During my tenure as Coordinator and now Chairperson, I have over seen a large transformation of the curriculum for the 3 programs.

I have reworked the Architecture Curriculum to it's present status, and created the Construction Technology degree, Construction Management Certificate, and Plumbing and Carpentry Certificates. This past summer I also added the new Construction Management Certificate as my Tenure project.

For Architecture, I have increased the credit hours for studio to more closely align with our 4-year partner institutions. We now have 14 credit hours of Design. I also broke ARC-110 (Materials, Methods and Sustainability I) into 2 separate classes; ARC-110 is now strictly lecture based Introduction to Sustainability. It is paired with ARC-108 (Materials and Techniques), where students learn how a building is constructed from the ground up to the roof, exploring all of the different materials and techniques used in the construction process using a hands-on drawing component.

Construction Technology was officially launched as a program in 2018.

Triton brochures were created, in conjunction with the Marketing Department, for each of the programs and some of the Certificates. These are used at recruiting events, sent to prospective students, and given to high schools to disseminate.

Architecture Brochure

Construction Technology Brochure

Plumbing/Carpentry Flyer

Construction Management Brochure

Renewable Energy Brochure

Renewable Energy Flyer

Since 2016 I have been the Advisor for the Triton Architecture and Design club. While this is student-led, it varies a bit from year to year. We do hold regular meetings and welcome students outside of the Design field as well.

Some of the Activities that we have done over the past 6 years include:

• Walking Tour of the Frank Lloyd Wright Historic District (guided by me)

• Tour of Johnson Wax building by Frank Lloyd Wright in Racine Wisconsin

• Tour of the Milwaukee Art museum by Santiago Calatrava

• Meeting with and Advisor and the President of the University of Milwaukee School of Architecture

• Participating annually in Open House Chicago

• Chicago Architecture Foundation River boat tour

• Private behind-the scenes tour of Unity Temple by Frank Lloyd Wright

• Tour of historic Pleasant Home in Oak Park by George Maher

• Private Screening of Documentary on the Restoration of Unity Temple

• Decorating a Christmas tree for the Triton Holiday walk (with building themes of course!)

• Building Architecture hats

• Building spaghetti structures

• Frobel Block workshops

• Laser cutting keychains and earrings with each student producing their own designs

• Building with Legos, creating a display at the Triton Library

• Attending the AIA national conference in Chicago 2022

I have been a member of the Triton Green Campus Committee since 2014. I regularly attend meetings, go to events and help with special projects that the committee has agreed to work on.

During my years of involvement we have worked on the following items:

• produced a recycling video

• Became part of Tree Campus USA

• Became a Bee Campus

• Hosted trash sorting day

• Worked on monitoring the birds mortality at Triton, particularly on the bridges

• Attended the Green Luncheon in Café 64

• Arbor Day Tree Planting

I have been a member of the assessment committee and a Fellow since 2019. As a Fellow I have been responsible for mapping the programs and classes for all of the ARC, COT and REN courses.

Participating in this process has greatly helped me to understand the goals and desired outcomes for all of the courses in the department, especially for those that I do not teach. While I am the only Assessment Fellow for these departments, working with the Instructors who teach all of these courses has been extremely helpful.

An added benefit to participating in the Assessment Fellow process from the beginning, is getting to know staff in many other areas. The comradery and help from the Coordinators has been extremely helpful.

Examples of Program level Assessments:

ARC Assessment Plan 2020-21

IBC Assessment Plan 2020-21

The biggest take-away from the 2020-21 Assessment plan was that the ARC and COT courses do not translate well to an online format. Students were not successful in the online classes compared to those that were face-to-face. These programs need to have a real classroom experience, but some could work in a hybrid mode. Evaluation of the courses emphasized the need to verify that the students have adequate computer access and have purchased the textbooks at the beginning of the semester. While we do not have extra blueprints, I have been able to post PDF's of those projects on the Blackboard Shell. Emphasizing student access to loaner laptops is something that as a Department we do throughout the semester, as the students do not always initially take advantage of that opportunity.

Assessment plans for the last 3 years have all been migrated over to the new Watermark program.

I have served for 2 years on the Assessment Week Committee, and one year on the General Education Subcommittee.

I have attended every in-person graduation event since taking leadership of the programs and cheered on my students as they celebrated their completions.

When I started as Coordinator of ARC and COT, there were no active transfer agreements. I worked in close conjunction with the Transfer Center to identify and work with the following Institutions to create a number of transfer options for our programs. This is a process that will develop more as we move on, and additional Universities have been identified to align with. As always, it is important to choose options that will be best suited for our student population.

Dominican generously offers a complete transfer of all classes from all 3 programs into their Sustainability Studies degree. Students enter as Juniors.

