A Message from President Hartleb:

We owe a big debt of gratitude to all members of the writing committees for the first rate job they did on these first drafts.   They clearly did a great deal of research and then gave careful consideration about how Northern Essex meets the Standards.  We are a relatively complex institution and it takes considerable effort to learn about us, describe and analyze us, and offer thoughts about our future.

I encourage all members of our college community to read this and offer your suggestions for improvement. You are likely to be impressed with this body of work and with all that we are doing at Northern Essex.

A Message from Judith Kamber and Jim Murphy, Co-Chairs of NECC’s NEASC Self-Study

These drafts are the product of months of researching and compiling data, conducting numerous interviews and fact finding missions, and site visits. The information gathered was then prepared in a format as required by NEASC. The drafts seek to reflect an institutional perspective and not a personal one. Each draft is a written reflection of the understanding arrived at by the various committees and their individual members. These colleagues deserve our appreciation and gratitude.

The blog provides the larger community another opportunity to participate in creating the NEASC report. You may comment on any and/or all of the chapter drafts. If you choose to leave a comment(s), please try to frame them as a question or suggestion and to do so from an institutional perspective. Comments will appear on the blog within 24-hours of the posting.

The blog will be accessible until December 1st, at which time, the drafts and the comments will be reviewed by the Core Committee and others for further revision and editing before the final report is completed.

Thank you for your efforts.

Standard 1 Mission and Purposes

Standard 2 Planning and Evaluation

Standard 3 Organization and Governance

Standard 4 The Academic Program

Standard 5 Faculty

Standard 6 Students

Standard 7 Library and Other Information Resources

Standard 8 Physical and Technological Resources

Standard 9 Financial Resources

Standard 10 Public Disclosure

Standard 11 Integrity

Standard One

Mission Statement

Description

The college’s Mission Statement has remained the same since 1992, when it was changed to align it with that of the Board of Higher Education of Massachusetts. The current statement says that the mission of Northern Essex Community College is to serve the people of the Greater Merrimack Valley as a caring and comprehensive center of educational excellence that offers high quality, affordable adult and post secondary through the Associate Degree level, as well as a broad range of occupational programs and community services which enhance the social, cultural and economic life of the region.

While many staff and students are aware that the college has a Mission Statement, a significant number of them are not. A recent survey of 249 current students, for example, indicated that 54% knew that a Mission Statement exists, 45% did not. When queried further, we discovered that 47% of those who know a Mission Statement exists, had no knowledge of any particular component.  A similar survey of 77 faculty and staff members noted that 100% (77) of them were aware that the college has a Mission Statement, and of these 93.5% (72) said they knew what the statement said.  Only 6.5% (5) of the faculty and staff were not aware of what the Mission Statement said.

The development of the college’s Core Values and the use of Appreciative Inquiry as a process for strategic planning have links to the school’s Mission Statement.  Further, our academic departments and programs undergo the process of Program Review and Learning Outcomes Assessment, which is administered periodically, requiring that they specifically state how their academic goals and objectives relate to our Mission Statement, Core Values, and overall Strategic Plans. As part of their assessment and planning process, clear links with the college’s Mission Statement, Core Values, and academic planning and activities must be demonstrated before given a “green light” to continue and/or adjustments made.  Examples of recent (spring 2009) Program Reviews for Liberal Arts in Computer and Information Sciences Option among others is avalable in the offices of Academic Affairs.  Still, it is not clear that the mission statement really drives overall planning at the college level or day to day decisions.

Appraisal

Over the past few years the college has embarked on a number of planning strategies that have resulted in two plans to improve the quality of our institution, the education provided, and the betterment of delivering our services, with the Mission Statement as context but not as the chief roadmap.  The time has come for the college to review its Mission Statement, and develop a new charge.

One of the outcomes from the college’s planning processes has been the development of a series of Core Values. Although these core values were not necessarily developed with our Mission Statement as the driving force, they nonetheless do capture some of its key elements. The Core Values specifically are:

• Student Engagement
• Collaboration
• Personal and Professional Growth
• Repect
• Diversity
• Access and Opportunity
• Excellence.

These Core Values were developed in 2006 in tandem with a Strategic Plan using Appreciative Inquiry (AI) as a planning process.  Appreciative Inquiry is a strength-based philosophy, founded on the belief that institutions flourish when focused on best practices, achievements, and “moments of excellence.”

In the fall of 2006 the AI Planning Committee was founded, comprised of faculty, staff, students, administrators, and trustees.  Over 150 appreciative interviews, to seek input and comments from throughout the college community and external stakeholders, were conducted. In May of 2007, the planning process culminated in an Appreciative Inquiry Summit, which drew more than 200 faculty, students, administrators, and community members.  This summit identified and discussed the college’s strengths and capacities, helped forge a new strategic direction designed to advance the college and maximize its potential over the next three years.  It did not, however, address the mission statement.

The college’s Strategic Plan therefore, reflects the voices of those who participated throughout the process and provides a framework within which departments and offices realistically develop major operational goals, objectives, and benchmarks that assess progress and chart a clear course of action for the college’s future.  It is crucial that the mission statement align closely with this course.

Because the mission statement is 17 years old, it is time to give it a new look.  The college then needs to review its Core Values to assure they are aligned with the new Mission Statement.  The age of the Mission Statement and lack of recent review may explain why about half the students are unaware of the existence of the mission statement and why others don’t know what it says.  While the college’s planning process and its day to day affairs (such as academic programs) are loosely aligned with the current Mission Statement (as proven in the program reviews), it does not drive decision making.  The college’s leadership recognizes that all these elements suggest that it is time to revisit the Mission Statement, and develop a new charge.

Projection

The time has come for the college community to reassess its Mission Statement to help guide the school’s departments and offices into the future. The work on the Mission Statement will include making sure it is aligned with the other elements, especially the college’s Core Values that guide the college. While we continuously strive to be a better institution, just being better at what we do is not good enough. We recognize that today’s (and future) global realities require that we plan and create necessary changes. Specific projections include the following:

• The college community will reassess and develop a new Mission Statement within the next two years that reflects our commitments, goals, objectives, constituent needs, and abilities to deliver on these realistically.
• Accordingly the Core Values will be reviewed to make sure they reflect the new Mission Statement.
• Because a substaintial proportion of students do not know the contents of the Mission Statement, we must develop and implement strategies to familiarize them with our mission, as well as Core Values.

There is no doubt of the college’s commitment to do the necessary work ahead to achieve these objectives.  There is indication from the President that planning, review, discussion and debate will continue at the college, at all levels, to further incorporate the necessary changes into its structure.

Standard Two:  Planning and Evaluation

PLANNING

Description

In order to understand the planning process at the college more fully, the primary managers at the college were surveyed and interviewed. The results of those surveys and interviews are found in Exhibits 2-01 to 2-30.

Generally speaking, of course, all college planning begins at the presidential level.  In fact, President David Hartleb identifies planning and budget as the primary tasks of his office (Exhibit 2-01_Interview_CabinetLevel_Hartleb.pdf).  It is his responsibility to ensure that the college is focused on what is coming in the future and that it always has a strategic plan in place.  President Hartleb works closely with the Executive Committee of the All College Assembly to develop this strategic plan. A number of factors are taken into consideration in the development of that plan.  The shape of the current plan for 2008-2011 emerged from an appreciative inquiry process conducted in a Strategic Directions Summit involving faculty, staff, administrators and students in May of 2007 (http://www.necc.mass.edu/ai ). To supplement that work, the research of the Office of Institutional Research, the work of the Achieving the Dream teams, the results from different Process Management teams and various other data are considered.  No planning is done without data. The function of the strategic plan, as the president sees it, is to set the direction for the college, not to establish specific goals. That task is left to the individual major areas and their units. He expects that members of his cabinet will use the strategic plan as the basis for their own agendas.  Resources are allocated to the various departments based on how requests fit the overall plan.

Planning is done at the college in three major areas-the Academic Affairs area, the Administration and Finance area and the area of Enrollment Management and Student Services. These areas are directed by Vice Presidents who meet regularly as the President’s Cabinet. In addition, the areas of Institutional Research, Institutional Advancement, and the Office of Faculty and Staff Development report directly to the president of the college, as well as, more recently, the Instructional Technology area. Finally, the All College Assembly, a governance body, is composed of faculty and staff committees that act in an advisory role to help plan and implement the policies and practices of the college. In each area, the first line managers are involved in the planning process. For the president, this means the members of the Cabinet.

The area of Academic Affairs, headed by the Vice President of Academic Affairs, has several divisions-Humanities and Social Sciences; Business, Math, Science, and Technology; Health Professions; Law, Education and Social Professions; and Instructional and Student Support-each headed by a Dean (Exhibit 2-02 Interview_AcademicAffairs_Glenn.pdf).  The heads of these divisions, their assistant deans, and others form the Academic Affairs Leadership Team .

Long-term planning and evaluation are done through the Academic Master Plan (http://www.necc.mass.edu/vpacademicaffairs/masterplan.php) and (Exhibit 2-03 Survey__AMP_Grondine), which was developed through a process in the fall of 2007 that built on the work of the Strategic Plan Summit in the spring of that year. Broad-based committees of administrators, faculty and staff were formed. These committees were organized around specific charters that focused on work that, in a series of forums in the fall of 2007, staff and faculty determined needed to be done in the Academic Affairs area. One such charter focused on the development of a statement of Core Academic Skills (approved by the college community at an All College Assembly meeting in the spring of 2009). There is another planning process in Academic Affairs for program review and outcomes assessment, headed by a Director who primarily organizes the completion of this work (Exhibit 2-34 Interview_Program Review and Assessment_Wentland). Although directed primarily by the Vice President of Academic Affairs, another initiative, Achieving the Dream, is being implemented college-wide (http://www.necc.mass.edu/achievingthedream/index.php).

Short-term planning is done on an annual basis by divisions, departments, and academic disciplines. This planning is meant to connect short-term goals that derive from the strategic directions and the goals of the Achieving the Dream initiative to the allocation of resources (http://www.necc.mass.edu/irp/planning/strategic.php and http://www.necc.mass.edu/facultystaff/plan.php).  Results from the program review process may also be used in determining the allocation of resources (http://www.necc.mass.edu/program_review_and_outcomes/index.php).

Major initiatives in the Academic Affairs area are monitored at Academic Master Plan Steering Committee meetings and at Academic Affairs Leadership Team meetings. Monitoring and evaluation always involve data gathering, which is done at the beginning of planning processes and later for assessment purposes. The data vary by initiative, but very often relate to student success (retention, persistence, and graduation) and may be disaggregated by various student descriptors (age, gender, race/ethnicity). The area relies on data already available from or collected by the Office of Institutional Research and Planning (http://www.necc.mass.edu/irp/) and increasingly on data produced by the Achieving the Dream teams (http://www.necc.mass.edu/achievingthedream/datareports.php ).

The Vice President of Administration and Finance oversees the areas of Facilities; Buildings and Grounds; Accounting and Finance; and the Bursar (Exhibit 2-04 Interview_AdminandFinance_Wolfe). The strategic plan is the basis for short-term decision-making in the area of Facilities and Buildings and Grounds. Long-term planning in that area is driven, to a large extent, by the Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAM) master plan (Exhibit 2-30 Survey_Admin and Finance_BuildingsandGrounds_Clarke). This plan is revised every 10-15 years. There is an abundance of data on which to base decisions - systems information, maintenance records, space studies, for example.  Thus, the college’s strategic plan must align in many areas with the vision of DCAM for the college.

Other areas supervised by the VP of Administration and Finance are faced with different challenges and have spent less time thinking about planning as they have been struggling to address shortcomings in the college’s accounting and finance systems. Learning what other colleges are doing and how successful their efforts have been is part of the information now being sought to inform the planning process in that area. Accounting and Finance is also responsible for implementing a number of state regulations which also somewhat circumscribe planning efforts in that area.

The Information Technology area is in a situation somewhat similar to the Bursar and Accounting and Finance (Exhibit 2-14 Survey_IT_Bickford). Although the long term goals fit into the college’s strategic plan, many of their activities involve trying to catch up in areas where they are significantly behind other comparable institutions. In addition, new requests come in regularly from other parts of the college. For example, recently a request for an e-portfolio system for both advising and assessment has become a priority as a result of the work of one of the Achieving the Dream teams. This request was not envisioned at the time the strategic plan was developed. Such unanticipated requests may complicate the process of short-term planning and often inform the long-term planning process as well.

As in the areas of Administration and Finance and Instructional Technology, the area of Enrollment Management and Student Services (EMSS) is structured with a first line of managers who head various departments in the area-Student Life, Marketing Communications, Enrollment Services, Learning Accommodations, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services, and the various services at the Lawrence Campus (Exhibit 2-06 EMSS_Organizational Chart and Exhibit 2-HC EMSS Binder). Strategic goals, aligned in a chart to the strategic directions of the college (Exhibit 2-07 EMSS_2009 Strategic Directions and Exhibit 2-08 IT 2009 Strategic Directions), are set at an annual retreat of the first line administrators, and then leadership meetings occur every two weeks to check on progress in the several departments (Exhibit 2-09 EMSS Leadership Team Meeting Updates). In the various units, supervisors encourage individual members to set operational goals that help to implement the strategic goals (Exhibit 2-10 EMSS Operational Plan).

Divisional strategic plans are shared with all employees, and managers share all they learn from the Executive Vice President in their departmental staff meetings. Data are gathered within the department and analyzed at the end of every business cycle or in between if problems arise. In some cases, consultants are hired to help with projects in the division. Community College Leadership Academy (CCLA) projects are also used to encourage the participant to evaluate services against best practices and to recommend changes (http://www.necc.mass.edu/leadershipacademy/).

From time to time, planning issues may arise that require the expertise of several areas of the college to resolve. In this instance, college-wide Process Management teams of faculty, staff, administrators, and students may be formed to research the issue, collect relevant data, evaluate the data and make decisions. An example of such a team is the one that researched the usefulness of the college’s system of shuttle buses between the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses. This team included the President, the Vice President and a Staff Assistant from Institutional Advancement, the Director of Student Engagement, the ESL Curriculum Coordinator, and a student in the Accounting Program. (http://www.necc.mass.edu/ProcessManagement/report/pm_07_fall_shuttle_service.pdf ).

The Office of Faculty and Staff Development (http://cit.necc.mass.edu/ofsd/ ) is an area largely run by one administrator, one administrative staff person, and recently, a faculty fellow (Exhibit 2-11 Interview_ProfDev_Kamber). It supplements the work of the Academic Affairs area by planning, offering and evaluating various professional development programs for faculty and staff-both full-time and adjunct-and helping to develop such projects as the Learning Communities initiative run by the Learning Communities Steering Committee, the iTeach training program in the Center for Instructional Technology for faculty building new online courses ( http://cit.necc.mass.edu/ofsd/iteach.php ), and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning project (http://cit.necc.mass.edu/ofsd/sotl.php ).

The Office of Institutional Advancement (http://www.necc.mass.edu/alumni/friends_alumni.php and Exhibit 2-28 Interview_Institutional Advancement_Poth) plays a role in supplementing state funding with public sector and private sector grants and donations to the college. It also develops partnerships with the community. Directed by the Vice President of Institutional Advancement, this unit funds student scholarships as well as projects suggested by faculty and staff from other areas of the college (see Exhibit 2-HC2 Institutional Advancement Reference Manual).

Finally, the Office of Institutional Research, headed by a Dean,( http://www.necc.mass.edu/irp/ ) has taken on an increasingly significant role at the college by not only providing relevant data to evaluate institutional effectiveness, but also, primarily through the Achieving the Dream project (http://www.necc.mass.edu/achievingthedream/datareports.php ), by taking on a proactive role in devising research projects with faculty members, staff and administrators to investigate significant issues at the college.

Meetings of the President’s Cabinet seem to be the chief vehicle for communication of goals set at the level of the president and the cabinet members.  Depending on the goal, however, broadcast emails, websites and paper communications may be used to reach to a much wider audience, or college-wide meetings such as those of the All College Assembly or convocation may be used for disseminating information. For example, in planning for the current budget crisis, the president held a series of focus groups and also provided an opportunity for college employees to post ideas on a blog. The Information Technology area hopes to utilize a newly created Information Technology Committee (with representatives of various areas of the college) to both gather and disseminate information in the future.

Appraisal

Several themes have emerged from the examination of the planning and evaluation process at the college. First, there is a great deal more formal planning going on than at any time in the recent past.  New tools such as the Appreciative Inquiry model (http://www.necc.mass.edu/ai/) and Process Management (http://www.necc.mass.edu/ProcessManagement/index.php) have contributed to that process. Second, long-term planning lags behind short-term planning. Third, adequate communication and coordination of plans is still sometimes lacking. Fourth, lack of time and personnel resources continue to hamper the planning effort. Fifth, the evaluation of the planning process, the resulting plans, and the evaluation of data used in the process could be strengthened.

As noted above, the current Strategic Plan is the result of a very systematic planning process using the Appreciative Inquiry process. This process created a significant amount of college-wide buy-in for the core values and the five-fold Strategic Plan which emerged at the end. Every segment of the college uses the Strategic Plan as the basis for setting its own goals and for justifying its major expenditures (http://www.necc.mass.edu/irp/planning/strategic.php). Using the Appreciative Inquiry model, more specific planning has taken place at many levels of the college. Overall, planning is more data focused than in the past, in part as a result of the expectations of the Achieving the Dream initiative, and, in part, because the culture of the college has shifted to a more evidence-based perspective. Every division and department in the college is actively engaged in planning on several levels.

Every area attempts to make the planning process broad-based. The Academic Affairs Master Plan is a good example. Like the Strategic Plan, the development of the Academic Master Plan involved wide participation of the college community and serves to guide many of the activities of the Academic Affairs segment of the college. In other areas, planning includes, at a minimum, the division head and those that report to him/her with the results disseminated to other members of the unit. Small units, such as Institutional Advancement, include all members in the planning process.

That said, short-term planning seems to have priority over long-term planning.  There are two exceptions.  In the area of facilities management, five and ten year plans were developed by an outside consulting firm commissioned by the Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAM) and the Department of Higher Education . The resulting plans are regularly updated and are being mostly implemented on schedule.  The second exception is in the Wellness and Fitness area, where planning for equipment purchases drives much of the planning effort. In other areas, however, long-term planning is described as one or two years in advance (Faculty and Staff Development) or has been done only sporadically (Administration and Finance, for example).

The failure to engage in consistent long-term planning seems to be the result of several factors. First, shortages of personnel in key areas have made it difficult to remove people from day to day activities long enough for concerted planning. The lack of a Chief Information Officer until recently hampered the process of long-term planning in that area. Second, lack of needed resources has also played a role. In part, this lack of resources helps to explain understaffing. It also means, however, that it is difficult to look very far into the future as state revenues are too unpredictable to negotiate long-term contracts or to commit to future purchases even when needs can be clearly documented. Finally, immediate problems and crises often have to take priority. For example, long-term planning in Information Technology was interrupted by the need to install a generator to keep vital college services such as support for online courses, email and the phone system running. With aging infrastructure, unexpected needs arise regularly, although they often do not fit into either a short-term or a long-term plan.

Although each area of the college is working very diligently to create well-formed plans, communication and coordination of those plans college-wide is still lacking. Each member of the President’s cabinet shares his/her plans at meetings of that group. However, the consensus seems to be that what is shared at those meetings often does not find its way back to those who need to know at lower echelons of the college hierarchy. Representatives from Institutional Advancement would like to share their goals with individual departments, for example, but are often not invited to do so. Information Technology leaders would like more feedback from faculty who use the academic technology and are hopeful that a new Information Technology Committee will provide the loop which has been lacking. An example of the impact of this lack of communication might be the well-intentioned plan to close the campus last year between Christmas and New Year’s in order to save money on energy. The result, however, was that course brochures went out to the local community while the college was closed so that prospective students were unable to register. Then, the date to cancel under-enrolled classes arrived before students had been able to get in to register due to the closure (and a snowstorm, which aggravated the problem).  Certain lessons have been learned from this experience, so it is unlikely to be repeated. However, better communication among planners might have prevented it from occurring in the first place.

Some of the communication issues may result simply from information overload, as everyone at the college is overwhelmed with the number of tasks that need to be done. However, better defined lines of communication need to be established, and those at the top of the communication chain need to be held accountable in some way for passing on important information to their constituents. Links need to be forged with appropriate college-wide committees, for example, so that there are a variety of communication routes for important information.

As noted earlier, the instability of the budget has left many areas short-staffed, overworked, and with inadequate resources to implement many of the plans that have been generated. IT, for example, has added several staff members in the last year but still needs more staff to keep up with unexpected needs (e-portfolios for advising and assessment, for example). Institutional Advancement would like to be able to hire consultants to help them evaluate donor and solicitation materials, but funding has not permitted it. The Marketing Communications department, which manages the website, has experienced turn-over of staff, making the development of a planned new NECC portal slower than anticipated. Once implemented, this portal should serve as a valuable tool for communication.

All areas, however, feel that the staff they now have in place are very competent to engage in planning and implementation. The challenge is in freeing up time for them to engage in that process. In addition, there is now an abundance of data ranging from student surveys to enrollment statistics to a capital asset inventory, which should make future planning more efficient and reliable.

Evaluation of the degree to which plans have been successfully completed is commonly but not always done. In some areas, Academic Affairs and Enrollment Management and Student Services, for example, extensive reports generated at the end of the fiscal year identify tasks completed (http://www.necc.mass.edu/irp/planning/2008_stratplan_results.php). However, both the president and the Executive Committee chair indicated that making a more conscious effort to assess the overall success of the Strategic Plan would be beneficial. There is also the continuing question of whether the evaluation of planning in the various areas has been set up in a rigorous way and the results of the evaluation have been interpreted correctly.

Despite the limitations, many planning efforts have come to fruition. Several of the Academic Master Plan committees have completed their work. One result is the establishment of five core academic skills which all NECC students need to acquire during their time at the college. Enrollment Management and Student Services has introduced new databases, put several forms online, reorganized the area and established a number of new policies and practices. Administration and Finance has worked diligently to improve financial accountability and increase opacity. Significant software updates have been completed by Informational Technology. A portfolio system for student advising is nearly ready for implementation.  Thus, many of the short-term planning efforts, at least, have resulted in significant and valuable changes.

Projection

A number of changes, currently under way, will continue over the next few years. In the academic area, core resources are being expanded. The percentage of daytime classes taught by full-time faculty has increased from 53% in 2007 to 61% in 2009.  The goal is to reach 65% by the end of the third year of the Strategic Plan. Expansion of assessment testing and course offerings to local high schools is underway and is likely to increase. Professional development continues to focus on expansion of learning communities, writing and reading across the curriculum, development of a First Year college experience and increasing engagement in the classroom.

The current Strategic Plan will end in 2011. Discussion about whether to extend the current plan or to develop a new one will take place in the spring of 2010. In either case, the decision will be made by the president and the Executive Committee. Given the current college culture, a new plan will almost certainly be developed in a manner that invites participation from a wide range of stakeholders and is heavily data-driven.

The increasing collection of data at all levels will provide the foundation for future planning. Enrollment Management and Student Services is expanding the information it gathers about retention of students engaged in extra-curricular activities. Program Review is generating significant data about strengths and challenges in individual programs. Administration and Finance is expanding its data collection ability with new methodologies for tracking of the college budget.

As finances permit, the college infrastructure will be improved. Computer technology will be upgraded on a more consistent basis. The college will increasingly rely on electronic communication with its employees, students, and community constituents.  An online payment system is needed to complement a wide array of online services for both on ground and distance learning students.

In order to improve communication, new links need to be forged. A reexamination of the college’s governance system is likely to be undertaken in an effort to improve participation on the part of faculty and staff. The Information Technology area hopes to rely on the input of a newly established IT Committee to provide better communication with all segments of the college and dreams of the day when a Dean of Academic Technology will be appointed to allow for more effective response to the needs of the academic area.

The college will celebrate its 50^th anniversary in 2012. Planning for fundraising and for the anniversary celebration itself will begin soon. The college will reach this milestone as a stronger and more diverse institution than anyone could have foreseen in 1962.

EVALUATION

Description

The college evaluates its institutional effectiveness in a variety of ways. Many programs are accredited or approved by outside agencies. This is true of all of the programs in the area of health –Nursing (Exhibit HC 2-00), Respiratory Therapy (Exhibit HC2-00), Radiologic Technology (Exhibit HC 2-00), Dental Assisting (Exhibit HC 2-00), Medical Assisting (Exhibit 2-00) and EMT/Paramedic (Exhibit HC2-00) as well as programs in Paralegal Studies (Exhibit HC2-00), Early Childhood Education (Exhibit 2-32), Criminal Justice (Exhibit 2-33) and Human Services (Exhibit HC 2-00).

In addition, all programs in the college are on a schedule for a thorough program review process. Many of the programs have already been reviewed and the remaining programs are slated for review over the next couple of years. The reports of these program reviews are available on the program review website (http://www.necc.mass.edu/program_review_and_outcomes/index.php). Programs that have completed the program review process are actively assessing program outcomes each year and using the results in their self-studies for accrediting agencies.

An Academic Master Plan Committee recently developed, and the college approved, five core academic skills (communication, global awareness, information literacy, quantitative reasoning, and science and technology) which will apply to all students (http://www.necc.mass.edu/vpacademicaffairs/docs/vpaa_draftcore_academicSkills.pdf ). Another committee is finalizing the process through which those core academic skills will be assessed. The intent is to assess students at the 45-50 credit level using a portfolio system. The first assessment is scheduled to take place in the spring of 2010.

Achieving the Dream (http://www.necc.mass.edu/irp/research/docs/IRP_120108_AtDSummary.pdf) is a recent initiative that involves more than one major area of the college. The college received a grant to participate in this national initiative from 2008-2012 (with an implementation grant for planning over FY2007). The initiative gives seed money to colleges across the US to encourage them to use data as evidence in identifying and devising strategies to help at-risk cohorts of students succeed in college courses and continue to degree completion. Achieving the Dream goals have been incorporated into the planning and evaluation cycles of all the major areas of the college, an effect envisioned by the goals of the initiative itself. The hope is that in participating colleges, a culture of evidence will develop beyond the term of funding and transform planning and evaluation processes so that they will always be based on correctly interpreted evidence derived from well-planned studies (http://www.necc.mass.edu/achievingthedream/datareports.php).

