria also selected character- istics from the Process Component Congguency Scale which they felt were desirable for the on-going operations of a placement center in a com- prehensive community college. The process and item number correspond to the instrument reviewed. Process: 7. 11. Process: 15. 16. Organization There is a college secretary assigned on at least a half time basis or more to the placement office. Forms used by the placement center are clear, concise and do not overlap in purpose. Follow-up studies of students are organized or coordinated as a service of the placement function. Orientation The placement center offers, or coordinates, counseling and/or guidance sessions, individually or in groups, dealing. with career opportunities and placement. The placement office arranges or coordinates with appro- priate faculty members or student clubs, tours to area plants and businesses who are seeking community college trained personnel. I ill! 11].". 99 Process: Consultation 21. The placement center supports an occupational-technical career library that contains current information that is continuously updated. Process: Participation 27. Adequate faculty involvement in career activities and/or clubs at the college is evident. 28. The college sponsors career days and/or nights for its students and other interested personnel. 29. Citizens living in the college district are encouraged? to investigate the advantages of using the facilities of the college placement center. Process: Public Relations 31. The placement center staff makes arrangements for the faculty to meet employers when they are interviewing students on campus. 32. There are at least monthly news releases concerning stu- dent employment in local and area news media. 35. Adequate bulletin board space for placement announcements and listings are on the college campus. The reader should note that the critical and desirable character- istics chosen by the Panel were ones its members felt were important. Their choices would be influenced by being professional users of the placement center as recruiters. They would most likely choose charac- teristics that would make their job more effective and efficient. 100 PART II Findinggp- Adequacy Ratingg Adequacy ratings for placement processes in selected Illinois public comprehensive community colleges was accomplished by the inves- tigator in ten campus visits. Six processes of the placement func- tion were defined in terms of organization, orientation, regulation, consultation, participation and public relations. Components that were observable behaviors and could be rated were developed for each place- ment process. A total of 35 items were developed and the instrument was named Process Component Congruency Scale. The adequacy of repre- sentation for a placement process was determined in relations to the mode. Below mode was weak representation, mode was adequate represen- tation and above mode was strong representation. The Sgglg_was used at each college visited in Illinois. Components were rated, and points were totaled for each process for each college. The mode was determined. Analysis of the ggglg_data collected resulted in the following findings: 1. Adequacy representations were not consistent for each process for all the colleges. 2. Adequacy representations varied between processes for each college. 3. Regulation was the only process that no strong represen- tation rating was awarded to any college. 4. All of the processes, except public relations, had a higher total of mode or above mode scores than below mode scores. The process orientation had a total number of mode and above mode ratings equal with the below mode ratings. 101 Public relations process representations were rated weak at six of the ten colleges. Orientation process representation was rated weak in five colleges, while regulation and consultation processes were rated weak in four colleges. Five colleges were rated strong representation in the pro- cess organization and participation, but only three colleges had the strong rating for both processes. PART III Findings - Campus Interviews The investigation of placement services in Illinois public community colleges which were visited produced the following findings: 1. Centralized placement services were all established after lgéé: Two different age groups for colleges become apparent when comparing the number of years each has been operational. One group that had been established recently included: Triton College (1965), College of DuPage (I967), Waubonsee Community College (1967), William Rainey Harper College (1967) and Moraine Valley Community College (1968). The second group included older established institutions: Joliet Junior College (1901), Morton College (1924), Thornton Community College (1927), Elgin Community College (1949) and Prairie State College (1958). The age range for institutional operations suggests that the older colleges would have established centralized placement 102 services within a few years after their first classes gra- duated. This was not the case. The recently established colleges developed centralized placement services since 1965 or within a year after they became Operational.' Until the early 1960's most community college students were enrolled in curriculums which would transfer to four-year institutions. The career oriented students in the community college were individually placed by vocational-technical faculty. A national emphasis for developing comprehensive community colleges began in the 1960's. Manpower needs for a wide range of one and two year career graduates prompted the community college to offer such curriculums. The decision to initiate centralized placement services could have been a reaction to the influence of students and employers rather than the fore— sight of community college educators. Placement services were organized as a function of student pgrsonnel services. The rationale for locating the placement function under student personnel services probably stems from the nature of the service as well as institutional expediency. The placement service is primarily student centered in that it focuses upon the student as a marketable product. It is also facilitating service to the academic programs of the college. The professional skills required of personnel responsible for the placement function are quite similar to, and in some in— stances synonymous with the professional skills required of student personnel workers in general. These three fast IS: student centerness, facilitating services, and professional skill suggest that a logical location of the placement function 103 would be within the organizational structure is student personnel services. The arrangement may also be the result of institutional expediency. As institutions grow in size and complexity the demands upon faculty and administration seem to multiply at a geometric rate. This forces divisions of labor and intensi- fied concentration upon more narrowly defined work roles. In short, it appears that the press of academic responsibilities and administrative tasks has resulted in a general willing- ness on the part of faculty and administration to relegate the placement function to a separate agency. Responsibility for the placement function and the student financial aid function was usually assigned to one person who reported to the chief student_personnel officer. The direc- tor at Joliet Junior College was the only person assigned placement duties on a full time basis. Every other director also managed his college's student financial aid program. The rapid growth of student financial aid programs was caused by student need, more financial support from local, state and federal sources, and college administrative commitment. The directorship of the student financial aid function now requires a full time position. The chief personnel services officer provided support to the placement function within the resources available to his office. A high priority by the college trustees and adminis- tration to adequately support the centralized placement func- tion as a separate office was lacking. 104 Centralized placement services were understaffed in profes- sional and clerical personnel and were housed in inadequate facilities. The realities of limited staff and facility have forced placement personnel into the dilemma of restraining processes and setting priorities on the basis of operational feasibility rather than student need. This condition reflects the level of priority given to the placement function. In short, community colleges appear to place primary emphasis upon the development of the product while devoting little more than moral support to the task of marketing the talent resources at hand. At best, this is inconsistent with the phiIOSOphy and objectives of the community college. Budget allocations for placement activities correspond with the pgiority given to the placement function by the college. Those colleges which deemed the placement function as an important service to the college and the district it serves allocated funds for this purpose. Unfortunately, most colleges combined the placement and financial aid functions together for budget and organizational reasons. The lack of budget line items for various placement activities could stem from the newness of the program, inadequate staffing to develop and maintain a comprehensive program, and/or weak support from the college administration. Working:relationships between placement personnel and other groups associated with the college tend to fluctuate. The exceptional quality of articulation between placement person- nel and other student personnel workers can be accounted for by closeness in terms of professional affiliations. Both 105 groups are similar in educational training and professional interest. The two groups may be characterized by likenesses in expertise and function in addition to unification of task performance in the context of student personnel services. Findings concerning variations in faculty support of placement services reinforce the importance of student centered instructors. The student cannot be dichotomized in- to separate entities for the sake of organizational efficiency. A student-centered faculty is one means of avoiding gross mis- understandings between the various functions of the college. The high level of placement service support exhibited by voca- tional-technical faculty as compared to support levels of other faculty members is perhaps a function of student- faculty closeness and the nature of vocational-technical pro- grams. Instructors in vocational-technical programs seem to develOp more concentrated and intense working relationships with students. This relationship is further enhanced by a mutual awareness of the relatively immediate need for career placement. Comparatively weak articulation between placement per- sonnel and representatives of business and industry is diffi- cult to understand inasmuch as viable relationships between these groups are essential to the placement function. The relative newness of the placement function juxtaposed with limitations in financial support, facility, and personnel were frequently cited as major contributors to the situation. However, in the final analysis, there is no excuse for this state of affairs. 