building a vision of excellence · report to the commission on higher education new england...

Report to the Commission on

Higher Education

New England Association of Schools and Colleges

Building A Vision Of Excellence

Self-Study

Quinsigamond Community College

Self-Study 2003

Prepared for: The Commission on Institutions of Higher Education,

New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc.

670 West Boylston Street

Worcester, MA 01606-2092 www.qcc.mass.edu

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http://www.qcc.mass.edu/


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page Title Page……………………………..……………………………………………………………...i Table of Contents……...……………………………………………………………………………ii-iii Glossary…………………………………………………………………………………………… ..iv-v Institutional Characteristics…………………………………………………………………..……vi-viii Organizational Charts………………………………………………………………………………ix-xi Chief Institutional Officers………………………………………………………………………...xii President’s Message………………………………………………………………………………..xiii-xiv Self-Study Committees Steering Committee and Subcommittees

for the Eleven Standards…………………………………………………………………xv-xvi Preface……………………………………………………..………………………………………xvii-xviii Overview…………………………………………………………………………………………..xix-xx NARRATIVE STANDARD ONE…………………………………………………………………………… 1 - 5 Mission and Purpose STANDARD TWO…………………………………………………………………………… 6 -17 Planning and Evaluation STANDARD THREE………………………………………………………………………...18 - 28 Organization and Governance STANDARD FOUR…………………………………………………………………………. 29 -71 Programs and Instruction STANDARD FIVE……………………………………………………………………………72 - 90 Faculty STANDARD SIX……………………………………………………………………………. 91 - 114 Student Services STANDARD SEVEN……………………………………………………………………… . 115 - 130 Library and Information Resources

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page STANDARD EIGHT……………………………………………………………………….131 - 143 Physical Resources

STANDARD NINE…………………………………………………………………………144 - 155 Financial Resources

STANDARD TEN…………………………………………………………………………..156 - 163 Public Disclosure STANDARD ELEVEN………………………………………………………………………164 - 167 Integrity Appendices CIHE Data Form I Current Fund Revenues and Expenditures……………………………………168 CIHE Data Form II Changes in Fund Balances and Indebtedness…………………………………169 CIHE Data Form III Student Admissions Data…………………………………………………….…170 CIHE Data Form IV Student Enrollment Data………………………………………………….……171 CIHE Data Form V Projected Financial, Tuition, and Enrollment Data………….……………….172 CIHE Data Form VI Faculty Profile………………………………………………………….……….173 - 176 CIHE Data Form VII Student Headcount by Major………………………………………………….177 -179 CIHE Data Form VIII

Credit Hours Generated by Department or Comparable Academic Unit

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GLOSSARY

AAC: Academic Affairs Committee ACC: All-College Council Accuplacer: computerized assessment test for math and reading ACF: All-College Forum ACRL: Association of College and Research Libraries AFSCME: American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees ALA: American Library Association APA: Applied Arts Program BHE: Massachusetts State Board of Higher Education (Governing board for post-secondary institutions) BRT: Budget Resource Team CAPS Plan: Career, Academic, Personal Success Plan CARS: Campus Area Record System to be replaced by “CX” (Jenzabar CX, the campus networking platform) CCE: Center for Continuing Education CMRLS: Central Massachusetts Regional Library System CORE CURRICULUM: skills and competencies inherent in all programs CORI: Criminal Offender Record Information CSC: Communication Skills Center CW/MARS: Central and Western Massachusetts Automated Resource Sharing Network DCAM: Division of Capital Asset Management EBE: Experience-Based Education EBSCO: ESL: English as a Second Language FAVA: Friends Achieving with Varying Abilities FY: Fiscal Year GASB: Governmental Accounting Standards Board GED: General Education Development General Education: The minimum programmatic required courses/ credits across disciplines HHC: Health Careers Center IE: Institutional Effectiveness ILC: Individual Learning Center IPR: Internal Program Review LRC: Learning Resource Center MBLC: Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners MCCC: Massachusetts Community College Council MCAS: Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System MCCLPHEI: Massachusetts Conference of Chief Librarians of Public higher Education MTA: Massachusetts Teachers’ Association NACADA: National Academic Advising Association NDI: New Directions Institute N-L SSI: Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory NREMT: National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians QCC Ideals: standards that delimit behaviors of campus civility QCC Portfolio: Web based profile of the College’s work-in-progress on Institutional Effectiveness SABES: Systems for Adult Basic Education Supports TITLE III: A federal “strengthening institutions” grant of $1.8 million to construct a new paradigm of services to under-prepared in-coming students.

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USDOE: United States Department of Education Writeplacer: computerized assessment test for composing skills WTI: Worcester Technical Institute

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vi

INSTITUTIONAL CHARACTERISTICS


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viii


Assistant to the President

Director of Institutional

Research

Assistant to the President/Secretary to the

Board of Trustees

PRESIDENT'S STAFF Board of Trustees

President

Vice President for Enrollment

and Student

Director of Human

Resources

Vice President of

Academic Affairs

Executive Directorof

Development

Vice President for

Administrative Services

Director of Marketing and

Public Relations

ORGANIZATIONAL CHARTS

Administrative Assistant I Clerk IV

Vice Presidentof

Academic Affairs

Director of Special Projects

Assessment Specialist/ Research Analyst Title III

Director of Career

Development Title III

Dean of Instruction for

Health Care and Life Sciences

Dean of Instruction

for Technology


Business Management and Human

Services

Dean, Center for Continuing Education

Assistant Dean, Academic

Support Services/ Executive

Director of Library


Research


Humanities and Social Sciences

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Administrative Assistant I1 Administrative Assistant I1

Administrative Assistant I rk III

Vice Presidentof Enrollment

udentServices

Campus Ministry

Associate Dean

of Enrollment

and StudentServices

Director ofFinancial

Aid

AssociateDean of Student

Retention Services

AssociateDean of

Enrollment Services

Director of Student Life and Sports

Management

Director of Admissions

Cleand St

Administrative Assistant I

Vice-President ofAdministrative

Services

Comptroller Chief

TechnologyOfficer

Director of Facilities

Associate Dean of


Assistant Dean of

Auxiliary Operations

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HUMAN RESOURCES

Director ofHuman Resources

Coordinator of Staff

Development (PT)

Assistant Director of

Human Resources for Affirmative Action and

Recruitment

HumanResources

Administrator

HumanResources

Administrator


Human Resources forEmployment

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CHIEF INSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS FUNCTION OR OFFICAL NAME EXACT TITLE Chair Board of Trustees Roland Gauthier Chair

President/Director Dr. Sandra Kurtinitis President

Executive Vice President N/A

Chief Academic Officer Dr. Cathy L. Livingston Vice President of Academic Affairs

Deans of Schools and Colleges N/A

Chief Financial Officer Sheila Sykes Vice President of Administrative Services

Student Services Officer Ann Carroll Vice President of Enrollment & Student Services

Planning Dr. Cathy L. Livingston Vice President of Academic Affairs

Institutional Research Dr. Joseph Lanni Director of Institutional Research

Development vacant

Library Anne Pound Assistant Dean of Academic Services

Continuing Education Christopher Robbins Dean of Continuing Education

Grants/Research Richard Ricardi Director of Grants Development

Admissions Ronald Smith Director of Admission

Registrar Tara Fitzgerald Jenkins Associate Dean of Enrollment & Student Services/Registrar

Financial Aid Iris Godes Director of Financial Aid

Public Relations Victor Somma Director of Marketing & Public Affairs

Alumni Associations Victor Somma Director of Marketing & Public Affairs

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

The simplest way to describe Quinsigamond Community College is a work in progress. Over the

past ten years our College has begun the painful, hard climb from an institution plagued by fiscal

challenge, stagnant programming, outdated systems and debilitated physical plant to one that is vibrant,

alert and alive. We are working hard to transcend the fiscal challenges which constantly beset the public

higher education system in Massachusetts, although our visit could not take place in a less favorable fiscal

clime. While following a planful approach to transforming ourselves from the inside out, the College has

crafted an aggressive agenda of change focused on achieving state-of-the-art currency in everything we

do: curriculum, facilities, equipment, institutional systems, and faculty and staff expertise. Within the

next 3-5 years, we intend to become one of the most progressive institutions in the state, and, in spite of

current fiscal set backs, we are well on our way to achieving that.

Over the past ten years Quinsigamond has engaged in nothing short of institutional

transformation. On a scale of 1 to 10 to mark our progress, we may now be at about 6. Our mission and

vision are clear; our systems are growing progressively solid; our faculty and staff are engaged; our

progress is steady. We have done much, but we have much yet to do, and we will not rest until we are

done. We are under no illusions about how much we have yet to do, but we celebrate, thank and

congratulate our hard working faculty and staff for all that we have accomplished to date.

This Self-Study is a testimony to both of those impulses. Within its covers, we have worked to

applaud our achievements while stating honestly the challenges we must continue to address. While those

challenges are far fewer than those which we faced in 1993, they are nonetheless significant. Our campus

has worked hard to prepare for this visit; we hope that you will find the description, the appraisal and the

projection reflective of a campus in transition but a campus firmly in charge of its destiny.

I thank our courageous and hard working Steering Committee and all the members of our many

Standard Subcommittees for their hard work on our behalf. They have dedicated the last 18 months to

examining every inch of our campus infrastructure on our collective behalf. For that we are grateful. I

thank the faculty and staff of Quinsigamond Community College for the extraordinary progress we have

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made over the past ten years and for their continued willingness to press shoulder to the wheel as we

move into the next phase of our institutional life cycle. We welcome our peer reviewers to our campus,

and we extend our full commitment to assisting you as you review and assess our inner workings. The

Self-Study process has been enormously helpful in enabling us to understand ourselves. We welcome and

look forward to your input and feedback.

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SELF – STUDY COMMITTEES

Steering Committee

Standard One Chair: Richard Baldwin Mission and Purposes Standard Two Chair: Cathy Livingston Planning and Evaluation Standard Three Chair: Marilyn Martin Organization and Governance Standard Four Chair: Kathy Rentsch, Charles Pedersen Programs and Instruction Standard Five Chair: Walter Swett Faculty Standard Six Chair: Betsy Zuegg, Jeri Thornton Student Services Standard Seven Chair: Anne Pound, Ken Dwyer Library and Information

Resources Standard Eight Chair: Larry Popple Physical Resources Standard Nine Chair: Nancy Smith Financial Resources Standard Ten Chair: Tara Fitzgerald-Jenkins Public Disclosure Standard Eleven Chair: Combined with Standard Ten Integrity

Subcommittee Members

Standard Five: Barbara Dawidjan Standard One: Adrienne Nichols Richard Devine Susan Laprade Ralph Parente Allison Shields Brenda Marshall Sandra England Standard Two: None Steven Rayshick Mary Scott Standard Three: Kathi Lewando Ellis Paakkonen Maura Stickles

Margaret Wong Susan McPherson

Jane Pickett Maureen Woolhouse Virginia Asadoorian Susan Laprade Bill Daring Standard Six: Deb Levin Standard Four: Laraine Sommella Maria Addison Maria Addison

Jane Shea George McDermott

Marsha Garstka

Rick Ricardi Tony Nardella

Denise Minor Nancy Berthiaume Charulata Trivedi Sarah Hovespian

Iris Godes

Liz Woods Kathy Rentsch Joan Ladik Ron Smith Mary Scott Carol Murphy Barry Glinski Jeri Thornton Peg McGrath Jim Heffernan Karen Cox Jane June Beth Elbeg Charulata Trivedi

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Standard Seven: Rick Ricardi Deb Dowen Liz Woods Sheila Booth Elaine Previte Loan Anh Vidmanis Standard Eight: Chuck Barton Adrian Comeaux Dennis Fitzgerald Pam Fitzgerald Tara Fitzgerald Don Hall Dan Lamarche Susan Laprade Luz Rupert-Lopez Trent Masiki Barbara Melanson Cheryl Martunas Rick Ricardi Faith Symmes Liz Woods

Standard Nine: Christina Hebert Kevin Kiernan Pam Fitzgerald Iris Godes Rick Ricardi Bob Smith Faith Symmes Susan Laprade Bob Prior Standard Ten/Eleven: Susan Laprade Iris Godes Nancy Smith Victor Somma Ray Bauwens Pat Toney Carol Rinaldi Dan Daly

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PREFACE

Upon notice in June 2001 from Dr. Charles Cook that Quinsigamond was scheduled for

accreditation review in Fall 2003, President Sandra Kurtinitis launched the formal NEASC Self-Study

process at the College’s January, 2002 All College Day She appointed Dr. Cathy Livingston, Vice

President of Academic Affairs, to serve as the Chair of the Steering Committee and extended an open

invitation to all members of the College community to participate in the process, either as members of the

Steering Committee or as participants in one of the eleven Standard sub-committees. Over 70 members of

the College community became actively involved in this opportunity to engage in institutional self-

reflection.

In her January 2, 2002 memo to the College community, the President committed the College to

“taking a ‘no holds barred’ look at the College from top to bottom” and encouraged the campus to use the

Self-Study experience as “an opportunity for the institution to take stock of itself, to applaud its successes

and to address its deficiencies and challenges.” She declared that the work on the NEASC Self-Study

would become the underpinnings of the College’s Strategic Planning for the next five years. Specific to

the NEASC Self-Study, analysis would aim to highlight the self-identified, following needs:

• To chronicle and assess the College's internal changes over the last decade and to document

and assess its relationship with the Central Massachusetts community.

• To invite and involve all those connected to the College -- as employees, students, liaisons

with businesses, and others -- into the inquiry process.

• To review and assess all programs, policies, and characteristics as separate strands (NEASC

standards) in relation to an entire fabric of operations.

• To form the basis of future directions in light of results.

As work began in earnest in that Spring, Dr. Livingston framed a skeletal structure to guide the

work of both Steering Committee and Standard sub-committees. Committees met monthly and into the

summer gathering data for the description and appraisal sections of the report. In April 2002, the Steering

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Committee, with the assistance of the Technology Department, set up, via paper and Webboard, a

Campus Survey (available in workroom) to seek input from all employees of the College. The data

generated from that survey revealed in-house perceptions of various College attributes.

In August 2002, Dr. Livingston and the Steering Committee compiled a working outline of the

process to that point, noting especially how the study was shaping up and what gaps and overloads

needed attention. President Kurtinitis and her Senior Staff reviewed that collection, and noted positive and

negative attributes to be integrated into the committees' discussions for the next round of meetings. In

September 2002, Ms. Kathy Frederickson, Professor of English, assumed the role of editor for the

document in its entirety. Working with each Chair of the Standards Committees and with Dr. Livingston,

she reviewed and revised the text of each standard.

Consistent efforts have been made to keep the College community informed and involved in the

Self-Study process. At each All College Day since the launching of the NEASC Self-Study process, the

President has discussed the significance of the Self-Study review in relation to the College’s goals, and

the Vice President has summarized progress to date. Additionally, results of the Self-Study were the

featured topics for the November and December All-College Forums in Fall 2002. The entire College

community was invited to those sessions at which Committee Chairs presented summaries of their work

and members of the College community were given an opportunity to pose questions and concerns.

After Ms. Frederickson prepared several working drafts for Steering Committee review, she

completed a more polished draft in late April 2003, which was shared with the College community to

solicit broader input throughout May 2003. The Self-Study was refined and finalized throughout the

Summer of 2003 and forwarded to the NEASC Visiting Team in early September, 2003 in preparation for

its October 2003 visit.

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OVERVIEW

Founded in 1963 as the sixth community college in Massachusetts, Quinsigamond Community

College has situated itself as a prototypical open-access institution of higher learning. Emerging into a

post 9/11 culture, we understand now, more than ever, the centrality of forging new teaching/ learning

paradigms as well as maintaining our adaptability to a complex modern world with its demands for new

workforce development. Providing opportunity and enabling access to our shared ideology of the

American dream, in all its divergent interpretations, we occupy a unique educational niche in our

seemingly paradoxical commitment to provide both constancy and change. Educating individuals in a

holistic environment that nurtures intellect, spirit, and emotion, we foster community and diversity -

diversity in community.

The last five years have seen in-house changes meant to accommodate environmental and cultural

changes. Since our Five-Year Interim Report of 1998, we have maintained the Teaching/Learning

Roundtable as an engaged, thinking body for the College, and have initiated new institutional endeavors

meant to gauge our strengths and challenges. The award of Federal Title III Grant monies in 2001 of $1.8

million necessary to the reconceptualization and reconstruction of our Developmental Education

instruction has been a tremendous boon to our resource pool. We are able now to implement concrete

remedies identified by a long-standing task force. Additional efforts to affect positive change and

enhance integrity, whether they be a $15 million state-of-the-art Learning Center, better signage to direct

new students, or the hiring of new faculty, are tied to budget planning and incrementally have contributed

to a renewed campus culture.

The College's core values, meant to foster a climate of accomplishment and achievement,

continue to guide the Strategic Plan for 2002-2007 and highlight the following strategic directions:

• Curriculum Transformation • Planned Growth • Enrollment Management • Technology • Professional Experience • Facilities Upgrade

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• Fiscal Resources • Institutional Effectiveness

Student enrollment has grown from its 1992 enrollment of 3707 to a current 6621 -- 2802 of

whom attend full-time and 3819 part-time (Fall 2002). For Spring, 2003, students subscribed to 1066

credit courses (including all labs, tutorials, asynchronous courses and other learning arrangements). The

Center for Continuing Education's Spring, 2003 offerings total 1,400 courses -- including all public

course offerings, contract training and training online.

Current shifts and challenges:

As increasing numbers of students depart from the traditional profile, more immigrants, working

parents, disabled individuals, individuals with untenable MCAS (high school exit exam linked to

awarding of diploma) scores, displaced or "downsized" workers require creative educational

arrangements. Expanded weekend scheduling has been in place since Fall, 2002; early morning classes

commencing at 6:40 accommodate workers; online courses, both credit and noncredit, have been offered

since 2000; special retraining programs have assisted people in transition and educational offerings that

are tailored to external trends as well as workforce needs have mushroomed. The campus has also

expanded its presence in the community with its College at the Mall satellite, its downtown Continuous

Learning Center, its nearby Southbridge facility, and is considering negotiating for more space in the

vicinity.

The last three years have seen a reduction in state funding: A15% reduction in state funding for

this academic year alone has stressed not so much our short- and long-term goals, but the pace at which

we proceed. In spite of marked deficits in funding and staffing, the College maintains its vitality and

agency; our flexibility in these transitional times attests to our hallmark ability to affect and be affected by

the community we serve.

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STANDARD ONE - MISSION AND PURPOSE

DESCRIPTION

The Quinsigamond Community College Mission Statement was revised in 1997 and is consistent

with Chapter 15A of the General Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The College provides a

variety of high quality transfer and career programming at both the Associate and Certificate level that

serves the needs of the citizens and industry in the College’s service area. Specific training needs are

addressed through the Center for Continuing Education which provides incumbent and transitional

workers with both synchronous and asynchronous non-credit courses. The educational needs of the

growing immigrant and under-educated populations are addressed through the College’s English as a

Second Language and Adult Basic Education programs. The Adult Basic Education Grant, which is

funded through the Department of Education, allows the Center for Continuing Education to service 1000

learners each year. The Center provides them with the skills to enter higher education, to obtain

employment or to advance their career.

With its wide range of support services, variety of programming, and relatively low tuition --

$115.00 per credit -- the College provides access to education for virtually all of the citizens of Central

Massachusetts regardless of socio-economic or educational status. The Mission Statement, which

consists of twenty-six words, was revised, with input from all segments of the College community over

the 1996-1997 academic year and accepted by the Board of Higher Education in 1999:

Quinsigamond Community College serves the educational needs of Central Massachusetts by

providing affordable, accessible, and high quality programming leading to career, transfer, and lifelong

learning.

Since the revision of the mission in 1997, significant efforts have been made to ensure that all

members of the College community are familiar with it. The President routinely grounds her comments

in the mission in her All College Day presentations at the beginning of each Fall and Spring semester.

Recently, all College publications were reviewed for inclusion of the mission statement. As of Fall 2002,

Standard I 1


the mission statement is now included in the Schedule Booklet for Credit Courses, the 2002-2003 College

Catalog, and all subsequent Catalog productions. More recently, the College launched a Mission

Visibility Project via a partnership of the Public Affairs Office, the Staff Development Committee, and

the College’s Applied Arts Program. At a recent All College Day, all faculty and staff received a framed

copy of the College’s mission/ vision/ values and ideals statements to display on their desks. Handsome

framed posters containing these same statements are exhibited in all classrooms and public spaces.

Dissemination of the mission to the external community occurs through several publications, most

prominently in “A Report to the Community,” a document circulated in Spring 2002, to businesses,

colleges, and high schools in the College’s service area.

The mission statement is the umbrella document and yardstick by which academic programs are

evaluated through the process of Internal Program Review (IPR, further noted in Standard Four), an

examination of current offerings which seeks to validate the quality of extant programs, identify revisions,

including the replacement of outdated curricula with more current information. The findings of Internal

Program Review translate into concrete justification for new and innovative classroom supports, new or

additional faculty positions, new or additional equipment, and other requests for tangible improvements.

The mission, vision, goals, and presidential initiatives drive the formation of the QCC Strategic Plan,

evaluated annually by the College Community for progress and modified annually to reflect evolving

priorities and challenges.

APPRAISAL

Strengths

Five years ago, the College decided to "simplify the mission and live it" to reduce a multi-page

mission statement to a short, sharp expression that could define what is “quintessentially Quinsigamond”

(Fifth Year Interim Report 11). In an attempt to "meet the challenge of shaping a technologically literate,

yet humane citizenry, able to thrive, not just survive, in Marshall McLuhan's Global Village" (Fifth Year

Interim Report 33), the College is not only supporting, but also producing, a technologically savvy

student and staff population.

Standard I 2


All students have access to computers in assisted computer labs; all faculty have desk-top

computers, internet connections and CARS (administrative software) capacities. Asynchronous learning,

both credit and non-credit, is integrated into course offerings, and support staff maintain the infrastructure

for all College technology.

Challenges

The Institutional Survey (noted in the Preface) reveals a gap in perceptions of the mission. The

text of the mission statement does not really capture the College's "distinctive character" (NEASC

Standards for Accreditation 3). Though 86% of respondents to the College Survey believe the Mission

and Purposes were clear to them, 40% of the administrative personnel and 30% of the full-time faculty

and unit professionals believe that the College does not collect sufficient data required to regularly

evaluate its performance against the Mission Statement. Further, close to 35% of the responding

administrative staff believes the College needs to prioritize concrete methods of measuring attainment of

goals. In other words, personnel believe they understand the Mission but are not clear how the Mission

guides their daily work. College respondents are unsure how, exactly, QCC meets the needs of Central

Massachusetts without specific benchmarks or observable anchors. Further, it appears the Mission is not

uniformly applied to all areas of the College. Weekend College, Workforce Development and the growing

numbers of ESL and immigrant students are slighted in budgetary and programmatic planning; thus,

though the Mission impacts all College decisions, its lack of clarity destabilizes the decision making

process. Less than half --- 46.1% of respondents to the College Survey -- believe that workforce

development is a major component of the Mission. Further, the lack of an Institutional Researcher -- the

position, although recently filled in August 2003, has been vacant for 3 years -- attests to the limited data

collection of aggregates, trends, profiles and practices -- of students and employees. That deficit is

explicated in Standard Two, Planning and Evaluation, Appraisal.

PROJECTION

To address these concerns, the President appointed a Task Force to review the College’s mission

statement in September, 2002. Working throughout the year, the Task Force met its goal to forward a

Standard I 3


recommendation to revise the College’s mission statement this past Spring. Quinsigamond is ready for

the next constructivist action in relation to our mission. Now that we have the capabilities to connect to

the world, how do we conceptualize it, our relationship to it and the implications for students, their

careers and families? In an effort to address those questions, to more clearly craft the mission statement

to eliminate discrepancies in interpretation, and to articulate more thoughtfully those attributes that

contribute to the College's uniqueness, a draft of a new mission statement will be moved through the

Governance approval process:

As a regional leader in education and workforce development, Quinsigamond Community College provides learners, employers, and the community at large high quality comprehensive credit and non-credit programming leading to immediate employment, transfer, or personal/ professional enhancement.

Operational Guidelines

To accomplish its mission, the College:

• Provides access to its constituency through a strong developmental program and flexible scheduling.

• Offers academic programming that, where possible, provides a career ladder pathway to accommodate the economic and educational needs of the learner.

• Provides a full range of student support services including career counseling, academic advising, and academic support.

• Facilitates a seamless transition through the educational continuum with the development of articulation agreements with secondary schools and baccalaureate granting institutions.

• Conducts ongoing, systematic evaluation to document institutional quality, effectiveness, and fiscal responsibility.

This proposed revision enables more thorough assessment by subjecting the operational

guidelines to quantitative and qualitative appraisals. These appraisals will support systematic evaluations

of institutional effectiveness by more clearly measuring the degree to which the College achieves its

stated mission. The presence of an institutional research officer will hopefully over time remedy the

institutional deficit with respect to data collection and analysis. This proposed draft also assists in

moving the College to a one-college concept by more fully integrating the various operations of the

College under the umbrella of the Mission Statement. The College has taken and will continue to take

action to ensure that the Mission Statement is included in publications intended for widespread

Standard I 4


distribution internally and externally. Various departments and programs are in the process of crafting

their own mission statements to reflect their roles beneath the umbrella of the College’s mission statement

with the intention that consistency, commonality, and interconnectedness undergird all arenas of the

College.

Standard I 5


STANDARD TWO – PLANNING AND EVALUATION

DESCRIPTION

This standard presented one of the greatest challenges in preparing the College’s Self-Study.

Although continuous efforts had been made to fill the position of Director of Institutional Research, the

position, now recently filled, had been vacant for three years (from March 2000 – August 2003).

Although the College produces and assembles an enormous amount of data, and basic reporting needs

continue to be supported by other offices on campus, the absence of a centralized office to manage,

collect and analyze data has made it difficult for the College to participate in planning and evaluation

activities that rely on data to inform and guide decision making.

Anticipating a timely appointment of a Director of Institutional Research subsequent to initiating

the self-study process in January 2002, the College delayed assembling a committee to work on this

standard. However, since the new Director was not appointed until the summer of 2003, the President

assigned the task of preparing this standard to Dr. Cathy L. Livingston, Vice President of Academic

Affairs. Dr. Livingston assumed oversight responsibility for the Office of Planning and Institutional

Research in the summer, 2002.

Prior to President Kurtinitis’s arrival in 1995, the College had no strategic planning process. An

outdated Five-Year Plan sat in the president’s office, long untouched, while the College flirted with the

concepts of TQM. To bring focus to this planning vacuum and to give clear direction to the

transformational work to be done at the College, in January 1996, the college community participated in a

strategic planning exercise that produced more than seven hundred priorities, indicating the clear need for

radical action and a cohesive college-wide agenda. These priorities were weighted to reflect those

deemed most important to the growth of the College and then grouped into eight general categories:

curriculum transformation, technology, enrollment services, workforce development, staff development,

governance, facilities, and marketing. Task forces were set to work on each, and these constructs were

refined into the strategic directions which formed a blue print for action which—annually revised-- has

Standard II 6


guided the College’s aggressive agenda of change. As these preliminary steps were largely bootstrap

efforts to create a mindset and environment for focused action, in 2001, the College engaged the services

of a planning consultant, Dr. Kathryn German, to facilitate the more formal assemblage of a 3-5 Year

Plan for the College (2002 – 2006) which guides, but has not replaced the exercise in which the College

engages annually to refine its directions.

The key mechanism for promoting action on the College’s strategic initiatives is the Teaching/

Learning Roundtable and the series of task forces which radiate outward from it. Created by the President

in 1998, the Teaching/Learning Roundtable (TLR) serves as the College’s strategic thinking body.

Chaired by the Vice President of Academic Affairs, the TLR meets monthly and consists of 28-30

representatives from across the College. It serves as the umbrella mechanism to coordinate and support

the work of the individual Task Forces which have, since 1996, provided extensive grass roots

involvement to the College’s strategic planning efforts. Since that time, the President annually issues a

charge to each Task Force which is made up of from 10 – 20 volunteers with Chairs appointed by the

president. Depending on the agenda, as many as 150 faculty and staff have been involved in Task Force

work in any one year. While several of the original Task Forces are still in place, the President, with

input from her staff, revises their charge annually to adapt to their evolving goals and appoints new Task

Forces as needed. Membership also fluctuates, depending on the specific tasks and the availability and

interest of College personnel. The following Task Forces were in place for 2002 – 2003:

Library Transition Team (new)

Campus Committee

Mission Review (new)

Enrollment Management

Staff Development

Technology Integration

Facilities Use/Library Backfill

Curriculum Transformation: QCC Plan of Education

Standard II 7


Institutional Effectiveness (new)

Developmental Advising Model (new)

Web Registration (new)

One Stop Expansion (new).

Each year the President hosts a luncheon in mid to late September to introduce the new and

revised goals and agendas of the TLR and the Task Forces. Invitations are extended to anyone serving on

the TLR and/or the various Task Forces and governance committees, as well as members of Senior Staff

and members of their Staffs. Generally, 75-100 people attend. The President provides an overview of the

goals for the year, and introduces the chairs of the Task Forces. The Vice President of Academic Affairs

provides a more in-depth view of the general theme that will serve as the TLR’s focus for the year.

Two years ago, TLR members began to recognize they had outgrown the original role and

function of the TLR, and they expressed the desire to tackle more substantive projects. In its early years,

the TLR meetings served primarily as “reporting out” opportunities. Sharing the work and ongoing

progress of each Task Force provided everyone with the much needed opportunity to coordinate efforts

and benefit from the thinking of each group. However, after using this model for several years, it became

clear that committee members were becoming bored with this format. In addition, as everyone became

more adept with using technology, it became more obvious that minutes of meetings could simply be

posted on the web board, allowing everyone to still keep up with the progress of each group’s efforts.

The focus of the newer Task Forces provided a symbiotic model to meld the work of the TLR and

one of the Task Forces so as to provide more challenging work for the TLR. For example, a new Task

Force on Institutional Effectiveness was created in September 2002. The creation of this Task Force was

recommended by the TLR in May, 2002. Its primary charge was to create a process parallel to the

Internal Program Review (IPR) process. The IPR process was created by Academic Affairs to enhance

and sustain program quality and currency. The idea was to extrapolate elements from the IPR and to

transform them as needed into a model/manual that could be used across all areas of the College with the

goal of promoting increased institutional effectiveness.

Standard II 8


Knowing that this was a huge undertaking and that broad input was essential, the Task Force on

Institutional Effectiveness suggested that their “work in progress” serve as the primary agenda of the TLR

for 2002-2003. The Task Force created an outline and timetable of the steps its members would follow in

preparing a manual on institutional effectiveness. The TLR served as the sounding board for this Task

Force. The process seemed to work well for both groups. The presence of the larger group provided an

opportunity for more people to react and challenge the thinking of the smaller Task Force. In addition,

the extra “air time” allotted to the Task Force provided its members with a chance to pitch their ideas and

lobby for broader institutional support.

The process for evaluating each year’s efforts has become much less formal in the absence of a

Director of Institutional Research (DIR). Originally, the DIR would work with Chairs and Senior Staff

members to create performance indicators for each of the major goals. This was generally completed

over the summer and prior to the start of the Fall semester. These indicators served as concrete measures

of progress towards goal. However, in the absence of the DIR, there hasn’t been anyone at the College

who has the time and availability to work with each Task Force to help them create such indicators.

Without these measures in place, the “evaluation” aspect of this process is based on individual or small

group judgment rather than previously stated outcome measures.

Typically, the April meeting of the TLR is devoted to assessing the progress to date on each of

the objectives. Using a rating system that consists of

B = Begun

C = Continued (In Progress)

D = Delayed

R = Retired (Completed),

the committee-of-the-whole reviews each item under each objective and assigns a rating. This summary

is then forwarded to the President and her staff. They review the TLR ratings and amend based on their

own assessments. Both groups also recommend the addition of new activities as well as revisions to

Standard II 9


existing activities. The final version is submitted to the Board of Trustees in July or August for their

approval.

In addition to the ongoing work of the TLR, several other initiatives of the College merit notation.

The College received a planning grant in 1999-2000 in order to fund the efforts needed to submit an

application for a Title III Strengthening Institution grant. As part of the application, the College had to

create a Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP). Given the highly competitive nature of these grants,

the College designed an all day event that identified external trends important to consider in creating a

CDP. The Vice President of Academic Affairs, the Director of Special Projects, and the Director of

Institutional Research created materials that included data, trend analysis, and commentary for the four

major areas likely to impact the College’s future directions. These areas included the Economy,

Workforce Development, Legislative issues, and K-12 Educational Reform and Promising Practices. The

President extended invitations to keynote speakers who addressed major trends in each of the four areas.

The College closed down on March 31, 2000, and all full-time employees were expected to attend the

planning sessions held at a nearby hotel. The morning session – led by the invited panelists - focused on

in-depth analysis of the information provided in advance. The afternoon discussions provided the

opportunity for the College community to identify key issues and challenges that the College needed to

address in order to enhance its effectiveness in light of the complex external factors discussed in the

morning. Several key areas surfaced from all of this planning, and eventually the College identified the

need to be more effective in its delivery of developmental education and advising services. The College

was awarded a Title III grant in September 2001.

Another ongoing planning and evaluation function is rooted in the College’s award-winning

Internal Program Review (IPR). This process is more fully described in Standard 4, Programs and

Instruction, but a brief summary here will provide the connection to this standard. Essentially, the first

section of the IPR consists of researching external trends as a way of benchmarking the quality and

currency of each academic program. The research component consists of information from many sources.

While the list of sources is too lengthy to include here, a sampling of featured items includes:

Standard II 10


occupational outlook information, state and regional workforce needs, career opportunities, national skills

standards, employer surveys, graduate surveys, etc. A copy of the IPR manual is available in the

workroom.

Once faculty have collected this information, they have to prepare a summary of their findings.

This summary is then used as a rationale to make the case for any changes or revisions they wish to make

to their program. The rationale also plays a key part in supporting any requests for additional resources.

Another example of the College’s attempt to collect data is the recent administrations of the Noel-

Levitz Student Satisfaction Index. The College administered it for the first time in 2000, and again in

2002. To-date, there has been limited use of this data in guiding decision-making. With the assistance of

an institutional research officer, the College could learn more about its effectiveness using the wealth of

information generated through this survey instrument.

And finally, a number of departments and areas on campus attempt to complete their own mini-

versions of strategic directions for the year.

APPRAISAL

There is some variation in how members of the community assess the College’s performance with

respect to this standard. The NEASC survey – referenced in the Preface – reflects the differing opinions.

With respect to qualities such as how systematic, broad-based, and interrelated are QCC’s planning and

evaluation efforts, approximately 64% of the total survey respondents gave a favorable rating and 20%

gave a negative rating. However, as in other standards, the non-unit professionals gave a more negative

rating weighing in with 35% of respondents disagreeing that the College’s systems of planning and

evaluation share these characteristics.

Fewer than half of the total respondents believe that the College provides adequate funding to

support ongoing systematic evaluation. A fairly large portion of the respondents – 28%- cited “no basis

for judgment.” A closer look at the breakout responses for different groups again highlights the non-unit

professionals as having the most intense disagreement - 37%.

Standard II 11


Slightly more than half of the respondents believe the College undertakes short- and long-term

planning that includes candid and realistic analysis of internal and external opportunities and constraints.

Again, the strongest disagreement - 50% - with this statement is found among the non-unit professionals.

The full-time faculty give a very positive rating to this statement with almost 65% agreeing that the

College does this well. This is probably a good example of how one’s role in the institution may provide

one with a different view of how things are done. It is possible that the faculty have a more favorable

view of this component of planning and evaluation in that they have been involved in the Internal

Program Review process for the last four years. Given that nearly 85% of the College’s academic

programs and certificates have completed the IPR process, most of the full-time faculty have participated

in discussions and research that provides some candid analyses of their area. The non-unit professionals

include managers, directors, deans, vice presidents within the College, etc. They clearly play a strong

leadership role in the College and have direct supervisory responsibilities. Because of the leadership roles

held by members of this classification, their reactions are an important signal and bellwether of how well

the College is responding to their needs.

Not surprisingly, the College did not receive favorable ratings on its systematic collection and use

of data to support its planning and enhance its institutional effectiveness. Fewer than half of the

respondents rated the College positively, twenty percent indicated “no basis for judgment”, and a third

gave a negative rating. The three-year vacancy in Institutional Research has clearly had a negative impact

on the College’s ability to demonstrate data-driven decision-making. At the very least, this finding does

have some implications for future directions in that it is clearly indicating the need to communicate how

data is collected and how it used in making decisions.

In a similar finding, the College is weak on connecting evaluation activities to planning activities.

Herein is probably the main source of tension within the institution with regard to this standard. As

someone on the NEASC Steering Committee commented during the analysis of the survey results, “we do

a lot of talking about planning” at the College. The comment was referencing the lack of data informing

the planning process as well as the lack of evaluation and analyses. There seem to be two different

Standard II 12


schools of thought regarding “planning” functions at the College; the dividing feature centers on the role

and usefulness of data collection and analysis.

Good planning activities should consider both external and internal data in both setting direction

and in evaluating the progress in achieving the stated goals. The “evaluation” piece of the planning

process is not an integral part of the mindset of the institution at this time, particularly since the former

Director of Institutional Research left. A reader who is more familiar with the traditional rubrics of

strategic planning may challenge what the College has labeled as its Strategic Directions. First, the

current directions are a mixture of operational or tactical strategies, and in most cases, the College has not

identified the data used to select particular initiatives over others. In their current form, the strategic

directions do not prioritize the activities listed under them, nor is there a weighted priority for the seven

separate directions. This lack of priority and clarity may make it difficult for members of the college

community to identify and comprehend how financial resources are allocated to be consistent with

planning priorities.

There is ample support at the College to really infuse the planning and evaluation process with

more data. The Task Force on Institutional Effectiveness competed its charge ahead of schedule in 2002-

2003. It has produced a manual titled Institutional Effectiveness Review Guidebook and has forwarded

this manual to the President. The President and the Senior Staff plan to review this material before

September 2003. The Task Force has recommended that the College begin implementing this process in

2003-2004. Essentially, each area of the College would be invited to pick a time slot to undergo review

in the next five years. A steering committee would be appointed to coordinate the process so that similar

or interrelated departments would go through the process in the same year.

The Task Force created the following Vision Statement for Institutional Effectiveness:

QCC strives to constantly engage in an interconnected cycle of planning,

implementation, and evaluation. QCC promotes a culture of inquiry in which Faculty and Staff

of the College are committed to on-going assessment of institutional effectiveness. Each area of

the College identifies “best practices” for its area using external benchmarks and standards and

Standard II 13


then evaluates the effectiveness of its services and practices against these services. The

comparative results guide the College in affirming its strengths and continuation of successful

practices and in modifying other practices as needed.