An  Institutional Effectiveness Committee used to play a role in the collection and interpretation of key performance indicator (KPI) data (both those required by the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education and those deemed useful by the college community itself). This committee has been incorporated into the Achieving the Dream initiative as its Data Team. Now, each year, the Office of Institutional Research tracks five key performance indicators for this team:  transition & developmental course completion rates, gatekeeper course completion rates, retention, degrees and certificates conferred, and diversity of faculty and staff.  Each indicator has a two-year and a four-year goal (Exhibit 2-31 Fall2008_KPI_report).

The college also participates in the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) every other year. Results of that survey are used to inform many areas of the college including student services, advising, and faculty professional development http://www.necc.mass.edu/irp/planning/ccsse.php.

Appraisal

There is still much work to be done in the area of evaluation of institutional effectiveness. Getting a college-wide assessment process for the five core academic skills functioning smoothly is a high priority. The pilot assessment of the communication skill in spring of 2010 should provide important feedback both on the ability of the students to communicate in the manner necessary for success and also on the process itself.

Those programs that have gone through external accreditation or approval have fared well and have incorporated recommended changes into their curriculum. A major change in the Nursing program curriculum is one example. A number of programs have completed the program review process and are now regularly assessing program outcomes and implementing changes based on review results. An example is the survey of prospective employers recently conducted by the Graphic Design Program in response to issues raised by its program review.

The Achieving the Dream initiative has led to modest improvements, for example, in retention in English Composition and improvement in the process of devising cut scores for entry into the Basic Algebra vs. College Algebra courses. The Community College Survey of Student Engagement indicates improvement in such areas as academic challenge, student effort, faculty-student interaction and support for learners. An Institutional Effectiveness Committee (http://www.necc.mass.edu/irp/ie.php) has worked to improve performance on the Key Performance Indicators, although as noted above, their work has now been taken over by the Achieving the Dream Data Team.

Improvement has been seen in several of the key performance indicators. Students who took developmental courses in fall 2008 exceeded the two and four year goals in every area except math, and the total number of degrees awarded has increased, for example.

Projection

A number of very specific advances can be expected before the end of the current Strategic Plan.  First, the coordinated efforts of work through the Academic Master Plan committees and the Achieving the Dream teams should lead to better advising and retention of our students. An e-portfolio system for advising will assist students in setting and then executing educational goals. Applications for financial aid will be accessed electronically. Careful monitoring of student progress in developmental courses and their transition into gateway college-level courses should enhance retention. Assessment of core academic skills should provide useful information about what students are able to do when they leave our institution and point in the direction of needed changes.

Programs that have not already gone through the Program Review process will do so over the next several years. Areas revealed by the CCSSE survey which need improvement such as active and collaborative learning will be addressed through professional development activities.

There is still work to be done on improving some of the key performance indicators. Math continues to need careful attention, which is now being provided through the Achieving the Dream initiative. While course completion rates have improved in a number of key courses, the improvement has been erratic rather than steady, and more work needs to be done in this area as well.

A Final Word

In both the planning and evaluation of its activities, the college has taken great strides in the last ten years. Planning is more structured and evaluation more solidly based than before. The planning and evaluation processes themselves have been transformed to become more broadly participatory, involving all segments of the college and external community, and more integrated, often involving different segments of the college in the solution of problems. While it is true that there are still significant challenges in the planning and evaluation processes, it is also true that the members of the college community are better trained than they have ever been in these processes and more proactive in their use.

Standard Three: Organization and Governance

Description

The Board of Trustees

Northern Essex Community College is one of fifteen public community colleges in the Commonwealth, operating under the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education (BHE). Locally, the college is governed by the Board of Trustees (BOT), which receives its authority from the BHE, and whose members are appointed by the Governor, with the exception of one student elected annually by the student body, and one member elected by the Alumni Association. Except for the student representative, all appointments are subject to five-year terms, renewable for one additional term.  The power of the Board of Trustees is to delegate authority to the president to administer and lead the college as described in Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 15A, section 22. The additional responsibilities and duties of the Board are described in the Trustees Orientation Manual distributed to each member at the annual Board of Trustees’ training retreat. Each new trustee then meets individually with the president to review the trustee’s role and responsibilities and to resolve any questions. The BOT meets monthly, occasionally alternating the venue from the Haverhill campus to that of the Lawrence campus on Franklin Street or the Louise Haffner Fournier Education Center on Amesbury Street.

Members of the Board of Trustees are not compensated for their service, but all reasonable expenses for travel and conferences are reimbursed. Members have available to them the same professional development opportunities as the college’s staff and faculty, and are invited to all college student-centered activities or award ceremonies, thereby connecting trustees to students, faculty and staff. These connections are reinforced by BOT members participating in NECC’s planning activities, such as the Appreciative Inquiry process that resulted in our 2008-2011 Strategic Plan, and those who are involved with school processes in other ways, such as serving on the steering committee for our Achieving the Dream Initiative.

 

President/Administration/Structure

The President, David Hartleb, is the chief executive officer of the College and reports directly to the Board of Trustees.  He has been president since 1996; a tenure which includes the college’s last NEASC self-study in 2000. 

The president administers and leads the College by conferring with a number of decision-making bodies including his senior advisory team, the Cabinet.  The Cabinet includes: the Executive Vice President, the Vice President of Academic Affairs, the Vice President of Administration, the Vice President of Institutional Advancement, the Dean of Institutional Planning and Research, and the Dean of Workforce Development and Community Education Services, the Dean of Human Resources, the Dean of Faculty and Staff Development, and the Chief Information Officer.  The Cabinet meets with the president as a group twice a month and individually once a month.  Discussion at these meetings include proposed policies and their implementation, institutional rules and regulations, budget issues, personnel action, institutional efficacy, divisional actions, and other mission related issues.

The Leadership Team, another advisory group, meets with the president twice a semester to discuss campus-wide issues from an administrative perspective.  For example, a recent Leadership meeting focused on the college’s preparations for the H1N1 virus.  This allowed the Team to hear preliminary plans and to offer helpful suggestions from a broad spectrum of viewpoints.  The Leadership Team includes Cabinet members and the following Deans and Associate Vice President:  Dean of Humanities and Social Services; Dean of Law, Education and Social professions; Dean of Business, Math, Science and Technology; Dean of Instructional Development and Student Support; Dean of Health Professions; Dean of Academic Advising, Transfer and Articulation; Associate Vice President for Enrollment Services and Dean of Admissions.  Members of the Cabinet and Leadership Team communicate regularly with their direct reports including associate and assistant deans, directors and coordinators and in regularly scheduled division and department meetings.    

The relationship between the president and the administration is depicted in a flow chart describing the organizational structure, hierarchy of authority, and reporting relationships within the institution.  The college’s various divisions and departments, are defined in this chart along with the administrator in charge of the area.  This chart is on file in the president’s office and in Human Resources and is periodically updated to reflect organization and personnel changes. 

 Faculty, staff and administrators all have an official job description on file in the Human Resources Office.   These job descriptions detail the authority, responsibility and the goals and objectives for each position.  The American Federation of State, County and Technical Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO Collective Bargaining Agreement (AFSCME) outlines the general work responsibilities for clerical and technical employees.  General work responsibilities for faculty and professional staff are outlined in two Massachusetts Community College Council (MCCC)/Massachusetts Teacher Association (MTA) Collective Bargaining Agreements (one for full-time and part-time day faculty and one for part-time Division of Continuing Education (DCE) faculty who teach credit courses.  General work responsibilities for administrators and other non-unit professionals are outlined in the Non-Unit Professionals Personnel Policies handbook and in the Non-Unit Classified Personnel Policies handbook for certain administrative assistants and confidential secretaries.

The Human Resources Department helps to insure job descriptions are reviewed and updated on a regular basis by employees and their supervisors in accordance with collective bargaining agreements of the two unions (AFSCME, MCCC/MTA); and non-unit employee policies. Evaluations are also conducted in all employee areas in accordance with the bargaining unit agreements and non-unit policies. As part of a requirement of the MCCC collective bargaining agreement, representatives from labor and management, including the president, meet once a month to discuss non-contractual issues and to try and resolve them.  These meetings provide a helpful avenue for informal communication.

 

 

The All College Assembly

The All College Assembly (ACA) plays an important role in facilitating participatory governance at the college.   The ACA Charter states, “This Charter gives life, on paper, to representative participation by employees in the college community.”   It further states:  “The purpose of the All College Assembly is not to perform administration, but to advise on executive and operating policies both before they are adopted and after implementation.” (NECC Web site-What is the All College Assembly?).

 There are four standing committees of the All College Assembly:  The Academic Affairs Committee, the Finance Committee, the Executive Committee for Planning and Policy, and the Student Affairs Committee.  Each committee has seats for 13 elected members, including seven faculty, two professional staff, two non-unit professionals and non-unit confidential secretaries, and two clerical/technical and maintenance custodial employees.  Standing Committees meet on a regular basis throughout the year and the entire ACA meets 2-3 times a semester. 

 In general, the purpose of the ACA standing committees is to review and recommend polices.  A brief description of each, adapted from the college’s web site, is outlined below:

            Executive Committee:  The Executive Committee meets with the president at least twice a     semester to discuss ongoing concerns and to establish committee and assembly priorities.  When    necessary the committee may establish sub-committees and task forces to address important issues and    policy matters not addressed by other standing committees.  The Executive Committee oversees ACA     meetings, regularly seeks input from Assembly members and the president on issues of importance.

            Academic Affairs Committee:  The Academic Affairs Committee makes recommendations to the             president regarding proposals for changes, additions and deletions in curricula offered by all divisions of             the College.  The Committee may also make recommendations on college-wide academic policy and             standards. 

            Finance Committee:  The Finance Committee makes recommendations to the president with respect to             the allocation of funds within the proposed and approved budget of the college (within collective             bargaining laws and agreements).  The Committee accesses budgetary information, as a group, or             through its chairperson or designee, necessary to make informed recommendations.

            Student Affairs Committee:  The Student Affairs Committee makes recommendations in all areas of             student life including but not limited to:  recruitment, admissions, orientation, advising, retention,             student services, diversity issues, student activities, classroom climate and student morale.        

Faculty

 The faculty at Northern Essex exercises a critical role in ensuring the quality and integrity of the college academic programs.  Faculty members develop proposals for academic courses and programs and submit these to the All College Assembly’s Academic Affairs Committee for approval.  This past year 121 proposals were submitted to the Academic Affairs Committee; 39 new courses, 32 changes, 21 special topics, and 13 inactivations.  The Committee, consisting of approximately 50% faculty/50% staff, evaluates, approves and makes changes to courses and programs.  Recommendations are then forwarded to the Vice President of Academic Affairs and, ultimately, to the President for approval.   The faculty also has a voice in and influence other policies and issues through their participation in division and department meetings; serving on other college committees such as the Diversity Committee, the National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI)team, the Strategic Planning Team, the Achieving the Dream Team and many others.   For example, the Diversity Committee was instrumental in working with Human Resources to strengthen the minority hiring process.  As a result new guidelines for hiring committees were established; all college hiring committees now must include either a Diversity, or National Coalition Building Institute committee member.   Another example of faculty voice having an effect is the recommendation by faculty to change the fall exam schedule after inclement weather made it difficult to hold make-up exams.  As a result of faculty input, a change was made to the fall exam schedule to insure enough make-up dates in the event of school closings.

Students

 Students have a number of different opportunities to have their voices heard including the following.   Every year students elect a Student Senate that represents students’ views on various issues and areas of concern.  And, each year students elect a student representative to the Board of Trustees.   Students can also provide input through the student newspaper (the Observer), clubs and organizations, suggestion boxes, faculty evaluations, the Student Leadership Development Program and as Presidential Student Ambassadors.  Another important avenue for student input are the more informal yet critical discussions with various faculty and staff with whom students feel comfortable expressing their views and concerns.

 All students receive the Student Policy Handbook when they register.  This includes a chart, “Process and Contacts for Resolving Complaints,” which directs students to the appropriate personnel to voice areas of concern, complaints and suggestions, so that, if needed, they can be addressed efficiently and appropriately. The handbook is also posted on the Northern Essex website.  The Executive Vice President reviews any concerns along with managers on both the Lawrence and Haverhill campuses in a “debriefing process” to insure that the concern has been properly addressed to the best of the college’s abilities.  In recent years student input has been actively sought through ad hoc meetings and focus groups on issues such as the new Smoke Free Environment policy, the Achieving the Dream project and the NEASC accreditation study.

 

Campus System

 Northern Essex functions as one centralized system with three sites in three cities located approximately 10-13 miles apart from each other. These sites are commonly referred to as the “Haverhill Campus”, the “Lawrence Campus”, and the “North Andover site.” The Lawrence branch campus consists of two buildings located in close proximity to one another on two different streets (Franklin Street and Amesbury Street). The North Andover site is considered a satellite site.

The Executive Vice President is designated by the President of the college to be responsible for all day-to-day functions and operations at the Lawrence campus.  Over the past six years the services for students on the Lawrence campus have been brought to a commensurate level with the Haverhill campus.  The Executive Vice President oversees the functions and operations of both Lawrence buildings and also manages Enrollment Management Service sand Student Services on both the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses.  Responsibilities also include overseeing such items as student activities, day care at both the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses, and the outreach program in Lawrence.  The Executive Vice president also serves as Acting President for the Haverhill campus when the President is absent. 

 Reporting directly to the President, the Vice President of Administration and Finance is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Haverhill campus including four key areas: Accounting and Finance, the Bursar’s Office, Event Planning, and Facilities and Grounds.  The Vice President of Finance and the Executive Vice President both have supervisors and staff designated to cover if they are absent or off-campus.

The Vice President of Academic Affairs oversees the academic arena at all three locations. All academic programs, including credit, day and evening courses, are administered the same way on both campuses and follow the same organizational chain of command.

As of March 1, 2009, the college realigned the non-credit programs and services, offered through Work Force Development and Community Education (WFD & CE), under the Vice President of Academic Affairs.  He is responsible for all the non-credit programs courses and services, whether offered days, evenings or weekends, at all college locations.  The Dean of WFD & CE reports directly to the vice president and is charged with the daily oversight and management of the non-credit programs, services and courses in this area.  The majority of personnel for WFD & CE and the Northeast Region of the Center for Business & Industry (CBI) are housed in North Andover; others are located in Haverhill and Lawrence.   Currently, Northern Essex is considering leasing space in Lawrence to re-locate the North Andover offices.

 Workforce Development and Community Education programs and services are offered at a variety of off campus sites including the NECC Corporate and Community Education Center in North Andover, the Methuen Community Education Program in the Methuen public schools, the Veasey Park Enrichment Series in Groveland’s Veasey Park, and various corporate sites.  With the exception of opportunities to partner with Academic Affairs to offer credit programming to corporate customers, the vast majority of WFD&CE programs and services are of a non-credit nature.  Community Education includes personal enrichment courses, online courses, and Life Long Learning (LLL) programming which serves the needs and interests of older adults.  Workforce Development includes both corporate training services as well as publicly offered professional development and business programming. 

Overall enrollment for the 2008 calendar year was 7,508 students as compared to 1997’s enrollment of 6,184; a reflection of the growth in this area.  Standards and policies for non-credit instructors and offerings vary from those for credit courses, but as appropriate, the non-credit area is integrated into usual college systems and procedures.

 Distance education is de-centralized at Northern Essex and courses are developed and scheduled through the various academic areas.  To facilitate distance learning, Northern Essex is a member of the Massachusetts Colleges Online (MCO) consortium, a collaborative of the 15 community colleges and nine state colleges, which offers over 500 online courses and programs. MCO allows students the opportunity to take distance education classes from various institutions in the consortium to attain a single degree.

 

APPRAISAL

 

The Board of Trustees

The college’s Board of Trustees operates effectively and maintains a positive and productive relationship with the president. At the BOT’s self-assessment retreat in May 2009, trustees’ comments about their Board interaction included how well they “Operate as a team”-one with “Shared goals,”and “No private agendas.”  Members also commented that they “Know what to expect”, are “Comfortable about asking questions” and have a “Comfortable working atmosphere.”

During a September 2009 interview with three trustees, one of whom is the student trustee, interviewees focused on the self-assessment tool, which the board had developed last year. Summative results are available for perusal, but overall the trustees ranked all areas of functioning in the highest two categories (Strongly Agree and Agree) on a five point Likert scale. The areas leaning more toward “Agree,” indicating areas that might be strengthened, include giving the board members an even clearer description of their roles and responsibilities, deepening their understanding of the financial audit and its recommendations, and specifying methods of avoiding conflicts of interest or the perception thereof.  Board members awarded extremely high scores in reference to a “climate of mutual trust and respect” existing between the board and CEO, the board’s effective evaluation of the CEO, how well the “board and CEO work cooperatively to maintain a broad perspective,” and how well “Board members work together as a team to accomplish the work of the board.”  In an opportunity to express opinions in an open-ended format, members continued to comment on the high quality of leadership at the college, the teamwork, and integrity of the board.

 During the self-assessment and in interviews, Board members commented on how much they enjoyed the academic reports that are part of each monthly meeting, and how those reports helped them feel more connected to what was happening at the college. As mentioned earlier, connectedness has also been reinforced by the Board’s involvement in the Appreciative Inquiry (AI) approach to creating our latest Strategic Plan, which provided an opportunity to interact with staff, faculty and community stakeholders.  One trustee described the AI planning as “eye-opening,” particularly in terms of being able “to witness the energy and optimism of all involved, and “to learn in-depth about more that’s going on in the college.” 

Two of the trustees interviewed are members of the college’s Achieving the Dream Core Team, which allows for direct participation in the process of the college developing an even stronger evidence-based decision making culture, and gives them a front row seat in the conversations around policy and programming improvements. These trustees bring that information and enthusiasm back to the full board, and gain greater understanding of how their governance and the president’s leadership combine for success.

Ultimately, the only concerns members expressed during their self-assessment and in interview centered on the external forces of budget cuts and policy formation at the level of the BHE.

 

President/Administration/Structure

 Participatory governance remains an important goal of the College.  As in most large organizations the actual structure of the college is hierarchical.  However, the consistent commitment to broad participation in decision making over the past ten years has leveled the hierarchy and fostered the development of a culture of involvement. 

 There has been improvement over the past several years in the extent to which decision making has become more transparent and information of importance is less concentrated at the top.  And there is extensive recognition that a serious effort is being made to create a more democratic organization with open communication and shared decision making.  For example, in addition to the formal channels of communication, there have been several new initiatives at the college in recent years which have further facilitated participatory governance.  The first is Process Management, implemented at the college in 2004.  PM is an initiative developed to foster continuous improvement and solve organizational problems from the ground up.  Process Management Teams made up of personnel from across the college, have been formed to address specific problems and propose specific, workable solutions that can then be implemented.  These Teams have recommended reconfiguration of the library, a method for events planning and scheduling, and the development of a freshman seminar, to name just a few.  One example of a successful Process Management effort is the project focused on the future of the library.  As a result of the research conducted and recommendations made in this project, the first floor of the College Library is currently being renovated to create an Information Commons that will more effectively serve the needs of today’s students.  (A list of the 29 Process Management efforts conducted between fall 2004 and fall 2007 is located on the college web site).  Process Management has had a powerful impact at Northern Essex.  It has facilitated college involvement in decision making and fostered collaboration across divisions, while improving institutional effectiveness. 

 Another new initiative that has fostered participation as well as institutional growth and efficacy is the NECC Leadership Academy implemented in 2008-09.  The philosophy of the Academy asserts:

The Northern Essex Community College Leadership Academy embraces and embodies the view that leadership is a skill that all members of our community can develop through study, self-reflection, and shared learning.  And it believes that NECC thrives when constituents at every level take ownership of its mission and responsibility for its success.

Five members of the College community participated in the first year of the program and eight are enrolled for the second year.  This year long program culminates in a presentation by each participant of their leadership project, a self designed effort to contribute to a department or division goal or need.

The College also participates in another leadership program that has encouraged broader participation in decision making, the Community College Leadership Academy (CCLA).  Every year two college employees embark on a year of leadership training with participants from the 14 other community colleges. Each participant develops and implements a project that in some way makes a contribution to institutional effectiveness. This professional development program helps to encourage leadership and professional growth within institutions and helps to support the future of community colleges overall. 

The College’s strategic plan has become a focal point for community involvement in recent years, and has been critical to institutional improvement.  In 2007 another new initiative, known as Appreciative Inquiry (AI), was used to facilitate this important planning process.  AI is an approach to organizational change grounded in the philosophy that positive change occurs when we start with what is right, rather than what’s wrong; and focus on what we want more of, rather than what we need to fix.  In a two day summit open to the entire college community, over 200 NECC faculty and staff engaged in a conversation, and an inquiry, into what we do really well at Northern Essex Community College.  The results, derived from real experiences gathered in interviews, were used to develop the College’s 2008-2011 strategic plan.    

In addition to these initiatives, meetings are held on an ad hoc basis to insure the College community has an opportunity to provide feedback to the President on important issues.  For example, the President scheduled several open meetings seeking input from the college community about how best to address the fiscal challenges of 2008-09 and beyond.  During these meetings (as well as via email) he explained the details of the current budget situation and solicited input around cost saving and entrepreneurial ideas.  The feedback from these meetings was recorded and then used as the agenda for the next Cabinet meeting

These programs and ad hoc meetings have helped to increase involvement in decision making; they have also helped to make Northern Essex a learning institution, where employees and students grow in a process of continuous improvement that promotes institutional excellence.  These efforts have, collectively, helped to create a culture of participation that has shaped the college in recent years.  This culture shift would not have been possible without leadership committed to democratic governance and institutional growth, and  organizational tools such as the Teaching and Learning Center and the All College Assembly that work to make it possible.

Despite the positive impact of these initiatives, the effort to insure everyone is involved and has a voice is not perfect.  Some constituent groups are more involved than others, and information flows more freely in some areas than in others.  There is also the problem of information overload; with so much going on at once, it is often hard to keep up with the status of various projects and meetings while attending to everyday business.

However, despite these challenges it is very clear the college has made significant steps toward becoming a more open, inclusive institution.  The effectiveness of which is born out in a culture of continuous improvement, and most notably, in the success of our students.

All College Assembly

 In the fall of 2008, in an effort to clarify the role of the College Advisory Council and communicate to the college community that everyone is a member with a stake in the council, a name change was voted into effect. The College Advisory Council is now referred to as the All College Assembly. Attendance at these meetings has consistently been above the necessary 10% of full-time employees (approximately 47 people) required to hold a meeting.  And in recent years faculty attendance has increased as well. Whether or not this is due to the content of meetings (i.e. security on campus, budget, NEASC, etc.), or simply a new found interest in the All College Assembly, remains unknown. Whatever the case, the increased attendance is a welcome improvement that bolsters the ACA and its ability to share information and address constituent concerns. 

The standing committees of the ACA exhibit varying levels of involvement in college decision making.  The Executive Committee is most heavily involved and connected to major initiatives at the college such as our most recent Strategic Plan, Process Management, and the Achieving the Dream Initiative.  The Academic Affairs Committee was heavily involved in the Academic Master Plan, and the Finance Committee has extensive contact with Cabinet members including the VP of Administration and Finance, as well as access to budget information.  The extensive involvement of these three committees has fostered increased openness and transparency in governance.  On the other hand, the Student Affairs Committee has been faced with many challenges.

 For many years, the charter of the ACA has included two student seats for each of the standing committees. However, in recent years students have not filled those seats.  In response, new avenues for student input have been sought.  For example, students have been represented in several major initiatives over the past five years such as serving as members of the Achieving the Dream Core Team and participating in several Achieving the Dream focus groups; they have also participated in Strategic Planning and in NEASC training meetings.  And, as part of the College Shuttle Process Management team students worked to develop a more effective shuttle system.  The Student Affairs Committee was re-established in 2004, in part, to address student related issues and to provide an avenue for student recommendations and concerns.  And this past year the Executive Committee of the ACA has initiated informal efforts to re-institute student involvement on ACA committees.

In another area of concern there is some disconnect between the Executive Committee and the other standing committees; and despite what appears to be improved attendance, many people on campus are not aware the All College Assembly exists, or have no idea about what it does.

 

Faculty

The new Vice President of Academic Affairs, hired in 2007, has had a profound impact on the culture of openness at the College.  His leadership style has been characterized by an open door approach that has improved morale, increased involvement and facilitated the feeling of trust in work relationships.  For example, the Vice President of Academic Affairs sought the assistance of the Academic Affairs Committee when determining academic policy, and there is increased participation by faculty in several initiatives including the Academic Master Plan and Faculty Hiring Committees.

One of the most significant changes in recent years has been the increase of full-time faculty on campus.  While there has been strong interest in hiring more full-time faculty at the college for many years, this became an institutional priority in 2007 when the Cabinet approved a formal proposal to increase the percentage of courses taught by full-time faculty.  Support for this endeavor came from recent research showing retention and graduation rates are higher, curriculum is stronger and advising more effective when the percentage of full-time faculty is higher.  Additional support came from data showing the increase in enrollment at Northern Essex in the late 1990’s and throughout the recent decade correlated with a decline in full-time faculty.

The original plan was to move from 93 to 113 full-time faculty over a three year period, and to increase the percentage of daytime courses by full-time faculty from 53% in 2007 to 65% in 2010.  As of fall 2009 the college reached the goal of 113 full-time faculty.  In spring 2009 61% of full-time faculty were teaching daytime courses.  And it is anticipated that this year’s numbers will be even higher.  As important as these accomplishments have been it is equally important to note that faculty were instrumental in writing the original proposal and continue to be a critical part of subsequent hiring committees.  Moreover, while the initial impetus to hire more full-time faculty stemmed from a desire to improve student success, this increase, and the accomplishment of these goals, have had an important positive effect on faculty morale and feelings of efficacy.

The profound impact of new leadership in Academic Affairs, and the accomplishment of the long hoped for increase in full-time faculty not withstanding, there remain some concerns around faculty involvement in certain aspects of college governance.  One ongoing concern related to faculty involvement is that while faculty members comprise slightly more than half of the seats on the ACA committees, it is often the case that there are vacant faculty seats, both regular and alternate. These vacancies may be due to in part to other commitments and involvement in other committee work, and the fact that there are so many new initiatives at the college.  Another ongoing concern is that there is not enough opportunity for adjunct faculty, who make up a significant portion of faculty on campus, to be involved on committees and in major initiatives.  And there is a concern that older, tenured faculty feel more empowered to speak out publicly than do newer faculty.

