Kaua‘i community college

Planning Agenda

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  Information on transfer policies and articulation agreements need to be available to all students and faculty in electronic and hard copy forms.
  

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  KCC should develop a transfer information web page with articulation information and transfer guidelines and make it easily accessible to students and faculty.
  

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  Articulation information should be accurately reflected in the Catalog, Student Advising Sheets, and campus brochures.
  

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  There is a need to review all articulation agreements for courses and programs with non-UH campuses and to ensure that copies are housed in the Dean of Instruction’s Office.
  

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  An accurate, complete file of articulation agreements with non-UH campuses should be housed in the Dean of Instruction’s Office.
  

II.A.6.b. When programs are eliminated or program requirements are significantly changed, the institution makes appropriate arrangements so that enrolled students may complete their education in a timely manner with a minimum of disruption.

Descriptive Summary

The establishment and termination of programs for the UH System is covered in BOR Policies and Bylaws, Chapter 5, Academic Affairs. The policy indicates, “commitments to students already enrolled in such programs shall be met but no new program admissions shall take place” (Section 5-1 b (3)). The college makes every effort to ensure that students who have begun an established program, which is subsequently modified or terminated, can complete their education in a timely and efficient manner.

Self Evaluation

Kaua‘i Community College has procedures in place to allow students to complete programs if they are modified or eliminated based upon the Board of Regents policy Section 5-1 under Academic Affairs. When an academic program is modified or terminated, courses required for the program are offered, even if low enrolled, so students can complete the program in a

timely way. If a required course cannot be provided, an acceptable substitute is made available. Counselors in academic advising and counseling assist students in dealing with such situations.
A written policy regarding students’ rights to complete programs that have been changed or eliminated is not present in the Kaua‘i Community College Catalog, or the Student Handbook.

Three programs need to be reported to the BOR:

1. 
   Workplace Readiness Certificate of Completion was no longer offered as of Fall 1998. No terminal action was taken while the Business Education Division (BED) was considering the usefulness of the program in its current structure. The Division was asked if it intended to offer the program again. The decision has been made not to offer the program. No students are currently enrolled. The termination request will be submitted by the BED this semester. The chancellor is authorized to act on this program and will report its termination to the BOR.
   

2. 
   Electrical Installation and Maintenance Technology was not offered after Fall 1997 following the retirement of the only instructor in the program. At that time, workforce demand in construction had been falling and was continuing to fall. While individual courses in the program were continued with lecturers, the program itself did not enroll any students. Students who were currently in the program at the time were allowed to complete the program, but no new majors were brought in. This program and Electronics were both under review. Electronics was still a provisional program. The interaction between these two closely related programs had to be clarified. Workforce demand in this area has only recently begun to pick up.
   

3. 
   Carpentry was not offered beginning in Fall 2002 after the retirement of the only instructor in the program. Enrollment at the time of the instructor’s retirement was down to one student. With the program completion of that student, no additional majors were accepted while the college assessed workforce and student demand (clearly minimal). Since the retirement, one carpentry course has been offered as part of the Facilities Engineering Program. The college has continued to offer the Facilities Engineering Program as more appropriate to community workforce needs. Enrollment in Facilities Engineering, which offers training in the range of construction skills, including carpentry and electricity, has been adequate. Currently the demand in construction is booming again and the UH System, in collaboration with the construction industry, has developed a Construction Academy initiative to respond. Facilities Engineering is being revised in order to better align itself with the apprenticeship program and to prepare for integration with the Construction Academy. Action on the Carpentry Program must be coordinated with action on Facilities Engineering (FENG) Program and the Construction Academy. Under the
   

assumption that the Construction Academy and the Facilities Engineering Program will meet industry needs, the request for stop-out will be completed after the establishment of the Construction Academy.

Planning Agenda

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  A program elimination procedure, aligned with system policy should be drafted and published in the Kaua‘i Community College Catalog and the Student Handbook.
  

II.A.6.c. The institution represents itself clearly, accurately, and consistently to prospective and current students, the public, and its personnel through its catalogs, statements, and publications, including those presented in electronic formats. It regularly reviews institutional policies, procedures, and publications to assure integrity in all representations about its mission, programs, and services.