SUMMARY

The Humanities/Social Science Liberal Arts Degree Program is the largest program of

study at Clinton Community College. The Program accounts for over one-third of all graduates

and approximately one-third of the FTEs generated in any given year. While the Program serves

both traditional and non-traditional students, there has been a gradual shift toward traditional-age

students who work part-time while attending CCC.

The Program is intended primarily as a transfer program to prepare students for further

study, whether they complete their degree or transfer prior to completion. However, the Program

also serves a large percentage of “undecided” students whose future plans are unclear.

The major strengths of the Program include:

a strong history on which to build,

a dedicated, versatile faculty,

a supportive administration, and

a diverse and stimulating student population.

The major challenges facing the Program over the next several years include:

expanding enrollments,

increasing demands on faculty,

growing diversity of students, and

assessment of Program goals and objectives and student learning outcomes in both

general education and the major.

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COLLEGE OVERVIEW

Clinton Community College was chartered by the Clinton County Board of Supervisors

in 1966 and first opened its doors in September 1969. Its current location became the permanent

site of the College in 1971 when the Clinton County Legislature approved the purchase of the

100-acre campus overlooking Lake Champlain.

The Main Building, which was originally constructed in the 1920’s as a resort hotel, was

renovated to house classrooms, laboratories, the Learning Resources Center, faculty and

administrative offices, and a student center. A second building, the Forrence Health, Physical

Education and Recreation Building, opened in November 1991, and a third, the Stafford Center

for Science and Technology, opened in the fall of 1999. Since 1969, the student body has grown

from 260 students to approximately 1800 in the spring of 2002. At present the College offers

fourteen degree programs, and six certificate programs.

The Mission Statement of the College is as follows:

Clinton Community College is a community college, committed to enhancing the well-being of each individual by providing access to a college educational experience which promotes the intellectual, social and personal development of all who wish to enter and demonstrate the ability to benefit. The College assumes a responsibility for the improvement of the quality of life within Clinton County and seeks to link its programs of study to the needs of individuals, businesses, organizations and the community. To fulfill the mission, the College will offer and continue to develop university parallel programs, terminal associate degree programs and other appropriate career programs. The College is also committed to a wide range of courses, workshops and seminars appropriate for job skills development, leisure time activities and healthful living, as well as opportunities for community enrichment.

CCC also has college-wide goals and objectives, stated as follows:

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1. To promote excellence in teaching and learning.

2. To provide (a) Associate Degree programs which enable graduates to transfer into and

complete Bachelor’s Degree programs, (b) Associate Degree and Certificate programs in

career fields which will prepare students for successful employment in those fields, and

(c) courses which will allow students to meet their individual educational goals.

3. To set standards that assure our students demonstrate competency in written

communication, quantitative analysis, and critical reasoning.

4. To recognize and encourage diversity in our college community by (a) creating

opportunities which will challenge the most prepared and assist the under-prepared

students, (b) reaching out to non-traditional student populations and expanding their

opportunities for higher education, and (c) providing courses and programs, and

scheduling activities and services, which respond to various interests and needs.

5. To provide and encourage cultural, intellectual, and recreational activities for students

outside the classroom, and to extend these opportunities to the community.

6. To promote an environment that encourages personal success by enhancing students’

sense of self-esteem and self-confidence.

7. To encourage an understanding of other cultures and of global interdependencies.

8. To provide resources to support our programs, while maintaining tuition and fees at a

level which will allow all capable and motivated students the opportunity to attend the

College.

9. To serve the community by providing opportunities for (a) life-long learning, (b) work

force development, and (c) cultural enrichment, and by making available College

facilities, staff, resources, and programs.

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10. To assess activities and resources to ensure the growth and development of the College.

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THE PROGRAM REVIEW PROCESS

The Vice-President for Academic Affairs is responsible for ensuring that CCC’s

academic program review schedule, as approved by SUNY, is completed in a systematic and

timely manner. Included in this charge is the right to award reduced load/overload payments to

faculty, ensuring that a time table is followed, and reporting results to the President, Board of

Trustees, and SUNY. The VPAA will also ensure that sufficient resources are available at

appropriate times to ensure completion of the Program reviews.

SUNY’s academic program review criteria require that an external team review the

academic program report, visit the campus for interviews of appropriate college personnel, and

write an independent report of their observations and recommendations.

CCC requires that all members of the review team be external to the department, with

only one member from CCC (who must not be in the division being reviewed) and two to four

other members from outside the College. The Chair of the external review committee must also

be external to the College.

The faculty member or members performing the review recommend members of the

external team, and the division coordinator and VPAA approve of the membership. Those

performing the review (assisted by the divisional secretary) make travel and schedule

arrangements, with the College incurring all costs associated with the visits and funded from the

VPAA’s budget.

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The external review team is expected to report back to the College in writing as quickly as

feasible in a document written by the Chairperson of the team. This report must be sent to

SUNY by June 1, along with a summary of the original review, written by the VPAA.

PROGRESS SINCE LAST PROGRAM REVIEW

The Program Review completed in 1996 yielded 41 recommendations. Two reports were

made to the Assessment Committee regarding the status of these recommendations: one in 1998

and one in 2001. The extent to which these recommendations were used in planning is modest.

Follow-up on program reviews was not, until this year, given a high priority. Recommendations

that emerged from the external review team visit were not specifically addressed during the past

five years.

Still, many of the 1996 recommendations from both the self-study document and the

External Team Report have been accomplished due to the direct efforts of program faculty.

Others were completed by administrative action and still others were discarded because they

were no longer seen as important. Appendix A lists each recommendation and its disposition.

Appendix B is a copy of the External Team Report. What follows is a summary of progress on

the recommendations from both reports.

CURRICULUM

Based on recommendations for curricular change, the number of credits to graduate in the

A.A. Program was reduced to 60 in 2001. Physical education credits were reduced from 4 to 2,

one of which must be an activity. LIB 101 became a required course. However, scheduling

enough sections to meet student demand remains a problem. The College Success Seminar (CSS

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650) was reviewed and became elective rather than required. Free elective credits were reduced

from 16 to 13. Contrary to the recommendation, no changes were made in either math or science

credits.

The Self-Study Report and External Team Report differ on the recommendation for

multicultural diversity. Rather than requiring a specific course in the curriculum to address

diversity (as was the recommendation of the self study), attempts have been made by individual

faculty within the Program to embed multicultural awareness into a variety of courses. In

addition, a Celebration of Diversity has been held at CCC each October over the past three years.

A.A. faculty members participate actively in this initiative.

In accordance with the recommendation from the Self-Study Report, all multi-section

Social Science course syllabi have been standardized. There is now a campus-wide format for

syllabi that specifies the information that needs to be included. Within the Social Sciences

specifically, all faculty who teach multi-section courses use the same text and include the same

course goals. Beyond these curricular changes, only two of the original self-study

recommendations have not been accomplished: increased participation of writing faculty

members in writing placement policies and decisions, and safeguards for accurate foreign

language course placement.

WRITING PROGRAM

The External Review Team made eight recommendations for the Writing Program. Only

one has been implemented: the results of placement tests are now binding, with the authority to

change student placements resting with the student’s instructor after a first-day writing sample or

reading test. Another recommendation that more than one reader should evaluate each

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placement essay has not been acted on. However, the policy of requiring a first-day writing

sample in all sections of Fundamentals of Composition (ENG 114) and English Composition

(ENG 115) ensures that, even though placement essays are still read by only one evaluator, each

student’s writing is evaluated by two different graders and at two different times.

The third of the team’s recommendations, that adjuncts be compensated for reading exit

exams, has not been considered, nor have the additional course reduction and increased stipend

recommended for the Writing Program Coordinator. A further recommendation that the Writing

Program Coordinator have $500 designated annually for professional travel has been made

obsolete because, under current budget policy, those funds are no longer specifically assigned to

divisions or programs.

The issue of whether all students placed in Fundamentals of Composition require six

hours has not been a matter of concern to the Division. For students who excel in the course, as

well as for some who must repeat it, the option of completing the course at mid-term and

receiving a grade of “Pass” rather than a letter grade now exists; however, it is rarely used.

One recommendation to hire more full-time faculty was made specifically in regard to

English 115 because of the dependence on adjunct faculty to teach the course. Although new

full-time faculty have been hired, retirements and increased enrollments have resulted in

continued and increasing dependence on adjunct writing instructors.

Writing instruction has been improved by assigning computer labs, in addition to

classrooms, to writing classes.

SOCIAL SCIENCES COURSES

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The Team suggested replacing Psychology of Adjustment with a new course on

personality, changing the Crime and Deviance course to a new course on the sociology of

deviance, and making Criminology and Juvenile Delinquency sociology courses. None of these

changes has occurred, although the SUNY General Education program recognizes both

Criminology and Juvenile Delinquency in the Social Sciences category.

ARTICULATION AGREEMENTS

The Team’s recommendation about strengthening the relationship between CCC and PSU

through articulation has been pursued. Since 1996, four new “2+2’s” have been created with

PSU in sociology, psychology, education, and journalism.

FACULTY

Eleven recommendations were made in the 1996 self-study regarding faculty. Several

recommendations pertain to both adjunct and full-time faculty.

The concern that there is only one full-time faculty in the Humanities Division who is not

in English still holds true, despite the fact that two Division members’ loads include speech and

one member’s includes Spanish. The “lack of fine arts” hasn’t been addressed directly, but the

position of Fine Arts Coordinator has been created.

The ratio of full-time to part-time faculty was a source of concern in both the Self-study

and External Team reports. While only one new faculty line was created (fine arts), there has

been a “tightening” of the schedule so that there are fewer courses for which adjuncts are needed

with the exception of English 115. New full-time faculty in the areas of English and humanities,

have been hired, but these additions have been offset in some areas by retirements, increased

enrollments, and course load reductions in exchange for other responsibilities.

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Issues of increasing pay, evaluation procedures, and minimal credentials for hiring

adjunct faculty have all been addressed since 1996. However, the demand for adjunct writing

faculty sometimes makes it difficult to find and retain ideally qualified part-time instructors.

Yet, overall, uniformity of standards among multiple sections of writing courses has been

enhanced. “Binding course outlines” have been instituted to some extent. All courses have

divisionally approved general education and course-specific goals and learning objectives that

must appear on the syllabi. All adjuncts are given a copy of these goals and objectives to include

on their syllabi, as well as a standard format for syllabus content. A standardized template for

Eng 114, 115, and 116 has been developed and an information booklet to assist part-time faculty

has been created. Where responsibility lies for making sure that faculty adhere to course

requirements is, however, uncertain.

The external team’s recommendation that full-time faculty assist in observation and

evaluation of adjuncts has been adopted by both Divisions. Full-time faculty also mentor

adjuncts. However, those roles are voluntary and uncompensated.

The standardization of faculty evaluations was raised as an issue in 1996 and is currently

under discussion. Another issue raised regarding full-time faculty was professional development

or the lack thereof. Due to a new administrative team which values professional development,

many of these issues have been resolved. Indeed, there are now so many opportunities for

professional development, especially in the area of technology, that many faculty are

overwhelmed.

Finally, many improvements have been made regarding concerns over communication

between faculty and administration highlighted in the 1996 Report.

