Regents approve CT State public‑health certificates funded by $4.24 million state grant; system reports modest enrollment gains

The Board of Regents’ Committee on Academic and Student Affairs approved new public‑health credentials for Connecticut State Community College on April 10, advancing two stackable certificates and a 60‑credit associate degree supported by a $4.24 million grant from the Connecticut Department of Public Health.

Provost Heinick told the committee the grant funded curriculum development, scholarships, workforce internships and two site coordinators and that the certificates — a 26–28 credit community public health certificate and a 29–31 credit environmental public health certificate — were written in collaboration with the state Department of Public Health and local employers. “These certificates stack into the associate degree,” Provost Heinick said, adding the AS in Public Health will be a 60‑credit credential with requirements in health policy, public‑health systems and a required externship.

The provost cited labor‑market projections presented to the committee: community health workers, environmental technicians and hazardous‑materials workers with median wages cited in the presentation and projected job growth in Connecticut. Committee members asked about the retention assumptions underpinning enrollment projections; Dean S. Bonduk described modeling that assumes students will shift from general studies into defined public‑health pathways and acknowledged the projections were optimistic.

Regents approved the three items by voice vote: the community public health certificate (D1), the environmental public health certificate (D2) and the AS in Public Health (D3). The approvals were recorded as motions with seconder(s); the transcript records the outcome as approved but does not provide a roll‑call tally.

CT State enrollment and related updates were part of the same presentation. Provost Heinick reported spring census enrollment at CT State was up 2% year‑over‑year, dual enrollment up 22% on participating campuses, fall‑to‑spring retention at a record 76% and a 10% increase in spring graduation applications (more than 4,680 applications). He also announced a recent $500,000 award from Education Design Lab for development of healthcare micro‑credentials and noted planned NECI standards work and pending site visits related to prison education program approvals.

The committee approved additional items affecting program offerings across the system. Regents approved discontinuations and name/credit modifications intended to streamline overlapping entrepreneurship credentials left over from the merger, and approved a new career‑focused AAS in Graphic Design at Norwalk designed for direct‑to‑career placement; several minor and below‑threshold changes (for example, a nutrition course added to a professional baker certificate and math prerequisite adjustments that free up elective credits) were described and noted.

The provost also updated the committee on the system’s multi‑campus ‘Acme’ placement initiative: the full integration date was extended to fiscal 2027, and the system will temporarily change placement routing for a developmental English course (930) by allowing entry into co‑requisite sequences (960 or co‑requisite options). Provost Heinick said recent data showed students placed into co‑requisite courses achieved college‑level English at rates above 70%, compared with under 30% in the 930 course, and promised further faculty‑led review and an ASA agenda item to follow up.

Other systemwide updates included campus‑level enrollment reports (Central reported spring enrollment up 12.7%), a $300,000 Davis Educational Foundation grant to Charter Oak to embed AI competencies across bachelor’s programs, and workforce initiatives including a planned AI Academy and a Google AI fluency partnership announced by Charter Oak representatives.

The committee noted Chancellor Mugo’s attendance at the meeting’s start. Vice Chancellor Diamond urged more consistent promotion of campus accomplishments and flagged communications work to highlight faculty and student achievements. The meeting adjourned after final procedural items.