The Task Force anchored its work in two central guiding themes. First, it chose to emphasize

student success as its primary and central theme. Therefore, every area of the College will be required to

evaluate its effectiveness with respect to how it contributes to student success. As an extension of this

theme, the Task Force also endorsed the use of the Core Indicators of student success as identified in Core

Indicators of Effectiveness for Community Colleges written by Richard Alfred and others and published

by Community College Press in 1999. These indicators include:

Student Goal Attainment

Persistence (Fall to Fall)

Degree Completion Rates

Placement Rate in the Workforce

Employer Assessment of Students

Licensure/Certification Pass Rates

Client Assessment of Programs and Services

Demonstration of Critical Literacy Skills

Demonstration of Citizen Skills

Number and Rate Who Transfer

Performance After Transfer

Success in Subsequent, Related Coursework

Participation Rate in Service Area

Responsiveness to Community Needs.

This is a very aggressive undertaking, and the College will have to devote adequate resources to

support this initiative if it is to be successful. Resources are needed to assist areas in completing the

Standard II 14


research needed, as well as providing released time from other tasks in order to do this work. Someone

will need to be designated to coordinate and bring leadership to this project.

In addition, there has to be some funding response to those initiatives that will surface as critical

to enhance effectiveness. The Task Force was cognizant of the state’s financial challenges while

preparing this manual. In view of this awareness, the Task Force placed great emphasis on each area’s

rethinking how its resources are currently allocated, and encouraging areas to redirect resources – both

human, fiscal, and physical space – to greater and more effective use.

Currently the College’s support of the Internal Program Review process has waned, particularly

in the absence of an institutional researcher. In the beginning, the IR Office prepared packets for faculty

that contained both standardized types of relevant data as well as customized information identified as

useful by the faculty. In the absence of IR, the faculty and Academic Affairs staff have tried to create and

collect some of this data on their own. All of the faculty who have completed the process have identified

the need for greater IR resources.

Two years ago QCC was invited to be one of the ten colleges participating in NEASC’s electronic

portfolio pilot project. The College did participate, and has created a portfolio on Institutional

Effectiveness ~ www.qccportfolio.net. This portfolio is discussed in greater detail in Standard Four.

Faculty from five different programs worked on this project last year. Their work is phenomenal, both

from the creative ways in which faculty approached this project and their degree of commitment to

assessing student learning. Their work far exceed expectations, and they took it to new levels. Some of

the faculty are using their portfolios as instructional resources. Having posted examples of successful

student work, they can now use these examples as visual illustrations of outcomes for current students

undertaking projects.

This work, along with committed and ongoing requests by faculty and other members of the

College for IR and technology support to conduct research, clearly illustrate a campus desire and

readiness to increase research capabilities.

Standard II 15

http://www.qccportfolio.net/


And finally, there are some serious challenges the College faces if it is going to continue to

participate in seeking outside funding – grants, workforce development initiatives, etc. All of these

initiatives now require measurement and data collection as part of their performance indicators. The

College recently submitted a corrective action plan to the Massachusetts Department of Education in an

effort to confirm the institution’s commitment to systematically collecting and analyzing graduate follow-

up data required for Perkins funding. Also, the Title III initiative must have institutional support if it is

going to be able to meet its research objectives.

PROJECTION

In order to address the backfill needs of institutional research, the College has recently redefined

one of its Title III positions to include a concentration on data collection and analysis. The new position,

Research Analyst/Assessment Specialist, will focus primarily on the needs of the Title III project. The

new hire will hopefully be in place by Fall, 2003. He/she will work with faculty in outcomes assessment,

data collection, and data analysis. Time permitting, this individual will be able to assist the Director of

Institutional Research on specific projects.

Two parallel themes will guide the activities of the IR office over the next two to three years.

The first concentrates on systematic data collection and analysis. This effort will be triaged to include the

most immediate needs of systematic reporting requirements taking priority over all projects. Once the

databases are built to anticipate and respond to these ongoing needs, the Office will entertain a second

level of projects. There will need to be some campus-wide discussion on how projects are prioritized.

The previous Director of Institutional Research had many more requests for research assistance than she

could address. For example, preferences may be given to areas participating in the Internal Program

Review Process or the Institutional Effectiveness review. It is possible that within a couple of years, the

combination of a second staff person and a more systematic, routine operation will be able to support

individual research needs.

The second central theme of the Office will focus on sensitizing the community to the role of data

in decision-making. To initiate this effort, the Office will compile a Fact Book and make it available to

Standard II 16


the college community. To start out, it will provide a three-year view of basic factual information

pertaining to students, programs, retention, student success, etc. The College converted to a new

administrative software system several years ago, and going back any further than three years ago is

difficult.

Next, the Office will put out a monthly newsletter. This publication will include information on

how the ongoing research of the Office is useful to the College in its decision-making. The Director will

also work with various offices on the campus in setting performance indicators for the College’s stated

priorities. As the community becomes more used to seeing how data can be useful in planning and

evaluation, and as the College begins to rely on its Fact Book to ensure uniformity in number quoting, the

general awareness of how to think on this level should increase.

Finally, on a positive note, it is fair to say that there is a strong base of support within and across

the College to pursue a more disciplined, data informed, planning and evaluation process. The NEASC

survey’s candid acknowledgment of the lack of systematic data collection and analysis combined with the

strong campus interest in pursuing institutional effectiveness measures are very positive indicators of the

desire to improve and enhance institutional effectiveness. This more disciplined approach, coupled with

the invigorated, passionate grassroots ownership and interest of the TLR, provides a wonderful

combination of forces to plan for and evaluate the College’s future initiatives.

Standard II 17


STANDARD THREE - ORGANIZATION AND GOVERNANCE

DESCRIPTION

Hierarchical Structure:

Under the Chapter 15A of the Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Quinsigamond

Community College is governed by the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education (BHE), which oversees

the University of Massachusetts with its five campuses, all nine state colleges, and the fifteen community

colleges. All statewide polices and practices carry the authority of the eleven member committee who

are, along with the Chair, appointed by the Governor. Heading the Board is the Chancellor, who,

appointed by a two-thirds majority vote of the Board, is the secretary to the council, its chief executive

officer and liaison between the State's 29 public higher education campuses and the Board. She acts as

chief spokesperson for higher education in the Commonwealth, and oversees State appropriations of

roughly $1 billion annually.

Locally, the College is governed by its Board of Trustees, appointed by the Governor to serve

five-year terms, with the option to renew once. The Board allows for eleven members; eight members are

private citizens of the Commonwealth; one is a Student Trustee who is elected by the Student Body to

serve a one-year term; two are alumni, (one elected by the Alumni Association, one directly appointed

by the Governor).

Management of the College is under their auspices and since attention is paid to maintaining a

racial, gender, and ethnic mix, they bring diverse perspectives and backgrounds to the forefront of the

College's affairs. Therefore, the College is assured that multiple points of view represent multiple

concerns.

In addition to receiving all of the College’s items that require the Board’s attention as they are

presented at each Board meeting, the Board of Trustees members are kept informed through a variety of

communications forwarded to them between Board meeting dates. All communications that are

addressed “To the College Community” as well as all other widely disseminated publications (President’s

Standard III 18


Bulletin, Open Door, Alumni Newsletter, for example) are forwarded to Board members. Board members

are accessible to the President for consultation and decision making by phone and e-mail when timeliness

is of concern. All policies forwarded to the President for approval by the All College Council, as well as

all proposed or revised College policies, are presented to the Board for its approval before such policies

are promulgated and/or acted upon. Once the Board has approved a policy, the President, via

memorandum, informs the College community at large.

Annually, the Board members are involved in a day-long retreat at which they discuss the

Strategic Directions for the College for the coming academic year. The President keeps in close contact

with the trustees and will occasionally meet informally with them in the non-meeting months to keep

them apprised of college issues.

This series of organizational charts represent the organizational structure at the College as of June

2003.

The College President reports to the Board of Trustees and her Staff reports to her.

Assis tant to thePres ident

Dire ctor ofIns titutional

Re s e arch

Pre s ide nt/Se cre tary to theB oard of Trus te e s

As s is tant to the

PRESIDENT 'S ST AFFB oard of Trus te e s

Pre s ide nt

Vice Pre s ide ntfor

nrollme ntand

Stude nt Se rvice s

Dire ctor o fH uman

Re s ource s


Acade mic Affairs

Exe cutive Dire ctorof

De ve lopme nt


Adminis trativeSe rv ice s

Dire ctor o fM ark e ting

andPublic Re lations

E

President Sandra Kurtinitis, the College's Chief Executive Officer, oversees the process of

identifying goals and allocating the necessary funds to attain them through the Strategic Goals which

have, since 1996, aimed to identify methods of maximizing the College's institutional effectiveness. The

Standard III 19


positions indicated above reflect internal changes, reconfigured as of Fall, 2002. The position of Director

of Institutional Research has been vacant for three years. This position was recently filled with a new

Director reporting in August 2003. He will report to the Vice President of Academic Affairs who now

oversees Planning, Evaluation, and Institutional Effectiveness. The position of Executive Director of

Development, although currently vacant (since June 2002), is under search. The position of Assistant to

the President for Diversity and Multicultural Affairs has been eliminated as a fiscal conservation measure,

and those functions are now assigned to the office of Human Resources. The Coordinator of Staff

Development now also reports to Human Resources.

AdministrativeAssistant I Clerk IV

Vice Presidentof

Academic Affairs

rector of Special Projects

Assessment Specialist/ Research Analyst Title III

Director of Career

Development Title III


Health Care and Life Sciences

Dean of Instruction

for Technology


Business Management and Human

Services

Dean, Center for Continuing Education

Assistant Dean, Academic

Support Services/ Executive

Director of Library


Research


Humanities and Social Sciences

Di

The Vice President of Academic Affairs oversees the Dean of the Health Care and Life Sciences;

the Dean of Technology; the Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences; the Dean of Business Management

and Human Services; Dean, Center for Continuing Education; as well as Director of Special Projects and

Assistant Dean of Academic Support Services. As referenced above, the Director of Institutional

Research will be reporting to the Vice President of Academic Affairs. The Dean of the Center for

Standard III 20


Continuing Education oversees the Director of Operations; Director of Adult Basic Education and

Occupational Education and the Director for Central Massachusetts SABES.

ar

E

D

re

E

S

Administrative Assistant I1 Administrative Assistant I1

Administrative Assistant I rk III

Vice Presidentof Enrollment

udentServices

Campus Ministry

Associate Dean

of Enrollment

and StudentServices

Director ofFinancial

Aid

AssociateDean of Student

Retention Services

AssociateDean of

Enrollment Services

Director of Student Life and Sports

Management

Director of Admissions

Cleand St

The Vice President for Enrollment and Student Services was appointed in 1999 with expanded

eas of responsibility and now oversees the Associate Dean of Retention Services, the Associate Dean of

nrollment and Student Services (Registrar), the Director of Student Life and Sports Management,

irector of Financial Aid, as well as Campus Ministry. The Director of Admissions has been assigned to

port to the former Director of Financial Aid who has recently been promoted to the Associate Dean of

nrollment Services.

tandard


Vice-President ofAdministrative

Services

Comptroller Chief

TechnologyOfficer

Director of Facilities

Associate Dean of


Assistant Dean of

Auxiliary Operations

III 21


The Vice President for Administrative Services oversees the Comptroller, Chief Technology

Officer, Director of Facilities, Associate Dean of Administrative Services, and the Assistant Dean of

Auxiliary Operations.

Adm

Ass

Pres

Phy

Gov

conc

Trus

staff

distr

inte

Stan


HUMAN RESOURCES

Director ofHuman Resources

Coordinator of Staff

Development (PT)


Human Resources for Affirmative Action and

Recruitment

HumanResources

Administrator

HumanResources

Administrator


Human Resources for Employment

The Director of Human Resources works with five administrative colleagues: three

inistrative Assistants; the Assistant Director of Human Resources and Affirmative Action; and the

istant Director of Human Resources and Employment. The Director of Marketing reports directly to

ident.

Physical relocation of various services, departments and offices is addressed in Standard Eight,

sical Resources.

ernance

As noted under Organization, the Board of Higher Education directs the College in matters

erning statewide issues, such as tuition, funding, collective bargaining and personnel. The Board of

tees directs the College in matters concerning in-house issues such as fiduciary actions, curricula,

appointments and fee schedules. Trustees meet bi-monthly and minutes of the meeting are

ibuted to the College community. The President's Staff, meeting weekly, directs the College in all

rnal affairs.

dard III 22


The formal Quinsigamond Community College Governance Structure is composed of

representatives of all college constituencies -- faculty, staff, and students -- who have the right to

participate effectively in the decision-making process at the campus level. All constituent groups of the

Governance Structure share the responsibility of acting jointly in recommending policies that will guide

the College in its fulfillment of the mission.

All-College Forum

GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE Board of Trustees

President

All-College Council

Senior Staff

Academic Affairs Committee

AdministrativeServices

Committee

Technology Committee

Enrollment and

Student Services

As indicated above, the governance structure consists of the following bodies:

• The All-College Council - A deliberative group overseeing governance. • The All-College Forum - An opportunity for dialogue among all members of the college

community. • The Academic Affairs Committee - A Standing Committee of the All-College Council dealing

with academic policies, including curriculum matters. • The Administrative Services Committee - A Standing Committee of the All-College Council

dealing with administrative policies and services. • The Technology Committee - A Standing Committee of the All-College Council dealing with

technology-related policies. • The Enrollment and Student Services Committee - A Standing Committee of the All-College

Council dealing with student-related policies.

Standard III 23


This structure reflects the recent vote (conducted in March, 2002) to ratify a new College Governance

Structure and process including these revisions:

• Elimination of a Community Services Standing Committee

• Creation of a Technology Standing Committee

• Revision of procedure for course/program approval

• Streamlining, refinement, and tightening of policy and procedures throughout the document

• Clarifying the process for election of Standing Committee members

Quinsigamond Community College’s One College Concept, conceptualized in 1996, was built on

two premises: the classroom is the center of our universe, and we must carry our students smoothly from

entry to exit, no matter their ultimate intent (transfer, career, personal enrichment, for example). To that

end, the college compartmentalized all instructional services into one area, Instruction, subdivided into

two categories, credit and non-credit. The primary goal of this reclassification was to more closely

connect the credit and non-credit courses as well as the people who deliver and receive the instruction.

The Center for Continuing Education focuses primarily on short-term non-credit training

programs. It also oversees the management of “contracted” credit training that is offered outside the

regularly scheduled semester schedule. Continuing Education is integrated into the policy formation and

management systems in the following ways: the Dean of the Center for Continuing Education reports to

the Vice President of Academic Affairs and is a member of the Vice President’s staff; Continuing

Education is a member of the Teaching/ Learning Roundtable; when credit programs are “managed” by

Continuing Education the instructor is assigned by the Instructional Dean who oversees programs in the

identified area; articulation agreements have been approved to provide seamless transfers from non-credit

to credit learning experiences; Continuing Education houses GED preparation, adult basic education, and

ESOL classes which can provide a smooth transition into the college’s certificate and degree programs;

and, there are numerous programs of enrichment to complement certificate and degree offerings provided

by the Center for Continuing Education. Off-campus, Continuing e\Education, distance education,

Standard III 24


international, and evening and weekend programs are clearly incorporated into the policy formation and

management system of the College. Various learning arrangements and modalities are further referenced

in Standard Four, Programs and Instruction.

Quinsigamond Community College Division of Academic Affairs has initiated an unprecedented

review of curricular offering. As part of the College’s commitment to meeting the diverse educational

needs of central Massachusetts, this Internal Program Review (IPR) process continues to actively engage

QCC faculty in professional research and consultation with their colleagues in business/industry and

healthcare, higher education, and K-12 public education. It strengthens the teaching/learning process by

insuring that all of QCC’s curricular offerings respond specifically to regional workforce development

needs and reflect state-of-the-art currency in instructional design, methodology, and assessment of student

achievement. The processes and yields, thus far, of Internal Program Review are further discussed in

Standard Four, Programs and Instruction.

The College offers all constituencies additional, less formal, complementary venues for input on

any College topic that impacts any strand of governance. The Coordinators Council, formed in Fall,

2000 by Vice President Livingston, is an example of a new network. Meeting monthly, coordinators from

the major academic divisions and content areas broach topics germane to their work areas as well as to

others'. The focus is to explore how the disciplines can better integrate their pedagogies and practices and

create more seamless learning experiences for students.

Each major Division holds monthly meetings at which coordinators report out to all members;

while academic departments within the divisions meet monthly as well. Attendance is mandatory for all

fulltime faculty.

The Teaching/ Learning Roundtable has been evolving as a planning body since 1996. It meets

monthly and addresses topics that arise from its nexus of Task Forces.

Standard III 25


Facilities Use/Library Backfill

Mission Revision

Library Transition Team

Institutional Effectiveness

Enrollment Services Center

Enrollment Management

Technology Integration

QCC Plan of Education

2002-2003

Task Force composition and membership reconfigures itself annually and invites all College personnel to

participate. The central focus for 2002-03 was Institutional Effectiveness.

APPRAISAL

Strengths

Organization

The majority of faculty and staff are satisfied with the current organizational structure:

approximately two thirds of the respondents endorse the system of governance as measured by the

NEASC in-house survey, with another 18% indicating no basis for judgment. Though 76% of respondents

endorse the organizational structure as positively supporting teaching, learning, and scholarship, the lack

of clarity in how the College's hierarchy is connected to deployment of information, expressed by nearly

30% of respondents, bears out the impression that many think the system supports teaching and learning

but they are not sure how.

Standard III 26


Governance

Agree or strongly

agree

No basis for judgment

Disagree or strongly disagree

The organizational structure supports teaching, learning, and scholarship. (Question # 14 in the Institutional Survey)

76.3% 4.6% 17.8%

Our organizational and reporting structures are clear. (Question # 15) 62.5% 7.2% 29.6%

The Board of Trustees keeps the College community informed of actions. (Question # 22) 84.2% 6.6% 8.6%

Although there is no schedule for a systematic evaluation of the governance structure, a recent

reexamination circulated a new proposal which was adopted as policy after conducting a vote.

The modification of the Governance structure is a direct result of the vote of March, 2002. All faculty and

staff -- full and part time/ day and evening were invited to vote. The document, available in the work

room, details key changes in an attempt to streamline policies and practices:

• Eliminate Community Services Committee • Create Technology Committee • Revise course/program approval procedure • Streamline, refine and tighten policies and procedures • Clarify Standing Committee member election

procedures

Challenges

According to Item 16 in the Institutional Survey, almost 37% of the respondents disagree or

strongly disagree that Center for Continuing Education, Distance Education, and other strands of the

curricula have been fully integrated into the college-wide system.

Agree or strongly

agree

No basis for judgment

Disagree or strongly disagree

Off-campus, distance education and evening and weekend programs are clearly integrated into the one-college concept. (Question # 16)

44% 19.1% 36.9%

This is a fairly strong indication that the respondents do not feel the College has yet achieved a "one-

college concept."

Standard III 27


In relation to the in-house perceptions of how well the governance system works, a Spring, 2002

vote to ratify the revised governance document revealed these figures:

Full time employees 38 yes 4 no Part time employees 6 yes 1 no Students 8 yes 1 no

Of those who voted, the majority clearly supported the modifications in the Governance process.

However, since approximately 800 full and part time faculty and staff are eligible to vote, the lack of

participation reveals a lack of interest, understanding or genuine concern.

PROJECTION

Since the College community is not, generally, knowledgeable about in-house systemic

operations and how to access and initiate change or revision within the system, basic tenets and

procedures must be promulgated to all employees.

• The College will focus on means to strengthen the role of committee members to serve as

representatives of their areas or groups and to communicate back to larger groups.

• The President and the Senior Staff have made a commitment to utilize all committees within the

Governance Structure.

• If College personnel agree with the point that the "one college concept" has not yet materialized,

various points of obstruction need be identified and remedied.

• The creation of a Faculty Senate must be considered in order to create a site vehicle for faculty to

opine, critique, affirm, validate or voice pertinent issues that affect their teaching/ learning

arrangements and to redress what is perceived as a dearth of information about campus issues.

• Strategies for engaging Staff Development in its role as explicator and facilitator of the

Governance Structure may be designed.

Standard III 28


STANDARD FOUR - PROGRAMS AND INSTRUCTION

DESCRIPTION

Introduction/Mission/Plan For Education

Quinsigamond Community College is firmly committed to the education of its learners. President

Sandra L. Kurtinitis' mantra “teaching and learning are at the center of everything we do” is the lead item

in the QCC Strategic Directions, 2002-2007, which are developed and guided by the College's mission

and purposes. Quinsigamond endeavors to meet the region’s educational and economic needs through a

comprehensive selection of transfer, career, and specifically designed courses, certificates, and associate

degree programs in business, human services, health care, technology, general studies and liberal arts.

Students may select from a variety of programs that support transfer to a baccalaureate program.

Currently, all of the transfer programs are supported by articulation agreements with most of the state

colleges and universities. Many of the programs list agreements with private institutions of higher

education as well. Students seeking immediate employment or enhanced career opportunities may elect

from a comprehensive selection of associate degree or certificate programs. Quinsigamond offers

approximately 30 programs that lead to an associate degree and approximately 25 programs that lead to a

certificate. The Center for Continuing Education (CCE) works with CEOs, employers and community

leaders and organizations to provide targeted professional development opportunities that enhance

performance and the quality of services within the workplace and the community. Programs of study are

carefully reviewed for mission congruence through an approval process that involves the Massachusetts

Board of Higher Education, the QCC Board of Trustees, and the College's Governance structure. The

College specifies and publishes degree requirements for each program in the College Catalog and

programmatic brochures and slip-sheets (workroom; explicated in Standard Ten) distributed by the

Admissions and Advising offices. All programs can be accessed via the College website at

www.qcc.mass.edu.

Standard IV 29

http://www.qcc.mass.edu/


The "QCC Comprehensive Plan of Education," a draft in progress (workroom) produced by a

Task Force under the auspices of the Teaching/ Learning Roundtable, provides the vision for teaching and

learning at Quinsigamond Community College. Given the significant influx of new full time and adjunct

faculty over the last 4 years (approximately 50% of full-time faculty are new), the College envisions that

this Plan will serve as the written statement of its philosophy and approach to student success and will

help to ensure continuity and consistency among faculty whether their assignments bring them to campus

during the day, evening, weekends, full time or part time. The Plan articulates the characteristics of our

educational programs, the organization of the educational continuum, the instructional approaches

utilized, the mutual responsibilities of both faculty and students, and the strategies in place to assess

educational effectiveness, thus enhancing student success. It is also a key document in the College's

planning mechanisms for gauging institutional effectiveness.

ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

Curriculum: Academic Planning & Evaluation

Quinsigamond employs a curricular review strategy called Internal Program Review (IPR) as its

primary academic planning and evaluation tool. During the IPR, the faculty define the external forces

that help to shape and delineate program content and structure, revise or revamp curricula as indicated,

and then identify the strategic institutional supports needed in order to realize the ideal program. Upon

completion of the IPR, the program faculty details a curriculum plan, aligning the goals of the program

with program courses and appropriate assessment strategies. This curriculum plan serves as the basis for

ongoing analysis of program effectiveness. Between cycles of IPR, the faculty is asked to conduct

ongoing analysis of program effectiveness. These activities support College-wide goals regarding

curricular transformation. The entire IPR process is detailed within this Standard.

Core Curriculum

Quinsigamond expects its graduates, across all programs, to develop and strengthen their general

education skills throughout their career at QCC. General education skills are complex skills that are

integral to lifelong learning and contribute to the mastery of tasks and challenges faced in daily and career

Standard IV 30


pursuits. They serve as the basis for the continuous learning and development that enhances the quality

and richness of life. The Core Curriculum (detailed in the College Catalog) specifically details these

areas of knowledge and skill development in a manner that typifies the widely accepted definition of an

educated person. Competency attainment is evidenced through a variety of viable, material modes of

assessment.

The College has adopted an integrative Core Curriculum in order to support general education

across all programs. Specific course requirements within each program provide the foundation/platform

competencies. Subsequently, each program builds on the foundation to further develop the general

education competencies. The Core Curriculum includes the following competencies:

• Written communication – The student can create a variety of communications in writing which clearly express his/her thoughts in a well organized and developed format, using correct sentence structure, punctuation and spelling.

• Oral Communication/Teamwork - The student can express his/her thoughts orally in a clear, well-organized format; can enhance the performance of teams through effective communication.

• Quantitative Skills – The student has developed the ability to apply quantitative reasoning in a variety of applications.

• Technology: Application and Resources – The student is able to demonstrate information retrieval and utilization using a variety of computer applications.

• Critical Thinking Skills – The student is able to apply higher order thinking skills to a variety of applications and situations.

• Multiple Perspectives – The student understands the importance of and knowledge about world citizenry.

• Experiential Education/Service Learning – The student has applied knowledge gained in the classroom to actual real-life situations.

• Personal Development – The student has developed a proactive stance regarding self-actualization.

General Education

The College offers three types of Associate Degrees; the type of degree determines the minimum

number of credits required in general education and is aligned with the requirements as defined by the

Standard IV 31


Massachusetts Board of Higher Education and the New England Association of Schools & Colleges. In

an attempt to ensure a balanced distribution of the arts and humanities within each program of study,

courses from each of the disciplines are integrated into curriculum. The humanities, mathematics,

sciences, and social sciences are represented with varying emphases depending upon the nature of the

specific program of study. For example, in the nurse education program there is a heavier emphasis on

the natural sciences, while in the technology programs there is a considerable focus on mathematics.

Students further develop and apply general education competencies in advanced coursework within the

discipline. Program faculty have been encouraged to incorporate at least one unrestricted elective in each

program to enable exploration of personal interest. The College thus ensures that the interrelationship

among the primary domains of knowledge is underscored. Competency is demonstrated by the passing

grade in each specific course and maintaining a 2.0 GPA for graduation.

Program Specific Curriculum

Through the Internal Program Review process, the faculty are engaged in a comprehensive effort

aimed at updating and aligning learning objectives in each program against external benchmarks, such as

industry skills standards or other professional standards as defined by accrediting associations. The

faculty define degree objectives in terms of the competencies to be mastered upon graduation, evaluate

the coherence of the program design, describe the rationale for course selection and sequencing in both

program-specific and general education courses, and examine both the breadth and depth of the

curriculum. All curricular revisions, course additions or deletions and other program modifications must

be anchored in the IPR research.

Internal Program Review: The Cornerstone of Academic Planning & Evaluation

WTI Integration As Precursor To IPR: Academic Planning And Evaluation

A recent milestone achievement for the College was the expansion of curricular offerings via the

integration of several significant curriculum strands offered previously by the now defunct Worcester

Technical Institute (WTI). In 1999, the College sat at the confluence of several pivotal events. Internally,

it had launched an historic appraisal, update, revision, and development of curriculum to ensure its

Standard IV 32


responsiveness to the needs of the community and the learners it served. Further, the College had begun

the process of developing an ongoing, cycle of Internal Program Review (IPR) for each degree and

certificate offering. Finally, QCC was presented with an opportunity to evaluate the ongoing need for the

career and technical education programming provided by Worcester Technical Institute, a post graduate

program formerly operated by the Worcester Vocational School System.

Directed by Vice-President of Academic Affairs Cathy Livingston, team members with expertise

in curriculum development, economic and educational research, and industry requirements and needs

joined forces with faculty from QCC and WTI to evaluate possibilities. Using an evaluative rubric that

included elements such as centrality to mission; market viability; congruence with current offerings;

career ladder potential; and resource share, the team evaluated the full menu of WTI’s programmatic

offerings. Once a general programmatic area received a favorable rating, the team prepared curriculum

options. All proposed curricular options were supported by extensive background information and

research. These proposals were considered internally through QCC’s governance processes as well as by

practicing professionals and related advisory boards currently working with QCC and/or WTI. In all, the

College proposed 12 new degree and certificate programs for approval. In March 1999, the

Massachusetts Board of Higher Education (MA BHE) approved eleven of these programs. The following

year, the twelfth program was resubmitted for consideration and subsequently received its BHE approval

in spring 2000. The WTI Integration formed the template for Internal Program Review. It is also

evidence of the strong working relationship between faculty and academic administrators aimed at

ensuring educational and economic opportunities for our learners and graduates.

IPR: Description

Internal Program Review (IPR) is a systematic curricular review process designed to completely

overhaul the College’s programmatic offerings. It is the pathway to creating state-of-the-art curriculum

keyed to market viability and to meeting the education and workforce development needs of learners,

employers, and the community at large. Through IPR, all programs are assessed against the measures of

Standard IV 33


their centrality to the College’s Mission, market viability, and degree of congruence with other offerings,

career ladder and economic self-sufficiency potential.

Led by the faculty, IPR is transforming Quinsigamond’s educational programming into a

dynamic, market driven menu of both credit and non-credit programs positioned to meeting both learner

and community needs. In simplest terms, IPR equates to program development defined by economic and

demographic need. It is this particular focus on economic and demographic need that sets the IPR process

apart from its counterparts at other institutions. Using relevant and current data such as labor statistics

and occupational outlook projections, faculty must ensure that employment opportunities, that is, living

wage employment opportunities, exist and will continue to grow for prospective graduates of any given

program. Secondly, this focus on “living wage” opportunities is of equal and absolute importance in the

deliberation. It is not enough for QCC to prepare graduates to gain employment at the minimum wage.

This institution is committed to providing opportunities for its graduates to enter employment at a wage

level that will insure economic self-sufficiency for themselves and their families. Using the Self-

Sufficiency Standard for Massachusetts developed by the Women’s Educational & Industrial Union,

faculty analyze prospective career paths and related wages against the “real costs of living, working,

raising a family, and paying taxes without public or private subsidies”. This commitment to economic

self-sufficiency is evidenced in the career ladder approach taken in the degree programs that offer

certificates or some smaller subset of skills proficiency nestled into the larger degree program. (See

“Business Office Support Specialist” program). This curricular approach allows individuals to gain

valuable, marketable skills more rapidly in order to attain better employment opportunities while

continuing progression toward the terminal degree.

Through the Internal Program Review process, the faculty are engaged in a comprehensive effort

aimed at updating and aligning learning objectives in each program against external benchmarks, such as

industry skills standards or other professional standards as defined by accrediting associations. Faculty

define degree objectives in terms of the competencies to be mastered upon graduation, evaluate the

coherence of the program design, describe the rationale for course selection and sequencing in both

Standard IV 34


program-specific and general education courses, and examine both the breadth and depth of the

curriculum. IPR recognizes that communication, computational, technological and analytical skills must

inform our curricula; and that state-of-the-art facilities and equipment with commensurate faculty and

staff expertise and the requisite infusion of technology in the classroom and across the campus is

fundamental.

Program objectives are calibrated for their appropriateness to a two-year associate degree or

shorter-term certificate program. Individual syllabi spell out the contractual nature of the learning

arrangement (samples in work room) and detail learning outcomes relative to overall program outcomes.

The evaluation of student learning and the award of credit are based upon clearly stated criteria that

reflect the learning objectives of a given degree or certificate program and are consistently and effectively

enforced across the institution.

Faculty, working with an expanded knowledge base of what should be taught in their program,

implement and manage the results of IPR. All curricular revisions, course additions or deletions and other

program modifications must be anchored in the IPR research, as are all requests for additional faculty,

equipment, technology acquisitions, and space. Although the faculty determines course content,

curricular changes receive approval through the Academic Affairs governance process. The approval is a

3-step process: from Division Approval, to Academic Affairs Staff approval, to College-wide Academic

Affairs Committee approval.

The program coordinator works closely with the instructional dean and other administrators in

advocating for the resources and supports necessary to realize the maximum potential of a given program.

Internal Program Review recognizes and underscores the importance of the role of multiple and varied

resources for the development and improvement of academic programs. (See Section III in the IPR

Guidebook in workroom.) For example, recommendations from the recent Electronics Technology/

Electromechanical Technology review included developing a proactive program enrollment management

strategy, pursuing program accreditation through the Accrediting Board for Engineering Technologies

and seeking corporate sponsorship to establish an Automated Technology Training Center.

Standard IV 35


Outcomes Assessment

Quinsigamond’s curriculum is designed and developed using learning outcomes as the

benchmark for assessing learner achievement and overall instructional effectiveness. Upon completion of

IPR, the faculty develops a comprehensive assessment plan that details the interrelationships among the

program goals, the course objectives, and the assessment methodologies utilized. During the Spring 2002

term, QCC was invited to participate in a NEASC-funded pilot project-aimed at the development of an

electronic assessment portfolio meant to provide documentation of student learning processes and

outcomes within the context of each institution’s distinctive mission; and further to present the variety of

ways that faculty, administrators, and students confirm the amount and quality of student learning that

occurs; and how the curriculum and other campus experiences impact this learning. Selected student

learning assessment efforts for classroom, program and institution levels within a thematic context were

determined by each institution in alignment with its strategic planning. QCC’s Institutional Effectiveness

Portfolio (www.qccportfolio.net) effort has provided the resources to complement and build upon IPR in

its support of College-wide goals regarding curricular transformation.

To date, five programs of study have incorporated the main features of their outcomes assessment

work in the portfolio. These features include the executive summary of the IPR or recent self-study

completed for a professional accrediting organization, an assessment plan, research questions, examples

of assessment results, and documentation of the changes in practice based upon assessment results. Each

portfolio offers a discipline specific approach to outcomes assessment and documentation of student

learning.

The College has also embarked upon the process of general education outcomes assessment by

means of the Internal Program Review process. Through an in-depth analysis of curriculum, faculty must

develop a rationale for the entire course sequence and then, specifically analyze how the general

education components are integrated with and support the achievement of overall program outcomes.

Through follow up surveys to alumni and employers, they gain useful feedback as to graduate

competence in written and verbal communication skills and quantitative abilities. Based upon its IPR, the

Standard IV 36

http://www.qccportfolio.net/


mathematics department approved the development and implementation of a departmental final

examination in each of its developmental courses in an effort to insure greater consistency in student

outcomes.

Complementing these measures, all course descriptions were rewritten recently in an attempt to

bring uniformity and consistency to the course Catalog. The guidelines for the revision clearly focused

on crafting course descriptions that are clear and concise and utilize outcome-oriented verbs wherever

possible. This revision underscores the institutional focus on outcomes and sets the framework for

expanded outcomes assessment work to continue.

Alternative Instruction

Accelerated Learning

In January 2003, a group of faculty and staff attended a 3-day intensive workshop on Accelerated

Learning: a methodology that focuses on the learner in terms of the individual’s learning styles,

organization preferences, assimilation styles, and intelligences. Undergriding the paradigm is the belief

that every individual has the ability to acquire information, store information and retrieve that information

at any time in a variety of forms, and that this ability is generated by a series of factors unique to every

individual. The whole brain approach is designed to create maximum learning efficiency. Retention

increases by as much as 200% via action exercises and various devices -- props, music, mnemonics,

themes, color -- to enhance relevancy and the collaborative, social construction of knowledge. The

Accelerated Learning approach creates maximum learning efficiency through the design and presentation

of instruction that meets the needs of the various learning styles found in a typical classroom setting.

The Division of Business Management and Human Services and The Center for Continuing Education are

spearheading the roll out of an Accelerated Learning Program. The Center for Continuing Education is

offering this program to the business community. As of Spring 2003, courses are being revamped and a

schedule of course offerings to commence in October 2003 has been prepared. Principles of

Management, Human Resources Management, Critical Thinking and Problem Solving, Ethical Issues in

Business, and Financial Accounting are the lead pilots. Area colleges and universities currently offering

Standard IV 37


Accelerated Learning programs, Becker College and Regis College, have been contacted with the intent

of developing articulation agreements.

Weekend College

In response to tremendous enrollment growth and increased consumer demand for more flexible

scheduling options, the Division of Academic Affairs introduced expanded weekend programming on

Friday evenings, Saturday mornings and afternoons and Sunday afternoons during Fall 2001. The

purpose of this programming is two-fold: first, weekend course offerings provide a convenient alternative

time frame to offer additional sections of highly enrolled service courses in areas such as mathematics,

English, and computer information systems; secondly, weekend scheduling coupled with the Accelerated

Learning strategy provides an excellent platform for offering accelerated routes to certificate and degrees

on weekends only. This programming provides an important and competitive alternative for non-

traditional community college students.

Distance Education

During the academic year 2000, QCC initiated a distance education effort aimed at encouraging

enthusiastic faculty members to launch on-line courses in their respective disciplines. The development

of a comprehensive menu of on line course offerings serves multiple purposes. First, it alleviates time

and space constraints for scheduling additional sections of highly enrolled service courses such as the

ENG 101/102, the English Composition & Literature I/II sequence or CIS 111 Introduction to

Microcomputer Applications. Secondly, it provides an opportunity to offer selected electives to both

currently enrolled QCC students and to a wider audience of working professionals who may need to gain

currency or continuing education units in a specific discipline. One such example is PSY 273, Chemical

Dependency. Beyond currently enrolled students, this course appeals to a wider audience including

employees in Human Service, Social Work, Rehabilitation Counseling or other allied health professions

who require ongoing CEU’s to maintain professional licensure.

Distance education efforts are coordinated through the office of Distance Education that is staffed

by a faculty coordinator. This office serves as the central coordination point for information and

Standard IV 38


communications regarding all on-line credit course offerings. The office works collaboratively with all

academic areas and with enrollment services and academic computing to ensure that services and

information for all registered students is available in a timely fashion.

QCC maintains a thoughtful and well-reasoned approach to the development of its distance

education program considering both the rationale and intended audience for each course it approves for

on-line course development. Currently 24 courses are offered on-line and can be viewed at

http://www.qcc.mass.edu/qcconline/credit.htm. In 2002-2003, 455 students enrolled in 40 classes and

Spring 2003 saw 289 students enrolled. The Center for Continuing Education also offers over 300 online

courses; and in 2003, 405 students enrolled.

Experience Based Education

The Experience-Based Education (EBE) office administers the awarding of credit to students who

have prior learning from a non-collegiate source. Prior learning is recognized through several paths:

credit by examination (AP, DANTES, CLEP, and QCC faculty-generated challenge examinations),

credentialing, and portfolio assessment. Credits awarded for approved non-collegiate learning

experiences are deemed academically equivalent to a college-level learning experience by utilizing

nationally accepted standards, the QCC “Request for Course-Equivalency Credit” process, and/or faculty

expertise. Each option utilizes completed eligibility guidelines, and clearly spelled out QCC procedures.

In 1999 the Vice President of Academic Affairs instituted a policy and procedure for the development,

review, and maintenance of Articulation Agreements: the “Request for Course-Equivalency Credit”

process. This formal process has two goals:

• To increase the level of participation by Tech Prep High Schools and non-collegiate institutions by removing barriers and having a more reasonable response time.

• To ensure that the awarding of credit is academically sound and equivalent to the traditional college level classroom experience.

