 Transit Leaders Help SURTC Develop Strategic Plan
A rigorous full-day planning session that included staff members as well as regional and national leaders in the transit industry has yielded SURTC's first strategic plan.
"The planning process allowed us to tap the expertise of a broad cross section of talented people," notes SURTC Director Jill Hough. "The resulting plan will provide direction for our research, education and training and outreach efforts. As our program grows, the strategic plan will be valuable in keeping us focused on our primary clients and mission."
In addition to SURTC staff, participants in the process included:
- Al Abeson, director of Easter Seals Project ACTION
- J. Barry Barker, executive director of the Transit Authority of River City, Louisville, KY
- Ron Baumgart, executive director of River Cities Transit, Pierre, SD
- Bob Bright, executive director of the Fargo Moorhead Metropolitan Council of Governments
- Bruce Fuchs, public transit program manager with NDDOT
- Gene Griffin, director, Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute
- Lyn Hellegaard, coordinator of the Montana Transit Association
- David Lee, general manager of Connecticut Transit
- Dave Leftwich, local government division engineer with NDDOT
- Bill Millar, president of APTA
- Jim Moench, executive director of the ND Disabilities Advocacy Consortium
- Bruce Robinson, Office of Research, Demonstration and Innovation, Federal Transit Administration
- Robert Skinner, executive director of the Transportation Research Board
- Pam Ternes, director of the Standing Rock Public Transportation
- Chris Zeilinger, assistant director for governmental affairs and training for the Community Transportation Association of America
Participants separated into groups to focus on research, training and outreach, and education. Within those groups, participants identified key program areas, approaches and priorities. At the end of the session, each group presented a summary and all those in attendance selected top priorities in each area.
In presenting a summary of the research group's discussion, Bill Millar commented, "The foundation of SURTC is state and local relationships. You need to build on those to develop multi-state relationships. Don't be afraid to say that you are going to be the national center for small urban and rural public transportation issues. Don't be shy about that. Our group felt there was a tremendous lack of work in this area."
Research
Participants in the research group urged SURTC to maintain a balance of applied and academic research with a focus on obtaining measurable results. Research should reflect the center's emphasis on rural and small urban transit. They emphasized that efforts should be made to apply local problem-solving efforts nationally. Research opportunities included improving public transit awareness in small urban and rural communities; transit applications within sprawling small urban areas; and the influence of energy costs on transit.
Training and Outreach
Participants in the training and outreach group drew information from a recent SURTC training survey conducted in North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Utah and Minnesota to identify key training needs for transit drivers. Top driver training needs were defensive driving, PASS, first aid, and handling difficult passengers. For managers, top needs were ADA requirements, ADA rights and responsibilities of providers, ADA rights and responsibilities of customers, and customer service. The group suggested that SURTC continue to build on its training programs and expand its image by increasing outreach efforts to additional state transit associations and through participation in national conferences. Proposed training priorities would be an "Introduction to Transit Management" course, a train-the-trainers travel training program, and workshops on ADA, coordination, and emotional intelligence.
Education
Participants in this group indicated that education programs could be differentiated from training and outreach by defining education programs as those offered for credit and enrolling students working toward a degree or certificate granted by an institution of higher learning. They noted that programs should be focused to build competencies for those in different stages of their careers, for example those at the start of their careers in transit management vs. those at the mid-career level. Participants also noted the need for a transit textbook that would draw on expertise from across the industry and serve as a text for students in formal courses, and as a resource for those already in the field.
SURTC's advisory board endorsed results of the center's strategic planning process at its annual meeting in September.
"The meeting was an opportunity for our advisory board members to walk through the proposed strategic plan and provide input and reaction to the plan," noted SURTC Director Jill Hough. "We look to these individuals for direction in our research, training and outreach and education programs, so it's essential that they provide input into our planning process and concur with the end result."
Board members encouraged SURTC staff members to further prioritize areas of effort identified under the strategic plan headings of "research," "education," and "training and outreach." Additionally, the board members noted their agreement with plans to build on relationships with transit related groups, noting that state departments of transportation and state transit organizations were particularly important.
In general, the group praised the plan and endorsed its implementation. "That's a significant step in this process," Hough said. "The endorsement of the board signals that we're focusing on the right issues and tasks."
Pam Ternes, director of Standing Rock Public Transportation in Fort Yates, N.D., was named to the SURTC advisory board to fill the position vacated by Carol Wright. Wright, formerly of James River Transit, was hired as SURTC associate director of training and outreach. Standing Rock Public Transportation is a community service of Sitting Bull College, providing transportation on or near the reservation since 1989. The program operates eight fixed routes and demand-response service. The program is funded by Sitting Bull College and the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.
|