 

Students

The President of the college provides the opportunity for students to have a voice when it comes to college-wide decisions that may impact their life on the campus.  For example, in the fall of 2009, Northern Essex became a smoke-free campus and smoking is only allowed in individuals’ vehicles. When considering this policy, the President presented several venues for students and others to share their opinions. The open-forums were advertised widely and those who could not attend were encouraged to contact the president via email or phone.  Students have also been involved in Achieving the Dream focus groups, Strategic Planning meetings, and the NEASC accreditation study.

 In response to the NEASC five year report which expressed concern for student involvement in governance, administrators worked with students to brainstorm ways to re-invigorate the Student Senate and increase participation.  As a result, in 2004, students voted in several changes to the Student Senate By-Laws to create an organizational structure that would enable more students to participate, and encourage more involvement.  These changes have had the intended effect.  Student participation in the Student Senate has grown significantly over the past five years.  In 2003-04 there were twelve students serving on the Senate; since that time the number of students has grown to 19, 22, 23, 20, and 20 in each of the past five years.

Currently, as part of the 2009 Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) supplemental questions, participating students were asked to indicate if NECC “provides opportunities for students to share their views and have a voice in college policies and decisions that directly concern them.” Twenty-three percent strongly agreed, 37% agreed and 35% were neutral while 4% disagreed and 2% strongly disagreed.

Despite the increased opportunity for student involvement in recent years, and the growth of the student Senate, there is some concern that students still are not heard from enough, that some venues are more effective than others, and that there should be more autonomy in student organizations.  In an effort to maintain contact with students regarding their concerns and issues the Student Affairs Committee agreed to send their chairperson to the College’s Student Senate meetings on a regular basis.  Despite good intentions this has not happened as planned; however, there is a continued commitment to this endeavor.

  

Campus System

Within the past few years, a new Vice President of Academic Affairs and a new Vice President of Administration and Finance have been hired by the college.   Both new Vice Presidents have brought new ideas and fresh perspectives.

 While it is clear that the Vice President of Academic Affairs is responsible for all academic systems on both campuses and, most recently, the North Andover site, there appears to be some responsibility overlap when it comes to the operational management within the college campuses as one entity. The Vice President of Administration and Finance is in charge of running the Haverhill campus and the Executive Vice President is in charge of running the Lawrence campus.  Since there are two Vice Presidents, each overseeing a different campus, there are two perspectives on how items such as facilities, maintenance and other administration efforts of the college should be addressed. The current organizational structure seems to allow for operations to run smoothly on both campuses; however, functional consistency may become a concern over time.

 

 

Projection

Board of Trustees

As stated by board members themselves, they have an excellent working relationship with each other and with the President. That should continue. The areas they will try to improve on are those identified in their self-assessment:

• Working on clearer descriptions of their roles and responsibilities.
• Determining methods of deepening their understanding of the financial audit and its recommendations.
• Specifying methods of avoiding conflicts of interest or the perception thereof.

President/Administration/Structure

The organizational structure and governance of the college will continue as described and participatory governance will remain a top priority.

• Plans to discuss a new strategic plan will begin in spring 2010.
• The Steering Committee (made up of the Cabinet and the ACA Executive Committee) will meet in spring 2010 to discuss how to facilitate the new plan.
• The goal will be to complete the plan in spring/early summer of 2011.
• The new building in Lawrence will require more faculty and support staff, but the organizational structure of the college will remain the same.
• The only issue which may impact organization and governance would be budget cuts. If severe enough, these may lead the college to look at some changes in an effort to balance the budget. This would depend on the magnitude of the cuts.

All College Assembly

• The All College Assembly will begin discussing how to more formally assess accomplishments and effectiveness.
• The All College Assembly will work to increase attendance at meetings and involvement in committees.

Students

 

• CCSSEE reports will continue to show that students feel they have a voice at the college; and an effort will be made to make sure student views and concerns are addressed.
• In the future student seats will be added to the All College Assembly Standing Committees.
• Advisors will be invited to get more involved with the Student Senate in an effort to create more open communication.

 

• The chair of the Student Affairs Committee will attend Senate meetings on a regular basis.

 

• Administration and Finance will make an effort to improve collaboration with students through the Student Affairs Committee.

Faculty and Campus System

• Hiring full-time faculty will remain a priority at the college and in academic affairs, especially in light on increased enrollments.
• Efforts will be made to streamline facility operations between Haverhill and Lawrence campuses and to make these processes more visible.

 

Institutional Effectiveness

The president is responsible for insuring that the College is moving in a direction consistent with its mission.  This is accomplished in part through the development of the College’s strategic plan.  Every few years the College develops a strategic plan that sets the framework for determining operational goals.  The effort to create our most recent plan was led by the college’s Strategic Planning Team and included wide participation from the college community.  Using a process known as Appreciative Inquiry the members of the college community worked to illuminate institutional strengths and values which led directly to the plans formation.  Working with his administration the President is responsible for insuring the plan is implemented and for evaluating the extent to which it is achieved.  Each Cabinet member is responsible for setting and achieving divisional goals for their area that are consistent with the strategic plan.  These goals are developed and approved in consultation with the President each year.  The President insures institutional efficacy by holding each Cabinet member responsible for the achievement of goals in their area, and tying this achievement to the annual review process.  Through this process of planning, implementing and evaluating the president is able to measure institutional efficacy on an annual basis.  The Strategic Plan for 2008-11 is available on the college web site along with annual results for each division of the college.

The college also has an Institutional Effectiveness Committee charged with ensuring that the College’s 10 Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) are monitored for improvement each year (in areas such as academic persistence, diversity, and access).   Recent annual reports of the Institutional Effectiveness Committee are located on the college’s web site.

Institutional effectiveness is also measured through the analysis of data that is collected in accordance with the Board of Higher Education, state and federal laws and grants.  Much of this information is available on the Institutional Research and Planning web site.  In recent years the college has used the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSEE) to measure effectiveness and improvement on key determinants of student engagement shown to contribute to student success.  The first CCSSE survey was administered in 2007 and the second in 2009.

The effectiveness of the college’s organizational structure and governance can ultimately be measured by the extent to which the culture “in practice” mirrors institutional values and facilitates the achievement of institutional goals.  And, it is best gleaned from observing it “as a process”; an ongoing pursuit of excellence to further student success.

Standard Four The Academic Program

Description

Northern Essex Community College continues to offer a variety of associate degrees in science and arts, as well as a wide array of certificates, in keeping with its mission “to serve people of the Merrimack Valley as a caring and comprehensive center of educational excellence.”  The College offers fifty two programs leading to an Associate of Arts (AA) or Associate of Science (AS) degree. In addition, NECC offers twenty-nine certificate programs.  Associate degree programs carry a minimum of 60 credits and follow a required or recommended sequence of courses. Certificate requirements vary by program and follow a recommended course sequence requiring from 12 to 50 credits. Courses are offered year-round. All courses meet the same standards and requirements regardless of mode of delivery.  Course offerings and descriptions are found online in the Academic Catalog.

Our academic programs continue to evolve under the oversight of the Academic Affairs Committee, which “makes curriculum recommendations to the president regarding all proposals for changes, additions, and deletions in all curricula offered by all divisions of the college. In addition, the committee [recommends] changes in college-wide academic policy and standards.”  In keeping with our tradition of change, however, academic oversight is now also guided by an inclusive Academic Master Planning Committee, and informed by a thorough program review process that all academic programs must complete.  This master planning and program review process reflects a larger cultural change at the college whereby decisions are made by a larger community of stakeholders and informed by data that is publicly available.

Each program’s learning goals and requirements are published in the Academic Catalog.  In addition, current descriptions for all programs of study are published online on the NECC website, ensuring that the most current information is available to current and prospective students.  If a program’s requirements change or if a program is eliminated, the college makes provisions for affected students.  A flowchart, (see Exhibit 4-1 “Process for Inactivating or Reactivating a Program.pdf”) details the procedures followed, and the form for program coordinators to submit to the Academic Affairs Committee, Recommendation to Inactivate a Program, is available on the Course/Program Development webpage.

Undergraduate Degree Programs

The undergraduate experience at NECC demonstrates the college’s commitment to “engage students as active learners” (Strategic Plan 2007) as they progress through their Transfer and Career Associate Degree or Certificate Programs. These programs are designed so that students develop the knowledge, skill, abilities and appreciation that the College has determined are essential to that field of inquiry.  The foundation for each degree program includes at least 20 credits of general education classes, although most programs require more. These classes introduce students to a variety of ways of understanding the world while preparing them for more specialized classes within their chosen programs. The courses within the student’s major or concentration usually account for 24 to 40 credits towards the completion of a degree; most include at least three or four elective choices, although these choices are often restricted to areas related to the major or concentration. These classes afford our students a solid introduction to one disciplinary area and ensure that our graduates are prepared to transfer to senior institutions or for entry level employment in the communities we serve.

The primary transfer associate degree programs are Liberal Arts, Business Transfer, and Engineering Science.  As noted on page 45 of the 2007-2008 Academic Catalog (Exhibit HC 4-1 Acad Cat), “These programs are parallel to the first two years of similar programs in most public and private senior colleges throughout the country and provide a solid basis for transfer with advanced standing.” The college’s eight Career Associate Degree Programs and all of the Certificate Programs are intended to provide the theory and technical knowledge to develop the professional skills students need to qualify for entry into the job market immediately after graduation. Many of these programs include practicum experiences while others may be supplemented with cooperative education courses for on-the-job training. Individual courses within these programs may have transfer potential into related degrees at senior colleges. With some additional courses, students in career programs may also transfer to four-year institutions.

The college’s newest program, the Associate in Applied Science degree program in Laboratory Science, illustrates our commitment to rigorous integrated academic programs that address the needs of the students and the communities we serve.  The creation of this program demonstrates the Academic Affairs Committee oversight of courses and programs, the college’s use of data from multiple courses to make informed decisions, and the college’s support of innovation through professional development.   It also illustrates the college’s efforts to integrate curriculum in direct and meaningful ways across disciplinary boundaries.  More importantly, however, creating this program shows the college’s commitment to its core values as written in the mission statement and affirmed at the most recent strategic planning summit.

Despite NECC’s status as one of only two Hispanic Serving Institutions in Massachusetts, science faculty noted the lack of minority and ESL students participating in the sciences and initiated a project to rectify that imbalance.  After a series of community and college surveys, they determined a need for a new applied science program that would provide two outcomes; transfer to a four-year institution and entry into the workforce.

In July 2008, the faculty were awarded an NSF-ATE grant and moved ahead with developing the program.  Curriculum planning involved several steps including an approval process through both the College’s Academic Affairs Committee and the Commonwealth’s Department of Higher Education (DHE). The Science Faculty designed a program and courses that met those requirements as well as many of the requirements for transfer to four-year institutions.

 

The DHE required the completion of an application and a visit by two external evaluators. Finally, a team that included the college president, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, a dean and two faculty members presented the complete program to the DHE. The proposal was approved in spring 2009, and members of the Laboratory Science Advisory Board praised the program for its use of current research in effective instruction delivery and its clear connection to employers in the community. While this new program demonstrates our commitment to the college’s mission and our academic strengths, in particular our focus on our students’ specific needs, the underlying elements mirror those already established at the college.

General Education

The general education requirement is coherent and substantive. NECC’s course framework for this requirement remains driven by the 1990 Massachusetts Transfer Compact, an agreement that affords Massachusetts community college graduates guaranteed admission and a full transfer of credits towards a bachelors degree at state four year institutions if certain GPA and minimum general education core class requirements are met. As a member of this compact, NECC requires all NECC students to complete 6 credit hours of English composition, 9 credit hours of behavioral and social sciences, 9 credit hours of humanities and fine arts, 8 credit hours of natural or physical science and 3 credit hours of mathematics. Under these guidelines, students are exposed in a balanced manner to the modes of inquiry within the traditional fields of higher education.

Students attaining a degree from NECC are required to pass ENG101 and ENG102, ensuring that they demonstrate collegiate-level skills in the English language.  The Department of Developmental Education offers coursework and tutoring for students who are identified through the assessment testing process as needing skills development in English (reading, writing, and English as a Second Language) and math prior to enrolling in most college-level courses.  The Academic Resource and Tutoring Center (ARTC) provides professional and peer tutoring for students in college-level courses, including ENG101 and 102.

Students’ understanding of current information resource and technology begins with a required research essay in ENG101; computer and technology fluency is addressed by the college’s computer fluency requirement.  The math proficiency required for Associate Degree programs ensures that students attain an appropriate grounding in quantitative literacy.  The math requirement for certificate programs reflects the needs of the coursework and industry.  The new college-level math lab, an outgrowth of the ARTC and the increasing need for math tutoring, provides drop-in tutoring for all college-level math courses.

 

While the course framework for the general education requirement remains restricted by the transfer compact, the underlying what and how our students learn in these courses and in their majors is undergoing a radical but methodical change since the NEASC 2000 Self Study.  By 2002, the college had agreed to three general education competencies: Writing, Critical Thinking, and Computer Fluency which were incorporated within the framework of program outcomes. 

The college’s latest Strategic Planning Process in 2007 identified five strategic directions for the college, the first one being ‘Engage Students as Active Learners.’  As part of the definition, the plan stated, “By promoting a deeper level of student engagement, we will help students to develop the academic, interpersonal, and collaborative skills essential for them to thrive in the 21st century global economy” (Strategic Plan).

With this strategic direction in place, the new Academic Master Plan Steering Committee set out to turn this vision into something more workable, a task that is still in progress. The college has adopted a new Core Academic Vision Statement that broadly defines what our graduates will be able to do and perhaps also who they are as a result of attending NECC.  The introduction of this report says that, “Northern Essex Community College (NECC) students will emerge from our caring academic community prepared and motivated to become self-aware, engaged members of the communities in which they live and work.” Central to this is “the development of these five core academic skills: Communication; Global Awareness; Information Literacy; Quantitative Reasoning; and Science and Technology.” The implementation process and details of these Core Academic Skills remain to be worked out by various committees charged to do so.

Students attaining a degree in one of the Transfer or Career Associate programs progress through a course sequence clearly defined in the college’s Academic Catalog and on the Programs of Study Site Map website.  The overall objectives for each program are stated at the beginning of each program’s description. The most broad and traditional transfer programs such as the Liberal Arts Program define their objectives in part as follows:

The associate in arts degree in Liberal Arts is designed to give students the knowledge, skills and abilities to make sound judgments, to reach reasoned conclusions and to express themselves confidently and effectively. It also offers a course of study appropriate for students who plan to transfer to a four-year educational institution. A minimum of 62 credit hours are required for graduation.

These objectives allow NECC students in the program the flexibility to explore their options for transfer while also ensuring that their classes they take will transfer to all State supported institutions of higher education. The objectives for more specific transfer programs, like the Business Transfer Program, still provide students with a solid general education foundation while also focusing on a more clearly defined transfer objective.

 

By structuring its transfer programs with as wide range of objectives as possible, the college offers its students the variety of transfer opportunities necessary for the range of students we admit. Students are able to routinely move from the more general transfer programs to the more specific and vice versa, while also ensuring that they will be able to apply the credits they earn in a program for successful transfer to a four year institution. Meanwhile, the underlying course sequences of these programs ensure that graduates have attained a solid foundation in the knowledge, theories and practices of their chosen area of study.

The objectives for the college’s career associate programs also offer a necessary balance that reflects the educational and professional needs of the students we serve. Because admission to the college’s career programs is competitive and enrollments are often limited, qualified students who are not initially accepted to their career program of choice are offered admission to the General Studies Degree Program. This ensures that students can make progress through a sequence of courses designed to allow for potential admission to the career program and attain a degree or certificate during this process.

Like all of the college’s career programs, the clearly defined course sequence for the Early Childhood Education Program (ECE) gives the students a solid general education foundation which they may transfer to a four-year institution.  It also prepares them for a successful practicum and/or field placement for those intending to move on to an entry-level position once they attain their associate degrees. The ECE program objectives clearly explain these paths.

Many of the career programs are accredited by various licensing boards and agencies, further ensuring that the appropriate relationships exist between the academic content and the professional field placements or practicum experiences of these programs. This accrediting and licensing information is part of the program description available on the college Web site.

Integrity in the award of academic credit

The college is cognizant of the need to benchmark its certificate and degree programs so that they maintain consistency with nationally accepted norms for such areas as length, content, class contact time, and credit hours. The Division of Academic Affairs maintains primary oversight of academic programs, working in collaboration with the Registrar to ensure that the college adheres to mainstream practices.

The schedule of courses is available electronically on the college’s web site through Banner Self Service on the home page and is updated continually.  Classes are offered in the day, evening, weekend and online.  Additional options are available to students who need a course for graduation through Directed Studies, Northeast Consortium of Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts (NECCUM), and Mass Colleges Online (MCO). Recently the college instituted an annual master scheduling process that allows students to plan their schedules for a full year in advance.

 

The Academic Affairs Committee exercises administrative oversight for the academic departments in the awarding of institutional credit or credentials.  No graduation credit is offered for ESL or developmental coursework; students receive institutional credit for these courses which allows them to apply for scholarships and financial aid.  The committee defers to the professional judgment of faculty and deans to ensure that course content and delivery of instructional programs meet the course description and the learning objectives outlined in the syllabus.  This is accomplished through the evaluation of faculty, materials, and course content by deans and students.  All instructors are required, in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement, to submit a syllabus to their dean who verifies that the criteria on the Checklist for Course Materials are being met.   Faculty of online courses must also submit a Distance Education Course Interaction Plan.

Student evaluations of all courses taught by DCE (adjunct) faculty are completed each semester.  Full-time faculty are evaluated according to the schedule outlined in the Collect Bargaining Agreement (CBA).  The office of Academic Affairs is responsible for distributing, collecting and reporting the evaluation data for review by division deans.  Classroom observations by the deans occur on a regular schedule according to the current CBA.

NECC is piloting a Quality Matters (Excellence in Distant Learning) project on campus that is part of an inter-institutional, faculty-driven, collegial peer review process. It has developed a set of tools - linked to the research literature and commonly accepted standards of good practice - for assessing the quality of online courses. The primary tool is the QM Rubric, which is designed to provide a rigorous set of standards that can be consistently applied to online courses as part of a commitment to their continuous improvement.

The Credit for Life Learning Program, overseen by the Center for Adult & Alternative Studies, recognizes the value of the breadth of experience and skills adults returning to college bring with them, and for which they may be entitled to college credit.  Candidates must have matriculated into a certificate or associate degree program of study and must be able to demonstrate, in a verifiable manner, that they have obtained the same level of academic knowledge that would be obtained by taking the NECC course.  The standards applied to the evaluation process are consistent, documented and meet guidelines developed by the American Council on Education (ACE).  These guidelines and the Credit for Life Learning Handbook are available at Credit for Life Learning . 

The college is also a Military Friendly School. The Director of the Center for Adult & Alternative Studies obtains faculty input as needed, and evaluates military transcripts using the ACE recommendations for granting of credit.

 

Program requirements, including criteria for continuation in, termination from, and re-admission to are clearly stated and accessible to students in both print form and electronically. The criteria were developed with student success in mind.  The college continually reviews programs to ensure that they are compatible with their educational purposes.  Requirements for students to remain in good academic standing are published electronically in the Academic Catalog. The Banner system automatically places students on academic suspension based on the Grade Point Average and progress toward degree or certificate completion.  The Dean of Academic Advising, Transfer and Articulation reviews every transcript for all suspended students each semester.

The course repetition policy is clearly stated in the catalog and in the Academic Advising Handbook (Exhibit HC 4-2 AcadAdvis).  The Student Code of Conduct and Grievance Procedure has a complete listing of all college and academic policies that are available online.   Also on the website are the criteria packets for each program in the special acceptance category, which include the Health Professions Programs, Deaf Studies, Paralegal, and Human Services.

Graduation requirements are listed in the Academic Advising Handbook and in the Academic Catalog.  Each degree or certificate program is designed to reflect student attainment of stated outcomes.  Students and their advisors can check their progress toward their degree requirements by doing an electronic audit in the Self Service system.   Updated audit sheets are available in Academic Advising and online. All students are held to the specific program requirements listed for graduation and are instructed to meet with an advisor when choosing electives as part of their program.  If course substitutions are to be made for graduation requirements, they must be approved by the Program Coordinator.

The college expects all students to maintain high standards of academic honesty and integrity.  Instructors are required to provide students with a clearly written definition of plagiarism applicable in their discipline as part of the course syllabus. In most cases, plagiarism will be dealt with by the faculty member in charge of the course, and students will be sanctioned according to the severity of the offense as outlined in the Student Code of Conduct and Grievance Procedure.  The SafeAssign plagiarism detection service will be available to all Blackboard users beginning in the fall 2009.  Instructors can submit student papers themselves or have students submit papers (”SafeAssignments”) to them using/via the SafeAssign tool.  Faculty also consult with the Library reference staff to investigate cases of plagiarism.

All courses and programs offered for credit in concentrated time periods, via distance learning, or off campus receive support for instructional needs and follow the same guidelines as traditional courses in terms of contact hours, completion criteria, and evaluation.  Off-campus students have access to a wide array of academic support services including online advising (including live chat), E-Tutoring, and Library Services such as online journals, ebooks and other library materials 24/7 via the Library website.  Students have been using the SMARTHINKING online tutoring system (www.smarthinking.com) since 2008 in place of the Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium (CDLC) online tutoring program the college piloted in 2005/6. The most accessed subjects include writing, calculus, chemistry, and physics. Faculty and student response to SMARTHINKING has been positive.

The Center for Instructional Technology (CIT) offers resources and faculty support for technological, instructional and pedagogical design of courses offered through Distance Education. CIT offers initial support to assist faculty in the development of online and hybrid courses through iTeach (formerly WebCamp), a semester-long training program.  The center also offers ongoing drop-in support for faculty using Blackboard.  In response to faculty demands for similar support in Lawrence, CIT was allocated space on the Lawrence campus with new equipment and a rotating staff schedule for fall 2009.

Study abroad programs are vetted by the Director of International Studies through the College Consortium for International Studies.   College faculty who develop programs meet with students in advance and outline the requirements so that students may receive NECC credit for their work.  In 2008, students participated in a summer trip to Ecuador and received four lab science credits for integrated field work and academics in biology and geology, a more rigorous course than the stand-alone college classroom experience.

To receive transfer credit, students must be matriculated into a program of study and submit an official transcript to the college. The registrar maintains a database of previously-evaluated courses for reference and consistency in the award of transfer credit. If courses have not been previously evaluated, the decision lies with the Dean of Academic Advising, Transfer, and Articulation or is sent to the appropriate Academic Division for review.  With some exceptions, only grades of C or better are accepted for transfer.  The residency requirement is 24 credits for an associate degree and 12 credits for a certificate at NECC, and is published in the Academic Catalog.  The college has numerous articulation agreements in effect with both public and private colleges, all of which are available for viewing on the Transfer Agreements web page.  As a general practice of the institution, graduate credits are not accepted.  An exception is made for non-matriculated students who need to take an NECC course that has a pre-requisite, but these credits do not count toward an NECC certificate or degree.

Assessment of Student Learning

NECC’s approach to the assessment of student learning at the program level took its current form in the fall of 2005 with the hiring of a Director of Academic Program Review and Assessment.  The Director works closely with program coordinators and faculty to develop assessment plans and to implement assessment activities.  With the first plans developed in the AY 05-06, the first assessments were completed in AY 06-07.  Once they begin, programs continue to perform assessments every year.

To insure a systematic and comprehensive process, all degree as well as many certificate programs at the college across all academic divisions were assigned a specific year to develop their program reviews. (See the NECC Program Review Schedule and the Program Review Cycle on the NECC website).

 

The format of these reviews includes a requirement that programs have in place outcomes assessment plans.  These plans provide a basis and structure for program level outcomes assessment activities.  The Guide for Developing and Implementing an Outcomes Assessment Plan, developed by the Director in the fall of 2005, provides a comprehensive description of the NECC process to ensure a systematic approach.

The basic requirement of this process, emphasized in the Guide, is the use of a team approach in all assessment work.  The assessment plans completed to date have been developed by teams which typically include the program coordinator, program faculty, faculty from other academic areas, and external representatives in the form of area employers or faculty from four-year colleges to which graduates of the program often transfer.  The inclusion of representatives from four-year colleges and/or from area employers on the teams that develop assessment plans helps insure that their input is considered  in the description of educational objectives and learning outcomes, as well as in the examination of the curricular offerings that would meet those objectives.  Overall, this team approach insures the inclusion of relevant perspectives as well as college-wide faculty involvement in the process.

The central document in the outcomes and assessment plan is a program’s curriculum map.  This map details program objectives and associated student learning outcomes - “what” students are expected to know or be able to do after they complete the program - as well as the curricular contexts or experiences that are designed to contribute to or support this learning - “how” will the objectives be accomplished.  Completed Program Outcomes and Curriculum Maps, which include program mission statements, are posted on the website. In addition to program-specific outcomes, every degree program has been required to include outcomes associated with the institutional-level competencies of Critical Thinking, Writing, and Computer Fluency. (See discussion in the following section on “Institutional Level Assessment.”)The curriculum map further serves as a guide for the development of the assessment map and assessment schedule.  The assessment map shows possible methods that will be used to assess each of the learning outcomes, while the schedule details the specific outcomes on which each year’s assessment efforts will be focused.

Completed assessment plans are included with program reviews in specially prepared program review binders which are distributed to various interested parties and which are also available for review in the college library and as part of sample completed program reviews on the Program Review  webpage.  Sample plans are also available on the Outcomes Assessment webpage.

During the 2005-06 academic year, six degree and certificate programs developed outcomes assessment plans in conjunction with the completion of their reviews.  Each academic year since, additional degree and certificate programs have completed these plans, usually in conjunction with their reviews, with the total at the end of the 2008-09 academic year being 24.  Included on the teams that developed plans for these 24 programs were approximately 70 full and part-time faculty members from 26 different programs or departments across all 4 academic divisions of the college, 6 NECC administrators, 10 representatives from area colleges, 2 area high school principals, and 10 representatives of area employers, participation which demonstrates the significant representation of and involvement of these various groups in the outcomes assessment work.  By the winter of 2009, it is expected that 8 more programs will be added to this group with completed plans as they move through the program review cycle.

