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Bay offering new degrees, classes

ESCANABA — The Bay College Board of Trustees approved changes to Bay’s curriculum for the 2019-20 school year during its meeting Wednesday evening.

Before the board voted on the changes, they were formally recommended during a meeting of the college’s Student Success and Completion Committee. The meeting was held shortly before the board’s meeting began.

Vice President of Academic Affairs Matthew Barron said one of the changes he highlighted at this time was Bay’s introduction of an agriculture associate in applied science degree in partnership with Michigan State University’s Institute of Agricultural Technology.

“They approached us, and they do this with a number of other community colleges,” Barron said of MSU’s role in this program. Students who successfully complete the program will receive both a degree from Bay and an agriculture operations certificate from MSU.

The board okayed the addition of the agriculture degree, along with 11 new courses associated with it. According to Barron, the courses will be taught by MSU faculty and will transfer to Bay through the new program.

The addition of a criminal justice associate in applied science degree to Bay’s curriculum was also approved Wednesday. Barron said the introduction of this program is primarily meant to streamline Bay’s educational offerings.

“This is really intended to … replace two other programs,” he said. The programs in question — namely, Bay’s corrections and law enforcement programs — will continue to exist separately for the time being.

Along with these programs, the board approved the addition of a water technology certificate to Bay’s curriculum. This certificate, which Bay has offered in the past, is a re-packaging of existing courses at the college.

Revisions were approved for Bay’s Business Administration associate in arts degree, its CIS Programming and User Support, CIS Software/Network Support, Human Services, Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologist, Nursing, and OIS/Administrative Assistant associate in applied science degrees and its Health Careers, Microsoft Office Specialist and Office Assistant certificates.

The board also approved the addition of three new courses — Intermediate Photography: Methods and Techniques, Precalculus and Introduction to Social Work.

Small changes to the college’s Capstone in Early Childhood Education, Corrections Institutions and Facilities, Nutrition and Nursing Informatics courses were okayed, as well.

“These are just revisions to keep them … updated or change a name, and they’re relatively minor,” Barron said of these changes.

In other business, the board:

– heard an update on Bay’s new early alert system from Director of Transfer and Advising Jeremy Belanger. “Essentially, any Bay employee can submit an alert on any current student,” Belanger said.

According to Belanger, 308 alerts have been submitted by 55 different users of this system since its official introduction in mid-January.

“This is showing that we have good buy-in,” he said.

– gave Vice President of Operations Christine Williams authority to move forward with negotiations with Johnson Controls of Milwaukee. If these negotiations are successful, the college will work with Johnson Controls to identify energy savings projects on campus.

– approved revisions to its bylaws and policy on student residency on second reading.

– accepted revisions to its administrative and hourly employees holiday policy, as well as its concealed weapons policy, on first reading.

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