Eligibility Requirements for Accreditation
1. Authority
Canada College is the second oldest campus in the San Mateo
County Community College District, opening its doors in 1968.
The institution's authority to operate as an educational institution
and to award degrees derives from the continuous accreditation
by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, an institutional
accreditation body recognized by the Commission on Recognition
of Postsecondary Accreditation and the United States Department
of Education.
This authority is noted on the first page of the College Catalog.
2. Mission
The mission of Canada College has been revised as appropriate
over the years. The current mission statement may be found in
the college catalog and the District Educational and Facilities
Master Plan.
3. Governing
Board
A five-member board governs the San Mateo County Community College
District (SMCCD). Each Board member is elected at large from
the geographical area of the District and incorporates all of
San Mateo County. Terms on the board are staggered so that there
are always at least two returning members serving. During the
election in 1996, two new board members were elected and one
incumbent was re-elected. In 1998 one incumbent and one new
board member were elected. In the most recent general election
November 2000, all three incumbents were returned to office.
The District has enjoyed strong continuity and expertise on
its Board of Trustees, an independent policy-making body capable
of reflecting constituent and public interest in board activities
and decisions.
A student trustee, elected by the Student Senate from each of the three Colleges, serves in a non-voting capacity.
The Board meets on the first and third Wednesday of the month and regularly provides the opportunity for both community and staff to comment on items before the board and on items not on the agenda as well. The president of the academic senate, the Presidents of all three colleges, and the Associate Chancellor are invited to give regular reports at each meeting.
Over the last thirty-two years, to the best of our knowledge, no board member has had any employment, family, or personal financial interest related to either the College or the District.
4. Chief
Executive Officer
The President of the college was selected by the Chancellor
and appointed by the governing board following a national search
and a participatory selection process involving all constituent
groups on the campus. The primary responsibility of the President
is to the institution, although there is an additional expectation
that she will contribute to district-wide initiatives as well.
5. Administrative
Capacity
The institution does have sufficient staff with appropriate
preparation and experience to provide the administrative services
necessary to support its mission and purpose. However, most
of the college administration and staff would agree to the need
for additional administrative support because of the extraordinary
workload maintained by existing administrators on a continuing
basis.
It is widely recognized, however, that the most important place to spend scarce dollars is within the classrooms and programs that serve students.
6. Operational
Status
Students are actively enrolled in a variety of courses that
lead to two-year degrees, certificates of completion, certificates
of achievement, and/or are preparing to transfer to baccalaureate
institutions. Another segment of the student population is enrolled
in courses for life-long learning or self-enrichment.
7. Degrees
The majority of Canada College's offerings are in programs that
lead to an AA or AS degree, as described in the College Catalog.
Significant numbers of students are enrolled in these courses
and degree opportunities and transfer courses are clearly identified
in the College Catalog.
8. Educational
Programs
Canada College's principal degree programs are congruent with
its mission, are based on recognized higher education fields
of study, and are of sufficient content and length and conducted
at levels of quality and rigor appropriate to the degrees offered.
Most degree programs are of two academic years in length.
9. Academic
Credit
The College awards academic credits based on generally accepted
practices in degree-granting institutions of higher education.
Title V, Section 55002.5 and the Carnegie unit of 16 hours for
each unit of instruction are the standards used in granting
course credit.
10.
Educational Objectives
Canada College defines and publishes educational objectives
for each of its degree and certificate programs in the College
Catalog and in its individual course outlines and syllabi. In
addition, each division publishes supplemental descriptions,
brochures, and flyers about its programs and services that include
educational objectives and/or goals.
11.
General Education
Canada College defines and incorporates into all of its degree
programs a substantial component of general education designed
to ensure breadth of knowledge and to promote intellectual inquiry.
The general education component includes demonstrated competence
in writing, computational, and computer skills and an introduction
to major areas of knowledge. The quality and rigor of these
courses is consistent with academic standards appropriate to
higher education and is consistent with Title V section 55806.
Requirements for an AA/AS degree are published in every schedule
of classes and in the College Catalog, and clearly specify the
general education courses needed for the degree.
12.
Faculty
Canada College has eighty-one faculty with full time responsibility
to the institution and one-hundred-eighty-seven adjunct faculty.
The names, degrees, and years of employment of all full-time
faculty are listed in the College Catalog. Information regarding
adjunct faculty is kept in the division offices and in the college
payroll office. The faculty serves 5,700 students by providing
them with quality programs in transfer and career education
and in the mastery of basic skills and English as a second language.
