This policy set has been updated by a
new version. Please change links/bookmarks.A-2. Statement of Values and Ideals
A-3. Equal Educational Opportunity
A-4. College Ends
A-5. Service-Area Responsibility
A-6. Review of Instructional Programs
A-7. Student Recruitment
Return to the ACC Board Policy home page.
This policy set has been updated by a
new version. Please change links/bookmarks.Austin Community College operates on the belief that open access to quality postsecondary educational experiences is vital in a rapidly changing democratic society. Therefore, the College exists to provide such educational opportunities to all the people of the Austin Community College service area. Hence, Austin Community College maintains an "open door" admissions policy, offers a comprehensive variety of postsecondary educational programs, and actively seeks to eliminate barriers in the educational process.
The legal mission of Austin Community College is prescribed by the Texas Legislature:
Austin Community College offers the following types of programs, services, and instruction to fulfill its mission and to satisfy state law for public junior and community colleges:
[a] Student-centered instruction that seeks to aid students in their educational endeavors while demanding quality performance.
[b] Vocational and technical programs of varying lengths leading to certificates or degrees.
[c] Freshman- and sophomore-level academic courses leading to an associate degree or serving as the base of a baccalaureate degree program at a four-year institution.
[d] Continuing adult education for academic, occupational, professional, and cultural enhancement.
[e] Special instructional programs and tutorial service to assist underprepared students and others who wish special assistance to achieve their educational goals.
[f] A continuing program of counseling and advising designed to assist students in achieving their individual educational and occupational goals.
[g] A program of library, media, and testing services to support instruction.
[h] Contracted instructional programs and services for area employers that promote economic development.
This policy set has been updated by a
new version. Please change links/bookmarks.Austin Community College is an educational institution committed to challenging the human mind to explore new ideas and seek new opportunities.
The College mission is to provide a wide range of high quality educational services which meet the needs of our willing partners in learning, both those who seek our services and those whom we must seek out. The District shares a mutual accountability with all parts of the community. ACC will adapt to meet a growing range of individual and community needs.
The ACC district will fulfill its mission to the extent of its fiscal and legal capacity in support of the following ideals:
Quality
Flexibility
Accessibility
Diversity
This policy set has been updated by a
new version. Please change links/bookmarks.Austin Community College pledges to provide equal educational opportunity for all students and prospective students with regard to recruitment, admissions, financial aid, instructional programs, student services, and all other programs and services of the College. Discrimination on any ground listed in Policy F-2 (B) is thus forbidden.
Austin Community College is dedicated to the goal of providing quality postsecondary educational opportunities for the adult citizens of the College community. The College shall make a deliberate effort to identify categories of potential students in the community who are not being served by College programs, or who may be underrepresented in the College student population, and shall focus recruitment activities to reduce any disparities that exist.
The Austin Community College Board of Trustees adopted this policy on June 1, 1998.
This policy set has been updated by a
new version. Please change links/bookmarks.The activities which Austin Community College is to undertake in addressing the needs of its service area are enumerated in policy A-1, College Mission. Within the scope of that mandate, this policy gives more specific direction about desired results, priorities, and cost issues.
[1] The basic result to be produced by operation of the College, in conjunction with other community sectors, is that all service-area adults legally qualified for College services have the post-secondary and higher education they need and can use for productive, successful lives. How close the local community is to this goal is a central accountability indicator for the College. However, declaration of this goal is not a guarantee of particular services, program admissions, or resource allocations; these are decided through the program-review, admissions, and budget processes.
[2] Accredited preparation shall be provided for as many career areas and university-transfer options within the mission of the College as is feasible. Special emphasis shall be placed on providing post-secondary education (including needed preparation) to people who are educationally disadvantaged or are not well-served by other colleges, and on preparation for family-wage careers (either directly or after further higher education).
[3] In addition to mastery of the specific subject-area knowledge and skills needed to meet their education-related goals, students completing College programs shall have the general skills needed for success in employment and higher education: these include dependability, effective communication, gathering and critically assessing information, problem-solving, teamwork, leadership, and a focus on producing results of high quality.
[4] For programs in which local tuition/fees and state-reimbursement revenues fully cover overall costs (including indirect, facility, and capital costs), the extent of program offerings shall be determined primarily by student demand. Programs requiring significant subsidy shall be offered in accordance with a community-priorities plan adopted by the Board, which shall be based on consideration of local workforce and higher-education needs.
[5] The College shall organize its activities so as to produce as high a level of overall value for the community as possible, and shall be efficient in the way it requires others (especially students) to spend money and time.
[6] The College shall create a good place to work, to learn, and to otherwise experience the higher-education process.
The Austin Community College Board of Trustees adopted this policy on June 1, 1998.
This policy set has been updated by a
new version. Please change links/bookmarks.The College shall provide programs and services to residents of its service area, with priority given to sites within the taxing district. Local tax funds shall not be used to subsidize out-of-district activities. The President shall report to the Board annually the extent and financial results of out-of-district activities, including an appropriate allocation of fixed and indirect program costs.
All legally-eligible communities are invited to voluntarily join the College's taxing district and gain the advantages of in-district tuition for their students and participation in election of the Board of Trustees. Except when approved by Board vote, no specific commitments of facilities or services shall be made to communities considering annexation. Any such commitments are subject to review and modification by later Boards as part of integrated district-wide planning.
The Austin Community College Board of Trustees adopted this policy on December 7, 1998.
