McLennan Community College

Transcription

1 McLennan Community College POLICIES AND PROCEDURES Substantive Change: Subject: Purpose and Membership Reference B-XXIII Vice President, Research, Effectiveness, & Source: Information Technology Eff. Date: September 15, 2014 Approval Auth: President Approved: Remarks: Replaces previous policy dated April 2, 2012 Date: September 15, 2014 PURPOSE The purpose of the McLennan Community College Substantive Change policy is to ensure MCC compliance with the SACSCOC policy on substantive change. (SACSCOC Substantive Change Policy Statement) Member s of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) are required to notify the Commission of changes in accordance with the substantive change policy and, when required, seek approval prior to the initiation of changes. Member s are required to have a policy and procedure to ensure that all substantive changes are reported to the Commission in a timely fashion. DEFINITION Substantive Change is defined by SACSCOC as a significant modification or expansion of the nature and scope of an accredited. Substantive change includes but not limited to the following: Change in the established mission or objectives of the college Change in legal status, form of control, or ownership of the college Addition of courses or that represent a significant departure, either in content or method of delivery, from those that were offered when the was last evaluated Page 1 of 5

2 Addition of courses or at a degree or credential level above that which is included in the college s current accreditation or reaffirmation Change from clock hours to credit hours Substantial increase in the number of clock or credit hours awarded for successful completion of a program Establishment of an additional location geographically apart from the main campus at which the college offers at least 50 percent of an educational program Establishment of a branch campus PROCEDURES The MCC Substantive Change Committee is assigned the responsibility of coordinating efforts to identify the need for and creation of letters, applications, and prospectus documents. Substantive change proposals are initiated through the MCC Instructional Council, President s Council, or Board of Trustees depending on the nature of the change. The Substantive Change Committee shall review proposed changes to determine if: 1. the proposed change meets the definition of a substantive change according to the SACSCOC Substantive Change Policy Statement 2. the proposed change is consistent with the college s mission. The Substantive Change Committee will meet once each long semester or as needed to consider proposals and review the SACSCOC Policy Statement on substantive change requirements. The committee will revise the MCC Substantive Change policy as needed to ensure that it is consistent with SACSCOC requirement. The SACS liaison representative in the Office of Research, Effectiveness, and Information Technology will be responsible for communicating and submitting substantive change request to SACSCOC for approval. The development and of all potential substantive changes must be coordinated with the Substantive Change Committee to allow ample time to satisfy the timeframes for submission as outlined in the SACSCOC Policy Statement. COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP Proposed changes shall be submitted to the Substantive Change Committee composed of the following: Vice President, Program Development (co-chair) Vice President, Research, Effectiveness, and Information Technology Dean, Arts and Sciences Dean, Workforce Education Dean, Education and Learning Services (co-chair) Chair, Faculty Council Page 2 of 5

3 Types of Substantive Changes and Procedures Types of Change NOTICE TIMEFRAME FOR CONTACTING SACSCOC APPROVAL DOCUMENTATION Initiating coursework or at a more advanced level than currently approved. Expanding at current degree level (significant departure from current ) 1 12 months Application for Level Change. Due dates: April 15 or October 1 Prospectus Initiating a branch campus 2 Prospectus Initiating joint degrees with another Prospectus Initiating a certificate program using existing approved courses ne at a new off-campus site (previously approved program) Approval prior to Modified prospectus that is a significant departure from previously approved Approval prior to Modified prospectus Initiating off-campus sites (including Early College High School offered at the high school) students can obtain 50% or more credits toward program Prospectus students can obtain 25-49% of credit students can obtain 24% or less ne Expanding program offerings at previously approved off-campus sites adding that are significantly different from current adding that are NOT significantly different from current Page 3 of 5

4 Types of Change NOTICE TIMEFRAME FOR CONTACTING SACSCOC APPROVAL DOCUMENTATION Altering significantly the educational mission of the 3 Prospectus Initiating distance learning offering 50% or more of a program (Adding subsequent requires advance only for that are a significant departure from those originally approved) offering 25-49% Prospectus offering 24% or less ne Initiating or courses offered through contractual agreement or consortium and copy of signed agreement Initiating a merger or consolidation with another Relocating a main or branch campus Prospectus Due dates: April 15 or October 1 Prospectus Relocating an off-campus instructional site Changing governance, ownership, control, or legal status of an Changing from clock hours to credit hours Altering significantly the length of a program 4 Initiating degree completion Prospectus Prospectus Prospectus Prospectus Closing an or program: closing a program with internal teach-out protocol Description of plan closing a program with a teach-out agreement with another Copy of teach-out agreement closing an Description of plan Page 4 of 5

5 1 A significant departure in program is one in which the proposed new program has no closely related counterpart amount the previously approved in the curriculum. To determine if a new program is a significant departure, it is helpful to if the new program requires: numbers of new faculty many new courses new library or other learning resources new equipment or facilities a new resource base 2 A branch campus is defined as a location of an that is geographically apart and independent of the main campus of the. A location is independent of the main campus if the location is: permanent in nature offers courses in educational leading to a degree, certificate, or other recognized educational credential has its own faculty and administrative or supervisory organization and has its own budgetary and hiring authority 3 Significant changes in mission are those that lead to a fundamental shift in the nature of the, such as an that had offered only professional deciding to add general education offerings, or a technical college transforming itself into a comprehensive community college. 4 Significant changes in program length are those with noticeable impact on the program s completion time (e.g., increasing a baccalaureate degree from 124 hours to 150 hours). Page 5 of 5