My Interest in ASCN: Linnea Fletcher

Austin Community College
Biotechnology
Department Chair, Biotechnology

Prior Organizational Change Work

I have been a PI of NSF funded grants, state-funded grants, and subawards on a variety of grants including Department of Labor. I am a Department Chair of a department that I created, Biotechnology, and I was a Dean over 1/2 of the college's curriculum at a new campus.

How ASCN Can Contribute to my Work

I am PI for a large-scale NSF funded ATE Center in Biotechnology. The STEM goals of the grant are only going to be sustained if there is state and institutional change so sustainable institutional-level change is a major component of our grant. The institutional changes are going to have to occur at several levels, high schools, 2-year, and even 4-year as we articulating goals across all of these institutions. For example, we are developing a universal articulation agreement that encompasses all high schools offer biotechnology programs, 2-year biotechnology programs, and 4-year institutions who joining our network by forming 4-year programs or incorporating a level certificate within their 4-year program. A second goal is to embed biotechnology-related research discovery experiences in all of these institutions that articulate and are supported by their institutions. This requires sustainable changes in departments such as Biology so that the embedded research is maintained after the grant ends.

How I Can Contribute to ASCN

I've been part of a large-scale ATE funded Biotechnology Center (Bio-Link) for the past 12 years, before being awarded my own center grant. I also was a DUE program officer for 2-years. Plus I was a Dean for several years. As such I have already accomplished institutional change in my institution besides other institutions---and at the state level so that these changes are embedded and now funded by the state.

I plan to disseminate what I learn to this Network, as well as several organizations that both 2 and 4-year institutions participate in.