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INSTITUTIONAL RESOURCES

Of greatest concern in 1996 was the lack of resources and attention devoted to computer

and teaching technology. Since 1996, a person to direct the LRC and technology initiatives at

CCC was hired. A Media Specialist was also hired, as recommended in both reports. New

hardware and software for faculty, staff, and student use is proliferating. CCC now has a

distinctive presence on the Web. By the end of this calendar year, there will be twelve new

“smart classrooms” throughout campus to accompany the growing number of computer labs

available for student use and instruction. The LRC’s Digital Library is continually adding new

electronic resources for faculty and student research. Professional development opportunities for

faculty to learn about technology for instruction abound. Every faculty office has at least one

personal computer that is tied into the mainframe for easy access to student information,

especially useful during advisement. Some concerns remain regarding support services,

however.

ADMINISTRATION AND ORGANIZATION

Since 1996, the College has had four different presidents and three academic vice-

presidents. The current President and Academic Vice President have made significant changes

to the institution, creating an environment much more conducive to educational excellence.

Concerns mentioned in 1996 regarding poor communication, strained working environments,

and lack of professional development opportunities have been reduced dramatically. Engaging

faculty to work on special projects, and giving them reduced teaching loads to do so, illustrates

the new climate at CCC.

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The issues raised in 1996 about Division Coordinators are still valid. Currently, there are

discussions about how to address the issues of remuneration and duties. Any changes will have

to be negotiated as part of the faculty contract.

Planning was another issue raised in 1996. Strategic planning has also become a serious

priority with the new administration. An active Strategic Planning Committee now exists with

Division Coordinators representing the various programs of study. Assessment initiatives are

embedded in each strategic goal of the College.

The Assessment Committee has assumed responsibility for monitoring progress on

program review recommendations. The final recommendation of the 1996 report was that both

divisions review the action plan developed from the recommendations annually. With the help

of the Assessment Committee, this recommendation is more likely to be accomplished.

STUDENT OUTCOMES

Three recommendations from the 1996 self-study report focused on data collection issues

to better assess student outcomes, an issue with which the College continues to grapple. Due to

limitations in the mainframe software, data are routinely collected but are not easily retrievable

by faculty for purposes of analysis. Even for this program review, faculty had to rely mainly on

standard reports (generated for purposes of institutional effectiveness) rather than customized

data related exclusively to the A.A. program. There still is no system to provide data pertaining

to Program students (demographic or otherwise) to Division Coordinators on a regular basis.

The remaining recommendation dealt with the sizeable and growing proportion of

remedial students in the program. Addressing this issue is an ongoing challenge for Program

faculty.

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GENERAL EDUCATION

In the spring of 2001, CCC changed its general education program to reflect the new

SUNY system-wide program. Although the SUNY program sets requirements for students

graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree, community colleges around the state are profoundly

affected by this change in requirements. SUNY recommends that transfer students should

complete a minimum of seven of the ten identified knowledge areas, or “silos,” at the

Associate’s Degree level. (Not all curricula cover all categories.)

Clinton Community College is committed to General Education, to learning

whichpromotes the intellectual, social, and personal development of each student. Through its degree programs, the College provides students with the skills and knowledge they will need to fulfill their academic goals and to succeed in their careers. The General Education program of the College mirrors the Program adopted by the State University of New York Trustees, with modifications by curricula. Successful completion of one course approved in each category constitutes completion of the Program (2002-03 Clinton Community College Catalog, page 29).

The General Education Program of the College consists of ten knowledge areas and two

competencies outlined on the following pages.

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TEN KNOWLEDGE AREAS

1. Mathematics--Students will show competence in the following: Arithmetic Algebra Geometry Data Analysis Quantitative Reasoning

2. Natural Sciences--Students will demonstrate: Understanding of the methods scientists use to explore natural phenomena, including observation,

hypothesis development, measurement and data collection, experimentation, evaluation of evidence, and employment of mathematical analysis.

Application of scientific data, concepts, and models in one of the natural sciences.3. Social Sciences--Students will demonstrate:

Understanding of the methods social scientists use to explore social phenomena, including observation, hypothesis development, measurement and data collection, experimentation, evaluation of evidence, and employment of mathematical analyses.

Knowledge of major concepts, models and issues of at least one discipline in the social sciences (Anthropology, Economics, Geography, Government, History, Psychology, or Sociology).

4. American History--Students will demonstrate: Knowledge of a basic narrative of American history: political, economic, social, and cultural, including

knowledge of unity and diversity in American society. Knowledge of common institutions in American society and how they have affected different groups. Understanding of America’s evolving relationship with the rest of the world.

5. Western Civilization--Students will: Demonstrate knowledge of the development of the distinctive features of the history, institutions, society,

culture, etc., of Western civilization. Relate the development of Western civilization to that of other regions of the world.

6. Other World Civilizations--Students will demonstrate: Knowledge of a broad outline of world history, or Knowledge of the distinctive features of the history, institutions, society, culture, etc., of one non-Western

civilization.7. Humanities--Students will demonstrate:

Knowledge of the methods and conventions of at least one of the humanities (Art, English, Languages, Music, or Philosophy) in addition to those encompassed by other knowledge areas required by the General Education program.

8. The Arts--Students will demonstrate: Understanding of at least one principle form of artistic expression and the creative process inherent therein.

9. Foreign Language--Students will demonstrate: Basic proficiency in the understanding and use a foreign language. Knowledge of the distinctive features of culture(s) associated with the foreign language studied.

10. Basic Communication--Students will: Produce coherent texts within common college-level written forms. Demonstrate the ability to revise and improve such texts. Research a topic, develop an argument, and organize supporting materials. Develop proficiency in oral discourse. Evaluate an oral presentation according to established criteria.

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TWO COMPETENCIES

1. Critical Thinking*--Students will: Identify, analyze and evaluate arguments as they occur in their own or other’s work. Develop well-reasoned arguments.

2. Information Management**--Students will: Perform basic operations of personal computer use. Understand and use basic research techniques. Locate, evaluate and synthesize information from a variety of sources.

*Infused into the curriculum.**Infused into the curriculum and may also be met by successfully completing LIB 101 or CSC 102.

The A.A. Program is designed as a general education program, requiring that students

complete courses in a wide variety of disciplines. As the curriculum currently exists, seven of

the twelve areas mentioned above are required for graduation (Mathematics, Natural Sciences,

Social Sciences, Humanities, The Arts, Basic Communication, and Information Management).

However, students are often advised to take courses in history and foreign language, thus

completing most of the SUNY general education requirements with the A.A. degree.

CCC’s Humanities/Social Sciences curriculum has not changed in response to SUNY

General Education Goals; however, careful advising has become a priority. Currently, the

General Education Committee is devising a worksheet to assist advisors in helping their advisees

who plan to transfer to a SUNY four-year institution to choose courses in order to complete as

many general education requirements as possible. Special presentations have been made to

inform advisors about general education requirements, and all students who participate in

orientation are informed about general education requirements and the importance of careful

selection of courses.

Accompanying SUNY’s new general education program is a mandate for assessing the

effectiveness of that program. This project requires substantial resources and will take time. As a

beginning, CCC’s General Education Committee prepared a three-year plan to assess all twelve

areas mentioned above (ten Knowledge Areas and two Competencies). Assessment of Basic

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Communication, American History, and Information Management will begin in the fall 2001

semester. Although the instruments have not yet been developed, the methodology will be a pre-

test/post-test design (see Appendix C: CCC General Education Assessment Plan, submitted to

SUNY March 1, 2002). The results of general education assessment will be directly applicable

to the A.A. Program and subsequent program reviews.

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PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The Humanities/Social Sciences A.A. degree program is the largest of CCC’s degree

programs, with an enrollment of 226 full-time and 24 part-time students in the fall of 2001. Of

CCC graduates each year, an average of 36.4 percent receive their degrees in Liberal Arts:

Humanities/Social Sciences. The A.A. Program is also one of CCC’s fastest growing programs,

with an increase of 15% in full-time enrollments from the fall of 1997 to the fall of 2001 (197 to

226), and a 14% increase in part-time enrollments for the same time period (21 to 24).

The mission of the Liberal Arts Humanities/Social Sciences Program is to provide

students with a broad-based educational experience that prepares them for transfer into

baccalaureate programs in the liberal arts, the social sciences, and education by providing a core

of general education.

The Humanities/Social Sciences Program also offers students several possible

advisement options, or informal arrangements that allow students to use elective credits to take

courses in a specific area of interest. (Official college transcripts indicate Associate Degree

program titles, but do not indicate advisement options pursued.) Advisement options make it

easier for students to specialize while at CCC and prepare them for transfer into specific majors

at four-year colleges. The following advisement options are available within the Liberal Arts

A.A. Curriculum.

American History Criminal Justice Elementary Education (Social Sciences Concentration) Elementary Education (English Concentration) Elementary Education (Unknown Concentration) English Fine Arts

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International Studies Journalism Literature Mass Communications Political Science Public Relations Psychology Sociology Speech Communications

New York State residents who are graduates of a SUNY two-year college and have earned an

A.A. or A. S. degree are guaranteed the opportunity to continue their education on a full-time

basis at a SUNY baccalaureate campus, and, in making admissions decisions, campuses pay

particular attention to applications from transfer students in their region who cannot relocate to

another part of the state.

In addition to the guaranteed SUNY transfer opportunity, CCC has also developed

specific affiliations for the purpose of establishing transfer agreements. Some agreements assist

students to transfer with advanced standing into specialized programs. Most agreements,

however, are designed to enable Clinton students, upon graduation, to obtain admission and

junior standing in parallel programs at upper division colleges. The following Bachelor’s Degree

Transfer Programs articulate with the A.A. in Humanities/Social Sciences:

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Institution Degree Program OptionsEmpire State College

The Arts, Community & Human Services, Cultural Studies, Educational Studies, Historical Studies, Human Development, Interdisciplinary Studies, Social Theory, Social Structure & Change

SUNY at Cortland B.S. Physical EducationSUNY at Oswego “Passport to Oswego” ProgramSUNY at Potsdam B.A. Most, but not all Majors in DegreeSUNY at Plattsburgh Anthropology, Art History, Behavioral Science, Canadian

Studies, Child Care Management, Communications, Economics, Education, English, English/Print Journalism, General Studies, Geography, History, Latin American Studies, Languages, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Studio Art, and Theatre

SUNY College of Technology-Utica Rome

B.A. Behavioral Science, B.A. General Studies, B.A. Social Science

Regents College and University of the State of New York

Various Bachelor Degree Programs

The Humanities/Social Sciences Program also houses, or has a major responsibility for,

several college-wide programs as well as offers courses required in most CCC programs of

study.

THE BASIC SKILLS PROGRAM

The Humanities Division offers a developmental course in Reading and Study Skills

(English 113) for students identified as under-prepared in reading; Fundamentals of Composition

(English 114), a developmental writing course; and Communications and Life Skills

(Communications 100), a course specifically designed to prepare students for college level work.

(Two developmental math courses are also offered by the Math/Science Division, which are

required for Humanities/Social Sciences students if indicated by placement testing. The course

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sequence and required skills were recently reconsidered in view of changes in math standards for

New York State high school students.)

