Glendale
Community College
NCA
Self-Study Report, January 2002
Chapter Four
General Institutional Requirements and
Federal Compliance Program
Glendale Community
College fulfills all of the General Institutional Requirements for continued
membership and complies with all Department of Education’s mandates and
policies and procedures recently approved by the Commission.
The General
Institutional Requirements (GIRs) describe the primary requirements for
affiliation with the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of Colleges and
Schools. They establish a
foundation within the accreditation process. The 24 GIRs are divided into 7 major areas: Mission,
Authorization, Governance, Faculty, Educational Program, Finances, and Public
Information. An institution
affiliated with the Commission by either accreditation or candidacy meets the
following requirements:
MISSION
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1 |
It
has a mission statement, formally adopted by the Governing Board and made public,
declaring that it is an institution of higher education. |
Glendale
Community College has a mission statement, most recently modified in
1994. Approval of the statement
by the Governing Board occurred on 10/23/2001 (General Catalog, p. 4). The 2001-02 Strategic Planning
Process includes a review and potential revision of the mission and purposes
statements. |
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2 |
It
is a degree-granting institution. |
The
College confers the following degrees: Associate in Arts, Associate in Transfer
Partnership, Associate in Business, Associate in Science, Associate in
Applied Science, Associate in General Studies, and Certificates of Completion
(General Catalog, p. 6). |
AUTHORIZATION
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3 |
It
has legal authorization to grant its degrees, and it meets all the legal
requirements to operate as an institution of higher education wherever it
conducts its activities. |
The
College has legal authority to confer degrees and certificates. The College complies with all
District, State Board, and Arizona Revised Statutes requirements. |
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4 |
It
has legal documents to confirm its status: not-for-profit, for-profit, or
public. |
The
Maricopa County Community College District, including Glendale Community College,
has authorization through the Arizona State Legislature to operate as a
public, countywide, community-college system. |
GOVERNANCE
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5 |
It
has a governing board that possesses and exercises necessary legal power to establish
and review basic policies that govern the institution. |
The
Governing Board possesses and exercises necessary legal power to establish
and review basic policies that govern the Maricopa County Community
Colleges. Its authority is
derived from the Arizona Revised Statutes under Title 15, Chapter 12. Specific duties are detailed in
Statutes Title 15-1444 and the Board’s administrative regulations. The Governing Board is also subject
to provisions of the state constitution and the regulations of the Arizona
State Board of Directors for Community Colleges. Roles and responsibilities of Governing Board Members are
outlined at http://www.dist.maricopa.edu/gvpolicy/policies/govprocess.html |
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6 |
Its
governing board includes public members and is sufficiently autonomous from
the administration and ownership to assure the integrity of the institution. |
The
Governing Board has 5 members who are elected by the public in staggered
six-year terms and who represent geographical precincts of the 9,226
square-mile county. Members
serve without compensation and remain autonomous from the institution. |
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7 |
It
has an executive officer designated by the governing board to provide
administrative leadership for the institution. |
The
chief executive officer of the District, Chancellor Dr. Fred Gaskin, has
served since July 2000. The GCC
President, Dr. Tessa Martínez Pollack, has served since January 1996. |
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8 |
Its
governing board authorizes the institution's affiliation with the Commission. |
In
August 1967, the Executive Board of the Commission on Higher Education
approved the transfer of accreditation from Phoenix College to the Maricopa
County Community College District (MCCCD) and also voted to accredit the
colleges as operationally separate institutions, including GCC. |
FACULTY
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9 |
It
employs a faculty that has earned from accredited institutions the degrees
appropriate to the level of instruction offered by the institution. |
The
College employs a faculty who are credentialed by the Arizona State Board of
Directors for Community Colleges, who meet the hiring qualifications of the
Maricopa District, and who have earned degrees and/or occupational experience
appropriate to the discipline(s) that they teach. The names and degrees of full-time faculty appear in the General
Catalog. |
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10 |
A
sufficient number of the faculty is full-time employees of the institution. |
In
Fall 2001, GCC employed 245 budgeted faculty positions of which 232 are RFP
and 13 OYO/OSO, plus 16 OYO/OSO
unbudgeted, for a total of 261. |
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11 |
Its
faculty has a significant role in developing and evaluating all of the
institution's educational programs. |
Faculty
at the College have a significant role in developing and evaluating all of
GCC’s educational programs.
Faculty participate on College and District curriculum committees and
District-wide discipline-based Instructional Councils. |
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM
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12 |
It
confers degrees. |
During
fiscal year 2000-01, 1,572 degrees and certificates were awarded. |
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13 |
It
has degree programs in operation, with students enrolled in them. |
As
of Fall 2001, there are 104 degree programs at the College, each of which has
students enrolled. |
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14 |
Its
degree programs are compatible with the institution's mission and are based
on recognized fields of study at the higher-education level. |
All
degree programs at the College are appropriate to an institution of higher
education with a mission committed to general education, career education,
basic skills education, and transfer education. |
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15 |
Its
degrees are appropriately named, following practices common to institutions
of higher education in terms of both length and content of the programs. |
Degrees
offered are appropriate for each program, and each has met the length and content
approved by the College Curriculum Committee, the District Curriculum
Committee, the Governing Board and State Board, following practices common to
institutions of higher education.
