Section III: Comprehensive Standards (Faculty)

3.7.1.  The institution employs competent faculty members qualified to accomplish the mission and goals of the institution. When determining acceptable qualifications of its faculty, an institution gives primary consideration to the highest earned degree in the discipline in accordance with the guidelines listed below. The institution also considers competence, effectiveness, and capacity, including, as appropriate, undergraduate and graduate degrees, related work experiences in the field, professional licensure and certifications, honors and awards, continuous documented excellence in teaching, or other demonstrated competencies and achievements that contribute to effective teaching and student learning outcomes. For all cases, the institution is responsible for justifying and documenting the qualifications of its faculty. 

JUDGMENT OF COMPLIANCE

Compliance.

NARRATIVE/JUSTIFICATION FOR JUDGMENT OF COMPLIANCE

Northeast Alabama Community College demonstrates compliance in employing faculty members qualified to accomplish the mission and goals of the institution. Northeast faculty possess documented credentials that demonstrate their qualifications to teach the courses to which they are assigned. The college follows the guidelines established by the Commission on Colleges. In addition, the same qualifications are required by State Board Policy 605.02. These standards are applied to both full-time and part-time faculty members.

The process of applying for an instructional position at NACC includes submission of transcripts that document all college credit. These transcripts may be unofficial but must be replaced by official ones if employment is offered. Official transcripts of graduate work and documentation of other credentials are maintained in personnel files in the Office of the Administrative Assistant to the President. In the case of instructors for whom competencies, credentials, or professional experience are considered in lieu of or in addition to academic credentials, a statement is filed by the appropriate dean detailing the nature of the professional preparation.

Following his appointment to the position of president in 2001, Dr. David Campbell requested a thorough review of faculty credentials. Coordinated by the accreditation liaison, the review was conducted by deans and division chairs, with follow-up review by the accreditation liaison. This review revealed a number of omissions in various personnel records, including job descriptions, statements of competency, and official and/or complete transcripts. In addition, the review revealed that several part-time instructors, especially some teaching non-transfer courses, had insufficient credit hours. Following discussion with their dean or division chair, some filed a plan for the completion of the degree or credit hours appropriate to their position while others chose not to continue employment. The college has remained diligent in ensuring the employment of competent personnel qualified to accomplish the mission and goals of the institution, as evidenced in the Roster of Instructional Staff.

Faculty teaching associate degree courses designed for transfer to a baccalaureate degree

Goal Two of the NACC Mission Statement is to provide, “General education at the freshman and sophomore levels that prepares students to continue their education through transfer.” Faculty members who teach these general education, associate degree courses intended for transfer to a baccalaureate degree should possess, according to the guidelines of the Principles of Accreditation, a doctoral or a master’s degree in the teaching discipline or a master’s degree with a concentration in the teaching discipline (a minimum of 18 graduate semester hours). Northeast Alabama Community College complies with these guidelines. Nine current part-time faculty members possess fewer than 18 graduate semester hours in their teaching disciplines but have earned graduate credit in closely related disciplines. Their employment is based upon the instructors' other credentials, the introductory level of the courses they teach, and/or a scarcity of instructors in the discipline. For these nine, statements on file justify their employment on the basis of either documented experience, graduate credits in related disciplines, or teaching assignments limited to introductory courses. These statements are included in the personnel files maintained in the Office of the Administrative Assistant to the President and may also be accessed via the online Roster of Instructional Staff (Column 4).

It is worth noting that the nursing faculty members at Northeast comply with the above academic credentials even though the associate degree in nursing is considered a terminal degree. Nursing faculty members meet the standards of the Alabama Board of Nursing (ABON) and the National League for Nursing Accreditation Committee (NLNAC).

Two instructors who lack master’s degrees are teaching classes that could possibly be accepted for transfer as electives in a baccalaureate program even though the courses have not traditionally been considered transfer courses. This possibility exists because the Alabama General Studies Committee, the statewide agency governing articulation with baccalaureate institutions, has designated these courses as Code C, according to the following definitions as published by the Alabama College System in the statewide two-year course directory:

CODE A = AGSC approved transfer courses in Areas I-IV that are common to all institutions. [Areas I-IV are the academic core for baccalaureate transfer.]

CODE B = Area V courses that are deemed appropriate to the degree and pre-major requirements of individual students.

CODE C = Potential Area V transfer courses that are subject to approval by respective receiving institutions.

Historically, Northeast has not considered these courses as transfer. The “C" designation unfortunately encompasses a few courses that apply primarily to terminal associate's degrees or that have been considered electives. The cases presented here involve courses that were formerly thought to fall under Comprehensive Standard 3.7.1(c) for "courses not designed for transfer to the baccalaureate degree." The two subjects and their instructors are described below:

1.     Banking and Finance (BFN) courses are taken by current employees of local banks and are taught by a longtime bank president with a bachelor’s degree and documented credentials in his field. His file includes a statement of competency justifying his employment to teach banking and finance courses, and he does not teach other subjects. He also serves as adjunct business manager for the college.

2.      Medical Transcription, in the field of Office Administration (OAD), was formerly listed as Training for Business and Industry but is currently scheduled as an OAD class. Students in this class are not pursuing baccalaureate transfer, and, in fact, OAD credit is offered or accepted by very few baccalaureate institutions. Many of the students are not pursuing even terminal associate's degrees. The instructor is a credentialed professional in medical transcription who does not teach other office administration courses at NACC.

Statements of competency for these two instructors are included in their personnel files maintained in the office of the president and may also be accessed via the online Roster of Instructional Staff (Column 4). It is the opinion of the college that these two instructors are well qualified and that their employment falls within the guidelines for competence established by the Commission.

Faculty teaching associate degree courses not designed for transfer to the baccalaureate degree

Goal Five of the NACC Mission Statement requires the provision of “Developmental education which assists individuals who need to improve their basic learning skills and supports individuals lacking college preparatory backgrounds.” Accordingly, NACC offers developmental education courses in English, mathematics, and reading that are not designed for transfer to a baccalaureate degree. According to the guidelines of the Principles of Accreditation, faculty teaching these courses should possess a baccalaureate degree or an associate degree along with documented competencies. Northeast Alabama Community College complies fully with this guideline. Instructors of English, mathematics, and reading are limited to teaching developmental (pre-college) courses in those subjects if they have completed bachelor’s degrees (or above) but lack master’s degrees in the teaching discipline or master’s degrees with a concentration in the teaching discipline.

Goal Six of the NACC Mission Statement is to provide "Technical, vocational, and career education programs that prepare students for employment in occupational fields and which lead to certificates, diplomas and/or associate degrees." Most of the NACC faculty members who teach courses leading to the degree of Associate in Applied Science in these fields have the baccalaureate degree or associate degree with demonstrated competencies, in compliance with Comprehensive Standard 3.7.1(c). Two faculty members employed in Fall 2003 did not yet meet this standard; however, both completed associate's degrees at the end of Fall Semester.

In addition, NACC fulfills Goal Seven of its Mission Statement, which specifies “Training that meets the specific educational needs of businesses, industries, community organizations, and governmental agencies.” Even though these courses are neither designed for transfer to a baccalaureate degree nor applicable to an associate degree, NACC maintains documentation

of the instructors’ credentials on file.

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