Students whose programs undergo re-design before they complete their requirements are accommodated

as much as possible. The EBE office in particular supports students through such transitions. Though

IPR is not used as a mechanism for closing programs, realistic analyses of labor market trends or regional

Standard IV 39

http://www.qcc.mass.edu/qcconline/credit.htm


employer demands have warranted that faculty recommend a program be discontinued or perhaps

reformatted to respond more effectively to the realities of the workplace. In the event that a program is

eliminated or requires modification, every effort is made to stay in sync with students’ plans and time

frames. Options may include individualized learning situations -- tutorials, independent or directed

studies. Eligibility and procedural guidelines are documented in the Experience-Based Education Faculty

Handbook and the EBE Student Booklet, Experience–Based Education Brochure: Credit for Prior

Learning, and Credit for Sponsored Learning brochures.

Both directed study and independent study are ways for students to pursue topics that are not

offered as QCC courses. A tutorial is an alternative learning experience to satisfy a course requirement.

A student must meet strict eligibility guidelines. For each of these options, a faculty member is hired to

oversee the scope and nature of the learning experience. Together the faculty member and the student

draft a Learning Agreement, which forms the basis of the learning experience. A co-operative education

work experience is required in many of the QCC associate degree programs. In addition, a Co-op

learning experience can be used in any program as a program elective. Co-operative education augments

the student’s coursework by establishing a different yet equally academically sound teaching/learning

experience. All students undertaking a Co-op learning experience are assigned a Co-op faculty advisor.

The student and advisor draft a Learning Agreement that forms the basis of the learning goals and

requirements. These EBE options play a crucial role to the students completing requirements when a

program is eliminated or requires modification.

Detailed eligibility guidelines and procedures are available to students and staff through the EBE

office, and the widely disseminated EBE faculty handbook and EBE student booklet, Experience–Based

Education: Credit for Prior Learning, Credit for Sponsored Learning, and the Placement Resource Center

pamphlets.

Center for Continuing Education

The Center for Continuing Education (CCE) addresses the continuous learning needs and

aspiration of the residents, workers, and leaders of Central Massachusetts via a portfolio of workplace

Standard IV 40


focused, personal enrichment and leadership development offerings as they are influenced by economic

conditions, area demographics, and changing workplace and community needs. The Center reviews its

offerings annually in a formal review process, and on a cyclical basis through outreach activities that

solicit input from employers, local government agencies, leaders and learners within key industries

(Healthcare, Manufacturing, Service/Distribution, Life Sciences, Biotechnology, etc.) -- past, present

and future. The Center responds with the flexibility and adaptability in programming that result in the

rapid development and implementation of programming targeted to specifically cited needs and interests.

Generally, the Center targets 3 key segments of adult learners and leaders of Central

Massachusetts:

• The undereducated and under prepared population who lack economic resources and academic preparedness to pursue a certificate or degree program. Through the Adult Basic Education Grant, the CCE is able to service 1,000 learners each year in this category.

• Experienced workers who need training opportunities to enhance their economic opportunities and personal enrichment.

• Middle and senior level managers and leaders.

To meet the needs of the three target populations above, the CCE is actively engaged in pursuing

the availability of decentralized locations for the delivery of training resources offered asynchronously,

thus reducing commuting time and extending flexibility of time and space. Through contract learning, the

education is offered at the work site.

EDUCATIONAL ENRICHMENT OPPORTUNITIES

The Honors Program

Highly motivated, achievement-oriented students are offered an opportunity for enhanced success

via the Honors Program. Better prepared to continue their studies at colleges and universities throughout

the country, Honors students complete selected courses on an Honors level, including a Capstone

Course/Honors Colloquium, a team-facilitated, interdisciplinary seminar designed to be the culmination

of the Honors Program. Currently, two Colloquia have been offered: "Education and the American

Dream" taught Spring, 2000 and Spring, 2001; "Health Care in America," taught Spring 2002 and Spring

Standard IV 41


2003. The faculty is developing a new topic, "The Mob in America" for potential subscription, Spring

2004.

The Liberal Arts Program

The Liberal Arts Program, re-designed effective September, 2002, is the primary transfer

program to a four-year institution for Quinsigamond Community College students. Recognizing the

intrinsic value of a liberal arts education for further academic work, careers in a wide range of

professions, and personal growth, the Liberal Arts Program fosters learning outcomes that apply students’

abilities to think creatively, communicate effectively, work cooperatively, set goals, utilize appropriately

information and data, and also comprehend the applicability of a liberal arts education to the “real world”

to broaden their understanding of themselves and others.

To strengthen the focus on the liberal arts, the curriculum includes two new 3-credit courses: LIB

101, Introduction to Liberal Arts; and LIB 250, Liberal Arts Capstone Seminar. The Introduction to

Liberal Arts deals with “learning how to learn.” Studying multidisciplinary and multicultural materials

from the humanities, mathematics, natural, social, and behavioral sciences, students learn the

relationships and connections among the liberal arts disciplines. The Liberal Arts Capstone Seminar

offers students an opportunity to apply and further develop the competencies they have gained by

critically examining a “real world” issue from the various liberal arts disciplines.

Service Learning

Over the last two years, Quinsigamond has implemented a service-learning component to its

curriculum. As a form of experiential based learning where the student applies academic knowledge and

critical thinking skills to address community or individual needs, service learning enhances the teaching

of academic objectives by extending learning beyond the walls of the classroom. Community service is

blended with classroom learning so that each is enriched by the other. Service learning as a pedagogy

benefits all members involved; the students, the faculty, the academic institution and the community

served. Through an internal competitive process, interested faculty members have proposed and

Standard IV 42


implemented service learning components to courses as varied as Applied Arts, Ecology, Dental Hygiene,

and Nursing.

Outside Workshops Conferences, And Community Events

QCC offers members of the local community and beyond opportunities for professional

development or for earning credit through QCC’s sponsorship of conferences, institutes, workshops, and

other instructional or enrichment activities. For example, the New Directions Institute (NDI), a

professional development initiative hosted by the Division of Academic Affairs sponsors professional

development programs and workshops designed for community college educators across the country.

Over the last two years, NDI has sponsored two national summer institutes focused on the Internal

Program Review process. In addition, several of the health care programs have sponsored professional

workshops and seminars. One of the most successful is the 48-hour on-line paramedic refresher program.

This program was the first if its kind to be established in Massachusetts and the first approved by the

National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT). The Dental Hygiene program regularly

sponsors continuing education courses led by both full-time and adjunct faculty in the program. During

the last academic year, the program sponsored sessions on “Dentistry Around the World”, “Update on

Fluoride”, “21st century Dentistry” and “Facial Paralysis”. For the past two years, the Respiratory Care

program has hosted the Kettering National Seminar that prepares students for the National Board for

Respiratory Care credentialing examination.

FOCUS ON UNDER-PREPARED STUDENTS

A yearlong planning process primed the College for competitively seeking out funding support

from the United States Department of Education; a Title III Strengthening Institutions Grant was awarded

in September 2001 to help remedy Quinsigamond's serious institutional challenges with respect to support

for, and success of, under-prepared and undecided students. The grant is supporting a comprehensive

redesign of academic and student services delivered to entry-level under-prepared students with particular

emphasis on curricular reconfiguration and the implementation of a developmental advising approach.

Key program components include:

Standard IV 43


• Revision and redesign of all developmental education courses offered in mathematics and English and the development of an orientation course for students new to QCC;

• Development of an aggressive outcomes assessment methodology; • Implementation of a developmental advising model to assist QCC students by providing

realistic career goal assessment and comprehensive academic planning.

During the first year (2001-2002), the faculty under the direction of Dr. Cathy Livingston, Vice

President for Academic Affairs designed a new first-year experience course (ORT 110) and redesigned

three of the seven courses that comprise the developmental education sequence--ENG 091 Intermediate

Reading Skills, ENG 096 Intermediate Writing Skills, and MAT 099 Intermediate Algebra. In the design

of the course and supporting materials, considerable integrated emphasis was placed on learner

centeredness, course content, and integration of innovative instructional methodologies. Course charters

that specify course goals, material to be covered, recommended instructional approaches, appropriate

technology applications; and student assessment instruments and a common final examination were

developed for each course (workroom). These courses and all supporting strategies and materials piloted

in 2002-2003 will be fully implemented across all sections in Fall 2003. In addition, through the

collaborative efforts of the Vice President of Academic Affairs, her staff, the Title III team and the

faculty, a yearlong Faculty Development series has been planned for 2003-3004. Beginning with a two-

day conference in August, faculty will be introduced to the new materials via an on-line orientation

module, a series of workshops that emphasize universal design and reflective practice, and the faculty

members who will serve as individual course coaches and resource for each of the four courses ready to

be implemented.

In 2002-2003, faculty members redesigned ENG 090 Basic Reading Skills, ENG 095 Basic

Writing Skills and MAT 095 Beginning Algebra. These new materials and resources compiled for all

revised courses can be reviewed at http://www.qcc.mass.edu/t3/instructors.html. These tools provide

faculty, both full time and adjunct with a clear, consistent plan for teaching and learning and serve to

support and enhance student success.

Standard IV 44

http://www.qcc.mass.edu/t3/instructors.html


Given institutional constraints on offering comprehensive developmental advising services,

particularly to those students who are most at risk, that is the academically under prepared or undecided

students, the College designed and launched a freshman year experience course during Fall 2002. Called

ORT 110, Strategies for College and Career, the course is intended for first time college students who

want success and need direction in their college experience. The course focuses strongly on career and

educational planning, understanding self and learning styles, and academic success skills. The outcome

of this integrated experience is a CAPS (Career, Academic, Personal Success) Plan that contains a

portfolio of information for the student and his or her respective advisor to use as a foundation for career

and academic planning. The CAPS plan can be stored electronically and will serve as an invaluable

advising tool. This course is open to all students and is currently required within the first twenty credits

for all students enrolled in the General Studies program.

An additional benefit of the ORT 110 course is the CAPS Survey, a survey administered early in

the semester to all registered ORT 110 students. A comprehensive research and data collection tool

aimed at identifying specific factors that promote or detract from student success, the surveys are useful

in the construction of campus-wide retention initiatives. Data also provides faculty with an immediate

profile of his/her class, (regarding learning styles, preferences, computer usage skills, study skills, career

knowledge and career planning readiness) allowing for modifications in instructional delivery and course

content, to best meet the needs of students.

ADVISING AND RETENTION

Advising

Currently, advising takes place in multiple venues across the campus. It may be accomplished

formally through an advising relationship with a full time faculty advisor; or through the Advising Center

that is staffed by two full time professional advisors and reinforced by several adjunct faculty advisors

during registration and the “add/drop” period; or through the Health Careers Center, a specialized

advising center that offers advising for students who aspire to one of the health programs, but must meet

certain prerequisites before gaining acceptance to a program.

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Approximately 1800 students are assigned a full time faculty advisor in their major or program

(contractually, faculty are limited to 18 advisees per semester). The remaining students are assigned to the

Advising Center or Health Careers Center to seek advice regarding course selection and registration.

Students seeking comprehensive advice regarding career exploration and planning must seek out those

services separately and in addition to the advising process.

The next major challenge through the Title III project is to adopt and fully implement a

developmental advising model college-wide. The College is committed to creating a developmental

advising model by Fall 2003 using the seminal work of Terry O’Banion as a guide. The Task Force on

Developmental Advising is currently reviewing the O’Banion model as well as that of Valencia

Community College, a nationally recognized leader in developmental advising, in an effort to define a

model that will apply to all aspects of advising at QCC.

According to O’Banion, a developmental advising model assumes that the “purpose of academic

advising is to help a student choose a program of study which will serve him in the development of his

total potential. … The process of academic advising includes the following dimensions: (1) exploration of

life goals, (2) exploration of vocational goals, (3) program choice, (4) course choice, and (5) scheduling

courses.” ("An Academic Advising Model" [Junior College Journal 1972, 42: 62, 64, 66-69. Rpt.

NACADA Journal 1994, 14.2: 10-16]). The developmental advising approach assumes that a student

gains greater competence and independence in the academic realm as he or she clarifies and confirms life

and vocational goals and then, selects an appropriate academic program. The goal of the developmental

advising model is to assist students in gaining this independence and then to redeploy key advisors to

work most closely with students in the early stages of goal clarification.

Catalog Revision as an Advising Tool

With its emphasis on improving advising services for all students, QCC revamped its College

Catalog for the 2002-2003 academic year. This revised format is designed to serve as a more useful

advising tool to students as they plan their program of study. While the Catalog is provided in the

workroom for further review, it is important to note here the most significant change -- the curriculum

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format. Each program of study is organized in a grid format listing the sequential clusters of courses

required for certificate or degree completion. In addition, this visual aid includes columns that allow the

student to use the catalog as a working academic planner. Additionally, the program description section

clearly defines the actual degree awarded in each program along with the options available to the student

upon graduation. During the 2002-2003 academic year, the faculty rewrote all course descriptions with an

emphasis on outcomes. This addition will further enhance the usefulness of the Catalog as a planning and

advising tool.

Retention

The Office of Retention Services and the Enrollment Management Task Force are jointly charged

with designing strategies to retain all students. Working in conjunction with areas throughout the

campus, retention efforts include a campus-wide Early Alert Initiative, geared towards students on

Financial Aid Probation, and/or students who have withdrawn from QCC. The Early Alert Initiative

encourages faculty to contact students who have missed class(es) during the first week of the semester;

the Office of Student Retention then contacts those students who faculty designate as “not making

satisfactory progress” in class, provides them with encouragement, and outlines the available supports

across campus. The Financial Aid Probation Retention Initiative offers students on financial aid

probation supportive advising and contracts for proactive strategies to encourage academic success.

ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT

Recruitment

While the program faculty and academic administrators develop program admissions criteria,

recruitment strategies are designed and implemented by the Admissions Office and the Enrollment and

Student Services Division. Since the College is committed to its Open Admissions policy, all who wish to

attend are welcomed. The College recruitment program includes regular visits to the approximately eighty

high schools in the College’s service area; visits with educational and social service agencies; campus

tour programs often involving presentations by College personnel and students to invited guests; campus

“open house” programs; and a follow-up process of prospective students via letter and telephone.

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Representative staff, including a multi-linguist, visits area high schools that enroll a significant number of

ethnic minority students. The Admissions Office processes all student applications to a program.

Admissions

The College has several programs, mostly in the health areas, which are classified as “high

demand” programs. These are programs for which there are many more qualified applicants than

available spaces. In 1998, in an attempt to provide equal access to all qualified applicants for the high

demand programs, a new process was implemented for the matriculation of these applicants. Each

department in the Health Care Division established new minimum admission criteria for students to be

successful in meeting the demands of its program. Acceptances for all programs are on a first-qualified,

first-accepted basis. They are placed on the program list according to the date they met the minimum

admissions criteria. Applicants to any program requiring minimum academic criteria who do not meet the

criteria are automatically accepted into the General Studies Program. Students not qualified for a health

program, yet interested in pursuing a health career, are referred to The Health Careers Center for career

and supportive advising. Through assessment testing, transcript review, and course registrations, students

are assisted in completing the requirements necessary to qualify for their desired health career program.

Students are advised to re-apply through admissions just prior to their meeting the minimum entrance

requirements.

Assessment/Placement

As required by the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education, all incoming students are asked to

take academic placement tests via the computerized Accuplacer for Mathematics and the Writeplacer for

English writing and composition. Scores determine English and math course placement and indicate

developmental needs for students who require pre-college work; the College adheres to the minimum

acceptable scores as defined by the BHE for college level work. Students are exempt from assessment

testing only if they have completed a college-level course elsewhere and have documentation of their

enrollment.

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ENHANCING PROGRAMS & INSTRUCTION

Use Of Technology To Support Learning

In an effort to realize the full potential of instructional technology, QCC has provided partial

release time for three full time faculty members to serve as mentors for their colleagues and to assist in

the integration of technology across the curriculum. Additionally, one of the strategies embedded in the

Title III course redesign work is the increased utilization of interactive teaching strategies to effectively

promote student involvement, learning, and retention. Simultaneously, through the efforts of an

instructional design expert, strategies for effective integration of technologies for the creation, delivery,

and evaluation of instruction are being developed, field-tested and evaluated.

Faculty Scholarship

Faculty members link their scholarship to the College's mission in a variety of ways: working on

advanced degrees and/ or certificates; developing on-line courses, writing for publication, applying for

externships supported by Perkins funding, and working on sabbatical projects. The staff development

office funds travel and conference expenses up to $750 per year per faculty member, and the President

maintains a "Best Practices" fund that supports costs associated with sending a cross-functional team of

faculty and staff across the country on specific teaching and learning initiatives. Too, released time, or

reassigned time, enables creative and experimental projects. The Honors Colloquium, for example, is a

product of team teaching individuals whose work in design was awarded by a stipend. Faculty's

involvement in various projects reflects the gamut of professional interests and roles as tabled below.

Recent Sabbatical Leaves

SEMESTER SABBATICANT MAJOR GOAL OF THE PROJECT

Spring 2003 Kathleen Wilkinson To strengthen the curriculum by integrating a component of advocacy for the field, including incorporation of higher wages for EDE professionals

Spring 2003 Rafael Vicente To create curriculum units that will provide instruction in the basic elements in computer programming

Fall 2002 No applications

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SEMESTER SABBATICANT MAJOR GOAL OF THE PROJECT

Spring 2002 Lynda Nesbitt To develop the Certificate Program in Polysomnography in response to area industry need and to act as a feeder program for the Respiratory Care Program

Spring 2002 Kenneth Wong

To research and write dissertation at the University of Michigan and keep informed on the latest developments in the field of history

Spring 2002 Kathy Frederickson

To compile a working resource text for community college English Composition instructors

Fall 2001 Michael Vallante To re-examine the PSY 115 course: Self Assessment and Career Planning and to acquire or design an assessment instrument

Spring 2001 Marilyn Kalal To create instructional materials which will become part of the Dental Hygiene curriculum

Fall 2000 Dadbeh Bigonahy (.5) To identify and analyze human genes that repair or prevent damage to DNA

Fall 2000 Dadbeh Bigonahy (.5) (Same as above)

Spring 2000* (Taken Fall 1999)

Sandra Ostresh To take classes on distance education with ultimate goal of offering Radiologic Technology courses on the Internet

Fall 1999 Paul Connell To revitalize existing Liberal Arts Degree program, including revision of curriculum, in response to declining program enrollment

Conference Presentations:

Name DEPARTMENT Title or Subject Event Location and Date

Kathy Rentsch Walter Swett

Special Projects Human Services

Institutional Portfolios

NEASC Annual Meeting

Boston, MA 12/2002

Margaret Wong Anne Shull Sheila Booth

English The Learner at the Center

Teaching English in the Two-Year College Conf.

Portland, ME, 10/2002

Sheila Booth English Using Technology in the Writing Class

6th Annual MA Community College Conf.

Holyoke, MA, 4/2002

Steve Zona Mathematics Activating Students with Manipulatives

New England Mathematical Association

Middlesex Community College, Lowell, MA 4/2000

Mari Seder Kathy Wilkinson

Early Childhood Education

Project Work: A Lab School's Experience

National Assoc. For Education of Young Children Conference

New York City, 11/2002

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Name DEPARTMENT Title or Subject Event Location and Date

Joyce Cooney Dental Hygiene Kidseal/Flouride Mouth Rinse Project

15th International Symposium on Dental Hygiene

Sydney, Australia, 10/2000

Virginia Asadoorian Mathematics Learning Math

the "Write Way"

28th Annual Conf of CA Mathematics Council

Monterey, CA, 10/2000

Kathy Frederickson Susan McPherson

English Teaching the Conflict in Oleanna

Two-Year College Northeast Conference

Pittsburgh, PA, 10/2000

Tony Nardella

Human Services/ Experiential Learning

Putting the "Me" in Resume

New England assoc. For Cooperative Education and Field Experience

Mystic, CT, 9/2000

Sarmad Saman Science Lactic Acid Bacteria

Fourth International Summit on Anti-Fungal Drugs

Strategic Research Institute New York City 3/1999

Ken Wong History

Chinese Marriage Patterns in Massachusetts, 1850-1900

Assoc for Asian American Studies, 14th Annual Meeting

Seattle, WA 4/1997

APPRAISAL

Introduction/Mission/Plan of Education

Strengths

Over 90% of respondents to the NEASC Institutional Survey confirmed that QCC’s primary

focus is the education of its students. The in-house Institutional Survey also evinced strong agreement

with the statement that QCC's educational programming is consistent with its mission. This perception is

further confirmed by student response to the Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory (SSI) (Completed

in Fall 2000 and Fall 2002). In 2000 and again, in 2002, the two items ranked by students as most

important were instructional effectiveness and academic advising/counseling. When queried as to the

strengths of the institution, the quality of instruction and overall instructional effectiveness were rated

high, with overall student satisfaction increasing significantly in 2002. Respondents also rated the faculty

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as being both “knowledgeable in their fields” and “available after class and during office hours” among

the significant strengths of the institution.

Challenges

As enrollment growth continues to advance at the rate of 6-8% or more each year, the College is

placing an ever-increasing reliance upon adjunct faculty to teach multiple sections of key foundation

courses within the curriculum. While this is most apparent within the Humanities and Liberal Arts area, it

is becoming increasingly challenging to maintain quality and consistency across courses in all divisions.

Academic Programs/ Curriculum: Academic Planning & Evaluation/ Core Curriculum; General

Education; Program Specific Curriculum

Strengths

Respondents to the Institutional Survey concurred that “QCC periodically reviews its degree

programs using a clearly defined and established process” and further, an overwhelming majority of the

faculty and non-unit professionals concur that they have a substantial voice in that review process. This is

clear evidence of the importance the institution places upon a comprehensive and inclusive approach to

academic planning and evaluation.

Given QCC’s adherence to the guidelines set forth by NEASC, the Massachusetts BHE and the

Internal Program Review process, QCC's degree programs are well designed in their inclusion of both a

general education requirement and the major or concentration requirement. In the exit briefing following

the Noel-Levitz Enrollment Opportunities Analysis (Completed in Fall 2000), the “quality of various

academic programs” was cited as one of the institution’s identified strengths. The College fully abides by

the Degree Standards and recommendations for the General Education Component as detailed in the 1989

document titled The Undergraduate Experience. This document continues to serve as the comprehensive

policy statement on academic issues; the MA Board of Higher Education continues to utilize its

guidelines in its program approval process. All degree programs offered by QCC have received BHE

approval. The QCC Academic Affairs Committee monitors ongoing compliance with academic policy

matters.

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Internal Program Review/ WTI Integration/ IPR Description

Strengths

The extraordinary undertaking of absorbing the curricula of Worcester Technical Institute

preceded the commensurate success of IPR. With focused and directed leadership, the merger of WTI

programs moved through the customary internal approval processes and governance structures in less

than six months from inception to Massachusetts’ BHE approval. Not only did the merger provide

Quinsigamond with an opportunity to develop state-of-the-art programs to enhance the educational and

economic standing of the community and its residents, but also it is testimony to the collaborative spirit in

which faculty and academic administrators approach the development, implementation, and evaluation of

programmatic offerings. The WTI Integration generated an annual increase of $1 million dollars in

additional state appropriation for QCC in order to fully realize the successful transfer and establishment

of these programs.

Through Internal Program Review, the cornerstone of Quinsigamond’s efforts to position each of

its programs to comprehensively fulfill the mission and purposes, program currency and instructional

effectiveness is improving. For example, the Business Office Support Specialist (BOSS) program was the

product of an extensive revision of Administrative Office Management, an outdated and under-enrolled

secretarial science program. Through IPR, BOSS (described further in the College Catalog) was aligned

with national skill standards as defined by the International Association of Administrative Professionals.

Not only was curricular content significantly revised, but also the structure of the certificate and degree

programs was revamped in order to allow students to gain in-demand workforce skills in a true career

ladder approach.

The review of the Applied Arts (APA) program led to a considerable shift in curricular focus

from the traditional graphic arts to web-based design. The APA Internal Program Review provided

compelling evidence for the critical need for program expansion and necessary significant facility and

technology upgrades. With fiscal support from a local foundation, the program realized this upgrade and

fully doubled program enrollment (plus a wait list) within six months of completing the IPR.

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Faculty are also actively seeking industry externships, technology training, and other

opportunities in order to keep abreast of rapidly changing industry skill requirements, technology

changes, and emerging trends in health care, business, and technology. The value of this professional

development is reflected in the increasing student satisfaction with overall instructional effectiveness in

the results from the Fall 2002 Noel Levitz SSI. Specifically, students pointed to both “quality of

instruction” and to faculty as “knowledgeable in their fields” among the key strengths of the institution.

The mechanisms of IPR assure that Quinsigamond degree objectives and requirements for each program

are defined and that programs have a coherent design and appropriate breadth, depth, and continuity. As

of Fall 2003, over 85% of the degree and certificate programs will have completed the first round of

comprehensive IPR. The completed IPR and its accompanying recommendations receive intensive

scrutiny at multiple levels, both within and external to the institution, including the QCC Board of

Trustees. The Academic Affairs Staff closely monitors the implementation of IPR recommendations

across the institution and reports progress on its annual IPR Report Card.

Statewide and national professional associations have recognized the IPR process. In 2001, QCC

was a Bellwether Award finalist for its work with IPR. The Bellwether Awards are awarded annually

during the Community College Futures Assembly, sponsored by the Institute of Higher Education at the

University of Florida. The Institute focuses on identifying and promoting high quality, innovative

programs and practices worthy of replication at other institutions. In the same year, the National Council

of Instructional Administrators recognized IPR as an Exemplary Initiative in Student Success. In Fall

2001, the College Board and the New England College Council presented QCC with the Hallmark Award

for Excellence in Education for the Internal Program Review. Currently, the Vice President of Academic

Affairs and Director of Special Projects are co-authoring a chapter accepted for inclusion in a book

focused on enhancing effectiveness in higher education.

Based upon this success, the Academic Affairs team launched the New Directions Institute in

June 2001, a summer training institute for teams of faculty and administrators from other Colleges to

learn the theoretical and practical application of the IPR process. This nationwide training institute has

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drawn teams of educators from California, Michigan, Florida, as well as several of the New England

states over the last two years.

Challenges

Although a majority of respondents to the Institutional Survey agreed that “QCC periodically

reviews its degree programs using a clearly defined and established process”, more than a third of

respondents to the NEASC Institutional Survey disagreed with the statement that QCC provides sufficient

resources to sustain and improve programs. The Division of Academic Affairs has prepared an IPR

Report Card that provides a current snapshot of progress made on realizing the strategic institutional

supports recommended by each program through the IPR process. While considerable progress has been

made in several key areas such as curriculum transformation, community outreach, and faculty

development, there remains significant need for progress in other areas such as strategic enrollment

management and significant advising improvements. The College is in desperate need of an institutional

researcher to support academic planning and evaluation and to guide the institution in making decisions

based upon thorough analysis of data.

Outcomes Assessment

Strengths

IPR has provided the framework for the development of clear learning objectives and program

specific and general education outcomes assessment are in early stages of development. Quinsigamond

became involved with the NEASC assessment portfolio project with the intention of using it as a vehicle

to build a comprehensive outcome assessment strategy for academic programs. The results of the IPR

with respect to curricular alignment with external skill standards and other professional benchmarks lead

logically to the development and implementation of an outcomes assessment process. QCC identified the

following goals in its original proposal:

• Involve faculty in an ongoing discussion of assessment and overall program effectiveness • Support faculty driven initiatives to evaluate program effectiveness • Expand the institution’s capacity to evaluate its effectiveness

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The five programmatic approaches displayed in the QCC Portfolio have served as a model and

catalyst for other academic programs to develop their program effectiveness approach. The unique

approach taken by several programs that are utilizing the portfolio as an instructional tool has led to an

expanded appreciation for the dynamic value and power of the electronic portfolio in advancing learning,

not simply showcasing static results. As anticipated, the portfolio has facilitated increased professional

dialogue regarding assessment. This is evidenced in-house via several campus wide forums that have

featured the portfolio and the work of the faculty. In addition, several administrators and faculty

members have presented to public audiences including participants at the recent NEASC Annual Meeting

and colleagues in the ten College pilot project. Each of these venues provided a rich opportunity for

professional dialogue on program effectiveness, outcomes assessment, and the relative merits of an

electronic format of a portfolio.

One notable impact of the portfolio project is the institutional shift in emphasis from assessment

of outcomes to evaluation of overall effectiveness that by definition includes assessment of outcomes, but

focuses the institution in a continuous cycle of review and revision. The portfolio project galvanized

College-wide efforts aimed at measuring overall Institutional Effectiveness (IE). In fact, during Spring

2002, the Vice President of Academic Affairs convened a committee to develop a vision statement for

institutional effectiveness. In Fall 2002, the President charged this group as a Task Force to develop an

interactive Institutional Effectiveness Guidebook (modeled upon IPR, available in the workroom) for use

by all areas of the College.

Another objective outcomes assessment measure is graduate competence as measured by the

consistently high pass rates on licensure examinations in all the allied health fields. For the last three

years, the average pass rate for these programs has been approximately 95%; actual numbers are available

in the workroom.

Challenges

Allocation of the resources necessary to support and advance these outcomes assessment efforts

and to compensate the faculty for this time intensive endeavor will continue to be an institutional

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challenge, particularly in the current fiscal climate. The College is in desperate need of an institutional

researcher to support these assessment efforts and to guide the institution in making decisions based upon

thorough analysis of data.

Alternative Instructional Methodologies

Strengths Overall

Accelerated Learning

The Accelerated Learning effort, expanded weekend programming, and distance education effort

exemplify the innovation and collaboration among faculty, academic administrators and the Center for

Continuing Education that has fostered QCC’s rapid curricular transformation. Accelerated Learning, a

powerful alterative to the traditional classroom instruction, offers a unique combination of continuing

education and credit courses and enables study with other experienced workers whose knowledge and

expertise are important components of the learning process. Students will be able to earn an associate

degree in 2 ½ years attending class one night a week all year round. They will become a part of a cohort

group with start-ups throughout the year, allowing more flexibility in enrollment. Cohort groups have

been proven to improve retention. Students will thus spend less time in the classroom and more time,

approximately 10 -15 hours per week, in independent and group study. Program courses are sequentially

pre-determined in order to build on the students' learning needs.

Distance Education

Perhaps the single most important indicator of Distance Education success is the collective voice

of the enrolled students. Fall, 2002 saw the overall performance of all asynchronous course related

matters ranked in the very high status by students across the (cyber) campus. The campus profile

(workroom) was the result of both the faculty coordinator and the technical support staff working together

to design a method of online evaluation that would protect students' privacy, confidentiality and honesty.

A primary challenge, however, is the insurance of authenticity of student work. Courses include the same

provisions as synchronous classes for plagiarism or other breaches of agreement. Teaching students

correct documentation is, for any course, part of the faculty's responsibility to act as "gatekeepers."

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Challenges Overall

The College needs to develop a comprehensive long-range plan for distance education, weekend

and evening College, and accelerated programming to provide structure, context, and rationale for

resource allocation for its continued development and expansion. Distance education course development

and delivery, the expansion of weekend programming, and the accelerated learning effort are primarily

grass roots efforts among interested faculty and academic administrators. As overall popularity grows

and these become a common elements of course scheduling, the College must contend with such

questions as which specific degree or certificate programs can and should be placed entirely on-line, on

weekends, or in accelerated format. Additionally, the College must conduct an environmental scan to

determine what additional resources and supports are available and could be integrated in to complement

student learning. For example, the distance learning effort needs to determine how best to utilize or

integrate the on-line course offerings available through the Mass Colleges Online. And while the focus of

the Center for Continuing Education is on short-term and customized training, non-credit to credit

transition, there are no viable statistics which assess the overall satisfaction of the students or success of

the program. Though students fill out evaluation forms for each CCE class and 94% of the participants

for 2002 “agreed or strongly agreed” that the quality of the course content, course materials and the

delivery were highly effective, the College must pursue more comprehensive data collection and analysis.

Nearly 37% of the total respondents to the Institutional Survey indicated disagreement/strong

disagreement with the statement that continuing education, off-campus offerings, distance education, and

evening/weekend programs are clearly integrated and incorporated into policy formation and management

systems of the institution. This number is even slightly higher for the responding category of faculty/non-

unity professionals. In a related question, 40% of total respondents indicated disagreement/strong

disagreement with the statement that these efforts receive the same institutional support as courses offered

during the day.

Without a planned growth strategy in place, the College will continue to face unrestricted

enrollment growth and increasing reliance on adjunct faculty particularly in the evening and weekend

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course sections. The ongoing challenge of providing a consistent quality of education and also, adequate

learning and academic support resources to all students is becoming increasingly more difficult to

manage.

Non-Traditional/Experience Based Education

Strengths

There has been a significant increase in the overall institutional recognition of the importance of

awarding credit for prior learning within the student’s curriculum. For the individuals who responded to

the NEASC Institutional Survey (administered in Spring, 2002), 65% of the full-time faculty or unit

professionals strongly agreed or agreed that EBE policies and procedures were clearly stated and

available. In FY01, 847 credits were awarded; 1856 credits in FY02.

Significant progress has been made in establishing appropriate articulation agreements between

various institutions and QCC. A documentation and communication system was developed in which a

Tech Prep coordinator was hired to construct Tech Prep agreements and facilitate students' access to the

advantages of the agreement; coordination of all articulation agreements was subsequently centralized

under the Experience Based Education office. New requests with Tech Prep high schools and non-

collegiate institutions are reviewed using the newly implemented Request for Course-Equivalency Credit

process. This structured process ensures that all credit awarded accurately reflects a College level

equivalency.

As of Fall, 2002, 23 high school articulation agreements and 6 non-collegiate institution

articulation agreements (appended) have been reviewed and approved through the new process. QCC’s

newly developed reporting system, using a Microsoft Access database, tracks the status of all QCC

established articulation agreements and those in the Request for Course-Equivalency Credit process and

can provide real time data on request (appended).

Sixty percent of respondents to the campus Institutional Survey believe that QCC makes

“appropriate arrangements for students” when curriculum changes or program eliminations occur. Nearly

27% of respondents had no basis for judgment, which indicates how rare significant curricular change or

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program closure has been in the institution’s history. Results of the Noel-Levitz SSI (Fall 2001) also

confirm this appraisal: the parameters identified as service excellence and student centeredness indicate a

gap of less than 1.00 between student expectations and their actual satisfaction.

Challenges

There are only a few active and current articulation agreements that have been established with

non-collegiate institutions, Worcester Art Museum, for example. A considerable outreach effort needs to

be undertaken to seek out institutions that have and/or could offer students credit possibilities for QCC

programs.

Additional Strands

Honors Program

As of Spring 2003, 120 students are enrolled from eleven different majors; however, student

diversity poses a significant challenge. Most enrollees have been white non-traditional women, so race

and gender representation remains unevenly split.

Service Learning

Overall, the service learning effort has met with success as evidenced by the quality of the

projects and the committed involvement of the faculty and students. Too, the service learning effort is

enjoying significant community support and engaging the College in the community in many different

ways.

Yet, as with any project that moves beyond the confines of the traditional classroom, service

learning continues to meet with scheduling challenges regarding the difference between real world and

school-based timing. In addition, as service learning expands across the curriculum and interest among

the faculty grows, more propitious time management and workload issues need to be worked out.

FOCUS ON UNDERPREPARED STUDENTS

Strengths

Results of the Institutional Survey (Administered Spring 2002) show an overwhelming positive

response from all respondents to the statement, “QCC has systems in place to support students who may

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need additional support to reach their educational goals." These findings resonate with those of the Noel

Levitz Student Satisfaction Survey (SSI) (Completed in Fall 2000 and Fall 2002) that indicate overall

satisfaction with academic services and campus support for academic success. In addition, one of the

institution’s strengths cited during the Noel Levitz Opportunities Analysis (Completed in Fall 2001) was

its “commitment to improving the quality of student life and success.”

The Title III initiative is providing QCC with a unique opportunity to research, design,

implement, and evaluate a comprehensive and integrated transformation of the institution’s approach to

working with academically under prepared students. While focused on entry-level students, it is effecting

a campus wide transformation in the teaching and learning process that will ultimately benefit all courses

and programs.

Student persistence data analyzed from Fall 2002 to Spring 2003 for four different cohorts of

First-Year students enrolled in all sections of the redesigned courses are promising -- those courses

include MAT 099; ENG 091; ENG 096; and ORT 110, Strategies for College and Career. Most

compelling is the 89.7% semester-to-semester persistence rate for those students who were enrolled in

ORT 110 during Fall 2002. Those students who were enrolled in one or more of the redesigned

developmental courses show a semester-to-semester persistence rate of roughly 78-80%. As a point of

comparison, data for a baseline cohort who were enrolled in one or more of the developmental courses in

Fall 2001 show a 71.1% persistence rate into Spring 2002.

Data pertaining to student success during Fall 2002 shows that nearly 64% (228/355 students) of

those enrolled in one or more of the redesigned developmental courses earned a grade of C or better. As a

point of comparison, only 58% (486/835 students) of those in the control group (i.e., enrolled in non-pilot

sections of the same course in that semester) achieved a similar level of success. Overall, those students

enrolled in one or more of the redesigned developmental courses but not ORT 110 show a semester

success rate of 60.7 % as compared with a 75.4% success rate for those who took both ORT 110 and one

or more developmental course. This data is encouraging; the College is eager to begin generating

longitudinal data beginning with Fall 2003.

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ADVISING & RETENTION

Advising

Challenges

The Advising Center piloted its "One-Stop" concept for Fall 2002 and Spring 2003 registration.

The current space and personnel limitations make developmental advising in this area impossible, but the

hope is that with the implementation of the Web registration module (slated for Spring 2003), students

who are clear on their academic objectives will register without assistance, and advisors would have more

time to work with those students who do need assistance. The Noel Levitz SSI (2002) showed only slight

improvement in student satisfaction with Advising.

Inadequate advising, particularly for under prepared and undecided students has been an ongoing

challenge for this institution. Consider that in Fall 2002, over 1000 students were enrolled in one or more

developmental English courses and 2051 students were enrolled in one of the developmental mathematics

course. In Fall 2002 there were approximately 2000 students enrolled in the General Studies program,

attempting to define a focused career direction. The vast majority of these entering students take the

standardized assessment test (CPT) with little or no preparation or thought to the consequences of the test

results. These students, new to the College and without firm direction, typically enter the advising

process through the Academic Advising Center, which is not adequately prepared to address the entire

range of needs of the whole student. Currently, in-coming students are typically assigned to the Advising

Center during their first semester or year on campus. In this case, they will often meet with the first

available advisor, rather than develop a consistent relationship with a single individual. Thus, these

students are unable to develop a more meaningful advising dyad early on.

Persistence data for a baseline cohort of 1875 students enrolled in one or more of the seven

developmental courses during fall semester 2001 supports the assertion that academically under-prepared

and/or undecided students face significant challenges with respect to connecting to QCC and achieving

successful outcomes. By Spring 2002, only 71.1% or 1480 of 1875 students returned. By the following

Fall 2002, only 51.8% or 1152 of 1875 of those students returned, and by spring 2003, just 940 of 1875

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students or 46.1% were still enrolled at QCC. The Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory (SSI)

(Completed in Fall 2000) revealed significant student dissatisfaction with advising processes and follow

up results from the Fall 2002 administration of the SSI, while slightly improved, point to considerable

dissatisfaction and continuing challenges with the advising process. Student complaints range from their

perception of the advisor’s familiarity with various programs of study requirements to overall

approachability and helpfulness of advising center staff.

