Self-Study Issues

PAGE 4 OF 10

Standard Four

Committee Membership

Dr. Kay Faulconer Boger, Co- Chair, Dean, Business, Community Resources, Economic Development and Off-Campus Programs
Dr. Robert Renger, Co-Chair, Dean, Arts and Sciences
Dr. Karen Gorback, Coordinator, Community Education
Linda Rubenstein, Professor, Business; Coordinator, Off-Campus Programs
Bill Thieman, Department Chair, Biology, Agriculture, Water Science, and Special Projects
Gary Van Meter, Coordinator, Resource Development

Standard Four: Educational Programs

The institution offers collegiate-level programs in recognized fields of study that culminate in identified student competencies leading to degrees and certificates. The provisions of this standard are broadly acceptable to all educational activities offered in the name of the institution, regardless of where or how presented, or by whom taught.

Self-Identified Issues

A. From 1996 Self-Study Report

Issue:
The increased diversity of the current student body has placed a strain on the College’s ability to respond to their needs.

Plan 1. Develop an Educational Master Plan.
Plan 2. Develop review processes that will evolve…to complement the educational planning effort. (Page 2.2, 1996 Self-Study Report)

Discussion Summary:
Some courses make a concerted effort to integrate academic and vocational competencies in order to better meet the needs of students. One example is the Administrative Assistant course, which integrates basic academic skills with workplace-readiness skills and specific vocational competencies. The College encourages staff development regarding diversity issues through support of related conference attendance and in-house staff development activities. The Institutional Title V grant supports staff development in the form of training symposia and individual faculty projects in this area as well. The College is in the process of developing a comprehensive Educational Master Plan that will be brought before the campus community before the accreditation team visits in April (S 4.1).

A newly revised and updated Program Review process has been implemented and will have been completed by a number of the educational programs by the time of the accreditation visit (S 4.2).

 

Issue:
Personnel losses without replacement is a consistent concern reflected throughout this Accreditation Self-Study. Other persistent losses that negatively impinge upon meeting educational needs: decrease of Work Study program funding, reduction in supply funds, maintenance allotments, field trip funding. (p. 2.3, 1996 Self-Study Report)

Discussion Summary:
The lack of replacement for faculty and staff in critical areas remains an issue and, in the context of the current California budget crisis, is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. However, the College has responded in a number of ways to mitigate these effects, including:

· The College has responded to personnel losses by becoming more efficient in enrollment management.

· The College has worked to maximize educational opportunities for the community by scheduling classes during previously under-utilized periods.

· The College has responded to personnel issues through a vastly improved use of technology, including developing an ever-growing number of distance learning courses.

 

Issue:
Buildings are inadequate and require replacement.

Discussion Summary:
The voters in the Ventura County Community College District passed a bond measure in March 2002 that allocated $115 million to support building and remodeling/upgrading of facilities and the infrastructure at both the East Campus and Ventura College main campus (S 4.3).

 

Issue:
Resources for personnel, equipment and supplies continue to decline.

Discussion Summary:
This remains a continuing issue in light of the current and projected future budget crisis in California. To mitigate the impact of revenues cutbacks for personnel, equipment and supplies, the College aggressively seeks external funding.

 

Issue:
Plan 1. Aggressively seek external sources of funding to supplement available State and District allocations. (p. 2.5, 1996 Self-Study Report)

Discussion Summary:
VC continues to aggressively seek external funding. The recently received Title V Co-op grant includes the resources to increase the activities in pursuit of external funding for a wide range of programs (S 4.4). Faculty and staff work in partnership with the Resource Development Office to write grants for external funds.

 

Issue:
Plan 2. Assess full-time faculty needs.

Discussion Summary:
This is a continuing activity involving the Academic Senate Staffing Committee, the Administrative Council and the President’s Cabinet. The lack of replacement of critically important positions lost due to retirement, resignation and other causes continues to create problems, and therefore this remains an important issue.

 

Issue:
Need to prioritize programs and services to retain balanced program mix within severe budget limitations.

1. Develop additional ways to determine student and community needs.

2. Prepare short-term and long-range plans for courses and programs

utilizing the appropriate committees and advisory groups.

3. Establish priorities during planning of educational programs.

(p. 2.6, 1996 Self-Study Report)

Discussion Summary:
This issue continues and is being addressed on an on-going basis via a number of mechanisms. These include: advisory committees, local and regional needs surveys, environmental scans, community roundtables, etc… These forms of input are being utilized in the Program Review process and in the unit planning activities of the College (S 4.5, S 4.6, S 4.7, S 4.8, S 4.9).

Specific examples include:

· Some of the advisory committees include high school and university staff.

