CAMPUS POLICY Approval Form.

Transcription

1 CAMPUS POLICY Now is the tie for all good men to POLICY NUMBER: CHAPTER: 200 Academic PAGE NUMBER: Page 1 of 6 EFFECTIVE DATE: OPR: VCAA, VCAF, VCSS VC: Provost/Academic Affairs, Finance & Administration, Student Success SUPERSESSION: APPROVED: by Pamela Shockley-Zalabak, Chancellor, on I. POLICY II. AUTHORITY FOR CAMPUS POLICIES Authority for the creation of campus administrative policies is found in The Laws of the Regents, 2007, Article 3 Section B.5(A) which states: The chancellor of each campus shall be the chief academic and administrative officer responsible to the president for the conduct of affairs of their respective campus in accordance with the policies of the Board of Regents. The chancellor shall have such other responsibilities as may be required by these Laws, or regent policy, or as may be delegated by the president. III. PURPOSE Whereas there are competing definitions of certificates and several campus stakeholders, whereas college or departmental procedures may not supersede or conflict with campus policy, this campus policy identifies and consolidates all operating procedures related to certificate programs. This policy is necessary as some certificate programs require financial aid and transcript notation, and all certificate programs must be evaluated for reporting purposes. A variety of certificates is possible with different federal and campus requirements that are delineated in this policy. This policy (and associated procedures) outlines the requirements for internal approval of all certificate programs; it does not supersede or replace external processes, compliance, or reporting beyond UCCS (e.g., CU Board of Regents, US Department of Education, Colorado Department of Higher Education, Higher Learning Commission, etc.). IV. DEFINITIONS Approval Form. A form required in approval process to explain the certificate program and to determine financial aid eligibility, student records and maintenance, and appropriate reporting and notification to the appropriate state, federal and accrediting agencies.

2 2 of 6 : A certificate program consists of a set of courses determined by a school, college, institute, or department that results in a sequence of study leading to a certificate of completion. s may be a single discipline or interdisciplinary. Since all academic credit is offered through a department, college, or institute, centers may participate in certificate programs for academic credit in collaboration with a hosting department, college, school, or institute. Course of Study (CoS ): A set of at least 4 credit-bearing courses (or a total of 12 credit hours) offered by UCCS within a field of instruction listed by Department of Education s Classification of Instructional (CIPs). The Course of Study is not intended to lead to gainful employment and may or may not be eligible for financial aid, as determined by the UCCS Office of Financial Aid in conjunction with state and federal regulations. Gainful Employment (GE ). that lead to gainful employment in a recognized occupation(s). The occupation(s) must be identified among those listed in the Standard Occupational Classification System managed by the U.S. Department of Labor and may be used by the Department of Education to determine whether finishers have been gainfully employed. Gainful employment programs are all programs except: programs that lead to a degree, programs that are two years in length and are fully transferable into a degree program, preparatory courses of study that are necessary for enrollment in a degree program, and programs for teacher certification or licensure. Gainful employment programs are Title IV eligible. Institutions must certify that each gainful employment program meets applicable institutional or program-level accreditation requirements and state or federal licensure standards. Teacher Education. This is nomenclature for an approved educator preparation program or a sequence of courses and experiences for the purpose of preparing teachers and other school professionals to be effective educators in prekindergarten through twelfth grade settings. The program culminates with a transcript notation indicating the student has completed the necessary coursework and is recommended by UCCS to the state to determine licensure. Licensure, which authorizes individuals to work in Colorado public schools, is granted by and only by the Colorado Department of Education. The UCCS College of Education is authorized to offer coursework in several endorsement areas. The College of Education should be contacted about endorsement areas and procedures. Teacher Education certificate programs are considered licensure programs and may not follow the processes described in this policy although they will require campus approval. Non-notated (NN ). This is a set of courses that a program groups together in a focused area, but will NOT be notated on the transcript nor approved for financial aid beyond students normal eligibility as a degree seeking student. A program may present to eligible students a piece of paper (a certificate) indicating completion of the set of courses. Departments/Units/ offering this type of certificate must make it clear that their programs are not GE or CoS certificates and be mindful that students may expect the certificate to be notated on transcripts. In particular, programs must inform students that this type of certificate will not be notated on their transcript, although the courses themselves will be on the transcript. These courses may be taken for credit as part of a degree,

