|
Commission on Colleges Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATION
Name of Institution Spartanburg Community College
Date of Submission March 15, 2005
In order to be accredited by the Commission on Colleges, an institution is required to conduct a compliance audit prior to the filing of the Compliance Certification. The Compliance Certification, signed by the institution=s chief executive officer and accreditation liaison, attests to compliance with the accreditation requirements of the Commission on Colleges (Core Requirements and Comprehensive Standards).
Signatures Attesting to Compliance
By signing below, we attest to the honest assessment of compliance and the complete and accurate disclosure of information regarding the compliance of Spartanburg Community College with the Core Requirements and Comprehensive Standards of the Commission on Colleges.
Accreditation Liaison Name of Accreditation Liaison Kemp I. Sigmon
Signature
Chief Executive Officer Name of Chief Executive Officer Dr. Dan L. Terhune Signature
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Section 2 CORE REQUIREMENTS |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
2.1 The institution has degree-granting authority from the appropriate government agency or agencies. (Degree-granting Authority)
Narrative: Section 59-53-52, item 17 of the South Carolina Code of Laws states that the area commissions shall “award certificates, diplomas and associate…degrees to students who successfully complete authorized and prescribed courses and programs of study and training.”
An Act of the South Carolina Legislature in May 1961 initiated an extensive statewide program of technical training that established regional Technical Education Centers to aid the state’s economic development:
In November 1961, Spartanburg County received approval to provide a technical education center for the citizens in its region. The Spartanburg County Commission for Technical Training was formed to guide the development of the new center. By May 1963, the center occupied the first building at its present site of Spartanburg Community College…In the fall of 1990, the College launched a new University Transfer Program through the establishment of associate degree programs in arts and sciences.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
2.2 The institution has a governing board of at least five members that is the legal body with specific authority over the institution. The board is an active policy-making body for the institution and is ultimately responsible for ensuring that the financial resources of the institution are adequate to provide a sound educational program. The board is not controlled by a minority of board members or by organizations or interests separate from it. Neither the presiding officer of the board nor the majority of other voting members of the board have contractual, employment, or personal or familial financial interest in the institution.
A military institution authorized and operated by the federal government to award degrees has a public board in which neither the presiding officer nor a majority of the other members are civilian employees of the military or active/retired military. The board has broad and significant influence upon the institution=s programs and operations, plays an active role in policy-making, and ensures that the financial resources of the institution are used to provide a sound educational program. The board is not controlled by a minority of board members or by organizations or interests separate from the board except as specified by the authorizing legislation. Neither the presiding officer of the board nor the majority of other voting board members have contractual, employment, or personal or familial financial interest in the institution. (Governing Board)
Narrative: The Spartanburg County Commission for Technical Education, the governing board for Spartanburg Community College, consists of thirteen members. South Carolina state law sets membership as stated in the Spartanburg County Commission for Technical Education Bylaws and Special Rules of Order dated January 13, 2003, “Section 1 of Act 906 of 1962, as last amended by Act 197 of 1973, is further amended to read:
There is created the Spartanburg County Commission for Technical Education which is a body politic and corporate and consists of thirteen members.”
The bylaws of the commission define the number of members and further detail the makeup of membership. A list of current membership is on file in the President’s Office. The secretary records membership attendance in the minutes of each commission meeting.
The commission bylaws state, “the Area Commission is a legislative body whose primary function is the determination of local policies, reserving to the administration and faculty the responsibilities for implementing policy through appropriate procedures and controls.”
As an example of the commission’s policy-making authority, the minutes show approval of a policy on insurance continuation at the June 16, 2003, commission meeting.
The commission regularly receives a budget report showing projected and actual College revenue and expenses. Commission minutes of November 17, 2003, state that College expenditures were under budget and forecast a surplus of revenue for the fiscal year. Additionally, the College submits an annual proposed budget to the commission for approval. August 18, 2003, minutes describe a proposed College budget with details of revenue sources and projected expenses for fiscal year 2003 with subsequent approval by the commission. In the previous year, the College submitted a proposed budget and the commission approved it at the August 19, 2002, meeting.
Also, an external audit firm annually presents financial audit results to the commission. The audit report of 2003/2004 showed no material findings.
The commission bylaws state, “The Authority of the Area Commission rests in the Commission as a whole, not in individual commissioners.” All commission meetings require a quorum of membership to conduct official business. If a quorum of members is not present or is lost during a meeting, all official business ceases and must be postponed. The Chair may cancel a meeting if a quorum is not present when he or she calls a meeting to order. Commission minutes from October 21, 2002, offer cancellation of a commission meeting because a quorum of members was not present.