Over half of the total respondents to the NEASC Institutional Survey (Administered in Spring

2002) disagreed/strongly disagreed with the statement; “QCC has an effective system of academic

advising that meets student needs for information and advice.” These challenges were further

corroborated by the findings of the Noel-Levitz Enrollment Opportunities Analysis (Completed in Fall

2001) that indicated both staffing and better communications of advising services were priority concerns

for the College.

Retention

Strengths

Early retention initiatives have met with some success. In Spring 2002, all students who had

withdrawn from all their courses during the Fall 2001 semester were contacted and encouraged to re-

enroll. Information was also sent to them on a variety of campus support services. This initiative was

duplicated for those who withdrew during Spring 2002. Students on financial aid probation were

encouraged to meet with the Associate Dean of Student Retention during the Summer 2002 to create a

contract for success. The intent was to create a safety net to encourage academic success. The campus-

wide Early Alert (noted in Description) program began in Fall, 2001. Forty-nine faculty members

participated in this initiative and supported 298 students; all of the students were contacted and 15% of

them completed their courses satisfactorily (that is, achieved a grade of C or better in a developmental

course and then, passing in all others.) During the Spring 2002 semester, 43 faculty members participated

in supporting 216 students; 23% of these students were retained. The most current Early Alert data (Fall

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2002) shows 55 faculty members participated and 34% of the students who were early alerted

successfully completed those courses for which they were early alerted.

In addition, a new Financial Aid probation initiative was piloted Fall 2002. 500 students on

financial aid were encouraged to meet with the Associate Dean for Retention to discuss their academic

progress. Of those who participated, 67% were removed from financial aid probation and in "good

standing" for Spring 2003 (as compared to 38.2% of the students on financial aid probation for Fall 2001

and 41.9% of the students who chose not to participate in the initiatives Fall 2002).

Challenges

Quinsigamond faces acute challenges with respect to retention of students particularly of those

students who enter academically under-prepared and without a firm career direction. Persistence data for

a baseline cohort of 1875 students who were enrolled in one or more of the seven developmental courses

during Fall 2001 confirm this finding. By Spring 2002, only 71.1% or 1480 students returned. By the

following Fall 2002, only 51.8%, or 1152 of those students, returned; and by Spring 2003, just 940

students, or 46.1%, were still enrolled at QCC.


Admissions

Strengths

According to the survey results for total respondents to the NEASC Institutional Survey

(Administered in Spring 2002) 76.6 % agree/strongly agree, “QCC’s programs of study have clear

admission requirements” (#37). These requirements are adjusted as necessary to reflect the changing

demands of the program and the profession and to ensure students’ academic success. The detailed

Admissions Recruitment Plan for 2002- 2003 is appended.

Challenges

Identifiable areas for growth in Admissions processes are evidenced by a recent evaluation by the

Noel-Levitz Enrollment Opportunities Analysis (Fall, 2001). Specifically, the College must develop a

long-term strategic enrollment plan including a comprehensive recruitment and retention plan to serve a

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student body that, as a whole, is broadly representative of the population the institution serves. One of the

consistent recommendations from the Internal Program Review is the need for strategic enrollment

management that includes a strategy for seating a full class in each of the programs of study. According to

the most recent IPR report card, this particular recommendation is yet to be fully addressed. The College

recently promoted the Director of Financial Aid to an Associate Dean of Enrollment Services. The

Director of Admissions will now report to this position.

PROJECTION

Introduction/Mission/Plan Of Education

Based upon the positive student response to both the 2000 and 2002 Noel Levitz Student

Satisfaction Inventory regarding overall instructional effectiveness, the College can confirm that initial

efforts to define a comprehensive Plan of Education, to upgrade curriculum and to develop consistent

measures of student success across its programs, are clearly meeting with success. The College will

continue to develop, refine, and disseminate the QCC Plan of Education in an ongoing effort to maximize

instructional effectiveness. Once the instructional component of the Plan of Education is completed, the

College would like to expand it to include all services and applications from enrollment to graduate

and/or goal completion.

Internal Program Review:

As part of a comprehensive academic planning process, the necessary strategic institutional

supports and other recommendations as reported on the (appended) IPR Report Card and the identified

funding priorities, should be more fully integrated into overall institutional planning, resource allocation,

and evaluation. This practice would align with the NEASC guidelines for planning and resource

allocation, “giving primary focus to the realization of its (QCC’s) educational objectives” NEASC

Standards for Accreditation, Standard Two Planning & Evaluation, 2.4). Further, this practice would

demonstrate the institution’s commitment to keeping teaching and learning at the center of everything we

do.

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With the recent appointment of a new fiscal officer and the pending appointment of an

Institutional Researcher, the College should develop a five year master plan which addresses all aspects of

the allocation of human, technological, financial, and physical resources as it pertains to the institution’s

primary focus -- the education of students.

Outcomes Assessment

The Division of Academic Affairs plans to develop and implement a discipline and general

education review process, modeled upon the IPR, as a forerunner to support faculty in analyzing and

assessing the effectiveness of the integrative core curriculum. The College should continue to support and

advance current outcomes assessment efforts by providing the resources necessary to support institutional

research and to fund the expansion of institutional effectiveness efforts, such as the development of

additional program effectiveness portfolios.

Enriched Instructional Opportunities/ Alternative Instruction Delivery:

CCE: The Center for Continuing Education is projected to expand its offerings in a variety of

areas and ways:

• To expand revenue from all areas by 4% in 2003 to a target of $449,000 through a combination of the contract training and open enrollment segments, both in synchronous and asynchronous arrangements. It is expanding services to include leadership development, management consulting, strategic planning services, an advanced level of public seminars and online offerings. In addition, it will more closely align with key central Massachusetts industries (manufacturing, service/distribution, life sciences, health care) for the purpose of customizing program development opportunities. To date, The Center has met and exceeded revenue target.

• To develop a career-oriented portfolio of training programs for Health Care and other key central Massachusetts industries working closely with the credit divisions at QCC. The result will be a blended set of credit and credit-free programs. To date, the Center has worked closely with the credit divisions and helped launch an “RN Refresher” Program and the Accelerated Learning Business Management Program.

• To extend awareness of CCE’s capabilities and training portfolios through the use of organizational memberships with the Chamber of Commerce, Central Mass Employers’ Association, the Northeast Human Resources Association and the American Society of Training and Development. To develop and implement recruitment tools for scheduled programming. To continue to promote CCE’s capability in the high-end technology training field.

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• To minimize space and time constraints confronting learners by expanding online programming that will enhance accessibility for learning for both introductory and advanced skill levels.

• To develop and implement an effective, integrated direct mail and advertising campaign to create awareness of the Center’s products and services. To date, the Center has developed a mailing list comprised of alumni, senior executives, current students, and Chamber of Commerce members. These efforts led to implementing the first monthly marketing campaign which has helped to increase the enrollments.

• To enhance flexibility for training delivery through the College at the Mall facilities by

offering both non-credit and credit courses. Classroom usage at the Mall will be optimized in 2003-2004.

Distance Education

The College needs to design a framework, a set of concrete goals, to more clearly articulate

objectives and assessment strategies specific to asynchronous learning. It is widely accepted that distance

education is a "portal” to an alternative modality; yet, the college must more clearly situate it and its

individual course requirements within its mission and purpose.

Non-Traditional/EBE

More attention needs to be paid to ensuring that administrators, faculty, and staff are aware of

how credit for prior learning fits into a student’s academic program and goals:

• More training is needed for the EBE support specialists in the area of military credentialing and how to utilize the national standards to maximize credit opportunities for the military trained student.

• Standards need to be developed for consistent application for portfolio assessment with faculty better trained in specifics. There is currently no evaluation tool to ensure individual faculty review is consistent with learning outcomes from a standard classroom experience.

• All students must be made aware of the opportunity to acquire credit if they possess appropriate prior learning.

Honors Program

The QCC Honors Program is currently seeking statewide accreditation -- valid for six years -- as

part of the "Massachusetts Commonwealth College Honors Program.” The statewide goal is for all four-

year public Colleges and universities and all two-year community Colleges to streamline their honors

programs and to facilitate student admission and transfer into those programs at four-year institutions.

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Service Learning

The current Service Learning grant expires in December, 2003. The College, in conjunction with

the Colleges of the Worcester Consortium, has submitted another grant to support the service learning

project. Plans for the future include program expansion pending appropriate funding.

FOCUS ON UNDERPREPARED STUDENTS

Quinsigamond will continue its work aimed at increasing student persistence and retention among

under prepared students using student success and persistence data to monitor the effectiveness of these

strategies as they are implemented. Faculty will continue to revamp, field test, and evaluate the

effectiveness of the seven redesigned courses that comprise the developmental sequence. In addition, the

College will expand the number of ORT 110 (first year experience course/Title III) sections available to

incoming students and will monitor the effectiveness of this course over time. Simultaneously, the

College will revamp comprehensive advising and assessment services. Initially, the institution’s focus

will be to define and establish a developmental advising model that will support students to reach their

academic and life goals successfully (Efforts in this regard are detailed below).

The College has received a Massachusetts Department of Education grant to launch a summer

transition pilot program, “Pathways to Success,” specifically designed for high school students who have

met local graduation requirements but have not attained a passing score on the MCAS tests. As a new

initiative, this pilot will be scrutinized for effectiveness after students re-test.

ADVISING & RETENTION

QCC must move beyond the fragmented career exploration and course selection/advising system

it currently utilizes to a more comprehensive developmental advising model. Such a paradigmatic shift

will take its cue from the Title III Initiative, the primary emphasis of which is to improve the

effectiveness of developmental courses and to develop and implement an institutional developmental

advising model that addresses the specific needs and concerns of students at different points in their

academic career. The work of Title III, antecedent to College-wide implementation, will incrementally

phase in efforts to address students' needs.

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The ORT 110 course with its required CAPS Plan is an in progress attempt to meet the individual

academic and career exploration advising needs of academically under-prepared students and undeclared

students. The College will continue to increase the number of sections of ORT 110 each semester in an

attempt to meet student demand and need for early career exploration and advising. The literature on first

year seminar courses coupled with our own emerging data provides excellent documentation of the

positive impact these courses have on student retention and academic achievement and is impetus to

expand these opportunities for students.

Through the efforts of the developmental advising task force convened in February 2003, QCC is

poised to significantly revamp its approach to advising. By December 2003, QCC will create a definition

of developmental advising that will be used campus wide and will further adopt benchmarking standards,

criteria, and values to use as guides. In addition, the College will create a mission/values statement that

will guide all advising functions. Central to this work will be the honest and reflective evaluation of

QCC’s ability to deliver services at each stage of the model. This will take into account existing

resources for each stage of the model, the integration of web-based registration across all stages of the

model, and the development of strategies for supplementing existing services in view of fiscal constraints.

The ultimate goal is to develop, plan and implement a roll out of a developmental advising model

(appended) that is guided by the work of the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) and

the work of Drs. Terry O’Banion, and Virginia Gordon.

QCC must fully analyze all available data pertaining to its students, their preferences, and their

self-identified challenges to success in order to build campus wide retention initiatives. The CAPS

Survey, a comprehensive research and data collection tool, is aimed at identifying specific factors that

promote or detract from student success and are useful in the construction of campus-wide retention

initiatives. The survey also provides faculty with an immediate profile of his/her class, (regarding learning

styles, preferences, computer usage skills, study skills, career knowledge and career planning readiness)

allowing for modifications in instructional delivery and course content, to best meet the needs of students.

QCC should fully utilize these survey results to identify and develop targeted retention strategies.

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Quinsigamond must further intensify retention efforts by fully acting upon the recommendations of the

Noel Levitz Enrollment Opportunities Analysis (Completed in Fall 2001) Among the key proposals of

that report was that the College must develop “a longer-term strategic enrollment plan including a

comprehensive plan for recruitment and retention.” The Noel Levitz analysis yielded several suggestions

(highlighted below) for comprehensive retention efforts integral to the success of the College in retaining

students and achieving its programmatic enrollment goals:

“Developing a comprehensive plan to improve student retention and implement strategies, tools, and procedures to close the back door. Immediate growth can be realized with the reduction of attrition at least several percentage points each year.

The College should immediately begin to make a careful analysis of its retention by various cohorts.

Activate the entire College community in recruiting and retention activities and assume active roles.”


As referenced above, the Noel Levitz Enrollment Opportunities Analysis (Completed in Fall

2001) further recommended that QCC build an enrollment program that includes as fundamental

components:

• An adequate inquiry pool • Effective/efficient methods of managing the enrollment funnel • Purposeful communications systems/programs • Monitoring of progress toward goals • Admissions and Advising must develop and implement efficient intake processes.

Quinsigamond Community College must realize the importance of strategic enrollment

management responsive to the unique mission of this institution as a key partner in regional workforce

development. The College must focus its enrollment plan on the development and implementation of a

comprehensive strategy to enroll each program of study based upon both the labor market demand for

program graduates and the opportunity for learners and graduates to attain employment that leads to

economic self-sufficiency and career growth opportunities. The College has recently promoted the

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Director of Financial Aid to an Associate Dean of Enrollment Services; the existing Director of

Admissions will now report to this position.

Overall, the College is on the threshold of paradigmatic shifts as it redefines and redirects it role

in the twenty-first century. As this Self-Study indicates, the College must revise and implement

innovative learning opportunities and improve services to better assist students navigate their way as

learners, as wage-earners, as family members and civic minded, reflective people who feel valued by their

communities.

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STANDARD FIVE - FACULTY

DESCRIPTION

Profile of Current Numbers

The major strength of the institution is the quality of instruction delivered by highly competent

faculty whose qualifications and performance reify the mission of the College. Results from the two Noel-

Levitz surveys (2002 and 2000) indicate that students rank instructional effectiveness very highly, with an

overall performance gap of 0.97 on the 2002 survey (workroom). Students value the faculty's

demonstrations of concern, their understanding of differences, their breadth of knowledge and availability

for individualized assistance. Clearly, College faculty are the cornerstone of the Quinsigamond

experience.

As of Fall 2002, the College employed 106 full-time faculty and 301 adjuncts. The numbers

below indicate the rise in hires, both full-time and adjunct, commensurate with the rise in student

enrollment over the last ten years. Yet this 13.9 % increase in full-time faculty contrasts to a 104.7%

increase in adjunct faculty. Quinsigamond grapples with a 78.6% increase in the student body -- a 36.4%

increase in FTE -- to be accommodated by increasing numbers of adjunct faculty.

1992 2001 2002 Fall 1992 2001 2002

Fall 2003

Spring Faculty Students Full time 93 (39%) 104 (28%) 106 (26%) Head Count 3707 6197 6621 6309 Adjunct 147 (61%) 263 (72%) 301 (74%) FTE 2843 3572 3877 3628 Total 240 367 407 Source: IPEDS/Human Resources/ QCC Registrar

Faculty credentials, curriculum vitae, seniority rankings, and other classification data are reserved

in the workroom for the evaluation team. The Massachusetts Board of Higher Education and the

Massachusetts Council on Community Colleges have agreed on and articulated the minimum

requirements for the ranks of Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor and Full Professor in

Article XIV in the Massachusetts Community College Council Contract (workroom). Article VII in the

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current Contract defines academic freedom and academic responsibilities; and Article XII provides

information on workload, work assignments and working conditions.

The majority of full-time faculty members hold at least a Master’s degree in their subject area.

Those faculty who do not hold a Master’s degree, in technical and/or healthcare programs for example,

demonstrate a high level of training and experience, commensurate with the licensing requirements of

their profession. A number of those without Master's Degrees are currently pursuing such credentials --

to be completed within five years -- as a condition of continued employment. Several faculty members

also hold a doctorate or intensive coursework beyond the Master’s degree. Adjunct faculty possesses

qualifications identical to those of full-time faculty.

FACULTY DEGREES, 2001- 2002 Masters CGAS Doctorate

Full-Time 61 4 14 Part-Time 275 12 55

(Human Resources, Spring, 2003)

Adjunct Faculty FALL 2002Total Sections from Registrar's List 1135

Subtract 103

Total 3 or 4 credit courses 1032All Sections before 4:00 PM (M-F) 712

Taught by Full time Faculty 366 (or 51.4%)

Taught by Adjuncts 346 (or 48.6%)

SPRING 2003Total Sections from Registrar's List 1065Subtract 101Total 3 or 4 credit courses 964

All Sections before 4:00 PM (M-F) 645Taught by Full Time Faculty 347 (or 53.8%)

Taught by Adjuncts 298 (or 46.2%)

Clinical, Hospital, Blackstone, Tutorials, Duplicates Co-Op, Directed Study

Clinical, Hospital, Blackstone, Tutorials, Duplicates Co-Op, Directed Study

QCC relies heavily on adjunct

faculty to deliver instruction to its

student body. The chart at the right

illustrates that a high percentage of all

courses taught before 4:00 p.m. are

taught by adjunct faculty.

Based on faculty head count

rather than the actual ratios of courses

taught, Fall 2002 saw total faculty

number 407 -- 74% adjunct and 26%

full-time.

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Reliance on adjuncts is not unique to QCC, and much literature has been generated about the pros

and cons of this trend:

In the Fall of 1998, 43% of post secondary instructional faculty and staff were employed part time as defined by their institution. Instructional faculty and staff at public two-year institutions were the most likely group to be employed part time: 62%. (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2001) There is some agreement about the reasons for such a high utilization of adjuncts at the two-year

college: they cost the institution less, they can be easily replaced when curriculum needs change, or

program numbers change, and they can infuse classes with the latest information and “real world” skills

in rapidly changing fields. In-house part-time faculty and staff perceive a reduced level of support from

their institution, compared to their full-time colleagues. In 1998, QCC established the Integration of

Adjunct Staff Task Force, as part of the Teaching/Learning Roundtable. Their mission was to assess and

recommend a series of provisions designed to more completely assimilate those adjunct faculty and/or

part-time employees. Utilizing an informal poll, adjuncts and part-time staff focused on the lack of health

and other benefits, inequitable remuneration, and a perceived discrepancy in working conditions, like

office space and parking.

In the Fall of 2000, QCC administration announced and implemented improvements for adjuncts

and part-time staff in response to the task force recommendations: inclusion in College Catalog; email

and telephone access; tuition benefits; paid holidays; and paid snow days. A separate agreement between

the BHE and the MCCC spell out the details of responsibilities for adjunct/ continuing education faculty.

This contract is in force through 2003 and also addresses the general pay scale. Explanation of

advancement through the Steps is detailed in Article XIV: Section 14.05. To reach the new step 4, an

adjunct must have eight or more years of College seniority.

Recruitment/Appointment

The recruiting of faculty follows a pragmatic, incremental process. Faculty openings are

publicly and broadly advertised through internal and external job postings and, in most cases, classified

advertising in newspapers, professional journals and magazines that ensure local, regional and national

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exposure. Position vacancies are also advertised on the College’s web site. Furthermore, the College is

beginning to make more use of higher education recruitment sites on the Internet, including the web

version of The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Members of the faculty participate in the hiring process by serving on screening committees and

interviewing qualified candidates. Quinsigamond Community College faculty appointments and hiring

procedures are consistent with the State Community Colleges’ Equal Employment Opportunity/

Affirmative Action/Diversity Plan and goals, as described in the Commonwealth's Affirmative Action

Plan, the 1993-96 edition of which is still current. At specified stages of the selection process, the

EEO/AA officer monitors the process and ensures compliance with state and federal non-discrimination

laws as well as with Quinsigamond Community College’s policies of fair employment practices and its

mission and values.

The Unit Professional Staff includes those persons in positions identified by title in Appendix A

of Article I of the collective bargaining agreement (workroom) between the Board of Higher Education

(BHE) and the Massachusetts Community College Council (MCCC) as well as several non-unit positions

that provide direct academic services to students. In general, these staff members do not have teaching

responsibilities, but are integral to the teaching/learning process by providing individualized support to

our students: tutoring, advising, assistance with individualized learning activities and counseling.

Professional members of the bargaining unit enjoy many of the same rights and privileges as the faculty;

e.g., job security and tenure.

Professional vacancies are publicly advertised via job postings, regional and local classified

advertisement, College website and Internet recruitment sites. Regardless of recruitment method,

appointed candidates receive a copy of the job posting, an official letter with terms of appointment, the

collective bargaining agreement and an Employee Handbook (workroom) with full explanation of the

appointment, re-appointment, evaluation, promotion/advancement and termination procedures and

policies applicable to their positions. The process for recruitment and selection of unit professional

personnel is sufficiently broad and competitive to ensure that professional staff are appropriately qualified

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for their positions. Furthermore, the College provides a variety of opportunities to enhance staff

development (noted within).

Salaries and benefits are consistent with the requirements of the positions. As of July 1999,

salary schedules are consistent with the labor market for these positions. For full-time Quinsigamond

faculty, the median salary is $51,900 as indicated below:

Range Faculty at That Level

35,000 - 39,999 18 40,000 - 49,999 26 50,000 - 59,999 36 60,000 - 69,999 12 70,000 - 76,000 14

The implementation of the Classification Study (workroom), which was ratified by the Board of

Higher education and MCCC, compensated full-time faculty and professional staff members who were

earning wages below the representative salary state-wide. As a consequence of the study, unit members’

salaries were adjusted to reflect adequate compensation for their professional training, experience and

rank with the proviso for appeal. (The Compensation Structure Chart is appended.) In addition to regular

compensation, meritorious performance -- a provision meant to be carried through the duration of the

current contract -- is recognized by the award of a bonus, which is not applied to the base salary of the

unit member. All members may apply for merit pay, but unit members are automatically considered for

merit during a scheduled evaluation cycle. Part-time professional staff and faculty generally receive

percentage across-the-board salary adjustments.

Provisions for faculty and unit professional appointment are established, as has been past

practice, in Article XI, Appointment & Reappointment – Tenure, of the MCCC/MTA Agreement. Non-

reappointment of a unit member in the first through the fourth years can be made without cause.

Termination following the fifth regular yearly appointment must be for just cause. Faculty and

professional staff members receive letters of reappointment annually through the sixth year by

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contractually agreed deadlines. Tenure may be granted to faculty and professional staff during the sixth

year of appointment, effective at the start of the seventh year of full-time employment.

Appointment, reappointment, and tenure of full-time faculty are presented in Articles XI, Sec 01-

03 of the MCC Contract. These same concerns are addressed for part-time faculty in the MCCC

Contract, Article XI, Sec 05. Additionally, the Criteria for Establishing Faculty Rank Recommendation

at Point of Hire provides personnel with the minimum factors to be considered for each full-time rank

category of Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Professor. Promotion guidelines

(change of rank) for faculty are outlined in the MCCC Contract, Article XIV.

Part-time faculty are offered employment in their area of expertise based upon seniority lists.

Based upon the needs of the College and the satisfactory reviews of their performance, part-time unit

members have some level of job security. Seniority lists of part-time faculty members are published and

distributed on a yearly basis. However, part-time unit professionals are not eligible for tenure.

Pension and Welfare benefit plans are administered by the State and are the same as those afforded to all

Commonwealth employees; other fringe benefits and leave policies are established pursuant to collective bargaining

or BHE policies.

Diversity: Full-Time Faculty

At the time of the last Self-Study, the follow-up evaluation from the NEASC Visiting Team cited

the College for the lack of gender diversity in the President's Cabinet as a "regrettable" situation (Report

of the Accreditation Team, 1994: 6). Since that time, the College has evened out the gender split -- the

Senior Staff is comprised of four women -- but still reflects a white racial dominance. Appended data

from Human Resources specifies the profile of faculty as well as that of student representation.

Workload

The basic responsibilities of the full-time faculty are clearly addressed in the MCCC Contract

(workroom). Faculty are required to adhere to the tasks below during a 40-45 hour work week:

• Teach 5 courses per semester (Article XII, 12.03 details the instructional workload). • Advise 18 students. • Maintain 4 posted office hours per week over at least 4 days.

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• Perform four hours per week of College Service as suits the member's area(s) of professional training and interest.

• Perform community service and engage in professional development as suits the member's area(s) of professional training and interest.

Faculty responsibilities in regard to class lists, audit policy, the audit process, student attendance,

release of student information, course withdrawal procedures, independent study, grading rules and

regulations, class discipline, due process, final grade submission, and general administrative policies are

covered in The Faculty Handbook (19-34) which also outlines employment policies, practices, general

procedures, and safety concerns. These tasks that are part of the fabric of instructors' daily lives are

further stressed by the expectations of staying current with technology:

E-mail, the Internet, and Web sites are rapidly becoming core components of postsecondary instruction for students in the United States. In Fall 1998, 94 percent of full-time instructional faculty and staff at 2 year institutions had access to the Internet. (Green 1999; National Center Educational Statistics 2001). The sheer volume of e-mail alone occupies substantial amounts of instructors' time to use as both

a learning tool and an alternate form of directive feedback and communication. As noted under

Appraisal, changes in workload have evolved over the last five years.

The workload of professional staff includes those duties delineated in the position description,

and where assigned, student advisement, college service including service on committees, student

activities advisement, program development and/or improvement, community service, and relevant

instructional responsibilities exclusive of traditional academic responsibilities. The normal workweek is

37.5 hours with either a ten or twelve month annual appointment.

Evaluation of Faculty

Evaluation of faculty covered by the current day contract is detailed in Article XIII. The goal is

to assess the professional performance of the unit member, particularly his/ her quality of instruction and

to provide a basis upon which decisions will be made concerning reappointment; promotion;

performance-based salary adjustments; tenure; sabbatical and professional leaves; and termination,

dismissal and discipline of a unit member. Non-tenured faculty are evaluated yearly; tenured faculty

every third year. The procedure for evaluating faculty members involves six components: student

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evaluations; course materials evaluations; classroom observation evaluations; student advisement and

college service evaluations; personnel file reviews; and summary evaluations. Weighting of these

components follows this disbursement, as required by the current contract:

• Student Evaluation: 25% • Course Materials Evaluation: 15% • Classroom Observation Evaluation: 25% • Student Advisement Evaluation: 10% • College Service Evaluation: 10% • Personnel File Review: 15%

New to the MCCC contract, commencing in 1999, is a process for post tenure review. The goals

of “post tenure review" are intended to uphold the integrity of tenure and academic freedom; assess the

professional performance of tenured unit members; and improve performance and quality of instruction

and service to students. A tenured professor receiving an unsatisfactory summary evaluation pursuant to

Article XIII is deemed “needs improvement” and required to undertake a plan of professional

development for at least one academic year.

Faculty teaching under the DCE contract are subject to student and course work evaluation each

semester they teach. Classroom observation of DCE faculty is conducted at least once until the instructor

has taught 5 courses over 3 consecutive years. Subsequently, classroom observations may be conducted

for stated written reasons.

The institution has mechanisms to ensure that faculty act responsibly and ethically observe the

established conditions of their employment, and otherwise function in a manner consistent with the

mission and purposes of the institution. The collective bargaining agreement between the Board of

Higher Education and the faculty contains provisions that address academic responsibility. The document

articulates the responsibility of faculty to the faculty's colleagues and the College community to preserve

intellectual honesty in teaching and research.

The College communicates its policies of Equal Employment Opportunity, Affirmative Action

and Non-discrimination to all personnel. These are stated in the Equal Employment

Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Diversity Plan together with the formal and informal processes for

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resolution of complaints, miscommunications and/or misunderstandings of these policies. The General

Laws of the Commonwealth also contain provisions prohibiting actual and perceived conflicts of interest

(MGL Ch. 268A). These provisions are applicable to all State employees including faculty of the

College. The State Ethics Commission enforces the provisions of this statute and serves as a resource to

employees who seek clarification of issues. These policies are also communicated to faculty at the time

of hire and are contained within the Employee Handbook. Finally, all newly hired personnel of the

College, including faculty, must consent to a review by the College of the individual’s Criminal Offender

Record Information (CORI).

Staff Development:

The institution provides support for faculty development opportunities directed toward enhancing

the quality of teaching in many diverse ways:

• Staff development grants are available to faculty for the purposes of attending conferences, workshops and seminars etc. The maximum amount available is $1000 for someone who is presenting at a conference, $700 for full-time faculty and $350 for eligible part-time faculty. Given the state's current fiscal crisis within the last two years, limitations have excluded out-of-state and overnight accommodations. Reimbursement requires pre- and post- conference approval forms. Faculty are also asked to submit an article for publication in “Visions” summarizing the conference, and to present at a “Brown Bag” luncheon key features of the conference.

• “Visions,” a newsletter of the Staff Development Committee published monthly by a faculty member, summarizes professional development activities of the faculty and offers tips, links, leads to other pedagogical connections.

• The Staff Development Office also publishes pertinent details about upcoming conferences and events for interested faculty.

• Sabbaticals are offered to tenured faculty. The application procedure is described in the MCCC contract. During the past three years, two sabbaticals each semester (or an average of four per year) have been awarded to faculty. (See Standard IV).

• Staff Development offers a variety of free workshops ranging from computer training and digital camera usage, to self-improvement and personal enrichment. Questionnaires are distributed at the beginning of each year asking faculty for input on workshop design.

• Upcoming exhibits of the Worcester Art Museum, as well as other exhibits are also publicized, and employees are encouraged to utilize passes.

Standard V 80


• The annual faculty retreat, which faculty now voluntarily partially fund due to the College’s fiscal challenges, hosts an off campus, overnight stay, usually in Dennis, MA for faculty to focus on topics of general importance to them, to reflect on the closing year, and to brainstorm new approaches to Fall semester challenges.

• The President also maintains a “Best Practices Fund” of $15,000 available to faculty and staff to research “best practices” at other institutions. This fund supports initiatives under the Roundtable to further the efforts of the College’s Strategic Goals.

• A “Departmental Professional Development Grant Program” has also been designed to support more focused, departmental professional development activities. Through this provision, grants of up to $500 are available for individual departments, offices, or areas to devise and conduct professional development activities that will support the efforts and growth of the group as a whole.

• A "Breakfast Club," meeting twice a month during the academic year, has been established for new faculty as a venue for forming collegiality and facilitating professional membership and growth. Faculty meet over breakfast while sharing in a professional development activity intended to support their success at QCC.

• Externships are open to faculty who desire to orient and connect the College's mission directly to the community; to better link the demands of the workplace to learning outcomes in the classroom, faculty members have opportunities to work with their peers in a business, healthcare, or education setting. These work-based learning opportunities are typically undertaken during the summer or intersession and provide faculty with a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience. Faculty receive compensation equivalent to teaching a course.

The College has appointed a coordinator of staff development, reporting directly to the Director

of Human Resources, to oversee a committee of eight staff and faculty who guide decisions meant to

improve instructional effectiveness by offering faculty retreats, workshops both on and off campus, and

conference participation. It also publishes two newsletters: one informing the community of workshops

currently offered, the other publishing articles from recent conference attendees.

APPRAISAL


Strengths

Several indicators demonstrate the high quality of instruction and faculty's role as the major

strength of the institution. Three items from the Noel Levitz Student Survey Inventory (from 2002 and

2000) demonstrate the high quality of QCC instruction and faculty. Of eleven summary variables (sub

sections), Instructional Effectiveness is ranked as most important and with high satisfaction. Items

Standard V 81


making specific reference to Instructional Effectiveness include item 18: “The quality of instruction I

receive in most of my classes is excellent;” Item 70: “I am able to experience intellectual growth here;”

and Item 58: “Nearly all of the faculty are knowledgeable in their fields.” All three indicate students' high

degree of satisfaction.

2002 2000

Item ImportanceSatisfactionPerformance Gap Importance SatisfactionPerformance

Gap Instructional Effectiveness (summary of 14 questions) 6.07 5.1 0.97 6.13 5.13 1 #18: quality of instruction 6.34 5.29 1.05 6.4 5.36 1.04 #70: experience intellectual growth 6.19 5.37 0.82 6.24 5.43 .81 #58: faculty knowledgeable 6.16 5.4 0.76 6.31 5.52 0.79

Challenges

The College employs 407 full-time and adjunct faculty to meet the needs of 6621 students (Fall, 2002)

and to assume other duties addressing institutional needs and meeting contractual obligations. Most of

these institutional needs and contractual obligations are carried by full-time faculty. Adjuncts are limited

in their availability and typically are not compensated for institutional work. Yet as the table below

indicates, full-time faculty generally are already clocking in an average of over 49 hours per week and

engaging in a full range of professional duties. Continued institutional support requires either more

manpower (new full-time hires) or a scaling down of required tasks.

FACULTY TIME ALLOCATION:

Average number of hours worked per week and percentage distribution of time spent on various work activities by full-time instructional faculty, by

type of institution and academic rank: Fall 1998

(Source: The Condition of Education, US Dept of Ed, National Center Educational Statistics: 2001)

Standard V 82


There is a common perception that there are not adequate numbers of full time faculty,

particularly in relationship to the sizable growth of the student body.

Item 44 of the in-house Institutional Survey states: "QCC has sufficient numbers of full time

faculty to accomplish its Mission and Purpose." Of those 144 responding, 68.1% disagree or strongly

disagree and only 13.9% agree or strongly agree. Of the 67 Full time faculty or unit professional

respondents, only 14.9% agree or strongly agree while 76.1% disagree or strongly disagree. An

ostensible ramification of this shortage of full-timers affects faculty-student advising or faculty

opportunities to work with the diverse learners outside the classroom. The College is concerned with the

quality of advisement, especially with enforcement of the current contract (executed June 14, 2000) which

reduced the number of advisees for full-time faculty from 25 to 18. Such reduction potentially attenuates

the quality of programmatic advising since those students who would be monitored by a faculty member

knowledgeable about specific programs must be seen in the Advising Center which may not have updated

or correct criteria.

The Noel-Levitz Survey provides indicators that may be related to faculty numbers and workload

challenges. Students deemed as priorities Item 72: “I can arrange a convenient appointment with a

faculty advisor when I need one;” and Item 65: “Students are notified early in the term if they are doing

poorly in class.” Both these items are ranked high in importance, but satisfaction is low resulting in a

poor Performance Gap.

2002 2000

Item Importance Satisfaction Performance Gap Importance Satisfaction Performance

Gap Item 72 6.18 4.96 1.22 6.23 5.04 1.19 Item 65 6.07 4.72 1.35 6.08 4.59 1.49

Adjunct Challenges

Questions about adequate numbers of faculty raise the underlying concern with the ratio of full-

time to part-time positions. This challenge is not unique to QCC. In-house research has not discovered

any formula or ratios that are considered "best practice" here or in other community colleges with similar

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urban profiles: As noted in Community College Week, “For most community colleges, something close

to an ideal ratio of classes taught by full-time and part-time faculty would probably be about 75:25"

(11/25/2002). The President is working towards that goal and advocates for a ratio for 70% full-time to

30% part-time for day (8:00 am. To 4:00 p.m.) courses. The College struggles to establish that desired

ratio in all academic disciplines; yet, as revealed in the document in the workroom, "Full-Time /Part-Time

Teaching Ratios, " a review of three recent College semesters demonstrates that several subject areas rely

on adjuncts to cover the majority of day courses: Anthropology (100%); Sociology (72%); Math (58%);

ESL (46%) and Speech (62%). The ratio may never equate to a 50% full-time/ 50% adjunct; yet, heavy

reliance on adjunct faculty delimits the full range of faculty involvement with students, policy issues,

campus life and an overall academic identity and sense of belonging.

Additionally, the full-time/ part-time ratio grounds some decisions which impact procedural

policy. For example, the President revised the course withdrawal process by eliminating the two required

signatures of both instructor and faculty advisor. The President's memo, January 27, 2003, concedes that

continuing to require signatures of both -- which would assume the student had more than one

professional to discuss his/ her need to withdraw -- is too cumbersome and was "more easily implemented

when we had fewer students and a higher ratio of full to part time faculty."

QCC is below average in total number of faculty for our student population size and below

average in percentage of full-time/ adjunct

faculty. Quinsigamond does not meet either

median or mean percentage of full-time faculty

in selected community colleges; yet, the College

is within the range of figures as her sister

institutions, as noted by Thompson on the

following page.

Employment Status of Faculty at Public Community Colleges:1997

Part-time, 66%

Full-time, 34%

Standard V 84


Thompsons: Peterson's College and Universities Web Site 7/2002

SOU

RC

E

College Number Students

Number Faculty % FT # FT

# Adjunct

% Adjunct

MA Quinsigamond C. C. 6137 370 29% 107 263 71% Mt. Wachusett C.C. 3711 257 28% 72 185 72% Middlesex C.C. 7568 468 27% 126 342 73%

Springfield Technical College 6257 396 45% 178 218 55%

Massasoit C.C. 6706 394 37% 146 248 63% N. Essex C.C. 1450 486 19% 92 394 81% Greenfield C.C. 2144 152 44% 67 85 56% Holyoke C.C. 5998 300 ?? ?? Bristol C.C. 6132 279 38% 106 173 62% Bunker Hill C.C. 6914 373 31% 116 257 69% Cap Cod C.C. 4176 331 24% 79 252 76% MEDIAN 30% 107 250 70% AVG 32% 109 242 68%

Recruitment/Appointment

Strengths

Since 1995, the majority of faculty hired to full-time positions have come from the ranks of

adjunct faculty. Of the 68 new hires, 34 (50%) have been QCC adjuncts; management recognizes the

high quality of adjuncts and demonstrates a commitment to respecting the position of the MCCC.

Twenty-four full-time faculty members have retired since 2000, and though the College has exceeded this

number in hiring 29 full-time individuals, this number (29) does not keep pace with the increasing

student enrollments.

Challenges

The in-house Institutional Survey indicates mixed perceptions of the adequacy of the process of

recruiting new faculty. Item #45: "QCC has an established and well-documented system in place for

recruiting and hiring new full-time and adjunct faculty" evoked this response: total respondents 144:

Standard V 85


35.2% agree or strongly agree; 31.2% disagree or strongly disagree; and 31.9% had no basis for

judgment.

In some work areas, the fiscal limitations imposed by the MCCC contract can limit the College’s

ability to attract competent faculty. Technical and health care faculty, for example, can be difficult to

recruit into teaching positions when the salaries offered by industry for such skills are so much more

competitive than those Massachusetts two-year public colleges can offer.

Diversity

Strengths

The College had made substantial progress in expanding the diversity of its faculty in recent years

as greater numbers of tenured faculty reach retirement age. A profile of the College’s faculty with regard

to gender, race and ethnicity indicates that there is an equitable balance based on gender; the College has

been able to capitalize on its recruitment advertisements attracting a more diverse pool of qualified

candidates. Additionally, a key strength is the College’s commitment to filling and expanding positions

as the numerous retirees have departed. Without such a commitment, those positions could have been re-

channeled to hire other types of staff.

Challenges

Yet, the ethnic and racial diversity among the faculty does not fully reflect the diversity of the

cities and towns in the greater Worcester area from which the College draws a 45% of its student body.