Reports of assessment activities at NECC follow a suggested format, detailed in a template on the website, Template for Assessment Documentation.

In addition, an annual process for the presentation and sharing of program assessment activities and findings has been instituted.   Information about these Assessment Summits, including agendas and sample PowerPoint presentations, is posted on the website.

 

Programs which follow the internal assessment process described above include many programs which receive specialized accreditation, approval, or certification (e.g. Dental Assisting, Paralegal Studies, Early Childhood Education, and Human Services.)  Some, however, including Radiologic Technology, choose exclusively to follow a process outlined by the external organization.  Developing learning outcomes vis-à-vis explicit agency standards and providing evidence of students’ achievement of these outcomes are typically requirements built into these external processes. 

There is extensive information about the program review and assessment process on the college’s website with highlights of current activities included in the Program Review and Outcomes Assessment Newsletters.   All completed program reviews and reports of assessment activities are available as workroom documents (Exhibits HC 4-3 to 21 for Program Reviews and Exhibits HC 4-22 to 32 for Assessment Reports). For a comprehensive report on NEASC Standards 4.44-4.50, Assessment of Student Learning, see http://www.necc.mass.edu/program_review_and_outcomes/docs/fs-assess-neasc-report.pdf.

Institutional Level Assessment

Institutional level understanding of student learning has been represented to date by three college-wide competencies, developed in 2002.   These three competencies - Critical Thinking, Writing, and Computer Fluency - were detailed in the form of outlines which provided information concerning the specific learning outcomes that would be associated with each.  During the academic year 2008-09, in response to the Strategic Plan, a committee of faculty and administrators from the Academic Affairs area met to revisit the three competencies, and determine if revisions were indicated.  The result was the development of a new Vision for Core Academic Skills at NECC.   This vision statement is currently being translated into five core academic skills with associated learning outcomes. Institutional level assessment methods are also being explored.

 

Course Level Assessment

Course objectives, which focus on intended learning, are posted on course syllabi, consistent with requirements of the current applicable Massachusetts collective bargaining agreement as described earlier.  The objectives statements are also reviewed to insure that they address all of the essential curricular components of the courses.  For examples of course syllabi, see workroom document (Exhibit HC 4-33 SAMSYLL).

Courses typically include a variety of pedagogical approaches including lectures, group discussion, demonstrations, and research projects.  Courses with laboratory sections, required by close to 80% of the degree programs, emphasize hands-on experiences.  Assessment methods used vary widely and include objective tests, skills tests or demonstrations.  Course assessments are typically administered on multiple occasions during a term, allowing faculty to review student work so as to provide timely and detailed feedback and inform their teaching.

Institutional Effectiveness

NECC is committed to evaluating the quality, integrity and effectiveness of its academic programs.  The hiring of the Director of Academic Program Review and Assessment clearly demonstrates the college’s continuing commitment to these endeavors. The updated program review process outlined in this chapter highlight’s the centrality of this process in evaluating and assessing our academic offerings and student learning. The work of the Office of Institutional Research and Planning supports these efforts with additional data gathering and analysis. The Office of Academic Affairs consistently engages with the program review process to ensure that the recommendations from this process are carefully considered. The President of the College and the college community participate in the college’s annual program review summit. The results of these efforts are visible in the college’s devotion to embrace change to support student achievement.

APPRAISAL

One of the greatest strengths of the college is the willingness of staff, faculty, and administrators to embrace change in response to student and community needs, as identified through the Strategic Planning process and the Achieving the Dream data gathering.  This is reflected in the Academic Program in part by the adoption of new pedagogies, flexible course scheduling and alternative modes of course delivery while maintaining the quality and coherence of programming.  Examples include:

• The new Applied Science Program which has attracted 26 students in the first year.
• Flexible scheduling, including hybrid blocks.
• The accelerated Business program which is in its third year and has approximately 24 students enrolled.
• A variety of alternative instructional models and interventions have been put in place for math courses largely in response the Achieving the Dream information regarding low completion rates for math students. Examples include supplemental instruction, a modular section format, self-paced/individualized instruction, accelerated options, and short refresher courses- completely online or with assistance in the tutoring centers. An inter-departmental math retention team is working on professional development in these areas and on the continuum of skills from developmental through college-level math.

Another strength is the inclusiveness and transparency in goal-setting and decision making with regard to the academic program.  This began with the strategic planning summit in 2007 that drew participation from the college and the community at large in determining the direction the college would take for the next three year period from 2008-2011.The makeup of the Academic Affairs Committee is further evidence of inclusiveness and transparency as it includes faculty and staff from all of the divisions, and from both the academic and student services “sides of the house”.  There is a shared folder that gives each division access to the discussions and decisions made by the committee.    A broad-based Academic Master Plan Steering Committee undertook the task of organizing how the identified goals would be addressed in a systematic way and with the participation of all interested parties at the college.  Committees were formed and the work is ongoing; regular reports are made to the college community and feedback is solicited.  For example, the work of the Core Academic Skills Committee was presented at the All College Assembly and sent in advance to everyone at NECC through broadcast email for their input.  Feedback was incorporated into the final vision statement and the selection of the Core Academic Skills.

The willingness of faculty and staff to participate in these college-wide efforts (in addition to all that is going on with standing committee work, staff/faculty interest groups, etc.) has stretched them to the point of feeling overcommitted, with limited time for reflection.  The Academic Master Plan was created to provide a structure within which to organize and prioritize all of the campus-wide initiatives. It has succeeded in doing so, but not necessarily in reducing the amount of work for the community at large.  Change is happening at such a rapid rate and is taking much effort on the part of staff and faculty to implement, so that people are becoming overloaded.  There is a core of individuals involved in most of the college initiatives; there is a need to broaden the work groups for support and greater input.

The use of data to inform decision making has been accelerated by our participation in the Achieving the Dream initiative.  The identification of student cohorts who are completing courses and graduating (or transferring) at a lower than average rate for the college has helped guide the allocation of funds, space, and personnel to various activities designed to improve student success.  Although it is very early in the process- most of the interventions have been in place for a year or less- the numbers in targeted areas have improved.  For full data reports regarding Achieving the Dream, please see the Achieving the Dream Data Reports webpage. 

 

Other efforts involve collecting both quantitative and qualitative information regarding the success of these interventions.  A computer based log-in and tracking system was created for the college level Math Tutoring and Resource Center. The system was implemented in spring of 2009. It gathers statistical data on students and tutoring services. The system can also be merged with the college’s Banner Information System to gather grades and other information that will assist in the measure of student success rates.  In addition, student users completed an evaluation of their experience in the center (Exhibit 4-2 Math Tutoring and Resource Center Tutee Evaluation.pdf).

The increase in demand for data and a significant increase in interest and trust in data and data-informed decision making over the past several years have not been met with a corresponding increase in resources to meet this demand.  Resources in the form of time and expertise are needed to support research design, data collection, and data analyses.  The role of Institutional Research is to serve both external and internal entities.  For external purposes, data management and reporting is critical and may take precedence over internal requests for data.

 

Similarly, there is increasing demand for Blackboard accounts for faculty and students, and interest in the development of online courses to in part ease the demand for classroom space at the college.  As part of the college’s continuity plan in response to a possible flu pandemic in fall 2009, faculty have been encouraged to use Blackboard to disseminate and collect student assignments.  The CIT staff, with IT support, has made every effort to address the demands without a corresponding increase in staffing (or staff hours).

 

The priorities of resource allocation are an issue across the college.  Programs and instructional areas are underfunded relative to other areas of the college and as compared to other community colleges in Massachusetts.  Despite this and the current budget constraints, we have accomplished much in the academic area under the leadership of the new Vice President for Academic Affairs including:

• o A multi-year plan to increase the number of full-time faculty and the percentage of courses they teach.
• o The development of a capital asset inventory along with a multi-year plan to replace capital inventory such as computers and lab equipment.
• o An increase in the percentage of the budget allocated to Academic Affairs to approximately 50%.

 

Because of the strengths mentioned above: willingness of staff, faculty, and administrators to embrace change, inclusiveness and transparency in goal-setting and decision making, and use of data to inform decision making, we believe our Academic Programs are strong. NECC’s undergraduate programs and offerings continue to reach for the goals outlined in the college’s latest Strategic Plan. Many parts of these goals have already been realized in pockets throughout the college, as shown by the following endeavors.  They demonstrate the college’s commitment to a more holistic, community-oriented approach to learning and the undergraduate experience.

1. The college continues its support of integrated learning communities that help break down traditional disciplinary barriers.

2. The college’s honors program continues to expand, drawing more students as it offers classes from an even wider variety of sources. Honors sections of English composition are now also offered every semester.

3. The Newburyport Tree Project, a service learning project that grew out of a professional development effort took students and learning directly into one of the communities the college serves, integrating learning while changing students’ lives.

4. Service Learning efforts at the college continue to earn institutional support. Many classes in the college now offer formal and informal service learning opportunities with the guidance of the service learning committee.

Although the college has pursued parts of this engaged student vision through these efforts, formalizing this goal is helping the Academic Master Planning Committee organize these efforts into a more coherent vision of engaged student learning at NECC.

The success of our transfer programs is difficult to measure accurately, but is easier to observe. The college’s steady enrollment growth in many transfer programs is the most obvious testament that these programs continue to serve our students.  The college’s participation in the Joint Admissions Program, the Commonwealth Transfer Compact, and the Tuition Advantage Program all demonstrate the success of our efforts to make transfer to four year schools barrier free.   However, it must be noted that a new transfer program, called Mass Transfer, has been approved by all state colleges for implementation beginning in fall 2009.  In additions, the college has developed direct partnerships with area four year colleges to offer specific transfer programs for NECC graduates.  Students may opt to continue their baccalaureate degree at either the four-year campus, or at continuation programs offered on the NECC campus. Finally, the college’s office of Institutional Research is attempting to track the success of our students once they transfer to our 4-year state institutions. The latest NECC Transfer Study of 2005 NECC graduates who were present in Massachusetts Public Four Year Colleges and Universities in the fall of 2007 shows that our students do well once they leave NECC.

The question of how the students performed academically was answered by looking at the average Quality Point Average (QPA) by institution.  Not all students had an earned QPA because they may not have attended the transfer institution long enough to have the QPA posted to their transcript.  The QPA earned at NECC is not counted at the transfer institution.  The data obtained is as follows:

Institution               QPA                #with QPA

Umass Lowell           2.92                 145

Salem State              3.28                 54

Umass Amherst        2.75                 21

Umass Boston          2.66                 10

Fitchburg State        3.32                 26

Worcester State        3.10                 7

This data suggests that we do a good job in preparing our students for transfer to four-year institutions.

The success of our career programs is evident by our students’ pass rate of various licensing exams and by the job placement rate of our graduates once they attain degrees from NECC. For example, the 2006 nursing exam pass rate for first-time test-takers was 92.6%, above the Board of Higher Education’s target pass rate of 85%. The 2008 Graduates: One Year Later report also demonstrates the college’s success with our career programs. Highlights from this report include the following information on the college’s placement rate, indicating a consistently high rate of placements in career related jobs for our graduates:

 

 

 

The Program Review process that has evolved in the past 5 years has become an integral and meaningful part of the college’s efforts to evaluate student success on a program level.  Program coordinators who led program review teams, participated in the development of outcomes assessment plans, and who in many cases also participated in actual program-level assessments, were provided with a set of questions designed to elicit their appraisal of the three processes.  Overall, comments concerning the program review process were quite positive.  Most faculty members mentioned that the process went well, and that they received a great deal of support and help, especially from the Director of Academic Program Review and Assessment. Most found the process useful in terms of better understanding their programs, identifying and securing needed resources, and/or making significant program changes.   One faculty member who was involved in the process during its first year remarked that the process was cumbersome, and that it was difficult to get the information needed, but that in spite of the difficulties:

I appreciated the support and relationship building among the initial group of program coordinators and department chairs, as well as guidance and support of the Director of Program Review….We did gain some useful information from the process and the action plan continues to guide us and support efforts and initiatives for program improvement.

Other comments noted that while the process may be useful and informative, it is time consuming, and difficult sometimes to manage along with other responsibilities: 

While extremely valuable, all of these tasks … take up an inordinate amount of TIME. 

As noted above, outcomes assessment plans are typically developed in conjunction with completing program reviews.  Due to the amount of time required to develop plans, coordinators are advised to work on them the semester before they begin program reviews, making the entire process a two-semester endeavor.  As an indication of institutional support, coordinators do receive re-assigned time for this work, but only for one semester.  Not surprisingly, there were a few comments relating to time pressures because of the addition of this labor-intensive task to existing responsibilities although it is especially encouraging that many comments were completely positive, especially noting the support received, perceptions that the exercise was useful, and that the process was “clear and well-organized”.

In addition to planning actions, there has been a lot of activity related to “closing the loop,” and actually making program improvements.  Some information concerning assessment-related action plans and activities is included on NEASC Form E1A (http://www.necc.mass.edu/program_review_and_outcomes/docs/fs-ss-e1-a.pdf).  Some specific examples of activities undertaken by programs in response to assessment findings are:

We also learned a lot about how we grade [the students]; this led to more consistent grading of student assignments.

Portfolio for Graphic Design- The course has been changed from a 1 credit course to a 3 credit course to address necessary skills that students need upon graduation. The department sent out an employee survey requesting information from area designers, printers asking their input on critical skills necessary for the workplace. Our new Portfolio class will address many of these issues.

Overall, the faculty see value in assessment work, even though demands on time and resources are increased.  In a general way, then, the process of assessing student learning has been accepted and integrated into the regular work at NECC, at the course and program levels.  There is a large reliance on adjunct faculty members, as is typical in community colleges.  This fact creates coordination issues.   Time constraints continues to be an issue; nonetheless, coordinators and faculty have been very productive and produced a large body of well-designed and carefully administered assessments, the results of which have been thoughtfully considered and used to implement important program improvements. 

Projection

In order to accomplish many of the goals the college has set for itself through the strategic planning process, it is expected that the strategic plan, guided by the Academic Master Plan, will be extended.  There will be an increasing effort to combine activities identified through different initiatives to maximize the impact of work done by faculty and staff and resources allocated to various activities.

The college’s challenge over the next several years will be to maintain the relevance of its programs with regard to the employment prospects in the community and to their transferability to four-year institutions.  As one of the goals in the strategic plan, NECC will be identifying career pathways for students to enhance their employability.

For program assessment, the challenge will be to continue with the process currently in place given the expected increase in the number of programs involved in program reviews and outcomes assessment work.  The main source of support for this work is the Director of Academic Program Review and Assessment, and this resource will be stretched thin given the large number of programs that are and will be involved in these efforts.  In a way, this is a success story, in that reviews and assessments are for the most part proceeding systematically.  However, this success has created a need for resources to support its continuation.  For example, in academic year 2010, 14 programs are scheduled for reviews and another 18 in 2011.  In addition, the Director does a substantial amount of work with all programs involved in outcomes assessment work. These will number close to 30 by 2010.

One step that is currently being taken is to hire a part-time assistant for the Director.  A large amount of processing and organization is needed to ensure continued momentum, documentation, and the providing of information and assistance when it is requested.  Hopefully, an assistant can take over some of the office management, website maintenance, and data entry functions so that the Director’s role is more focused on providing support and obtaining resources.

 

Another avenue to be explored involves addressing the issue of coordinator and faculty time constraints, a task that given the realities of the economy will require considerable creativity and cooperative problem solving.  One possibility recently discussed is to modify the approach to assessment work at NECC, for example, through having program coordinators and faculty target a limited number of program-specific outcomes for assessment - outcomes which are a high priority for their programs, and which could all be reasonably assessed within about a three year cycle.  Activities to address any weaknesses identified through the assessments could then be introduced into the program, with the targeted outcomes re-assessed in the new three year cycle to see the effect of the interventions.    This new approach would be supported by the introduction of the institutional level assessments, through which students will be evaluated with respect to the core skills.    

The integration of program and course outcomes needs to be strengthened.  Curriculum maps identify program outcomes, and identify courses that support those outcomes.  A process to include consideration of relevant program outcomes when course outcomes are constructed might also enhance work toward the program outcomes effort and ensure continuity at the course and program levels.

An area that is now developing and that holds great promise for the institutional assessment effort concerns the work being done to develop methods of assessing the newly developed Core Academic Skills.  A committee associated with NECC’s Academic Master Plan is meeting to discuss ways of assessing the skills at the college-wide level, and is expected to develop a method or methods for pilot testing in the spring of 2010.

In sum, challenges for NECC for the future include ensuring that the outcomes assessment activities which now have a strong foundation and a five year history of solid results will continue to grow, receive support, and become even more a part of the regular work of the institution.  Focusing on identifying and attending to areas that need strengthening, and obtaining and responding to faculty feedback, will be i

Standard Five Faculty

Description

In FY 2009, NECC employed 108 full-time faculty (66 female and 42 male), teaching on two campuses within its five academic divisions; five part-time day faculty; and 363 adjunct or DCE faculty (212 female and 151 male) teaching in the day, in the evening, and on the weekend. The DCE faculty numbers include day faculty who may be teaching evening or day courses under the DCE contract.  43 of the full-time faculty members have reached the rank of full professor; 14 are associate professors; 32 are assistant professors; and 19 are instructors.  The number of full-time faculty at the college has increased by 9 over the last three years-essentially an increase of 9%, since the number of full-time faculty in FY 06 was 99.  In FY 2007 there were 103 full-time faculty, and in FY 08 there were 99.  This overall increase reflects the goal of the academic area to increase the percentage of day courses taught by full-time faculty to 65%.   Currently 58%? of our day courses are taught by full time faculty, an increase of 5% over the last two years.

 

With limited resources, the college has had to prioritize requests for new faculty positions.  To this end, in 2007 the Academic VP established a prioritization committee, comprised of faculty from each academic division, to review the requests for new faculty positions and rank them in priority order.  Under this process, requests for new faculty positions are accompanied by a data-driven rationale.

 

It has been the goal of the college to increase the number of faculty who are members of minority groups.  The college presently employs 12 full-time faculty who are minority group members and 24 DCE faculty who are minority group members.  These numbers represent an increase of ten for full-time faculty since 2001 (there were only two full-time minority faculty teaching at NECC in that year) and an increase of 13 for adjunct faculty since 2001.  The college has used a variety of strategies to recruit qualified minority faculty, including increased advertising and direct recruitment efforts through regional organizations and graduate schools.

 

Faculty Qualifications

 

Northern Essex Community College faculty are well qualified for their teaching responsibilities.  Of the full-time faculty, 15% have doctorates; 79% have master’s degrees; and 6% have bachelor’s degrees.  Those in career education also have relevant certificates and other training awards.  These faculty also work with advisory boards and accrediting agencies to keep their curriculum current.  NECC faculty regularly attend conferences and make presentations, usually concerning programs and pedagogies that they have developed.  Such presentations are consistent with the mission of the college.  Faculty also engage in professional development opportunities offered by the college in order to keep current in their fields.

 

 

Faculty Workload and Assignments

 

Article XII of the MCCC/MTA Collective Bargaining Agreement provides detailed parameters for full-time faculty workload, which includes instructional and non-instructional responsibilities.  Instructional duties equate to 15 credit hours per semester, with some adjustment for lab sections, individual research, and special college projects.  Faculty members submit course preferences biannually to their department chair, who then recommends a departmental schedule to the assistant dean or dean of the division.

 

Non-instructional activities include office hours, student advising, and college and community service. Again, the MCCC/MTA Collective Bargaining Agreement provides minimum and maximum limits on these tasks and delineates a formula for adjusting them so that faculty workloads are consistent across the college. A typical faculty member teaching five 3-credit lecture courses would hold four office hours, advise between 14 - 19 students, and serve on one major college committee.  Many, however, serve on multiple committees, subcommittees, and task forces. Finally, the college may schedule up to seven professional activity days for faculty and staff during the course of the academic year.

 

DCE faculty workload ranges from one course to four courses per semester, depending on the interest and availability of the instructor and the needs of the college. Office hours, college service, and advising are not required, although some participate in these activities voluntarily.

 

Full-time professional staff generally work 12 month contracts at 37 1/2 hours per week. Professional staff who work less than that have their salaries and work schedules pro-rated. Individual responsibilities vary greatly within this group, but the MCCC/MTA Collective Bargaining Agreement specifies the range of duties that fall within this position description. Professional staff also provide student advisement and serve on college committees; a few teach one non-traditional course per semester.

 

Faculty are responsible for course and curriculum development. New courses and programs, along with changes to existing ones, are brought before the Academic Affairs committee for approval. NECC faculty also participate in evaluations of their academic programs.  A revised program review process has been in place since 2005; as of Fall 09, 22 programs have completed this process.  Ten more programs are involved in program review this year (FY 10).

Program review provides a framework within which faculty delineate learning outcomes for their programs and determine the most effective means of assessing these outcomes (see Standard 4).

In addition, faculty have been involved in recent years in an effort to revise college-wide learning outcomes.

 

As part of their college service responsibilities, faculty and professional staff participate in institutional governance by serving on college-wide committees and sub-committees, as well as special interest committees and task forces. The All-College Assembly provides the largest forum for faculty participation in governance. The Assembly includes all employees at the college (except the president), and it supports four standing committees with elected representatives. (See Standard 3 for a detailed description of the functions and responsibilities of each of these committees.) In addition to the ACA, faculty serve on various committees associated with important aspects of college life, and committees that address current college priorities and initiatives such as the Academic Master Plan, Achieving the Dream, and of course, the current self study.  The Executive Committee of the ACA has served as the steering committee for the college’s strategic planning throughout the tenure of President David Hartleb.  Our most recent strategic planning process involved many of the college faculty through the use of Appreciative Inquiry.

 

In many ways the local chapter of the MTA/MCCC union serves in the role of faculty senate and facilitates participation in goverance. Faculty leaders of the chapter are elected annually by a membership of full and part-time faculty and professional staff. As outlined in Article 22 of the collective bargaining agreement, they meet monthly with the college President and key administrators at the Management/Association Committee on Employee Relations to discuss matters of importance to the faculty and professional staff. Chapter leaders represent faculty viewpoints and report back to the membership at regular meetings and via e-mail.

 

 

Advising

           

Contractually, full-time faculty members are responsible for advising 18 students each semester.  That number may be adjusted, with a commensurate change in equivalent non-instructional workload hours. In the Fall 09 semester, three faculty members received a workload reduction to advise more students.  35 new faculty members have gone through a semester long training in the advising center to learn how to more effectively advise their students.  Five faculty members are online advisors. 

 

 

Learning Communities

 

Faculty at NECC have been involved with learning communities for at least ten years. A learning community consists of a group of students who are enrolled in the same courses with the same instructors. Learning communities provide new curricular structures that link courses so that students have opportunities for deeper understanding and integration of the material they are learning, and more interaction with one another and their teachers as fellow participants in the learning experience. In Fall 09, fifteen faculty members taught in learning communities; 43 have taught in them since they were instituted at NECC.  These unique classroom settings link or combine courses from different disciplines that have been historically, though artificially, separated from one another. Learning communities bring faculty members together in a spirit of cooperation and provide a model for good workplace behavior for students. Students in learning communities experience the underlying interconnectedness of apparently unrelated subjects and disciplines.

 

Online Courses

 

Online classes were first begun at NECC by several faculty members who understood the implications and importance of delivering instruction previously inaccesible to a significant group of our potential student population. Currently we offer numerous online courses (over 70 online courses have been developed; see Standard 4), many with multiple sections. NECC faculty have locally pioneered this type of instruction, which administration quickly realized was vital to the long-term health of the college community. The online courses offered at NECC mirror the pace, the level of interaction, and curriculum of their face-to-face counterparts.

   

Hybrid courses have also been developed, each of which has both a classroom and online component. In addition, many instructors provide a web-based companion as a course supplement for their face-to-face classes. This online component is used to further academic discussion, enhance faculty-student communication, and serve as a means of communication in the case of school closure (e.g., snow days).

 

In the Fall 09 semester, 118 online sections were offered by NECC across nearly across all disciplines. 42 hybrid sections were offered; 40 web enhanced sections were offered; and 271 sections used a web companion.

 

 

Faculty Recruitment and Appointment

 

The college has in place a Search Committee Handbook (updated in 2009) (see Exhibit 5-1 SearchComBk.pdf) which outlines the policies and procedures for hiring full-time faculty and professional staff.  This set of common guidelines delineates the roles and responsibilities of individuals included in the hiring process (Academic VP, Dean, Committee Chair, committee members), and establishes timelines and preferred practices. The handbook expresses the college’s commitment to seek qualified minority candidates. Search committees must contain at least one member with diversity training, one member from a department outside the hiring department, and a student representative (if possible).  Faculty members from the department and the search committee write the posting, which is then submitted to the hiring dean for review. Postings include a description of the college and its mission, responsibilities of the position, necessary skills and desirable characteristics for job candidates, and minimum and preferred qualifications (generally a minimum of a master’s degree and some college teaching experience, preferably at the community college level).

 

The college keeps active job postings on its web site, but also employs regional and national venues, both print and electronic, in a targeted effort to attract bilingual, bicultural candidates. Human Resources personnel review applications according to legal guidelines, the college’s Affirmative Action policy, and the required qualifications stated for each position.  All qualified applications are forwarded to the search committee. Members of the search committee establish screening criteria before reviewing the applications in order to be certain all candidates are treated equally. The search committee conducts the first round of interviews and recommends three finalists to be interviewed by the associate dean and/or Vice-President of Academic Affairs. The committee’s recommendations are unranked, but may include a statement of the strengths of each candidate. The Vice President of Academic Affairs recommends a candidate to the president, who may then nominate him/her for appointment by the Board of Trustees. Only full-time positions are brought to the Board.

 

Once appointed, the faculty member is given a one-year contract which states the terms employment in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Faculty are eligible for tenure after six years of full-time consecutive service.

 

Part-time faculty positions are advertised on the college’s web site, and in local or, if necessary, regional venues (print and electronic).  The hiring procedure is usually conducted by an assistant dean in collaboration with the department chairperson/coordinator. Upon teaching five sections over three consecutive years, part-time faculty earn reappointment rights from a seniority list, as outlined in Article X of the DCE bargaining agreement.

 

Full and part-time professional staff members are also covered by the MCCC/MTA collective bargaining agreement with similar guidelines for recruitment and appointment, as well as policies and procedures for evaluation, tenure, and termination. The professional staff work in various areas, including the Library, Enrollment Management, and Academic Support areas.