Neither the presiding officer of the board nor the majority of other voting members of the board have contractual, employment, or personal or familial financial interest in the institution. The commission bylaws state, “A Commission member shall abstain from voting on any question or taking any official action on an issue that involves a possible conflict of interest.”
At the January 12, 2004, commission meeting, each member signed a Conflict of Interest, Compliance Certification certifying that he(she) is (1) familiar with Article VI, Section 2 Conflict of Interest in the commission’s bylaws, (2) will disclose to the commission chairperson any contractual, employment, or personal or familial financial interest in the College and (3) acknowledges by his or her signature that he or she is in accordance with the letter and spirit of this certification.
Spartanburg Community College is not a military college and therefore is not required to comply with the last section of this Core Requirement.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
2.3 The institution has a chief executive officer whose primary responsibility is to the institution and who is not the presiding officer of the board. (Chief Executive Officer)
Narrative: The bylaws of the Spartanburg County Commission for Technical Education, which were revised and adopted January 13, 2003, address the duties of the President of the College in Article VII:
The President shall attend and participate, without vote, in all meetings of the Commission, except where the President’s performance is being discussed by the Commission or because of illness or necessary business, in which case, the President may appoint another person from the College as the President’s representative.
The President shall have the authority over and be responsible for all administration and managerial aspects of the development and operation of the College.
Article V of the bylaws states that the Chair of the Commission presides at all meetings of the commission, and the minutes of the commission meetings identify the Chair as the individual who calls the meetings to order and presides over the events. Evidence of this appears in the minutes of the September 13, 2004, meeting of the commission that indicate the Chair called the meeting to order and presided over the events.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
2.4 The institution has a clearly defined and published mission statement specific to the institution and appropriate to an institution of higher education, addressing teaching and learning and, where applicable, research and public service. (Institutional Mission)
Narrative: Spartanburg Technical Education publishes its Mission Statement on page 5 of the Spartanburg Community College 2004-2005 Catalog and on the College’s website. The College Mission Statement reads as follows:
Spartanburg Community College is a comprehensive, public, suburban, two-year technical college serving the citizens of the upstate counties of Spartanburg, Union, and Cherokee in South Carolina. The College advances economic development of the region through programs that address emerging and continuing employment needs in a rapidly changing global environment. Programs and services provide accessible, affordable, equitable, state-of-the-art, postsecondary education that effectively (1) prepares students to enter, adapt to, or advance in technical or service career fields; (2) provides students with pre-baccalaureate programs and courses which transfer to senior colleges and universities; and (3) assists students in achieving their professional and personal goals. Annually, the College serves 4,000 to 6,000 credit-seeking students and 12,000 to 18,000 continuing education students. In addition, Spartanburg Community College believes in the worth of individuals and their potential for growth and development and has thus listed, in the College catalog, values pertaining to students, faculty and staff, and the community. The catalog also lists expected outcomes at a level appropriate to the students’ areas of study. Annually the President’s Council and the Spartanburg Community College area commission review the mission statement to assure that the College’s mission and vision are appropriate and send mission statement revisions to the Commission on Higher Education for subsequent review and approval. Most recently, the Spartanburg Community College area commission modified and approved the College’s mission statement January 13, 2003, and submitted the modification for approval to the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, which they approved on June 5, 2003. Since Spartanburg Community College is not a research/public service institution, outcomes are not addressed for that portion of the statement.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
2.5 The institution engages in ongoing, integrated, and institution-wide research-based planning and evaluation processes that incorporate a systematic review of programs and services that (a) results in continuing improvement and (b) demonstrates that the institution is effectively accomplishing its mission. (Institutional Effectiveness)
Narrative: Institutional Planning Spartanburg Community College planning processes incorporate a systematic review of programs and services that foster continuing improvement. The results demonstrate that the institution is accomplishing its mission.
Description of the Process Every five years the College completes an extensive study of its mission, vision and goals, as well as develops strategies to achieve the goals. The resulting strategic plan describes effectiveness measures and expected outcomes for the next five-year period. The College annually reviews the strategic plan to assure that the mission and future direction are appropriate. The annual review of the mission requires area commission approval. Each vice president reports his or her area’s relevant accomplishments toward achieving the goals described. The College’s Planning and Development Office collects the lists of accomplishments and summarizes them in an Annual Improvement Plan (AIP) update.
