A COMPETITION FOR wie SCHOOL STUDENTS

A new community college had just been built in a rural community. Twenty-eight four-year colleges and
universities were within a 50-mile radius of this community college. An older, established community college
was within a 20-minute drive for the majority of the population. A new city was being built around the new
college but would take many years to complete. The current high school students did not seem to be interested
in the new school. The families in the county had a yearly income which was ranked ninth or tenth in the
nation. And there was a rumor going around that the new college (an open-door institution) would accept
anyone and was just a continuation of high school. We had a problem!

‘The solution to the problem took many years and consisted of many different st strategies. One strategy was to
start a competition for the advanced high school students. We realized that these students would likely never
attend the college; but by holding the competition at the college, we would introduce them to our facilities, our
instructors and our courses. Some might even take courses at the college while still in high school and then
transfer the credits elsewhere later on.

There was a modest beginning to the competition, which took place in May just prior to graduation. While it
had its problems, it was an obvious success: the high schools were looking, forward to the next year’s
competition, and we experienced a growth (well above the college average) in our particular courses. (Of
course, we must admit that some other variables were being introduced during that time.)

Then, the high schools asked that we hold one competition each semester, rather than only one a year. The
result was two competitions each year—then four, then six, and then eight (there are eight high schools in the
county, and competitions are now held at each).

Writing good questions for individuals, teams and even relays quickly became very time consuming for the
two full-time faculty at the college, so the high school teachers became participants and submitted questions and
ideas before the start of the academic year. The County Board of Education paid each team sponsor to write
questions and to coach the team once a week after school. The college prepared the competition, administered
the event and handled publicity. The high schools made arrangements for the facilities, refreshments and |
awards.

Creating good and unique competitions became harder for both the high school teachers and the college
faculty involved, so a service—with sources across the county—was engaged. This service submitted questions
and ideas at the requested level of difficulty. The high school and college actually made up the competition, and |
the college administered it. (Now the high schools have an overall administrator, and one assigned duty is the
coordination of all phases of the competition.)

Presently, the high schools recommend that many of their students complete the first two years of their
"college" program in our community college. We still don’t attract the top students, but our courses continually
grow. We attribute much of the success to this competition!

Finally, | should tell you that this is a mathematics competition. If you had begun with that knowledge, you
likely would not have read this far. Given the anxiety that math usually creates, one might seriously question
using it to get students interested in your college. But in the final analysis, the math competition has done
exactly what we hoped it would do. It has created great enthusiasm: most teams wear matching t-shirts, and
some have even written and performed their own cheers. Students and Parents now know that the math
program at Howard Community College is a good one: we have doubled our full-time faculty in mathematics _
and look to further increases in the near future. There is another positive off-shoot of this competition: top
students in math are challenged to work hard as members of an academic team throughout their four-year high |
school career.

 

 

Andrew A. Bulleri
Howard Comimanity College

For further information, contact the author at Howard Community College, Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia,
MD 21044.

 

 

 

 

_ Suanne D. Roueche, Editor
June 13, 1986, Vol. VIII, No. 16
INNOVATION ABSTRACTS is a publication of the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development, EDB 348, The University of Texas at Austin,

Austin, Texas 78712, (512) 471-7545. Subscriptions are available to nonconsortium members for $35 per year. Funding in part by the W. K. Kellogg,
Foundation and Sid W. Richardson Foundation. Issued weekly when classes are in session during fall and spring terms and monthly during the summer.

© The Uriverity of Texas at Austin, 1986
Fut ber duplication ys permitted only by MEMBER institutions for their own personnel. ISSN 0199-106

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