Ethnicity/Race City Of Worc Worcester County Students, Fall 01 Full-Time Faculty Adjunct Total Population 172,648 750,963 6,197 104 263

Black, non-Hispanic 6.9% 2.7% 7% 4.8% 4.2%

American Indian/Alaska .4% .3% 1% 0 .3%

Asian/Pacific Islander 5.0% 2.6% 4% 3.8% 1.5%

Hispanic/Latino 15.1% 6.8% 10% 2.8% .7%

White, non-Hispanic 77.1% 86.5% 68% 88.6% 93.1%

Other Race/ethnicity 7.2% 2.9% 10% 0 0

Standard V 86


Workload Strengths

The College communicates its mission, purpose, standards and policies in a variety of internal

publications and documents. Faculty and staff are provided with both formal and informal processes to

consider complaints, resolve professional disagreements and disputes, and balance their interests with

competing interests of colleagues, students or others. College policies are reviewed as kept current in the

Faculty Handbook; the Employee Handbook; the Student Handbook; and the Academic Calendar. The

MCCC Agreement for Academic Years July 1st, 1999 through June 30th, 2002, was executed on June 14th,

2000. In that the faculty contract expires on June 30, 2002, it will be the next item due for review.

Through the procedures and guidelines specified in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Affirmative

Action Plan and Student Handbook, faculty and staff are provided an open, fair, orderly and supportive

climate in which they are encouraged to conduct their daily work.

Many faculty, typically coordinators, have been awarded “release” time, re-assigned time or

supplemental stipends to enable them to pursue projects or initiate professional development in line with

the College’s Strategic Goals.

Challenges

Faculty aspire to a full range of practices consonant with pedagogical strategies and values:

• demonstrate mastery in a field, topic, profession or enhance learning opportunities for students through innovation in delivery methods:

• attend to administrative requirements such as attendance reports for financial aid, midterm grades for all students and assisting the student retention department by direct contact with uninvolved students

• help shape curriculum by staying current in their field and contributing to program review • respond helpfully to students with officially identified developmental learning or disability

needs • participate in governance activities as a voice of the "front line" or "contact zone."

Yet such endeavors demand sizeable time commitments. As noted in Strengths in Standard Four,

Vice President Livingston has energized the academic side of the institution with several initiatives that

assure QCC’s response to local workforce needs and quality instruction. These projects -- Internal

Standard V 87


Program Review; Responsive Programming; a Title III grant focusing on Developmental Education and

Advising; Distance Education; Service Learning; Honors Program; Catalog Update; and Electronic

Portfolio on Institutional Effectiveness -- require the resources of a faculty already pressed for meeting

scheduling demands. With the major change in faculty workload, carrying five courses per semester

rather than four, full-time faculty have less time and energy to contribute to these valuable, essential

ongoing efforts.

Typically, adjunct faculty are not available for these projects due to outside employment or a

complex schedule of teaching at more than one college, and excessive reliance on adjuncts results in

fewer professionals to conduct the work required of a vibrant organization.

• On average, part-time faculty spent less of their time on administrative tasks (4 percent) than their full-time counterparts (14 percent). This overall difference was also the case for all types of institutions. Similarly, part-time faculty spent on average less of their time on service activities (5 percent) than full-time faculty (7 percent).

• College Part-time faculty held 2.0 regularly scheduled office hours per week, less than the 6.6 scheduled office hours reported by full-time faculty. Both Part-time and Full-time faculty reported spending 2.7 hours per week responding to student e-mails.

• Compared with those who did not use telecommunications technologies, full- and part-time instructional faculty and staff who used e-mail or course-specific Web sites generally reported working more hours per week on average, spending more time on research activities, and spending less time on teaching activities and office hours.

A Profile of Part-time Faculty: Fall 1998, , Berger, Andrea, Project Officer, et.al.. Washington, DC:2002. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (2002).

Although several recommendations of the Adjunct Task Force have been implemented, QCC

adjuncts continue to seek more supports. The response to Item #46 of the Institutional Survey “QCC has

adequate systems in place to support its adjunct faculty” indicate continuing concerns.

Total respondents 144: combined 13.3% … agree or strongly agree 57.7% … disagree or strongly disagree 25% … no basis for judgement

Total respondents 13: part-time faculty/professional 15.4% … agree or strongly agree 77.0% … disagree or strongly disagree 7.7% … no basis for judgement

Also, all faculty are unsure about how responsibilities related to internal electronic

communications -- such as e-mail, maintaining web sites, teaching online, electronic advisee registration

-- will be contractually negotiated.

Standard V 88


Evaluation of Faculty: Any challenges to faculty evaluation are, in essence, an individual matter,

not necessarily representative of any collective experience.

Staff Development

Strengths

Professional development funding is distributed fairly among both full and part-time faculty.

Challenges

Although the College has prohibited out-of-state travel in the last two years because of fiscal

constraints, the faculty feel that at least one member from each department should attend a national

conference yearly in order to stay current with the many changes that occur each year in their respective

fields. Also, even though many workshops are offered on a variety of topics, many faculty cannot attend

these because they usually are held at inopportune times during the day when they are in class or have

office hours. More flexibility of times is needed. Further, the Staff Development program at QCC has

not been internally evaluated in the past five years.

PROJECTION


QCC leadership will develop and implement a 3-5 year plan to increase the number of full-time

faculty in appropriate numbers that relate to programs and disciplines in which the adjunct-to-full-time

ratio does not meet the meet the 70 - 30 ratio for day courses taught by fulltime faculty; increases in

student population; changing workload demands; and, the "one college" concept.

Adjunct

QCC leadership will, at minimum, maintain recent efforts to address the unmet needs of adjunct faculty.

Task Force recommendations not yet implemented will be reviewed and a timeline established for

completion of the following measures:

• An Adjunct Faculty Handbook must be designed, compiled and disseminated.

• Office space must be provided and/ or expanded for Adjunct Faculty.

Standard V 89


• A system for mailboxes accessible to adjunct and their students must be provided for.

• Adjunct Faculty should all have voice mail.

• Since adjuncts will continue to be integral to the delivery of instruction, QCC will re-establish the Integration of Adjunct Staff Taskforce and explore the benefits and feasibility of a Dean of Adjuncts.

Recruitment/Appointment QCC will continue efforts to improve the processes for Faculty and Professional Staff

recruitment. Faculty will continue to participate in the search process.

Diversity

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has extended an early retirement incentive program for two

consecutive years to eligible state employees including employees in higher education. The consequent

attrition of some of the Faculty will provide additional opportunities for the College to recruit more

qualified candidates representative of the local and regional population. Diversifying the staff will

continue to be a slow process, however, due to the budgetary and hiring restrictions imposed on state

agencies by this legislated benefit. The current fiscal problems will delay, but not derail, the College's

efforts to build and maintain a diverse workforce.

Workload

Although most workload issues are contractually mandated, QCC Administration and Union

leadership need to examine and establish options related to: the number of advisees vis-a-vis teaching

load; flexibility of time of courses taught in regular schedule; and increasing integration of technology for

communication and instruction; and faculty participation in committee work.

Professional Development

The Staff Development Committee will establish a system to assess the participation in

the many learning opportunities available and will establish a methodology for evaluating the workshops

conducted under its auspices.

Standard V 90


STANDARD SIX - STUDENT SERVICES

DESCRIPTION

The Division of Enrollment and Student Services is a nexus of several integrated service venues

focused on meeting students' needs -- both academic and co-curricular. The Division mission statement --

The Division of Enrollment and Student Services promotes educational accessibility to potential and

current students. To meet the needs of our diverse student population, we provide a wide range of

services supporting and encouraging individuals based on their academic preparation and goals.

Recognizing that educational success is a holistic process, we strive to develop each student

academically, socially and culturally -- articulates the overarching goal that is further delineated in the

various strands of service. The Division recognizes that students' educational, academic, and

programmatic achievements are related to, and perhaps contingent upon, interrelated developmental

opportunities. A comprehensive array of student services offers an enhanced campus environment

geared to ensuring students' success both in and out of the classroom. The various supports described

below work in concert to help students maximize their total college experience. Guided by the mission of

the Division of Enrollment and Student Services, the College ensures that appropriate services, facilities

and use of technology are readily accessible to all populations.

Academic Support Services

Through the Academic Advising and Assessment Office, open from 8am-7pm, students are

offered detailed information about the Accuplacer Assessment Test (workroom) and a study brochure to

review prior to taking the test. To accommodate prospective students, off-site testing is available in

addition to the standard on-campus testing which is scheduled by appointment. Accuplacer ensures

appropriate placement into college courses or into the developmental sequence. (To place into college

level English (ENG 101), students must earn a Writeplacer (computerized essay assessment) score within

range of 9-12. To place into college Algebra (MAT 100), students must earn a CPT score of at least 52.

(Scores below these figures necessitate placement into the developmental sequence.) Guided by

Standard VI 91


placement scores, the Academic Advising and Assessment Center advisors, the Health Careers Center

advisors, and individual faculty advisors assist students in course selection and registration. New students

are assigned Academic Advising and Assessment Center advisors while returning students are assigned

faculty advisors whenever possible. Students in General Studies, Liberal Arts, and those who are not in a

degree program, are often assigned to the Academic Advising and Assessment Center.

The Center is an official GED testing site; students are interviewed to discuss testing options,

receive general descriptive information about the GED process and are scheduled to take the tests.

Within 2-3 weeks, test scores are available; if students are unsuccessful, they are called to reschedule.

Students are referred to a GED preparation program as necessary (workroom).

ESL students are assessed, advised and registered in the Academic Advising and Assessment

Center. Translations of “How To Proceed Through the Enrollment Process” (workroom) and computer

instructions have been created in a variety of languages to assist students in this process. There are

dedicated ESL advisors who, having taught ESL and communicate fluently with this group, work with

ESL students in the Advising Center.

Orientation takes three forms: New Student Orientation, Program Specific Orientation, and as of

Fall 2002, a new Orientation course, ORT 110, Strategies for College and Career. During the Fall 2001,

3000 new students were sent invitations to New Student Orientation and approximately 1500 attended.

During the Fall 2002, approximately 3100 new students were invited and approximately 1500 attended.

The Career Exploration and Planning Center is a pre-enrollment support service that works with students

and potential students to assist them in clarifying their goals and selecting appropriate programs of study

to meet those goals. Tools that are available include career inventories and counseling. Career tests

include the COPS System tests, the Career Game, and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (workroom). The

Center is open from 8a.m.-4p.m., and appointments may be made outside of those hours. The Center

works with Disability Services to meet the special needs of all students.

Students who are interested in the College’s health programs but do not meet the admission

requirements to these programs are assigned to the Health Careers Center (HCC) for advising. The HCC

Standard VI 92


advisors assist students in exploring the various employment tracks and counsel students on academic

preparation and external factors that may impact their educational trajectory. The majority of HCC

advisors are health program faculty, familiar with the academic requirements of all the health programs

offered by the College, and knowledgeable about health professions generally. At any given time,

between 800 to 900 prospective health program students are assigned to the HCC.

The Transfer Office, working in concert with academic departments, provides support to advisors

and direct advising to students regarding transfer to four-year colleges. Information about transfer

programs and articulation agreements are maintained and publicized. Brochures are distributed at

information tables and during Open House and via a monthly article in the student newspaper, "The Open

Door." Information specific to various colleges and universities is available in the Transfer and

Articulation Office.

Open seven days a week, the Individualized Learning Center provides a diverse group of learners

with the resources and supportive environment that enables them to achieve their academic goals by

providing day, evening and weekend hours; tutoring services; instructional materials to accommodate

various learning styles; and an open space for collaborative work. Software for self-paced learning is also

available, and staff are trained to match learners with the appropriate learning modalities.

As noted, the College was awarded a USDOE Title III Strengthening Institutions Grant in 2001 to

provide a significant infusion of funds -- $1.75 million -- into the critical area of improving services for

under-prepared students. The Title III project (discussed in Standard IV) is currently showcasing faculty-

developed pilot courses, ENG 090, ENG 091, ENG 095, ENG 096, MAT 090, MAT 095, and MAT 099,

ORT 110, and is creating a developmental advising system for all students. Their materials are available

in the workroom - See Standard IV.

Financial Aid Services

The Financial Aid office received 4345 financial aid applications for the 2002-2003 academic

year. From this pool, 3457 students received financial assistance. Of this 20% increase in applications

over 2001-2002, approximately 50% of the students enrolled in eligible degree or certificate programs are

Standard VI 93


receiving some sort of financial assistance. All students receive the Financial Aid brochure and an

application packet/information when they are sent a Viewbook from Admissions (workroom). Most of

the critical functions of the financial aid process are now automated with the new administrative computer

system, CARS. All eligible students who apply and complete their file by the priority deadline of April 1

for Fall and October 1 for Spring are awarded monies prior to their billing due date.

The College participates in the following federal and state financial aid programs: Federal Pell,

Federal SEOG, Federal Work Study, and the Wm D. Ford Federal Direct Loan program, MASSGrant,

Community College Access Grant (MA Cash Grant and MA Tuition Waiver) program, MA Part Time

Grant, MA Performance Bonus grant, numerous categorical tuition waivers and the MA No Interest Loan

program. Funds are reconciled with the College Business Office on a regular basis. The United States

Department Of Education and the Massachusetts Office of Student Financial Assistance have increased

funding levels to the extent that QCC is now able to fund all eligible students with financial need. Most

students are awarded enough to cover tuition, fees, books and supplies. There are no unrestricted

institutional funds, so the students who face funding challenges are those who do not meet the

Massachusetts residency requirements. The QCC Business Office authorizes book vouchers for books

and supplies and charges them to students’ financial aid accounts.

Adequate staffing in the Financial Aid Office, 5 professionals and 2 support staff, enables

processing of applications in a timely manner. Individual student appointments are taken and walk-in

business -- no more than a 15-minute wait -- is accepted. The office served more than 11,000 student

walk-ins during 2002, with an average of 927 per month. There was a high of 1485 students in August

2002 and a low of 481in Feb, 2002. Students who need assistance after hours or on weekends may

contact the office by mail, email, Internet, or phone to have questions answered.

An independent auditor audits FA Office annually for compliance with both federal and state

regulations. The most recent Federal Program Review occurred in July 2001 (workroom); and one in

1986 predated that. The USDOE report received Spring, 2003 shows no material findings.

Standard VI 94


Disability Support Services

The Office of Disability Services provides support and accommodations according to the

guidelines and standards of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as well as the Americans with

Disabilities Act of 1990. Records of students who qualify for accommodation packets which specify the

needs for extended testing times, alternative modalities of assessment, (including physical arrangements,

proctor logs, and accommodation summary reports) are maintained in a database in the central Disability

Office, Room 246A. As part of the mission of the Disability Services Office, the staff helps 450 students

with disabilities achieve their educational goals by providing support services and reasonable

accommodations. There is a standard format of intake, disability and accommodations determination and

ongoing coordination of services. Records include running records, office contact activities,

documentation review, running records of tutors, note-taker activities, academic performance analysis and

time sheets for part-time employees (workroom).

Counseling Services offers short term counseling, clinical or psychosocial assessments, faculty

consultation, classroom presentations, community referrals, workshops, conflict resolution and

emergency referrals, withdrawal counseling, peer educators programs and advising to the Phi Theta

Kappa program. (workroom.)

The Evening Weekend Administration office serves a variety of functions for faculty and students

including messaging, faculty evaluations, processing of paperwork and acting as liaison to day staff. The

Library and the Individualized Learning Center provide support to students six days per week.

Career Placement Services

The Placement Resource Center’s primary responsibility is to assist students in the transition

from school to work and to enhance academic learning with employability skill building --- resume

writing, interviewing, and job search strategies for the workplace. Services also include individualized

coaching and guidance. Through relationships with local businesses, full-time professional and

cooperative education opportunities are established for students. A campus-wide and web-based job

posting system keeps faculty and students informed of current job opportunities. Staff includes one

Standard VI 95


quarter-time, one part-time, and one full-time Placement Specialist, a full-time support staff and a part-

time coordinator.

Student Organization Services

QCC offers a wide range of campus organizations, as well as governance and leadership

opportunities. Clubs may be started by contacting the Student Life Office and obtaining the details of the

processes which allow students to form new clubs. The College participates in the Colleges of Worcester

Consortium ALANA Support Network (workroom) affording students and staff the opportunity to

connect with representatives from local colleges. For students of color, the Network has sponsored the

Crossing Boundaries Conference in 2000, 2001, and 2002. The Network facilitates information and

resource sharing to encourage the expansion of student participation. QCC developed a Multicultural

Student Organization in Spring 2001 to offer an umbrella-support for minority student activities.

The Student Senate is an elected group of students who represent the student voice on various college-

wide committees, and who set and meet goals on behalf of general student interest. The Senate promotes

the rights of students.

Phi Theta Kappa is the International Honor society for community and junior colleges whose

purpose is to recognize and encourage scholarship, leadership, fellowship and service. The campus

chapter is Alpha Zeta Theta.

FAVA, "Friends Achieving With Varying Abilities,” is the informal disability support and

advocacy group.

Other officially sanctioned clubs which are advised by faculty are the Asian American Student

Organization, Black Student Union, Chess Club, Criminal Justice Club, Dental Hygiene Club, Early

Childhood Club, Hotel and Restaurant Association, Human Service Club, Latino Student Organization,

Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) Club, Nursing Club, Occupational Therapy Club, the “Open Door”

Newspaper, Pride Alliance, Programming Committee, Psychology Club, Radiologic Technology Club,

Respiratory Club, and Sign Language Club.

Standard VI 96


The QCC Student Leadership Institute, led by the Director of Student Activities and Sports

Management, builds relationships between and among students in leadership positions at QCC. Multi-

campus involvement helps students discover and strengthen their leadership qualities in various

workshops. (workroom)

Supports for Wellness and Recreation

With the retirement of the campus Health Services Coordinator in 2002, the activities surrounding

Health and Wellness have been dispersed to offices throughout Enrollment and Student Services. Health

records and immunizations records are located in the Registrar’s Office; Medical Parking permits are

dispersed through Disability Services; Wellness programming is provided under the leadership of Student

Activities; and health emergencies are delegated to Public Safety.

Fitness and sports activities are offered; QCC is a member of the MCCAC and the NCAA Region

XXI New England. Intercollegiate sports feature men’s baseball, men’s basketball, and women’s

basketball. QCC abides by the eligibility rules which include physical exams, transfer rules, and

academic requirements. To participate, full-time students must maintain a 2.0 Grade Point Average, and

all students, whether full or part time, must also maintain a 2.0 grade point average to be involved in club-

based sports. QCC coaches are responsible for recruitment for their sports. The Athletic Center is open

and free to QCC students, staff, and faculty, while outside memberships are available to the public for a

minimal fee. Hours are M-F 7:30am-9pm and Saturdays 7am-12. The exercise area features weights and

aerobic equipment, and ping pong tables. Women and men’s locker rooms contain showers, bathrooms,

changing areas and saunas. Limited lifeguard duty restricts swim time in the Olympic sized pool, but

classes are offered in swim lessons and water aerobics. Activities at the Athletic Center are advertised in

every building, and emails circulate announcing scheduled classes. At present, over 600 outside

members use the facility in addition to a large number of staff and students, with basketball the first

choice for students (workroom).

Supports for Student Rights, Privacy and Ethical Behavior

Standard VI 97


Student Rights and Responsibilities and grievance procedures are published in the Student

Handbook which is disseminated at New Student Orientation, at the Information Tables set up at the start

of each semester, in the Admissions Office, and the Fuller Student Center, at all Open Houses, and at

other locations throughout campus (workroom). The widely displayed "QCC Ideals" publish the ethical

standards the campus endorses. The specific rights and responsibilities of students served by the

Disabilities Office are outlined in a form which those students sign. Disabilities Services students are

also given a Policies and Procedure manual (workroom). Student records in Disability Services are

continuously updated to comply with standards of accepted procedures for information retention and

record disposal. The disposition of student records in the Registrar’s Office adheres to the requirements

of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Records Conservation Board’s General Records Schedules for

Community Colleges in Massachusetts, and the recommendation of the American Association of

Collegiate Admission Officers and Registrars.

The College measures students' evaluations of College services by administering the Noel-Levitz

Student Satisfaction Inventory (most currently in 2000 and 2002). The College plans to utilize this survey

bi-annually in the future. Other evaluative instruments such as the " QCC Campus Survey" and various

departmental questionnaires are administered as well.

Support for Co-Curricular Activities with well-qualified personnel

Professional staff members are recruited through an open and publicly advertised process. A

screening committee, selected by a senior administrator and trained by Human Resources staff,

determines preferred qualifications and selects candidates to be interviewed.

APPRAISAL

Student Satisfaction at a Glance

Overall, the matrix of enabling resources that Student Services offers is consistently utilized and

valued by students. Although both the 2000 and 2002 Noel Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventories

(workroom) identified challenges in individual advising, students generally feel welcomed and safe at the

College and are satisfied with the quality of instruction, the scheduling of classes for their convenience,

Standard VI 98


and the opportunities for intellectual growth and stimulation. The 2002 Inventory reflected a slightly

improved performance gap (.6) over the 2000 survey (.63) between importance and satisfaction for the

category of Campus Support Services. (The context for interpreting the Survey scores is detailed in the

workroom materials; the underlying premise is: any performance gap score that is equal to or below "1.0"

indicates that students are relatively satisfied with that particular aspect of their college experience.) Most

students have a sense of belonging; believe that people on this campus respect and are supportive of each

other; and that campus staff are caring and helpful.

The 2002 Survey item, “It is an enjoyable experience to be a student here,” reflected an improved

performance gap as well. Students expressed improved satisfaction in the availability of tutoring services,

academic supports and adequacy and accessibility of computer labs.

With regard to challenges, the Noel-Levitz Survey indicated that students are satisfied with

“Student Centeredness,” but feel more work is needed with regard to “Concern for the Individual.”

Another instrument, the in-house NEASC survey which was administered in Spring, 2002, queried

faculty and staff about institutional resources (financial aid, technology, tutoring, etc) and their

accessibility; 74% of faculty and staff respondents strongly agreed or agreed that these resources were

equally accessible to all. Also, the College-wide NEASC questionnaire asked faculty and staff if “QCC

systematically identifies the characteristics and learning needs of its students and then makes provisions

for responding to them.” Less than half (43.7%) either agreed or strongly agreed; 22.5% said they had no

basis for judgment, indicating a lack of awareness of how specific learning needs get addressed.

Academic Supports Services

Orientation, a strength:

During Fall 2002, the New Student Orientation saw double the participation of students over Fall

2000. Students were surveyed regarding the orientation experience. Of the 212 evaluations returned, the

following positive responses were submitted:

• Length of time for orientation 95.5% positive • Choice of days for orientation 99 % positive • Game format for orientation 98% positive

Standard VI 99


• "How I feel about QCC after orientation" 100% positive

The 2002 Noel Levitz SSI reflected an improved performance rating in this area.

Assessment and Advising

Challenges

Advising is discussed in Standard Four, but noted here are implementation/ procedural flaws. As

mandated by the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education, every student enrolled in a degree or

certificate program, and every student wishing to take a math or English course, or a course with a math

or English prerequisite, is required to be assessed via the computerized testing software (Accuplacer)

administered by the Academic Advising and Assessment Center. Records are provided in paper format

and are uploaded daily to the student database to provide advisors with information regarding student

academic needs. The Noel Levitz Survey 2002 indicated that there are several challenges to be addressed

specific to advising, both in the Academic Advising and Assessment Center and with faculty advisors.

Students expressed dissatisfaction in the areas of advisors being knowledgeable about their programs

(Item 32), advisors being approachable (Item 6), about overall concern for student success (Item 25), and

about advisors helping them to set goals (Item 12).

According to the Noel Levitz Survey of 2000 as well, customer service in the Academic Advising

and Assessment Center fell short of desirable. The Academic Advising and Assessment Center made the

following changes and now commits to the following: all full-time staff receive customer service

training; staff provide ongoing proctor training for assessment testing, and communicate with Academic

Deans/faculty to ensure mutual understanding of the assessment testing process; and have increased the

number of computers in the assessment testing area. Staff also collaborate with the Admissions and Tech

Prep Offices to offer off-site assessment testing to potential applicants.

The Academic Advising and Assessment Center staff made the following commitments to

improve the class registration process: plan large group assessment testing sessions with the Admissions

Office as a recruiting tool; ensure that students meet with faculty advisors or in the Academic Advising

and Assessment Center each advising period -- 8,000 + contacts (duplicated count) were made in Fall,

Standard VI 100


2002 and Spring, 2003; -- send letters to all returning students prior to the registration period to remind

them to meet with faculty advisors; provide name, office and phone number of their advisors; increase the

number of advisors during peak times from four to eight; allow students to make appointments to see an

Academic Advising and Assessment Center advisor in order to reduce wait time; and, finally, to use the

new Web Module to provide a more “user friendly” vehicle. Over summer 2003, students in a pilot group

will be shown how they can schedule classes themselves once their advisor has cleared their access.

Direct student access to web registration will free up advisors to focus on developmental advising with

other students who require more individualized attention. Advisors are also allowed “write access” to

registration in the student records system to provide a “one-stop” experience for students.

The Academic Advising and Assessment Center staff implemented training for all new advisors

and offers workshops each semester for returning advisors. In addition, the following changes were

made: the full-time co-coordinator in Academic Advising and Assessment Center works with high-risk

students (students who have been academically dismissed); the Director of Advising works with

International Students; and special advisors work with at-risk student populations (students whose

academic skills, past academic performance, and life situations create challenges to the successful

completion of their academic goals).

The catalyst for changes in the Academic Advising and Assessment Center stemmed from the

2000 Noel Levitz Survey and subsequent focus groups held during the Spring of 2001 which expressed

dissatisfaction with advising. An appointment system was set up: (typical student wait time during peak

registration periods for Fall 2001 was over one hour; during Fall 2002, it was less than half that time); a

"One-Stop Center" was developed enabling students to be assessed, advised, and registered on-line at one

location; staff in the Student Services Division were required to attend a 2-day customer service training

session in the Summer, 2002; all new faculty were provided with training using the CARS record system.

In spite of these efforts, the Noel-Levitz SSI 2002 showed only minimal positive change in the

student evaluation of advising. Other indicators also reveal the on-going problematic state of advising:

of faculty and staff responding to the NEASC campus survey question concerning faculty advisors

Standard VI 101


meeting student needs, 49.3% (less than half) agreed or strongly agreed that advisors met student needs;

asked if they thought the Academic Advising and Assessment Center had made significant improvements,

only 45.1% of those surveyed agreed or strongly agreed.

Only two professional, full-time staff members are assigned to work in the spatially restricted

area in which the pilot one-stop center is located; adjunct faculty are called in to advise on an as-needed

basis. During the Summer and Fall 2002 registration period, the staff in this area made over 8,000

contacts (duplicated count) with students. During the 12- week spring registration 2003 period, 2827

appointments and 5843 walk-in students were served.

The 2002 Noel Levitz SSI did not reflect any substantial gains (using the Performance Gap

measure) from the same survey administered in 2000: Advisor approachable (1.24 to 1.13); Advisors help

with goal setting (1.46 to 1.37); Advisors concerned about success as individual (1.43 to 1.49); Advisors

knowledgeable about program requirements (1.26 to 1.18); Advisors knowledgeable about transfer

requirements (1.47 to 1.27).

Disability Services

Strengths

QCC set as one of its goals, “Meet student needs: expand Disability Services," establishing four

outcome measures for FY2002. Disability Services met most of the outcomes measures:

• Decrease the intake time for new students to 2 weeks and request for service to 1 week. They achieved the 2-week interval for over 90% of new students and generally achieved the 1-week interval for service.

• Create two formal trainings and six hours of tech support. Staff achieved this goal by providing formal training for note takers/tutors at the beginning of each semester as well as training for professional staff of TTY, screening instruments, and adaptive training instruments.

• Apply for 4 grants in FY02 to defray the cost of providing quality services to disabled students. Five grants were submitted grants to outside funding sources.

• Provide 9 outreach activities: Two faculty group outreach/support sessions were held at the beginning of each semester and held five individual academic department meetings. Off-campus outreach expanded by providing presentations to local agencies such as Mass Rehab Commission and regional high school staff.

Standard VI 102


Disabilities Services developed specifically designed orientation/transition workshops on

disability-related topics to supplement general orientation for students and College staff. The 2002 Noel-

Levitz SSI reflected an improved satisfaction score with regard to the institution’s commitment to

students with disabilities (Item 86).

The quantity of services to disabled students has been expanded, and although staff is limited, the

focus of that office has been proactive rather than reactive. The University of Hawaii Disability Research

Institute has recognized it as one of the top three offices of its kind in the United States. It has also been

cited in International Best Practices for Rehabilitation for its services to students with psychiatric

disabilities and has been the recipient of a number of grants; its three current grants are targeted for

students with hearing, psychiatric, or low cognitive disabilities. Staff have presented at a number of

regional and national conferences and published articles on disability topics.

QCC students who receive personal counseling are asked to complete an “Evaluation of

Counseling Services” form at the termination of service. This form provides qualitative and quantitative

data. The Noel Levitz 2002 SSI reflected an improved performance gap (1.05 to .98) with regard to

counseling staff. The office maintains monthly statistics that reflect the number of students served and

the variety of professional contacts with students.

Financial Aid

An independent auditor audits Financial Aid for compliance with both federal and state

regulations. The last Federal Program Review was conducted in July 2001; all recent audits have shown

no material findings. The Massachusetts State Auditors are conducting an A-133 single audit for the

2002-2003 Award year; the audit will be completed in October 2003.

Strengths

The Financial Aid Office has streamlined the student process over the past two years. The

implementation of the CARS student record system has allowed the office to run more efficiently and to

communicate with students more regularly. The integration with the Business Office has greatly

improved the accuracy and efficiency of the disbursement process.

Standard VI 103


All students who apply and complete their files by the priority deadlines are awarded financial aid

prior to their billing dates. In fact, the office is often able to award students who complete their files well

past the deadlines, prior to bill due dates. For students with substantial financial need, current levels of

state and federal funding allow aid packages to cover at least the full cost of tuition, fees, and books and

often also cover transportation and some living expenses. Due to the rising cost of the Educational

Service Fee, beginning Spring 2003, students with very low or no need, who were only eligible for a

freshman level student loan, did not have enough financial aid to cover their full cost for tuition, fees and

books if attending full time. Most QCC students have their living expenses covered by their current

income or other resources and are primarily concerned with receiving enough financial aid to cover their

direct costs (tuition, fees and books).

The Noel-Levitz Survey showed improvement in financial aid services from 2000 to 2002 as well

as increased value of financial aid to students. The following items reflect this improvement: Item 7,

“Adequate financial aid is available for most students” increased in importance from 6 to 6.11, while their

actual satisfaction increased from 4.61 to 4.87; Item 13, “Financial aid awards are announced to students

in time to be helpful in college planning” increased in importance from 5.89 to 5.95, while actual

satisfaction increased from 4.15 to 4.78; Item 20, “Financial aid counselors are helpful” increased in

importance from 5.81 to 5.86 and actual satisfaction increased from 4.37 to 4.81; Item 88, “Financial aid

as a factor in decision to enroll increased in importance from 5.4 to 5.64, which seems to be evidenced in

the 20% increase in financial aid applications.

In the College-wide NEASC survey, 74% of faculty and staff respondents either agreed or

strongly agreed that “Financial aid, technology, tutoring, etc – are equally accessible to all QCC

students.”

Challenges

Some areas of financial aid services, such as loan processing and work study awards, are not

supported by CARS and require a great deal of manual work which slows down the process for students.

Standard VI 104


The report-generating Cognos software requires manual review and updates. Increased automation in

these areas is needed.

Supports for Career Placement Services

Placement Resource Center

A sampling of completed resumes, Placement Resource Center Questionnaire, Employer

Evaluations, Direct employer feedback, classroom visits, monthly and yearly statistics In Job Placement

services -- together ground appraisal of this service.

Strengths

Given the lack of staffing and space and the changes in administration, the Placement Resource

Center has focused on Placement becoming more outcomes driven, by way of creating a substantial

reporting system that integrates real time student intake data to access database reports. Numerical data is

analyzed and utilized to initiate improvement efforts. (See Placement Statistics Reports, FY01 and FY02,

workroom.) This data enables numerical measures of services in the following areas: number of new

students serviced; students placed; employer contacts; classroom visits; co-ops placed; students using the

center; number of jobs posted; workshop attendance.

The following results have been observed and measured: student participation in the Co-op

program increased by 34.2%; focus and accountability improved by separating and clarifying job

responsibilities in the Experience-Based Education and Placement Support functions; the Placement

Resource Center houses all the necessary job search and preparation materials and equipment needed for

a successful job search. The center is also utilized for ongoing group workshops in resume writing,

interviewing skills and other related job search skills. Approximately 300 students are currently (Spring

2003) utilizing services; a Placement Services Guide is updated and printed every semester and

distributed throughout the campus. (See Placement Services Guide Spring 2002 in workroom); and a Job

Posting System has been institutionalized. Jobs are posted on boards throughout the campus as well as on

the Web, ensuring access for a wide variety of students and faculty. Data indicates that the job offerings

remained steady (approximately 400 professional positions) although the overall market has declined;

Standard VI 105


"Placement Resource Center Questionnaire," a student evaluation form, was initiated in 2001 to gather

quantitative data on services provided to students and indicated an "excellent" to "good" rating in 11

service categories (See Placement Resource Center Survey in workroom).

Challenges

The 2002 Noel Levitz SSI indicated an increased performance gap on item 30 “Career Services

Office helps getting jobs,” from .97 in 2000 to 1.08 in 2002 -- which may be attributable to outside forces

such as the down-turn in the economy or the down-sizing of many local potential employment venues.

Health Careers Center: A student academic plan is developed for all students who are advised through the

Health Careers Center: one hundred percent of the students who follow the prescribed student academic

plan and achieve appropriate grades are accepted into the health program of their choice on a rolling

admissions basis. Advisors in the Health Careers Center review students' aspirations and goals, life

concerns and personal challenges, as well as achievements of benchmarks and sequential requirements.

Intake interviews are conducted for all students at which time an individual student academic plan is

developed. Currently, the only full-time professional in the Health Careers Center is the Coordinator.

Supports for Student Organizations

During fiscal year 2000-2001, QCC established the following specific goals: Meet Student

Needs: Expand Student Services. Under this rubric, three outcome measures were established for FY02,

and all three were met or exceeded. The Fuller Student Center, opened in January 2002, was created and

dedicated to student use. The 2002 Noel Levitz SSI reflected an improved performance gap from .79 in

2000 to .67 in 2002 on the related item, “The student center is a comfortable place." Over 4,000 people

attended events connected to or housed in the Fuller Center between January 2002 and July 2002.

Student leadership is evaluated in its effectiveness, in part, if governance seats are filled and if the

Leadership Institute facilitates well-developed organizations as defined by their by-laws. On the college-

wide NEASC survey, faculty and staff agreed that “QCC provides opportunities and supports for student

leadership and participation in campus organizations and governance” with a solid 71.3% of those

respondents agreeing or strongly agreeing. In order to provide services to both day and evening students,

Standard VI 106


the Office of Student Life provides extended hours in the Fuller Student Center in addition to open

Student Senate meetings. Programs and services are open to all to accommodate day, evening and

weekend students.

Supports for Wellness and Recreation

The Office of Student Life assumed responsibility for the Athletic programs in 2002; the

reorganization was designed to address the marginalization of College sports and to integrate sport related

functions more fully into general campus life. Athletic programs are assessed through participation. The

College offers a wide variety of intramural and athletic programs in the Athletic Center, yet these

programs are rarely integrated into the wider life of the campus. Fan support for the inter-collegiate

programs, and knowledge about the events in the Athletic Center, rarely reach the larger College

community. In the Fall of 2002, a survey was created to evaluate the desires of the Athletic Center

membership, which includes students, staff, and community members. As a result, offerings in the

Athletic complex, advertised via the College web site, include adult and children swim lessons, yoga,

water aerobics, individual massage therapy and other programs.

Publicizing Awareness of Civility

The Student Handbook is widely distributed to students at QCC. The document contains

descriptions of ethical standards governing student activities and policies pertaining to students. The QCC

Student Handbook was awarded first place in a competition sponsored by the National Council of

Marketing and Public Relations. The QCC "Ideals" were developed in 2001 as a result of the Vice

President of Enrollment and Student Services’ goal of creating clear statements to guide appropriate

behavior for all persons on campus, regardless of status. The vote to adopt the Ideals was held November

13-14, 2001 with 124 accepting and 17 dissenting. Based on both 2000 and 2002 Noel-Levitz Survey

Questions, student centeredness, campus climate and campus support services are largely in line with

national scores.

Standard VI 107


Supports for Personnel

Employee performance appraisals are conducted annually. Staff are encouraged to participate in

professional developmental activities.

PROJECTION

The commitment to create annual goals and measurable objectives is implicit in one of the

College's strategic directions: Revise the enrollment process to emphasize the accessibility,

responsiveness and support essential to recruit, enroll, and retain a diverse student body.

General Directions

A major challenge in Student Services is to provide equitable accommodations to both day and

evening students. Even though some offices are consistently open in the evening (Academic Advising

and Assessment Center, Fuller Student Center, and Athletic Center), other offices including Financial

Aid, Admissions, and the Registrar’s Office extend office hours two weeks prior to the commencing of

the semester through the Drop/ Add period. Disability Services is open two nights throughout the

semester to accommodate the needs of their evening population. It is the goal of each office to offer

services more consistently to evening students in spite of fiscal challenges and each will remain open until

7:00 p.m. four evenings per week.

Enrollment and Student Services comprises two major areas: a customer service area to work

one-on-one with students, exploring their career and academic needs; and a processing center to handle all

related paperwork requests.

Assessment and Advising

The Advising Office recognizes the necessity for extensive advising training using the CARS

system: biannual training sessions for advisors are in the planning. Additional advisors will

accommodate students during peak registration times. Space must be allocated to additional

workstations.

To increase the flexibility of course registration and allow for round- the- clock access to

registration, the College is piloting a web registration module during Summer and Fall enrollment 2003.

Standard VI 108


A product of the Web Transition Team, this initiative will focus on a particular group of students who

agree to a "field test" process, guided by knowledgeable staff. The College hopes to see this registration

option fully operational for the Spring 2004 semester.

Assessment testing is being piloted at local area high schools and some Human Service agencies

to serve a greater audience unable to come to campus to take the assessment test.

GED has been an integral component of the Advising and Assessment area. Those who take the

GED at QCC are more likely to continue their education at the College. The College will continue to

offer a Saturday testing date to accommodate our growing population.

The Title III Strengthening Institutions grant (noted in Standard Four) is expected to bring about

an overhaul and improvement in the College’s developmental education program as well as the College’s

approach to advising. It will target learning needs and characteristics of students in developmental

courses and design a developmental advising model to serve as the template for all advising on campus.

