Story by Paula Bowles

Board Approves Cooperative Alliance Pilot Project

The Oklahoma State Board of Career and Technology Education on Thursday approved a new pilot project that will create a more student-centered collaboration between the technology centers and higher education institutions. This follows similar approval in March by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.

This model, called cooperative alliances, creates voluntary partnerships between a higher education institution and a technology center that align academic, business and administrative practices for postsecondary educational purposes. Partners create a relationship and develop a business plan with operational procedures.

“This initiative supports not only our CareerTech mission, but the Governor’s economic and workforce efforts, which place a high priority on supporting a highly educated workforce,” said Phil Berkenbile, director of the State Department of Career and Technology Education.

“We began working with the state regents’ staff last spring to use the resources of CareerTech and higher education in ways that will efficiently and effectively strengthen both while improving services and opportunities for students,” he said.

“The Cooperative Alliance model has been designed with the student in mind,” said Paul Risser, chancellor of the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education. “This new model provides more opportunities for success in achieving degrees.”

Approved sites for this pilot project are Francis Tuttle Technology Center, Oklahoma City Community College, Southwest Technology Center, Western Oklahoma State College, Autry Technology Center, and Northern Oklahoma College.

Since 1988 colleges have been awarding college credit to technology center students through cooperative agreements. The primary purpose of cooperative agreements is to expand student access to Oklahoma’s educational opportunities, share resources to eliminate duplication, and strengthen education and training programs that lead to employment in occupational and technical fields.

Currently, 335 cooperative agreements involving 122 associate in applied science (AAS) programs are offered through 18 colleges and 29 technology centers in Oklahoma and two out-of-state technology centers.

The cooperative agreements tend to be institution-centered and based on individual agreements between one higher education institution and one technology center for one specific associate in applied science program. There are limitations with the cooperative agreements. For instance, college credit is not transferable.

The cooperative alliance model eliminates some limitations to better serve more students. In the alliance model, high school students immediately receive college credit rather than banking credit, and technical courses will transfer statewide. Students also will have more than three years to claim college credit for courses.

Goals of this model are to increase the number of high school students going to college, increase the number of adults continuing or beginning college, expand access to college and efficiently use federal, state and local resources.

“Using this new model, we hope to increase access to technical-level college programs for more high school and adult students in Oklahoma,” said Berkenbile.

Paul Risser, chancellor for Oklahoma State System of Higher Education; Sandy Garrett, state superintendent of public instruction and chairperson of the CareerTech Board; and Phil Berkenbile, state director of Career and Technology Education, announce the cooperative alliance agreements approved April 28, 2005, by the CareerTech Board.