106 The nature and level of student involvement in placement processes tends to vary accordingito enrollment status and academic proggam affiliation. The fact that full time students tend to be more involved in placement activities than part time students may be attributed to discrimination and visi- bility. Ongoing processes and daily operations of placement services are geared to the full time student. The conduct of activities such as orientation, counseling, group guidance, interview scheduling, and even maintenance of office hours testify to this fact. In organizing programs and activities around fixed schedules which are inconsistent with the life styles of part time students, the placement service inadver- tently discriminates against this segment of the college community. .At present the major thrust of placement services is directed toward the full time student. This thrust tends to affect student awareness of the placement function as a func- tion of the college. The probability of the placement ser- vice being more visible to the full time student is also due to the fact that this group has greater opportunity to be- come familiar with placement services as well as other facili- tating services of the college. The finding that transfer students and vocational-tech- nical students make different uses of the placement service is not surprising. It seems rather obvious that these two student groups differ in career interest as well as educa— tional aspirations. The emphasis given to part time 107 employment and general vocational eXploration by transfer students is consistent with the goals of college parallel programs. Vocational-technical student concentration upon career employment and employment placement is also consistent with the nature of terminal programs. The fact that alumni and continuing education students seldom utilize placement services deserves mention. It is difficult to discern specific reasons in these cases. How- ever, it does seem probable that the aforementioned problems of discrimination and visibility apply here. This circum- stance may also be explained, at least in part, by the simple conclusion that many continuing education students and alumni are not in need of placement services. Committees to guide or support the placement function have not been established. The only functioning college committee that could be broadly interpreted as being concerned about the placement function was a student personnel services com- mittee in three of the colleges. The others had none. There were no advisory committees composed of district business and industry personnel to support placement services at the colleges. Placement personnel do not have agprofessional organization to join. Presently, placement personnel do not have a local, state, or national placement organization concerned about community college placement to join. Community college place- ment personnel have not been formally invited to join the national or regional placement councils composed of four year colleges and personnel from business and industry. 10s 11. 108 News releases for placement services are usually handled by the public relations office of the college. From the inter- views it was evident that little has been done in public relations. Articles about the placement center for the college student newspaper are generally released by the place- ment director. All other news releases are coordinated by the college public relations office. Evaluation reports for placement services are infrequent and do not evaluate all activities offered by the placement center. Other than an annual report which briefly mentions placement services there and a study on recent graduates, there appears to be no organized and scheduled plan for evaluating place- ment services. The research office of the college conducts studies as requested, but placement directors do not have the time to formulate instruments or plans for data collec- ting. Consistent feedback on the on-going operations of the placement center is almost non-existent. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS For the operation of a community college placement center. The placement function must be an on-going operation in a compre- hensive community college. Components essential to the establishment and continued growth of a comprehensive placement service are: 1. The college board of trustees and administration must both make a philosophical commitment and allocate financial and human resources for the placement function as a centralized service. 109 The student financial aid function and placement function should each be assigned as full time positions and placed in separate facilities. The financial aid service would be identified as a function of student personnel services. The centralized placement service should be identified as a specific function of student personnel services. The full time individual responsible for the placement center should report directly to the chief student personnel offi- cer of the college. It is important that liaison be main— tained with the chief academic officer of the college. The placement center should be staffed with placement counselors, para-professionals and clerical personnel who are capable of providing a comprehensive placement program. The centralized placement program should be organized in a manner which effectively responds to the needs of all seg- ments of the student body including full time students, part time students, students enrolled in college parallel programs, vocational-technical students, and students enrolled in general education and continuing education programs. It should also provide services for those who have graduated, or withdrawn from school, and other citizens residing within the community. This requires the initiation of a wide range of placement activities as well as flexibility in program planning and scheduling. The effective operation of a comprehensive placement service requires continual programs and activities of articulation with faculty, administrators, employers, students, and stu- dent-personnel workers. 110 7. The establishment and maintenance of well—organized contact systems with business and industry is critical to the opera- tion of a community college placement service. 8. The effective Operation of a comprehensive placement service requires facilities specifically designed to facilitate on- going placement processes. 9. The establishment of a student faculty committee to help guide the direction of the placement function and an advi- sory committee composed of area business and industrprlaee— ment personnel to support the placement center are necessary for an effective placement service. 10. To better serve the college district the placement center staff must continually develop and initiate the release of news items and publications to the college community and the general public. 11. Six major processes are essential to the operation of a com- prehensive placement program: organization, orientation, regulation, consultation, participation and public relations. The arrangement of priorities for each process should be de- fined in accordance with the aims and objectives of the college and the academic services function. 12. Immediate and.long-range planning based on objective apprai- sals of status and prospects is essential to the development of comprehensive community college placement services. The immediate assignment of a full time director for centralized placement services in a comprehensive community college is vital. This move is deemed necessary if the community college is going to stay lll flexible and experimental in its programs, and more importantly, prove to its students and citizens that the product it produces is marketable. The business world would never research, develOp and manufacture a product without a sales force to recommend its product. Presently the community college, in most situations, has had a theoretical one— half time placement director who does not have the time or resources to accomplish the tasks of the placement function. Therefore, the college district receives less than a comprehensive placement service. Implications for Further Research The foregoing study leaves many questions to be answered. The need for further research concerning the community college placement function is indicated. Further investigations utilizing experimental designs are needed to determine ways and means of developing; a. faculty and employer commitment to and support of the placement function, b. student awareness of placement services, and c. articulation systems with business and industry. A second major implication for further research concerns the question of student utilization. What factors tend to motivate or influence students to take advantage of placement services? Do spe- cific kinds of organizational arrangements and activities promote optimal student participation? How can the placement function be best organized to provide an integrative experience for the student? .Further research and comparative analyses are also needed with reference to the questions of centralized and de-centralized placement processes. What are the advantages and disadvantages inherent to each? Does one offer more potential than the other in terms of operational 112 efficiency and effectiveness? 