For ESL students, a pilot project using online assessment is being tested. A decision to move

permanently in this direction is being evaluated. The ESL faculty and Dean of Humanities and Social

Sciences have agreed to change the assessment instrument for ESL students to the CELSA, a

computerized exam that can also demonstrate "ability to benefit" as determined by the federal regulations

for federal aid

In two years’ time, the Advising/Assessment Testing Center as well as other Division services are

slated to move into a more modern, state-of-the-art facility called an “Enrollment Services Center." Here,

the students will be admitted, tested, advised, registered for courses, receive financial aid information and

career planning information, pay their bills and complete their registration process. The goal is to further

expand student services at the College at the Mall as soon as fiscal resources can support such

arrangements.

Health Careers Center

The Health Careers Center has developed 2002-2003 goals closely tied to the College’s strategic

directions for achieving institutional effectiveness -- continue to facilitate the entry of students to the

Standard VI 109


College’s health programs. The pool of HCC advisors needs be expanded to better service the 800-900

health program prospective students. In addition, the HCC Coordinator will work more closely with the

health program coordinators as they revisit both the minimum admission requirements and the admission

process to the health programs.

Financial Aid

The 2002-2003 award year has yielded a 20% increase in applications over the 2001-2002 award

year. The combination of the state's fiscal crisis -- resulting in reduced state aid allocations and awards --

a significant increase in the Educational Service Fee, and the increase in applications has stressed the

resources to meet student need. The packaging policy will need to be monitored very closely to determine

adequate funding to in-coming students.

Phone volume and student walk-in traffic has also increased with the increase in enrollment and

financial aid applications. A web site has recently been developed that enables students to download

basic financial aid information, standard forms and also link to the other important financial aid related

web sites at the state and federal level. The College is currently implementing the CARS web module,

which we plan to interface with the Financial Aid Office web site. With this module, students can

determine whether or not additional documents are needed to complete their files, and they can access

their personal financial aid award information.

In order to keep up with the customer service and student follow up required, an additional full

time support staff position is needed.

Aid packages in the future most likely will prioritize funding for tuition, fees and books, but it is

unlikely they will cover additional living expenses. Student loan volume, which has traditionally been

very low, is expected to increase substantially as students will be expected to borrow to assist with their

living expenses.

Currently, IT resources are insufficient to modify the CARS system to accommodate automation

of student loan and work-study programs; these two programs need technological integration.

Standard VI 110


Students who enroll as late entrants do not have aid awarded prior to the billing due date. Currently they

must pay up front or sign on to the payment plan. Accommodations need to be devised to mitigate the

burdensome responsibility managing fees.

Disability Services

Disability Services will continue to systematically assess direct student assistance and, via

proactive planning and timeliness of services, reduce the number of disabled students operating in crisis

frameworks. Staff need to be trained in use of adaptive technology which needs to be more readily

available to students. More information needs to be deployed campus-wide concerning new student

orientation; disability orientation/transition workshops need to be refined; post-QCC transition planning

workshops need to be developed;, and ongoing disability-related skills training sessions, especially self-

advocacy, must be developed. Further, plans are in place to expand the Disability Services web site to

include training and informational material for student self-instruction on transition, skills development

and other related topics. Recently, through the Title III initiatives, the College has been selected as a pilot

site for utilizing some new technology in the delivery of education. Part of the grant includes the

awarding of new equipment and technology that support efforts embracing a “universal design for

learning.”

Counseling Services

Counseling Services will continue to provide crisis intervention as well as supervision of clinical

services and consultation to Disability Services. Counseling Services is committed to short-term

solution. focused therapy; mental health screenings; and personal skill development. Expanding

professional staff and activities in the Counseling office will expand services to more students.

Placement Resource Center

An ad campaign will be developed to attract students to the benefits of Cooperative Education

and Placement Services as well as educate the faculty and administration. Co-operative Education

policies and procedures will be reviewed and a plan for action developed to address establishing a co-op

Standard VI 111


experience in a consistent manner; evaluating the learning experience as it relates to the award of credit;

and evaluating the co-op experience by the faculty.

As indicated by the Internal Program Review Process, specific areas will be targeted as liaisons to

employer contacts. Additional permanent partnerships need to be developed with local employers to

sustain employment opportunities for students as well as providing current employment skills trends to

the instructional areas. A stronger feedback loop needs to be developed between the employer and school

to ensure the quality of the employment experience and provide evaluative information.

Additional marketing efforts and materials need to be developed to enhance the overall

knowledge of PRC services to students, faculty and employers.

Evaluation tools need to be developed and implemented to assess Co-op learning experience.

A student placement tracking system needs to be developed. A significant increase of 24.3% in the

numbers of placed students --- 70 in 2002 and 53 in 2001 --- speaks to the need for an Institutional

Researcher: it is difficult to determine whether such a fluctuation is the result of ineffective data

management or an actual increase in number of students seeking placement.

Career Exploration and Planning Center

The Career Center needs to continue to effectively tie its resources with admissions, advising,

faculty and the Title III grant to increase student and potential student use of the resources. The Center is

starting to serve some special populations -- Section 30 Program (under which Unemployment Benefits

can be extended for full-time students in short-term programs); those requesting Career Workshops; GED

classes; Tech Prep; young parent groups. Spring 2003 offered services to high school juniors at the

Comprehensive Skills Center (New Bond Street, Worcester); a small group of teens at Worcester State

Hospital; and students who did not pass the MCAS tests. The Center can work with a wide variety of

groups on request, yet faces difficulty in planning to accommodate a range of needs. The Career Center

is also slated to move into the Enrollment Services Center in 2004 to more fully complement its role to

other offices.

Student Activities

Standard VI 112


Plans are underway for the Office of Student Activities and the Office of Student Retention to

join in creating a pro-active attempt at increasing the number of students who participate in QCC clubs

and organizations. During the Spring 2003 semester, the Office of Student Retention worked with

volunteers from clubs and organizations in an enrollment drive to encourage more participation; some

clubs doubled enrollment numbers. National statistics indicate a 30% greater chance for students to

remain enrolled in college if they are part of a club or organization.

The Office of Student Life is working to have web pages developed for all campus clubs and

organization with links to the QCC home pages and direct contact with the QCC club advisor, and the

Club President.

The College is also researching a web portal, which will assist the College in communicating with

students and it could provide students with an opportunity to self-select group membership and

communicate with each other through such a portal.

The Fuller Student Center will continue to provide students with the contacts and information

about campus clubs and events to keep memberships rising.

Wellness and Recreation

While the College has had an active and well developed Intramural program, it has been a well

kept secret. With the recent merging of Student Life and Athletics, the Athletic Center is seeing

increased activity. The College has hired coaches for the men's and women's basketball teams, and a

search is in progress for a women's softball coach as well as a part-time person to address wellness

programming.

Overall, the network of offices delivering services to students will continue to assess all services

to students at QCC via the Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Survey and other instruments; and redirect

efforts to better link all services and enhance efficacy across the campus. The support services exist to

complement academic pursuits, to enrich, enable and promote successful student learning.

Standard VI 113


STANDARD SEVEN – LIBRARY AND INFORMATION RESOURCES

DESCRIPTION

Library

Construction of this Self Study parallels and complements the largest construction project in the College's

history: a new $15 million Learning Center to consolidate the Library, Individualized Learning Center,

Math Center, and Communications Skills Center under one roof. This document concentrates on current

services and resources yet attempts to convey the emergent transformation of services that will evolve

with new and expanded space and staffing.

Library Staff

Open 72 hours per week, the Library is currently staffed by

• 3 Full-time Librarians: Reference/Instruction Librarian, Collection Development Librarian, Technical Services and Systems Librarian

• 2 Full-time Library Assistants: Acquisitions Assistant, Circulation Assistant • 2 Part-time Librarians: Saturday Administrator and Sunday Administrator • 5 Part-time Library Assistants: Copy Cataloger, Circulation Assistant, and one Day and two

Evening/Weekend Circulation Assistants

Library Reference and Instruction

Library staff offers individual students and groups a formal instruction program with emphasis on

access and evaluation of print and non-print information resources. During the Fall, 2001, the Public

Services Librarian began offering professional development sessions to faculty in the pedagogical uses of

electronic resources. Articles about library services and resources appear regularly in "The Open Door"

student newspaper. Information is also disseminated through a regularly updated print brochure and the

QCC Library Web homepage. OCLC Interlibrary Loan services are available to all members of the

campus community.

Collections/Acquisitions

The QCC Library houses approximately 42,000+ books, 312+ current periodicals, and 2,400+

videos in two separate locations. The Individualized Learning Center provides access to the non-print

items. The Library, two floors below, houses the print collection. Neither of these spaces was designed to

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serve their current purpose; crowded quarters and limited physical access issues will be remedied when

the new Learning Center is completed in Fall 2003.

The need to expand the aging book collection in conjunction with the move to the new Learning

Center, prompted staff to initiate several major projects related to the collection. With the help of faculty,

a massive book and video “weeding” project eliminated outdated and damaged materials and began to

assess the collection by discipline and to guide the acquisition of new materials.

A "Library Collection Development Policy" was written to guide the acquisition of new print and

non-print resources. In Spring 2003, a Collection Development Team, made up of 15 faculty members

representing the College’s major programs, began the work of improving the library collection using

those policies as a guide. With the assistance of the College's Office of Development, the Library seeks

funding to bring the collection up to 60,000 volumes within five years.

Electronic and Remote Access/Local Consortia Membership

The Library has experienced reduced purchasing power due to the rising cost of print materials.

The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) provides the College's Library with several

electronic databases (Newsbank, InfoTrac), and Massachusetts Conference of Chief Librarians of Public

Higher Education Institutions (MCCLPHEI) provides access to EBSCOhost. Budgetary allowances fund

access to FirstSearch and The New York Times Online. The Library participates in Worcester Area

Cooperating Libraries (WACL) and shares serials (periodical) holdings information with 28 Worcester

area libraries through the Worcester Area Union List of Serials (WAULS). Distance education students

and teaching faculty are provided with remote home/office access to several of these databases: the

C/WMARS catalog, WAULS, InfoTrac, and EBSCOHost.

The Library is a member of the Central/Western Massachusetts Automated Resource Sharing

(C/WMARS) network of 138 member libraries. The online catalog contains 1.4 million unique titles

(about 6 million items). The Library also subscribes to NELINET, a non-profit cooperative of 660 New

England libraries which supplies OCLC access, group purchasing, and professional development

opportunities.

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Self-Evaluation

The primary mission of the QCC Library is to support the teaching and learning mission of the

College. Thus, the staff of the library embarked on a long-range planning process beginning in Fall 2000.

The process began with four surveys: one each to faculty and students regarding services and resources; a

survey of colleges to which our students most often transfer regarding those librarians’ expectations of

entering juniors; and a survey of other community colleges in Massachusetts regarding services offered

and resource allocation. These surveys produced benchmarks for what we could reasonably expect to

accomplish with our resources and what users believe to be the Library's strengths and weaknesses. In

Spring of 2001, using the results of the surveys as a “needs assessment” and the Association of College

and Research Libraries Standards for Community College Libraries as a template, the library staff

developed a long-range plan for the continued evaluation, improvement and growth of the Library’s

collections and services. That long-range plan has become our working document for the improvement of

our library.

Learning Resources

In addition to Library resources via an online public access catalog, numerous electronic

periodical and reference databases, as well as a traditional collection of books, videotapes, and

periodicals, the College has also created bridges to the curriculum with general-purpose computer

classrooms, discipline-specific computerized work areas, multi-media learning centers, and several multi-

purpose drop-in computing areas.

Our three main multi-media learning centers are the Individualized Learning Center, the Math

Center, and the Communication Skills Center. Each offers tutoring, VHS software, computer-based

instruction modules, Internet access to related sites, and instruction in the use of each of the resources.

The Individualized Learning Center offers multi-discipline tutoring support services; the Math Center

offers services in the support of the math curriculum; and the Communications Skills Center supports the

English and humanities curricula.

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Communication Skills Center

The Communications Skills Center staff provided 1,981 tutoring sessions and students logged

4,651 hours of computer use for the academic year of 2001.

In The Communication Skills Center (also referred to as The Writing Lab) peer tutors assist

students with their writing assignments for all courses at QCC. Lab offerings include: audio/tutorial

grammar/writing study and computer-assisted instruction in writing, reading, vocabulary, reasoning, and

study skills. Peer Tutoring sessions assist students in basic composing and grammar skills. Macintosh

computers, all providing Internet access and on-line multimedia encyclopedia, are available to all students

on a walk-in basis. Each has Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint); grammar study and writing

practice programs are available. These computers are also reserved regularly for specific class instruction,

usually for a class period, and for developmental classes, and are equipped with a range of grammar aids.

The Center is managed by a full time Learning Manager with 10 tutors on staff.

The Math Center

The Math Center is a free, drop-in tutorial center that provides assistance for students in any and

all mathematics courses offered at QCC. The Center’s staff consists of a full-time manager, eleven part-

time tutors working a total of 100 hours per week, and five work-study students working a total of 44

hours per week. When the current manager was hired, the Center was open thirty-nine hours per week.

Due to the College’s commitment to expanding services during evening and weekend hours, the Math

Center’s hours have expanded to fifty-six hours per week in Spring 2002, is now open for a total of sixty-

six hours per week, including eight weekend hours and fifteen evening hours. These hours will hopefully

expand even further when the Center relocates to the new Learning Center in Fall 2003.

In the Fall of 2001, the Math Center tutored nearly 2,000 students for a total of 2,300 contact

hours. During the Spring of 2002, the Center’s student usage increased by approximately fifty percent and

served 2842 students for a total well in excess of 3,000 contact hours. In Fall 2002, the Center served

more students than in the entire previous academic year: 3,553 students for a total of 4,445 contact hours.

This represents a 25% increase from Spring 2002, and an 85% increase from Fall 2001.

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Approximately two-thirds of tutorial assistance is for courses at the developmental level (i.e., up

through MAT 099); however, a significant number of calculus students also make heavy use of tutorial

resources.

The Center facilitates student use of freestanding commercial software, numerous CD- ROMs

and a range of software that accompanies the textbooks currently in use at the College. In addition,

traditional Microsoft Office applications are available.

Individualized Learning Center

The Individualized Learning Center is a drop-in, multimedia-learning laboratory that serves several

functions:

• provides free tutoring in a number of academic disciplines including: Accounting, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Economics, Nursing, Psychology, Sociology and Spanish. Ancillary course materials in the form of solutions materials, texts, CD ROMs, etc. are available here as well.

• maintains a collection of non-print materials that support the curriculum, and are made available to students and faculty six days a week. The necessary electronic delivery devices are available here as well.

• provides computer and Internet access six days a week, including evenings Monday through Thursday.

• provides students with disabilities a handicapped accessible workstation, equipped with specialized software and hardware suited to their needs.

All of these services are offered in a physical space which allows for collaboration and interaction among

diverse user groups.

The Individualized Learning Center (ILC) is staffed to assist students in the use of the hardware

and software in that area. Network Services provides technical assistance as needed. Staffing includes one

full-time Learning Center Manager and four part-time Learning Center Assistants to cover the 72 hours

per week when the ILC is open.

Information Resources

Information resources are both internal and external to the classroom. Beyond traditional drop-in

support facilities, several discipline-specific computerized classrooms support the areas of Applied Arts,

Biology, Computer Information Systems, Computer Systems Engineering Technology, Mathematics,

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Engineering, English, and Humanities. These classrooms provide current information resources from the

Internet and other networked products as well as multi-media software that the faculty have integrated

into their curricula.

To date, the College has established an Instructional Technology Lab within the Harrington

Academic Computing Center to centralize technology and expertise and serve as a productivity center for

faculty; a faculty/staff training room; and a faculty training curriculum providing instruction on the usage

and integration of digital photography, graphics, Web technology (e.g. FrontPage), interactive

presentations (PowerPoint), and online courseware (i.e. Intralearn).

To ensure technologically current access to information resources, the College employs a “Build

Forward” approach to replacing desktop systems. Each system is assigned a specific lifespan at which

point it is replaced by a new system and traded in to the vendor. The hardware/software standards are set

such that there are no intended upgrades to the hardware or the operating system during the expected

lifespan. However, minor upgrades are made if a system presents a compatibility issue with existing

toolbox software or other required College software. This Acquire/Retire Policy ensures that faculty, staff

and students have access to appropriate equipment for the tasks they need to accomplish. Additionally, all

use of campus computer systems is governed by the QCC Acceptable Use Policy.

The College is equipped with the following "virtual" facilities:

• Administrative Systems: The QCC administrative systems are implemented using Jenzabar CX. This system includes admission, enrollment and financial modules. Financial Aid also employs the EDExpress software provided by the federal government. Additionally, the COGNOS suite of information management tools is used to further analyze data for purposes of reporting and institutional research.

• Basic Information Tools: Each faculty and staff member is provided a desktop system with the Microsoft Office Suite and Jenzabar CX client as the basic toolbox. Each system is upgraded according to the College’s “Acquire/ Retire” strategy for information technology. (See attached Network Infrastructure for Hardware/Operating System Specifications, and Acquire/Retire cycle document)

• Information Storage Strategy: In order to manage the 1,200 networked devices on campus, the College employs a strategy whereby all information is stored via network directory services, allowing centralized backup of staff data and insuring against loss of data during local system failures. In case of a local system failure, a “loaner” can be configured with the staff member’s profile enabling access to their personal data.

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• Electronic Mail Staff: All QCC faculty and staff utilize Microsoft Outlook connecting to a Microsoft Exchange server configured to provide collaboration tools such as public folders and shared calendaring. Additionally, exchange forms are used for helpdesk requests, leave requests, and time/attendance collection. Remote access is also available via the Web.

• Electronic Mail Students: Upon enrollment, each student is provided with an email account via Communigate Email, accessed by any World Wide Web browser or a POP3 email client.

• Student & Academic Computing Facilities: Students are provided access to the Internet, campus email, campus toolbox software, and software required to complete coursework in the Harrington Academic Computing Center, Individualized Learning Center, Communications Skills Center, and the Math Center. The College also provides six general purpose computerized classrooms and eight program-specific computing areas. Together this provides 496 systems for student use.

College at the Mall

The College at the Mall is a new campus location. CCE offers Microsoft Certification training in

the ITech lab while various computer application classes and HRD classes are offered in the HRD Lab.

With Phase II of The College at the Mall completed in June 2002, courses formerly held at the QCC

Downtown Center and St. Paul’s migrated to the Mall. ESL classes are also conducted there.

Distance Education: The College offers online distance education for credit using the Intralearn

Learning Management System. This integrated system provides content delivery, chat, asynchronous

discussion, email client, testing, and grading. Students and Faculty access the system through Internet

Explorer or Netscape Navigator.

Massachusetts Colleges Online (MCO): To further enhance distance learning offerings,

Quinsigamond is involved with the Board of Higher Education’s eLearning Initiative, a pooling of the

limited resources of the Massachusetts state and community colleges. The eLearning portal provides

students across the state access to each campus's offerings.

World Wide Web: QCCWEB provides an array of information regarding programs, courses, and

student services.

QCC Intranet: The QCC Intranet provides access to information and services for the consumption

of the internal College community. It consolidates the order forms for various support departments, links

to the Virtual Helpdesk, various instructions & guidelines, and service department home pages.

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Technology Support: The College’s support strategy begins with training. A collaboration of the

Academic Computing/Instructional Technology, Information Systems, Media Services, and Staff

Development departments provides training for all campus administrative systems, toolbox software, and

instructional technology. Post training support is a team effort of the Technology Helpdesk, CARS

Helpdesk (Jenzabar CX), or Media Services. Each area can be contacted by telephone, Webform, or

email. Virtual help is provided on the web using handouts for set-up and troubleshooting as well as online

“How To” job-aides.

Since 1995, the College has committed approximately seven percent of the total operating budget

to distributing, maintaining, and managing technology. As part of the strategic planning process, the

Technology Integration Committee is charged with the annual review of technology standards. This group

consists of a cross section of faculty and staff that work to anticipate the functional needs of all campus

instructional and administrative systems for the upcoming academic year. Once identified, these needs

will drive equipment standards for the upcoming academic year. This annual process works in tandem

with the College’s acquire/ retire strategy to ensure that Quinsigamond remains technologically current in

both its instructional and administrative systems. This fiscal and physical commitment is evidenced by:

• Twenty-five (25) computer classrooms/laboratories (including the Library and Learning Labs/Centers) spread throughout the campus

• Current desktop computers at each staff workstation • A dedicated staff training room. • The Harrington Academic Computing Center provides sixty (60) student computing stations

and is open seventy-four (74) hours per week during the traditional academic year. • Staffing:

o 1 Chief Technology Officer o 1 Clerk IV o 3 Directors; Academic Computing, Information Systems, and Network

Telecommunications o 4 Staff Associates, 3 Programmers, 1 User Administration o 4 Technical Assistants III’s, 2 Academic Computing, 2 Network Services o 2 AV Technician II o 2 ¼ time Faculty Instructional Design Coordinators.

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APPRAISAL

Library

Strengths

Written in Spring 2001, the Library Long Range Plan is a five-year plan for the continued

evaluation, improvement and growth of the Library’s collections and services. A timeline for systemizing

policies and routine procedures has been set, as well as basic policies for circulation and collection

development. Other improvements to services and facilities await the completion of the new library

building.

With new personnel and a new building opening in Fall 2003, the College will be investing in the

kind of learning resource center that students need and deserve. There is, quite literally, no aspect of the

operation of the College's library that will not be greatly enhanced by the availability of sufficient and

appropriate space and staff and a substantial infusion of collection development funds.

Challenges

Staffing

For many years, until Fall 2001, the library was staffed by one Librarian and three Library

Assistants and was open 65 hours per week. Improvements since that time have been made, but as of

Spring 2003, staffing numbers are still below the minimum standard recommended by the Association of

College and Research Libraries for a community college of comparable size. Additional staff will be

requested as a part of the staffing plan for the new building.

Library Policies and Services

Spring 2001 saw the deployment of four surveys: one to faculty and one to students regarding

services and resources; a third survey to librarians at colleges to which QCC students most often transfer

regarding their expectations of entering juniors; and a fourth survey of other Massachusetts community

college library directors regarding comparable services. Resource allocations were designed to yield

benchmarks for what the Library could reasonably expect to accomplish with in-house resources and what

users believe to be the Library's strengths and weaknesses. The Noel-Levitz student satisfaction survey

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administered during that same period confirmed adequate services but inadequate collections. The

Campus Survey of Faculty and Staff in Spring 2001 further supported that status. Since very little

changed between Spring 2001 and Fall 2002, additional surveys were not administered. As new library

staff were hired following the retirement of three long-term employees, all operating systems and

procedures needed to be modernized and formalized. That has been the primary work of the three new

librarians since December 2002.

Library Collections

The shortcomings of the QCC Library collection will take significant time to remedy. Its deficit is

a product of years of inadequate budgets for library resources and a lack of library staff qualified to

conduct collection development. Historically, the library staff had little money to spend and most of it

was used to respond to urgent faculty requests and to pay for electronic databases, standing orders, and

periodical subscriptions. The 2000 and 2002 Noel Levitz Student Satisfaction Survey indicate that

students perceive that the library collections are inadequate; they are.

Information Resources

Strengths

Computing Equipment and Services

The College has achieved each goal set ten years ago in the 1993 Self Study:

• installation of a campus-wide Local Area Network • electronic access to the print and non-print holdings of the QCC Library, remote reference

materials, and holdings of other libraries • membership in the CW/MARS network • construction of a new “State of the Art” Learning Resource Center (in progress) • QCCLAN is a high-speed data network consisting of a Gigabit backbone with 6 Gigabit

segments, 18 100 Megabit segments, and 100 Megabit access to the desktop. The network is populated by twelve hundred (1200) managed devices and twenty-three (23) file servers. The network provides students, faculty, and staff with a multitude of information resources including access to the Internet, CW/MARS, periodical and reference databases, distance education, and online student services.

The College has also reached the goals established in the 1998 Fifth Year Interim Report:

• Integration between the Library’s system and the College’s student records system • Training for faculty and staff

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• Improvement to lighting and access in ILC and Library

The new building will resolve lighting issues within the ILC and Library. Through the

CW/MARS network, all students, faculty and staff have access to our holdings from any desktop

computer connected to the Internet. Migrating from the Wang-based DMI system to Jenzabar CX has

provided a level of flexibility to interface student information to Accuplacer (student assessment testing),

CW/MARS, Communigate (student email), and Intralearn (Distance Education).

Additionally, the College has also added these capabilities to campus:

• network connectivity in every classroom • satellite downlink capability • renovation of an under-utilized area into the Harrington Academic Computing center with a

60 station open lab and two computerized classrooms • placement of ten (10) student access computers in the library, • improved classroom support, seven (7) mobile data projectors, and eleven (11) permanently

installed projection systems in the computerized classrooms

Technology

QCC has achieved average and above average status in areas of campus technology, including

faculty and student access to computers with live connections, live network access for the classrooms, and

basic instructional technology within the classrooms. Effective May, 2003, the computer technicians set

up in-house computers with an automatic prompt regarding the College’s acceptable use policy

(workroom) which was developed to protect the College legally and to ensure stability of systems. The

web text is the same as the hard copy everyone has received.

Staffing

The College has supported staff and faculty with technological growth. Standardizing has allowed

the development of modular training curricula for both administrative applications and instructional

technology usage. All trainings incorporate self-help handouts and some self-paced training modules. The

Public Services Librarian has begun holding faculty professional development workshops regarding the

use of periodical and reference databases. Lastly, a staff training area equipped with eight (8) stations for

staff and an instructor station provides a collaborative working environment for staff.

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Challenges

Staffing

Needs exist in the area of Academic Computing/ Instructional Technology (AC/IT)/ Media

Services

FY02 Staffing AC/IT: Director, two (2) Technical Assistants III, two (2) AV technicians II, two

(2) ¼ time Faculty Instructional Design Coordinators.

With the addition of one technical assistant III and the Faculty Instructional Design Coordinators

since July 2000 (1.5 staff), this area is understaffed by 2 according to the Price/ Waterhouse/ Coopers

Benchmark Average for Massachusetts State & Community Colleges and 2.7 members below the national

cohort.

Needs exist in Information Systems:

FY02 Staffing: Director and three (3) programmers: with the addition of one (1) programmer

since July 2000, this area is understaffed by 2.2.

Needs exist in Network Services and Telecommunication:

FY02 Staffing: Director, Assistant Director, one (1) Technical Assistant III: this area falls 2.27

staff below the Price/Waterhouse/Coopers Benchmark Average for Massachusetts Community Colleges

and 1.7 staff below the national cohort.

PROJECTION

Library

Staffing

Three new librarians will facilitate the reinvention of the QCC Library: The Technical Services

Librarian will complete the data recovery project and serve as the staff trainer for automating the many

systems that are currently done by hand. She will act as the chief contact between C/WMARS and

campus IT staff to provide seamless delivery of automated resources for students. She will be the key

person to alert staff to new software and electronic services which will enhance library operations and the

Library’s teaching mission.

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The creation of a new position for Collection Development Specialist will ensure that the

Library's collection never lags so far behind again. Responsible for overseeing the quality of the print

and non-print collection, this specialist will ensure that materials meet the needs of the campus

community. As a first step, this librarian will form a faculty Collection Development Team who will

work together to create a comprehensive Collection Development Plan which reflects QCC’s academic

goals and objectives. This plan will support the Internal Program Review Process and individual program

accreditation requirements by putting in place a process for prioritizing appropriate additions to the

Library’s collections and recommending specific discipline areas for updating. This librarian will

determine the appropriate mix of electronic and print resources by program and routinely assess the

collection’s strengths and weaknesses. She will routinely evaluate the services of library vendors and

make changes to ensure that maximum value is received for collection development funds.

The Reference/Instruction Librarian will design and implement a coordinated and relevant information

literacy program which will be made much more effective by the availability of the Online Information

Resource Center in the new building.

Collections

In addition to having a Collection Development Specialist, the key element that will enhance

collections is space: space available to combine the non-print and print collection under the management

of the library; space for plentiful shelving for expansion of the book collection; space for dry, clean

shelving for periodicals to enable easier access and usage; space for readily available reference materials

that students may carry to appropriate tutoring centers as needed. To bring its collection up to the ALA’s

recommendation for a college of QCC’s size, the President launched an aggressive Collections

Development Initiative in January 2003 to raise $1.7 million over the next five years. The College has

amassed $1.1 million between pledges and its own half-million dollars ($100,000.00 per year from

College resources over the next five years). An Alumni Challenge Match Grant from the Alden Trust

equal to $550,000.00 has supported the initiative.

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Services

Expanded facilities, staffing, and collections allow for a variety of new library services. These

services will be a primary focus of Fall 2003 planning and evaluation to begin as soon as the physical

transition to the new building is accomplished. New services may include: expanded Sunday hours, e-

mail reference, drop-in instruction sessions, support for distance education, laptop checkout and other

services of a modern academic library.

The Library will have an Information Desk where staff will coordinate the scheduling of tutoring

sessions and the use of group study rooms. This will provide the first contact to a welcoming, friendly,

helpful space and offer orientation to the building and its services.

Tutoring Facilities

The currently cramped, damp and insufficient facilities cease to exist and the new Library will

become a series of user-friendly environments:

• The Online Information Resource Center will offer, for the first time in QCC’s history, an electronic library resource room where both formally scheduled and drop-in information literacy classes can be held. It will also provide much needed open lab time for library research between those group sessions.

• Clustering three tutoring centers together on the same floor of the new building will allow coordinated scheduling, advertising of services, standardizing of hours and other advantages of a “one look, one purpose” tutoring function. That area will also house the Assistive Technology Lab soundproofed for voice activated software.

• The Math Center will double in size, a necessary resource to the growing numbers of students in developmental math classes.

• Tutoring staff will have private space for tutor interviewing/hiring and student conferences, as well as storage space for textbooks and equipment.

• Plentiful seating (soft seating, study carrels and tables) will be available for library users and 13 study rooms equipped with TV/VCRs meant to support group projects and group study.

Computing Equipment and Services

Staffing:

Increased volume generated by rapid campus growth and the benchmarks identified in the

Appraisal section insist the College take the following measures to bolster the technology support unit:

Develop New Skills for Existing Staff in the following areas:

• SQL Database Administrator/ Programmer

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• Perl and C++ Programming • COGNOS Decision Stream (ETL) • Pursue Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer track training • Pursue Microsoft Application Specialist track training • Checkpoint Firewall Administration • Citrix XP track training

Hire or contract for the following Technology Support Staff:

• Software Technician: Network Services (Hired, Summer 2003) • Software Technician: Academic Computing (Hired, Summer 2003) • Web Programmer/ Developer • AV Technician: Evenings • SQL Database Administrator

Managing Growth Using Technology

Given resource realities that face the College, several strategies have been adopted to facilitate

and manage growth within the given financial constraints. These strategies will optimize resources and

provide the College with the necessary technological environment required to fulfill its mission.

• End user training for all classroom and administrative technologies. • Standard software tools will control support costs • Employ thin-client technology to extend the lifespan of computer equipment • Develop technologies that provide for central management of technology

Virtual College: Jenzabar CX Student Portal

Upon registration, each student will be issued an email address and will be instructed to log into

the student portal provided by Jenzabar. Students will then access information regarding courses, events,

and student clubs. Additionally, the portal interfaces with the Student Information System providing

access to personal grades and progress.

QCC Information Infrastructure

The College will be constructing a local information warehouse based on MS SQL Server

Database Management System (DBMS). End users will then use the Web, Access, Jenzabar CX Menu, or

Excel to access their own tables within the SQL Server database. These tables will be updated

periodically to the CARS tables containing live information. The type of access (read/ write) will be

based upon user permissions. “Datamarts,” developed by Jenzabar and other information bases developed

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according to local specifications (e.g. Title III, HR, Institutional Advancement), will complement other

tools to augment the data warehouse and add essential information not tracked by the CX system. The

College will benefit from a robust platform to build College systems that are currently implemented with

MS Access; CX data integrated with other College systems; and considerably more flexibility with CX

data without endangering system integrity.

Distance Education

Massachusetts Colleges Online is an initiative by the Board of Higher Education to maximize

Distance Education Resources. As this venture matures, the College will take advantage of centralized

services such as a centralized portal connecting students with distance education offerings from all 15

community colleges, and the nine state colleges via a centrally hosted Learning Management System with

24x7 support, Instructional Design training, and inter-college collaboration to develop programs that can’t

be offered at any one campus. As MCO progresses, Quinsigamond will be able to access technology

services to help provide better system availability and helpdesk support than the College can offer on its

own. With a recently trained and highly skilled staff of librarians commencing employment Fall 2002, it

will be possible to design and provide quality services which support distance education students and

faculty. Of paramount importance to librarians is the new TEACH Act, "The Technology, Education and

Copyright Harmonization" Act, articulated by the ALA and issued by the Copyright Management Center

Indiana University, 2002.

Overall, as the new facility comes on line in early Fall, The Library and Information Services

have much to look forward to as the Learning Center slowly closes in the gaps -- materially and

academically -- it constantly reminds the community that the College will eventually be grounded in

state-of-the-art, art of the state.

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STANDARD EIGHT, PHYSICAL RESOURCES

DESCRIPTION

In 1963 Quinsigamond was the sixth community college established by the Massachusetts state

legislature. For the first few years the College operated at various temporary locations in Worcester.

Now situated on 47 acres, QCC has become a vital presence in Worcester's Greendale area since 1971

when the grounds were purchased from the former Assumption College. In the northeast corner of the

city, the College is conveniently located to serve the 168 towns and cities of Central Massachusetts via

the convergence of two interstate highways and a state highway. The College is bordered by residential

areas on three sides and a commercial area on the fourth side. The land is carried in the College’s

financial statements at its original cost of $1,278,049.00. Buildings, including improvements, furnishings

and equipment show a cost basis of $17,643,260.00. In today’s dollars, the land and buildings would be

considerably more valuable.

Over the last ten years, one of the most striking transformations of the College has been its

physicality, which is to say its material and cyber transmutation from a decrepit, urban eyesore to an

invigorated, active refurbished testament to "form follows function." In the 1993 Self-Study, Standard

Eight profiled not so much the College's presence in the community as its simple presence in space and

time. That report organized information according to building layout, listed physical features, specified

space utilization and recognized in the Appraisal section the following shortcomings: "the building issues

of most pressing concerns are the library, Learning Resources Center, and the cafeteria …. the inadequacy

of student lounge and study areas, fire safety and infrastructure in the Administration Building. " (Self-

Evaluation, Fall, 1993: 65). The subsequent report from the NEASC Visiting Team confirmed those

findings: "the Administration building, … is showing the effect of deferred maintenance, and is in need of

structural updating and attention to fire safety. The most pressing concerns -- in terms of suitability, size,

and safety -- are with the library, the learning resource center, and the cafeteria" (Report of the

Accreditation Team, 1994: 18).

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With the arrival of President Kurtinitis and her response to that deficit, Facilities Renovation was

catapulted to the fore of the President's Strategic Goals, and repair and renovation began in earnest in

1997. The 1998 Fifth-Year Interim Report noted in its "Response to Three Areas Identified for Special

Emphasis" the College's success in procuring $21 million from the state's Capital Projects funds. Now at

the apex of a decade of renewal and growth, is the construction of a new Library and Learning Center

(noted further in Appraisal) set for Fall completion. The Fifth-Year Report also enumerated remodeling

and expansion undertakings (28-29).

Main Campus

Administration Building: comprising 144,000 square feet, this main, "A," building, houses the

major Administrative offices including that of the President, Vice Presidents, Deans, Admissions,

Registrar, Financial Aid, and Business Office. Also located in this building are computer labs, graphic

arts lab, nursing lab, allied health labs, several classrooms, the Dental Clinic, and faculty offices. The

Print Shop, mailroom, Bookstore and main Cafeteria are all housed in the "A" Building as well.

Surprenant Hall: comprising 48,000 square feet, consists primarily of classrooms. SABES

offices, faculty offices and labs including electromechanical technology, computer support, specialized

computer, biology, physics, chemistry, and radiology are also located here. Support from industry,

including the Intel Corporation, has been important in establishing many of the high tech labs. The lower

level was converted to a mini conference center to accommodate special programs such as the Verizon

“Next Step” for training their employees under contract to the College and, of course, it is used for

classroom space at other times. Connected to Surprenant Hall is the 11,000 square feet Hebert Auditorium

which seats 550 people and has a stage and supporting dressing room areas.

Ahlfors Hall: named for Andrew and Helmi Ahlfors, two longtime Worcester residents whose

generous contribution made construction of this building possible, this facility has housed classrooms and

the Communications Skill Laboratory. When the new Learning Center opens, Ahlfors Hall will be

completely converted to classroom use to meet the needs of the College’s burgeoning enrollment.

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The Athletic Center comprises 47,500 square feet, which includes an Olympic sized swimming

pool; an 11,000 square foot gymnasium; locker rooms and showers; and an assortment of body building

equipment. Central Receiving, and the College Supply Room are also housed in this building. The

baseball field, the running track, and soccer fields are adjacent to the Athletic Center. An athletic

membership program is offered free to students, faculty and staff and at minimal cost to local residents.

Local residents enjoy the nearby outdoor track as an exercise and walking area.

The Child Study Center comprising 9,100 square feet, houses the Early Childhood Education

Program and the Nursery School. It provides a learning laboratory for students in the Early Childhood

Program and an affordable day care center for students’ children. Offices for staff and faculty related to

the program are situated within. The basement is also utilized for records storage.

Located at the northwest corner of the campus, the Maintenance Building of 5,400 square feet is

utilized for storage of large equipment and related maintenance functions.

The Fuller Student Center, created in 2001 from an abandoned brick garage, is a 3,500 square

foot Student Life Center, centralizing staff and student offices, a student lounge, conference room, and

game room. It is entirely devoted to student socializing and programming and was made possible through

the support of the George F. and Sybil H. Fuller, Worcester philanthropists.

Upon completion in early Fall, the new Learning Center will comprise 56,000 square feet on

three levels. The first floor will house a lounge, multimedia conference rooms, a classroom, and a café.

The second and third levels will contain the library, staff offices, communication skills lab, math lab, and

tutoring center.

College at the Mall and other Outlying Facilities

Our largest off campus site is the College at the Mall: 12,500 square feet of space located at the

Worcester Common Outlets in downtown Worcester. This facility houses eight general-purpose

classrooms, five computer classrooms and a multipurpose room as well as offices for the Adult Basic

Education Program, Continuous Learning Center, and the Downtown Outreach Center.

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The Worcester Senior Center hosts the kitchen facilities used by the Hotel Restaurant

Management Program which holds classes and operates a diner for senior citizens. The Center serves as a

lab for students, a site for community service and workplace simulation for students. Classes are held at

the Southbridge Center at Southbridge High School to accommodate the residents of southern Worcester

County. Collaboration with the Natick and Marlborough Fire Departments allows the College to offer

classes in fire science at both the Natick and Marlborough Fire Stations.

In regard to Virtual Facilities, the College also offers credit and non-credit distance-learning

classes via the Internet as detailed in Standard 7. Electronically linked offices and information-sharing is

also noted in Standard Seven.