 

Evaluation

 

Faculty at NECC are evaluated according to the criteria and procedures specified by their respective contracts.

 

Evaluation of full- and part-time day faculty consists of a classroom observation, student evaluations, a course materials evaluation, student advisement and college service evaluations, and a personnel file review. The faculty member receives from the administration a summary evaluation which weights the evaluation components as follows:

 

Student Evaluation                            25%

Course Materials Evaluation                         15%

Classroom Observation Evaluation  25%

Student Advisement Evaluation       10%

College Service Evaluation                10%

Personnel File Review               15%

 

Tenured faculty are evaluated every third year. They have student evaluations annually, but in non-evaluation years these have no formal weight.

 

DCE faculty evaluation consists of a classroom observation, a course materials evaluation, and student evaluations.  Student evaluations for DCE faculty are conducted each semester for each section being taught.  DCE faculty must have a classroom observation at least once before they have taught five courses over three consecutive fiscal years.  Subsequent classroom observations may be conducted for reasons which must be stated by the administration.  The DCE contract also allows for the possibility of a comprehensive evaluation based on the previously stated factors and any relevant information in the faculty member’s personnel file. 

 

Compensation

 

Compensation for all NECC faculty is determined by their respective collective bargaining agreements.

 

For day faculty, compensation is determined by a point system which takes into account the faculty member’s teaching experience, rank, seniority, performance evaluations, licensures, and educational credentials.  The current contract includes the formula which weighs the relevant variables to determine exactly where the faculty member falls on the pay scale (see “Compensation Structure” in the current MTA/MCCC agreement).  Day faculty receive a variety of supplemental benefits, including health insurance, for which they may choose the provider from a slate of state-approved vendors.  They are obliged to participate in the state retirement system.

 

The DCE contract specifies four steps in the faculty pay scale, based upon the number of courses the faculty member has taught and the number of years of seniority he or she has accrued.  For a three credit course, the pay ranges from $2538 at Step 1 to $3069 at Step 4 (see the DCE bargaining agreement).  DCE faculty receive no fringe benefits, a fact which has become of increasing concern to them and the bargaining units in recent years. They are obliged to contribute to OBRA, a Massachusetts tax-sheltered savings/retirement plan, but there is no employer contribution.

 

Pay for Professional Staff at NECC is determined by the MTA/MCCC agreement.  As with day faculty, salaries of professional staff are determined by a point system which takes into account the employee’s academic credentials, experience, seniority, performance evaluations, licensures and professional development activities. They receive the same supplemental benefits as day faculty.

 

 

 

Faculty Professional Development

 

The majority of full-time NECC faculty (and a significant number of DCE faculty) participate in some form of professional development each year.  The overall mission of the Office of Faculty and Staff Development is to encourage and promote professional development opportunities, personal growth and community building for all faculty and staff.  The OFSD views professional development as a life-long process and encourages all faculty, full-time, part-time day,  and DCE, to participate. 

 

The OFSD has a full-time Dean and a full-time administrative assistant.  This year (FY 10) a faculty fellow has been selected to facilitate faculty discussions and conduct mini-workshops that further faculty’s professional development.  Each semester, the OFSD offers a wide array of professional development programs and opportunities which include workshops, collegial conversations, symposia, professional day, faculty coaching, opportunities to apply for funds to attend conferences and take courses, and support for attending local conferences such as the State Wide Conference on Teaching, Learning and Student Development, and the New England Faculty Development Consortium Conference.  On-campus computer classes are offered for all faculty and staff; faculty are free to take advantage of all offerings.

 

The OFSD, in collaboration with the Center for Instructional Technology (CIT), also provides many opportunities for professional development in integrating technology with teaching, particularly for faculty who are doing online and hybrid course work. For example, iTEACH is a semester-long faculty development program that provides an opportunity for faculty to learn and design a pedagogically sound and interactive online or hybrid course. iTEACH began in January of 2002 and, as of Spring 2009, 81 faculty members had participated in the program.

 

In addition, long-term projects ranging from two to three semesters are an important part of the OFSD’s commitment to faculty. Examples of such programs include: Teaching in Community, a year-long reflection and renewal program for faculty (68 participants since 1999); a semester-long orientation for new full-time faculty which includes an introduction to the college and teaching and learning sessions, followed by a semester of training in the Advising Center (35 participants since fall 2006); and the Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (CASTL) (22 participants since fall 2004), typically a three-semester project.

 

In 2008, the OFSD launched a new year-long employee Leadership Academy and is now in its second year with a total of 13 participants to date. So far, six faculty members have participated in the program. Typically, about 175 people attend the annual Professional Day Conference which is comprised of best practice sessions offered by NECC faculty and staff.  Finally, the OFSD offers ongoing workshops on collaborative learning, collegial conversations, and other topics related to teaching and learning. The OFSD also sponsors a DCE faculty dinner orientation and a DCE Teaching and Learning Symposium.

As a new initiative, in FY 10 the OFSD is sponsoring three SFIGs (Staff/Faculty Interest Groups): Universal Course Design and Teaching Visual Learners; Engagement Across the Curriculum - A Collaborative Approach; and Reading for Understanding.  The SFIGs offer faculty and staff an opportunity for ongoing, collaborative investigation and discussion of important pedagogical concerns.  Each SFIG is lead by NECC faculty and staff.

The OFSD also provides ongoing professional development awards to faculty and staff each year. Typically, faculty receive $20,000-$30,000 in support each year towards in- and out-of-state travel to discipline specific or teaching and learning conferences. In FY2009, for example, 37 faculty members received a total of $21,694.59.  

 

The OFSD regularly informs all faculty and professional staff to apply for grants, attend conferences and submit papers for presentation.  Materials on effective teaching and learning are regularly distributed to all faculty and additional resources are available in the OFSD’s Teaching and Learning Center library.

 

 

Policies Governing Faculty Ethics

 

A number of policies and procedures are in place to ensure that faculty act responsibly and ethically in carrying out their professional obligations.  The HR section of the NECC website outlines institutional policies drug use and sexual harassment.  The MCCC/MTA Agreement also deals with faculty ethics in its section on academic responsibility. All state employees in Massachusetts must adhere to the regulations and guidelines promulgated by the State Ethics Commission and the Office of Campaign Finance and Political Activities related to state employees.  Links to these websites are on the Northern Essex Community College website in the Human Resources section and new employees are asked/directed during their new employee orientation to review all of this material.  The college’s internet policy prohibits the use of the network at the college to download or transmit child pornography, to advance a political campaign, to harass or slander another person, or to perform work for profit.

 

Northern Essex Community College responds to complaints regarding faculty ethics through the following mechanisms:  the Student Grievance Procedure (see current “Student Code of Conduct and NECC Policies and Procedures”), a multi-step process that moves from informal attempts to resolve the problem, to the final formal process by which the student submits a written grievance to a grievance committee specially convened to hear that grievance; an administrative investigation; and the Affirmative Action Plan Grievance Procedure.

 

Since 2000, seven faculty were grieved for ethics violations (sexual harassment); all of these cases were resolved, with the faculty losing their positions through non-reappointment.

 

 

Academic Freedom

 

Academic freedom is a guarantee of the faculty agreements and a given at the college.  Course materials are not censored, and free speech is not curtailed.  Faculty members advising student publications are not subject to any pressure to control the content of these publications.   Few problems concerning academic freedom have been reported at the college over the past several years.  In the 08-09 academic year, no complaints regarding academic freedom were filed with the unit’s Grievance Coordinator.

 

 

Appraisal

 

NECC is to be commended for its recent efforts to increase its number of full-time faculty and the percentage of day courses which they teach.  Despite severe budget cuts reflective of the state and national economic downturn, the college has continued to hire new faculty members each year (six for FY 10) and has increased the percentage of day courses taught by full-timers from 53% to 58% in two years.  The creation of the prioritization committee for new faculty hires has been an important improvement to the institution’s approach to the hiring of new faculty, creating rational criteria for and a transparency in the distribution of new full-time faculty positions.

 

Gains in minority faculty hiring since 2001 have been significant, though more modest in recent years.  In 2001 there were two full-time minority faculty members (2.1% of the full-time faculty); in 2005 there were ten; today, there are twelve (11.1% of the full-time faculty). In this regard, the college has clearly benefited from its Title V grant, which provided both funding and an impetus to bring in new bilingual and bicultural faculty.  The college is probably doing everything it can do at this time to recruit qualified minority faculty.  Nonetheless, it should be noted that we need to remain proactive on this matter in order to ensure that we do not miss opportunities to find and hire desirable candidates.

 

Faculty Workload and Assignments

 

Most faculty appear to be satisfied with the established methods of assigning course coverage and determining their workload. Although a 15 credit hour workload is demanded by the collective bargaining agreement, many faculty members feel it is a heavy teaching load, particularly because the college is quite active in pursuing community and academic initiatives which demand faculty commitment. Since workload is governed by a contractual formula, issues are usually resolved between the faculty member and his/her immediate supervisor by adjusting other areas of the workload, or by adjusting the total workload in the subsequent semester. In 2009 the Vice-president of Academic Affairs convened a committee of faculty and administrators to examine and standardize release time for disproportionate non-instructional responsibilities.

 

 

Recruitment and Appointment

 

Recent process revisions have solidified and enhanced the college’s recruitment and hiring procedures.  The inclusion of a diversity-trained or NCBI/Diversity Committee member on each search committee, the careful attention to the selection of search committee members and the thoroughness with which interviews are shaped have contributed to an effective selection process which has translated into the hiring of valuable new faculty.

 

Defined budget allocations which allow nationwide outreach, along with a new practice of offering a $500 travel stipend to candidates who reside beyond a comfortable driving distance, may be playing a role in attracting more candidates for interviews. The new hiring guidelines have made screening committees aware of unintended biases that may occur, and new standardized procedures ensure that interviews for all candidates are the same.

 

The college places high priority on integrating and orienting new hires. Newly appointed full-time faculty are given a course release in their first fall and spring semesters in order to participate in a year-long orientation to the college. In the fall semester, the Office for Faculty and Staff Development conducts weekly two-hour sessions with the new faculty cohort, introducing them to people, processes, and services at the college, as well as facilitating discussions around issues in teaching and learning. During the spring semester, new faculty spend time in the college’s Advising Center becoming acquainted with the procedures for placement, advising, registration, and graduation, and spend time shadowing experienced academic advisors who are actively working with students.

 

New DCE faculty are invited to an orientation dinner before the semester begins, where they are introduced to administrators and other faculty, and where they are given essential information about students, curriculum, and operating procedures at the college.

The OFSD has also been able to offer a teaching and learning forum for DCE faculty on Saturdays.  In addition, an extensive guide for part-time instructors is available on the college web site.

 

Activities and Achievements

 

There can be little doubt that NECC employs an engaged, dynamic group of faculty who are routinely involved in exploring pedagogical improvement and innovation. 

 

NECC faculty have been actively involved with the creation of new curricula.

In 2008-2009, for example, 39 new and substantially revised courses were approved by the committee; 7 were not approved. In addition, 21 Special Topics courses, which run experimentally before being added to the catalog, were proposed. Thirty-two courses received minor revisions (for example, changes in title, pre-requisites, or contact hours) and 13 courses were inactivated. Ten programs underwent revision, three were inactivated and four new programs were approved to begin in the spring of 2010: Music Technology Certificate, Medical Office Assistant, EKG Technician Certificate, and Liberal Arts: Physical Sciences Option.

 

NECC faculty have enthusiastically embraced online teaching options.  The use of technology in our classrooms has increased exponentially, with more and more faculty using Blackboard either to offer their courses online or in a hybrid format, or simply to enhance their curriculum with a web companion.  In the Fall 09 semester,

50 faculty taught online courses; 26 taught hybrids; 23 taught web-enhanced sections; and 131 used web companions for their face-to-face classes.

 

Faculty have responded favorably to the support offered by the administration for developing online, hybrid, and web companion courses through the Center for Instructional Technology.  Demand for smart classrooms has been exceeding supply.  Fortunately, the college was able to use federal stimulus funds to create more smart classrooms on the Haverhill campus (see Standard 8).  In addition, faculty have begun to be involved, on a voluntary basis, with online advising.

 

The increase in online instruction has been accompanied by various efforts to evaluate its effectiveness.  Formally and informally, faculty have been involved with efforts to determine which students are most likely to succeed in online courses, and to develop a screening process to discourage students from taking online courses for the wrong reasons.  At the same time, the institution has gathered data to compare students’ success in online courses compared with face-to-face courses.  So far, little has been done to evaluate the effectiveness of hybrid courses and the use of Blackboard for web companion and web enhanced courses.  Such efforts should be underway in the near future.

 

Faculty involvement with learning communities has been another important pedagogical initiative at NECC.  The learning community initiative at NECC began as a kind of grassroots faculty movement (with the support of OFSD).  Learning communities were proposed by faculty and were vetted by a committee consisting largely of faculty whose formal approval was required before administrative approval was obtained.  For several years the number of learning communities offered was small and consistent.  We now have a new Learning Communities Steering Committee and appear to be on the verge of increasing our learning community offerings.

 

NECC faculty who have taught in learning communities have been enthusiastic about their experiences.  Faculty have stated that “Learning communities are a great way for students to make connections–to work collaboratively with other students, and to get to know their instructors better” and that they “usually put a lot of effort into getting to know my students but in an LC it’s not work at all. Sharing an LC helps us all build relationships. We keep in touch long after the class is over.”

 

Student comments regarding learning communities have also been positive:

 

“In my Learning Community class, I laughed a lot, worked hard and made new friends. This course has given me more than any other. We debated issues, we learned how to work together and no one was judgmental. I felt everyone listened to what I had to say.”

 

“I really enjoyed the Learning Community. I liked getting to know people in the class and being able to work with the same people. This is my first year at college and I feel that the Learning Community has been the best possible experience for me.”

 

While we have a great deal of anecdotal evidence regarding the success of our LCs, NECC faculty (and administration) have so far been inconsistent in collecting more formal assessment data.  One study, conducted by a faculty member on the LC Steering Committee, found a positive difference in retention of NECC freshmen who enrolled in learning communities, but the study was not repeated.  Faculty teaching learning communities have collected pre- and post surveys, compared course grades with stand-alone sections, and collected student feedback in writing and through focus groups, but to this point there has been no consistent assessment process and no organized, cumulative assessment of the impact of learning communities on student success at the college. 

 

Currently, under the leadership of the new steering committee, NECC is scheduling focus groups to examine the effectiveness of learning communities for this semester (fall, 2009), and is planning to continue focus groups for the future. Starting in fall semester, 2010, LC teachers will perform an end-of-semester assessment. This information will be placed in a repository for future analysis.  It is still not clear, however, whether these efforts will be sufficient to fully and objectively evaluate the benefits of our learning communities–or whether it is even possible for us to conduct the types of studies that would provide inexorable statistical validity for our learning community instruction.

 

Faculty members interested in teaching in learning communities at NECC have also been concerned about related workload issues. Since the introduction of learning communities at NECC, many interested faculty have been deterred from submitting proposals by the additional time and energy associated with teaching in a learning community.  Though the administration has been generally willing to provide workload reductions for learning community faculty, in some cases the regular demands of the faculty’s schedule virtually precluded the inclusion of LC teaching.  The current steering committee is favoring learning communities which link classes (as opposed to fully integrating learning community courses), which are associated with both lower cost for the institution and less out-of-class work for faculty.

 

NECC faculty continue to distinguish themselves through their initiatives, awards and achievements.  While it is beyond the scope of this report to enumerate them all, a brief sampling may indicate the talent and accomplishment of our professors.  Faculty members have been involved in many curricular-related activities, including LARC (Liberal Arts Revitalization Committee, which has sponsored an annual Renaissance Person competition), the development of an Accelerated Business Management Program, NAEYC accreditation (National Association for the Education of Young Children) for our Early Childhood Education program, Writing and Math Across the Curriculum initiatives, and a SoTL project on the benefits of looping.   Faculty members have promoted cross-curricular activities, such as the annual use of a cross-curricular theme associated with one of our Top Notch theater productions (e.g., The Triangle Factory Project and The Diary of Anne Frank), for which many faculty created a curricular link within their given courses.  Several faculty members have established strong connections to the community, completing service learning projects with Emmaus House (a local homeless shelter), Habitat for Humanity, and Lawrence Community Action Head Start.  Faculty have also been involved with the college’s collaboration efforts with Methuen and Amesbury High School.  In addition, faculty members have sought out ways to connect classroom learning to community-related activities; examples include a tree survey project and an entrepreneurship panel.  In the Spring 09 semester, fourteen faculty members did service learning projects with their classes.  Faculty members have written and received numerous grants including an NSF lab improvement grant, an NEH grant to study Shakespeare, and an ATLAS grant, a collaboration between NECC and the Boston Museum of Science.  Faculty have also supervised student field trips, both local and distant, with direct links to curriculum.  Probably the most notable of these has been a summer field trip to Ecuador which was organized as a credited component of a biology course. 

 

 

Advising

 

Although great strides have been made in the area of academic advising, especially in regard to new faculty training and online advising, there is still work to be done.  Full-time faculty are given a list of 18 students to advise, but typically see only half of them in face-to-face meetings.  Advising lists change from semester to semester, so there is a lack of continuity in advisor-advisee contact and relationship.  Some faculty are also concerned that increasing opportunities for online registration will further diminish relationships between students and their faculty advisors. The advising center and the administration is currently attempting to address these concerns.

 

Adjunct Faculty Support

 

 While increasing its number of full-time faculty, NECC has also been making a concerted effort to increase support for adjunct faculty members and encourage them to become involved with campus life.  Virtually all professional development opportunities available to full-time faculty are now also available to adjuncts.  A special orientation for new adjunct faculty has been implemented.  All adjuncts are given an NECC email account, which means that they receive the same college-wide communications as full-time faculty, and an NECC phone number.  However, it cannot be said that adjuncts have parity with full-time faculty.  While they have phone numbers, most do not have their own phones.  While some type of office space is made available to adjuncts, many do not have an office space that can meaningfully be called their own.  The office space problem is particularly acute on the Lawrence campus.

 

Other inequities between full-time and adjunct faculty are contract-related.  For example, DCE faculty are required to make up any hour of class they miss, while full-time faculty are not.  The student evaluation forms used under the two bargaining agreements are also different.

 

Perhaps the most troubling aspect of adjunct faculty life is the lack of benefits they receive–especially health care.  While this is a systemic rather than institutional issue, it remains a sore spot in the minds of many faculty and a point of contention between the bargaining units and management.

 

 

Governance

 

 Faculty’s role in governance, and the effectiveness of faculty input into governance, is a frequently discussed topic on campus. There can be no doubt that faculty are welcome and encouraged to participate in virtually all relevant governance organizations and processes.  Nonetheless, some full-time faculty are skeptical about the value of ACA committee work, and each standing committee has at least one vacant faculty seat.  The number of adjunct faculty who participate regularly in governance activities is quite small.  The reality of having two distinct campuses, with faculty based on each, has also added a complication to faculty participation in governance.

 

At the same time, many faculty are feeling the strain of having too many demands or expectations placed upon them at any one given time.  Major initiatives such as AMP and ATD may be critical to the academic vitality of the college and the success of our students, but, especially with the current five course teaching load for full-time faculty, many faculty feel that they are being asked to take on more committee work and project participation than their schedules allow.  While faculty are never required to work beyond their contractual obligation, some find themselves caught in the dilemma of choosing between overextension and declining participation in activities which may directly affect their work lives.

 

 

Professional Development

 

Faculty and staff development is a priority at Northern Essex Community College, as evidenced by the extensive opportunities offered through the Office of Faculty and Staff Development, and the faculty’s enthusiastic pursuit of professional growth.  The majority of full-time faculty members and a significant number of adjunct faculty participate in professional development (see Description) and value the opportunities that the OFSD offers.  When surveyed,(see Exhibit 5-2 FacultySurvey.pdf) department chairs and program coordinators were universally positive about the OFSD and its offerings.  Faculty believe that the OFSD is supported by the President, as indicated by a full-time director and assistant, and the addition this year of a faculty fellow.  It is to NECC’s credit that when faced with significant budget cuts in FY 09, we did not place a blanket freeze on professional development activities and travel.  This decision reflects both the administration’s commitment to support faculty professional development, and the faculty’s commitment to pursue professional development for the benefit of the institution as well as their own professional growth.

 

NECC has also been successfully creating forums that provide structured opportunities for our faculty to learn from their colleagues.  Each spring, NECC offers faculty members a unique opportunity during Professional Development Day when faculty are encouraged to offer workshops in which they share new learning with their peers.  Collegial Conversations, TIC, and the new SFIGs are other examples of venues for faculty on our campuses to learn from each other.  Faculty who participate in these activities report a high degree of satisfaction with them.

 

 

Projection

 

In the current budget climate, it will be a challenge for NECC to continue to increase its number of full-time faculty and the percentage of day sections that they teach.  Nonetheless, the college should not lose sight of its 65% goal nor ignore the needs for new faculty hirings in critical areas.  And, when the 65% goal is attained, the college should evaluate whether it is desirable and realistic to aim for a higher percentage.

 

The college should re-clarify its goals regarding the hiring of minority faculty.  Realistic short-term goals should be established, perhaps on a biannual basis, to gradually increase the number and percentage of full-time minority faculty so that the percentage of minority faculty members at the college approaches the percentage of minority students enrolled at NECC.  At the same time, the college should seek faculty from a variety of minority groups, reflective of our student body (e.g., African American, Asian, as well as Latino). The college’s academic administrators should periodically evaluate the effectiveness of our current methods for recruiting full-time minority faculty, building upon successful methods and foregoing methods that yield no results. In a similar way, the college should vigorously pursue the recruitment of minority adjunct faculty.

 

There can be little doubt that NECC will continue to value professional development and support a rich range of professional development activities for its faculty.  The question will certainly be, at least in the near future, one of budget–how much can and should the college allocate to professional development when funds are tight?  Perhaps the college will expand on its faculty-teaching-faculty activities, which seem to be effective for and appreciated by most of the college faculty.

 

Another avenue of professional development for faculty that might be explored is grant writing. The college recognizes the importance of faculty grant application.  A committee could be established to provide or oversee such training.

 

Regarding technology, the question will be largely one of keeping up.  If the current faculty interest in online teaching, hybrid teaching, and the use of web companions for face-to-face courses continues, and the number of faculty using these modes continues to increase at its current pace, the college will have to find a way to increase its IT support for faculty.  This will be especially true in Lawrence, where there has been no CIT until very recently, and where a new building is planned.

 

While online teaching and the use of Blackboard will presumably continue to increase, the college will need to support the faculty in their efforts to evaluate the effectiveness of these tools.  This will be especially true for hybrid courses and web companions, for which, to this date, there has been little assessment of their impact.  Meanwhile, the college will also have to find the means to maintain its technological infrastructure.  The recent boon from the federal stimulus plan has allowed us to create more smart classrooms, but the equipment will need to be maintained and replaced.

 

NECC faculty, in conjunction with the college administration, will also need to establish more satisfying and consistent methods for assessing the impact of learning communities on student success.  At the same time, the college should seek ways to expand its support to faculty interested in teaching in learning communities, including adjuncts.  Faculty and administration should work together to determine the best uses of learning communities at NECC, in terms of the courses to be linked, the students to attract, and the volume of learning communities we offer semester to semester.

Regarding governance, the college should take a careful look at its expectations for faculty participation.  New initiatives should be phased in to avoid having too many major committees or teams in which faculty membership is needed active at the same time.  The college should continue in its efforts to involve more faculty in these activities, including our adjuncts.  More and better communication between the administration and the faculty, via our local union and the Executive Committee of the ACA, can facilitate these endeavors.

 

As the college continues to refine its advising processes, careful attention should be paid to both the frequency and quality of faculty advisor-student advisee contacts.  The new online portfolio system should be used to enhance these relationships.  Faculty should be assigned advisors from within their program and/or within their rosters for first semester students, and should be assigned the same students for advisees from semester to semester until the student either changes programs or leaves the college.

 

The college’s efforts to support our adjunct faculty should be continued and enhanced.   A survey of adjuncts might provide the administration with useful information regarding their perceptions of the college and their needs.  Departments can be encouraged to strengthen bonds between full-time and DCE faculty so that the latter will feel more connected with their work areas and the college as a whole.  Appreciation for the work of our adjuncts should be expressed, especially when the college is unable to provide more material support for them.

DESCRIPTION

Committee Standard Six - Students

DESCRIPTION

Admissions and Assessment (6.1-6.3)

Northern Essex Community College has an open admissions policy and accepts students on a first-come, first-served basis for most programs. Some majors are criteria-based and have special admission requirements and/or limited enrollment. Admission requirements for these programs are explained in each program’s criteria packet which is given to all students who display an interest in one or more of these programs.

NECC, also, accepts without discrimination all applicants meeting the admission standards. Matriculated students must show that they have graduated from an accredited high school, received a General Educational Development Certificate (GED) from the state of Massachusetts, or pass the federally approved Ability-to-Benefit test.

NECC attracts students in many ways including visits to area high schools, campus tours, mass mailings, and email correspondence. The college also holds weekly information sessions on Tuesday evenings at the Haverhill campus, and Thursday evenings at the Lawrence campus. During these information sessions enrollment counselors explain the admission, financial aid, registration and assessment processes to prospective students. 

The Ourania Behrakis Student One-Stop, a state-of-the-art one-stop student center that opened in the fall of 2005, provides students with a single destination for all their student services related needs. The enrollment services that were once housed in separate offices across the campus are now provided seamlessly under one roof in a single two-story building. The Lawrence campus has a smaller version of the One-Stop Center to serve the Lawrence campus.

In order to better serve students, NECC implemented a document imaging system. All relevant documents including high school and college transcripts and many financial aid documents are now scanned and imaged to allow remote viewing by academic and financial aid counselors as well as program coordinators at the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses. Staff can now access data that can be used to quickly facilitate the approval of financial aid files and verify student information needed for acceptance into criteria-based programs.

In 2006, the college launched MyNECC, an online self-service feature for students and faculty. The software allows students to register for classes, access grades, perform program audits, print unofficial transcripts and course schedules.  Students can also view their semester bill, their financial aid award and the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy.

The college is committed to student success by ensuring that every student is assessed, using the Accuplacer.  By testing the reading, writing, and math skill levels of new students, NECC is better able to ensure appropriate course placements.   If students require testing accommodations for learning, hearing, or other disabilities, the Learning Accommodation Center provides supportive assistance.