THE WRITING PROGRAM

A member of the Humanities Division also acts as Writing Program Coordinator and has

responsibility for overseeing the placement of students in appropriate writing courses, for

ensuring that students in all sections of multiple section writing courses are held to similar

standards, and for supervising the administration and grading of common final exams for all

sections of Fundamentals of Composition (ENG 114) and English Composition (ENG 115).

THE ESL PROGRAM

The Humanities Division also offers courses in English as a second language for a

growing number of international students seeking to improve their fluency in American English

and enhance their familiarity with American culture: English as a Second Language (ESL 100),

Intermediate Reading (ESL 103), Fundamentals of Composition (ESL 104), Listening and

Speaking Skills (ESL 110), and Extensive Reading (ESL 131). In the summer of 2000 an ESL

summer institute was initiated to help acclimate international students and help prepare them for

the fall semester. There is no ESL coordinator to oversee support and advisement for these

students, however.

THE COLLEGE ENTRY PROGRAM

The College Entry Program (CEP), designed especially for returning students, was re-

instituted in the fall of 2001 after being terminated in June, 1996. The Humanities Division

provides three of the four courses offered in the CEP “package”, which includes English

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Composition (Eng 101), Critical Reading (Eng 120), Public Speaking (Com 101), and

Introductory Algebra (Mat 099).

FINE ARTS PROGRAM

Clinton Community College’s Fine Arts Program offers a variety of courses in the visual,

musical, and performing arts. Students who major in Humanities/Social Sciences are required to

take at least one course in the arts. A general goal of the Fine Arts Program is to expose all

students to the creative process within each field. For students who plan to major in the arts,

CCC is limited to the visual arts at this time. A goal of the Program is to help the student

develop a strong portfolio in order to transfer to a B.A. Program.

THE COLLEGE ADVANCEMENT PROGRAM

The CAP Program (College Advancement Program) offers a variety of Humanities and

Social Sciences courses ( as well as other CCC courses) to area high school students as a regular

part of their daily schedules, taught by high school faculty as adjuncts of CCC. Courses in the

Humanities and Social Sciences in the CAP Program include:

Eng 115—English Composition Eng 116—Literature and CompositionFre 142—Intermediate French IFre 143—Intermediate French IIHis 312—Early Modern American HistoryHis 313—Modern American HistoryPsy 340—Introduction to PsychologySpa 152—Intermediate Spanish ISpa 153—Intermediate Spanish II

These courses are currently being offered to students in six area high schools.

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NEW YORK STATE SENATE UNDERGRADUATE SESSION ASSISTANTS PROGRAM

CCC has participated in the NYS Senate Undergraduate Session Assistants Program

since 1991. A member of the Social Sciences Division coordinates the internship, which is

designed to provide undergraduate students with firsthand experience of the NYS government at

the legislative level. This internship opportunity is meant to foster an appreciative understanding

of the roles of process, personalities, and problem solving in state government, thus supporting

and enhancing academic studies. Interns earn 15 credits toward their degrees.

While students from a wide array of academic majors are eligible, this internship program

often attracts students who wish to pursue a career related to law and/or politics. Only students

of the highest caliber and potential are accepted into this program. A total of thirteen CCC

students have participated as interns. (Up to 61 internships are granted by the New York State

Senate each year.) In 1997 two CCC students participated; in 1998, one student; in 1999 two

students; in 2002 one student was accepted.

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PROGRAM GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The mission of the Humanities/Social Sciences Program at CCC is “to provide

students with a broad-based educational experience that prepares them for transfer into

baccalaureate programs at four-year institutions in the liberal arts, the social sciences, and

education.”

The following outcome statements were identified as “quality indicators” of the Program

during the 2000-01 academic year as part of a college-wide effort to develop assessment

measures for all academic programs. These assessment measures replaced the former Goals and

Objectives of the Program:

Seventy-five percent of program graduates will enroll in a baccalaureate program.

Of those enrolled in baccalaureate programs, ninety percent will have declared a major field of study in the humanities, social sciences or education.

The average G.P.A of CCC graduates in their chosen degree program will match or exceed the average G.P.A of native students in that degree program at the transfer institution.

Seventy-five percent of those enrolled in baccalaureate programs will persist for at least one academic year in that degree program.

Seventy-five percent of program graduates will report ‘very much’ or ‘quite a bit’ of progress on all of the General Education objectives adopted by the College.

In addition to the above measurable outcome statements, graduates of the Program are

expected to have taken courses to fulfill a minimum of seven of the ten knowledge areas, as well

as to show competency in critical thinking and information management as required by the

SUNY General Education standards.

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The Program review process is an opportunity to evaluate the success of the Program at

achieving our stated goals, the adequacy of the stated goals given assessment results, and the

adequacy of stated goals given changes since the goals were originally articulated.

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CURRICULUM

The Humanities/Social Sciences curriculum requires students to complete 60 credits for

the A.A. degree, a reduction from the previously required 64 credits. This change was approved

in the spring of 2001 and implemented in the fall of 2002. The rationale for that reduction was to

make the curriculum more closely parallel programs at four-year institutions, to bring credit

requirements into line with half those required for a Bachelor’s Degree, and to assist students

receiving financial aid, which is limited to eight semesters of assistance for a B.A.

Course requirements are distributed among the disciplines of English, humanities social

sciences, math, science, health and physical education, and library research skills. When the

curriculum requirement went from 64 to 60 credits, the physical education requirement was

reduced from four to two credits, one of which must be an activity, and the one-credit library

skills requirement was added, again to make the Program more closely parallel to those at four-

year institutions. At the same time, the requirement of a one-credit College Study Skills course

for all first-time full-time students was eliminated, although the course may still be taken for

free-elective credit. Students complete their degree requirements by taking courses for free-

elective credits, which were reduced from 16 to 13. To earn the degree, candidates must have

achieved a cumulative QPA of 2.0.

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Degree Requirements (60 Credits)

English – 9 CreditsENG 115: English CompositionENG 116: Literature & CompositionEnglish Elective: All ENG courses above 116 may be used for English elective credits.

Humanities Electives – 9 Credits

Courses with the following prefixes may be used for Humanities electives: ART, COM (except COM 100), FRE, GER, HUM, MUS, PHI, SPA, and THE. Also HIS 121 (HIS 310), HIS 311, 314,315, MSM 239, and ENG above 116 except 135 and 237.

At least 3 credits must be in Fine Arts.Courses with the following prefixes can be used for the fine arts elective: ART, HUM, MUS, and THE. Also MSM 239

Social Sciences Electives – 12 Credits

To include at least three different Social Sciences areas. Courses with the following prefixes may be used for social science electives: ANT, ECO, GEO, GOV, HIS, PSY, SOC. Also MSM 118.

Math Electives – 6 Credits

Science Electives – 8 Credits

Free Electives – 13 Credits

Library Research Skills – 1 Credit

Health/Phys. Ed. – 2 Credits

To include at least one activity course.

Courses are offered on campus both during the day and evening during the academic year

as well as the summer and winter sessions, and as part of the College Advancement Program,

which offers CCC courses to high school students using high school teachers as adjunct faculty.

In addition, CCC has begun offering courses to students on line. Currently, the

following courses are available to students in that format:

27

ECO 305: Fundamentals of EconomicsECO 307: Principles of Macroeconomics ENG 115: English CompositionENG 116: Literature and CompositionENG 220: Multicultural American LiteratureENG 235: Technical Writing HIS 313: Early American History GOV 327: Government and Politics in AmericaSOC 355: Introduction to Sociology

Both the Humanities and Social Sciences Divisions are also developing “hybrid” courses

which would be conducted primarily on line but require some attendance on campus.

In addition, a group of five ESL courses has been developed for international students

recruited by the College: English as a Second Language (ESL 100), Intermediate Reading (ESL

103), Fundamentals of Composition (ESL 104), Listening and Speaking Skills (ESL 110), and

Extensive Reading (ESL 131).

Early in the spring 2002, a survey was given to all faculty teaching in the A.A. program.

Part-time faculty who taught in the fall semester but who were not currently teaching were also

mailed a survey. The survey contained demographic information in addition to a series of

questions regarding opinions of the program, its administration, resources and support services,

and opportunities for professional growth. Appendix D contains a copy of the survey as well as

all of the completed surveys obtained for this report (N= 33). Sixteen full-time and seventeen

part-time faculty completed the survey. Results of the survey follow and, with the exception of

the issue of multiculturalism, most faculty who responded to the survey are in agreement that the

A.A. Program curriculum is adequate to meet the needs of students and the Program.

28

% FT/PT Who

“Strongly Agree”

% FT/PT Who

“Agree”

% FT/PT Who

“Disagree”

% FT/PT Who

“Strongly Disagree”

% FT/PT Who

Had No Basis to Judge

The Program’s goals meet the needs of varying student populations it serves.

18.8/29.4 56.3/64.7 6.25/0.0 0.0/0.0 18.8/0.0

The requirements of the curriculum meet the Program’s goals.

37.5/23.5 56.3/70.6 0.0/0.0 0.0/0.0 6.25/5.9

The curriculum requirements (including # of credits) are adequate.

31.3/23.5 62.5/76.5 6.25/0.0 0.0/0.0 0.0/0.0

The curriculum adequately covers general education goals.

25.0/29.4 68.8/70.6 6.25/0.0 0.0/0.0 0.0/0.0

The curriculum adequately integrates issues of multiculturalism.

0.0/11.8 37.5/70.6 37.5/5.9 6.25/0.0 18.8/11.8

29

ADMINISTRATION AND ORGANIZATION

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE COLLEGE

The State University of New York oversees the operation of sixty-four institutions of

higher education, thirty of which are locally sponsored community colleges.

The organization of the governance structure at Clinton Community College includes the

State University of New York, the Clinton Community College Board of Trustees, the President

and Administration, the President’s Cabinet, Academic Council, Faculty Council, the

Faculty/Student Association, and the Student Senate.

The SUNY Board of Trustees delegates authority to the Chancellor who is the chief

administrative officer for all campuses in the SUNY system and is responsible for the

development and implementation of policies approved by the Board of Trustees.

The Clinton Community College Board of Trustees has responsibility to assure that the

College offers post-secondary education at a reasonable cost, and maintains both high academic

standards and its institutional accreditation. It is also charged with assuring fiscal responsibility.

The Board of Trustees consists of ten official members. Five are appointed by the County

Legislature, one of whom may be a member of that body. Four are county residents, appointed

by the Governor. Each serves a nine-year term. Each year a student trustee is elected by the

student body to serve a one-year term. The Board selects officers, including the chairperson,

from among its members.

The Clinton Community College Board of Trustees appoints the President of the College

with approval from the SUNY Board of Trustees. The President’s primary responsibility is to

execute the policies of the Clinton Community College Board of Trustees.

30

Administrators reporting to the President are the Vice President for Academic Affairs, the

Dean for Administration/Business Affairs, the Vice President for Student Affairs, the College

Relations Officer, the Dean for Development and Alumni Affairs, and the Human Resources

Officer.

ADMINISTRATIVE ORGANIZATION

The President’s Cabinet includes all administrators who report directly to her, plus the

Associate Dean for Information Technology and Learning Resources; the Associate Dean for

Workforce Development, Continuing Education, and Community Service; the Controller; the

Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds; and the Faculty Council Chairperson.