· A recent Community Forum in Santa Paula attracted more than 70 members of the community to provide the College with input regarding the education and trainings needs of the Santa Clara River Valley. More forums are planned for the future.

· A recent Principals’ Day brought secondary and middle school leaders to Ventura College to discuss theneeds of our feeder schools.

· The Council for Institutional Development (CID) serves as the campus advisory committee to the President.

 

Issue:
Plan 1. Expand institutional research to determine optimal methods for the planning, development and evaluation of programs.

Plan 2. Complete program reviews for all academic areas.

Plan 3. Comply with course prerequisite and matriculation requirements.

(p. 2.7, 1996 Self-Study Report)

Discussion Summary:
This is an on-going process, as it should be in any community college. Program reviews are currently underway and many will be completed before the forthcoming accreditation visit. Curriculum revision since the last accreditation visit has resulted in greatly improved listings of course requirements, i.e., many prerequisites have been validated and enforced, many have been altered to recommended preparation, and many eliminated where found not to be necessary for student success (S 4.10, S 4.11). A new Curriculum Handbook insures that new courses comply with state matriculation requirements, as well as college prerequisites and other requirements. The college researcher position is currently being funded entirely on soft money, with a limited scope of activities related to the focus of the funding projects.

 

Issue:
Plan 1. Consider listing in class schedules those courses in a program sequence and the year and semester when they will be taught in future semesters.

Plan 2. Develop an annual class schedule.

(p. 2.8, 1996 Self-Study Report)

Discussion Summary:
The College has carefully considered two-year sequencing of required classes within a program, as well as an annual class schedule. Although deemed to have value, the recent uncertainties of the budget have made such projections very unreliable and therefore not suitable for dissemination to our service community.

 

Issue:
Since the last Accreditation, the College has had three presidents. The number of divisions has been reduced from 8 to 6 – extending responsibilities of deans. Deans are overextended.

Plan 1. Fill vacant dean positions.

(p. 2.9, 1996 Self-Study Report)

Discussion Summary:
The vacant dean positions have been filled. The recent appointment of the Dean of Business and Technology to the Executive Vice President position left a dean position unfilled due to fiscal constraints. However, a dean returned from external service via contract to the County of Ventura to partially fill the void.

 

Issue:
Plan 1. Develop process for curriculum development.

Plan 2. Academic Affairs Committee should keep abreast of mandates.

(p. 2.10, 1996 Self-Study Report)

Discussion Summary:
A new and greatly streamlined and improved process for curriculum development has been implemented. The Curriculum committee is kept up-to-date on the latest requirements and regulations that pertain to curriculum and instruction (S 4.10). A committee of staff programmers is currently working to put the course outline template online for easier access by faculty and staff, a project that just received state-wide recognition through the Community College League of California “Celebrating How California Learns” award.

 

Issue:
Plan 1. Fully implement program reviews for all departments.

(p. 2.11, 1996 Self-Study Report)

Discussion Summary:
A new program review process is in place and being implemented (S 4.2). In addition, needs assessments for specific program and disciplines have been undertaken, e.g., Biotechnology and the Automotive Industry.

 

Issue:
Plan 1. Assess impact of deleting programs and courses.

Plan 2. Encourage active participation in advisory committees of community experts associated with new businesses that settle in Ventura County.

(p. 2.12, 1996 Self-Study Report)

Discussion Summary:
Utilizing advisory committees and scans/needs assessments, VC is making efforts to assess the impact of new, deleted and changed programs in its service area (S 4.5, S 4.6, S 4.7, S 4.8, S 4.9).

 

Issue:
Plan 1. Seek additional ways of encouraging staff to apply for external funding.

Discussion Summary:
This is a continuing issue and growing activity area. The acquisition of the new Title V Co-op grant that includes an activity area on resource development will help to address this continuing need (S 4.4). In addition, the College offers Flex Week sessions and training Workshops in grant/project development to increase efforts to obtain external funding.

 

Issue:
Changes in requirements of transfer institutions do not always reach students who will be affected by the changes in a timely manner.

Plan 1. Expand dialogue among faculty members and counseling staff concerning matriculation and articulation.

Plan 2. Inform new full-time and part-time faculty about general education requirements and update faculty regarding changes in their areas of concern.

Plan 3. Emphasize requirement of students to meet more frequently with their counselors.

(p. 2.13, 1996 Self-Study Report)

Discussion Summary:
This will continue to be an issue as long as the four-year institutions make changes to their requirements at times not in sequence with Ventura College’s curriculum/articulation cycle. However, the VC transfer center coordinator and the VC articulation officer regularly send out UC/CSU changes to faculty and counselors as they are received/negotiated. VC staff currently use the “ASSIST” software program to help determine university requirements and the College participates in the “CAN” system (Course Articulation Numbering System). Ventura College has repeatedly been the number one community college in California for writing CAN articulated curriculum. Recent budget reductions, not to mention potential additional cuts, make it unlikely that increased counseling will be available to students unless external funding can be identified and successfully obtained.