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"A Gold Mine for Ideas," Journal of College Placement, XXIII, No. 4, April 1963. Venn, Grant. Man, Education and Work: Post-Secondary Voc. and Tech. Educ. Washington, D.C.: American. Council on Education, 1964. White, Milton R. 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H [13:33 mstzoB uttwm ._. m >04 Zwl P 20 flhzcustc 322.52,; 92¢ mac—kzmauxu 32.6% «Him a ...1 man 2am IL 35052—0 e:— .vfl—kzacflm £2.52. 22 «um wax? «3:832. 29.23538 22:58.3 4 — 29:9“. .. -ntmuuc . dunno , ...zmtkjatu . 2‘ muzmoum .. ...ztu..auc a 3:5 amuugu 20F§A§M _ , dmkzmu ...zmtuvfim rm szw «Nth..— o... mozoawwu ¥ T 1|I11 «O EH28 .2628; 5:8 E 2:228 Ucrzou .6961de H 22:55 «33.5. mmmrSQZM dummcu .LJ1 mm: 3:5 L . 8.5.5: .2 3:5 . 63335". , 35.50 .3339”: Lamaze—U ,. szwojkm no szzwuc4u amméumok macs/«mm Hzmzmufm mo :25 30.: 118 APPENDIX C dwkzuu Pzwiwupza >m Em£34p£m mime—Pm 29v‘2.1wwm_om¢ 20.?818ou2u u . 0 End—Gas duruc duvqitw Mom asgfiEnuhawfluw z or “gamma.“ r2325 29:82.2 :3 3:... zoF‘ixomzu. $54 mvuusow; W E $253. \ r 222585 3 2.333. , «o 9.533 3: ~22 S‘zas wanna: 5:54;.» Emu“; £25.25 $3358 3.. .5255. 5:: m3: «gnaw 5 52.33.. a Snug? 32E: tam 2953c>m 2525 $232 52 r \ 3-33.3“. 23:5 r 52:5 2 5525 t «madam rm «523 5:3,; 72922232“. zszzuouzt or 2.538 oxcu L” ture,—2am or HEM auc .. éafififimmmfiséé 525 P558: a 5% 5:: $550 C_zjzzou 9—. mo ZoammM WI—EQLLIZP— a 0 fl MmPZNU E: :53 ‘ mzwwmm $54de 8E3: 533m muzcaam adomw T % omvzmio - 53:5 mg:8 -zH . “34. 8.3: Wmmrogutm 9:28 ‘ :0 2:... mar—cu mEoEm 3:85 255mg .3 E2655 wzFEa we 32>me Fzmzmyfa mo :25 30: 119 APPENDIX D COLLEGE PLACEMENT IETNLEHEM. PENNSYLVANIA IBOOI TELEPHONE AC 2I5 068-1421 COUNCIL, INC. P. O. IOX 2263 March 3, 1969 Mr. Kenneth J. McCaleb Department of Administration and Higher Education College of Education Michigan State University 401 H Erickson Hall East Lansing; Michigan 48823 Dear Mr. McCaleb: We were pleased to learn that you plan to use our Placement Guides in connection with your study of placement services at pub- lic community and junior colleges in Michigan. Forty-five c0pies are being sent under separate cover. Permission to use the document should not be construed to mean official endorsement of your study---real or inferred---by the Col- lege Placement Council. Very truly yours, /VV Lx’ Warren E. Kauffma WEK:jmb Editor 120 APPENDIX E l. u I-. I'll'. iliillili IIIIIIIIIIII lllIIllI’..l-lr|l. . II. I! .. A | I. SERVICE TO STUDENTS A. Career Placement OBJECTIVE: To assist the student or alumnus in achieving his career objectives by a. Making known to him the full range of employment Opportunity and b. Assisting him to present himself effectively as a candidate. INSTRUCTIONS: Please check in the boxes below whether each program is Inadequate, Satisfactory, Outstanding, or Not Applicable. PROGRAM: 1. Dissemination of information on the availability and use of placement ser- vices. (Catalogs, student services handbook, and other university publica- tions; college paper and magazines; frequent placement office publications Illslo and announcements distributed throughout the campus and living groups; presentations to student and faculty groups; regular orientation programs; presentations to professional, civic, alumni groups.) Comment: 2. ‘ Offering of a variety of approaches to candidate-employer contacts. (Campus interviews, direct referrals, correspondence campaigns, personal contact campaigns, COLLEGE PLACEMENT ANNUAL, etc.) Comment: I‘ SIOII 3. Registration which identifies all candidates, students or alumni, seeking career placement. (Registration forms, interviews, files, etc.) Comment: l‘lSIOII 4. Group sessions for presentation of information on placement procedures and job-seeking techniques common to a number of candidates. (Schedule of employer visits, use of COLLEGE PLACEMENT ANNUAL, company information, preparation of data sheets, resumes, interviews, mail campaigns, etc.) Comment: I‘lSIOII 5. Individual interviews with a placement staff member for dealing with in- dividual career placement problems. (Unique talents and training, handicaps, citizenship, security questions, difficulties in negotiations, difficulties in limiting companies to be interviewed, etc.) Comment: I‘ISIOII 6. Collection and maintenance of records and confidential information on can- didates. (Personal information, educational records, work experience, job objectives, faculty references or evaluations, etc.) Comment: l‘lSIOII 7. Provision of a candidate information file service for a stated period after candidate has left the college. (Credentials; updating procedure for individual files, job objectives, additional education or work experience, supplemental references, etc.) l‘ISIOIE Comment: 8. Solicitation of employment Opportunities through various means to assure candidates widest possible choice of employment. (Presentations to employer groups, personal contact, letters, TV, radio, press, etc.) Comment: IIISIOII 9. Collection and provision of information on current employment market. (Conditions, demands, trends, etc.) Comment: L‘ISIOII 10. Provision of information on companies and organizations which frequently hire graduates. (General company information, policies, products, locations, requirements, career Opportunities, financial reports, articles, alumni who are employers, etc.) Comment: I’ISJOII 11. Collection and provision of information on employer-sponsored graduate and special study programs. Comment: I‘ISIOII p 12. Program for making the candidate aware of his ethical responsibilities and those of the employer. (Indoctrination in Principles and Practices, im- portance of meeting commitments, etc.) Comment: I‘ISIOII ? 8. Career Orientation and Development OBJECTIVES: 1. To make the student aware of the many and varied career Opportunities that exist in the workday world including: a. The requirements of these Opportunities and b. The changing nature of the occupational world. 2. To motivate the student to a continuous appraisal of his career goals including: a. The adjusting of his choice to his own individual interests, aptitudes, and capabilities and b. A perception of the advantages and disadvantages of his choice as it relates to his personal life. PROGRAM: 1. Dissemination of information on the availability and use of career orienta- tion and development services. (Official college publications: catalogs, student handbooks; placement publications: brochures, announcements; presenta- I‘ Sloll tions to academic departments: faculty administrators, advising staff; bulletin board announcements; presenta- tions to parent groups, alumni associations, community groups, high schools, etc.) Comment: Comment: vising to assist students in the definition of their educational and career goals. (Cooperating with counseling, testing, and academic advising staff, providing career and occupational information; referring students to other agencies on and off campus for Specialized as- sistance; etc.) Participation in the institution’s program of counseling, guidance, and ad- I I I S I OI Comment: S O structions in techniques of career planning. (Use of available sources of assistance; role of other campus services; use of part-time and vacation em- ployment; how to seek general information from parents, family, friends, and members of the community con- cerning the nature and requirements of their career fields; how to evaluate their own experience for clues; how to relate interests, aptitudes, abilities and major field of study to career choice; how to determine the advantages and disadvantages of a career to their personal life; etc.) Group sessions with placement staff for presenting information about or in- I I Comment: S Individual interviews with placement staff for dealing with individual orienta- - I Q 7 “ tion and career develOpment problems. (Determining the individual’s need I l - for assistance, providing assistance, answering questions, suggesting questions , r or areas to be investigated, referring to available information, referring to other campus departments for Specialized assistance, referring to off-campus organizations, etc.) Comment: Collection and maintenance of student records and staff notes for future work I I I S I O I with the student. (Academic records, student personnel records, test scores and evaluations, academic advisor and faculty comments, staff interviewer notes, etc.) Comment: conferences; maintenance of occupational information center; collection of information on careers, market conditions, demands, trends; collection of information on employing organizations.) Making career information available. (Career courses; career programs and I I I S I Q I Comment: responsibility for career, importance of performance, importance of continuous appraisal of career goals and personal performance, realization that first job is the threshold to more than one career, etc.) Development of proper attitudes in candidates for employability. (Personal I I I S I O I C. Student Employment — Part-Time, Temporary, and Vacation OBJECTIVES: l. 2. To provide financial assistance for students and To provide work experience as part of an occupational orientation and career development program. PROGRAM: 1. Dissemination of information on the availability and use of student part-time, temporary, and vacation employment service. (College publications: catalogs, student handbooks, academic registration information, college paper; place- l‘lslolI ment publications: brochures, announcements to college departments, for bulletin boards, and to high school \ counselors; presentations to student groups, parent groups; etc.) Comment: / 2. Offering of a variety of approaches to student-employer contacts. (Job list- ings, direct referrals, campus interviews, correspondence, personal contact, etc.) Comment: IIISIOII 3. COOperation with the college financial aids program to provide, where possible, a multiple approach to student financial assistance. (Employment, scholar- ships, loans; participation in Special programs — co-Op and government pro- grams, etc.) Comment: PlSOII 4. Registration which identifies students seeking employment and which pro- vides information concerning their Skills, qualifications, and availability. (Registration forms, interviews, files, etc.) Comment: I‘ISOII 5. Making students aware of sources of employment and of job-seeking proce- dures. (Organizations frequently hiring Students in