Transportation and Parking

Surface parking provides over 380 spaces for faculty and staff and over 1200 spaces for students

as well as 20 handicapped spaces. At the beginning of each semester parking is expanded to an additional

375 spaces for students by using the upper track near the Athletic Center. The Worcester Regional

Transit Authority provides bus service on two routes that run on two borders of the College grounds.

Maintenance staffing: consists of a director, a recently hired assistant director, a clerical support person,

3 working foreman, 13 maintainers, three groundskeepers, 2 skilled laborers, 1 carpenter and 1 painter.

Contract cleaning is used for off campus sites.

Public Safety Staffing: consists of one Director, two Sergeants and seven officers.

Appraisal

Strengths

The Massachusetts Board of Higher Education has established a strategic capital building

program for all state and community colleges to address present physical deficiencies and project needs

for predicted enrollment growth. The Board of Higher Education, the Division of Capital Asset

Management and the College have jointly authorized Eva Klein and Associates, Ltd. to direct

prioritization of the College’s capital needs. The Klein project phases in needs for the institution’s

renovation, modernization, adaptive re-use, demolition and other modes of fully utilizing extant assets --

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Phase One focuses on immediate needs during years 1 –5; while Phase Two conceptualizes needs for

years 6 –10 based on projected growth and strategic priority. The Klein assessment enumerates

individual campus projects, costs to correct deficiencies and solutions, and tracks the status of each.

Many of the identified physical needs cited by the Klein team in their "Strategic Capital Program:

Methods to Prioritize Capital Needs for Institutions" (10/2002), as well as those needs cited by the 1993

NEASC Visiting Team, have been remedied and are noted in the Klein Report (workroom). The Eva

Klein study identifies QCC’s need for additional instructional space as one of the top two priorities for

higher ed state wide.

The Learning Center

Commencing in Fall 2003, Quinsigamond Community College will have added a substantial new

facility to the list of campus resources. In the planning since 1999, this new 56,000 square foot building

is home to both the campus Library as well as various tutoring services, including the Mathematics,

Communication Skills and Individualized Learning Centers. Funded by the Commonwealth of

Massachusetts as a model, this new building features state-of-the-art technology as an integral component

to the learning environment. The building is home to a variety of teaching resources including an

Assistive Resource Room for the sight impaired, as well as two technology classrooms, one of which will

serve in on-line bibliographic/research education.

Central to the design of this building were the individual space requirements of the services to be

located there; and equally important were considerations of streamlining space allocations in an effort to

create collaborative, integrated areas that complement each other rather than compete for resources. The

College and the architectural design team of architectural firm Einhorn Yaffee Prescott accomplished the

final schematics. Various learning environments to accommodate various learning styles are in the

planning: from reading rooms, to instructional classrooms, to providing many individual and one-on-one

study rooms. This building has been aptly named The Learning Center. More than a traditional library or

classroom building, the Learning Center offers a nexus of learner-centered supports.

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The building additionally provides other enhancements to Quinsigamond. A new “casual” study

lounge will serve as a living room for the campus and a new café will become a community-gathering

place. The building will include a larger (2,000 sq. ft.) meeting hall, which can serve as lecture hall,

reception room to be divided as necessary into two large classrooms or meeting rooms. The hall can

easily sit 128 persons lecture style and 118 at round tables.

General Renovations

Since 1997, a campus wide program of construction and renovation has been instituted. Virtually

all faculty offices in both the Administration Building and Surprenant Hall have been renovated. Fresh

paint, new furniture, carpeting, ceilings, lighting and CAT 5 wiring for telephone and data services are

now standard and create a consistent décor throughout the Administration Building. Classrooms and

hallways in both buildings have also been re-carpeted and student seating replaced or refinished. All

classrooms in Suprenant Hall were painted, re-carpeted, and equipped with sun blocking shades to create

more comfortable environs, but more importantly, all have been equipped with TV sets, VCRs and

monitors. Hallways in the Administration Building have been painted and new lights and ceilings

installed. Restrooms in the Administration Building have been renovated and rendered accessible to

disabled persons. Interior and exterior signage has been updated to be informational and aesthetically

pleasing.

In 2001-2002 an entirely new fire alarm system was installed throughout the campus. The system

was designed and built by Simplex/Grinnell, a leader in fire alarms, at a cost of $350,000.00. Using

current building codes, the new system includes smoke and heat sensors, signals with both audio and

visual alarms and devices that close smoke doors automatically. Annunciator panels in each building and

in the Public Safety Office now pinpoint alarm locations. The Worcester Fire Department receives

automatic notification of an alarm through a dedicated telephone line. Each building has a strobe light

outside to indicate an alarm has been activated.

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Administration Building Renovations

The new Student Assessment and Advising Center was created in a completely renovated, air-

conditioned area near the main student entrance (the rear entrance to the Administration Building). It

brings together assessment and registration in one central 1,400 sq. ft. location. A payment center also

set up in this area provides a “one-stop” continuum for students to complete all their registration needs.

Through a grant from Massachusetts Department of Health and local contributions from groups

such as the Central Massachusetts Dental Society, the Dental Clinic was totally remodeled three years ago

at a cost of $800.000.00. It is now a state-of-the-art facility providing real-world experience for students

and serving as a community resource via the Great Brook Valley Community Health Center. There are

twenty modern dental chairs with high-end accessories (such as cavitronic scalers), complex X-Ray

equipment (including darkroom), a dedicated classroom and patient seating area all contained in a first

floor space at the front entrance to the Administration Building. A panoramic X-Ray machine and digital

radiographic capabilities make this an optimal training environment for students and provides a

community service by providing dental examining and cleaning for only $20.00 for local residents. In

addition, the QCC Dental Clinic serves as an operating site for full service dental care for community

members with limited financial resources. This service is provided in partnership with the Great Brook

Valley Community Health Center.

Several years ago, the Bookstore was moved to the former student cafeteria seating area. This is

a windowless area, unsuitable for a cafeteria but ideal for a bookstore. The area was gutted and

completely rehabbed including new bookstore fixtures, lighting and carpeting. A new point of sale

computer system was installed that allows on-line ordering of textbooks submitted by faculty, a web site

for students to order textbooks and cash registers that allow for credit cards and financial aid charging.

The system tracks inventory from receiving through sale and provides complete general ledger functions.

Seasonal gifts, greeting cards, sundries, newspapers, etc. make this a convenience for faculty, staff and

students located adjacent to our recently remodeled cafeteria. At the rear, offices and a receiving room

with conveyer belt to the outside provide staff with workspace. Students are able to select their own

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books from bookmobiles that roll out of the way when book rush is over. Transit passes, subsidized by

the College, are sold to students at a 25% discount through the bookstore to encourage use of public

transportation and to make transportation more affordable.

The Student Cafeteria seating area is decorated in a black and white motif with new tables and

chairs for 110 people. Live plants brighten large windows; air conditioning assures a comfortable eating

experience; the ATM machine and vending machines also in this area make student dining more

pleasurable.

The Cafeteria serving area was also completely gutted and professionally restructured to provide

an efficient, pleasant atmosphere for students and staff to select breakfast, lunch and snack items.

Kitchen equipment was upgraded or replaced. At a cost of $700,000.00 we now have an attractive,

efficient serving area complete with built-in refrigerated salad bar, self-service beverage machines with

built-in icemaker, grille and hot food serving area. This has allowed us to expand our community

catering capabilities, such as providing the catering for the annual Martin Luther King Breakfast for 750

people.

The Harrington Computer Center, an open computer lab housing sixty student use computers, and

two adjoining computer classrooms, were created four years ago on the third floor of the Administration

Building to accommodate the computer needs of our students. The nearby Fletcher Graphic Arts Lab was

doubled in size two years ago and brought up-to-date with Apple computers for our popular graphic arts

program.

The Fuller Student Center, completed two years ago through a generous half-million dollar gift

from the Fuller Foundation, provides students with an area to relax and mingle in a pleasant environment.

Space is provided for student governing bodies and organizations: offices for the Student Life staff,

student senate and newspaper, game room, TV lounge, vending area. There is an outdoor terrace for

BBQ’s, concerts and recreation in the warm weather. The Student Center was recreated by using an

abandoned brick garage that had aesthetic appeal and was re-designed to double its size while maintaining

the motif of the original.

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Community and state organizations heavily utilize Hebert Auditorium, the Athletic Center,

athletic fields, and conference rooms throughout the campus. Quinsigamond Community College has a

reputation for being a friendly and convenient place to meet.

The Facilities Use Committee has been reconstituted as the Library Backfill Committee and is

reviewing areas soon to be vacated when functions move to the new Learning Center. It meets every

other week during the academic year to appraise vacated areas and make recommendations for their re-

use. A formal process has been established to accept input from all segments of the College community

on suggestions and needs for re-use. The Vice-President of Administrative Services chairs the committee,

and its membership includes faculty, professional staff, classified staff and non-unit staff representing all

divisions of the College.

Sheltered bus stops are provided at both the front and rear entrances of the campus. A new traffic

light has been installed at the main entrance, which has helped considerably to ease the flow of traffic in

and out of the campus.

Despite an understaffed facilities department, the grounds have been well kept over the years

presenting an appealing environment in an essentially urban setting. In an innovative program started

almost 25 years ago, funds that would have been spent for cut flowers and the like for the

Commencement stage were used to buy shrubs and small trees. These are temporarily used to enhance

the stage area during the ceremony, and then planted throughout the campus.

With the exception of the 2nd floor of the Child Study Center, all of the buildings are accessible to

disabled persons.

Challenges

Several challenges hamper our efforts to support our mission:

The primary deterrent to enhanced comfortable learning arrangements is the shortage of

classrooms during times that are most in demand, 8 am to 2 pm, and 4 pm to 10 pm weekdays. Since we

are currently over-utilizing our classroom space, we can, according to the Klein report, expect major

difficulty in seating students, given the projected increase. The 2003 figure of FTEs, 3572, is expected to

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rise to 4,726 in 2011; the resulting 41.7% variance speaks to the immediacy of the College's need to

prioritize instruction-related space.

The visible lack of office space for adjunct faculty who also have difficulty accessing computers

has been articulated by the Adjunct Faculty Task Force (1998).

The Klein report indicates total replacement of the Child Study Center as a Phase One (High

Priority) need. Other high priorities include major new construction of a new General Academic Building

and a Maintenance/Receiving Building; ADA Improvements; Campus-Wide Asbestos Survey; and

Emergency Phone Installation.

Due to resignations and retirements over the last several years, the maintenance staff has not been

sufficient to keep the campus minimally clean, and there has been little preventative maintenance.

The Public Safety Staff is down a police officer due to resignations and retirements. With the dramatic

increase in enrollment over the last few years, another police officer and traffic control attendants are

needed.

The decentralization of maintenance staff and facilities, poor road access to central receiving and

lack of a loading dock hamper efficiency. Storage areas in all parts of the college, and particularly a

records storage area with climate control, are also limited.

There is a lack of central air conditioning throughout a majority of the campus; classrooms are

particularly uncomfortable during summer sessions.

The baseball field is in poor condition, needing an irrigation system and bleachers.

The Athletic Center needs up dating to make it an attractive and functional place for sports and

recreation.

Traffic circulation needs to be improved. The main campus road is also the main campus

walkway. A perimeter loop for cars would eliminate bottlenecks and pedestrian hazards.

Given the scope of renovations and updates that have been proposed, coupled with the current

Draconian fiscal climate, the College's progress in facilities overhaul, though considerable, cannot slow

down. Though the new Library and Learning Center is the most ambitious undertaking the College has

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moved forward in the last decade, enrollment projections demand significant enhancement of the learning

environment.

The 1993 NEASC assessment noted the “critical need to update the administration building and

to build a new structure to house the learning resource center, the cafeteria, and other programs” (“Report

of the Accreditation Visiting” Feb 14, 1994: 18); since then, facilities upgrade has been an on-going

“mission critical” commitment which President Kurtinitis targeted as a campaign to make a “Big, Visible

Difference.” Indeed, many of the safety and aesthetic deficits cited ten years ago have now materially

morphed into safety and aesthetic pluses that have helped inspire a new-found campus-wide self-

respecting, amicable ethos.

PROJECTION

General

The College has made great strides in the past five years improving the general physical condition

of the campus and its buildings. Offices have been renovated, classrooms updated, computer labs added,

parking expanded, but the capstone addition, the new Learning Center --- which will house the new

library, tutoring facilities and other resource areas --- presents a special challenge for the College: how

best, to equitably and reasonably utilize vacated spaces from over 14,000 square feet in the

Administration Building and 2,500 square feet in Ahlfors Building. Chaired by the Vice President of

Administrative Services, and representing all areas of the College, the Library Backfill Committee

(successor to the Facilities Use Committee) has been established to explore proposals for re-use of the

spaces. The College at large has been invited to present, through the various divisions, requests for re-

utilization of space. Two considerations guide this process: identify spaces and proposals that can be

matched and implemented quickly with minimal cost; and secondly, make plans for long-term re-use

which will require extensive resources. Of paramount importance is to identify areas that can be re-used

as classrooms as quickly as possible to accommodate enrollment increases.

Physical Planning

Long-term plans will require updating the College’s master plan (which has not been revised for a

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for long-term projection since 1987). In 2002, the Board of Higher Education (BHE) and the state

Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAM) commissioned the consultant firm, Eva Klein and

Associates, to develop the Strategic Capital Program for State and Community Colleges (noted in

Description and available in workroom) which is first major step in developing a new master plan. The

College will be integrating this report with the resolutions of the Library Backfill Committee to develop a

comprehensive plan for renovating existing space and grounds and for designing new functions for

various spaces. The College is working closely with the BHE and DCAM to choose an architect to

evaluate current facilities for applicability to the new plan. Although the state economic situation is bleak

at this time, the College will press forward to prepare for the future, seeking alternate funding to move

forward on renovation of backfill space

Maintenance Staffing

The Learning Center will require a minimum of three maintenance workers and one tradesman to

properly maintain this high-tech, state-of-the-art facility. The College has requested a supplemental state

appropriation to provide wages for the needed staff and to cover the cost of utilities. Meanwhile, other

methods of dealing with this challenge require more effective deployment of the already understaffed

custodial staff. Compounding the College’s maintenance issues are the two early retirements from 2002

that further understaffed the two unfilled positions. The Facilities Department has been reorganized with

the addition of an assistant director to share supervision with the director.

Other Maintenance Changes:

• Change existing shifts to maximize staff utilization. • Train custodial staff to achieve consistency in cleaning techniques. • Strict adherence to time-off scheduling. • Work “skeleton” days to take advantage of the unoccupied space. • Implement checklist and procedures for supervisors. • Create a cleaning-painting, repair trade team. • Use contract services for window cleaning. • Supervisors to take a more active roll in work-mix. • Use grounds crew inside during down times. • Maintain cafeteria using part-time help. • Enforce college policies regarding food within the buildings.

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• Recommend a zone scheduling method for classes and events that would allow maintenance free zones during off-hours activities.

• Standardize upon bulletin boards for placement of notices and ask staff not to tape or tack to walls.

• Request staff to be accountable for own trash and recyclables to be placed in proper receptacle.

• Request staff to be mindful of activities that might cause building damage. • Control outside handout papers.

Public Safety Staffing

The Department of Public Safety has also suffered from retirements and budget cuts. The

following proposals to bolster the department are being evaluated:

• Establish and fill from within the position of lieutenant to provide support to the Director of Public Safety.

• Promote from within to the position of sergeant, left vacant by retirement. • Hire up two full-time officers: one to fill the vacancy left by retirement and the other to

compliment the day shift overlap for weekend coverage. • Hire two part-time traffic enforcement officers allowing restructuring of the day shift

officers’ days off.

Though the College has made great progress in improving the physical condition of the campus in

the past five years, the constricted state economy and subsequent decrease of state aid will present

opportunities for the College to meet the challenge of maintaining and upgrading the physical plant in

innovative and creative ways.

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STANDARD 9 - FINANCIAL RESOURCES

DESCRIPTION

As part of the statewide system of Higher Education, Quinsigamond Community College is

dependent on state appropriation for approximately 40% of its revenue. The College had seen a steady

increase in its appropriation since the mid-1990s, but because of the downturn in the state economy, has

experienced a decrease of $482,000 or 3.2% in state maintenance appropriation in FY2002, a decrease in

FY03 of $658,369 or 4.5%, and a decrease of $1,875,274 or 13.5% in FY2004. The state maintenance

appropriation for FY 2002, FY2003, and FY 2004, consisted of $14,490,099, $13,831,730 and,

$11,956,456 respectively. The College had been cited for deferred maintenance needs in the 1993

NEASC Ten-Year Evaluation. Since then, the College has worked hard to acquire approximately $4.5

million from state funds to address the deficiencies. In conjunction with fundraising efforts, the College

has recently built a state-of-the-art dental lab and several computer labs; and transformed a storage

building into the new Fuller Student Center. September 2003, awaits the opening of the new library

funded by the Massachusetts Department of Capital Asset Management (DCAM).

Revenue Sources

QCC has seen an increase in its total revenue over the past several years despite the recent

decreases in the State Maintenance appropriation as indicated by the chart below:

Year State Maintenance Tuition & Fees Total FY 1997 9,549,059 8,411,432 17,960,491 FY 1998 10,420,068 7,053,417 17,473,485 FY 1999 11,599,398 6,548,083 18,147,481 FY 2000 12,249,087 7,532,163 19,781,250 FY 2001 14,972,130 7,354,993 22,327,123 FY 2002 14,491,256 8,914,153 23,405,409 FY 2003 13,831,730 10,841,542 24,673,272

Although the College was faced with a decrease in state appropriation in FY2002, it was still able

to show an increase in total revenue of 7.3% in 2002 as compared to 13.1% in 2001, and 15.1 % in 2000.

This rise results from an increase in tuition and fee revenue as well as an increase in other funding such as

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grants and fundraising. Approximately 45% of College revenue is spent on instruction; 8.5% on

academic support; 15% on scholarships; 10% on student services; 11% on institutional support; and

10.5% on operation of plant.

Budgetary Process

The Board of Trustees of QCC retains autonomy in all budget and financial planning matters as

set forth in Ch 15A of the General Laws of Massachusetts. At its September 2001meeting, the Board of

Trustees approved a 3-5 year Strategic Plan which was recommended by the College’s Planning

Committee.

The budget process begins with an estimate of all unrestricted revenue sources. The primary

sources of revenue are from the State Appropriation and from student tuition & fees. The student

enrollment for the year is estimated early in the budget process and the estimated state appropriation

figures are used. The prior year budget is adjusted for non-recurring expenditures and anticipated payroll

changes which are controlled centrally. The resulting budget is compared to current revenue projections

to determine expected surplus/(deficit) in operating budget. Individual cost center budgets have been

decreased by 5 - 20 % over the past three years based on the overall budget. The Vice Presidents have the

authority to re-allocate funds within their division with the exception of payroll which is centrally

controlled.

When available, funds in excess of the basic budget are available for requests to fund “plus” and

new strategic initiatives. New initiatives must first be requested by cost centers to the Vice Presidents.

The President makes final decisions on prioritizing projects and selecting new initiatives to be funded.

All funds approved for new initiatives are allocated separately as approved. Recent reductions in state

appropriated funds have restricted many new initiatives. In addition, resources may be re-allocated based

on circumstances that arise during the year. Once the final appropriation is approved by the Legislature

and signed by the Governor, the College budget is amended as needed and the Board of Trustees approves

the official operating budget of the College.

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Fiscal Integrity

Administrative Staff in Fiscal Services hold advanced degrees with years of experience in higher

education. They are provided with the training necessary to stay informed of current fiscal requirements

such as the new GASB reporting requirements that were implemented for FY02 and the new Foundation

reporting requirements of GASB 39, which will be implemented for FY04. Also, since the last NEASC

Self-Study, the College has purchased and implemented an integrated computer records system, CARS,

which stores and controls student and fiscal data. The CARS system also enables budget managers to

view the current status of their budget vs. actual expenditures at any given time. Because the CARS

system is an integrated system, the CARS system provides the most up-to date and complete enrollment,

billing & collection, revenue, purchasing, expenditure and budget data, which can be used for decision

making purposes.

As part of the College governance system, the Administrative Services Committee is charged

with developing non-academic policies for the day-to-day operations of the College and is responsible for

informing the College community of such policies. Fiscal policies are clearly stated in writing and

maintained in the Business Office which reconciles all funds on a monthly basis; Trust Fund Reports are

submitted to the Board of Trustees for approval at each Board meeting. The Vice President of

Administrative Services performs periodic analysis of actual vs. projected revenue in order to detect

variances as soon as possible. Offsetting cost cutting measures can then be implemented in a timely

manner without depleting reserve balances. Various reports enable Management to retrieve the

information necessary to make informed decisions.

The College is subject to several audits including audits by the Office of the State Comptroller,

State Single Audit, Federal Program Review, General Purpose Financial Statement Audit, and

Massachusetts Student Financial Assistance Audit. QCC engages the Independent Public Accounting

firm O’Connor & Drew to complete the General Purpose Financial Statement Audit and Massachusetts

Student Financial Assistance Audit on an annual basis. Audits are conducted in accordance with

generally accepted auditing standards for colleges and universities as adopted by the American Institute of

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Certified Public Accountants. O’Connor & Drew report any findings and recommendations in a

Management Letter to Management and the Board of Trustees. QCC Management responds to each

finding in writing and takes appropriate corrective action as needed. The Auditors follow up on each

finding to ensure that the issue has been resolved and report on the status of each finding in the following

year’s audit report.

Internal mechanisms that are in place to monitor the financial management include the following

measures: continuous up- to-date enrollment data management; actual revenue vs. projections analysis;

analysis of budgets vs. actual expenditures; quarterly reports submitted to the Board of Trustees; and

updated operating budget projections.

External Resources

QCC has been very successful in acquiring external resources to augment internal resources. The

revenue base of QCC has shown steady growth over the past several years and continued growth is

expected.

College "Foundation" and Grants

Pursuant to Chapter 15.A. of the Massachusetts General Laws, the Quinsigamond Board of

Trustees has empowered a 501(c)(3) charitable corporation, The Quinsigamond Community College

Foundation, Inc., to be its primary fundraising arm. It is a separate corporation under the direction of a

Board of Directors, and generally, donations are tax deductible for the donor. The Foundation is in

compliance with all Federal and Massachusetts reporting requirements and has been since its inception in

1985. The Foundation has been actively seeking philanthropic contributions on behalf of the College

since 1997. Though the position of Executive Director of Development is currently vacant, the person in

that role will act as a liaison to the Foundation for the President of the College.

The Foundation follows the requirements and policies established by the Massachusetts Board of

Higher Education and the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office. Audited annually by an external

private auditing firm, all fundraising activity conducted by the Foundation is carefully scrutinized. In

every audit conducted since its inception, the Foundation has always generated positive reports, and

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copies of audits are provided to the College's Board of Trustees. The Foundation is also subject to

reporting requirements of the Massachusetts Attorney General and the Massachusetts Secretary of State.

Foundation fundraising activities are recommended by the College President and approved by the

governing Board of Directors and will be coordinated by the Executive Director of Development.

Foundation and Grants staffs also pay close attention to, and are governed by, the wishes of each donor or

grantmaker as stipulated in their guidelines, and identifies the purposes for which funds are being

solicited to prospective donors. Where specific requirements are not stated, Foundation/Grants Office

staff develop written implementation objectives that respect the donor’s wishes, revise those objectives as

desired by the sponsor, while, at the same time, integrate the College’s objectives. Use of funds then

follows specificity of that articulation. All grant-seeking efforts are conducted within the parameters set

by the President and senior College administration structures. The Grants Director develops each funding

proposal to accurately reflect the need for the funds necessary to affect or promote growth in relation to

mission objectives.

All private gift and public grant requests are driven by institutional need as defined by the

College primarily in two ways: the President and her Senior Staff identify College needs via a “Big

Ticket” list as part of the ongoing strategic planning and budgeting processes, and external fund-seeking

efforts are developed and implemented to meet those needs; and secondly, the College's faculty and staff

identify needs at the classroom and student levels, and those needs are brought to the external fund-

seeking process. A grant-seeking process was developed by the Director of Grants Development under

the review of the President and her Senior Staff and approved as formal process in 1999.

Public grants are deposited directly into an account in the College's Business Office created for

the purpose of the grant projects and grant funds. The projects, and the funds granted for the projects, are

expended on a timely basis as agreed upon in the grant application. Private gifts are deposited into an

account in the QCC Foundation, Inc., and are subsequently transferred to the College upon request subject

to the approval of both the Board of the Foundation and the College's board of Trustees. Stipulations

govern the lawful expenditure of those funds, restricting them to the project for which the gift was

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originally intended. Gifts to the Foundation cannot be used for any purpose which is not consistent with

donor intent without prior authorization of the donor.

Quinsigamond Development staff seek to accurately represent the state of the College, its

finances, its activities, and its aspirations when soliciting external funds. In each funds request,

Quinsigamond Development staff clearly and unequivocally outline what the donor/funder can expect to

see happen with their contribution(s). At a minimum, exact activities with projected timelines are

provided the donor in advance of the gift. Typically, and especially with grant requests, the plans for the

funds are described in great detail, showing exactly how much will be spent, on what, by whom, and what

results (a goal or goals, and objectives) can be expected, by when. Once funds are received, the

Development staff impress upon each project implementation team the importance of meeting the

College's stated obligation to the donor/grantmaker. The expectation for periodic or final project reports

is clarified and set. And finally, all fiscal activity is recorded on CARS in restricted accounts established

for each restricted grant.

APPRAISAL

Strengths

Over the past five years, the College's revenue base has increased in light of the state's recent

decrease in state funding. An increase in other revenue sources such as federal, state, and local grants;

tuition and fees; donations; and auxiliary operations has helped the College get through two fiscally

challenging years. The severe fiscal shortfall facing the State in the next few years will make fiscal

management even more challenging. The College has been one of the few community colleges to hold

down tuition to one of the lowest levels in the state and we hope to be able to keep the fee structure as low

as possible in the future enabling us to support our mission of providing affordable and accessible

programming to residents of central Massachusetts.

One of the College’s outstanding achievements is the 2001 award of a $1.7 million Title III grant

from the U.S. Department of Education. The grant is guiding QCC's institutional effectiveness by

implementing a comprehensive redesign, testing, and evaluation of academic and student services

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delivered to entry-level under prepared students. Key program components include redesign of all math

and English developmental education courses; development of a systematic outcomes assessment

methodology; implementation of a developmental advising model; and construction of an efficient and

easy-to-use enrollment services space. All project strands are designed to foster under prepared students’

success in college and beyond. The project is in year two of its five-year implementation and its progress

thus far is noted in Standard Four, Program and Instruction.

Development Staff

Quinsigamond's Development staff is a small development shop – with three professional and

two support staff – and its major shortcoming is its inability to undertake every effort it would like to on

behalf of the College. The College is presently searching for a new Executive Director of Development

to replace the dean who retired last year. But within this context, the College has had many notable

fundraising successes in recent years, and has conducted them with integrity and by fully meeting the

College's and donors’ expectations for the funds. In the last five years, the Foundation has raised $3.5

million on behalf of the College, and College grant seeking efforts have raised $6 million.

The following exemplify the College's undertakings in presenting, planning and fulfilling funders'

expectations of various projects:

• The Massachusetts Board of Higher Education expected a new dental clinic instruction lab for its $200,000 gift in 1999; in Quinsigamond's main administration building now stands a $750,000 clinic (the difference provided by private donors such as the Stoddard Charitable Trust, $200,000) that is the most advanced in the state.

• James Harrington (Francis A. and Jacquelyn H. Harrington Foundation, $250,000) expected a new computer laboratory that would overnight transform Quinsigamond students' access to the latest in personal computing; The Harrington Computer Lab now invites comparison to any student computer lab.

• The Worcester Cultural Commission expected that the College would increase the utility of its art galleries by bringing area high school students to meet the artists.

• Dr. Kathryn O’Loughlin of the Delta Dental Foundation ($5,000) expected Quinsigamond would leverage its Dental Clinic and students to improve the oral health of at-risk neighborhood elementary-aged students; "Kid Seal" has served nearly 2,000 in three years and is the model for similar project implementations statewide.

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• Russell Fuller (George F. and Sybil H. Fuller Foundation, $500,000) in Spring 2001 expected that he would see an old campus tractor shed transformed into Quinsigamond's first ever student center, and in January 2002 he dedicated the Fuller Student Center, a remarkable new extracurricular space. Quinsigamond takes seriously its obligations to its grant makers and donors, working to meet or exceed them.

The College's Development Office has well-reasoned and consistent approaches to the seeking of

external funds – both public grant and private philanthropic contribution. The College, through its

governing bodies, has a reasonable and effective mechanism for determining external fund seeking needs.

Grant maker and donors' interests are given full consideration during the request of a gift. That the use of

private gifts is in alignment with donor intent is centralized in and assured by the Development Office.

Monitoring of public grant expenditures' alignment with grant maker intent is not centralized in the

Development Office, but left to individual program directors.

Student Billing

The recent Noel-Levitz survey indicates that students are very pleased with the efforts that have

been made in the Business Office with regard to student billing issues. Improvements include utilization

of the new CARS system to streamline student billing and collections, addition of a Student Payment

Center at the One-Stop Student Center, and extended service hours. The College has also been very

successful in implementing an integrated financial aid disbursement and refund process with the Business

Office, which was a more cumbersome and manual process in the past.

Fiscal Integrity

The implementation of the CARS system has enhanced financial records management and aided

in increased communications between departments. The College has received an unqualified audit report

each year since its first audit in 1996. Management Letters have gone from including thirty-five

recommendations in 1997 to only four in 2001 and ten in 2002. Each Management Letter comment is

addressed by Management and followed up the next year by the Auditors. Internal controls are in place

and monitored periodically for compliance, and the College demonstrates integrity with its fiscal policies.

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Challenges

Liquidity & Cash Flow

A review of the fiscal year 2002 financial statements indicates that the College is currently facing

a liquidity and cash flow challenge. Faced with three years of reduced appropriations, mid-year

reversions, and the high cost of facilitating early retirements over the past two years, the College

committed substantial portions of its reserves to manage its way through two very difficult years.

Subsequent to the Commonwealth’s withdrawal of appropriated funds as part of its fiscal recession

strategy, the College’s cash flow has become increasingly constricted as Fiscal Year 2003 is winding

down. Without a cash reserve, the College must rely on increased revenue sources and cost saving

initiatives as it enters one of the most challenging fiscal years in recent history. In order to address

budget shortfalls due to state appropriation reductions in the last three years, the College implemented

fiscal policies including another 5% reduction in departmental budgets, hiring restrictions, and a ban on

out-of-state travel. Resources have been reallocated to mission critical functions; prudent spending and

cost saving initiatives have been advocated; and substantial fee increases implemented from Spring 2002

forward. A review of the financial statements reveals that the College needs to do even more if it is

going to be able to meet the challenge of the FY04 state budget shortfall. The Board of Trustees

approved a $15 per credit fee increase effective with the FA03 semester at its meeting on March 26, 2003.

The College presented a detailed plan to the Board of Trustees at its May 2003 meeting to outline

strategies to increase revenue from outside and ancillary services and increased spending efficiencies.

Budget Process

A review of the budget process indicates that the College had not established a financial planning

model that adequately addressed the need to preserve fund balance and maintain sufficient liquidity.

Also, the budget process over the last three years, which basically consisted of level-funded(minus 5%

per year) budget allocations to individual cost centers, did not allow for adequate input from cost center

managers regarding current needs. The operating budget did not reflect actual operating needs in some

cases. The operating budget should reflect expected operating costs, and Cost Center Managers should be

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accountable for the expenditures within their cost center. The NEASC Institutional Survey (Spring,

2002) results indicate that the campus appears to be split on whether QCC has an established process that

includes appropriate input from faculty and staff for establishing and implementing its budget: only 34.5

% of total respondents agree or strongly agree and 37.4% disagree or strongly disagree. Yet the same

Survey (Spring, 2002) indicates that 62% of total respondents agree or strongly agree that QCC makes

decisions related to programmatic, budgetary, and personnel matters consistent with its Mission and

Purpose and references the results in planning and resource allocation. Additionally, 64.2% of

respondents agree or strongly agree that QCC provides for Faculty Development to support the learning

needs of its diverse student body.

The College has implemented a new budget process for the 2004 fiscal year, which includes a

modified zero based budget request by cost center managers. The new Vice President of Administrative

Services created a "Budget Review Team" that includes herself, the Associate Dean of Administrative

Services and the Comptroller. Cost Center Managers will now submit their budget requests in three

categories: Basic, “Plus”, and New Initiatives to the "Budget Review Team." New Initiative requests

must identify the strategic goal that will be met with the request. The goal of the budget process is to

identify and fund all Basic operating needs first and then the “Plus” needs, depending on funding levels.

Budget Management

The level funding of departmental budgets over the past three years presented a challenge in

budget management because the budget often did not reflect changing departmental needs. This

challenge will be addressed in the new budget process for FY04.

The COGNOS reporting module has not been implemented for financial reporting. The Business

Office is currently relying on CARS canned financial reports and minimal reports created by consultants

or QCC IT staff. This minimizes the ability to gather and analyze financial information “on the fly”.

Certain reports must be prepared manually which is very time consuming and therefore costly.

The NEASC Institutional survey (Spring, 2002) results indicates that the College community is split on

whether QCC has a well-documented and orderly process for managing budget/cost center allocations:

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38.8% of total respondents agree or strongly agree and 33.9% disagree or strongly disagree with this

statement. The greatest dissatisfaction rates are evinced from non-unit professionals, 39% and faculty

and/ or unit professionals at 36.4%.

Further inquiry revealed that not all cost center managers feel they can rely on information from

the CARS system to be timely when reviewing their budgets and some cost center managers do not

review their budgets on a regular basis. An additional split indicates that only 38.1% of respondents

believe QCC has a well documented and publicized process for allocating budgeted funds; 33.9%

disagree or strongly disagree with this statement. The strongest level of dissatisfaction can be found

among the non-unit professional staff, many of who serve as cost center heads. Indeed, 43% of them

expressed dissatisfaction with how the budget process is publicized. 34.5% of the NEASC respondents

indicate agreement with the statement that the College has an established budget process that includes

adequate input from faculty and staff for establishing and implementing its budget. 37.4% disagree with

the statement with the highest rate of disagreement (40.9%) stemming from full-time faculty and unit

professionals.

Other

Although the integrated CARS system has been implemented for the major areas of the College,

the registration and billing for the Center for Continuing Education area has not yet migrated to the CARS

system. Detailed records are kept on an Excel database by the Center for Continuing Education.

PROJECTION

Quinsigamond Community College has provided quality education to the citizens of central

Massachusetts for 40 years. The economic outlook for the state of Massachusetts over the next few years

looks very dismal and all state agencies will be faced with severe budget challenges. The College realizes

the importance of maintaining the fund balance and an adequate level of liquidity while maintaining the

ability to meet the objectives set forth in its Mission statement and strategic plan. With the recent

addition of a new Vice President for Administrative Services, the College has begun to address the issue

of liquidity and fund balance by reviewing the current budget process and has begun working on

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developing, implementing, and monitoring a long-term financial planning model, which will align the

tactical financial planning with strategic direction. Meetings and training sessions with budget cost

center managers have been held to ensure proper understanding of the budget process and increased use

of the on-line CARS budget review.

With the fiscal challenge facing the state, there are many uncertainties facing state institutions

going into FY04. The College will need to reconsider its spending priorities, focus on mission critical

functions, initiate cost saving initiatives, and broaden its revenue base. A focus on creative fundraising

techniques will include increased grant and donor funding and a capital campaign to support the library

collection. Once the budgets have been allocated to cost centers managers, purchasing regulations must

be emphasized in order for system purchasing and budgeting controls to be effective. Although the

College is faced with many economic challenges over the next few years, the Business Office feels that

the new financial planning model and budget process will prepare the College for fiscal challenges that lie

ahead.

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STANDARD TEN - PUBLIC DISCLOSURE

DESCRIPTION

Quinsigamond Community College provides detailed, accurate, reader-friendly information to

students and other members of the interested public in all of its various official publications such as the

College Catalog, College Programs Books, the College's Programs Slipsheets, Student Handbook,

Viewbook, Semester Course Schedule Booklets, Course Description Booklets, College Website, and other

advertising publications, all of which are available to the Visiting Team in the NEASC workroom. QCC

has a publication process and schedule in place that ensures the periodic review of its publications so as to

ensure they are accurate and current.

Each year, the Vice President of Academic Affairs, Vice President of Enrollment and Student

Services, Vice President of Administrative Services, Director of Marketing and Public Affairs, Director of

Human Resources, and the Assistant to the President -- assisted by their support staff -- review the

College Catalog to ensure that information is accurate. According to the publication process and

schedule, all other documents related to academic programs are generated from, and based on, the content

of the College Catalog. Academic Affairs and Admissions check and double check all information

pertaining to all facets of College related offerings for both credit and non-credit. Truth in advertising is

achieved via the internal system of documenting, updating and crosschecking all data.

Documents that depict the College overall:

College Catalog: provides a valid description of the College and its policies. Updated every year,

it spells out the College Mission Statement and provides authoritative information relative to admission

and attendance. It contains information concerning required educational outcomes; the transfer of credit;

student fees, charges and refund policies; rules and regulations for student conduct; other items related to

attending or withdrawing from the institution; academic programs, courses currently offered, and other

available educational opportunities; and academic policies and procedures and the requirements for

degrees or other forms of academic recognition. The College Catalog includes a list of current faculty,

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indicating departmental or program affiliation, distinguishing between those who have full- and part-time

status, degrees held and the institutions where degrees were earned. The names of administrative officers,

their positions, and the names of members of the governing board, are also included. For the vast

majority of its courses it does not list as "current” those courses not taught for two consecutive years and

not slated to be taught during the third consecutive year. QCC’s accreditation status is accurately

represented in the College Catalog.

Student Handbook: details the obligations and responsibilities of both students and the institution.

The current QCC Catalog and Student Handbook contain a description of the size and characteristics of

the student body, the campus setting, those institutional learning and physical resources from which a

student can reasonably be expected to benefit, and the range of co-curricular and non-academic

opportunities available to students. Co-curricular and nonacademic activities are also published in flyers

and other publications of the Office of Student Life.

Faculty Handbook: available to all faculty, but designed with Adjuncts in mind, the Faculty

Handbook serves as a basic primer for directing instructors in day-to-day navigation of institutional and

operational concerns.

Documents pertinent to student enrollment and retention:

• ViewBooks: the College’s primary recruiting piece, these are designed with front and back pockets to allow for insertion of additional materials. Distributed at local high schools, fairs, open houses, and company campus visits, the ViewBooks include “thank-you for inquiring about QCC” letters from the Admissions Office, Financial Aid and Scholarship brochures, and a blank application.

• Program Booklets: featuring Business, Technology, Health Care, Human Services, Liberal Arts and Continuing Education, these booklets were specifically designed to explicate all offerings in specific categories. The booklets replace a need to produce separate brochures for each program. Distributed in the same fashion as the ViewBooks, Program Booklets can also be used as self-mailers.

