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McLennan Community College
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
Substantive Change:
Subject: Purpose and Membership Reference B-XXIII Vice President, Research, Effectiveness, &
Source: Information Technology Eff. Date: September 15, 2014 Approval Auth: President Approved:
Remarks: Replaces previous policy dated April 2, 2012 Date: September 15, 2014
PURPOSE
The purpose of the McLennan Community College Substantive Change policy is to ensure MCC compliance with the SACSCOC policy on substantive change. (SACSCOC Substantive Change Policy Statement) Member institutions of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) are required to notify the Commission of changes in accordance with the substantive change policy and, when required, seek approval prior to the initiation of changes. Member institutions are required to have a policy and
procedure to ensure that all substantive changes are reported to the Commission in a timely fashion.
DEFINITION
Substantive Change is defined by SACSCOC as “a significant
modification or expansion of the nature and scope of an accredited institution”.
Substantive change includes but not limited to the following:
Change in the established mission or objectives of the college
Change in legal status, form of control, or ownership of the college
Addition of courses or programs that represent a significant departure, either in content or method of delivery, from those that were offered when the institution was last evaluated
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Addition of courses or programs at a degree or credential level above that which is included in the college’s current accreditation or reaffirmation
Change from clock hours to credit hours
Substantial increase in the number of clock or credit hours awarded for successful completion of a program
Establishment of an additional location geographically apart from the main campus at which the college offers at least 50 percent of an educational program
Establishment of a branch campus PROCEDURES
The MCC Substantive Change Committee is assigned the responsibility of coordinating efforts to identify the need for and creation of notification letters, applications, and prospectus documents.
Substantive change proposals are initiated through the MCC
Instructional Council, President’s Council, or Board of Trustees depending on the nature of the change. The Substantive Change Committee shall review proposed changes to determine if:
1. the proposed change meets the definition of a substantive change according to the SACSCOC Substantive Change Policy Statement
2. the proposed change is consistent with the college’s mission.
The Substantive Change Committee will meet once each long semester or as needed to consider proposals and review the SACSCOC Policy Statement on substantive change requirements. The committee will revise the MCC Substantive Change policy as needed to ensure that it is consistent with SACSCOC requirement. The SACS liaison
representative in the Office of Research, Effectiveness, and Information Technology will be responsible for communicating and submitting substantive change request to SACSCOC for approval.
The development and implementation of all potential substantive changes must be coordinated with the Substantive Change Committee to allow ample time to satisfy the timeframes for submission as outlined in the SACSCOC Policy Statement.
COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP
Proposed changes shall be submitted to the Substantive Change Committee composed of the following:
Vice President, Program Development (co-chair)
Vice President, Research, Effectiveness, and Information Technology Dean, Arts and Sciences
Dean, Workforce Education
Dean, Education and Learning Services (co-chair) Chair, Faculty Council
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Types of Change
PRIOR NOTICE REQUIRED
TIMEFRAME FOR CONTACTING
SACSCOC
PRIOR APPROVAL REQUIRED
REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION
Initiating coursework or programs at a more advanced level than currently approved.
Yes 12 months Yes Application for
Level Change.
Due dates: April 15 or October 1
Expanding at current degree level (significant departure from current programs)1
Yes 6 months Yes Prospectus
Initiating a branch campus2 Yes 6 months Yes Prospectus
Initiating joint degrees with another institution
Yes 6 months Yes Prospectus
Initiating a certificate program
using existing approved courses
at a new off-campus site (previously approved program)
that is a significant departure from
previously approved programs
NA
Yes
Yes
NA
Approval prior to implementation
Approval prior to implementation
NA
Yes
Yes
None
Modified prospectus
Modified prospectus
Initiating off-campus sites (including Early College High School programs offered at the high school)
students can obtain 50%
or more credits toward program
students can obtain 25- 49% of credit
students can obtain 24%
or less
Yes
Yes
NA
6 months
Prior to implementation
NA
Yes
No
NA
Prospectus
Letter of notification
None
Expanding program offerings at previously approved off-campus sites
adding programs that are significantly different from current programs
adding programs that are NOT significantly different from current programs
Yes
NA
Prior to implementation
NA
No
NA
Letter of notification
NA
Page 4 of 5 Types of Change
PRIOR NOTICE REQUIRED
TIMEFRAME FOR CONTACTING
SACSCOC
PRIOR APPROVAL REQUIRED
REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION
Altering significantly the educational mission of the institution 3
Yes 6 months Yes Prospectus
Initiating distance learning…
offering 50% or more of a program (Adding subsequent programs requires advance notification only for programs that are a significant departure from those originally approved)
offering 25-49%
offering 24% or less
Yes
Yes
NA
6 months
Prior to implementation
NA
Yes
No
NA
Prospectus
Letter of notification
None
Initiating programs or courses offered through contractual agreement or consortium
Yes Prior to
implementation
No Letter of
notification and copy of signed
agreement
Initiating a merger or consolidation with another institution
Yes 6 months Yes Prospectus
Due dates: April 15 or October 1
Relocating a main or branch campus
Yes 6 months Yes Prospectus
Relocating an off-campus instructional site
Yes Prior to
implementation
No Letter of
notification
Changing governance, ownership, control, or legal status of an institution
Yes 6 months Yes Prospectus
Changing from clock hours to credit hours
Yes 6 months Yes Prospectus
Altering significantly the length of a program 4
Yes 6 months Yes Prospectus
Initiating degree completion programs
Yes 6 months Yes Prospectus
Closing an institution or program:
closing a program with internal teach-out protocol
closing a program with a teach-out agreement with another
institution
closing an institution
Yes
Yes
Yes
Prior to implementation
6 months
No
Yes
No
Description of plan
Copy of teach-out agreement
Description of plan
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Prior to implementation
1 A significant departure in program is one in which the proposed new program has no closely related counterpart amount the previously approved programs in the curriculum. To determine if a new program is a ”significant departure”, it is helpful to if the new program requires:
numbers of new faculty
many new courses
new library or other learning resources
new equipment or facilities
a new resource base
2 A branch campus is defined as a location of an institution that is geographically apart and independent of the main campus of the institution. A location is independent of the main campus if the location is:
permanent in nature
offers courses in educational programs leading to a degree, certificate, or other recognized educational credential
has its own faculty and administrative or supervisory organization and
has its own budgetary and hiring authority
3 Significant changes in mission are those that lead to a fundamental shift in the nature of the institution, such as an institution that had offered only professional programs deciding to add general education offerings, or a technical college transforming itself into a comprehensive community college.
4 Significant changes in program length are those with noticeable impact on the program’s completion time (e.g., increasing a baccalaureate degree from 124 hours to 150 hours).