part-time, temporary, or vacation jobs; lists of organizations with summer jobs; Special student em- I‘SI" ployment programs; procedures for applying for a job, for using placement services, for conducting a personal job-seeking campaign, etc.) Comment: 6. Matching of student qualifications and availability with employer require- ments. (Screening by job requirements, use of student information files, etc.) Comment: I‘ISOII 7. Use of student jobs as an integral part of career orientation and development. (Use of jobs as a means of providing students with a view of a potential career of interest to him, COOperative effort with the placement staff in career orienta- tion and development, relating jobs to academic major — when possible, etc.) Comment: PISOII 8. Solicitation of employment opportunities through various means to assure as many jobs as possible for the students seeking financial assistance. (Presenta- tions to employer groups, personal contacts, letters, TV, radio, press, etc.) Comment: l‘lSIOII II. RELATIONS WITH EMPLOYERS OBJECTIVE: TO provide facilities and professional assistance which will enable the employer to select candidates to meet his em- ployment needs. PROGRAM: 1. Provision of information to employer representatives of curricula, degree A I S 0 NA preparation, and other academic processes pertinent to recruitment activities. I I I I Comment: 2. Arrangements for employer representatives to meet with faculty members I 7 S 0 NA and/or administrative staff members, both formally and informally, at lunch— I I I I I eons or individual and group gatherings in order to exchange information , pertinent to the placement of graduates. Comment: 3. Exchange of information with employer representatives prior to visits con- 7 I S 0 NA cerning appointment schedules, applicant qualifications, Special arrange- I I ments to meet faculty members, administration of examinations, and the like. , Comment: 4. Screening of candidates for employment consideration according to Specifica- - I S O _ NA 7 tions provided by employers. I I I Comment: 5. Referral of candidates to organizations and firms whose needs are usually I I I S 7 O 7 NA continuous, whether or not a specific job listing has been placed. Comment: 6. Provision of interview space for visiting employers. I I I S Q I Comment: 7. Arrangement of appointment schedules for employer representatives visiting - I S 7' O I NA the campus. Comment: 8. Making comprehensive and accurate data sheets or candidate files available S to employer prior to interviews with candidates. Comment: IOI 9. Rendering of assistance in negotiations occurring between candidates and employer when problems arise. Comment: IIISIOI ENA 10. F ollow-up communications with employers concerning retention and progress of graduates. Comment: _ _ > I‘ISIOII ll. Promotion of active employer representative participation in professional associations relating to placement and employment. I‘lSIOII Comment: l2. Encouragement of employer support of university research projects, scholar- ships, fellowships, and endowments. Comment: I‘ISIOII 7 III. RELATIONS WITH THE UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY | OBJECTIVES: 1. To achieve a partnership which a. Permits administration and faculty to make their fullest contribution to good placement and, at the same time, b. Minimizes their involvement in the routine mechanics of placement and minimizes interference with teaching and research, as well as other campus services and activities. 2. To ensure that administration and faculty take a real interest in and give active support to an effective placement program for their students and alumni. PROGRAM: 1. Continuous and careful definition of the roles that administration and faculty can play in the placement program; discussion of these roles with administra- tion and faculty at every apprOpriate opportunity. (Annual reports, special reports, administrative conferences, personal conferences, etc.) Comment: I‘ISIOII 2. Full participation by placement personnel in campus activity. (Service on faculty committees, whenever apprOpriate; participation in general student orientation programs; etc.) Comment: I‘ISIOII 3. Systematic COOperation with the faculty in getting and distributing informa- tion about Specific jobs, referrals, and placements. Comment: I'IISIOII ~~ ) representatives at luncheons, in personal conferences, or at any other type of 4. Arrangement of personal contacts between faculty members and employer I I S I O I IN AI meeting which proves mutually acceptable. — Comment: 5. Promotion of a systematic exchange of information on the qualifications of the 7 I S 0 NA student seeking career employment and the graduate who has become an em- I . ployee. Such exchange should convey from faculty to employers the faculty’s estimates Of students’ potentials for particular assignments. It should convey from employers to faculty those appraisals of alumni and their academic preparation which have implications for a school’s courses of study. These appraisals Should be supplemented by alumni evaluations of their own education. Comment: summer jobs, consulting positions, etc., in industry and government. 6. Collection and distribution to the faculty of information about part-time and I I I S I O I Comment: 7. Provision to administration and faculty of general employment information I I I S I Q I which is necessary to an understanding of placement problems and programs and which will assist faculty members in advising students on their career plans. Comment: 8. Preparation Of annual and Special reports on the placement Operation. I: I S I O I Comment: IV. ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION I OBJECTIVE: To organize the placement office so that it can efficiently carry out its student service programs and effectively main- tain good relations with employers and the university community. ADMINISTRATION: 1. Effectiveness of participation with university administration in making dcci- I I I S I O I sions about placement objectives and policies. Comment: and satisfy placement policies. 2. Extent of responsibility for dCVCIOPIng programs to meet placement Objeaives I I I S I OI Comment: 3. Extent of responsibility for planning and controlling the budget for all place- ment programs. Comment: I I ISTIO ‘ 4. Responsibility for hiring qualified placement staff members. Comment: L‘ISIOII 5. Assignment of functions and responsibilities (including decision making) to all staff members. Comment: SIOII 6. Establishment of effective procedures for carrying out programs. Comment: I I ISIOII' I PERSONNEL: 7. Number of qualified professional staff members to carry out a satisfactory placement service. Comment: I—I ISIOII I 8. Number of qualified clerical staff members to support the professional staff and its programs. Comment: SIOII 9. Continuous in-service training program. Comment: H ISIOII; FACILITIES: 10. Quality and arrangement of space to provide effective accommodations for various placement activities or functions. (Reception, interviewing, occupa- tional information center, display of company brochures, storage filing, student registration and sign-up, group meetings and conferences, testing, etc.) Comment: SIOII 11. Space for effectively accommodating professional and clerical staff. Comment: III! ISIOII __+ I I 12. Equipment for efficient performance Of placement functions. (Typewriters, duplicating equipment, files, bulletin boards, etc.) Comment: ‘ISIOII PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITY: 13. Membership and participation in national and regional placement associa- tions. Comment: ‘ISIOII 14. Participation in national, regional, and local professional, personnel, and employment organizations. Comment: ‘ISIOII 15. Participation in community vocational programs and committees. Comment: ‘15 0|. 16. Participation in placement and employment surveys, studies and research, with subsequent publication of reports. Comment: ‘ISIOII Regional Association Representatives Eastern College Personnel Officers, Robert J. Morrissey, University Of Massachusetts Middle Atlantic Placement Association, William C. Gutman, Temple University Participants in Lake Tahoe Workshop Sessions Chairman, James W. Souther, University of Washington Employer Representatives Robert W. Jensen, Boeing Company Joseph B. Holmes, General Electric Company Charles E. Eberle, Procter & Gamble Midwest College Placement Association, Donald C. Hunt, University of Detroit Rocky Mountain College Placement Association, B. Keith Duffin, Brigham Young University Southern College Placement Ameiation, Howard H. Lumsden, University of Tennessee Southwest College Placement Association, Miss Lou Russell, University of Houston University Career and Placement Association, Neil M. Armstrong, University of Western Ontario Western College Placement Association, Dr. Robert F. Menke, Arizona State University Robert E. Rodman, Standard Oil Company of California Walter M. Ward, U. S. Civil Service Commission Other Participants Robert Calvert, Jr., University of California (pres- ently with the Peace Corps) Dr. William Thomas, University Of California-Los Angeles Carl Dickinson, University of Washington Betty Newbegin, University of Washington John M. Brooks, North Texas State University Robert F. Herrick, College Placement Council, Inc. THE COLLEGE PLACEMENT COUNCIL, INC. 35 East Elizabeth Avenue, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania IBOIB M3681M 121 APPENDIX F INDIVIDUAL IZH [INA IT. UP PLACEMENT CENTER ACTIVITIES Student Employer Community College Town Faculty Placement Staff ,Teenswastestasnwnttseewe*eee**k****e*enewsestese*ew+*+++snsnreee*+*n*e*********+*ewere**k************i Directions: The activities stated below are considered necessary by many educators to success- fully operate a placement center in a collegiate setting. As a participating member in your community college, would you please estimate how well you feel your placement center performs these activities. Please circle your choice: six (6) high success to one (1) low success for each statement. Use the backside for any additional comments you may wish to make. ESTIMATE ACTIVITY 6 5 4 3 2 l (1) Students are encouraged by the college to become aware of their talents and develOp self~realization so they can be realistic in their future plans. 