Faculty responsibilities are stated in the Faculty Handbook,
in Board Policy, and in the bargaining unit's contract.
13.
Student Services
Canada College acknowledges the importance of providing appropriate
student services and student development programs to its diverse
student population to ensure student success. Consistent with
student characteristics and its institutional mission, the college
has recently sought to integrate more of its student services
into instructional activities and educational programs. Following
the premise that both instructional and student services personnel
are responsible for outreach, retention, and transfer/degree
completion, more and more student services programs are being
assigned to instructional divisions. Another recent change in
service delivery is the decentralization of counseling, so that
counselor time can be better utilized and available to instructional
faculty for consultation, presentation to classes, and meetings
with division majors. Recent grants awarded to Student Services
were more instructional in nature and demonstrate this dual
responsibility. In addition, the college maintains a number
of traditional student services that are designed to assist
students directly. These are as follows:
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14.
Admission Policies
Canada College has adopted and adheres to admission policies
consistent with its mission that specify the qualifications
of students appropriate for its programs. These include the
admission of re-entry students, international students, high
school completers, reverse transfers, concurrent enrollment
students, and high school non-completers.
15.
Information and Learning Resources
The College provides specific long-term access to sufficient
information and learning resources and services to support its
mission and all of its educational programs. The Learning Centers
and College Library, with its access and partnership with the
Peninsula Library System, along with ten computer labs and the
counseling/career center, support this effort.
A fiber optic backbone supports the campus and district-wide network structure to allow Internet access and network access to information within the College and at the District's two other colleges. There is general agreement that the media and print resources in the Library need to be increased and the college is fortunate to have the resources of the San Mateo County Peninsula Library System to augment its offerings.
16.
Financial Resources
Canada College can document a funding base, financial resources,
and plans for financial development adequate to support its
mission and educational programs and to assure financial stability.
Most of the financial resources of the College come from the
State of California, through the District Office, where an allocation
formula is agreed upon by each of the three Presidents and the
Chancellor. Additional funding is obtained either directly or
through the District from grants, vocational funding sources,
or special allocations. In recent years, the College has been
successful in attracting a large number of external grants.
17.
Financial Accountability
The College regularly undergoes and makes available an external
financial audit by a certified public accountant or an audit
by an appropriate public agency. The San Mateo County Community
College District is audited on an annual basis by an independent
audit firm. Any audit exceptions are noted and documented in
a letter to management. The board of Trustees of the SMCCCD
reviews the audit findings, exceptions, letter to management,
and any recommendations made by the contracted audit firm. Prior
to this process, an exit interview with key personnel is conducted
to review, explain, and make recommendations to the audit findings.
18.
Institutional Planning and Evaluation
Basic planning for the development of the institution, planning
which identifies and integrates plans for academic personnel,
learning resources, facilities, and financial development, as
well as procedures for program review and institutional improvement
are in place and functioning. In 1997 the District concluded
a five-year effort to integrate educational and facilities master
planning that was tied to budget resources. This included a
comprehensive needs assessment in the community and the identification
of new directions for program development. At the same time,
the Academic Senate, Administration, and staff agreed to procedures
for systematic program review on a six-year cycle. Canada College
had earlier instituted a process of using data to assess program
and student need, identifying desired interventions, specifying
personnel and facilities needed to implement those interventions,
and then summarizing all this in a division
planning document. Budgetary decisions were then made based on a prioritization of college needs based on this planning, budgeting, and review process.
It was subsequently decided that this process should move to a two-year cycle because of the work-intensive nature of the activity. Changes in personnel during the past three years have rendered the process to be less consistent in it application to all areas; however, it still serves to reflect an integrated approach to planning that involves research data, program review, personnel needs, facility needs, and budget.
19.
Public Information
Canada College publishes in its catalog and in its schedule
of classes accurate and current information that describes its
admission requirements and procedures, rules and regulations
directly affecting students, programs and courses, and the degree
requirement, costs, and refund policies. The institution publishes
in its catalog degrees offered, its purposes and objectives,
grievance procedures, academic credentials of faculty and administrators,
and other items relative to attending the institution and withdrawing
from it. The College also has an operational Web site that is
continually expanding and contains links to various programs
and departments.
20. Relations with the Accrediting Commission
In the San Mateo County Community College District and Canada College, there is a clear commitment to adhere to the eligibility requirements and accreditation standards and policies of the commission. The college describes itself in identical terms to all its accrediting agencies, communicates any changes in its status, and agrees to disclose information required by the Commission to carry out its accrediting responsibilities.
Rosa G.
Perez, President
Patricia Miljanich, President, Board of Trustees