• SlipSheets: Designed and deployed prior to the development of Program Booklets, SlipSheets were produced for each and every degree and certificate option. Produced on inexpensive stock and printed in-house to reduce costs, these sheets are still on display racks throughout campus. The four-color Program Booklets have officially replaced the SlipSheets though the sheets are internally useful.

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• Admission Application: available in the Admissions Office (Room 148A); in high school Guidance offices; downloadable online, the application asks for basic information necessary for processing student admission.

• Semester Course Schedule Booklets: list all courses and sections of classes each semester, including credit allocation, prerequisites, room locations and, where determined, names of instructors.

• Financial Aid Packets: include all Federal forms necessary to complete in conjunction with in-house application materials.

Documents that depict financial resources: are detailed in Standard Nine.

In-house Communications

President's Bulletin: published twice monthly, this memo provides information and insight from

the President on key College issues. It publicizes minutes of all governance committee meetings and

provides information and notice concerning College events.

Visions: a newsletter compiled and designed by a faculty member intending to showcase internal

achievements and accomplishments and social as well as academic endeavors.

The Open Door: student newspaper is staffed by a part-time editor (a former student) and

volunteer student writers. All students are invited to submit campus-related as well as creative pieces.

Also, in her personalized, friendly voice, the President hosts a regular editorial column addressed to the

student body at large.

Electronic Representation

The College accurately represents itself via all web related presentation. Implementation and

Management of QCCWeb (Hypertext Links and Content):

QCCWeb provides both an Internet presence and Intranet capabilities for Quinsigamond

Community College. The system is team-managed and all involved are critical to success of the site. All

Web Site activity conforms to the QCC World Wide Web publishing policy as articulated below:

• The QCC Web Team consists of members from each department. The team works to identify content and services to be placed online, proof read content, and serve as an advisory board to the Web staff.

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• Each department or organization assigns an editor who is an employee of the College.

• Each departmental or organization web site is created as a “Sub-Web” of the College’s web server that is accessed using Microsoft FrontPage.

• Within the departmental web area there is a file called index.htm which contains links to department content and form documents. The content documents contain information and hypertext links relating to the departments' activities.

The Webmaster maintains links to the departmental index page and the departmental "Content

Editor" maintains the departmental index and content pages for the sub-web. The department manager

and the content editor are jointly responsible for the timeliness and appropriateness of the information

contained within the department’s web space.

Network Services can only provide limited programming support at this time. (e.g. Web forms

and small database usage)

The Academic Computing/ Instructional Technology Area provides support for HTML relating to

Distance Education efforts.

The Instructional Technology area also assists with the creation of any Multimedia objects to be

placed on the WWW servers.

The College readily complies with requests for all of its publications. It is also responsive to

reasonable requests for information about itself, including the institution’s most recent audited financial

statements. Most institutional publications, including tapes and film, web pages and other forms of

electronic dissemination, and oral communications are consistent with College Catalog content and fairly

represent the conditions and opportunities available at the institution.

Public Relations

Guided by his "Marketing Perspectives 2003" (workroom), the Director of Marketing and Public

Relations manages an advertising campaign that cultivates a positive portrayal of the College's

characteristics. As the link to internal College programs and affairs, the Director designs and compiles

public documents to various target populations. As the link to the external community, the Director also

sustains working relationships with Worcester area media. All media information, as well as a list of 61

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documents emanating from the Marketing and Public Affairs Office, are contained within the

"Perspectives" compilation.

Advertising

The College's 25+ Associate Degree and accompanying Certificate Programs -- along with

various options and strands -- are publicized in over 20 print and electronic mediums including the

Worcester Telegram and Gazette, Worcester Magazine, Worcester Business Journal, Worcester

Medicine, The Landmark, The Southbridge Evening News, The Spencer New Leader, The Webster Times,

The Auburn News, The Blackstone Valley News. Charter Media Channel 3, New England Cable News,

and local cable access Channel 13 television stations, along with local radio stations WSRS, WTAG,

WXLO, and the QCC web site have been primary electronic venues. In addition, College Open Houses,

high school recruiting visitations, business and industry contractual programming visitations, annual

business expositions, publications and events of the Colleges of the Worcester Consortium, business and

civic organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary International, and media releases are

additional venues.

Telegram and Gazette: 120,000 total circulation includes household, stores, and newspaper racks-

--83,000 bought from household subscribers; 37,000 bought from stores and newspaper racks. The T and

G is the city and region's primary daily newspaper.

Worcester Magazine: a weekly tabloid formatted newspaper reaching 41 cities and towns; with

city and regional circulation of 40,000.

Worcester Business Journal: a bi-weekly tabloid formatted newspaper reaching 41 local

businesses; city and regional circulation of 11,000.

Worcester Medical Magazine: a quarterly reaching 41cities and towns' local doctors' offices,

clinics, hospitals; city and regional circulation of 10,000.

The Landmark: a weekly newspaper in the city of Holden with a circulation of 9000 households.

Stonebridge Press: 8 weekly and daily publications (Southbridge Evening News, Webster Times,

Spencer New Leader, Blackstone Valley Tribune, Auburn News, Winchendon Courier;

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South County Weekender, Wick-Qua-Boag Weekender; circulation 90,000 in 58 cities and towns -- West

and South of Worcester.

Community Crier: circulation 5000 and Vocero and Spanish Marketing Directory are aimed at the

local Spanish-speaking community.

Various local and regional radio stations including WXL0; WSRS; WTAG; WESO; and

television channels, Channel 3, Charter Media, and NECN; and Networks such as A and E, Animal

Planet, BET (diverse audiences--entertainment and education), CNBC, CNN, Food Network, Comedy

Central, Discovery, E!, ESPN, ESPN 2, Fox Family, Headline News, Home and Garden TV, History

Channel, Golf Channel, Lifetime, MTV, Nickelodeon Sci-Fi, Turner Broadcasting System (TBS), The

Learning Channel (TLC), TNT (sports and movies), TV Guide, TV Land, USA (family and movies), VH1,

(music), The Weather Channel, The Health Network -- reach a diverse population in the Central Mass and

New England region and are utilization when the budget allows.

Direct mailings; Business and Industry Networking; and Open Houses are additional means of

informing the community of College events; including, for example, QCC ArtsWorcester Gallery

showings; faculty projects; diversity arts shows and special lectures; one-man shows; new building

construction activities,; new buildings showcasing, especially the new library and the new applied arts

lab.

News emanating from the Presidents Office is reported to the Board of Higher Education, Trustee

meeting activities, Alumni News, and other constituencies.

Distance Learning

Asynchronous courses are advertised internally and externally, both online and in print. All

descriptions of credit and non-credit courses are included in brochures and schedules that describe other

offerings. Instructor names and email addresses are posted and interested persons are invited to contact

those instructors directly. "Virtual tours" assist students in understanding the natures and requirements of

the distance learning.

Standard X 160


APPRAISAL

Strengths

Most of the College's staff believe that the College meets the NEASC standards for public

disclosure: over 80% of respondents to the NEASC Institutional Survey (Spring 2002) confirmed that

Quinsigamond's publications present, clearly and straightforwardly, the College Mission, program

information, fees, academic policies and processes, student’s rights and responsibilities.

Nearly 60% of the respondents to the same survey agreed or strongly agreed that QCC publishes

and makes readily available to prospective and current students information about QCC’s offerings.

The College publication process requires the College Catalog be developed prior to all other publications

related to curriculum and credit programs. The curriculum is reviewed annually, and faculty utilize the

governance process through early May to make curricular revisions. All documents relative to academic

curricula and programs use the same information as the Catalog to ensure consistency. The current

Catalog lists the College’s accreditation status; current faculty and staff; the governing board members;

and describes the student body. It also specifies what qualifications are earned by completing programs,

and in some majors, the eligibility of program enrollees to take licensure examinations. The Student

Handbook enumerates the co-curricular and nonacademic activities available to students. The Director

of Student Life and Sports Management was awarded the First Place Gold Paragon Award for Best

Student Handbook for two-year colleges nationwide. Judged by the National Council for Marketing and

Public Relations, an affiliate council of the American Association of Community Colleges, QCC’s

Student Handbook topped nearly 1800 entries in the competition for 2002- 03.

QCC readily complies with requests for all of its publications. It is also responsive to reasonable

requests for information about itself. QCC provides notice as to the availability upon request of the

institution’s most recent audited financial statement.

Standard X 161


Challenge

The College Web Page contains the same information as the Catalog relative to academic

curricula and programs; however, some department home pages do not contain the same curriculum

information.

PROJECTION

The College will continue to accurately portray itself in its publications. The College website

must continue to be maintained and updated in a timely manner and monitored for consistency not only of

data and information, but also for appearance and style.

The College will continue to accurately indicate in the Catalog a listing of current faculty and the

names of administrative officers and members of the governing board.

Statements proffered about qualifications earned in all College programs will continue to be

maintained for accuracy by the Instructional Deans.

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STANDARD 11 - INTEGRITY

DESCRIPTION

The College is solidly grounded in its global integrity and has numerous safeguards in place to

guard against potential infringements upon its in-house code of ethics. Procedures and processes ensure

that the College manages its affairs and dealings with students, faculty, staff, external agencies and

organizations, and the general public, in a democratic, supportive manner that speaks to its commitment

to civic responsibility and accountability.

All College related topics and policies are addressed in a variety of publications:

Student Concerns:

The College is a duly authorized entity under the Massachusetts Public Higher Education System,

its Board of Trustees, and derives its authority to grant degrees from the Commonwealth of

Massachusetts: Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 15A, Section 22. The College adheres to all legal

and academic requirements established by its governing bodies.

Fairness and academic honesty are detailed in the Student Handbook (workroom) which further

delineates student rights and responsibilities, student privacy rights, and the student grievance procedure.

"QCC Ideals," (workroom) developed and disseminated in 2001, articulate the overall ethos the College

strives to create. Behavioral norms are meant to foster civility and respect.

Faculty and Staff Concerns

The College publishes a Copyright policy, which clearly prohibits the dissemination of published,

copyrighted materials in or out of the classroom without prior express approval from the publisher.

The MCCC contract (workroom) contains principles and standards of academic freedom which

the College endorses and supports.

Affirmative Action Concerns

Diversity fuels the campus. The College respects and supports people of diverse characteristics

and backgrounds and protects opportunities for all by sustaining policies and procedures that mandate

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nondiscriminatory practices in recruitment, admissions, employment, evaluation, and advancement be

adhered to.

Implementation of Policies and Practices

Policies are made openly and within a Governance Structure that was recently revised and

updated. The Governance structure allows for input from all constituencies of the College. The Board of

Trustee meetings are open with the exception of executive sessions involving the reputation of individuals

or litigious matters. Policies and procedures are published and administered consistently and equitably.

The Student Handbook, the MCCC Contract, the AFSCME contract, and the Non-unit

Professional Personnel Handbook speak to procedures for the fair resolution of grievances brought by

faculty, staff, or students. QCC has established and publicizes clear policies ensuring institutional

integrity with the development of and subsequent approval of the "QCC Ideals."

QCC periodically assesses the effectiveness of its ethical policies and procedures through its

governance process including the All College Forum and its informal committee structure. The All -

College Forum and the various committees in the Governance Structure allow for the periodic assessment

of ethical policies and procedures.

Technology and Web Concerns

The College has taken considerable measures to ensure the stability and security of the campus

technology infrastructure. At the edge of the computer network the College employs a Firewall that

protects against intrusion and monitors traffic between the student systems and the administrative users.

Additionally, each server is protected by McAfee NetShield, updated daily. The College email server is

further protected by McAfee GroupShield that will catch clean and quarantine email viruses before end-

users ever see them. Lastly, each desktop is protected by McAfee VirusScan which is updated

automatically as the files are made available. The College has implemented Windows 2000 Active

Directory that enables maintenance of strict user policies that protect all systems, as well as data, that is

stored locally or in network directories. The Windows 2000 Active Directory scheme integrates with the

Enterasys network equipment providing policy protection at the network port level.

Standard XI 164


QCC has received accreditation status from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges in

1967, 1978, 1983, and 1993; the College adheres to those requirements related to institutional integrity

embodied in all other Commission Standards.

APPRAISAL

Strengths

Advocacy of Ethical Behaviors

The College recently developed and published the "QCC Ideals" (workroom and on display)

which were adopted by the College Community by a College wide vote and supported campus-wide. The

"Ideals" are an attempt to encapsulate and articulate the minimum behaviors deemed collegial and civil.

Voting was held November 13-14, 2002 with an approval vote of 124 and a dissenting vote of 17.

Various Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action statements are published and fostered by the

institution. Employee and Student Handbooks advocate high ethical standards. “Embracing and

supporting the principle that diversity is everybody’s business through the daily performance of duties

and responsibilities” is a statement included in each job description. Published yearly, an Affirmative

Action statement appears in the College Catalog and Student Handbook. Over 80% of the respondents to

the NEASC Institutional Survey, administered Spring 2002, agree or strongly agree that the College

fosters a supportive, respectful atmosphere, and people of diverse characteristics and backgrounds are

treated equitably. The College supports the Martin Luther King breakfast, an Equity Advisory

Committee, the Hispanics Achieving and Celebrating Excellence Dinner, the yearly Latino, Black

Heritage and Indian Celebrations, and four diversity art shows juried by Arts Worcester.

Implementing Policies and Procedures

The College has a Governance Structure that allows for formal input from all constituencies and a

system of informal committees whose goal is to enhance communication and cooperation. The Labor

Management Committee, MACER Committee, Public Safety Committee, and the various Task Forces

represent the informal committee structure. The Governance Structure (noted in Standard Three) was

revised and updated in 2001. The President has fostered a more widespread dissemination of College

Standard XI 165


issues and concerns by publishing minutes from all committee meetings in the President's Bulletin. She

also disseminates Task Force reports and recommendations to the College community as each academic

year winds down; she showcases the work of each area at the annual “town hall” meeting held as the May

All-College Forum.

The Student Grievance Process, when needed, is conducted equitably and consistently. An

appeal process exists for students who are dismissed from the College or denied Financial Aid. A

grievance procedure for faculty is outlined in the MCCC Contract; the AFSCME Contract establishes a

grievance procedure for non-professional staff, and the Non-unit Professional Personnel Handbook

establishes a grievance procedure for professional staff.

Technology and Electronic Communication

In the wake of dynamic and widespread technological changes, integrity in electronic

communication is an issue impacting staff, faculty and students. All College-related self-referential

materials that are posted on the College's web site are monitored for accuracy and conformity to the

College's primary discursive instrument -- the College Catalog. All web related communication --

including course work generated by students - is subject to the College's right to store, monitor and direct

usage as outlined in the Acceptable Use Policy (workroom) and the faculty's right to require and measure

authenticity and legitimacy in student work. "TEACH" (The Technology, Education and Copyright

Harmonization Act [workroom]), signed into law by President Bush, November 2, 2002, sets new

standards and rigorous requirements in relation to copyright protected materials and information usage in

distance education; QCC will ensure distance educators abide by the specific conditions and

implementations. A Web related challenge, however, is the ensuring and updating of all information for

currency.

PROJECTION

The College will continue to adhere to high ethical standards in its treatment of students, faculty,

staff, and the public by fostering and supporting the truthfulness, clarity and fairness in all of its relations.

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The College will continue

• to endorse and support the free pursuit and dissemination of knowledge.

• to observe the spirit and letter of applicable legal requirements.

• to manage its administrative operations with integrity and honesty and publish clear policies

to ensure institutional integrity.

• to comply with the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education’s standards, policies, and

requests.

Standard XI 167


Data Forms 168

FISCAL YEAR ENDS MONTH 06 DAY 30

3 YEARS PRIOR (FY 99)


1 YEAR PRIOR (FY 01)

MOST RECENTLY COMPLETED FY

(FY 02)

CURRENT BUDGET (FY 03)

CURRENT FUND REVENUES RESTRICTED & UNRESTRICTED

1) TUITION & FEES 6,548 7,532 7,355 5,849 9,617

2) GOVERNMENT APPROPRIATIONS 14,205 15,369 19,290 18,552 17,756

3) GOVERNMENT GRANTS & CONTRACTS 4,548 5,432 6,051 6,184 6,636

4) PRIVATE GIFTS, GRANTS & CONTRACTS 123 330 384 316 367

5) ENDOWMENT INCOME

6) AUXILIARY ENTERPRISES 2,078 2,183 2,463 2,937 3,173

7) OTHER 581 1,884 1,035 3,370 1,478

8) TOTAL REVENUES 28,083 32,730 36,578 37,208 39,027CURRENT FUND EXPENDITURES RESTRICTED & UNRESTRICTED

9) INSTRUCTION 10,199 11,635 14,534 16,112 16,952

10) RESEARCH

11) PUBLIC SERVICE 35

12) ACADEMIC SUPPORT 3,480 3,713 3,456 3,035 3,198

13) STUDENT SERVICES 2,549 2,707 3,624 3,560 3,737

14) INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT 3,748 4,326 4,831 4,077 4,276

15) OPERATION, MAINTENANCE OF PLANT 1,754 2,117 1,884 3,843 3,941

16) SCHOLARSHIPS & FELLOWSHIPS 3,464 3,950 4,441 2,326 2,427

17) MANDATORY TRANSFERS 417 564 673

18) NONMANDATORY TRANSFERS 117 2,007 1,780

19 AUXILIARY ENTERPRISES 2,079 2,341 2,274 2,673 2,876

20) OTHER 966 1,120

21) TOTAL EXPENDITURES 27,842 33,360 37,497 36,592 38,527

22) REVENUE LESS EXPENDITURES 241 (630) (919) 616 50023) REVENUE LESS EXPENDITURES NOT INCL AUXILIARY ENTERPRISES 242 (472) (1,108) 352

24) TUITION AND FEES CHARGE FOR FULL TIME UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT 2,070 1,980 1,890 2,070 2,865

203


Data Forms 169

FISCAL YEAR ENDS MONTH 06 DAY 30



1 YEAR PRIOR (FY 01)

MOST RECENTLY COMPLETED FY

(FY 02)

CURRENT BUDGET (FY 03)

CURRENT-UNRESTRICTED

FUND BALANCE BEGINNING OF YEAR (2,046) (2,251) (2,518) (3,263) (4,057)

NET INCREASE/(DECREASE) (205) (267) (745) (794) 495

FUND BALANCE END OF YEAR (2,251) (2,518) (3,263) (4,057) (3,562)

CURRENT-RESTRICTED

FUND BALANCE BEGINNING OF YEAR 227 673 310 136 0

NET INCREASE/(DECREASE) 446 (363) (174) (136) 0

FUND BALANCE END OF YEAR 673 310 136 0 0

LOAN FUNDS


NET INCREASE/(DECREASE) (47) (85) (27) (71) 0


ENDOWMENT & SIMILAR FUNDS


NET INCREASE/(DECREASE) 8 (5) 13 36 (73)


ANNUITY & LIFE INCOME FUNDS

FUND BALANCE BEGINNING OF YEAR 0 0 0 0

NET INCREASE/(DECREASE) 0 0 0 0

FUND BALANCE END OF YEAR 0 0 0 0

PLANT FUNDS

FUND BALANCE BEGINNING OF YEAR 1,923 2,163 3,187 4,049 5,629

NET INCREASE/(DECREASE) 240 1,024 862 1,580 2,200

FUND BALANCE END OF YEAR 2,163 3,187 4,049 5,629 7,829

INDEBTEDNESS ON PHYSICAL PLANT BALANCE OWED ON PRINCIPAL AT BEGINNING OF YEAR 0 0 0 2,500

ADDITIONAL PRINCIPAL BORROWED DURING YEAR 0 0 2,500 0 0

PAYMENTS MADE ON PRINCIPAL DURING YEAR 0 0 0 0

BALANCE OWED ON PRINCIPAL AT END OF YEAR 0 0 2,500 2,500 2,437INTEREST PAYMENTS ON PHYSICAL PLANT INDEBTEDNESS 0 0 0 40

0

0

0

2,500

63

69


Data Forms 170

FALL TERM (YEAR)4 YEARS AGO

(FY 99)3 YEARS AGO

(FY 00)2 YEARS AGO

(FY 01)1 YEAR AGO

(FY 02)

CURRENT YEAR (FY 03)

Freshman

Completed Applications 2081 2240 2118 2497 2597

Applications Accepted 1537 1792 1881 2296 2340

Applicants Enrolled 1088 1108 1094 1357 1411Statistical Indicator of Aptitude of Enrollees used by Institution (describe below)

Transfers - Undergraduate

Completed Applications 512 524 581 663 868

Applications Accepted 314 354 528 570 652

Applicants Enrolled 243 279 357 358 394

Master's Degree

Completed Applications

Applications Accepted

Applicants Enrolled

First Professional Degree - All Programs



Applicants Enrolled

Doctoral Degree



Applicants Enrolled


Data Forms 171

UNDERGRADUATE4 YEARS AGO

(FY 99)3 YEARS AGO

(FY 00)2 YEARS AGO

(FY 01)1 YEAR AGO

(FY 02)


First Year: Full-Time Headcount 1344 1538 1365 1625 1814

Part-Time Headcount 1132 1161 1233 1415 1559

Total Headcount 2476 2699 2598 3040 3373

Total FTE

Second Year: Full-Time Headcount 483 535 490 604 666


Total Headcount 1262 1365 1371 1490 1616

Total FTE

Third Year: Full-Time Headcount

Part-Time Headcount

Total Headcount 0 0 0 0 0

Total FTE

Fourth Year: Full-Time Headcount

Part-Time Headcount

Total Headcount 0 0 0 0 0

Total FTE

Unclassified: Full-Time Headcount 260 280 363 273 322


Total Headcount 1440 1463 1648 1667 1632

Total FTE

Total Headcount Undergraduate 5178 5527 5617 6197 6621

Total FTE Undergraduate 2957 3190 3243 3572 3877

GRADUATE

Full-Time Headcount

Part-Time Headcount

Total Headcount Graduate 0 0 0 0 0

Total FTE Graduate

Grand Total Headcount 5178 5527 5617 6197 6621

Grand Total FTE 2957 3190 3243 3572 3877


Data Forms 172

Fiscal Years FY 04 FY 05 FY 06

Projected Financial Data (000s omitted)

Total Current Fund Revenues 40,198 41,404 42,646 Total Current Fund Expenditures (including Mandatory Transfers for Principal and Interest) 39,698 40,654 41,896

Revenues less Expenditures 500 750 750

Other Transfers

Change in Current Fund Balance

Year FY 04 FY 05 FY 06

Projected Tuition and Fees Charge for Full-Time Student 3,625 3,735 3,847

Projected Enrollment - Fall Term(Credit Seeking Students Only, including Continuing Education)

Year FY 04 FY 05 FY 06

Undergraduate

Full-Time Headcount 2,240 2,307 2,376

Part-Time Headcount 4,580 4,717 4,858

Total Headcount 6,820 7,024 7,234

Total FTE 4,017 4,137 4,261

Graduate

Full-Time Headcount

Part-Time Headcount

Total Headcount - - -

Total FTE


FT PT FT PT FT PT FT PT FT PT

NUMBER OF FACULTY

PROFESS0R 75 70 59 55 55

ASSOCIATE 10 8 9 12 18

ASSISTANT 14 22 29 33 30

INSTRUCTOR 6 7 9 8 6

OTHER 240 242 266 288 363

TOTAL 105 240 107 242 106 266 108 288 109 363

AGE (RANGE/MEAN)

PROFESSOR 45-69/ 54 46-73/ 56 44-67/ 56 38-68/ 54 39-66/ 55

ASSOCIATE 41-59/ 49 39-58/ 48 40-59/ 50 41-60/ 50 42-61/ 51

ASSISTANT 35-62/ 48 33-63/ 50 33-64/ 50 34-65/ 49 35-65/ 47

INSTRUCTOR 51-62/ 56 36-48/ 43 31-56/ 42 32-57/ 42 38-58/ 41

OTHER 22-81/ 51 23-82/ 52 24-83/ 51 24-83/ 50 25-84/ 52

MALE/FEMALE

PROFESSOR 43/32 37/33 29/30 28/28 25/30

ASSOCIATE 2/8 3/5 3/6 4/8 4/14

ASSISTANT 6/8 6/16 8/21 6/27 6/24

INSTRUCTOR 1/5 1/6 2/7 2/6 2/4

OTHER 133/107 133/109 136/130 148/140 165/169

TOTAL 52/53 133/107 47/60 133/109 42/64 136/130 40/69 148/140 37/72 165/169

YEARS AT THIS INSTITUTION (RANGE/MEDIAN)

PROFESSOR 4-36/ 23 6-37/ 22 0-38/ 22 0-36/ 20 1-37/ 20

ASSOCIATE 0-19/ 7 0-11/ 4 1-12/ 5 2-13/ 5 3-14/ 5

ASSISTANT 0-4/ 1 0-5/ 1 0-4/ 1 0-7/ 1 1-8/ 2

INSTRUCTOR 0-2/ 1 0-1/ .5 0-2/ 1 0-3/ 1 1-4/ 2

OTHER0-35/

18 0-36/ 18.50-37/

190-38/

140-39/ 14.5


4 YEARS AGO (FY 00)

3 YEARS AGO (FY 01)

2 YEARS AGO (FY 02)

1 YEAR AGO (FY 03)

Data Forms 173


HIGHEST DEGREE EARNED

DOCTORATE

PROFESSOR 12 10 10 11 10

ASSOCIATE 2 1 1

ASSISTANT 1 1 1

INSTRUCTOR 0

OTHER (Adjunct) 28 30 34 42

TOTAL 14 28 11 30 11 34 12 42 12 0

MASTER'S

PROFESSOR 61 57 47 43 42


ASSISTANT 14 22 27 29 27


OTHER 191 185 189 202

TOTAL 87 191 91 185 90 189 90 202 90 0

BACHELOR'S

PROFESSOR 2 3 2 2 2

ASSOCIATE 1 1

ASSISTANT 2 1 1 2

INSTRUCTOR 2 2 4 2

OTHER 22 27 40 44

TOTAL 4 22 6 27 5 40 7 44 7 0

PROFESSIONAL LICENSE(In addition to degree)

PROFESSOR 19 18 16 16 14

ASSOCIATE 4 4 5 7 4

ASSISTANT 9 12 12 7 1


OTHER 21 28 39 39

TOTAL 35 21 37 28 36 39 33 39 20 0

Data Forms 174


Data Forms 175

TEACHING LOAD (see deans)

FALL TERM ONLY FOR EACH YEAR (RANGE/MEDIAN IN CREDIT HOURS)

PROFESSOR 12 15 15 15 15

ASSOCIATE 12 15 15 15 15

ASSISTANT 12 15 15 15 15


OTHER

BASE SALARY FOR ACADEMIC YEAR (RANGE/MEAN) $1,000.00

PROFESSOR35-73/

61 35-73/ 6240-75/

6149-76/

62 46-75/ 61

ASSOCIATE42-55/

4242-55/

4742-56/

4844-57/

49 42-57/ 47

ASSISTANT36-58/

4436-58/

4436-59/

4437-60/

42 38-60/ 42

INSTRUCTOR36-47/

41 36-49/ 41 36-47/ 4036-41/

38 36-41/ 38

OTHER (Adjunct) 694-840 694-840 714-865 736-891 751-909

FRINGE BENEFITS (RANGE/MEDIAN)

PROFESSOR 20% n/a 20% n/a 21% n/a 22% n/a 21% n/a

ASSOCIATE 20% n/a 20% n/a 21% n/a 22% n/a 21% n/a

ASSISTANT 20% n/a 20% n/a 21% n/a 22% n/a 21% n/a

INSTRUCTOR 20% n/a 20% n/a 21% n/a 22% n/a 21% n/a

OTHER

NUMBER OF FACULTY APPOINTED

PROFESSOR 4 3 1 3 2


ASSISTANT 14 22 32 33 30


OTHER

TOTAL 28 0 37 0 47 0 53 0 51 0


Data Forms 176

NUMBER OF FACULTY IN TENURED POSITIONS

PROFESSOR 71 67 67 53 53

ASSOCIATE 6 3 4 3 5

ASSISTANT

INSTRUCTOR

OTHER

TOTAL 77 0 70 0 71 0 56 0 58 0

NUMBER OF FACULTY DEPARTING

PROFESSOR 1

ASSOCIATE 1

ASSISTANT 2 2 1

INSTRUCTOR 2

OTHER

TOTAL 2 0 4 0 2 0 1 0 0

NUMBER OF FACULTY RETIRING

PROFESSOR 5 n/a 12 n/a 6 n/a 4 n/a n/a

ASSOCIATE n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

ASSISTANT n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a n/a

INSTRUCTOR n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

OTHER n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

TOTAL 5 0 12 0 7 0 4 0 0

NAME OF DEPARTMENT OR ACADEMIC UNIT

Health Care/Life Sciences 56 68 43 43 40 46 38 56 37

Humanities/Social Science 30 106 30 103 31 98 33 103 34

Business Mgmt/Human Services 19 66 14 55 14 58 15 50 15

Technology 20 41 21 64 23 79 23

TOTAL 105 240 107 242 106 266 109 288 109

NUMBER OF FACULTY BY DEPARTMENT OR COMPARABLE ACADEMIC UNIT

0

0


Data Forms 177

FALL TERM (YEAR)4 YEARS AGO

(FY 98)3 YEARS AGO

(FY 99)2 YEARS AGO

(FY00)1 YEAR AGO

(FY01)CURRENT YEAR

(FY02)UNDERGRADUATECERTIFICATEAccess Certificate in Business 1 0 0 1Access Certificate in Health 22 15 4 0 0Accounting Certificate 16 18 16 18 11Administrative Support Certificate 0 0 1 0Automated Office Procedure Certificate 2 0 0 0Automotive Maintenance & Light Repair C 0 0 0 1Biotechnology Technician Certificate 15 10 6 7 20Business Administration Certificate 0 0 0 0Business Certificate 0 0 1 0Business Support Specialist - Clerical Offi 0 0 0 10Business Support Specialist - Customer Se 0 0 0 1Business Support Specialist - Legal Office 0 0 5 5Business Support Specialist - Medical Off 0 0 18 6Business Support Specialist - Medical Off 0 0 0 3Business Support Specialist - Office Inform 0 0 1 1Computer Inform. Syst. - Application Spec 0 0 0 17Computer Inform. Syst. - Web Application 0 0 0 19Computer Information Systems Certificate 28 50 40 12 1Dental Assisting Certificate 0 10 12 15 14Early Child. Education - Adv. Early Child 0 0 0 0Early Child. Education - School Age Certi 0 0 0 0Early Child. Education for Assist. Teacher 0 0 1 12Early Childhood Certificate 0 0 4 2Electronics Technology Certificate 6 6 7 11EMT Paramedic Certificate 18 12 15 25 28EMT Intermediate Certifcate 11 6 7 7English as a Second Language Certificate 161 220 236 42 5Environmental Health & Safety Certificate 5 6 7 4Executive Office Support Certificate 13 4 1 0Food Service Management Certificate 2 2 0 5Health Certificate 1 0 0 1Hospitality Supervision Certificate 0 0 1 1Human Services Certificate 66 61 40 37 39Infant/Toddler Training Certificate 2 4 7 8Legal Secretarial Certificate 8 7 0 0Manufacturing Technology Certificate 0 0 0 4Medical Assisting Certificate 0 9 8 15Medical Office Clerical Certificate 1 0 0 0Medical Secretarial Certificate 24 18 0 4 2Mental Health Technician Certificate 0 0 0 0Occupational Health & Safety Certificate 2 0 0 1Occupational Therapy Certificate 1 0 1 0Office Administration Certificate 5 2 0 0Office Support Certificate 2 2 2 0Practical Nursing - Career Certificate 0 31 47 44 49Practical Nursing - Transfer Certificate 0 3 0 3Re-Entry Certificate for People in Transiti 0 3 1 1Secretarial Studies Certificate 0 0 0 0Small Business Management Certificate 9 9 11 9Surgical Technology Certificate 0 6 4 8Technology Certificate 1 0 0 0Total Quality Management Certificate 8 4 0 2Travel Agent Training Certificate 16 11 11 3 0Visual Arts Certificate 7 11 8 1 0

Total 453 540 523 366 358

10302

707

110

00000

0004801

32315

010

5

0

001

90

15383

141

1817


Data Forms 178

DEGREE PROGRAMSAdministrative Office Management 81 61 41 19 5Allied Dental Services - Dental Office 0 1 0 0 0Allied Dental Services - Health Science 0 0 0 0Allied Dental Services - Sales/Marketin 0 0 0 0Applied Arts 66 71 66 93 85Automotive Technology 14 25 9 18 19Basic Engineering 71 54 45 50 94Business Adm. Career-Accounting 0 0 0 42 34Business Adm. Career-Business Supp 0 0 0 14Business Adm. Career-Environmental 0 0 0 5 6Business Adm. Career-Management/M 0 0 0 85Business Adm. Career-Small Business 0 0 0 32Business Adm. Career-Total Quality M 0 0 0 2Business Adm. Career-Travel Agent T 0 0 0 0Business Adm. Transfer-Accounting 0 0 0 27 32Business Adm. Transfer-Management 0 0 0 86Business Administration 1 0 0 1 1Business Administration - Banking 5 3 2 2 0Business Administration - Career 252 253 260 120 197Business Administration - Transfer 182 185 202 98 121Business Technology 3 0 0 1 0Civil Engineering 0 2 8 6 1Complementary Health 0 0 0 0 1Computer Inform. Systs. - Applications 0 0 1 42Computer Inform. Systs. - Programing 0 0 0 53 73Computer Information Systems 107 125 127 71 16Computer Maintenance 5 4 0 0 0Computer Systems Engineering Techn 0 19 53 82Computer Systems Support Technolog 42 47 34 27 18Criminal Justice 276 256 231 232 264Dental Hygiene 38 34 34 37 38Early Childhood Education 129 132 158 171 167Electromechanical Technology 0 3 11 11 17Electronics Technology - Biomedical 0 0 0 3 3Electronics Technology - Electronics 0 0 0 22 21Electronics Technology - Microelectron 0 0 0 0Electronics Technology Degree 61 56 39 18 6Fire Science 45 74 66 58General Studies 1068 1330 1338 1941 2241General Studies Elementary Education 0 0 0 0General Studies-Community Health 0 0 0 5 14General Studies-Occupational Educati 0 0 0 0Hotel Restaurant Management 35 35 33 32 15Hotel Restaurant Mgmt-Foodservice M 0 0 0 0Hotel Restaurant Mgmt-Hospitality Mg 0 0 0 0 10Human Services Degree 132 115 91 84 100Liberal Arts 311 317 301 301 342Manufacturing Technology Degree 0 1 9 8 9Medical Support Specialist - Assisting 0 2 6 10 16Medical Support Specialist - Records T 0 1 0 2Medical Support Specialist: Health Info 0 0 0 0Nurse Education 151 149 153 151 165Occupational Therapy Assistant 77 61 37 20 11Opticianry 0 7 5 5 1Paramedic Technology 12 12 9 6 5Radiologic Technology 25 24 19 25 40Respiratory Therapy Care 25 17 5 10 12Telecommunications Technology 22 45 53 35 36Telecommunications Technology Corp 0 0 0 1Visual Arts - Liberal Arts 6 2 1 0 0Total 3242 3523 3447 4164 4632

4

31

10

1

2

0

45

92

50

75

6518

50

25

00


Data Forms 179

UNCLASSIFIED PROGRAMSConsortium 88 81 40 44 32Dual Enrollment 30 29 33 42 4Twelfth Year 12 13 6 0 33Undeclared 1353 1341 1568 1581 1563Total 1483 1464 1647 1667 1632

Grand Total 5178 5527 5617 6197 6622


Data Forms 180

4 YEARS AGO

(FY 00)3 YEARS AGO

(FY 01)

2 YEARS AGO

(FY 02)

1 YEAR AGO

(FY 03)

CURRENT YEAR

(FY N/A)

UNDERGRADUATE

Allied Health 208 291 256 297

Biology 5926 6511 6898 7299

Biotechnology 24 12 48 78

Chemistry 1531 1739 2082 2330

Dental Assisting 160 173 212 228

Dental Hygiene 764 798 812 832

Emergency Medical Technician 954 952 904 1164

Medical Support Specialist 76 145 107 172

Nurse Education 2731 2735 2922 3287

Opticianry 175 63 100

Occupational Therapy Assistant 966 550 277 223

Practical Nursing 1425 1492 1439 1538

Respiratory Care 304 64 178 211

Radiologic Technology 536 477 679 1110

Science 864 792 928 970

Surgical Technology 201 171 212 258

Totals 16845 16965 18054 19997

Applied Arts 1167 1251 1719 1938

Automotive Technology 600 402 511 745

Computer Information Specialist 6346 7251 8586 7782

Computer Science 954 934 1097 796Computer Systems Engineering Technology 22 135 283 322

Electromechanical Technology 51 107 122

Electronics Technology 1644 2291 2120 1398

NAME OF DEPARTMENT OR COMPARABLE UNIT (Credit hours are reported by course prefix[ENG + English]) and grouped withing the four academic divisions [Business Management/Human Services, Health Care & Life Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences, and the Technology Division])

Health Care/Life Sciences Division

Technology Division


Data Forms 181

Engineering 373 339 429 588

Mathematics 12415 14194 18477 19746

Manufacturing Technology 48 219 301 336

Physics 728 610 640 952

Totals 24297 27677 34270 34725

Accounting 2847 3105 3216 3009

Administrative Office Management 1306 311.5 10.5 3.5

Business Law 1233 1482 1665 1509

Business Office Support Specialist 732 1032 1293

Business 18 9 18 88

Criminal Justice 2475 2419 2205 2289

Early Childhood Education 1555 2080 2382 2032

Economics 1044 1149 1335 1587

Financial Planning 57

Fire Science 776 810 575 456

Geography 429 285 264 192

Hotel Restaurant Management 553 541 508 611

Human Services 773 763 822 1025

Management 1551 1548 1785 2019

Marketing 1101 1089 1224 1047

Physical Education 553 690 504 258

Quality Control 24 27

Travel Agent Training 72 108 3

Totals 16286 17145.5 17575.5 17475.5

Anthropology 360 492 468 513

Art 1550 1637 1997 2063

American Sign Language 306 522 537 504

Humanities/Social Science Division

Business Management/Human Services


English 14810 15855 18942 20958

English as a Second Language 3780 4836 5946 5286

French 117 99 72 69

German 87 129 48 78

Gerontology 141 105 168 123

General Studies 973 974 863 796

History 3042 3099 3198 3195

Humanities 2112 1980 1723 1980

Interdisciplinary Studies 192 78 189 408

Music 384 390 480 474

Orientation 780

Philosophy 408 558 570 456

Political Science 1341 1092 987 1086

Psychology 8511 8094 8148 9069

Sociology 4401 3915 4290 4830

Social Science 384 399 459 441

Speech 1851 1752 1869 2004

Spanish 1539 1512 1632 1512

Totals 46289 47518 52586 56625

GRAND TOTALS 103717 109305.5 122485.5 128822.5

Data Forms 182