The content areas are consistent with the College’s mission and
purposes. |
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16 |
Its
undergraduate degree programs include a coherent general education
requirement consistent with the institution's mission and designed to ensure
breadth of knowledge and to promote intellectual inquiry. |
All
Maricopa County Community College District degree programs include a coherent
general education requirement consistent with the institution's mission. General Education requirements are
outlined in the College General Catalog (pp. 47-70) and include the skills
and knowledge necessary for a literate citizenship. |
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17 |
It
has admission policies and practices that are consistent with the
institution's mission and appropriate to its educational programs. |
Open
admissions policies and practices are consistent with the institution's
mission and committed to providing instructional programs accessible to
all. Admissions criteria
adopted by the Arizona State Board of Directors for Community Colleges are
published in the College’s General Catalog (pp. 14-19). |
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18 |
It
provides its students access to those learning resources and support services
requisite for its degree programs. |
The
College provides students access to all teaching and learning resources. Support services to enhance each
student’s academic, social, and career success are also available. |
FINANCES
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19 |
It
has an external financial audit by a certified public accountant or a public
audit agency at least every two years. |
The
State of Arizona Office of the Auditor General conducts an annual,
independent audit of the District’s financial statements. In 1996, NCA and the Maricopa
District created a "Memorandum of Understanding" (MOU). Because of a ruling by the
Governmental Accounting Standards Board based on their Generally Accepted
Accounting principles, the state’s Auditor General is not permitted to
issue individual audit reports for the Maricopa Colleges. |
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20 |
Its
financial documents demonstrate the appropriate allocation and use of
resources to support its educational programs. |
In
the 2001-02 budget, 64% of the operational funds (Fund 1) are dedicated to
instruction; 20% for academic and student support; 5% for administration; and
11% for physical plant and general institutional expenses. Additional student-services funds are
provided from student fees from Fund 2.
The 2001-02 capital allocations for instruction totaled 92%. |
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21 |
Its
financial practices, records, and reports demonstrate fiscal viability. |
The
College receives the majority of its funding from the Maricopa County
Community College District’s own allocation processes. District and College practices reflect
financial prudence allowing the College to operate within budget, with
carry-over reserves. The fiscal
reliability of the District is available in the Comprehensive Annual Report. |
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PUBLIC INFORMATION
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22 |
Its
catalog and/or other official published documents include its mission
statement along with accurate descriptions of its academic calendars; its
educational programs and degree requirements; its learning resources; its
admissions policies and practices; its academic and non-academic policies and
procedures directly affecting students; its charges and refund policies; and
the academic credentials of its faculty and administrators. |
The
College publishes these elements in all pertinent publications: General Catalog, Class Schedules, and on
the web at |
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23 |
It
accurately discloses its standing with accrediting bodies with which it is
affiliated. |
The
College discloses its standing by the Higher Learning Commission and includes
the Commission’s web site and phone numbers in its General Catalog (p. 4), Class Schedules
(Spring 2002,
p. 8), and other relevant publications. |
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24 |
It
makes available upon request information that accurately describes its
financial condition. |
Each
year, the College reports summary data on its financial condition in the Annual
Report. In addition, oversight of
budget matters is provided via annual public budget hearings held by the
Governing Board. After State Board approval, the
District budget report is published and available as a matter of public
record. |
As a member of the Maricopa County
Community Colleges, Glendale Community College uses standard semester credit
hours as the basic measure of its learning experiences and charges tuition for
each credit hour.
The physical year
1999 cohort default rate released officially by the Department of Education in
September 2001 was 9%. The
physical year 2000 cohort default rate will be published officially in
September 2002. Documents relating
to compliance with Title IV are available in the College Financial Aid
Office. Financial Aid and
Admissions and Records are audited annually by external entities to determine
if current practice is consistent with federal and state regulations.
Although the
College Safety web site does cover lost and found questions and offers
information about campus parking, its primary concern is with disclosure of
safety policies and annual crime statistics, established by United States Code section
1092(f).
College
advertising and recruitment materials are available in the Resource Room. The statement of accreditation in
College publications includes the Higher Learning Commission’s phone numbers
and web site.
In compliance with
policy, formal complaints that cannot be resolved before reaching the
administrative level are tracked and categorized in a database maintained by
the Associate Dean of Student Life and the Associate Deans of Instruction.
· Nursing Program--accredited by National
League of Nursing
· Administration of Justice/Police Reserve
Academy--certified by Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board
· Automotive Programs--certified by National
Automotive Technicians Education Foundation
· Emergency Medical Technology--certified by
Arizona Department of Health Services
· Fire Academy--certified by the Arizona Fire
Marshall
· Microsoft Academic Training
Program--certified by Microsoft Corp.
· CISCO Networking Academy Program--certified
by CISCO Systems, Inc.
· MOUS (Microsoft Office User
Specialist)--certified by Microsoft Corp.