6 S 4 3 2 l (2) College orientation sessions include adequate information about the college placement center. 6 5 4 3 2 l (3) The placement center staff explains the regulations and ethics concerning one's eligibility to use the center. 6 S 4 3 2 1 (4) Prospective clients are invited to register with the placement center. 6 5 4 3 2 l (5) Sources of new employment, part and full time, are constantly being solicited by the placement center. 6 5 4 3 2 l (6) Ideas for curriculum improvement are sought by the placement center staff. 6 S 4 3 2 l (7) The occupational-technical career library on the college campus is current and relevant to student-employer needs. 6 5 4 3 2 l (8) Registrants at the placement center have opportunities to have a personal appraisal of their academic record. 6 S 4 3 2 l (9) The placement center offers, or coordinates, counseling and/or guidance sessions, individually or in groups, dealing with career opportunities and placement. 6 5 4 3 2 l (10) Faculty involvement in career activities or clubs at the college is adequate. 6 5 4 3 2 1 (11) The college sponsored career days and/or nights appear to be worthwhile. 6 5 4 3 2 l (12) The placement center staff makes arrangements for the faculty to meet employers when they are interviewing students on campus. 6 5 4 3 2 l (13) Tours to area plants and businesses are arranged by the placement office. 6 5 4 3 2 l (14) All citizens living in the area are encouraged to investigate the advantages of using the facilities of the college placement center. 6 5 4 3 2 l (15) There are many news releases about student employment in local and area news media. 6 5 4 3 2 l (16) The placement center is active in keeping area businesses informed on prospective conmunity college graduates. 6 S 4 3 2 l (17) The placement counselors know and perform their jobs well. 6 5 4 3 2 l (18) The clerical staff are friendly and helpful. a 3 4 3 2 l (19) The studies and data compiled by the placement center are released to interested parties regularly. 6 S 4 3 2 1 (20) An overall rating for the placement center. THANK YOU. Please return this form to: Your college placement office or K. Jim McCaleb I 401” Erickson Hall College of Education Michigan State University East Lansing, Michigan 48823 122 APPENDIX C INFORMATION DATA SHEET REVISED PART I Q Nanezof College Location Zip Code Are you on semester or quarter terms? Name and title of person completing this survey STUDENT GRADUATES CHARACTERISTICS S. Graduates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring, l97l_‘____ 6. Percentage of graduates who transfer to four year institutions ‘ 7. Percentage of graduates who go directly into employment ______z 8. Percentage of male students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Z FACULTY 9. Full time faculty in - ‘ Pro>ram Trgggfer Occupf-Tegh;____fi PLACEMENT SERVICES 10. Placement services decentralised _____ Yes _____ No 11.- Do you have a placement office? _____ Yes ______No 12. “hen was it established? Month Year 13. Is the placement office part of the counseling center? Yes No 14. Number of students who have used the placement center on your campus from July 1, 1970 through June 30. 1971: Studen f 15. Do you utilize a computer in placement services? __yes___ No 16. How many companies recruited on campus last year? PLACEMENT CENTER STAFF Number Time Contract 17. ion Time vity . 9 18. To whom does the placement director report? Length of time on the job. 19. If the director is not assigned full time in placement, what other responsibilities are assigned? 20. Length of time on the job as placement director years 21. Professional affiliations of placement director BUDGET 22. The placement office budget comes from (a) College (b) Fees charged to students (c) Student activity fee (d)0ther 23. Excluding salaries, what was your placement budget for last year? $ 24. Name of college committee that advises or governs placement center . Is it ad hoc or standing ? 25. Ratio of students to faculty on this committee to ADVISORY comma 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. ANY Is there an advisory committee composed of citizens from the community to make suggestions and recommendations to the placement center? Yes No If yes, how often does the committee meet? How is this committee selected? How many students participate? How many faculty participate? Now many staff participate? ADDITIONAL COMMENTS "hen completed, return to: K. Jim McCaleb Thornton Community College South Holland, Illinois 60473 INFORMATION DATA SHEET REVISED PART II The following format will be followed when I discuss student placement services at your college. Please feel free to make additional comments or suggestions. 1. 2. 3. 5. A.brief review of Part I Information Data Sheet Revised that you returned to me. , Your definition of student placement services in a community college. What you consider the strong points of your placement program. The activities or services in your placement program you feel need to be strengthened. Review each item of the Process Component Congruency Scale for your appropriate comments. The following outline will cover many of the instrument items that will be discussed. I am testing them for your reference. The relationship of student placement services to the community college philosophy and programs: Commitment of the administration Commitment of the faculty The role of counseling and guidance A required orientation/guidance course Centralized versus decentralized services Clientele: Who should be served" Students currently enrolled -- part-time positions Career employment -- the associate degree or certificate graduate Alumni Drop-outs Continuing education students (non-credit) Staffing: . Centralized Decentralized Director Coordinator Interviewers(counselors) Record keeping Clerical help Student help (part-time) Facilities: Adequate room to provide placement services Campus location in regard to other campus services Budget: Adequate amount to perform the placement activities Estimated per student cost Methods and Procedures: Student recruitment Job recruitment Registration Interviewing Testing - vocational counseling Advisory Committees: Lay members of the community Standing or ad hoc campus committee Professional Affiliation: Professional memberships (national, regional, or state) Community organizations Public Relations: News media releases Relationship with commercial and state placement services Industry and business visits Brochures and other printed material Evaluation: Research Feedback to the faculty and community Follow-up studies Annual reports 123 APPENDIX H SUPPLEMENTAL DATA SHEET FOR THE CHECKLIST Name of college Location . Michigan Are you on a semester or quarter system? Student Enrollment; Credit Non-Credit 1 Approximate number 0f Transfer 0ccup.-Tech. Cont. Educ; students enrolled in fall, 1968. (Use F PT F PT headcount estimations.) Percent of male students Approximate total number of graduates from your college _l Percentage of graduates who transfer to four-year institutions a Faculty: Program Full time faculty in Transfer Occup.-Tech. Placement Services Placement services decentralized Yes No Do you have a Placement Office? Yes No When was it established? month year Number of students who have used the placement center on your campus since September, 1968, through February, 1969. Students Number Currently Enrolled Alumni Other Total 0‘ Director 2L Cemgnt Center Staff: -—‘ Proportion of Time Spent in This Activity (F, 1/2, 1/3. etc.) ——~ # Assigned Time Ratio Counselors (interviewers) Receptionist Student Help To whom does the placement director report? Committees: Name of college committee that advises or governs placement center . Is it ad hoc or standing Ratio of students to faculty on this committee ________ t0 Advisory Committee: Is there an advisory committee composed of citizens from the community to make suggestions and recommendations to the placement center? Yes No If yes, how often does the committee meet? How is this committee selected? How many students participate? How many faculty participate? How many staff participate? Any additional comments: - u. ’ ao—o . -. ..._-.u—-..-_»...-.V- ,__ 124 APPENDIX I FROM: K. Jim McCaleb SUBJECT: Interview Guideline for Campus Visit DATE: The following format will be followed when I discuss student pluc.mtn; ser- vices st your college. Please feel free to make any additional comments or suggestions. 1. A brief review of the completed materials you returned to me. 2. Your definition of student placement services in a community college. 3. What you consider the strong points of your placement program. 4. The activities or services in your placement program you feel need to be strengthened. One of my major objectives is to identify developmental factors that are vital in the successful operation of a student placement center in a com- munity college. Below I have outlined some placement processes which should be operational in a college placement center. From this outline and your comments I hope we can identify those factors which you consider significant in formulating a student placement center in a community college. The relationship of student placement services to the community college philosophy and programs: Commitment of the administration Commitment of the faculty The role of counseling and guidance A required orientation/guidance course Centralized versus decentralized services Clientele: Who should be served? Students currently enrolled -- part-time positions Career employment -- the associate degree or certificate graduate Alumni Drap-outs Continuing education students (non-credit) Staffing: Centralized Decentralized Director Coordinator Interviewers (counselors) Record keeping Clerical help Student help (part-time) b.) l Facilities: Adequate room to provide placement services Campus location in regards to other campus services Budget: Adequate amount to perform the placement activities Estimated per student cost Methods and Procedures: Student recruitment Job recruitment Registration Interviewing Testing -- vocational counseling Advisory Committees: Lay members of the community Standing or ad hoc campus committee Professional Affiliation: Professional memberships (national, regional, or state) Community organizations Public Relations: News media releases Relationship with commercial and state placement services Industry and business