The most recent strategic plan, developed in 1998-99 (with a 2005 target date), lists the College’s goals with strategies for accomplishing them. In 1998, the College conducted an environmental scan of key constituencies. The results of the scan were published in four booklets entitled Preparing the Work Force for the 21st Century: 1998 Community Based Research, 1998 Work Force Development Study, 1998 High School Survey, and 1998 Citizen Survey. The scan was quite extensive and included a survey of 1,501 high school juniors; 293 businesses and industries; focus groups representing 63 companies, elected officials, human service employers, educators and health care providers; and 396 community citizens. Then focus groups representing area commissioners, administrators, faculty, staff, and students used the scan results to develop College goals. The ideas for the goal statements grew out of multiple SWOT (Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats) analyses groups, but specific statements were formulated by College administrators and small working committees representing faculty, staff, students, area commissioners, advisory committees, and local business and industry. Finally, the committees and College administration suggested strategies to accomplish each goal. The President’s Council gave final approval of the goal and strategy statements. Examples of how the strategic plan helped the College achieve its mission include expansion of the College’s leadership committee to help the College develop current employees into tomorrow’s leaders (Goal 4, Strategy 3), development and expansion of online delivery systems in both credit and non-credit programs (Goal 1, Strategies 4 and 5), annual upgrades to Assistive Technology systems to support visually-impaired and hearing-impaired students (Goal 2, Strategy 2), and a new College telephone system and imaging system to improve external and internal communication.
The President’s Council approved effectiveness measures for the goals and strategies. Most of the measures are derived from annual reports of the College’s experience; however, a few of the measures are based on biannual surveys, related to student satisfaction and employee satisfaction. The surveys (ACT Student Survey, NILIE-PACE Survey, and CESTA Survey) stay relatively static over the two-year period, so annual measurements are not necessary. Several of the measures were not developed locally but were adopted from the South Carolina CHE Performance Funding initiatives (denoted as pf below):
– Student Enrollment and Success (10 measures) Curriculum Enrollment – headcount Curriculum Enrollment – FTE Continuing Education Revenue (replaced CE headcount) Continuing Education Contact Hours Minority Headcount (pf) Minority Retention Retention of Curriculum Students (overall) Retention of Curriculum Students by Division Student Satisfaction with Quality of Education Student Satisfaction (overall)
– Graduate Success (6 measures) Number of Graduates Percent of Graduates Positively Placed Graduate Satisfaction with Academic Preparation Certification
Exam Pass Rates (pf) Employer Satisfaction with Technical and Personal Skills of Graduates
– Institutional Quality and Efficiency (10 measures) Employee Satisfaction (overall) Employee Satisfaction by Functional Area Employee Satisfaction Survey Participation Rate by Functional Area Employee Satisfaction vs. National Norms Faculty/Staff Retention Minority Employment (pf) Foundation Funds for Scholarships and College Initiatives Grant Funds Received Administrative Costs vs. Academic Costs (pf) General Overhead Cost per FTE (pf)
In June-July, the Office of Planning and Development collects information about the past year’s accomplishments and reports action plans for the following year from each of the major areas of the College (Academic Affairs, Business Affairs, Continuing Education, Planning and Development, Student Affairs, and the STC Foundation). The Institutional Research department prepares charts with three to five years’ data on the College’s effectiveness measures. A College Annual Improvement Plan Report, which is published in August, displays the collected reports of accomplishments, action plans, and charts. The College AIP Report is distributed to the area commission, the President’s Council, and the library. In addition, an electronic version of the document is posted on the College’s internal communication system (Public Folders), which is available to any employee.
Members of the President’s Council review the effectiveness measures, observing trends and responding to marked negative changes that point to problems or concerns.
The following examples from the College’s Annual Improvement Plan illustrate institutional improvements resulting from the planning process. The numbers in parentheses relate an accomplishment to a specific goal and strategy (1.1 = Goal 1, strategy 1).
Expansions
Facility Improvements
New or Enhanced Technology
Distance Learning
courses to non-STC students through TechOnline (1.5)
New Positions
Services
Sciences and Transitional Studies students (2.2)
communication to students and staff (2.5)
New Curricula or Courses
Curricula or Course Improvements
Planning and Mission The College’s planning process is the primary instrument by which the College demonstrates its commitment to the mission to “provide accessible, affordable, equitable, state-of-the-art, postsecondary education that effectively prepares students to enter, adapt to, or advance in technical or service career fields; provides students with pre-baccalaureate programs and courses that transfer to senior colleges and universities; and assist students in achieving their professional and personal goals.” Through the planning process, STC gathers information about the needs of the service area, provides programs and services to address these needs, and demonstrates its accountability. Based on the College’s mission and institutional goals, each planning unit of the College develops its own mission and result-oriented goals and objectives. The results of each unit's effectiveness process demonstrates the College’s commitment to providing excellent programs and services that meet the needs of Spartanburg, Cherokee and Union counties. Planning and Budget The link between the planning and budgeting process is the Annual Improvement Plan (AIP). In the AIP, each unit of the College states its mission, measures its progress toward accomplishing its mission, and states its funding needs in order to achieve its goals. Upon completion of the AIP, each vice president collects and summarizes the critical funding needs for his or her division. At a series of planning and budgeting meetings each year, the President’s Council considers these critical funding needs. The results of these meetings determine the College’s funding priorities for programs, staffing, equipment, and new initiatives. Minutes of the budgeting meetings are recorded.