3 3 of 6 major, or minor if approved by the department/college/school. are encouraged to consider if other certificate types may better fit the students need for official institutional documentation of the certificate program. Professional Development (PD ). This is a set of courses not taken for academic credit and which provides professional development for non-degree seeking students (degree-seeking students may participate in PD certificates but they do not count towards a degree). These certificates are notated on the non-credit transcript. Departments/Units/ offering this type of certificate must make it clear that their programs are not GE certificates and that they are not eligible for financial aid. Conferral: Within ISIS, a student s career (for degree or certificate program) is capped or finished. Students would need to apply to a different program to be able to continue enrollment after their certificate or degree has been conferred. Degree Program. An academic program that culminates in conferral of a baccalaureate, master s, or doctoral degree listed on the Colorado Department of Higher Education s List of Approved Degree for UCCS. Financial Aid Eligibility. Non-degree seeking students are eligible to apply for financial aid only if the certificate is approved by the U.S. Department of Education for gainful employment status. Students in degree-seeking programs and completing certificate programs may still be eligible for financial aid under the normal rules and expectations for financial aid. Students in non-credit professional development programs are not eligible for financial aid. Gainful Employment Regulations. Published by the U.S. Department of Education to establish standards for programs that prepare students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation. Rulemaking and regulations are subject to change. Refer to with GE certificates are responsible for ensuring they are in continual compliance with GE requirements. Title IV Eligible Program. A program authorized as eligible for certain types of federal financial aid under Title IV of the Higher Education Act. Title IV aid includes Federal Direct Loans, Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant, and Federal and Colorado Work-Study programs. Transcript Notation. Transcripts are the official record of the university, both for students and as the official university record. Only in unusual circumstances should a certificate program not be notated on transcripts. At the completion of the certificate program, a notation is added to the student s transcript indicating that an approved certificate program has been completed. Only GE, CoS, and PD s are eligible for transcript notation on the appropriate credit or non-credit transcript. Transcript notations will specifically name the type of certificate (e.g., GE, CoS, PD) and give the program name so that students and external audiences can clearly understand the transcript. Transcript notation requires the program to work closely with the Campus Implementation Committee to define how a certificate program should be notated within the university student information system. Location of notation changes depending on type of certificate program. V. PROCEDURES

4 4 of 6 1. Minimum requirements for certificate programs are delineated in the Standards and Procedures for s document. All certificate programs and proposals are expected to follow these requirements as well as requirements in their own unit and College. 2. Approval Processes for s a. All certificate programs must receive approval following college/school procedures. s being offered through collaboration across institutions must define who will get credit for conferrals of certificates and delineate responsibilities of each partnering institution. b. Following college approval, the Sponsoring Department submits a proposal to the appropriate campus committees as delineated in the Standards and Procedures for s document. c. Each PD certificate program must be linked to an academic department and receive approval from that department; although Office of Online and Academic Outreach may have administrative oversight for some certificates. 3. Reporting Requirements a. Different types of certificate programs may have reporting requirements. To meet the reporting requirements, the Campus Implementation Committee will be informed about proposed and approved certificate programs. b. Institutional Research includes certificate-seeking students in external reporting according to report specifications established by the requesting organization. students are not counted as degree-seeking students in SURDS nor IPEDS, but the students are counted as enrolled for credit. Only Gainful Employment completions will be recorded as conferrals within the Integrated Student Information System (ISIS) as per processes established by the Registrar. The Higher Learning Commissions of the North Central Association requires notification of Title IV eligible certificates in which 50% or more of the courses were developed specifically for the certificate; this notification process is delineated on the HLC website and should be coordinated through Academic Affairs. 4. Timelines Be aware that the process for a certificate to be reviewed may take up to six months (or more, under certain circumstances, if offered off-site). If a certificate has been approved mid-semester, it will not be an eligible program until the following term. 5. Applicability All programs offering a certificate program must have approval. If a program has not received campus approval in the past, they must seek approval under this policy. If a program has received approval by a campus process and is listed with Records as a CoS or GE certificate, then that past approval will hold. All existing non-notated certificates must seek approval under this policy. All new certificates must receive approval following processes outlined in this policy. 6. Marketing/Advertising/Publishing Information about When marketing certificate programs or posting information on a website, programs must be clear about the type of certificate program being offered and the implications for financial aid, transcript notation, and use of courses towards a degree program.

