Forty Years of Teaching Math, Computer Science and Engineering Science at a Community College- Part VII, Remedial Math

Sometime in the mid 70's NCCC added a remedial math program that began with arithmetic, and continued with algebra.  The program was self paced, and a student could review k-9th grade math in one semester. That allowed a seamless transition to whatever math requirement a curriculum required, with the exception of some STEM curricula that would have further requirements. 

The original intention of the program was a review for non-traditional students who had been out of school for a long time.  In that regard the program worked very well.  I taught the course at night a few times, and the students were quite motivated, with many of them working through three books in 15 weeks.  The three books took students from 1st grade up through 9th grade algebra and a bit beyond. 

By the 90's remedial math during the day had expanded to 15-20 sections of arithmetic, mostly inhabited with 18-year-olds.  Arithmetic and algebra were also separated, increasing the requirement to two semesters for most students. Such students were put in a holding pattern for a year or so, after which they could enroll in courses in their intended major. 

Paul Kwitowski and I had another idea. We intended on putting together 1-hr courses for various curricula that would be taken concurrently with whatever quantitative courses were in a student's major.  An accounting student, for instance, would take a concurrent 1-hr course (meeting once per week), whereby the instructor would intensively cover the necessary math for the week.  That way the accounting instructor would not get bogged down with math, could concentrate on accounting, and the students would not be put in a 1-year holding pattern. 

This program never got off the ground.  I did put together a course called "Math For Physics" that students would take concurrently with Calc-Based Physics.  There were other compelling reasons for teaching this course, which I won't get into. The course worked well in cutting down attrition for physics - customarily 80-90% at NCCC - and was run once.  After that it was cancelled by Academic Affairs.  Doc opened it, and the admin closed it.  This cycle went on a couple times, until I was "caught" teaching the class. The math department at the time had an average class size of 21.6 - highest in the college - and NCCC was well into having resources being moved from across the college to Fine Arts.  By Gerry Miller's admission, he built the most comprehensive Fine Arts program in the state. The "comprehensive" part was due to cannibalized resources from other divisions. 

How much were we asking to bootstrap this program?  The pay for one credit hour was $450 at the time, so we were asking for $450x3=$1,350 per semester, initially.  That money and more would have been repaid through tuition and state aid.  At the time classes with 6-10 students in our division were being cancelled in favor of classes in Fine Arts with anywhere from 1-3 students. 

In return, NCCC would have had countless students for two full years, instead of one or two semesters of remedial math. 

Around the same time we were given computers for our offices.  Each division was asked to come up with a 5-year plan.  Our division was asked to take the lead on this initiative, since we had all the computer nerds on campus.  

Doc and a few of us met a couple times per week and produced a long document, detailing what we would do with the computers, and how we could offer training for the remainder of the college. What ever remuneration was involved would have been minimal.

Our proposal was rejected in whole. And our division was the very last to get computers in our office. At the time I was teaching the main sequence in computer science - Computer Programming Logic I&II and Data Structures - and went some time without a computer in my office, while the rest of the college did, including the HPE teachers!  Many of my comp sci students were surprised by this. I was embarrassed. 

Paul Kwitowski and Gerry Miller had a conflict that went back more than a decade.  Paul had led an effort to get Gerry Miller removed as academic dean. I assume that was the reason why Paul Kwitowski's sound initiatives were all blocked for the whole duration of the 90's.  Doc had a Ph.D. in chemistry and Gerry Miller was a former middle school teacher. Doc thought someone in that position should have academic credentials themselves. 

Doc also tried, repeatedly and unsuccessfully, to showcase our successful math and science students. We had a lot.

Over twenty years later Dan Miller in the math department would do an exhaustive study, and conclude that our 18-year-old students stood a better chance of graduating WITHOUT remedial math. The statistics were both startling and compelling. Apparently students were pretty good at figuring out math on the fly, and being in a 1-year holding pattern would discourage a high percentage to the point of causing them to drop out.  After that, remedial math at NCCC was mostly dismantled, with the exception of a couple sections for non-traditional students who wanted a review. 

Doc and I were right.  Our program would have worked famously.  Hundreds, if not thousands of students were hurt by our initiative being thwarted. 

Innovation in the 90's was a Sisyphean struggle.  But, the pay was decent and I enjoyed teaching my classes. 

There is a silver lining to this story................

Forty Years of Teaching Math, Computer Science and Engineering Science at a Community College- Part VI

Gerry Miller was president of NCCC from 1989 to 1999. The best way to paint a picture of President Miller is with broad strokes. Up close it is easy to find fault with anyone, after all.  But, if you look at anything too closely, it is easy to miss the big picture.  And so it is with Gerry Miller. 

The state and county were quite generous in funding the college when President Miller took over in 1989.  Tech and business were funded at a 20% premium, and the state was also generous with funding corporate training, community ed, learning labs, etc. Shortly after President Miller took office he used 700k in surplus corporate training money to purchase computers for our offices.  That would be about 1.8 million today.  It is difficult to imagine almost 2 million just laying around in today's tight funding scenario. 

George Pataki became governor in 1992, on the heels of a recession and three years into Miller's Presidency. Pataki was not kind to community colleges. He eliminated the 20% premium for tech and business, cut state aid for ancillary programs and slashed state aid for regular instruction.  Cuts were so deep that by the late 90's state comptroller H. Carl McCall pleaded with the state to restore CC funding. Well after the '91 recession ended, and prosperity followed, funding remained flat, although public k-12 did very well. Public k-12 had a stronger lobby than us, after all. 

Throughout this period President Miller's mantra was that "funding cuts will not touch the classroom." President Miller made good on that promise to the end. Faculty and staff got regular raises and hiring and retention continued, unimpeded. Of course, other budgets suffered, but something had to give. 

President Miller was in love with NCCC. He was always involved with students, and had a certain excitement that comes with loving the vibe and being part of the energy that came with a growing college that was full of life. 

President Miller loved seeing students socializing in the cafeteria.  President Miller loved seeing students engaged in the classroom. President Miller loved walking the hallways, and seeing a living, breathing, thinking organism called a community college.  President Miller was on fire with enthusiasm. 

President Miller came from theater, and the theater program was exemplary. Everyone I knew from the Sanborn area gave the theater program rave reviews and were uniformly shocked at the quality of each and every play.  Yes, shocked is the appropriate word here. 

During that era and after, Tech programs across the state shrank, or folded all together.  At NCCC we went from a high of 14 full time employees to a present low of 2.  In the 90's NCCC had ABET accreditation for numerous programs, both day and night. Many of those programs are gone, and what programs remain are not accredited. The effect was no different at Finger Lakes, Jamestown and others. 

The decimation of tech at the CC in New York falls squarely on the shoulders of George Pataki, and also on Andrew Cuomo. Cuomo ran for governor on a platform of being an education governor, and then cut state aid to community colleges by 25% shortly after taking office. 

I used to e-mail Governor Cuomo from time to time.  I knew that nothing I wrote would be read by the governor. On one such occasion I told the governor that I hoped he would be like his dad, Mario, when he grew up. I guess I was venting.  Mario was good to community colleges, of course. 

That is how I remember President Miller.  His vision of a Niagara County Community College was what I wanted to be a part of.