Departmental/Program Planning Within the College, each department/program has a mission statement, goals, and effectiveness measures. The departmental AIP describes the annual activities and expected outcomes to reach the department's goals. The AIP is the reporting mechanism by which results of effectiveness measures are compared to expected outcomes and linked to budget planning. Actions for improvement are determined, resources to achieve improvement activities are identified, and the expected outcomes for the next planning year are noted. The departmental plans are developed during the spring of each year and given to the vice president for funding consideration at the April-June budgeting meetings.
The College has in place a system of assessment that assures that every department measures how effectively it achieves its goals. Each department has an assessment plan that includes mission, goals, measures, expected outcomes, and an annual improvement plan. Each spring, in time for the April-June budget meetings, College departments complete an assessment of results compared to expected outcomes.
Each department collects assessment data during the spring for inclusion into the AIP. Once the department analyzes the data, it determines activities for improvement and describes these plans in the AIP. When the AIP has been reviewed and budgets assigned, the department implements the activities (to the level of available funding). Implementation for administrative departments is generally July-May; for academic departments, August – May (the College academic year). At the end of the planning year, the evaluations occur within departments, and the planning, evaluation, and improvement cycle continues.
Timeline The timelines for the College’s two planning cycles are shown below:
Timeline for AIP Process
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
2.6 The institution is in operation and has students enrolled in degree programs. (Continuous Operation)
Narrative: Spartanburg Community College was founded in 1961, when Spartanburg County received approval to provide a technical education training center to the residents of the designated service counties. The Spartanburg County Technical Education Center occupied its first building in 1963 and enrolled 150 students in 9 industrial and engineering technology programs. In 1974, recognizing the institution’s broadening scope and depth of academic program offerings, the Center officially became Spartanburg Community College.
Today, Spartanburg Community College offers a wide range of instructional programs which include associate degrees, diplomas, certificates, opportunities for occupational development, and community interest courses. Annually, the College serves 4,000-6,000 credit-seeking students and 12,000 – 18,000 continuing education students.
The College is a member of the South Carolina Technical College System. The Office of Institutional Research maintains and compiles current enrollment reports. The College distributes these enrollment reports to the State Technical College System, the SC Commission on Higher Education, and the Federal Department of Education (IPEDS).
The College hosts a graduation ceremony every May to award earned degrees, diplomas, and certificates. The College also publishes documents and a website that is accessible to the public.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
2.7 The institution
2.7.1 offers one or more degree programs based on at least 60 semester credit hours or the equivalent at the associate level; at least 120 semester credit hours or the equivalent at the baccalaureate level; or at least 30 semester credit hours or the equivalent at the post-baccalaureate, graduate, or professional level. The institution provides a written justification and rationale for program equivalency. (Program Length)
2.7.2 offers degree programs that embody a coherent course of study that is compatible with its stated purpose and is based upon fields of study appropriate to higher education. (Program Content)
2.7.3 requires in each undergraduate degree program the successful completion of a general education component at the collegiate level that is (1) a substantial component of each undergraduate degree, (2) ensures breadth of knowledge, and (3) is based on a coherent rationale. For degree completion in associate programs, the component constitutes a minimum of 15 semester hours or the equivalent; for baccalaureate programs, a minimum of 30 semester hours or the equivalent. These credit hours are to be drawn from and include at least one course from each of the following areas: humanities/fine arts; social/behavioral sciences; and natural science/mathematics. The courses do not narrowly focus on those skills, techniques, and procedures specific to a particular occupation or profession. The institution provides a written justification and rationale for course equivalency. (General Education)
2.7.4 provides instruction for all course work required for at least one degree program at each level at which if awards degrees. If the institution makes arrangements for some instruction to be provided by other accredited institutions or entities through contracts or consortia, or uses some other alternative approach to meeting this requirement, the alternative approach must be approved by the Commission on Colleges. In all cases, the institution demonstrates that it controls all aspects of its educational program. (Contractual Agreements for Instruction)
Narrative: Program Length
Spartanburg Community College offers 36 associate degree programs, varying in length from a minimum of 60 credit hours to a maximum of 91 credit hours. All associate degree programs meet the criteria of the State Models as specified by the South Carolina Technical College System. Also, the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education and the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education have approved all associate degree programs.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Compliance
Partial Compliance