visits Brochures and other printed material Evaluation: Research Feedback to the faculty and community Follow-up studies Annual reports 125 APPENDIX J PANEL FOR PLACEMENT SERVICES CRITERIA ROSTER The following individuals served on the Panel for Placement Services Criteria. Each person is involved with the placement function at his place of employment. BUSINESS/INDUSTRIAL PLACEMENT PERSONNEL Mr. Bob Marks, Owner Marks Toggery Harvey, Illinois Mr. Joe Foutch, Supervisor of Salaried Personnel Ford Motor Company Chicago, Illinois Mrs. Barbara Miller and, Mrs. Sandra Case, Employment Representatives Illinois Bell Telephone Company Hammond, Indiana Mr. Norman Burns, Personnel Office Ingalls Hospital Harvey, Illinois Mr. James Miller, Sales Superintendent Sears, Roebuck and Company Calumet City, Illinois STATE/FEDERAL PLACEMENT DIRECTORS Mr. Vern Lund, District Manager Mrs. Margie Lee Social Security Administration Harvey, Illinois Mr. Leon Weson, Office Manager Illinois State Employment Office Harvey, Illinois SENIOR INSTITUTION PLACEMENT DIRECTORS Mr. William.Smith, Dir. of Cooperative Education & Placement Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, Illinois Mr. William Sheaham, Financial Aid & Placement Officer Purdue University, Calumet Campus Hammad , Indiana 126 APPENDIX K November 9, 1971 This is to confirm our recent telephone conversation concerning the meeting to be held at 2 p.m., Thursday, November 18, 1971, in the Board Room, Building #18, Thornton Community College, South Holland, Illinois. Enc10sed are materials which will explain the purpose of the meeting, campus location and parking instructions. Since you are involved in the part-time, career placement function, I am honored that you have agreed to serve on the Panel for Placement Services Criteria for my doctoral dissertation. The main purpose of our meeting is to help identify critical characteristics needed to make a placement center operational in a community college and review other materials I will present at the meeting. I am enclosing the Process Component Congruency Scale that I will be using while visiting suburban community colleges in the Chicago area. This instrument will be used to appraise the adequacy of various activities which I feel must be present for an ongoing operation. WOuld you please review this Scale and mark with the letter ”C" behind the last column, Operative Stage, those activities which are considered by you to be critical for the continued operation of the placement center. Other desirable characteristics _ which support the placement center but are not considered critical to the ongoing operation should be marked with a "D” in the same column. If you will please determine the critical and desirable characteristics beforehand, then our discussion at the meeting can be shortened considerably. We will summarize the Opinions of the whole Panel and develop a composite list of characteristics. Any other comments you have concerning the §£§l§_ can be either written or voiced at the meeting. Be sure and bring your copy of the Process Component Congruency Scale to the meeting. I appreciate your willingness to assist in this project. If you are unable to attend, would you please have someone else from your office represent you. Sincerely, thornton K. Jim McCaleb commumty ‘ col lege KJM:pd Enclosures - .0 WI" 1.." "I." . COUTH HOLLAND. ILLINOIS 80473 . PHONI: 593- 2000 127 APPENDIX L Figure 4 PANEL FOR PLACEMENT SERVICES CRITERIA FREQUENCY OF RESPONSES FOR CRITICAL AND DESIRABLE CHARACTERISTICS PROCESS COMPENENT CONGRUENCY SCALE **D ..Db ..Db [41141322145664 2324 754453 TOTAL *C 38 8 37746355414321... 134/434 **D 1000010110211 0111... 220111 nv1l1l1lnv1. UNIV *C 0222202112010 1110 001000 110031 FED *tD 1101012011121 1100 212210 122211 STATE *C 1121210211101 0121 010012 100011 IND **D 20131101214332 1113 322132 333211 *C 21431223221213 3441 .1«A.J.4.4n4 221133 ORGANIZATION 1234567890123 1111 14 15 16 REGULATION ORIENTATION 18 19 20 CONSULTATION 21 22 23 26 25 26 27 29 PUBLIC RELATIONS‘ PARTICIPATION bDetermined desirable characteristics. Figure 4 aDetermined critical characteristics. *Critical **Desirable 128 APPENDIX M Criteria for College Visitations - Illinois Study The following criteria have been established in order that student placement services in community colleges with comparable administrative commitment can be studied. Please circle those colleges which meet the following criteria. Data for the colleges are found in Tables III and IV. 1. The institution must be established as a public community junior college in the state of Illinois and have been in Operation for at least three years. 2. The institution must be governed by a single board of trustees. 3. The institution must be located in a suburban setting within sixty mile radius of metropolitan Chicago. 4. The instituion must have an October, 1970, student headcount of 2500 or more students. 5. The institution must offer in the fall of 1969 associate degree or certificate programs in a majority of vocational- technical areas as defined by the Illinois Association of Community and Junior Colleges. 6. The administration of the community college will have assigned at least one person to have full responsibility for student placement services. 129 APPENDIX N This letter is to verify our recent telephone conversation in which you agreed to participate in a placement services study I am conducting in selected Illinois comprehensive community colleges. Presently, with the cooperation of Dr. Max R. Raines, I am writing my doctoral disserta— tion at Michigan State University and the data your college will provide will be most useful. , This study can be helpful to your college administrators in providing information that will help determine the kinds of placement activities that are currently being offered, and to help identify the adequacy of your placement program when compared to similar colleges in your area. Would you please complete the attached Information Data Sheet Revised, Part I and return it in the enclosed envelope. Thank you for your c00peration. If you desire further information, I may be reached at my office, telephone 312-596-2000, or at the address listed below. Yours sincerely, K. Jim ncCaleb KJM:pd Enclosures 1 commumtu college I IO W." 1..“ ml" . .OUTH HOLLAND. ILLINOIO .0473 . PHONI: ICC - 2000 1.30 APPENDIX 0 Dear This is to confirm that I will be visiting your campus to discuss your placement center activities. Would you please set aside forty-five (45) minutes for our meet— ing. Date Day Time Thank you. Sincerely, K. Jim McCaleb Thornton Community College 312-596-2000 131 APPENDIX P 131a Campus Interviews - Pilot Study The Michigan public community colleges selected for campus visits and interviews by college name and individual responsible for placement function were: Highland Park College, Mr. Alan Hutchins; Flint Community Junior College, Mr. Richard Johnson; Macomb County Community College, warren, Mrs. Dorothy Savage; and Schoolcraft College, Mr. Russell S. Bogarin. Three of the four community colleges selected for campus visits by the pilot study committee were located in suburban Detroit. The fourth community college, Flint, was located in an industrial town approximately sixty miles from Detroit. Student head counts for the four colleges ranged from 4488 to 12,572. The ratio of students enrolled in occupational programs when compared to transfer programs ranged from approximately 33 per cent to 45 per cent for each student body. The pilot study sample of Michigan community colleges to be visited would encompass approximately 30 per cent of all students enrolled in Michigan public community colleges. Each college had a person designated on a full or part time basis to supervise placement services which appeared to be functional on—going enterprises. All the colleges selected by the pilot study committee agreed to participate in the study. Campus interviews were conducted on May 27- 29, 1969. Appointments for pilot study interviews were made with each place- ment director selected for the pilot study.. All interviews were conducted on each campus in the placement center. Adequate opportunities to tour 131b the facilities, and talk with professional and clerical staff were provided. Private interviews with the placement directors were tape recorded. The Interview Guideline for Campus Visits, Appendix J, was used as a format for discussion. Each director was urged to define and discuss his feelings of what he considered an on-going placement operation in regards to an Optimal placement service for a comprehensive community college. The following comments and insights represent the results of these interviews. Definition Each director was asked to define in his own words how he visualized a comprehensive community college placement center. Dorothy Savage of Macomb County Community College described the center in terms of a part time and full time employment agency. We are attempting to place full time students on part time jobs and also attempting to place students on our career programs in full time jobs when they graduate. We also like to think that we are helping the dropouts, but we have no way of testing these students. Richard Johnson of Flint Community Junior College viewed the place— ment center in light of the community college philosophy and Objectives: The Objective of student placement ties in with the total educational philosophy of the college, that is, training peOple for what they are going to do next, whether they are going to a four year college or into the working field. The college is also preparing people for immediate employment and it is our job when they finish the program. Other students need part time employment while attending college. We assist them also. Alan Hutchins of Highland Park College defined placement services as functioning mainly in four areas: 1) student career placement (two l3lc year graduates), 2) part time placement to enable the student to remain in college, 3) assisting drOpouts in Obtaining employment, and 4) working with youth agencies (public and private) to assist college stu- dents in securing employment. All of the schools provided major student placement services, i.e., part time employment and career placement. The success of the placement center tends to be influenced by significant elements of the college