The Academic Council has responsibility for the academic management of the College.

The Vice President for Academic Affairs heads the Academic Council. The members include

administrative staff who report directly to the Vice President for Academic Affairs (Associate

Academic Dean for Workforce Development, Continuing Education and Community Service;

31

BOARD OF TRUSTEES BOARD OF

PRESIDENT

DEAN FOR DEVELOPMENT AND ALUMNI AFFAIRS

INTERIM DEAN FORADMINISTRATION/BUSINESS AFFAIRS

VICE PRESIDENT STUDENT AFFAIRS

VICE PRESIDENT ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

HUMANRESOURCES

COLLEGERELATIONS

Associate Dean for Information Technology and Learning Resources; Academic Support

Services Officer; and the Registrar), the Vice President for Student Affairs, and Division

Coordinators from the four academic areas, which include Humanities, Social Sciences,

Business, Math/Science/Technology, plus the Associate Academic Dean/Director of Allied

Health.

ORGANIZATION OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

Division Coordinators are selected by their peers in their respective divisions and

appointed for two-year terms. Their responsibilities include representing their Divisions,

32

VICE PRESIDENT ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

ASSOCIATE DEANWORKFORCEDEVELOPMENTCONTINUING ED. &COMMUNITY SVC.ACADEMIC DEAN

DIRECTOR OF NURSING AND ALLIED HEALTH

ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & LEARNING RESOURCES

ACADEMIC

SUPPORT SERVICES OFFICER

DIVISIONCOORDINATORS REGISTRAR

ASSISTANTS IN CONTINUING EDUCATION NURSING/ALLIED

HEALTH/HPE

TEACHING ADMINISTRATOR IN CHARGE

CAREER SPECIALIST/ INTERNSHIP COORDINATOR

CONTINUING EDUCATION SPECIALIST

NETWORK &INFORMATIONSERVICES

LEARNING RESOURCE CENTER

ACADEMIC ASSISTANCE CENTER

LEARNING

RESOURCE

SPECIALIST

- - - - - - - -

WRITING SKILLSCOORDINATOR- - - - - - - - -

MATH SKILLSCOORDINATOR- - - - - - - - - - - - -

TECH/MATH/ SCIENCE

MATH/

SCIENCE HUMANITIES

HUMANITIES FACULTY

SOCIAL SCIENCESOCIAL SCIENCES FACULTY

BUSINESS

BUSINESS FACULTY

enhancing communication among Division members and between the Division and the

Administration, overseeing class schedules and offerings, hiring, assigning and mentoring part-

time faculty, and evaluating the members of their Division.

In addition, specific programs are coordinated by faculty members. The Humanities

Division, for example, is responsible for the Writing Program which includes courses required

for the Humanities/Social Sciences A.A. and all degree programs. The Division also has the

responsibility for the Foreign Language Program, the ESL Program and the Fine Arts Program,

which includes courses in the arts offered as electives to all CCC students (see “Program

Overview”). LIB 101 sections are also the responsibility of the Humanities Division

Coordinator. Two programs of study, Criminal Justice and Human Services, are housed within

the Social Sciences Division.

The Spring 2002 Faculty Survey (see Appendix D) results pertaining to opinions on

administration are displayed on the following page. Sixteen full-time faculty and seventeen part-

time faculty completed the survey.

Full-time faculty appear to be satisfied with the current administration as it relates to the

Program. A large percentage of the part-time faculty who completed the survey, however, are

uninformed about the administration of the College and its relationship to the Program. The

majority of Program faculty believe that working relationships both within the Program and

between the Program and the College are good. Regarding the opportunity to evaluate

supervisors, faculty opinions (especially full-time faculty) were split. Comments written on

survey forms indicate that, at least full-time, faculty have a regular opportunity to evaluate

Division Coordinators but that no such opportunity exists to evaluate other administrators.

33

Support Service

% FT/PT Who

“Agreed Strongly”

% FT/PT Who

“Agreed”

% FT/PT Who

Disagreed”

% FT/PT Who

“Disagreed Strongly”

% FT/PT Who

“Had No Basis To Judge”

The current system of administration is logical and effective.

6.3/11.8 87.5/47.1 0.0/0.0 0.0/0.0 6.25/41.2

The current administration is aware of and responsive to the needs of the Program.

6.23/17.6 81.3/35.3 6.3/0.0 0.0/5.9 6.3/41.2

Faculty members have the opportunity to evaluate the performance of coordinators and administrators.

0.0/0.0 37.5/23.5 43.8/5.9 0.0/11.8 18.8/58.8

The Division had a positive working relationship with other areas of the College.

43.8/23.5 56.3/35.3 0.0/0.0 0.0/0.0 0.0/41.2

Members of the Division have a positive working relationship with each other

37.5/29.4 62.5/41.2 0.0/5.9 0.0/11.8 0.0/23.5

GOVERNANCE AND PLANNING

The Faculty Council is the governance system of the College. Faculty Council is charged

with the responsibility for the development and maintenance of the educational program at the

34

College. The Faculty Council carries out its work through a system of committees assigned to

these activities. The President of the College makes appointments to Faculty Council Standing

Committees: Curriculum, Academic Standards, Cultural Affairs, Professional Development,

General Education, Retention, Assessment, and Learning Resources. Every effort is made to

have each academic division of the College represented on each standing committee.

The Faculty Council’s regular membership includes the President of the College,

appointed administrative officers, full-time members of the professional staff holding academic

rank (Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, or Instructor), and full-time non-

teaching faculty members. Associate membership in the Faculty Council is open to part-time

members of the professional staff holding academic rank. They may attend meetings, but may

not participate in the business affairs of making and seconding motions, voting, or holding

membership on Faculty Council standing committees.

Academic policies and curricular issues are developed at the committee level and

deliberated by the Faculty Council. Following an affirmative vote and recommendation from

Faculty Council, policies are referred to the Vice President for Academic Affairs, the College

President, and then, if appropriate, the Board of Trustees.

The Strategic Planning Committee of the College is responsible for creating and

monitoring the strategic plan of the college. Academic Division Coordinators, the Associate

Academic Deans for Learning Resources and Workforce/Continuing Education, and the

Academic VP represent the academic areas of the College.

The Strategic Planning Committee has developed a long-range plan for Clinton

Community College, focused around six main goals:

1) Promote and Enhance Student Success

35

2) Develop and Maintain Educational Programs

3) Enhance Programs for Employee Recruitment, Development, and Retention

4) Ensure Sound Internal Operations

5) Enhance External Image and Relationships

6) Enhance Campus Technology Capability

Administrative leaders for each of the six main goals submitted first-year plans for 2001-

2002, setting a number of objectives to be reached by the summer of 2002. While this is the first

year of operation for the Strategic Planning Committee, it is understood that budget and resource

allocation will be tied to these strategic goals and that progress will be monitored and evaluated

in all areas.

BUDGET DECISION-MAKING PROCESS

The CCC budgeting process begins in early February when the Vice President for

Administration circulates the appropriate forms and instructions for beginning the process. In

the academic areas, the Vice President for Academic Affairs sends specific budget forms to each

academic division and academic programs, for their budget requests for the next fiscal year as

the first step in the budget building process. Personnel requests are forwarded separately from

other, more routine, budget requests, such as equipment, professional development, and

operating funds. Personnel requests all go to the Strategic Planning Committee, which discusses

major issues and initiatives at the College, and ranks requested positions in priority order.

Routine budget requests for the academic area go to the Vice President for Academic Affairs to

be incorporated into the budget.

36

Four administrators, the President, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dean for

Student Services, and Dean for Administration, review budget requests, estimate expected

revenue for the coming fiscal year, and begin the long process of paring down requests,

including new positions, to fit anticipated revenue.

The President has responsibility for presenting the proposed budget to the CCC Board of

Trustees and the Clinton County Legislature. There are sometimes changes made at one or both

of these levels, depending on college-wide, countywide, or even statewide anticipated

circumstances. Both the CCC Board of Trustees and the Clinton County Legislature must

approve the budget before it becomes official. The final budget is completed, and documents

distributed, prior to the beginning of the new fiscal year, which begins on September 1.

37

STUDENTS

RECRUITMENT AND ADMISSIONS

Student recruitment is directed by the Marketing and Recruitment Committee which

includes the Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Vice President for Student Affairs,

teaching faculty, and staff from Admissions, Continuing Education, Counseling and Advisement,

Athletics, and College Relations. The committee’s target populations are the traditional student,

the non-traditional student, the part-time student, and out-of-the-area prospects.

In 1999-2000 the Admissions Office visited 52 high schools and 22 college fairs and held

both a fall and spring Open House. Division and Program Coordinators participate in Open

Houses, along with faculty volunteers. The Admissions Office and College Relations staff have

also developed new ideas to increase public awareness of CCC’s programs, including media

campaigns and community-wide mailings.

Outreach to potential non-traditional students was augmented in 1999-2000 with

increased support from the Perkins Grant. Through Perkins Grant funding, a half-time recruiting

position became available to the Admissions Office. The focus of this grant is to attract and

retain non-traditional students in career fields like criminal justice, electronic technology, and

industrial technology.

CCC has also developed a web page. One of the advantages it offers is that it

communicates information about the College beyond the local area, which helps to increase

enrollments of students from outside the immediate region.

The College has also, as mentioned earlier, opened a residence hall, established an

international articulation agreement with the Human International University of Japan, increased

38

travel by admissions staff to visit high schools and college fairs beyond CCC’s traditional target

areas, and encouraged greater faculty involvement.

In keeping with its mission, CCC is an open admissions institution. The

Humanities/Social Sciences A.A. degree program also has open admission. By law, any student

with a high school diploma or its equivalent is admitted to the College.

The Ability to Benefit Test (ATB) allows individuals who do not possess a high school

diploma or its equivalent to demonstrate their ability to benefit by attending CCC. Federal

regulations for approving and administering ATB tests are followed. The College uses the

ASSET test of reading, sentence skills, and numerical skills to determine ATB. Prospective

students who wish to enroll under ATB guidelines meet with the Associate Dean for Enrollment

Management prior to testing to ensure that they understand the requirements of the tests. All

students who pass the Ability to Benefit screening are admitted to the College.

All matriculated students are required to take a placement test unless they are exempt

under one of the following criteria:

1) successful completion of a college-level writing and/or math course at another college,

2) a grade of 90 or above in the 11th grade Regents English and/or 85 or above on the NYS Regents Course III Math exam,

3) a score of 500 or above on the verbal SAT or 21 or higher on the English ACT and/or 500 or above on the Math SAT or 20 or higher on the Math ACT.

Full-time students take the test prior to enrolling in classes. Part-time students take the

placement test before enrolling in English or math courses, or any course with a Basic Skills or

specific math prerequisite. Accuplacer is used for determining math placement, but will be

replaced by a test created by the CCC math faculty for higher level placements. ASSET is used

39

for reading placement, and a writing sample evaluated by a member of the English faculty is

used for writing placement.