This policy set has been updated by a
new version. Please change links/bookmarks.The President shall ensure that a comprehensive system that reviews the effectiveness and efficiency of instructional programs in light of the College's mission is implemented. The purpose of such reviews is to systematically and regularly gather and analyze both qualitative and quantitative data in order to facilitate the continuous improvement of each program, to guide resource allocation, and to assist the administration and Board in making decisions about program status.
Program reviews shall include these analyses, as well as any further information needed to meet accreditation or regulatory requirements:
[a] relevance of the program to College mission and desired ends as declared by policy,
[b] responsiveness to community needs and satisfaction of community demand,
[c] accessibility to students, with identification of unnecessary barriers,
[d] student outcomes, including participation and successful-completion rates
[e] measures of program quality and educational value added,
[f] adequacy of program resources and efficiency of resource use,
[g] comparison of program performance and cost to students with that of alternate local suppliers, and
[h] direct and indirect program-related revenues and costs to the College.
Based on the above analyses, the President shall provide a summary recommendation on program status to the Board, whose approval is required to initiate or discontinue a program, to substantially change its scope, or to change it between college-credit and non-college-credit status. Such approvals shall be primarily based on the extent to which the recommendation is found to be consistent with principles and goals established by policy, and the Board will update and clarify its policies as needed so that they provide a predictable and consistent basis for such decisions.
Copies of reports on program reviews shall be provided to the Board, faculty, and interested community members.
The Austin Community College Board of Trustees adopted this policy on August 2, 1999.
This policy set has been updated by a
new version. Please change links/bookmarks.The College shall aggressively reach out to attract all people in the community who need and can use its services. Each employee of the College shall be informed of his or her specific responsibilities for supporting recruitment. The President shall report annually to the Board on:
[1] the organization and nature of ACC recruitment activities and the resources expended on them.
[2] the extent and composition of entry into and enrollment in ACC programs.
[3] estimates of enrollment at other local college/university and post-secondary vocational-training institutions.
[4] potential instructional programs with substantial enrollment at such other local institutions which are not offered at ACC but are within its legal scope.
[5] comparative costs to students of ACC and alternative local providers.
The Austin Community College Board of Trustees adopted this policy on August 2, 1999.
This policy set has been updated by a
new version. Please change links/bookmarks.Enabling students to meet their educational goals should be the central organizing principle of College activity. While most of the work on this task will be done by students and faculty as part of the instructional process, the College shall also provide these other needed supports:
A. Goal Declaration
The College shall help students relate their aptitudes and interests to career opportunities and the corresponding educational goals (which may or may not include further college education after ACC). Accordingly:
[1] The College shall provide current information about the career opportunities in its area (including current demand, starting salaries, and career salary prospects), the preparation typically required for success in those careers, and the subsequent success by academic sector of ACC students in job placement and/or university transfer.
[2] Students shall be assessed as to their preparedness for their goals and informed of the educational sequences ACC offers that would advance them toward those goals (or of an alternate supplier or method in cases where that would be in the best interests of a student).
[3] A declaration of educational goal (which may or may not include a degree or certificate) shall be maintained (and updated at least annually) for each college-credit student.
B. Advising
[1] Each college-credit student (except those who at entry declare a clear short-term goal and decline an advisor) shall be assigned a faculty or staff advisor prepared to assist with the specific educational goal of that student. For transfer students, this preparation shall include appropriate knowledge about their field and the articulation of ACC courses with their target college. For workforce students, knowledge of the student's target industry shall be included. In either case, students requiring remediation under state law shall be given assistance and advice on how to satisfy such requirements while advancing toward their specific goals.
[2] Students (especially those who have difficulty reaching their goals) shall be advised as to how to learn effectively at the college level and as to what combinations of preparation, courseload, and non-school activities have been found to be consistent with academic success at ACC.
[3] Advising and counseling shall reflect a consistent philosophy of operational delivery throughout the College, with task assignments implementing a coordinated plan allocating resources based on student needs and addressing both campus-specific services and college-wide responsibilities.
C. Financial Aid
The College shall fully inform students as to their opportunities for financial assistance to attend college, and shall facilitate their use of those opportunities, especially for grants.
D. Counseling
The College shall assist students in addressing obstacles to the achievement of their educational goals. Accordingly:
[1] Counseling services shall be focused on enabling educational achievement. Counselors shall accordingly work with students (self-referred or identified by faculty or staff as needing attention) so as to help them:
(a) make good use of the support services available at the College.
(b) understand how other students with similar problems have successfully resolved them.
(c) develop work and classroom participation patterns which contribute to successful performance in school and in their intended career.
[2] Student-development staff shall ensure that student concerns are brought to the notice of the responsible authority. Counselors shall therefore:
(a) inform the appropriate supervisor when a student reports any action by a College employee which seems contrary to College rules or policy.
(b) inform students of the College's appeal systems when appropriate, while respecting the responsibility and authority of instructors.
E. Results
[1] The college shall provide assistance to its students in placement in jobs or further higher education when they have completed their preparatory work.
[2] The President shall make a comprehensive annual report to the Board on the extent and nature of College efforts and results in this area. It shall list goal-achievement rates by major/program, ethnicity, and gender, describe the participation in and nature of support services in this area, and provide a cause analysis for student failure to achieve goals. The report shall also include institutional plans and goals for improving the College's ability to serve such students.
Return to the ACC Board Policy home page.
Comments, suggestions? Last updated on May 3, 2000.