setting. These consisted of (a) relationships.between administrators, faculty, students, and place- ment personnel, (b) adequate facilities, (c) professional and clerical personnel, (d) the clientele to be served, (e) sufficient financial support, (f) methods and procedures employed, (g) the use of advisory committees, (h) professional affiliations, (1) public relations, and (1) evaluation. College Commitment to Student Services Each community college placed a high value on providing personnel services for its students. The college trustees and administration enacted this philosophy by assigning a professional staff of student personnel specialists to carry out various functions related to student affairs. One of these functions defined was student placement services. Professional and clerical assistance was provided to fulfill this task. All four placement directors were assigned the function Of student financial aids. These two functions were combined in one office setting. Faculty commitment and support for placement services varied according to college teaching area and department. However, many faculty members from all disciplines referred students regularly to the center for job assistance or financial aid. 131d Until the establishment of a centralized placement center in the community college, the vocational—technical faculty of the college was responsible in securing career employment for its graduates. The faculty's role in the placement function now has shifted to informal job discussions with students, providing recommendations for employers, and referring job listings to the placement center. Faculty members associated with college transfer programs generally use the services the least. Vocational—technical faculty tend to look upon the center with suspicion until the benefits and services of the center are fully understood. Alan Hutchins of Highland Park College stressed that, "the key to successful interactions with the faculty is to let them know about the placement center and how to use its services." Russell Bogarian of Schoolcraft College noted that the transfer faculty are not as aware of job Opportunities as the vocational—tech- nical faculty. But with the dual responsibility of financial aids and placement, more referrals are coming from all departments of the faculty. Dorothy Savage and Richard Johnson held the same views. Two of the centers, Flint and Macomb, assigned placement counselors on a full time basis. All placement centers had established referral systems with the counseling center. The role of the counseling center in relation to the placement function was described in terms of indivi- dual testing, and assisting students to gain insight into personal and vocational problems. In all cases professional placement personnel attended meetings of the counseling department. Two community colleges required a developmental orientation course lasting one full semester for marginal students. All colleges Offered 131e .compulsory orientation for students. These programs varied from one two-day summer session to three day sessions prior to each semester. In each orientation program the placement director was given an Oppor- tunity to describe placement center services for students. All colleges interviewed were committed to the development of a centralized placement service. Placement of students by academic department was said to be less effective to the community in general and the student in particular. The centralized placement center en~ abled more career and part time job opportunities for the student and a wider choice in applicants for the employer. Clientele Each of the placement centers provided clientele services for various sub-groups in the community. Opportunities for people not currently enrolled in college to use the placement service varied for each institution. All directors felt that alumni should receive more information regarding services that placement centers can provide. Articulation with alumni was limited as was alumni usage of placement services. In two of the placement centers, Flint and Schoolcraft, an exit interview was required for college dropouts. Richard Johnson expressed concern that many dropouts did not officially withdraw. College person- nel were not made aware of the event until several weeks had elapsed. Many dropouts secured full time employment before the final decision to leave school was made. Others voluntarily withdrew because job require- ments made’it difficult to continue a course of study. ' Continuing education students were said to use the placement center sparingly due to the fact that most already hold full time employment. l3lf Two institutions, Flint and Macomb, stressed that citizens may come in and use their services at any time. Macomb County Community College is Open three nights per week and each Saturday morning in addition to the regular five day schedule. The remaining centers limited Operations to the regular five day week schedule. Personnel All colleges were committed to providing a centralized placement function. Placement directors were also responsible for financial aids. This dual responsibility appeared to be satisfactory when the director had sufficient professional and clerical assistance. All directors felt that additional personnel was needed to accom— plish assigned tasks and responsibilities. Two centers, Schoolcraft and Highland Park, were staffed by one professional (the director) with the assistance of a secretary and several part time student aids. In one case the secretary was shared with other counseling personnel. The financial aids function was found to be most demanding of the director's energies. Some placement activities were not develOped as well as the directors would like. The title preferred by professional placement personnel in all colleges was placement counselor. The title, Interviewer, was not acceptable, and was considered an industrial term used at the factory employment office. All directors and placement counselors were trained in guidance and counseling and were promoted from within the counseling center staff to positions in the placement center. Two institutions, Flint and Macomb, had full time placement counselors employed on the basis of nine months and twelve months respectively. 131g Good clerical help was considered vital to the operations of the center. Each placement center indicated the need for two secretaries: one to assist with federal programs and financial aids, and a second to supervise student aids, greet clientele, and maintain current infor— mation regarding employment opportunities. Male directors felt that the secretary should possess a pleasing personality, be able to work with people, and possess adequate clerical skills. Dorothy Savage of Macomb preferred an older more mature woman working in the office because of the number of young students usinb the center. Her thoughts were that the placement center should be considered a professional business Operation with an "informal business" atmosphere. The frequency of unnecessary socialization should be minimized. Most student aids were employed through the college work-study program. All were females who performed valuable clerical assistance to secretaries. Facilities All placement facilities were easily accessible to students. Three centers were adjacent to other student personnel offices. The placement center at Schoolcraft College was located next to the student lounge. According to guidelines specified in Chapter 11, none of the facilities was adequate in terms of stated objectives. At present, only one campus, Macomb County, has plans for a student affairs building which houses a placement center. The four directors noted that suites of private offices and inter- view rooms were needed. All reception areas lacked adequate space for student registration and browsing. None of the centers contained a l3lh vocational library. Location of the placement center near a building entrance was also considered important. Budget Budget apprOpriations were not considered a problem by Richard Johnson of Flint Community Junior College. However, the other three directors felt that the budget should be increased in order to provide Optimal services for the widest possible range of clientele. A division of the total placement budget by the number of clientele using the service revealed an expenditure of five to seven dollars per student. Accurate records were not kept with reference to telephone inquiries that resulted in job placements. According to the directors, the cost ratio per student may be lowered slightly if expenses such as these were represented in the final tally. Methods and Procedures Methods and procedures of placement centers varied according to the needs of the students and the community the college serves. Orientation procedures seem to be relatively standard for the four colleges. Students become aware of the placement center as early as their junior or senior year in high school through the college admissions staff. The colleges devote catalog space to a description of placement services. Orientation sessions during the summer or at the beginning of each semester also acquaint students with the center. Bulletin boards located in or near the placement center and at various points on campus provided current placement information. Stu- dents are encouraged to register with the placement center at any time. Assistance is offered through personal contacts with placement personnel as well as counseling center staffs. 