New full-time students are asked to register for a half-day general orientation session

held prior to the beginning of the semester. The focus of this event is to ensure that students are

advised, registered, and introduced to information and resources that can assist them in a smooth

transition into college life at Clinton Community College.

“At risk” students are identified based on their performance on placement exams and

from responses on a student data survey that is administered when students initially register at

CCC. Both instructors and advisors also help to identify students who are “at risk,” and students

also self-identify. Learning disabled students are identified only through self-referral.

According to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) guidelines, students age

eighteen or older may not be identified by families, high schools, or other institutions.

DEMOGRAPHICS

Most CCC students are residents of Clinton County, live off-campus with their parents or

in their own homes, and work at least part-time while attending college full-time.

Approximately 21% of students are from other counties. Only about 2 percent are from other

states or countries.

Since 1996, the date of the last Program Review, CCC has opened its own dormitories,

which currently house approximately 100 students each semester. Planning is now underway to

expand those facilities to house 300 students and to open a dining hall, which would further

decrease, or even eliminate, the need to house CCC students in Plattsburgh State’s housing

facilities.

40

The overwhelming majority of CCC students in general, and A.A. students specifically,

are still of white, non-Hispanic origin, as shown below:

However, the recruitment of international students, begun in 2000, has added a new dimension to

the student body, making it increasingly diverse, with 25 students representing 10 different

countries in the spring 2002 semester.

On average, the A.A. Program represents about one-third of the student population and

nearly forty 40 percent of the FTE’s generated in any given semester. Compared to the overall

student body, Humanities/Social Sciences students who enroll directly on entry are more likely

to have come directly from high school, be unmarried, and attend full-time.

The gender balance of the Program has changed over the years. Reflecting the pattern of

the College in general, the A.A. Program has more female than male students. The fall 2001

A.A. Program cohort, however, has substantially more female students than either the Program

in the past or the College in general. It is also clear that the A.A. Program is attracting younger

41

students than it did in 1996. In 2001, 82.5 percent of A.A. students were 21 and under,

compared to 74.6 percent in 1996. There are also, however, slightly more students 35 and older

in 2001 than in 1996: 5.7 compared to 3.8 percent. The marital status of A.A. Program students

has changed somewhat over the past five years. In 1996, 84.3 percent of A.A. students were

single. In 2001, the percentage jumped to 93.3 percent. While nearly 10 percent of the 1996

cohort reported that they were either married or divorced, only 1.2 percent of the 2001 cohort fit

those categories.

A.A. Program Students 1996 2001 Male 42.7% 37.7%Female 57.3% 62.3%Under 18 1.1% 1.4%18-19 55.1% 61.3%20-21 18.4% 19.8%22-24 12.4% 7.1%25-29 5.4% 4.3%30-34 3.8% 0.5%35 and older 3.8% 5.7%Married 4.1% 1.2%Single 84.3% 93.3%Divorced 5.2% 0.0%Widowed 0.0% 0.0%No Answer 6.4% 5.5%

Total Number 185 212

Regarding high school graduating statistics, few differences emerged between students in

the 1996 and 2001 cohorts. The vast majority of A.A. Program students (92.5 percent in 2001

and 90.8 percent in 1996) came to CCC with a high school diploma. A very small percentage of

them had achieved a Regents Diploma (4.3 percent in 2001 and 3.2 percent in 1996). Their high

school average in both years is consistent with that of CCC students in general: 78.9 for A.A.

Program students in 2001, compared to 79.1 for all CCC students. This figure shows a marginal

increase from 1996, when the high school average of students in the A.A. Program was 77.5. On

42

average, it appears that students are coming to the Program slightly more prepared than in

previous years.

Nevertheless, Humanities/Social Sciences students are more likely than the general

population of entering freshmen to need remediation of some kind. While A.A. students are less

likely to require reading or writing remediation, they are more likely to need remediation in

mathematics as shown below:

Fall 1996 All

Fall 1996A.A.

Fall 1997 All

Fall 1997A.A.

Fall 1998 All

Fall 1998A.A.

Fall 1999 All

Fall 1999A.A.

Fall 2000 All

Fall 2000A.A.

Recommend forSome Remediation

63%

65%

86% 92% 84% 67% 92% 93%

81%

81%

1 Remedial Class 31%

34%

48%

52%

51%

46%

63%

70%

57%

60%

2 Remedial Classes 20%

20%

16%

17%

19%

18%

19%

18%

15%

12%

3 Remedial Classes

12%

11%

22%

22%

14%

3%

18%

13%

9%

9%

Math Remediation 39%

42%

79%

83%

81%

50%

96%

98%

77%

79%

Reading/Study SkillsRemediation

33%

33%

28%

31%

20%

18%

28%

21%

16%

13%

Writing SkillsRemediation

36%

33%

37%

39%

30%

24%

32%

24%

21%

17%

Total PlacementsTaken

333 153 342 165 342 170 300 145 361 163

Total Fall Students 408 186 451 214 434 214 412 196 486 221

A.A. students are more often engaged in full-time study than CCC students in general,

with percentages remaining fairly constant at close to 80 percent full-time as shown by full-time

and part-time head-count enrollment figures from the fall of 1997 through the fall of 2001 for all

CCC students and for the A.A. program:

43

Enrollment data also shows that the Humanities/Social Sciences Program accounts for

approximately 40 percent of FTEs generated at CCC as illustrated by the following:

44

The employment status of A.A. Program students has changed fairly dramatically

between 1996 and 2001. Although their hours are more limited, students in 2001 were much

more likely to be working than students from the 1996 cohort, as shown on the following page:

45

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES

Students in the Humanities/Social Sciences curriculum are much more likely to plan to

transfer after leaving CCC than CCC students in general, which is consistent with the mission of

the Program. Some A.A. students transfer before completing the degree; nevertheless, the

Program is designed to prepare them for academic success beyond the two-year level.

Beginning with the Fall 2001 registration, students were asked about their primary

educational objective at CCC. The results for all CCC students and A.A. students follow:

PRIMARY EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVE

ALL CCC STUDENTS

A.A. PROGRAM STUDENTS

Transfer with a degree 40.5% 67.6%Transfer without a degree 9.9 14.3Earn a degree and then work 28.5 9.8Upgrade job skills 7.5 0.3Personal enrichment 6.5 0.3Obtain a high school GED 0.1 1.1Uncertain 7.1 6.7TOTAL 1808 358

46

This data reflects the intentions of students as they register. However, a recent analysis

of A.A. graduates shows that both the academic backgrounds and educational objectives of

students in the Program are more heterogeneous than has been previously assumed. A transcript

audit of the May 2001 graduates was conducted. Information on whether students were native to

CCC or transferred into the College, numbers of credits transferred in, programs of study while

at CCC, and number of semesters to complete the degree program was obtained. Ninety-four

students graduated with the A.A. degree in May 2001.

Slightly over half (56.4%, or 53 of the 94 graduates) of the May 2001 graduates were

native to CCC. It took these students an average of over three years to complete the degree (6.8

semesters). Only 4 students completed the degree in 4 semesters; another 4 students took as long

as 10 semesters to graduate. Of these 53 native CCC students, just under half of them (49.1%,

or 26 students) entered as A.A. students. Therefore, the majority of native CCC A.A. graduates

began their academic careers in another program. The figure below shows the other programs

from which these A.A. graduates came.

It is clear that a large percentage of A.A. graduates begin as “Undeclared” students. A

substantial proportion of our students also begin in business programs as well. The image of the

47

A.A. Program as one selected by students who are planning on pursuing a four-year degree in a

liberal arts field is challenged by this analysis.

The A.A. Program is also conceived of as a program to prepare students for transferring

to another institution. This analysis suggests that the A.A. Program is also very much a program

that receives transfer students. Forty-one (or 43.6%) of the May 2001 A.A. graduates transferred

to CCC from other institutions or with earned college credits from proficiency exams, the CAP

program, or military service credit. These students transferred in an average of 24.8 credits,

ranging from a minimum of 1 credit to a maximum of 69. On average, it took 5.1 semesters to

complete their A.A. degree. One transfer student completed the degree in one semester while

another student took 11 semesters to finally obtain the A.A. degree. Even though they brought

credits with them, only 14 out of the 41 transfer students (34%) completed their A.A. degree

within 4 semesters.

The majority of these “transfer in” students (24 of the 41, or 58.5%) came into the A.A.

Program and remained in it until graduation. Nearly 30 percent of them (12 students) transferred

in as Undeclared and eventually selected the A.A. program. The remaining 5 students each

chose a different major (Human Service, Math/Science, Business Administration, Nursing, and

ET), as shown on the following page, but graduated from the A.A. Program.

48

When all 94 of these May 2001 A.A. graduates are examined together, only slightly over

half of them (50 students, or 53.2%) selected the A.A. Program upon entering CCC and

remained in the Program through graduation. Another 27 students (28.7%) who eventually

graduated with the A.A. degree began their academic career at CCC as Undeclared students

while the remaining 17 (18.1%) had selected at least one other major at CCC prior to selecting

the A.A. degree program from which they eventually graduated.

The assumption that the A.A. Program is predominantly a two-year degree program that

prepares four-year-college-bound students for majors primarily in the humanities and social

sciences is challenged by this analysis. Results from the May 2001 A.A. graduate transcript

analysis suggest that the Program serves a large population of students who are uncertain of their

academic plans.

49

FACULTY

HIRING PROCEDURE

Whether filling a vacancy or hiring for a new teaching position, the faculty hiring

procedure is the same. The Division Coordinator and relevant faculty members review the job

description that must be approved by the Vice President for Academic Affairs, Human Resources

Officer, and the President. The position is usually advertised in a variety of local and national

publications and on web sites. All application materials are the responsibility of the Human

Resources office.

The President, in consultation with the Vice President for Academic Affairs and

appropriate Division Coordinator, appoints search committees consisting of teaching faculty,

both within the Program and outside of the program, as well as non-teaching professionals. The

Chair of the committee is appointed by the President upon the recommendation of the Vice

President for Academic Affairs and appropriate Division Coordinator. All search committees

must attend an orientation meeting conducted by the Human Resources Officer and President,

who provide specific instructions for the search process regarding confidentiality, objectivity,

diversity, the role of search committee members, consistency of the portfolio review and

interview process, reference checks, and submission of recommendations.

Using a “Screening Matrix” developed by the committee before applications are

reviewed, committee members review candidates’ application materials and select which

candidates to interview. First-round interviews may be conducted via telephone. Finalists are

invited to campus to meet with the Search Committee, the Vice President for Academic Affairs,

the Human Resources Officer, and the President. One person, usually the Search Committee

50

Chair, checks the references of all finalists. A list of each candidate’s strengths and weaknesses,

without implied ranking, is submitted to the President, who makes the final decision regarding

which of the interviewed candidates will be offered the position.

WORKLOAD AND RESPONSIBILITY

The standard teaching load for CCC faculty as stated in the contract is 30 credits per

academic year, usually 15 hours each semester, with a maximum of 6 different preparations per

year, and 4 in any semester. Full-time faculty are also entitled to teach overloads at the same rate

of compensation as part-time faculty. Division Coordinators have a standard teaching load of

nine hours per semester, and serve eight extra weeks for additional compensation.