Non-matriculated students are allowed to register for up to six credits, prior to assessment.  However, all students are required to assess prior to enrolling in the following courses: English Composition I, college level math, developmental reading, writing and math; ESL; and all other courses with entrance level skills requirements.

Retention and Graduation Support (6.4, 6.5, 6.6, 6.11)

Developmental Programs and Services address the needs of students who enter the college with skill deficits. This area includes the Department of Developmental Studies which provides the following courses: Basic Writing, Basic Reading, Basic Reading Lab, College Reading, Basic Math, Basic Algebra I, Basic Algebra II, all the courses in the ESL sequence and all the courses in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Cluster. It also includes the Adult Literacy and Transition Program.

 

Four Learning Centers are also part of the Developmental Education area. They are: the English Language Center, the Math Center, the Reading Center and the Writing Center.

 

The English Language Center provides tutorials, enrichment exercises, and guidance while students are enrolled in ESL classes as well as assistance to those who have completed ESL classes and passed into the mainstream college.

 

The Math Center provides individual and group tutoring to students enrolled in the developmental math courses, Basic Math, Basic Algebra I, and Basic Algebra II.  The staff assists students with the development of math skills, and in addition, addresses specific needs such as math anxiety, calculator use, or questions about the math course sequence. Services are available to all students on a drop-in basis, both day and evening in Haverhill and Lawrence.

 

The Reading Center provides individual tutoring to students enrolled in the Basic Reading Classes, the Basic Reading Labs, and College Reading Classes. The staff assists students with the development of the academic skills needed to make them stronger readers.

 

The Writing Center provides individualized tutoring in all stages of the writing process, primarily to students enrolled in Basic Writing, but also to students enrolled in other NECC courses, so that the inexperienced writer becomes more confident.

Students in college level classes have access to the Academic Resource & Tutoring Center and the newly opened Math Resource and Tutoring Center. Tutorials are offered free of charge to all Northern Essex students across the main subject areas of College-level Writing and Math, Accounting, Science, and Computers.  The Academic Resource and Tutoring Center subscribes to the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory, LASSI, an online evaluation tool, which helps students identify their strengths and weaknesses relative to strategic learning.  In addition to the walk-in tutoring that is offered across the main subject areas, students are encouraged to submit requests to form study groups with their peers. A peer tutor, or supplemental instructor, leads student groups at a time that is mutually convenient to their members, two hours per week. Online tutoring is also available through SmartThinking, a nationally recognized online tutoring facility. All centers and tutors adhere to the National Tutoring Association’s Code of Ethics.

The Learning Accommodations Center provides equal access for students with documented disabilities.  It provides contacts at both the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses, services students enrolled in credit and noncredit courses and offers consultation and training to staff, faculty, administrators, students and the community about the College’s legal obligations under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 1990, Title II. The Learning Accommodations Center’s determines the accommodations that provide equal access for students with a wide range of disabilities including students with Learning Disabilities, Attention Deficit Disorder, Psychiatric Disorders, Physical Disabilities and certain Medical Conditions, Blind/ Low Vision, Brain Injury, Asperger’s Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorders.  Documentation and interviews are used to assess individual needs and determine reasonable accommodations.

Northern Essex Community College’s longstanding commitment to students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing is evidenced by its comprehensive approach to serving this population.  The Deaf Studies Program is known as the only publicly funded training program for sign language interpreters and paraprofessionals. DHH Services coordinates interpreting services for ongoing classes, tutorials, advising sessions, meetings, co-curricular activities and any programs or services provided by the College.  Computer Aided Real Time Captioning (CART) is provided as requested. All Northern Essex interpreters are professionals who are certified by the National Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, or who have passed a state quality assurance screening. Approval of services through Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Office is required prior to delivery of services.   NECC is also home to the Gallaudet University Regional Center which brings resources of the world’s only liberal arts university for deaf and hard of hearing people to the northeast region through training workshops, technical assistance, and extension courses.

NECC is a GED testing site.  And the Adult Literacy and Transition Programs offer an Adult Basic Education site in Amesbury MA for students who need the skills to enable them to pass the GED. We also offer ESOL Classes at our Lawrence campus as well as ESOL Classes that target Family Daycare Providers.

Students are expected to achieve and maintain minimum academic standards to remain in “good standing”; specific standards and the method of calculation are identified under “Academic Standing” in the college’s catalog and on the website.

Along with the NECC Academic Standards, the U.S. Department of Education requires that all students receiving financial aid be making satisfactory academic progress (SAP) toward their course of study.  SAP standards comply with the federal regulations and financial aid counselors work closely with Academic Advising staff to review student progress on both sets of standards.

The Massachusetts Department of Higher Education (DHE) has required annual reporting from all state community colleges on numerous performance measures which include rates of retention and graduation.  The annual reports are shared broadly across campus, with the college’s Board of Trustees, in community forums and on our website.  In addition to DHE required measures, the college has always reported on additional Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).  And now that the college has completed its first full year as one of the four Achieving the Dream (AtD) colleges in Massachusetts deeper analysis of all student success measures has occurred. 

NECC is committed to providing access to higher education by reducing economic barriers.   Financial Aid staff provides information about student aid programs and assists eligible students in accessing these programs.  All students are encouraged to apply for financial aid.

Since 2007, 98% of our students have completed the FAFSA online.  However, all students may come in to the One-Stop Student Centers in Haverhill or Lawrence to receive any assistance with completing financial aid paperwork.  

In addition, we also participate in the annual College Goal Sunday, a national initiative sponsored by the Massachusetts Association of Student Financial Aid (MASFAA). College Goal Sunday is held at our Lawrence campus every January.  Financial Aid professionals assist parents and students in understanding the benefits of completing the FAFSA and give help with completing it in English or Spanish.

NECC’s One-Stop staff is also trained to assist students with basic financial aid questions.   Our Financial Aid counselors are specialists in the field and are members of MASFAA, the staff regularly attend conferences, training sessions, and workshops to keep current with the ever-changing state and federal regulations.  Most of our financial aid staff also speaks Spanish.

NECC participates in a number of financial aid programs including grants, loans, federal work-study, and scholarships that are need-based and merit. In order to be considered for most federal, state and institutional financial aid, a student must:

• Demonstrate financial need; calculated by an analysis of the FAFSA.
• Be accepted to and enrolled in a degree or certificate program at NECC.
• Have a valid Social Security number.
• Be a citizen, national or permanent resident of the United States or its trust territories
• Maintain at least half-time enrollment status unless otherwise noted by program guidelines. (Some students that are enrolled in less than half-time are eligible for a Pell Grant.)
• Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).
• Maintain compliance with Selective Service registration requirements.
• Not owe a refund on Title IV money, or be in default on any previous student loan.
• Have a high school diploma or a General Education Development (GED) certificate or must pass an independently administered test and indicating the Ability to Benefit
• For some state funds students must be a resident of the state for at least one year and have completed their FAFSA by the priority deadline: May 1st.

Students can receive the following types of aid dependent on eligibility:

Federal Pell Grant

Federal Work-Study

Federal Stafford Loan Program

Federal Supplementary Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)

Federal Parent Loan for Undergraduate Study (PLUS)

 

MA Need Based Tuition Waiver Program

MA Cash Grant Program

MA Part-time Grant

MA State Scholarship

 

 

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Office of Student Financial Assistance provides NECC students with the following additional financial aid programs:

 

MA National Guard Educational Assistance Program

Stanley Koplik Certificate of Mastery Tuition Waiver

Native American Waiver Program

Foster Child Grant Program

Senior Citizens Tuition Waiver Program

MA Rehabilitation Tuition Waiver

Tuition Remission Program/State Employees

Public Service Scholarship

DSS Foster Care /Adopted Children Tuition Waiver

Commission for the Blind Tuition Waiver

Education Rewards Program

Veterans/Military Service Tuition Exemption

John & Abigail Adams Award

 

The steps and information regarding financial aid is well publicized on the website, in the NECC Catalog and the Academic Advising Handbook.

General Student Services (6.7, 6.8, 6.9, 6.14, 6.15, 6.16)                                                                                                                                                         

The annual strategic plan of the Division of Enrollment Management and Student Services (EMSS) relates directly to the Strategic Plan of the college, using the Strategic Directions as its goals.  Operational departmental objectives focus directly on contributions to student success and personnel are evaluated on their individual contributions, as well.  Programs and services are framed and continually improved to enhance a student learning-centered environment.  Planning and monthly reviews of progress occur in every department and in management meetings.  Annual budgeting and planning for budget reductions is led by the Executive Vice President and her leadership team with input from every department.                                                                                                                                                          

Campus Security personnel are on duty 24 hours daily at the Haverhill campus and during operating hours at the Lawrence campus.

In May of 2007, a Campus Safety Response Team (CSRT) comprised of faculty and staff from across the college’s campuses was formed to address concerns about violence prevention, post VA Tech.  Three subcommittees produce the following.   Communications created the website information, participated in the implementation of the Emergency Notification System and has created a report explaining the team’s work.  The Care and Concern Outreach Team (CCOT) has cross functional membership from HR, Student Services, two faculty members, and Student Discipline; it meets regularly with faculty and students who have been referred for threat assessment.  Training sponsors speakers and orientations.

On August 4, 2008 NECC joined BeSafe. When first responders are called to the college, the information provided by BeSafe - including floor plans, utility connections, classroom, lab and office configurations, digital photos and evacuation routes -allows them to make critical, well-informed decisions more quickly. Additionally, the college’s protocol for crisis management has been revised. This document, which is available both on the web and in publications form, provides instructions for faculty, staff, and students to follow; if in imminent danger, if a student is exhibiting signs of emotional distress, to report discipline issues, or to refer students under academic pressure.

Beginning in September of 2009, Northern Essex Community College became a smoke free campus, recognizing the medical evidence that indicates that smoking is a serious health hazard, and that this hazard includes those exposed to secondhand smoke.

The college’s flu task force’s information can be found at www.necc.mass.edu/flu; it uses an active communications plan to keep faculty, staff and students aware of policies and the latest national and state information and provides notification forms so that the college can better track the spread of the flu.

The Career Planning & Advising Center (CPAC) is not only an Academic Advising Center, but serves as a vital component for student development.  CPAC provides an array of services for students including career planning workshops, mentoring and advising, cooperative education opportunities, the Disney Program, Tech Prep, GED preparation and testing, and community service learning opportunities.  In addition to the functions of the Advising Center, which include, student advising, registration, assisting with web registration, campus tours, and much more, the CPAC serves a vital function reaching across divisions. 

Moreover, in both the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses, professional student social services counselors are available to assist students with personal and educational problems.

 The college is not residential and has no Student Health Service though it is obligated to provide immunization compliance reports to the MA Department of Public Health on Allied Health Students and all full time students.  In addition if there are policy changes or if the college has questions we have arranged for consultation with Middlesex Community College’s Health Service.  Student Health Insurance is mandatory for all full time students and the same QSHP policy is offered to all state community college students.

All staff leading direct student services have a minimum of a Master’s degree with several having doctoral degrees and several years of relevant experience working in higher education.  84% of all personnel in EMSS have degrees and many have participated in the Community College Leadership Academy or in NECC’s Leadership Academy.  A minimum of a Masters degree for all professional staff is stressed and its attainment is fully supported by EMSS executive leadership.  Facilities and technology have been acquired through considerable fundraising and grant writing and provide wonderful resources for staff to be successful in their work with students.  College funding has been adequate in the past and heavily supplemented by federal, state and private external funding for special programs or services. 

Each EMSS department complies with the ethical standards of its student affairs discipline.  Learning Accommodations and Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services are further guided by licensure and certification requirements. Other departments have ethics and standards guiding principles that are reviewed during annual goal setting.  Athletics must comply with their National Association standards.  And most recently Financial Aid has distributed new ethical standards which all staff are required to follow.

In fall 2008, the College adopted its new Student Code of Conduct developed by legal counsel and used by all Massachusetts Community Colleges.   The Student Code of Conduct, including the Student Grievance Procedure and Disciplinary Process, are available online and are distributed to students as they enroll and through orientation.

The complaint and appeal mechanisms are contained in the publication titled “Student Code of Conduct and NECC Policies & Procedures”.  It is widely available in hard copy, given to all new students, shared again with any student referred for discipline or pursuing a grievance, and is posted on the college’s website. As stated in the Student Code of Conduct, in order to ensure diversity on campus, students, faculty, staff and visitors must be free from conduct which has the purpose or effect of interfering with an individual’s academic or professional performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or demeaning educational or employment environment. The College has a policy of unequivocal condemnation of intolerance, whether it be based on ethnicity, religion, cultural heritage, race, disability, sex or sexual orientation.

The Disciplinary process is clearly outlined, and where possible, minor disputes are informally resolved.  Special attention is paid to ensure that students have due process.  Students who violate the Code of Conduct have an opportunity to resolve the case administratively or to use a formal hearing board.

Northern Essex Community College is committed to protecting the security, confidentiality, and integrity of student records.  The College follows the standards of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974, as amended, which insures confidentiality of educational records and prescribes the conditions under which information about students can be released to the student, parents or guardians, and authorized third parties. In addition, the Act defines the general record keeping requirements that the institution must maintain to insure accuracy and access of student educational data. Information regarding FERPA is outlined in the College Catalog and College policies relating to FERPA are maintained by the College Registrars. 

Student Engagement (6.10, 6.12, 6.13, 6.17-6.18)

Orientation involves a series of stages and departments, making it, in effect, an ongoing process.  The stages are defined as Initial Contact, Transitioning In, Getting Connected and Moving Ahead and Transitioning Out.  This “Just-in-time” model gives students the information appropriate for that particular stage of the enrollment process. Each stage can involve several different departments sharing information, connecting with a student to get them better informed and aware of the process, procedures and about Northern Essex in general. 

Stage                                             Time of Year           Key Units Involved

Stage I	Initial Contact	Ongoing	Career Planning and Advising CenterEnrollment Services Financial Aid
Stage II	Transitioning In
	a. Sorting and Selecting	Summer	Assessment CenterAcademic Departments Career Planning and Advising Center Enrollment Services
	b. Becoming Informed (required by most)	Summer/Fall	Allied Health ProfessionsAthletics Business, Math, Science and Technology Career Planning and Advising Center Dual Enrollment Early Childhood Education Elementary Education Enrollment Services English as a Second Language Financial Aid Human Services Learning Accommodations PACE Paralegal Student Engagement Center/Early Connection Program
Stage III	Getting Connected/Moving Ahead	Summer/Fall/Winter	Allied Health ProfessionsAthletics Business, Math, Science, and Technology Career Planning and Advising Center Developmental Education/ESL Learning Accommodations Center Library Student Engagement Center/Welcome Week
Stage IV	Transitioning Out	Spring	Academic DepartmentsAlumni Association Career Planning and Advising Center Enrollment Services Financial Aid PACE

 

In summer 2008, after various models were reviewed and researched, a new Early Connection program was launched by the Student Engagement Center.  Year one of the new Early Connection Program focused on the Achieving the Dream cohort, first-time, full-time new students under the age of 24, after they have registered for classes but before the semester begins.  Students are contacted by Student Orientation Leaders (SOLs) by email and phone, inviting them to attend a 2-hour workshop that includes career planning, classroom expectations, what is a syllabus, college resources, and others.  This same cohort then receives additional emails throughout the summer, following up on any additional questions, and an invitation to attend Welcome Week activities.

During Welcome Week, Information tables are setup in strategic locations on the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses.  Welcome Week, fall semester, lasts the first four weeks of the semester and includes Student Success Workshops, the College Life and Campus Services Fair, Job Fairs, Academic and other Departmental Open Houses, and more.  Almost all are offered on both campuses, with the exception of certain Open Houses.

 

The Student Engagement Center offers numerous opportunities for student development, engagement, and leadership through extra-curricular activities.  The Center presents workshops, fairs, and other events for students to help foster student life at the College.  The Student Engagement Center has seen a dramatic increase in participation since the department was relocated to the Sport & Fitness Center several years ago, leading to increased collaboration within the Student Life Unit and making access easier for students and faculty on the Haverhill campus. 

NECC has over 20 clubs/organizations including Parnassus (award-winning literary magazine), Amnesty International, Tertulias Book Club, Gay/Straight Alliance, Dance Club (Stillpoint Dancers) and others.  The Stillpoint Dancers are in their 36^th year of production. The process clubs/organizations are required to follow are included in the Club and Organization Handbook (available online).  This paperwork includes: membership roster, current officer listing, and Hazing Disclosure. 

The Women’s Network (Haverhill) and Tertulias Book Club (Lawrence) are both support networks that offer many workshops with over 100 women attending each year.   Formerly programs, both recently achieved student organization status.

The Student Engagement Center works to recruit students to serve on the Student Senate, the Student Government Association.  Membership on the Student Senate is comprised of 15 students representing the various academic programs, the 5 largest clubs, and 5 seats for students in the leadership program. The Senate has weekly meetings that are held via video teleconference on both campuses.  The Senate makes an annual budget recommendation to the College for clubs and organizations and three Student Life offices (Student Engagement Center, Athletics & Recreation, and Wellness & Fitness Center) funded by the Student Activity Fund.  All new student organizations and club are approved by the Senate and must register annually with the Student Engagement Center. 

The Student Engagement Center coordinates the Student Leadership Development Program, which has received awards from both NASPA and NCSD.  Students are nominated to be a part of the program by faculty or staff, or through involvement in athletics, student government, co-curricular activities, English as a Second Language (Level 4 and 5 only), or the Dean’s List. This program includes leadership workshops, a community service component, and optional team building activities. Students that complete all program requirements can continue to become Presidential Student Ambassadors, who serve as liaisons at College events, and are recognized at the Annual Award’s Convocation and by a transcript notation.

The Wellness & Fitness Center is an exercise facility on the Haverhill campus that is free and open to all college community members.  The center also provides a significant amount of wellness programming ranging from healthy eating to stress management. The center also serves as a learning laboratory for students in the Sport, Fitness & Leisure Studies (SFLS) program.  The students staff the center, lead exercise orientations, lead exercise classes and provide personal training and work in outreach programs with the local community.  The Lawrence campus students and staff use the Lawrence YMCA.

The Athletic Department offers a wide variety of co-ed, intramural and recreational programs throughout the year, and is open to all students, faculty and staff.  Our facilities are located in and around the Sport and Fitness Center on the Haverhill campus.  A game room with board games, pool and ping pong tables, and other equipment, as well as a snack bar and lounge area is also available. Off campus recreational activities are also planned throughout the semester.  An average of 886 students per month used the recreation area during the fall 2008 semester.

We offer an intercollegiate athletic program in six varsity sports: women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s baseball and men’s and women’s track and field. The intercollegiate athletic program is governed by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and all student-athletes are required to meet certain eligibility standards.  Our athletic teams compete locally in the Massachusetts Community College Athletic Conference (MCCAC).

While the college does not have stated institutional goals for students’ co-curricular learning, each EMSS department that provides co-curricular experiences has goals for their programs and services.  Co-operative experiential placements are highly formalized as part of the academic programs.  Community service learning and the student leadership development program are well established co-curricular programs.  Student clubs and organizations are more informal.  And Student Senate leadership training is being revised to become much more formal. 

APPRAISALS

Admissions and Assessment (6.1-6.3)

The Behrakis One Stop Student Center has been used as a model for many community colleges who have sent visiting teams to discuss both the building features and the functional service centers.  In addition, the model has been presented at regional and national conferences.  The smaller Lawrence center has been able to serve over 12,000 students and families annually.  Cross training of staff has increased each year and as a result staff has been promoted into new career paths which allow us to send one person to cover multiple topics in high schools or community speaking engagements.  Our students rated our enrollment services at 95% satisfaction in 2007-2008 on the CCSSE.

Technology has been of great assistance to our students, particularly through the recent implementations of web self service capabilities of SunGard Banner.  Financial Aid Self Service allowed our limited staff to concentrate on aid packaging while students could check award status on line.  On-line applications would help us with data entry processing and expanded document imaging could help program coordinators deliver faster decisions for criteria programs.

Through Achieving the Dream some of the cut off scores for assessment were thoroughly researched in 2009 to benefit students and enhance their chances of success in certain courses.

Retention and Graduation Support (6.4, 6.5, 6.6, 6.11)

The new ADA Amendments Act of 2008 expanded the disability protection so it is expected that an increase in the number of students with disabilities will be seen and the Learning Accommodations Center may be hard pressed to support them.  Grants that were available in the past have been eliminated due to state budget cuts.

In spring 2009, 650 students participated in the CCSSE and when asked about financial aid advising, indicated we had improved substantially in two years, increasing the amount of “very” or “somewhat” satisfied by 10 points.  However, with the reduction in state support and in donations to the college, fewer discretionary funds are available to assist students who are either ineligible for financial aid or receive only minimal assistance.  In fall 2009, many students needed more funding for books and living expenses because the course fee increases used up their limited financial aid awards.

Developmental Programs and Services for students at NECC are one of our strengths. We have a thriving array of support centers for both Developmental and College-level students. According to 2009 CCSSE results, we are making progress in facilitating student support services and when asked about their satisfaction of these services, we had improved 5 points, increasing the amount of “very” or “somewhat” above the national average. 

In addition, a random sampling of students participated in a survey of the Writing, Reading, and Math Resource and Tutoring Center in which they rated their satisfaction and then created a simile to compare the support they received to something in everyday life. The results were quite positive and the similes in particular provide a good lens into student perception. The support in the Reading Center was described by students as a place where they felt they could gain knowledge. One student wrote it was like, “having a tool because when you need it, it’s there to use and the more you use it, the better you get.” The support in the Writing Center was often compared to being coached or given financial help. One student wrote that the Writing Center was like, “Gold because it’s helped me feel comfortable with writing and has given me good support and ideas . . . I cherish the help they have given me.” Another compared it to, “Being broke and suddenly receiving a check in the mail. I have come to the writing center with essays that have been really tough for me to expand. When I walk out of here, I have more ideas to write about.” (Exhibit 6-1- Questionnaire, located on Student NEASC blog)

 

In the spring 2009, total hours students spent in the Academic Resource Center and the Math Resource and Academic Center were calculated.

Academic Resource and Tutoring Center, spring 2009: All subjects other than math (Accounting, Biological sciences, Chemistry, Computer sciences, Resources - student use of C210 not related to a particular subject, Writing)

 

	Hours of tutoring	Contacts
Walk-in	924	905
Study group	156	214
Learning Accommodations (one-on-one)	22	16
Workshop	5 (writing)	18 (writing)
SmarThinking online service	28.49	55
Totals	1135.49	1208

Math Tutoring and Resource Center: Note that the sign-in data is slightly different for the Math area. Contact hours include professional tutoring as well as Supplemental Instruction (Peer Tutoring)

 

 Discrete users: 294

Contact hours: 1094

 

Number of different math courses (including chemistry courses): 20

(Exhibit 6-2 - Academic Resource and Tutoring Center Report)

 

Based on our focus group work with the Achieving the Dream Initiative “Student Perspectives on Persistence and Success”, NECC should ensure peer support systems such as mentoring and provide structured opportunities for students to connect and ‘buddy’ with one another.   Moreover, the focus group found that by creating more ‘conversations’ between faculty/staff and students, we may be able to access students who may not have an intrinsic level of motivation to persist.

The Interim Assistant Dean of Developmental Education will be conducting a research project to correlate and measure the impact of student use of ESL and the Developmental Reading, Writing, and Math labs on student retention and course completion rates.

General Student Services (6.7, 6.8, 6.9, 6.14, 6.15, 6.16)

As a result of FY10 budget cuts and reduced grant funding, the EMSS division lost twelve full and part-time positions and grant funds from Title V and MA DMH exceeding $450,000.

EMSS is reviewing how best to deliver career planning to more students.  Since the One Stop Center opened career planning functions have been more broadly distributed.  They are now done in academic coursework, in the Student Success workshops, the College Success course, through Student Life programming, and various grant programs.  The Commonwealth is also developing a web component, and we want to take advantage of the many web resources available.  Currently, Massachusetts Community Colleges are sending staff to each other, as we all are exploring better ways to deliver this information to students. 

Student Engagement (6.10, 6.12, 6.13, 6.17, 6.18)

 

Coordinating facilities continues to be a concern for programming certain campus/college events.  Despite the existence of a “college hour”, courses continue to be scheduled during it. With an increasing enrollment, space is harder to find to hold events and clubs, organizations, and departments vie for student participation.

Improving communication between the Center and the College community is a goal for future growth and development.  Online opportunities, such as Facebook and others, have been helpful communication tools in the past to disseminate information about events and increase participation. 

Spring 2010, the Student Affairs Committee implemented a “Student of the Month” award. Faculty and staff can nominate and recognize students for being active and engaged learners, demonstrating leadership, and/or helping other students. At the end of the academic year, a “Student of the Year” will be nominated out of the monthly pool.

The Wellness and Fitness center has been able to meet the demands of the college community in providing significant hours of operation.  An average of over 50 participants use the center each day: 60% of the users are full time students, 23% are part-time students, 12% are college staff and 5% are guests. 

The challenge for the Athletic Department has always been how to attract more female student-athletes.  There is extra stress on recruiting female athletes and trying to make the programs less demanding while maintaining a high level of competitiveness. 

Learning outcomes for students’ co-curricular learning were attempted at one point by Student Life and without any institutional requirement were implemented wherever possible.  A college wide focus on learning outcomes for all student co-curricular activities would be helpful.

Finally, all EMSS departments engage in numerous assessments, external reviews, surveys and evaluations of their impact on students.  To illustrate our understanding and continual use of assessment, each EMSS department has prepared a recent case study example of how data is gathered and drives subsequent decisions about future change and improvements.  Each case study has been compiled and is provided in a separate binder called Enrollment Management and Student Services Research Reports as a resource for the visiting team. 

PROJECTIONS

Admissions and Assessment (6.1-6.3)

Cross training of one stop center staff, more cross training of all student services staff and training of as many faculty as possible is essential as we continue to serve more and more students with fewer staff.  This will be an ongoing effort.

Numerous improvements in technology are still needed in Financial Aid, particularly automated packaging and more sophisticated SAP reporting, which we need to achieve in FY11.

On line applications and other on line fee payments require the discovery of a cost effective method or product or a change in business practices.  These issues will be reviewed and resolved before FY12.