 

Issue:
Plan 1. Consider the addition of the Ethnic/Women’s Studies requirements to all college degrees, as required for General Liberal Arts and Science Associate Degrees.

(p. 2.15, 1996 Self-Study Report)

Discussion Summary:
This issue has been resolved. The VC curriculum committee considered and acted upon revisions to the General Education requirements (S 4.12).

 

Issue:

Plan 1. Respond to opportunities within community to provide new or revised programs.

Plan 2. Promote the development of international programs.

(p. 2.17, 1996 Self-Study Report)

Discussion Summary:
Although this is an on-going issue, a series of external scans has helped assess community needs and has provided community opportunity for input regarding programs. VC has responded to the community by instituting new programs (e.g., Cisco and Oracle). Programs have been revised and compressed, such as Medical Assisting. In addition VC and the District have actively developed and supported international student programs. Since 1996, the International Students program has expanded and implemented changes. A new three-day orientation program has been developed and offered, and the ability to qualify students has been improved.

 

Issue:
Plan 1. Consider plans for improved articulation with feeder high schools.

Plan 2. Encourage subject matter meetings between college instructors and their high school counterparts.

Plan 3. Expand 2 x 2, Tech Prep programs, particularly for transfer students.

(p. 2.21, 1996 Self-Study Report)

Discussion Summary:
These considerations are on going. Since the last accreditation, VC has actively participated with both feeder high schools and four-year colleges/universities that receive our students to facilitate the transition of students between institutions. Specific articulation projects have been carried out in the areas of Biotechnology, Agriculture and Environmental Sciences. Several high schools, including Simi High School and Pacifica High School, are currently participating in VC’s science teacher internship program operated in conjunction with UCSB. The initial Title V grant provided resources to send outreach staff to secondary schools in the Santa Clara River Valley and the number of dual enrollment classes offered throughout the county has increased. The President convened a group of public and private, middle school and high school principals and superintendents to discuss how we can collaborate to solve mutual problems and increase enrollment and success (S 4.13).

 

Issue:
Plan 1. Consider advantages of developing an intensive tracking system of VC transfers.

(p. 2.23, 1996 Self-Study Report)

Discussion Summary:
This has been under consideration and is being pursued in conjunction with statewide efforts. Cooperation of the UC and CSU systems, at a minimum, will be required to address this need. The ENLACE Project and the MESA program track a small cohort of students as they move from VC to the participating universities.

 

Issue:
Plan 2. Consider the value of establishing formal articulation with feeder high schools.

Discussion Summary:
Addressed. (See 2.21 above.)

 

Issue:
Continue to monitor vocational trends in the community and adjust courses and programs to better prepare students for employment.

(p. 2.23, 1996 Self-Study Report)

Discussion Summary:
This is being addressed on an on-going basis and should no longer be an issue.

 

Issue:
Continue to solicit information from student, staff and the community concerning the addition or deletion of non-credit classes.

(p. 2.25, 1996 Self-Study Report)

Discussion Summary:
This is an on-going process that includes environmental scans, needs assessments, and advisory inputs. Recent response to community interests is exemplified in the development and implementation of the Emeritus Institute. In addition, short-term vocational classes have been developed in response to training needs for CalWORKs students. Noncredit BESL classes are being offered throughout the Santa Clara River Valley and Ojai Valley communities in response to identified community needs (S 4.14, S 4.15).

 

Issue:
Increase development and procurement of partnerships with businesses and professionals in the community.

(p. 2.27, 1996 Self-Study Report)

Discussion Summary:
This has been accomplished in a number of ways, including the activities of the ICPD, advisory committees, economic development projects/grants and faculty/staff involvement with professional and community organizations. Recently, the College partnered with the Chamber of Commerce and the County of Ventura to sponsor a workforce roundtable to explore partnerships to address shortage of health care employees (S 4.8, S 4.16). Other partnerships include:

· Ventura County Biotechnology Industry Organization

· VECEDA

· Goldcoast Innovation Center

· Haas Manufacturing

· Toyota T-10

· CIRGIS (Channel Islands Regional Geographic Information Systems)

 

Issue:
Community Services Office will review the theater approval process with other appropriate college personnel.

(p. 2.28, 1996 Self-Study Report)

Discussion Summary:
The operations and organization of Community Services has been the subject of review and reorganization since the last accreditation. All Civic Center approval processes have been reviewed and revised as appropriate.

Standard Four List of Documents

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