Transfer Agreement with Dominican for ARC/ COT and REN Associates Degrees

I attended an event where Dominican hosted a Triton College Transfer day for all of the Triton Departments who had Articulation agreements with them. This was a great way to connect with the appropriate people at Dominican, and to better understand the College and their Curriculum.

Dominican Transfer Day Meeting

UW-Milwaukee has become a more popular transfer option for our students. They have excelled when transferring there, and the College is very accommodating, taking all of their classes for transfer and entering them as Juniors. They also have been welcoming for visits and supporting future students.

Transfer Agreement with University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee for ARC Associates degree

Southern Illinois University at Carbondale also has agreed to take all of our students credits. They will enter as Juniors and can either choose the Architecture Career path, or the Interior Design Career path.

Transfer Agreement with Southern Illinois University Carbondale for ARC Associates degree

IIT has traditionally been a very popular choice for our students, as many of them wish to live at home, thereby needing a local option. In the past, most of our students have received at least $25K scholarships. With the new Triton-IIT agreement, those with the required GPA will automatically know what minimum financial award they will receive. Students here however, enter as Sophomores in the Architecture program due to the number of Design studios that they require.

Transfer Agreement with Illinois Institute of Technology for ARC Associates degree

ISU has offered a generous transfer guide for our Renewable Energy students. They will enter as Juniors, with all of the required courses transferring. this is a great option for those who wish to acquire a more advanced degree prior to entering the workforce.

Transfer Agreement with Illinois State University for REN Associates degree

I am currently the only full-time person in the 3 programs that I oversee. Hopefully, a second person will be found this year for the COT classes.

I am responsible for hiring all new staff for all 3 programs, and for mentoring, advising and observing them.

In ARC and COT, in addition to myself, there are 14 adjuncts. A majority of the classes overlap between the 2 programs. Two of the Instructors were students of mine who went on to IIT and after receiving their degrees approached me about teaching and giving back. Another of the Instructors was a student of mine last semester in AutoCad, and had an advanced degree already, who expressed interest in teaching. It has been very fruitful to have past Triton students become teachers and mentors to our current students. At one of the High School Career days I met Michael Rogers who was there promoting Architecture. I asked him right away to be on our Advisory, he agreed. Then he started taking classes in the REN Program. He is now teaching Construction Planning & Scheduling (COT-248) for us.

REN is still a developing program. We have 4 Adjunct Instructors in that program, all provided by our Industry partner, IBEW Local 134.

A majority of the staff participate in the Advisory meetings that are conducted each semester. This has been extremely helpful as they can talk to issues that they are seeing in the classrooms that can translate into positive changes for the students. The best example of this is the Carpentry and Plumbing Instructors discussing the math deficiencies that they were seeing in the students. This input led to the creation of a Construction Trade Math course (COT-100), a 1-credit class geared at the math required in the trades, predominately scale reading and fractions.

We are very fortunate to have Instructors in all areas who bring a wealth of knowledge and practical application to all of our students. Every single Instructor either currently has vigorous careers, or are recently retired from the field. This allows all of our students to have the best and most current instruction.

Our History of Architecture Instructor, Doug Gilbert, has given a couple of lectures at the Library open to students and people from the Community. They were immensely successful. Doug is a renown Architecture Preservationist who served with me on the Frank Lloyd Wright Restoration Committee, and has done several projects on historic buildings and Frank Lloyd Wright houses. He travels extensively, and incorporates that into his History lectures as well as Public lectures. His first lecture was on an Architectural Tour of Cuba.

Flyer for Cuba Lecture

One of our AutoCad Instructors, Mina Raezian, won the Louis Vuitton prize and was granted a trip to Paris as a result.

Mina Raezian Article

As part of my Tenure project, I created a new Construction Management Certificate working in conjunction with the Business department and with input from the Advisory Board. This idea came to fruition from the Asphalt Contractors Association, which was looking for a local College who could assist it's members in getting management credentials to help them advance their positions in the Union.

The Construction Management Certificate was launched in Fall 2022. This certificate is 30-hours and could be completed in 1 year. Curriculum changes will be coming for the COT AAS degree so that this is a stackable certificate on the degree. This Certificate is also flexible enough, with many evening classes, to allow students to work on it slowly. The business classes in the certificate are the Introduction to Business, and then an a-la-carte selection for the second course to allow students to tailor this to their needs/interests.

The Advisory Board was very supportive of this Certificate, and it generated a lively discussion about the needs of trades people in the fields and the diverse group that would be interested in this Certificate. With their input several modifications were added, most notably the a-la-carte option of choosing one of several Business class electives.

Construction Management Flyer

Construction Management Curriculum Proposal

Over the past few years I have worked with the Grants department to received several grants to benefit all 3 of our programs.