Full-time faculty are also required to schedule five office hours per week on at least four

days. In addition, they serve on a Faculty Council committee. However, because of the demand

for committees to conduct searches, do peer reviews and evaluations, perform planning

functions, develop policies and procedures, and carry out other responsibilities, most faculty

serve on several committees.

The contract also specifies that each full-time faculty member must advise a maximum

load of 30 students. The maximum can be increased for faculty who agree to advise more

students with additional compensation, at the discretion of the Vice President for Academic

Affairs. (Faculty advisors in specialized areas often have more than 30 advisees.)

Both full and part-time faculty belong to the Faculty Association. Minimum salaries for

Instructors, Assistant Professors, Associate Professors, and Professors as well as raises and

salary adjustments accompanying promotion are specified in the bargaining agreement

(Appendix E).

51

EVALUATION AND PROMOTION

The contract specifies evaluation and promotion procedures. All faculty are subject to

annual evaluation for the purpose of improvement of instruction. One of the criteria on which

faculty are evaluated is their teaching effectiveness. In their annual self-evaluations, faculty

members must address their perception of their teaching effectiveness. Beyond this subjective

self-assessment, student evaluations provide evidence of effectiveness in the classroom. Full-

time faculty are not required to administer student evaluations, but most do. Full-time faculty

are also evaluated regarding their contributions and initiatives that improve the College and

community and their continuing professional growth.

Full-time faculty are required to provide a portfolio for reappointment, tenure, and

promotion. According to the 2001-2003 Faculty Association contract, the portfolio is to include

a self-evaluation statement, samples of instructional materials, letters of support, and student

evaluations. A peer review committee including the appropriate Division Coordinator, reviews

the portfolio and makes a recommendation to the Vice President for Academic Affairs, the

President, and the Board of Trustees.

New full-time faculty must be reappointed on a yearly basis for five years. Continuing

appointment, or tenure, is granted in the sixth year. Most full-time faculty enter at the Assistant

Professor level. Promotion in rank is available once certain longevity requirements specified in

the contract have been met. Full-time faculty members are eligible for sabbatical leave no

sooner than seven years from their date of hire or from their most recent sabbatical leave.

Full-time faculty members who are tenured are required to submit an annual self-

evaluation and statement of goals for the upcoming academic year. The Division Coordinator

reviews these materials and meets with faculty members to discuss any issues that may arise. A

52

written statement from the Division Coordinator is shared with the faculty member and a copy of

the statement is forwarded to the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Part-time faculty are evaluated according to the policy stated in the Part-time Faculty

Handbook (Appendix F). They are evaluated on teaching effectiveness and continued

professional growth. Part-time faculty are required to submit course syllabi and instructional

materials that provide evidence of the two criteria to the Division Coordinator, who reviews

them. Classroom observations for new part-time faculty by either the Division Coordinator or a

colleague in the division are required during the first two semesters, and also in the 8th, 12th, and

18th semesters of teaching. Student evaluations, which are conducted, collected, and analyzed by

the Office of Continuing Education, also serve as part of the evaluation record (see Appendix G).

Part-time faculty generally meet with Division Coordinators to discuss their evaluations. In

order to continue teaching at CCC, part-time faculty must receive positive evaluations. Part-time

faculty are evaluated in their first, second, eighth, twelfth, and eighteenth semesters of teaching.

There is no continuing appointment for part-time faculty. Their pay varies, depending on

their level (1, 2, 3, or 4). The level is specified in the Faculty Association bargaining agreement.

Part-time faculty receive promotions in rank (if they have received consistently positive

evaluations) on the following schedule:

Level 1 to Level 2: After 8 semesters

Level 2 to Level 3: After 4 semesters since last promotion

Level 3 to Level 4: After 6 semesters since last promotion

53

CURRENT TRENDS

Several current trends indicate that the role and responsibilities of the Humanities/Social

Sciences faculty are changing. Despite increases in enrollments since the spring of 1997, the

number of full-time faculty in the Social Sciences Division has fluctuated between 4 and 51,2

while, in the Humanities Division, the number of full-time faculty has fluctuated between 10 and

11. (The most significant addition for the Program was the replacement of a full-time art

position in the fall of 1997.)

Current faculty ranks tend to be higher than at the time of the last Program Review. In

the fall of 1996 the Social Sciences Division had one professor, three associate professors, no

assistant professors, and one instructor, compared to two professors, one associate professor, one

assistant professor, and no instructors in the fall of 2001. The Humanities Division, in the fall of

1996, had no professors, three associate professors, six assistant professors, and one instructor.

In the fall of 2001, there were three professors, four associate professors, four assistant

professors, and no instructors. Most of the faculty in both Divisions hold Master’s degrees, with

one member of the Social Sciences Division holding a PhD.

The practice of granting reductions in teaching responsibilities in exchange for other

duties has increased significantly. In 1996-97 two members of the Humanities Division were

given load reductions: the Division Coordinator (a 6-credit hour reduction per semester), and the

Writing Program Coordinator (a 3-credit hour reduction per semester.) None of the Social

Sciences faculty received a load reduction.3

1 Faculty in the Criminal Justice Program (2) and Human Service Program (1) are excluded from this analysis. These two career programs are housed within the Social Sciences Division but are separate from the liberal arts program and conduct their own program reviews.2 In the Fall 2001 and Spring 2002 semesters, a full-time temporary position faculty position was created.3 At that time, the Division Coordinator was a Criminal Justice faculty member.

54

In the Humanities Division in 2001-02, the Division Coordinator has a six-credit hour

reduction, and the Writing Program Coordinator a three credit hour reduction. In addition, one

member of the Division receives a three-credit hour reduction each semester to act as Art

Program Coordinator, and another member receives a six-credit hour reduction to act as Distance

Learning Coordinator. A Humanities faculty member was also given the following load

reduction to coordinate and write the Middle States Self-Study: Fall 2000, 3 credit hours; Spring

2001, 6 credit hours; Fall 2001, 6 credit hours; and Spring 2002, 3 credit hours. In the spring

semester, another member of the Humanities Division member is receiving a three-credit hour

reduction to write this Program Review. In 2000-2001, one member of the Division received a

six-credit hour reduction to do ESL recruitment and program development, and a second

received a three-credit hour reduction to assist with development of ESL courses.

In 2001-02, one member of the Social Sciences Division has a six-credit hour reduction

per semester as Division Coordinator, and another has a half-time teaching load and the half-time

position of Academic Assessment Coordinator. In the spring semester, a member of the Social

Sciences Division member is receiving a three-credit hour reduction to write this Program

Review.

Comparing the number of Humanities/Social Sciences course offerings in the fall 1997

semester to the Fall 2001 semester, there was an increase of 16 sections, from 126 to 142. In the

spring 1997 semester, the number of Humanities/Social Sciences course sections offered was

125. In the spring 2001 semester, 139 course sections were offered, 14 more than four years

prior. During this time, the number of full-time faculty in the program did not increase.

As a result, both divisions rely more heavily on part-time faculty to teach an increasing

number of courses, especially very recently. For example, in the fall of 1997, full-time Social

55

Sciences faculty represented 25 percent of all Social Sciences faculty and taught 60.9 percent of

all Social Sciences classes offered in that semester. In the fall of 2001, only 20 percent of the

Social Sciences faculty were full-time and they taught only 45.5 percent of the Social Sciences

courses offered.

In the fall of 1997, full-time Humanities faculty represented 26.3 percent of all Humanities

faculty and taught 51.8 percent of all humanities classes offered in that semester. In the fall of

2001, only 22.7 percent of the Humanities faculty were full-time and they taught only 38.8

percent of the humanities courses offered.

56

The increase in the number of classes taught and the increasing dependence on adjunct

faculty are increasing the demands on Division Coordinators to hire, schedule, evaluate, and

mentor part-time faculty. However, the expectation for responsibilities and the compensation for

Division Coordinators have not changed.

Finding enough qualified part-time faculty to teach writing courses is a perennial problem

in the Humanities Division. In addition to this staffing issue, the Program faces another

challenge created by the new requirement of LIB 101 for graduation. Currently, this course is

taught by one of the reference librarians in the LRC who teaches this class in addition to her full-

time duties in the LRC. It is impossible for her to offer enough sections of the class to

accommodate the needs of all A.A. students who now need the class in order to graduate.

Finding qualified persons to teach this course has been very difficult, thus the number of sections

of LIB 101 offered each semester has been small relative to the new demand for the course.

How this problem will be resolved is unclear.

In the Social Sciences Division, the major concern is the lack of courses in non-western

history and civilization, anthropology and geography due to an unfilled need for faculty to teach

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in these areas. Sociology also presents a challenge to the Social Sciences Division because,

beginning in the fall of 2001, the one full-time Sociologist has assumed as half-time teaching

load reduction to act as Academic Assessment Coordinator. Reliance on part-time instructors to

teach more sociology sections has increased dramatically. Finding qualified adjuncts, especially

during the day, to teach both introductory and advanced level sociology courses is difficult.

58

STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

ACADEMIC ADVISING

New full-time students are assigned an advisor by the Counseling and Advisement

Office. To the extent possible, students are matched to faculty advisors who teach in the

Program that they have selected. While every effort is made to match advisors and students

within a program of study, this is not always possible. Students may be assigned to advisors who

do not teach in their chosen program of study. Students also have the option to request a specific

advisor, contingent upon the availability and willingness of the faculty advisor and the approval

of the Academic Vice President. All full-time faculty act as advisors, usually for thirty advisees.

Seven of CCC’s administrators volunteer to serve as advisors for as many advisees. All advisors

are provided with an advisement handbook and annual training. Advisors are expected to

contact advisees at least twice each semester: once to notify them to pick up midterm grades,

and then to meet to plan course selection for the following semester or to fill out the graduation

worksheet.

Efforts to improve retention college-wide have focused mainly on improving the

advisor/advisee relationship. Advisors are now required to report their efforts to contact advisees

for pre-registration and account for advisees who do not pre-register.

ACADEMIC ASSISTANCE CENTER

The AAC offers a variety of workshops for students as well as tutoring in math, natural

sciences, social sciences, business, writing, reading, and study skills. Students with disabilities

may receive AAC services as needed: recommendations for services and accommodations, note

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takers, informal personal counseling, tape-recorded lectures, extra time for tests, coordination of

academic support services between the AAC staff and faculty, screening and referral for

diagnostic testing, private study rooms, sign language interpreters, assistance in acquiring taped

texts, and physical access to facilities. Other services include alternative testing; use of an

Arkenstone Personal Reader; liaison with local, state, and federal agencies; study skills support;

and technical support from equipment such as TDD, voice activated software, Franklin Spellers,

tape recorders, cassette duplicators, and talking calculators.

CCC coordinates its efforts with outside agencies in order to ensure that services and

support are available and appropriate. The Learning Specialist works with Vocational

Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities, Deaf Services of Northern New York, The

Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired, The Traumatic Brain Injury Center, Northern

New York Center, Developmental Disabilities Services Office, and local high schools. Although

less than 40% of students who have disabilities appear to be using the Center, the number is

increasing each year.