5 5 of 6 GE certificates have additional requirements from the federal government about information needed on websites and in marketing materials. VI. RESPONSIBILITIES Office of Online and Academic Outreach: Responsible for coordinating course instruction for any certificate programs that include noncredit courses. Helps manage student records and processes (e.g., admissions, registration, and completion) for noncredit courses. Campus Implementation Committee: The campus committee consists of representatives from Institutional Research, Financial Aid, and Admissions and Records. This committee reviews documentation for appropriateness for GE classification and any broad campus concerns (e.g., regarding transcript notation, financial aid eligibility). Council on Undergraduate Education: A committee responsible for undergraduate curriculum issues including review of undergraduate level certificates proposals. Dean of the Graduate School: The Dean of the Graduate School is responsible for convening and chairing the Graduate School Executive Committee, the review of graduate-level certificate proposals, and coordinating proposals with Academic Affairs and Records. Financial Aid Director: The UCCS Office of Financial Aid determines whether certificate programs and whether individual students are eligible for financial aid based on institutional, state, and federal regulations. The Financial Aid Director is responsible for ensuring that approved certificate programs are reported in the Electronic Version of the Application for Approval to participate in the Federal Student Financial Aid (E-App). The Financial Aid Director is a member of the Campus Implementation Committee. Graduate School Executive Committee: A committee led by the Dean of the Graduate School responsible for review of graduate-level certificate proposals after a proposal has received appropriate academic college/school review and approval. Institutional Research Director: The Director of Institutional Research is responsible for reporting certificate programs and enrollment-related information to the following but not limited to: the Colorado Department of Higher Education via the Student Unit Record Data System (SURDS), the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association via Annual Institutional Updates and accreditation reports, and the National Center for Education Statistics via the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). The Director of Institutional Research is a member of the Campus Implementation Committee. Provost s Office or Academic Affairs (VCAA): The Office of the Provost is responsible for review and approval of all certificate proposals and relaying final approvals back to the Sponsoring Liaison and Campus Implementation Committee. Registrar: The Registrar, within the Office of Admissions & Student Records, is responsible for managing student records in the student information system and for processing the admissions, registration, and completion processes for certificate-seeking students. The Registrar is a member of the Campus Implementation Committee.

6 6 of 6 Sponsoring Department: The academic department that sponsors a certificate is responsible for day-to-day operation of the fiscal, personnel, and instructional duties associated with a certificate program. For Gainful Employment s, the Sponsoring Department is responsible for maintaining compliance with changing regulations and required disclosures including information on costs, earnings, debt, default rates, and completion rates. Sponsoring Liaison: An individual responsible for coordinating with all interested parties including students, faculty, and offices or committees associated with certificate programs. VII. HISTORY April 1, 2014: March 14, 2014: October 29, 2010: UCCS Policy [DRAFT] U.S. Department of Education releases Gainful Employment Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the Federal Register. U.S. Department of Education publishes initial Gainful Employment Regulations in the Federal Register. VIII. ATTACHMENTS: Procedures for Approval