Assessment research should be continued annually to ensure correlation between cut off scores and student chances of success.

Retention and Graduation Support (6.4, 6.5, 6.6, 6.11)

By FY12, we hope to have developed a more cost effective method to deliver Career Planning to students and to move forward with the web assisted services.

Given that the college had to increase fees substantially this past year there is a greater need to consider how to create funding to assist more students with their educational expenses.  Institutional Advancement successfully raises over $150,000 annually for scholarships but in this economic climate much more is needed.  Many of our sister colleges had increased fees for many previous years and thus created local college funding, an average of $500,000- $1M annually, to provide additional financial aid for the neediest students and financial assistance for the “working poor”.  By FY12, the college needs to develop a plan to set aside funding to assist students.

General Student Services (6.7, 6.8, 6.9, 6.14, 6.15, 6.16)

The FY12 Strategic Plan requires each department in the EMSS division to do serious planning for restructuring.  The plans will be created during the FY10 year and phased into each subsequent fiscal year as needed.  The plans will be prioritized as they were for FY10-saving first those programs and services most critical to student success.

We hope to continue to investigate the question, “What activities or support services by NECC would make the most difference for those students who do not yet have the sufficient level of intrinsic motivation and persistence?” through Process Management.

Student Engagement (6.10, 6.12, 6.13, 6.17, 6.18)

 

A plan to broaden the cohort for Orientations and to create a communications plan to increase participation will be piloted in FY11 and grown annually. 

 

Improvements in technology are still needed to enhance both communication and online student services through the Student Engagement Center.  Over the next three years, the Center is planning on increasing communication through the creation of a “blog” and online information about upcoming events and activities through an online calendar.

 

The college will establish a process management team to recommend how to institute institutional learning outcomes for students’ co-curricular learning college-wide.  

 

 

 

Library and Information Resources

Standard Seven

Description

 

At Northern Essex Community College, library and information resources is a crucial component of the college’s mission of optimal academic performance and student success.

Library

On the Haverhill Campus, the Bentley Library building houses the main library, the Library instructional classroom and the campus Media Services office and labs.  On the Lawrence campus, a smaller library specializing in health sciences and law is located on the lower level of the building.  Wireless Internet access is available in the libraries for students who have registered for  a wireless internet account through the IT department.

The Bentley Library has holdings of more than 65,000 volumes, while the Lawrence Campus Library contains more than 10,000 volumes. An integrated online catalog provides access to library materials and maintains circulation and cataloging records. Library and information resources at NECC are readily available to students at the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses and through a comprehensive and interactive website.  Students can register in person or online for a library card.  The NECC Library card number entitles the student to full library privileges, including off-site access to subscription databases via the Internet, patron-initiated request capability for NOBLE (North of Boston Library Exchange) and Virtual Catalog resources, and walk-in privileges at NOBLE and Massachusetts public college libraries.  

Training and support in the use of library resources is made available to faculty, students, and staff through library instruction sessions offered at both campuses, and through online instruction and tutorials on the library website. The Library’s website has been designed to support the information needs of the college’s students, faculty and staff.  The Research Aides and Tutorials webpage provides access to information literacy skills tutorials designed to assist students with research tools.  Library staff regularly evaluates and revises the website’s content and style to maintain its quality, clarity and simplicity.   Reference librarians act as added support on an individual basis and reply to email inquiries received through ‘Ask a Librarian’ link on the website as well as responding to telephone inquiries.  New faculty orientation includes information on library services.

The Libraries are staffed by the equivalent of nine full-time librarians and paraprofessionals. Of these, 5.8 FTE are professional librarians holding Master’s degrees in Library and Information Science (Data/First). A professional librarian qualified to provide reference assistance to students, faculty, and staff is scheduled to be present at all hours the libraries are open. The technical services and circulation areas are staffed by qualified full- and part-time paraprofessionals.  

 

Instructional and Information Technology

The Center for Instructional Technology and Distance Learning (CIT) provides instructional technology support services to the college’s faculty and staff.   Faculty are encouraged to develop distance learning versions of their courses and training and assistance are available to support them in this endeavor.  Services include one-on-one coaching, demonstrations, and course development tools and materials.  Staff assist faculty in the design of online courses and the creation of faculty web sites and demonstrate techniques to enhance traditional face-to-face courses utilizing electronic presentations or interactive learning modules. New faculty members receive an orientation with CIT and are informed of all services that are offered.   Every spring, CIT runs iTEACH, a semester-long faculty development program that trains its participants in designing pedagogically sound and interactive online or hybrid courses.  Additionally, workshops geared towards maximizing instructional effectiveness are offered.  A listing of workshops can be viewed at the CIT website.  The website also provides online tutorials.

CIT has developed a video tutorial on its Distance Learning Website to help students familiarize themselves with the distance learning experience. The Helpdesk, part of the college’s IT department, provides walk-in, phone and email support to students on both the Haverhill and Lawrence Campus.  The Media and Video Services branch of CIT provides media support and materials for classroom and special events.

CIT is staffed by a director holding a Master’s in Media Production, two professional Instructional Designers with appropriate advanced degrees, and two qualified paraprofessional staff members.

The College uses Banner, an administrative software system, to address many of its institutional needs ranging from student services to finance services and human resources.  Banner Self Service allows enrolled students, faculty, and staff access to information, resources and services online.  Banner interfaces with other software systems such as Blackboard, the college’s course management system.

The library has policies regarding the appropriate use of computers and technology systems.  These policies are designed to address a diverse set of parameters, including, but not limited to, eligibility for access to computers and networks, acceptable and unacceptable use of library computer stations, acceptable use of e-mail, time limitations on use, printing policies, access to software and hardware, equipment reservation and loan, and software loan policies.  Additional usage issues not specifically addressed by either the library or CIT can be viewed online at the College Policies & Student Code of Conduct webpage and is published in the Student Handbook under the heading “College Statements, Policies, & Disclosures”.  These policies address enforcement of guidelines, use priority, privacy policies, security, eligibility for and cost of accounts, electronic mail policies (which covers acceptable uses and suggested guidelines for sending and receiving e-mail), use of the internet and World Wide Web access, and copyright infringement. Policies addressing the use of resources other then computers and wireless networks (i.e. books, movies, and print journals) are listed on the NECC Library Policies webpage. 

Appraisal

Library

The Libraries’ mission and vision as stated in the FY 2008-2012 Long Range Plan (Resource Room) indicates a commitment to providing the environment and resources necessary to support the college’s goals of student success and faculty and staff development. The Long Range Plan clearly articulates the libraries’ goals in the areas of Information Literacy, Circulation and Access Services, Collections, Technology, Library Environment, Space Needs, and Communication.

The libraries’ strong connection with the academic departments through the library liaison initiative, the Academic Affairs Committee, and other avenues allows the libraries to stay abreast of new courses and trends.  Academic needs are supported by a 75,000 volume book collection, as well as access to the collections of the twenty-seven member libraries of NOBLE (North of Boston Library Exchange).  Electronic resources play an increasingly important role in student research. A wide variety of databases provide access to thousands of journals and other full-text resources and are easily accessible to registered students both on and off campus via the library web site.  In 2009, the library added a collection of nearly 20,000 electronic book titles (Ebrary) which can be read in full-text online.

Despite the increasing importance of electronic resources, the libraries have experienced an increase in the circulation of print and media materials. Total library circulation grew from 9,790 in FY2005 to 17,595 in FY2009. In 2009 alone, overall circulation of library materials increased by 21%.  At the same time, usage of all databases also increased (2009 Annual Report Summary). These increases in use may reflect,   at least in part, resource allocation on the part of NECC’s administration in support of library collections, information resources and technology.

The library budget has remained stable during this period with modest but steady increases in funding.  Between FY 2005 and FY2009, materials expenditures grew from $105,600 to $114,600. Operating expenses, excluding salaries, grew from $152,602 to $178,655 during the same period (Library Annual Reports). Despite the concurrent increase in the number of students and cost of materials, this investment has allowed the libraries to increase access to print and electronic resources significantly.

The quality of service provided by the library staff was judged to be one the libraries’ greatest strengths according to the LibQual Survey of students, faculty, and staff conducted in 2007. In 2005, evening and Saturday staff was increased with the addition of a library assistant to back up the Reference Librarian on duty at the Bentley Library, freeing the librarian to offer information literacy sessions, and providing needed circulation assistance. Other staffing improvements include the addition of a part-time Reference Librarian to allow the Lawrence Campus Library to remain open on two additional evenings a week and on Saturday mornings.  A part-time circulation assistant was added in 2004 to help cover the busy morning hours of operation at the Haverhill Campus. Finally, the Cataloger position was increased from part- to full-time in 2008.

Information Literacy is an important part of the libraries’ mission and vision, and has recently been approved as one of the college’s core competencies. Library instruction sessions are one way of increasing student exposure to information literacy.  Faculty are encouraged to bring classes into the library or to invite instruction librarians into the classroom. Yearly demand for library instruction sessions has risen steadily, with a 36% increase since FY2006. More than one third of the sessions presented in 2009 were for English Composition classes (Library Annual Reports).  However, in both 2008 and 2009 there was an expansion of the program into other areas, especially Business and Science.  The instruction librarians have worked to tailor classes for the various subject areas in order to ensure that students are exposed to information literacy topics relevant to their field of study.  In 2009, the librarians began posting LibGuides on the library web site. These web based guides are designed to steer students toward appropriate sources specific to a course or subject area and are accessible to students on campus or off campus via the internet .

Methods of evaluating student success in acquiring proficiency in information literacy while at the college are still under development.  The efficacy of individual sessions is evaluated through exercises at the end of class and through the administration of “minute papers” in random classes. Annually, the libraries promote awareness of information literacy on both campuses by conducting a contest for the best use of information in a research paper.

The physical space devoted to instruction has presented problems on each campus. The Lawrence Campus Library has no dedicated space for information literacy instruction. Sessions must be conducted in the library proper, taking over space at the expense of other students, or at an off-site location, especially problematic because of the limited staffing in Lawrence.  The library itself is small, and its location in the basement of the building limits accessibility and exposure.  The library also suffers from a lack of differentiated quiet and group study areas.  These issues were prominent in both the LibQual Survey of 2007 and the Process Management project on Library Visioning of 2005.

The Bentley Library is currently undergoing a renovation which will include an improved library instruction classroom.  The new room will be somewhat larger and will offer twenty-two computer work stations, double the number in the older ERA (Electronic Research Area).  The space will seat larger classes more comfortably. The original ERA will be repurposed for general student use. The total number of available computers for student use in the library will increase from 35 to 52, improving ease of access for students, who are currently sometimes confronted by a waiting line for an available computer.

The Library Visioning  Process Management project of 2005 highlighted the wants and needs of students, faculty and staff in relation to library space.  The current renovation project at the Bentley responds to many of the needs expressed in that survey.  More group and quiet study spaces, reading and relaxing spaces, greater access to computers, and improved security are all part of the project, as is an art gallery/meeting room.  Wireless computer access is available in the library in accordance with IT’s policies.  One of the top two wants or needs expressed by students in the survey, but not yet included in the renovation, was for a coffee/snack bar area in the library.  

The NECC libraries play a role in the cultural life of the college through sponsorship of and participation in projects that reflect the intellectual and cultural diversity of the college’s students, faculty, and staff. Events sponsored during the past year included student and community art exhibits, environmental awareness month activities, author presentations, and a reception for NECC’s faculty and staff authors and writers. (Events Notebook)

Policies addressing the use of resources other than computers and wireless networks (i.e. books, movies, and print journals) are listed on the NECC Library web site as are policies for computer and cell phone use. In order to discourage inappropriate use of the library computers, software has been installed on the computers to prevent the downloading and installation of unauthorized files and/or images.  However, the library computers do not contain content filters in order to minimize interference with research activities. Technology systems within both the library and CIT are primarily monitored by observations by the staff and users of these systems (i.e. faculty, students, etc.) for improper use.  If improper use is observed, it is brought to the attention of appropriate staff members who then deal with the problem as deemed appropriate.

In order to prevent theft of materials, an alarmed electronic gate is located next to the circulation desk which will go off in the event an item passes through the gate before being checked out.  There is an exit point to staff offices on the second floor of the Bentley Library where it is possible for people to enter and exit the library unobserved.  There are also four fire exits which are alarmed so these doors can only be used in the event of an emergency.  While the library has the capability of tracking borrowed materials, the unsecured door on the second floor does allow for the unmonitored removal of resources. 

Instructional and Information Technology

The growth of distance education (DataFirst) and the establishment of NECC’s first online academic programs have led the college to expand and improve its support services for faculty and students in the online environment.  CIT provides assistance to NECC faculty as they transition from traditional to online instruction. The staff provides individual and group coaching and is well qualified to provide both technical and pedagogical assistance to instructors in the online environment. 

CIT offers a workshop program (iTEACH) for faculty developing distance learning sites. Faculty participants meet as a group once or twice a month throughout the semester and conclude with a three day showcase at semester’s end.  Faculty are encouraged to meet with CIT between scheduled sessions for individual coaching, building strong partnerships with CIT staff. CIT staff offer assistance and consultation to faculty after the course is up and running as well as during its creation. CIT has modified its training offerings significantly over the past several years as a result of feedback provided by faculty via online surveys.

Online course completion rates have consistently lagged behind those of traditionally delivered courses. A college process management project on Student Success in Online Learning completed in 2007, examined possible factors that led to this discrepancy in rates. Results indicated poor student self-selection and poor pre-registration advising were key causes. In response, CIT and the Advising Office collaborated to create the Provide Support advising tool.  An Online Readiness Survey is available on the Distance Learning web page to help prospective students determine whether distance education is right for them.  To further support student success in the online environment, CIT is currently building a virtual library of brief video tutorials to be made available on Blackboard tools.

CIT provides assistance with e-tutoring initiatives and works with the Learning Accommodations Center staff to ensure that distance courses are accessible to students who require accommodations.  CIT staff actively promotes the concept of “Universal Design” in the creation of online courses and faculty web sites.

There is currently a lack of CIT support for faculty at the Lawrence Campus; however a CIT office and lab is scheduled to open on the Franklin Street Campus in the fall 2009 semester. Support is especially important at the Lawrence Campus as the Sleep Technology Program, headquartered on that campus, works toward delivering its entire program online.

The Center for Instructional Technology and Distance Learning is actively involved in college wide strategic planning which includes annual initiatives and goals directly related to measuring and improving instructional and information technology resources and services for the NECC community.

The College strives to maximize the effective use of Banner, its ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) to administer, plan and evaluate its programs and services.  A new CIO was hired in 2008 and has been working to further develop Banner functions and use within the college with the plan of bringing all of the institution’s data into this single database, allowing for more efficient reporting.  Three key areas; Finance, Financial Aid, and Student Accounts Receivable, have been analyzed for implementation of business functions in Banner.  Finance Self Service was implemented in March 2009.  It supports online budgeting, requisitions and encumbrance queries. 

Banner Self Service, a web-based tool, implemented in 2005 has improved access to student records for students, faculty and advisors.  Faculty submit grades and students access them through this application.  More than 80 percent of students used Banner Self-Service during the spring semester in 2007.

In FY2007, electronic survey capabilities were implemented in Banner, supporting student elections, a student satisfaction survey, and the appreciate inquiry interviewing process in its first year of use.  College room requests are scheduled through Banner, providing a centralized location for booking rooms and a website that displays their availability.  A college-wide Emergency Notification System was implemented in September 2008, allowing members of the college community to receive safety and emergency text messages on their mobile devices.

The college is working on creating a more effective system of training faculty and staff on the use of Banner applications.  Training among staff has been inconsistent and often incomplete since its adoption 12 years ago.  In fall 2009, the college’s Living Our Vision of Excellence Committee plans to survey all employees to ascertain what training they need, including speaking with deans and department heads.  Discussions with the President’s Cabinet and other groups will follow about how to meet those needs.  An orientation program has already begun for new employees.

Other changes in the use of information technology have improved administration, planning and evaluation within the college. A Time and Attendance Project resulted in the creation and implementation of an automated attendance recording system for employees via the web.  Following a Document Management Project, document imaging software and equipment was purchased and several college offices began moving from an entirely paper-based system to an electronic filing system.  The purpose of these efforts is the eventual reduction of paper use, better utilization space and staff time, easier retrieval of information, and improved security of individual data. 

In 2005 the Office of Institutional Research and Planning (IRP), began posting a wide range of data used in program planning, administering and evaluation, including specific college strategic initiatives and plans on its Institutional Research and Planning Website.  By making this information accessible to the public “IRP is working to create a culture of inquiry at the college, where faculty and staff continuously seek to improve upon student success.”  

In 2007, the College began subscribing to Strategic Advantage, a set of tools used to gather data on employment trends and development in our service area.  The data reports generated from this tool led to the consideration of expanding the Hospitality Program to include courses/certificates in Culinary Arts.  The Work Force and Development Office has also used this suite of data tools to obtain information on “Green” jobs.  The Office of Institutional Research and Planning has gained valuable information on the Growth of the Health Care industry which has been used to inform discussions of collaboration between the College and Middlesex Community College.  Reports generated from strategic advantage have also been useful for planning about enrollment projections.

The college began using the Provide Support web-based application in September 2007.   This application provides secure synchronous and asynchronous online advising; enabling advisors to better assist distance learners. 

In January 2008, the college completed a transition of its online course delivery system from WebCT to Blackboard Campus Edition.  A Windows Media Server was launched with a customized faculty control panel and secure login feature.  Faculty can now post streaming audio and video content, including providing podcasts to students.  Additionally, in the summer 2009, the Center for Instructional Technology performed upgrades to Faculty web sites.  Now powered by WordPress, they include new features such as the option to add a blog allowing for student comments to be moderated and posted,  student subscription to faculty Posts and Comments feeds, and a “Share This” button allowing linkage to Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites.

The college is developing a central IT Plan which would include addressing all purchasing, maintaining, and replacing of computer hardware and software on campus.  So far, NECC has used this centralized system only for its computer labs and smart classrooms.  Other areas have been expected to monitor the capabilities of their equipment and budget accordingly when they need to refresh equipment, with some assistance from IT on these determinations.  This process creates many extra steps and has led to some inequalities across the campuses.  The college is in the process of centralizing all computer equipment management with IT allowing for a more accurate and timely plan for refreshing equipment across the College.  This plan has been brought to the Cabinet for funding from capital expenditure and other sources such as the 2009 Federal Stimulus.  A set annual budget has not yet been developed to refresh IT equipment that would help ensure the college maintains proper life cycles on necessary IT equipment. 

 

Projection

Library

While the libraries are equipped to meet the growing demand for services and materials, certain challenges remain. First the libraries must manage the rapidly increasing number of electronic resources and related technologies. This requires essential training of staff. Second, insufficient library space presents a problem, especially at the Lawrence Campus, where the number of library circulation transactions has almost tripled since FY2005 (Library Annual Reports). Third, computers, equipment and facilities must be kept up-to-date to meet evolving student needs. Fourth, as new courses and academic programs are added, new materials and electronic resources will be required to support these programs.

Library staff levels are adequate to maintain the current level of library services. However, there is no surplus of personnel. Any reduction in staff hours would likely necessitate a cutback in the hours the libraries are open.

In 2009 and 2010, the Bentley Library will implement renovation plans for an ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant circulation desk, an expanded library instruction room, and increased informal gathering and collaborative learning spaces for students, faculty and staff, addressing many of the issues raised in the LibQual and Process Management surveys.  The relocated circulation desk will be adjacent to the exit, providing enhanced security for library materials.  At this time, there are no renovation plans in place to address the space, computer access, and visibility problems of the Lawrence Campus Library.

Library staff will continue to investigate ways of reaching out to college faculty and students to encourage participation in library instruction and awareness of library resources. They will continue to refine the library web site, and explore new modes of delivery, such as LibGuides. Bibliophile, the library newsletter, will be replaced by a NECC Libraries blog or online newsletter in 2010 with the goal of publicizing library services and the librarian’s role in the education process.

The size of the libraries’ print collections will likely remain more or less constant, but the collection of current, relevant circulating books and media will grow in relation to the rest of the collection as older materials are weeded.  Electronic resources, including Ebooks and online databases, will continue to grow in numbers and importance.

The college will need to confront the challenge of assessing the information literacy proficiency achieved by graduating students now that it is one of the core competencies. A college wide discussion of how to incorporate information literacy across the curriculum has begun.  A Core Academic Skills Assessment Committee is in place and has scheduled several open meetings on the topic for the fall 2009 semester. Library staff, faculty, and administrators will need to be active participants for this process to be successful.

Instructional and Information Technology

The Center for Instructional Technology and Distance Learning’s role in college life is likely to increase as electronic delivery of educational services grows in popularity.  At the same time, Instructional Media services would seem to be evolving into new formats and away from older technologies. The staffing configurations of these two areas may need examination in the years to come, perhaps growing, or combining.

CIT will continue to expand faculty and staff training in instructional technology, providing additional and more advanced training on both campuses. The Center will continue to develop the Distance Learning web site to include a universal portal, student blogs, and E-Portfolios. It will continue to encourage and support new online programs and improve services to online students by providing technical training and assistance to college staff and faculty teaching distance classes.

The college will continue to implement Banner as its ERP, and make fuller use of the features it offers. This will include pulling all functional areas out of their unconnected Excel and Access processes and putting them into Banner. As this is completed, many new services will be added to the College’s online environment. There are plans to integrate budget reporting and course scheduling software in FY2010 and 2011 respectively. In June 2009, the college purchased Argos, a reporting software for end users that integrates with Banner. This software will enable staff across the college to generate their own reports, empowering users and reducing report development time.  The Office of Institutional Research and Planning and the Finance Department plan to begin utilizing this software by the end of the fall 2009 semester.

As part of the 2008-11 Academic Plan, the college is developing tools for assessing the effective allocation of program resources and services to meet student and community needs. Currently in development is a Program Dashboard tool which could be used to assess the effectiveness of existing NECC programs. This would complement the current outcomes assessment and program review processes of the college. Plans are in place to finalize a model for implementation in 2010.

The college will endeavor to improve its web site, and to establish a single portal through which students, faculty and staff may access online information and services. The web site will be modified to include student blogs and portfolios. Development of a college wide IT plan and a central IT committee will help coordinate and develop these activities as well as assist in the maintenance and development of the college’s smart classrooms, instructional and laboratory equipment, and general computer hardware and software needs.

10/15/09, gs, 10/15/09, tb, 10/16/09 gs

Physical and Technological Resources

Standard Eight

Description

Northern Essex Community College has campuses located in Haverhill and Lawrence, MA.  In Haverhill, the larger campus, the institution occupies 358,762 square feet of building space on 106 acres opposite Kenoza Lake.  This campus consists of 8 buildings, with 114,760 square feet dedicated to instruction/classroom space.  Recent expansion includes the $9.5 million Technology Center, completed in 2005 and the $2.9 million renovation of the Ourania Behrakis Student Center.

The downtown Lawrence campus consists of 2 buildings situated within a block of each other. The John R. Dimitry building on Franklin Street is located on 3 acres and encompasses 83,244 square feet supporting classrooms, labs, and common areas.  The Louise Haffner Fournier Education Center, a leased facility, is located on Amesbury Street.  It boasts 20,000 square feet, supports 9 classrooms, a large meeting room, lounges for college personnel, and offices for faculty and staff.

In February, 2009, architects from Miller Dyer Spears and representatives from the state’s Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAM) provided an update on current efforts to expand the Lawrence campus.  The expansion includes construction of a new Allied Health & Technology Center and alterations to the existing Dimitry building at 45 Franklin Street.

Planning for the new building is in the program study phase.  The planners and architects are determining the size, cost and specific programs to be located in the new building.  This phase also includes initial design ideas for how best to use the space that will be vacated in the Dimitry Building when programs and resources move to the new building.  The new building will be approximately 39,000 gross square feet, of which approximately 23,000 square feet are assigned for classrooms, labs, offices, and student services.

In addition to the two campuses, there is leased space of approximately 24,340 square feet utilized for a workforce training facility program at 1600 Osgood Street, North Andover, MA.  This NECC Corporate and Community Education Center consists of 22 classrooms, including 5 computer labs, 8 offices, and storage space.

At the Haverhill campus there are a total of 1,859 parking spaces, and at present this number is sufficient.   At the NECC Lawrence sites, there are 222 spaces and although capacity issues exist, students may park in the neighboring public garage for free.  Parking space at the North Andover campus is not an issue because there is abundant common parking for the facility.

APPRAISAL

The physical infrastructure supports the mission of NECC and the college is respectably positioned in comparison to other Massachusetts public colleges, when evaluated against averages from the Eva Klein Needs Assessment (2001) and the Rickes Utilization Study (2005).

In July 2009, NECC was notified that it would receive $3.1 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).  The college immediately decided this grant would be spent deploying the latest instructional technology and upgrading cost efficient electrical and lighting fixtures throughout its buildings.  Other projects approved with ARRA funds include transforming 32 traditionally equipped classrooms into smart classrooms (multi-media equipped - including computer, beam, document camera, and audio/visual equipment).

In the last four years, NECC has made great strides to technically modernize classrooms, and as of spring semester 2009, 62% of general classrooms in Haverhill are designated smart.  At Lawrence, the smart classroom designation is 77%.  Thanks to the Faculty Facilities Planning Committee, the Information Technology Committee, and the support of the Cabinet and Federal Stimulus of August 2009, 100% of general classrooms will be outfitted with smart technology by January 2010.

Similarly, for the past three years, Faculty Facilities Planning Committee has ensured appropriate and adequate equipment and furniture are provided in all classrooms.   Further, this group identified and prioritized the need for conversion of general classrooms to smart designation and this plan continues to be followed and monitored.

Renovation of the Bentley Library will convert over 500sf into instructional space and be completed during 2010.  Renovations include redesign of the first floor to be more open.  This will expand computer lab instructional space and offer additional collaborative learning spaces more consistent with current “learning commons” paradigm.

The Center for Instructional Technology (CIT) provides technology oversight and leadership for faculty.  The CIT staff also provides training and demonstrations of new technologies.  For example, the CIT conducted a survey of faculty needs/interests.  As needs arise and are identified, they are brought to the attention of the CIO as well as the newly formed Information Technology Committee, as can be seen in the expressed need to standardize smart classrooms.