The AAC operates five days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and occasionally on

Tuesdays until 6:00 p.m. The AAC maintains a computer laboratory with a variety of academic

software and also has copies of many course textbooks. The staff includes a Computer Lab

Coordinator, Typist, Math Skills Coordinator, and Writing Skills Coordinator, all of whom are

part-time, as well as a full-time Learning Resource Specialist and two Americorps volunteers.

The center is now seeking a full-time sign-language interpreter who would also act as an

education assistant to the Learning Specialist. The number of students registered through the

Center rose from 85 in 1999 to 110 in 2000.

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LIBRARY SERVICES

The Learning Resources Center (LRC) at Clinton provides information services in

support of the college curriculum and as a resource for life-long learning. Reference staff are

available to assist patrons in selecting and locating materials. Students may take advantage of

several opportunities for both formal and informal instruction in library use through class visits,

workshops and individual consultation with librarians. The library collection includes nearly

36,000 volumes, subscriptions to approximately 300 periodicals and newspapers and over 45,000

microfilm items. Photocopiers and equipment for viewing and printing microforms are

available.

Internet terminals and a computer lab are available within the LRC for student use.

Online resources include the Encyclopedia Britannica, the library catalog, full-text magazines

and journals, journal indexes, and specialized databases. In addition, the library has five new

extended use research stations adjacent to the periodicals and ten new computers in its computer

lab. The LRC has a substantial collection of videotapes, audio cassettes, compact discs and other

media material for classroom instruction or individual use.

COMPUTER FACILITIES

CCC has five fully computerized classrooms and five computer laboratories in addition to

those available in the library. Computer labs are routinely used for writing instruction, with

students in those courses paying an extra computer fee.

Computer labs for general use are staffed by assistants who provide basic instruction in

the use of common software applications. The College provides programs such as word

processors, spreadsheets and database management as well as instructional programs.

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Computers are available in the library computer lab on a walk-in basis. Students are urged to

acquire basic computer skills as part of their academic or professional preparation. The new

SUNY General Education requirements also include basic computer literacy.

COUNSELING SERVICES

The Counseling and Advisement Office is staffed by professional counselors who

provide individual and group counseling services to students who may be experiencing personal

difficulties while attending college. Programs are planned and provided that address the

developmental needs of Clinton’s diverse populations. Crisis intervention and emergency

services are provided. Referral to area agencies can be made upon request.

Specific areas addressed by the Counseling and Advisement staff include personal

counseling, stress management, assertiveness training, problem solving, time management, and

interpersonal communication skills.

The Counseling and Advisement Office also provides course scheduling and advisement

for part-time students.

CAREER AND TRANSFER PLANNING

The Office of Career and Transfer Planning offers a wide variety of services and

resources to assist in the development of career goals and to provide information and guidance to

assist students in transferring to other colleges and universities. All services and resources are

available to students and alumni free of charge.

Services include transfer assistance, individual and group career counseling, resume and

interview preparation, workshops, career interest testing, and credential service. The center

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publishes a monthly newsletter, Career Connections, and job bulletins. Students and alumni may

borrow career-related publications, videos, and other resources from the career resource library.

This office has a transfer library which contains catalogs from all 64 SUNY colleges and a wide

assortment of colleges throughout the country. Employers and college representatives are

encouraged to recruit on campus throughout the year.

In addition, the New York State Department of Labor has provided Clinton Community

College with “Jobs Plus,” a computerized service assigned to help students learn about various

programs and services that are available through the Department of Labor and other agencies that

allows them to search current job openings.

PTK HONOR SOCIETY

Those students with a 3.5 Cumulative GPA are eligible to join Phi Theta Kappa, the

international honor society for community college students. The local college chapter is

involved in a number of campus-based and community-based social and service projects each

year.

ATHLETICS AND INTRAMURALS

The athletic program at CCC has always been, and will continue to be, a significant part

of college life. Student athletes have many teams to choose from, including men’s and women’s

soccer, men’s and women’s basketball, softball and baseball.

Opportunities are offered to all full-time students to compete throughout the year.

Athletics, combined with a strong academic program, affords student athletes a complete

education and college experience. Clinton Community College is a member of the National

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Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region III and competes against two-year colleges

throughout New York State, Vermont and Canada, as well as junior varsity programs from four-

year institutions.

The College also sponsors intramural competition in basketball, indoor soccer,

racquetball, and table tennis.

COLLEGE HEALTH SERVICES

Emergency and first aid services are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4

p.m. The College Health Office staff can provide information on a variety of topics including

wellness, safety, stress management, diet, weight control, contraceptive choices, sexually

transmitted diseases, exercise, mandatory immunization requirements, and much more. All full-

time students are required to purchase accident insurance in case they are injured on campus.

HOUSING

CCC residence halls are currently available to house approximately 100 students in

shared suites. The halls include game rooms and lounges. Staff members plan activities and

learning experiences for student residents. Residential students automatically participate in the

food service program.

CCC plans on opening another residence hall for the fall of 2002 along with a dining hall

to accommodate residential students. Housing is also available for CCC students in the PSU

residence halls.

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CAFETERIA

The Cougar’s Den cafeteria provides a variety of hot and cold items from 7:30 a.m. to 6

p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday when the College is in

session. Semester meal plans are required for all residential students and available for non-

residential students.

BOOKSTORE

The College Bookstore, managed by the Faculty Student Association, is located on the

first floor of the Main Academic Building. It is open Monday through Friday during the day and

Monday through Thursday evenings when the College is in session. Hours are extended during

the “rush period” at the beginning of each semester and are published in the course listings.

Textbooks and supplies are available as well as a variety of clothing and snacks.

TRANSPORTATION

The federally-funded CART Bus services the campus on a regular basis from several

locations including the residence halls and the Plattsburgh State University campus. Beyond this

service, students must make their own arrangements for transportation to the campus.

Information on student satisfaction with campus facilities and services is available from

the 2000 Student Opinion Survey. The statewide SUNY Student Opinion Survey is conducted

every three years with currently enrolled students. The College is advised as to the number of

students needed to take part in the survey, and a random sample of classes at various times of

day is used. Day and evening classes are included in the sample, and every effort is made to

avoid duplicate respondents. The survey is administered in class under standardized conditions.

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The last survey was conducted in 2000. Results for the College are available from 1991, 1994,

1997, and 2000. Summary information showing average scores of satisfaction for all CCC

students is provided to our campus. Results for students in specific programs are not available.

Students rated CCC services and facilities very highly. For this analysis, the highest

rating is 5 and the lowest rating is 1; mean satisfaction scores for all CCC students in the sample

as well as how CCC ranked compared to the 30 other SUNY community colleges are displayed.

Service/Facility Average Score (Rank)Science Labs 3.92 (1/30)Tutoring Services 3.89 (1/30)Financial Aid 3.89 (1/30)Study Areas 3.88 (1/30)Athletic Facilities 3.80 (2/30)Computing Labs 3.92 (4/30)Disabled Students’ Services 3.54 (4/30)Recreation/Intramural 3.43 (4/30)Social Activities 3.45 (5/30)Advising 3.75 (6/30)Personal Counseling 3.57 (6/30)

Satisfaction with science lab and athletic facilities is likely to be the result of two of the

newer buildings on the campus, an athletic facility and a science/technology/ performing arts

facility. Recent initiatives to increase and improve computer access for students also seem to be

reflected in positive student ratings.

Students also ranked tutoring services very favorably. In fact, CCC was ranked first out

of 30 community colleges in tutoring. An in-house study also recently showed that while

students with disabilities do as well overall as students who do not have disabilities, with a GPA

average of 2.6, those who use services offered by the Academic Assistance Center have much

greater academic success than those who do not, as shown on the following page:

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Type of Disability Average GPA

GPA of Students with Disabilities who Received

Tutoring

GPA of Students with Disabilities

who did not Receive Tutoring

Emotionally Disturbed

3.0 3.5 2.7

Learning Disabled 2.4 3.0 2.1Traumatic Brain Injury

2.7 3.6 1.7

Other Health Impaired

2.7 3.6 2.1

Data from the AAC on tutoring lab hours logged during academic semesters reveal an

increase in the number of hours that students used AAC services. In the fall of 1997, students

logged 2,079 hours of proctored testing, supplemental instruction, and peer and professional

tutoring. During the fall of 1999 (the most recent semester for which information was available

for this report), 2,397 hours were logged for these services. The demand for AAC services is

clearly increasing while staffing and funding have not reflected this increasing demand.

CCC students who responded to the 2000 SUNY Student Opinion Survey rate their

satisfaction with academic advising at 3.75 on a 5-point scale. (There is no routine in-house

assessment of advisement from either the students’ or faculty advisors’ perspective.) Overall,

students at Clinton Community College are more satisfied than most other students in SUNY

community colleges; specifically, CCC is ranked 6 out of 30 for overall satisfaction with

academic advising. Student satisfaction with the value of the information provided by advisors

and advisor availability were rated at 3.68 and 3.64 respectively, both slightly above the SUNY

average.

The facilities and services with which students were most dissatisfied in 2000 are shown

below:

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Service/Facility Average ScoreAIDS Education Program 2.94 (27/30)Alcohol/Substance Abuse Program 3.06 (24/30)Efforts to Address Acquaintance Rape 3.01 (24/30)Services for Crime Victims 3.06 (20/30)Library Facilities 3.82 (19/30)Library Services 3.79 (19/30)Health Services 3.22 (19/30)Student Health Insurance Program 3.08 (18/30)Help Finding PT Jobs 3.12 (17/30)Condition of Building and Grounds 3.77 (15/30)

It is clear that public health issues, health services and the library are major areas of

student dissatisfaction compared to other community colleges. In the past, the College has taken

the results of the Student Opinion Survey seriously, making significant changes to improve

student satisfaction. It is anticipated that further changes will be made to address the issues

highlighted.

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FACULTY SUPPORT SERVICES

FACILITIES AND CLERICAL SUPPORT

Faculty are provided with office space, computers, software, email, and Internet access.

For the past year, the College has also provided voicemail.

Clerical support is available through the Processing Center, which provides only typing

and duplicating services, with 48-hour notice. Some faculty computer support and “trouble-

shooting” is available, but limited. Maintenance of instructional equipment such as VCRs and

overhead projectors is the responsibility of the media technician who is part of the LRC staff.

Division Coordinators for Humanities and Social Sciences share the services of a full-

time secretary and a work-study student. A new position was recently created to provide clerical

support for special projects College-wide, including this Program Review.

LIBRARY SUPPORT

The LRC staff provides instruction in library research skills. The library collection

provides materials to supplement instruction such as audio-visual resources, professional

journals and periodicals. Faculty may also request purchase of supplementary materials to be

added to the collection. A recent Perkins Grant has resulted in the purchase of equipment for a

fledgling Teaching and Learning Center which is housed in the LRC.

ACADEMIC ASSISTANCE CENTER

The Academic Assistance Center also provides services that support faculty. The AAC

works in conjunction with the Admissions office and the Humanities and Math/Science

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Divisions to place students in the correct English and math classes by administering placement

exams and recording results. Faculty can also refer students to the AAC for extra help or

recommend that they attend AAC-sponsored workshops. The AAC also assists faculty by

providing special testing accommodations required by students with disabilities. The AAC does

not, however, provide proctoring for make-up testing.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The College provides faculty with support and opportunities for professional

development. Each year the College holds a Professional Development Day on campus, which

all CCC personnel are expected to attend. College employees may also enroll in job-related

courses and non-credit workshops free of charge.