1311 Career programs in which business and industry are invited to send representatives to talk with prospective employees are held regularly at each community college. Job recruitment is an important process in all placement centers. Knowledge of current employment needs or trends was indicated as essen- tial to provide adequate assistance to clientele. One center which has been in Operation for several years, Flint Community Junior College, reviews campus invitations to business and industry representatives by the following procedure: (1) by discussing with the faculty which companies they feel need to be represented on campus, (2) placement staff determinations of the largest employers in the area, (3) who the faculty and staff feel should be hiring the college's graduates, (4) through an advisory committee, and (5) follow- up interviews with persons who have used the service. Macomb County's placement center, in attempting to develOp job leads for its students when it first opened its doors for students, scanned the telephone yellow pages for prospects. Contacts were made and job listings were secured for student part time help. Today, this placement center is well known in the area and does not need to seek new listings unless a student has a unique talent to market. All directors noted word of mouth and past performance of former students as two sound avenues for Obtaining new job listings. Another important factor is contact with industry concerning qualified students seeking employment. Alan Hutchins of Highland Park placed ads in the metropolitan newspapers stating that students were available for co— operative work study positions. l3lj Highland Park Community College, located in the Detroit metro- politan area, had an abundance of part time Openings. In fact, Mr. Hutchins had difficulty in filling campus jobs because students were offered higher hourly wages off campus. At two campuses, Macomb County and Highland Park, the college work-study program experienced a decline in the number of students employers retained from the previous year. In all colleges, the student must sign a release form before student credentials are given to an employer. Three of the directors, Mr. Bogarian, Mr. Hutchins, and Mrs. Savage, noted that recently many company personnel directors had contacted them personally about student behavior and attendance records. Since the Students for a Democratic Society threatened to organize workers in many factories during the summer, closer background checks were being made by companies on summer employees. Each institution lacked adequate guidelines for responding to employer requests concerning student political behavior. A primary activity of the four placement centers is to bring student and employer together. This matching process is designated as a service for the student. Practice interview sessions can be arranged with professional personnel to prepare the student for forthcoming employer interviews. lAll testing related to student placement was initiated by the counseling center. Referral systems between the two centers seemed well developed. Positive relationships between these agencies resulted in excellent student opportunities for vocational counseling. Advisory Committees No formalized citizens' advisors committees had been formed to make recommendations concerning student placement. Recommendations 131k for improvement of placement services received by the colleges was strictly on a personal and informal basis. All placement directors reported to the chief student personnel officer of the college. In no instance were ad hoc or standing com- mittees directly concerned about student placement. Ad hoc and standing committees were established in the areas of scholarships and financial aids. Professional Affiliations At present, there is no national community college placement organization. The directors indicated that membership in national placement organizations is limited to four year institutions. How- ever, on May 21, 1969, the Michigan College and University Placement Association voted affirmatively to invite Michigan community colleges to join. Prior to this invitation, Michigan Community College Placement Directors were without any professional organization assis- tance in placement matters. Three directors hold membership in the American Personnel and Guidance Association and its state branch. All directors hold member— ship in a state financial aids organization (includes two and four year colleges). None of the directors indicated membership in local civic organizations. Public Relations News releases to radio, television and newspapers are handled by the college public relations staff. Relationships with city, state, and federal employment agencies varies from excellent to poor. Seasonal jobs that are state or federal 1311 in nature are frequently made available for college age students. Many private non-profit organizations, YMCA, state mental hospitals, training schools, etc., provide part-time positions for community college students. Contacts with the Michigan Employment and Security Commission are limited. Experiences with private employment agencies are few in number. The students are sometimes referred to these agencies if the college cannot find employment opportunities and if prospective employers agree to pay required fees. Industrial and business plant visits by placement staff were limited for the following reasons: (1) the workload in all four colleges was such that it was difficult to obtain release time, (2) vocational-tech- nical faculty assumes responsibilities for plant visits during the school year. There is generally no request for student group visits to a com- pany unless arranged as part of a course requirement. All directors were planning a placement center bulletin for the 1969-70 academic year. At present, written placement information avail- able to students is limited to the college catalogue and the student handbook. Evaluation The need for constant evaluative data was affirmed by each director. In smaller operations, the director had little opportunity to publish current salary data. Followbup studies are conducted for each class either by the stu- dent personnel division, Or by the research and develOpment staff. Pertinent information was forwarded to the placement center. Industry and business feedback for curricular program improvements are generally in need of improvement. Dorothy Savage stated that I. III, Ian-I11 II! II. 131m "this kind of feedback tends to be highly emotional with statements that are overgeneralized. Thus, even though it may be current it is not of too much value." When company representatives visit the campus, selected faculty are asked to join them in discussions Of common interests. Each place- ment director had funds available to hold a limited number of these gatherings annually. All college placement directors tried to spend some time with employer representatives during campus visits. Richard Johnson of Flint invited career faculty members and employer represen- tatives that were unsuccessful in recruiting students to a joint dis— cussion of career opportunities. The placement directors did submit written reports to their superiors. Sigpificant Factors of the Programs Visited During each interview the director was requested to state those factors significant to the Operation of the placement center. The factor mentioned most frequently was the hiring of professional place- ment counselors. The directors indicated that a placement counselor on the staff allows more freedom for the director to meet with employers, develOp better relationships with the faculty, and do more follow—up studies on students. A second factor mentioned by Russell Bogarian and Richard Johnson concerned the availability of career Opportunities for community college students. The demand for more skilled and youthful workers has contri— buted to the availability of a wide range of employment opportunities for two year college students. 131n A third factor, administrative commitment to student personnel services, was declared_necessary and was provided at each institution. The Schoolcraft College placement director felt that faculty avail- ability for student career advisement was a strong factor at his college. None of the directors was completely satisfied with the placement operation. Each expressed a need to strengthen various elements of the service. Factors Needing Improvement The most critical need expressed by three male directors involved professional and clerical staff additions. Inadequate budget appro— priations usually resulted in staff shortages. Dorothy Savage suggested that a full time file clerk would improve her situation considerably. Other specified needs of the directors included larger facilities, more Opportunities to visit with employers, and better rapport with other student personnel workers. Alan Hutchins who was in his first year as a full time placement and financial aids director indicated a need to extend the scope of the placement function on campus. Currently enrolled students and recent graduates were receiving services, but the alumni and the community at large were ignored. Director Johnson indicated that a majority of students enrolled in the college transfer program do not realize the career Opportunities available to them as two year graduates. Industrial needs for skilled two year college graduates are seldom fulfilled. Often times local, state, and national manpower needs can only be met by new curriculums designed to properly prepare students for employment. 1310 Related Comments Near the end of the interview each director was asked to make closing comments related to the placement function that were not necessarily discussed previously. A synopsis of these comments follows. Community college placement services must involve the community. Career and job opportunities available in the area are numerous. The fact that community college students are not taking advantage of these Opportunities is alarming. Richard Johnson of Flint reasoned that more job and career information must be made available to students during the middle school years. Poor high school counseling results in the college student not being aware of mental, physical and financial requirements for various careers. The community college student must have better knowledge of what a career entails before he enters blindly into a major program of preparation. Director Savage suggested that the bachelor's degree status lures both the student and his parents. Russell Bogarian of Schoolcraft College commented that the male college student is caught in a regulations crossfire. The young man may wish to enroll in a two year program, but this means he will be available to serve his military commitment sooner. He thus foregoes a terminal program and remains in a transfer program to prolong active duty as much as possible. His freedom of curricular choice is narrowed. A 2-8 or l-A classified student does not have the draft exempt status of a 4-F or l-Y student. Many young male college students would prefer to enroll in vocationaletechnical degree programs. 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