The Information Technology Committee (ITC) first met in April 2009 with 19 members representing a cross section of the college.  This group has now replaced the Faculty Facilities Planning Committee.  The ITC ensures proper and adequate equipment is provided to faculty, staff, and students, and also serves as a communication conduit for technology related strategic goals, policies, and plans.

Because of the work of the ITC, NECC was able to move swiftly when federal stimulus dollars (ARRA) were made available and plans have been filed with the State of Massachusetts to outfit all remaining potential classrooms with smart technology.

In August 2009, NECC successfully migrated from a Novell environment to a Windows Active Directory environment.  The Windows Migration Team was formed to oversee this project and drive the complicated schedule to ensure successful completion.  The new network provides much needed services to all faculty and staff, as well as opening the door for a centralized power management system.  Perhaps the most significant part of the transition project for faculty and administrators is the ability to remotely access files; a long awaited capability.

Since 1998, the enhanced security system operated and maintained by campus security personnel has been operational and this system guarantees the campus community direct access to security personnel.  Security personnel are on duty around the clock on the Haverhill campus.  In Lawrence, security personnel are on-site during campus open hours and a remote surveillance system installed three years ago is monitored from Haverhill during off hours.

Because NECC continues to have student success as its motivating factor, physical resource planning is linked to academic and student services and, as a result, the college initiated and maintains a three year contingency cycle for all computers in labs.  This contingency plan allows NECC to continue to be on the cutting edge of deliverable technology to students.  It remains a priority of NECC’s administration to upgrade and standardize all current smart classrooms and implement this technology into all classrooms.

NECC’s capital master plan includes a major renovation of the Spurk building.  Due to limited funding available from the State, this project will probably be done using local funds in a multi-phase, multi-year approach.  During FY10, for example, the college will improve its energy and learning environment in three areas: new drop ceilings, new energy efficient lighting fixtures, and high efficiency  air conditioners.  This will produce significant savings on our future energy costs.  Future projects include replacing mechanical systems, for example, the inefficient HVAC system.  The college will also continue to explore improvements to classroom and lab spaces, as well as the renovation of an underutilized lecture hall into a performing arts space.

During the last year, NECC administration has implemented support functions and increased productivity of the college’s IT infrastructure.  This procedure is ongoing and will be implemented in phases.  First, the installation of a power generator and UPS (uninterruptable power supply) allows for the assurance of our online environment during the many power outages in the area while also saving the college significant dollars in electrical cost.  The online environment including the public web site, learning management system, and self-service (portal) are key components to ensure the college remains competitive in the market.

Second, support functions were enhanced as the software engineering group (MIS) expanded from three to seven members.  Consistency and standardization are high priorities for this group and projects are worked on closely with the newly formed Massachusetts Banner State Colleges’ collaboration group, SMART.

The next step includes the build-out of existing space into a new state-of-the-art data center to accommodate IT equipment including an updated electrical, energy efficient HVAC.  The new space will enhance system availability, long-term energy cost savings, and extend the useful life of existing equipment.  Due to 83% growth in our online learning environment over the past year (currently 9,047 live seats) and student advising services, the IT infrastructure must be available, efficient, and reliable.

Understanding the legal implications of failing to provide adequate privacy, and to ensure full compliance with credit card industry standards, NECC works diligently to ensure security of its data collecting and sharing systems in these sensitive areas.  For a full description of Northern Essex Community College’s policies and procedures, please see www.necc.mass.edu/privacy.php.  The College also makes use of annual security audits and works with appropriate vendors to ensure policies and procedures are reviewed and compliant.

NECC will not sell or share any user information with any outside party, unless required by law to do so.  Information collected and stored is employed solely to answer questions or fill the requests of users.  Information will never be used to identify or contact users against their wishes.  NECC continues to engineer new and maintain its existing applications to comply with all federal, state, and local ordinances, as well as PCI.

Completed in 2008, NECC’s facilities master plan (see Campus Master Plan CD) was produced in partnership with DCAM, BHE, and other Massachusetts state colleges.  Its comprehensive, long-term (6 year) plan includes needs assessment; enrollment analysis; program offerings and national benchmarks on space.

Further, this plan assessed the existing resources, including: space, infrastructure, technology, and mechanics.  Subsequently, it made recommendations including a list of 12 proposed projects based on the assumption there would be sufficient funds to do them in the order proposed.

NECC continues to be conscious of the Haverhill campus’ close proximity to the environmentally protected Kenoza Lake area and volunteer college groups periodically pick up litter along the border we share with the lake and the community in an attempt to lessen our impact.

The Haverhill and Lawrence inter-campus shuttle bus continues to ferry students between campuses.  The shuttle’s is part of NECC’s Strategic Plan.  In addition, NECC campuses are on the regularly scheduled Merrimack Valley Transportation bus route.

Starting in the 2009 fall semester, NECC became a smoke-free campus and, along with the availability of college transportation, is an example of our willingness and ability to continue to comply with all federal, state and local ordinances with regard to access, safety, security, and environment of its physical resources for the community.

PROJECTION

Using federal stimulus money (ARRA), NECC has started upgrading facilities in classrooms to smart designation and is slated to complete this upgrade by January, 2010.  There will be further library renovations and upgrades of space to include a new bibliographic instruction room, and a new circulation desk in a more open-plan information common area.  Also, there will be a new art studio, as well as improvements to the dance studio, and work will be done on major deferred maintenance projects on both campuses, including a new roof and heat pumps for Franklin Street, sidewalk replacement around the Spurk building, and several building improvement projects including a new public address system.

Hired by DCAM, in March, 2009, Celtic Energy submitted its Conditions Assessment and Preliminary Energy Audit Report (see copy).  It provided a blueprint for making decisions about what projects to undertake – and in what order.  The list includes 21 energy efficient improvement projects totaling $3.8 million.

Prior to the hiring of the new CIO in 2008, NECC had no strategic vision as to what IT should mean to students and employees.  Today, NECC’s current priorities include: investing in core infrastructure and keeping servers current.  Other CIO initiatives include serving on the in-state/college CIO council, working towards a roadmap for community colleges, online registration for non-credit courses, and providing an online academic advising and assessment system to support the goals of Achieving the Dream.

The new IT committee continues to diligently pursue needed technology assessments, policies, and upgrades with the following charges:

1. Communicate major changes in the uses of information technology as well as a rationale for those changes to the College Community.

2. As appropriate review and recommend policies related to the use of Information Technologies by faculty, staff and students.

3. Develop procedures to ensure all major technology purchases and moves are properly reviewed by IT and Facilities as appropriate.

4. Make recommendations regarding the redeployment of existing computer equipment

5. Make recommendations regarding the selection of classrooms to convert to smart classrooms, and smart classroom design/layout.

6. Establish, as needed, subcommittees, task forces, or work groups to assist in all responsibilities charged to the committee

The lease on the North Andover campus expires in October 2010 and college administration has indicated it is reluctant to renew the lease due to budgetary concerns.

NECC continues to construct and maintain its existing physical facilities in compliance with all federal, state and local ordinances, particularly ADA/504, as well as the Massachusetts Clean State Act/Executive Order #350.  Examples of this compliance can be seen in the construction of the recently finished Technology Center and the renovation of the Ourania Behrakis Center.

NEASC STANDARD 9: FINANCIAL RESOURCES   FINAL DRAFT   10.16.09

DESCRIPTION

Financial Resources are Stable and Support College Mission

Despite significant fluctuations in state support and other funding sources over the last ten plus years, the college has ensured that its finances have remained sufficiently stable to support its mission.  To the extent that 40% of its revenue comes from the state, college spending has consistently mirrored the ebb and flow of that funding. Unlike many postsecondary institutions, the college has no debt obligation. To offset the impact of decreasing and variable funding sources, the college has vigorously pursued new sources to build and diversify its funding base. The college has recently embraced a new fiscal paradigm of multi-year planning and moderate spending to optimally sustain the college mission despite the variability of funding sources.  The FY2008 (09) audit statement (Exhibit 9-01 2008Financial Statement) delineates the college’s current fiscal status.  

 

As the graph below illustrates, in FY2008 the college had $51,352,452 in revenues: 40% from state appropriations; 29% from tuition and fees; 20% from grants (state, federal and private); and 11% from other means.  (update to 09 figures) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As noted, fees and Continuing Education (DCE) course tuition comprise almost 30% (09 update) of revenues. Historically, the college has successfully kept these costs low for students and, for the last five years, well below the average for Massachusetts community colleges. Yet with an anticipated 3.1 million reduction in the FY2010 state appropriation, the President and the Board of Trustees decided to increase fees by $12 to $104/credit to maintain educational quality in the face of this shortfall.

The college’s unrestricted reserves, an indicator of fiscal strength, are very low.  Global accountancy and professional services firm KPMG recommends reserve funds of 40% of annual operating expenses.  While few colleges achieve this level, the college’s reserves are only.06% of the annual operating budget, well below the guideline.  However, this is largely due to the college’s pledge to remain debt-free. To meet this goal in prior years, reserve funds were used to renovate the Behrakis One Stop Student Services Center, build the Technology Center and to balance the budget.  However, building the reserves is now a strategic long-term priority shared by the President, the Board of Trustees and Administration and Finance staff, even if debt must be incurred.

Through its Office of Institutional Advancement, the college directs fundraising efforts to fulfill the college mission.  The Vice President of Institutional Advancement works with her staff and the President to regularly solicit contributions from external and internal constituencies to support college activities.  The Office raises funds for diverse and different purposes (scholarships, planned gifts, program support, and unrestricted funds) through the year. Their efforts have yielded impressive results, with $11,403,892 raised over the past four years.  Institutional Advancement staff work in conjunction with other areas of the college to write grant proposals to public and private funders, a pursuit essential to supporting college endeavors.  The Northern Essex Community College Foundation, Inc., the Women of Northern Essex Community College and the Alumni Association each play a role in raising private funds. The college raises unrestricted support from all constituencies for the NECC Annual Fund, which staff and faculty can access to fund activities supporting the college’s Strategic Plan.  (NEED Exhibit 09-02) 

In 2008, the Governor signed a capital bond bill into law, the first bond bill for public higher education in ten years. The college has been slated to receive $31 million for a new Allied Health Building in Lawrence and for renovations of the Spurk building. However, with the recent downturn in the economy it is unclear when these funds will be released.  Given the fiscal climate, the college is renewing its own efforts to replace critical infrastructure in Spurk with local funds; it appears likely this will require long-term debt. The college is also procuring additional funding to support the Allied Health Building. (update)

Traditionally, capital expenditures, such as deferred maintenance, have been funded through the state. However, while the college was fortunate to receive $500,000 in local funds for this purpose in FY2008, there has been no state funding available for capital expenses for the last two years.  Due to this decline, and aware of a need for $1.5 million  for facilities care and upkeep in FY2011, the college will create a budget for that fiscal year reflecting less dependence on state funding for facility maintenance.  The college is also proactively planning for longer term alternative ways to fund capital expenditures.

Fortunately, through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the college received $3.1 million for FY2010.  The cabinet prioritized a list of projects that invest in the college and save money in the long run. This one time funding will be instrumental in making strategic investments in information technology infrastructure, enhancing the learning experience for students and improving buildings and grounds. The college also intends to use this funding to help moderate fee increases over the next two or three years. (Exhibit 9-03 Federal Stimulus)

Like other state postsecondary institutions, the college doggedly pursues new funding sources.  Funding for specialized projects is often available from the state.  Currently, for example, state funding is available for green energy projects.  The college will aggressively seek this funding for projects such as solar, geothermal and energy conservation replacement initiatives.  

 

In addition, individual areas of the college seek and invite other potential sources of funding to establish or sustain college activities.  For example, local businesses work with Work Force Development and Community Education to establish and offer non-credit contract courses and programs and with Academic Affairs on contracts for credit courses and programs.  These areas monitor potential partnerships, keep related areas informed, and are key participants in procuring and using these revenues.   

FY2008 expenditures demonstrate that the college is dedicated to directing financial resources to support the college mission.  In FY2008, approximately 80% of the $51 million in revenues was spent for academic purposes and programs including Instruction, Scholarships, Academic Support and Student Services.  Expenditures are classified according to Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) categories.  (Exhibit 9-04 IPEDS Definitions) (update to 09)  

The college employs several measures to assure that financial resources support the college’s mission. First, the college’s Strategic Plan drives budget priorities through an annual goal setting process. The President challenges proposed budget items that do not meet these Strategic Plan goals.  In addition, the President is committed to an inclusive budget process, so faculty, staff, management and students have opportunities for input in budget planning. Also, the All-College Council Finance Committee, an advisory body with an elected membership from various college constituencies, has an interactive role in many phases of internal budget development, as described below.    

Financial aid policies and procedures have been developed to support college goals and mission.  A new policy and procedures manual, which is reviewed annually and before implementing a new law or regulation, provides financial aid and other college employees with a tool to serve students in the most efficient way. Also, the launch of Financial Aid Self-Service capability has improved student access to Financial Aid, consequently improving access to enrolling at the college.

Budget Process and Planning   

The college’s internal budget planning process begins in Fall, when the Finance Committee invites the President to share his budget priorities for the following year.  The Committee holds budget hearings for each Cabinet member between January and March, and then presents spending plan recommendations to the President in April.  Meanwhile, starting in January, the Vice President of Administration and Finance monitors the state budget process and then makes a revenue projection for the upcoming fiscal year. The President reviews this projection and the spending plan, and considers whether changes to student fees are necessary.  He then presents the finalized spending plan and any fee change recommendations to the Board of Trustees’ Audit and Finance Committee and to the full Board in early June for approval. (Exhibit 09-05BudgetGuidance)

Whenever the college plans any substantial change (programmatic, facility, etc.), it demonstrates the financial capacity to move forward.  For example, when the college decided to offer entire degree programs online, it first ensured that there were enough resources to support the necessary software, faculty development and student support services. (Resource Workroom: 2007 NEASC online report 06 )   

Historically the college budget has not been approved until September, two plus months into the fiscal year, because State funding is typically approved after the start of the fiscal year.  Beginning with FY2010, the budget will be presented to the Board of Trustees and approved no later than June, prior to the start of the new fiscal year.  The FY2010 local budget was actually approved before July 1, 2009.  (Exhibit 09-07 Presidents Letter)

Internally, through the fiscal year, the Accounting and Finance Department (part of the Administration and Finance Division) processes financial transactions, and ensures funds are expended consistent with the approved budget and applicable state and college policies.  The Vice President of Administration and Finance reviews actual revenue vs. projection reports so deficits will be detected early. College departments can access real time budget tracking to monitor spending.  Revenue and expenditure reports are submitted quarterly to the Board of Trustees’ Audit and Finance Committee and to the full Board. 

While the College has not traditionally used multi-year budget planning, it began using a multi-year perspective (instituting cost saving measures and raising student fees) in FY2009 to cover the loss of state support.  The college will institute a standard five-year college budget plan in FY2011.  However, multi-year planning has already started in two critical areas: Information Technology is working on a long term plan for replacing PCs, servers, and critical IT infrastructure on a regular basis; and the college has conducted facilities and buildings studies to identify long term needs and project the availability of financial resources to cover those needs.

Accountability

Many internal and external mechanisms promote ethical oversight of college financial policies. Fiscal policies are in writing and some are published on the college web site. http://www.necc.mass.edu/administration_and_finance/index.php

 The policies are maintained by the Accounting and Finance Director, reviewed regularly and consistently implemented to comply with ethical and sound finance practices. The Accounting and Finance Department is updating all fiscal policies over a two year period, beginning with high risk areas. 

 

Institutional Advancement adheres to college fiscal policies, including a Solicitation Policy (Exhibit 09-08 NECC Solicitation Policy) related to advancement, fundraising, and resource development efforts.  They conduct themselves in accord with policies stipulating the conditions and terms for gift solicitation. 

The Board of Trustees retains oversight of budget and financial matters, maintains autonomy on spending and student fees and approves all grants. The Board’s Audit and Finance Committee, its only standing committee, ensures that the college operates within its means.  This financial oversight is viewed as a key responsibility of the Board.   

Massachusetts General Laws require annual external audits to review college financial statements, internal control structure and policies. The FY2008 audit was conducted by O’Connor & Drew, which issued an unqualified opinion. The college’s administration and Board of Trustees review the financial statements and the management letter, and then take appropriate action on resulting recommendations or conclusions. After the FY2008 audit, adhering to best practice guidelines, the Board of Trustees, after a competitive bidding process, entered a three-year contract with a new firm.   (update to 09 audit)

A variety of other external reporting mechanisms further contribute to ethical finance oversight.  An extensive annual report is filed with the State Ethics Commission.  The college reports monthly to the State Comptroller, which also receives the college’s audited financial statement.  The college reports to the State Auditor, filing an annual survey to identify risk factors, which may serve as a basis for a decision to audit. Also as part of the annual external audit, comprehensive disclosures must be filed. The Massachusetts Department of Higher Education (DHE) receives annual reports from all community colleges on finance related Performance Measures.

Finally, in the past eighteen months, personnel and operations changes in the Administration and Finance Division have raised the finance bar for the Division and the entire college. The transformation has required major effort by Administration and Finance staff, and a willingness by other college personnel to operate differently.  While there have been a few growing pains as college personnel adjust to some new procedural requirements, the intent to ensure fiscal compliance and accuracy is recognized as positive.

 

APPRAISAL  

Financial Resources are Stable and Support College Mission

The college is financially strong and well equipped to maintain its commitment to educational quality, even as it faces future fiscal uncertainty. A key component of this stability is the keen awareness that state support is down as state revenue continues to be significantly under projection, driven by general economic conditions. Even if this revenue rises, there are significant demands to support other state priorities such as universal health care, health and human services, state debt and mandated funding for early education and care.

 

Despite a fee increase for FY2009, the college is still competitive with peers in affordability and maintains its commitment to keeping costs low for students. The 13% fee increase was unprecedented, yet absolutely crucial, in the wake of severe funding cuts. Additional changes to other student fees (raising the graduation fee from $40 to $50, for example) will also generate more new revenue.  It is anticipated that fee increases will generate $1.8 million dollars of revenue.

 

A challenge to fiscal stability has been the extremely low level of the unrestricted reserves. A major increase will not be possible in the next two or three years. Building the reserves to the recommended level must be viewed as a long-term (ten year) goal, due to a newer paradigm of consistently lower state support, reduced state funding for deferred maintenance and capital projects and adjustments in program offerings and staffing levels.  Using the reserves as part of the annual budget has been a fiscal weakness. However, in a policy change, the college no longer taps into the reserves. To build the reserves, enhanced budget monitoring and reporting will be promoted to ensure expenditures stay within projected revenues.  

 

The Institutional Advancement Department is a key asset in terms of generating college revenues. The college employs an entrepreneurial approach to seeking out grants and other funding opportunities.

There is awareness that local funding for capital expenses is a growing need, essential to supporting college activities.  For example, the college must maintain an infrastructure that supports the expansion of online courses and the college web site.   As state funding for capital expenses has dwindled, the college has found money for isolated projects (such as NECC Foundation and ARRA funds). For the long term, the college is already contemplating how to build capital expenditures into the local budget, including the likelihood of incurring debt. 

The use of ARRA funds was well planned and prioritized.  The ARRA projects constitute investments in the college that will provide long term savings and equip the college to weather future financial variability.

There is a college-wide commitment to seeking diverse external funding sources, as evidenced by the work individual departments, particularly Institutional Advancement, Academic Affairs and Enrollment Management and Student Services, engage in to research and procure new funding sources.   

While there are some instances of clear contingency planning (funding capital expenses in light of declining state appropriation), the college must institute a more comprehensive, long term fiscal contingency plan.  Fortunately, the infusion of ARRA funds this year provides some planning time, but the college must plan for what will happen once this one time funding is gone. Such planning is a challenge, yet also imperative, given the fiscal climate. 

 

In an effort to weather fiscal variability, the college has actively engaged in developing cost savings measures, including devising creative ways to offer programs and services more cost efficiently.  The President sits on the DHE Commission on Collaboration and Efficiencies which is charged with determining system-wide collaborative cost savings strategies for the future, including evaluating and strengthening online courses cost efficiency. It is anticipated that college cost savings efforts will likely include collaborations with other Massachusetts public higher education institutions in the future. 

 

College financial resources are directed to meet its mission and fundamental needs.  All levels of leadership are entrusted to ensure sufficient financial resources are and will be available to meet the college’s current and future student population and educational objectives.  Funding is certainly appropriately spent to support college activities in the short term.  In addition, the important understanding of spending as investment in sustaining the college’s work over the long term has already been demonstrated in the financial prioritizing of hiring faculty, sustaining dual enrollment, supporting IT infrastructure, offering hybrid courses and updating facilities.

 

Many fiscal safeguards, such as the inclusive budget process and financial planning, and use of annual Strategic Plan goals to set budget priorities, ensure that spending supports the college mission. Despite the loss of state support, these practices will help sustain this commitment. 

 

The college’s plan for a new Allied Health building in Lawrence will encourage and allow increased enrollment access to these growing programs, and generate new revenue. In addition, the Workforce Development and Community Education Division is also planning to move from its current North Andover location to new, smaller  leased space in Lawrence through an RFP process.  This will provide additional capacity and presence in Lawrence, give more visibility and accessibility to non-credit activities, allow for improved classroom utilization, and generate cost savings and additional revenue.

Financial Aid policies and practices facilitate students’ independence in the Financial Aid process and support access to enrolling at the college.

Budget Process and Planning   

The commitment to a transparent, participatory budget process, including financial reporting and planning, is a key strength, evident in individual areas of the college.  The Vice President of Academic Affairs, for instance, presents annually to his Division about how the budget process works within the context of institutional planning. 

The FY2010 budget planning process, which had to address a considerable decrease to the FY2010 state appropriation, exemplified this candidness.  The President, acknowledging that difficult decisions would have to be made to offset these cuts, held a series of open forums for all staff to give input into budget priorities.  A budget blog was set up, containing memos and other relevant information, and providing an opportunity for members of the College community to offer opinions or ideas (anonymously if desired). The President kept the college community informed and involved through regular communications. 

The Finance Committee is further evidence of the participatory nature of the budget process, providing another mechanism for college wide input in budget development.  The Vice President of Administration and Finance is a resource to the Committee, but has no voting position.

A challenge to financial planning is the variability of state and other funding sources.  It is difficult to develop budgets, especially for the long term, with so much fluctuation.  This presents the additional challenge of working with assumptions about how much state support will be available and whether enrollments will increase or decrease.  However, Administration and Finance staff is committed to making the best assumptions possible about future revenue sources. They will also advocate diversifying funding sources and moderating spending to ease the impact of funding variability.

The lack of a multi-year budget plan has likely led to our current extremely low reserve account and to a less efficient use of resources. Utilizing a multi-year budget planning process may necessitate the College changing its no debt philosophy to address needs that will exceed our anticipated financial resources.  Deficiency in long term financial planning has been a fiscal weakness, but the college is already addressing this with a move to multi-year planning.

Notable this year is the approval of the local budget before the start of the fiscal year.  This pre-approval is part of the college’s commitment to be more efficient with planning for the future.

Accountability 

Numerous internal and external controls help ensure financial integrity.  Fiscal policies are developed, revised and reviewed regularly.  Most fiscal policies will have approval by both the Cabinet and the Board. The college, led by the Administration and Finance Division, is committed to complying with all applicable policies, laws and regulations.  To further this effort, Administration and Finance staff offer trainings on fiscal procedures. They have also developed a monthly newsletter which is sent to key personnel and provides staff, policy and procedure updates. The Administration and Finance web site contains policies, forms and other resources. 

 

The Vice President of Administration and Finance has set a goal to make all financial data easily accessible and understandable for all users.  With the recent implementation of Banner Self-Service Finance, budget reports are presented in a more user-friendly format, allowing individual departments to more easily assess their financial position. 

The College retains a strong commitment to an annual external audit.  It has quickly corrected any noted deficiencies.  Its recent hiring of a new audit firm will ensure the objectivity of the audit process.  

The role of the Board of Trustees, particularly its Audit and Finance Committee, is commendable.  They serve as an extra checkpoint to ensure the budget represents and furthers institutional educational priorities.  They represent the voice of the community, reflecting the diversity of our constituencies and programmatic needs, in financial planning.

 

Recent changes in the Administration and Finance Division, especially new positions and staff, are initiating a positive fiscal cultural shift at the college. Under the leadership of a new Vice President, the Accounting and Finance Department has made strides in updating fiscal policies, resulting in improved budget processes.  The Division sustains the college’s commitment to a participatory budget process, including promoting budget ownership in each department.

 

PROJECTION  

 

• The college will rely more on local revenue in the wake of decreasing state support by aggressively seeking diverse funding sources and implementing cost savings measures
• As recommended in the FY2009 audit, the college will strengthen multi-year financial planning, including making spending decisions from an investment perspective
• The college will build its unrestricted reserves to a balance of $7 or 8 million (following the KPMG recommendation) to sustain the college’s mission and to be consistent with peers
• The college will strengthen fiscal contingency planning to meet long and short term financial obligations and to improve the institution’s overall financial position.
• The college will plan for funding capital expenses in the wake of decreasing state funding for these projects. This will entail building this funding into the local budget and looking for additional financial resources
• The college will add budget reporting parameters to ensure expenditures do not exceed revenues.
• The college will address the FY2009 audit recommendation to strengthen the accuracy of budget reporting by IPEDS categories to ensure it can conduct proper fiscal comparisons with state and national peers

With a new fiscal paradigm, an awareness of impending short and long term budgetary challenges and a strengthened pledge to inclusiveness in the budget process, the college is poised to continue meeting the mission of providing high quality education and services for its students.

 

INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS

The college uses several internal and external mechanisms to assess and maximize the effectiveness of financial resources and the budget process, and to ensure fiscal integrity.    Internally, the participatory nature of budget planning and processes, including college-wide input and ownership,  Finance Committee review, Board of Trustees oversight and connection to the Strategic Plan help ensure that finances are directed toward the college mission. The Accounting and Finance Department oversees daily budget procedures and tracks larger spending trends.  The Department has a goal to completely review its Internal Control Plan within two years and then to update it yearly.  There is a commitment to entrust responsibility for finances to individual departments.  Externally, the annual audit and several other reporting requirements ensure that planning, spending and internal controls are effective, on track and ethically sound.  When internal or external processes reveal weaknesses, the college quickly responds to improve the process, policy or outcome in question.  The college continually strives for improvement to ensure fiscal effectiveness.