Perkins

ARC and COT have received Perkins funding the past 3 years

2020-21

• Laptop Computers to Loan out to students

• Professional Jurors for Design Presentations ($4,500)

• Trips for Architecture and Construction Students

• Zing Laser Printer to use in model building

• Large tools for Carpentry shop

• PEX Equipment for the Plumbing Lab

2021-22

• Professional Jurors for Design Presentations ($4,500)

• Trips for Architecture and Construction Students

• Summer Camps for Architecture and Carpentry

• Large tools for Carpentry shop

Perkins Work Plan Funding Request 2021-22

2022-23

• Professional Jurors for Design Presentations ($4,500)

• Trips for Architecture and Construction Students

• Professional large flat-bed scanner for presentations and Portfolios

• Summer Camps for Architecture and REN

• Large tools for Carpentry shop

Perkins Work Plan Funding Request 2022-23

IGEN

IGEN funds have been a great resource as we work on developing the resources available for the Renewable Energy Technology Program.

2021-22

• Ground mount solar array system installed outside of the REN classroom, to be used in all REN classes and installed in Photovoltaic classes. Professional Installation included

• Generax battery storage system to store energy obtained from the solar array system

• Miscellaneous hand-held tools for use in the REN classes

• Funds for Instructors in coordination of Solar Array and Battery system

2021-22 IGEN grant application

2022-23

• Wind Trainer, used to simulate windmill installation and operations ($73,250)

2022-23 IGEN grant application

WEI

The Carpentry Certificate and Plumbing Certificates have both participated in the WEI program over the past 3 years.

When asked to do a Presentation, I was struggling with what to present, as my subject matter that I teach is very specific. I noticed when I came back on campus in August 2020 to teach face-to-face, that the students fresh out of high school were different than previous years. They showed up to class, were very nice, yet turned in little to nothing and were failing tests. I started working with our Retention Specialist to see what the issues were and what could be done about it. I also started talking with peers in other departments from ENT to Business to Health Careers and they all noticed the same things. In fact one person told me, "I am glad to hear that it is just not me". 2021 proved to be no different that the previous year.

When I saw this article in the NYT, it resonated with me, so I thought that I had a good base to present from. A couple of months ago, I heard the author interviewed for the book The Stolen Year, which I subsequently ordered, and made that a part of my presentation.

PPT Presentation

As part of the Perkins requirement, I submitted a program of study for ARC, COT and REN. I was also involved in the weekly training sessions in 2022 for the Perkins Program of Study training session led by Patty Zuccarello from JCC, where we worked on the sections one week at a time. This was very helpful to understand what the ICCB was looking for and to know how to tailor these programs for Perkins.

ARC Program of Study

COT Program of Study

REN Program of Study

Triton has a unique agreement with IBEW Local 134 REF (Renewable Energy Fund). We have an MOU which is starting for the 3rd year. IBEW -REF provides all of the Instructors for the program, and gives scholarships to students in the program. We are fortunate to have their incredible level of expertise for this program, and they bring up-to-date Industry standards and innovations directly to our students. They also have a lending library so that the students will not have to purchase the textbooks for the REN classes.

We have a dedicated classroom for the Renewable Energy Program. Through donations from IBEW, and grants we have been able to outfit the classroom.

Triton IBEW MOU June 2022

Triton IBEW MOU December 2019

The Renewable Energy Program participated in the 1st year of the Triton Auto Show by bringing the Renewable Energy Semi to the show for display. It was a great success. We were unable to make the rain date for the 2nd year, but hope to be back in 2023.

Triton Auto Show flyer for REN

As a part of my role as Chairperson I hold Fall and Spring Advisories for ARC/COT combined and a seperate one for REN.

ARC/COT Advisories consist of twice yearly advisories composed of Industry Professionals in both Archtecture and Construction, current High School Dual Credit Partners, Transfer Institutions, and past students. Because the 2 curriculum have a core overlap of technical courses, having a combined Advisory makes sense. The meetings are a lively discussion of our coursework, current trends and concerns.

ARC/COT Advisory list

ARC/COT Advisory meeting minutes Fall 2021

ARC/COT Advisory Presentation Fall 2021

ARC/COT Advisory meeting minutes Spring 2022

ARC/COT Advisory Presentation Spring 2022

The REN Advisory is lead by Robert Hattier and Joseph Kilcoyne. Having the IBEW Partnership allows us to access the most current technology and trends in a rapidly developing field. The REN Advisory is composed of Industry Professionals in the Renewable Energy field, local High Schools, Transfer Institutions, and past students from the REN program.

REN Advisory list

REN Advisory meeting minutes Fall 2021

REN Advisory Presentation Fall 2021

REN Advisory meeting minutes Spring 2022

REN Advisory Presentation Spring 2022