Faculty are offered a variety of professional development workshops and seminars on

campus throughout the year. In addition, travel and conference funds are available for full-time

faculty with the approval of the Vice President for Academic Affairs. In recent years, the budget

allocation for the entire academic area for professional development was $13,000. The money

was generally divided equally among all faculty, approximately $289 per faculty member. In the

2001-02 academic year, that budget line was increased to $20,000, or approximately $444 per

faculty member. More recently, however, the use of professional development funds has been

severely restricted due to a projected short-fall in the budget. Divisions often make decisions

internally concerning redistribution of funds. For example, faculty who are not planning on any

travel in a certain year may donate a portion of their professional development “share” to a

colleague who would like to attend a professional meeting.

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Faculty may also be granted sabbatical leave every seven years for approved requests in

the form of a semester’s leave at full salary or a year’s leave at half salary. Tuition waivers are

available for SUNY graduate work.

The results of a survey of all Humanities/Social Sciences faculty conducted in the spring

of 2002 (Appendix D) showed levels of satisfaction with six services as shown below:

Support Service

% FT/PT Who

Rated as “Excellent”

% FT/PT Who

Rated as “Above

Average”

% FT/PT Who

Rated as “Average”

% FT/PT Who

Rated as “Poor”

% FT/PT Who

Could not Rate

Academic Assistance Staff 31.3/58.8 0.0/0.0 43.8/29.4 12.5/15.9 12.5/11.8

Technical/Computer Support 12.5/17.6 25.0/35.3 37.5/23.5 12.5/5.9 12.5/23.5

Counseling Services 0.0/11.8 56.3/29.4 18.8/15.9 0.0/0.0 25.0/52.9LRC Services 18.8/23.5 68.8/29.4 0.0/11.8 0.0/0.0 12.5/35.3LRC Print Materials 6.3/11.8 37.5/23.5 31.4/23.5 0.0/0.0 25.0/41.2LRC A/V Collection 6.3/11.8 50.0/23.5 25.0/17.6 6.3/0.0 12.5/47.1

It is important to note that the total numbers upon which the percentages reported above

are based are very small (16 full-time faculty and 17 part-time faculty). The results are,

nevertheless, worth noting. Library services are rated fairly high by both full and part-time

Program faculty. While full-time faculty seem to be aware of and are generally satisfied with

LRC collections (both print and A/V), part-time faculty are largely unaware of these materials.

Neither Academic Assistance staff nor technical/computer support services were rated very

highly by program faculty. Faculty also noted on the survey that maintenance of instructional

equipment such as VCRs and overhead projectors is sometimes inadequate. Perhaps the greatest

cause for concern, however, is the fact that some faculty members, even some who are full-time,

feel that they are unable to rate a support service that is available to them.

71

The same Faculty Survey also included questions about professional development.

Exactly half of the full-time faculty answering the survey (8 of the 16) felt that the College

provides adequate support for professional development. Another 5 full-time faculty members

did not feel that the College’s support of professional development was adequate. The remaining

3 full-time faculty members felt that they had no basis to judge. Seven of the 17 part-time

faculty answering the survey felt that they College adequately supports professional

development; 5 do not and another 5 could not answer the question.

Nevertheless, it is clear that both the full-time and part-time faculty in the Program are

involved in various forms of professional development, as shown below:

Professional Development Activity % Full-Time

% Part-Time

Reading Professional Journals 100.0 76.5Belonging to professional organizations 75.0 64.7Writing/conducting research in the discipline 25.0 41.2Attending conferences 93.8 47.1Participating in CCC-sponsored activities 93.8 41.2Participating in non-credit workshops 56.3 29.4Doing formal course work 31.3 52.9Taking sabbatical leave 6.25 0.0

A series of four questions was also asked concerning released time and sabbatical leaves.

Virtually all part-time faculty felt unable to answer these questions, so the following compilation

of responses shows the results for the 16 full-time faculty only. The results shown in the

following table are disturbing in that such an overwhelming proportion of full-time faculty feel

so uninformed about both released time and sabbatical leaves:

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Full-Time A.A. Faculty Opinions Regarding … % “Yes” % “No”

% “No Basis to Judge”

Is the released time granted to faculty adequate? 43.8 12.5 43.8

Is released time appropriately awarded? 37.5 6.3 56.3Are opportunities for sabbatical leaves adequate? 6.3 18.8 75.0

Are sabbatical leaves fairly awarded? 6.3 18.8 75.0

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STUDENT OUTCOMES

EFFECTIVENESS OF BASIC SKILLS/REMEDIATION

Although numbers of students vary between fall and spring semesters, figures show that

the rate of ENG114 students passing the departmentally graded final writing proficiency is

consistently 80% or higher (see below):

SEMESTER TOTAL # # PASSED % PASSEDS96 48 42 87.5F96 109 91 83.5S97 28 26 93F97* -- -- --S98* -- -- --F98 92 73 80S99 30 25 83F99 79 66 84S00 23 17 74F00 84 69 82S01 20 16 80F01 64 55 86*Figures are not available.

Figures collected between the fall of 1995 and the spring of 1997 also show that students

who completed ENG 114 were slightly more likely to be retained in ENG 115 than students who

had not, and only somewhat less likely to pass ENG 115. However, their final grades tended to

be lower than those of students who were not required to take English 114. No other figures are

available. The results are displayed on the following page:

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Fall 1995-Spring 1996

#Started

#Retained

%Retention

#Passed

%Passed

AverageGrade

in ENG 115

Students in ENG 114 107 92 86% 82 89%Same Students in ENG 115

73 62 85% 45 73% 1.96

Other ENG 115 Students

153 108 71% 99 92%

All ENG 115 Students 226 170 75% 114 85% 2.29

Fall 1996-Spring

1997

#Started

#Retained

%Retention

#Passed

%Passed

AverageGrade

inENG 115

Student in ENG 114 128 109 85% 91 83.5%Same Students in ENG

11583 69 83% 56 81% 2.17

Other ENG 115 Students

116 97 83.6% 77 79%

All ENG 115 Students 199 166 83% 133 80% 2.28

Unfortunately, these are the only data available. There have been no subsequent studies.

ATTAINMENT OF OBJECTIVES

The continued strong enrollments in the Program show that students perceive it as a valid

route toward meeting their objectives. In fact, there has been a slight increase in the proportion

of CCC students who graduate with an A.A. degree. The Program consistently accounts for

slightly more than one-third of all graduates, and, in recent years the Program has been growing.

In 2000, two of every five graduates were Humanities/Social Sciences students. The number of

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graduates from the A.A. Program compared to the overall college from 1996 to 2000 is displayed

below:

YEAR Total Graduates A.A. Graduates Percent of Total1996 301 104 34.61997 304 101 33.21998 276 94 33.71999 303 108 35.62000 302 120 39.7

First year attrition, however, is an obvious problem at CCC. Nearly half of all students

who enter CCC leave after the first year, and approximately 60 percent have left by the second

and third year.

Attrition 1996AllCCC

1996A.A.Prog.

1997AllCCC

1997A.A.Prog.

1998AllCCC

1998A.A.Prog.

1999AllCCC

1999A.A. Prog.

After 1 year 47% 56% 44% 75% 45% 47% 49% 46%After 2 years 64% 75% 57% 57% 60% 64% -- --After 3 years 66% 78% 60% 66% -- -- -- --Total # Students 408 186 451 214 434 214 412 196

Attrition in the A.A. Program is, on average, worse than in the College in general,

although, as shown above, first year attrition in 1999 was somewhat better than the College’s

average attrition rate. One possible explanation for the poor retention rates in the A.A. Program

is the fact that many A.A. students are really “Undeclared” students who need to declare a

program in order to pursue a degree. Undeclared students are much less likely to complete a

degree program than are students whose goals fit into a defined program. Nevertheless, overall

retention of students from one semester to the next is improving, probably as a result of

increased efforts by advisors.

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STUDENT SELF-ASSESSMENT OF ATTAINMENT OF EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES

Recent initiatives within the SUNY system have resulted in the College initiating a

process to establish and then implement a plan to directly measure student learning outcomes.

Although this project requires substantial resources and will take time, the College has begun

this process.

Since 1991, the College has conducted a Graduating Senior Survey. This “cap and

gown” survey was administered to about 150 to 200 students at graduation rehearsal. They are

asked to complete a 29-item survey reflecting on their experience at CCC and to answer

questions regarding how well the College has prepared them for the items listed.

Beginning in the spring of 2001, the survey was revised in three ways. First, all

graduating seniors were surveyed toward the end of the semester. Faculty administered the

surveys in their classes to all graduating seniors during the latter part of the spring semester,

rather than only to those students who are present during graduation rehearsal. The survey was

also administered to December graduates for the first time in 2001. (In the future, the survey will

be routinely conducted in both December and May.) Finally, many of the items were changed to

reflect the new general education requirements adopted by the College (see Appendix H:

Graduating Senior Survey).

The results from the former Graduating Senior Survey for all CCC graduates and A.A.

Program graduates from 1996 through 2000 follow. Note that these results reflect the survey

prior to the changes mentioned above, but still provide insight into changes in students’

perceptions of the how well the Program has provided them with certain skills.

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Gain or progress has been made in … A.A.1996(57)

A.A.1997(53)

A.A.1998(47)

A.A.1999(51)

A.A.2000(52)

All CCC2000 (138)

Acquiring knowledge and skills applicable to a specific job or type of work 3.6 3.9 3.7 3.7 3.7 4.1Gaining information about career opportunities 3.6 3.6 3.7 3.6 3.8 3.9Developing clearer career goals 3.9 3.7 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.1Becoming acquainted with different fields of knowledge 4.0 4.1 4.0 4.0 4.2 4.2Developing an understanding and enjoyment of art, music, and theater 3.8 3.4 4.0 3.4 4.0 3.3Developing an understanding and enjoyment of literature (novels, stories, essays, poetry, etc.)

4.1 3.9 4.1 3.9 4.0 3.6

Writing clearly and effectively 4.2 4.2 4.3 4.2 4.2 4.1Presenting ideas and information effectively in speaking to others 4.2 4.0 4.2 4.3 4.3 4.2Acquiring the ability to use computers 3.7 3.9 3.8 3.9 3.7 4.0Becoming aware of different philosophies, cultures, and ways of life 3.9 4.0 4.2 4.1 4.1 4.0Becoming clearer about my own values and ethical standards 4.0 4.0 4.1 4.1 4.0 4.1Understanding myself-my abilities and my interests 4.2 4.1 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.3Understanding mathematical concepts such as probabilities, proportions, etc. 3.8 3.4 3.8 3.5 3.5 3.6Understanding the role of science and technology in society 3.9 3.8 3.7 3.8 3.9 3.9Putting ideas together to see relationships, similarities, and differences between ideas

4.0 4.0 4.1 4.1 4.0 4.1

Developing the ability to learn on my own, purse ideas, and find information I need

4.2 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.3

Developing an interest in political and economic events 2.9 2.7 3.1 2.9 2.8 2.6Interpreting information in graphs and charts I see in newspapers, textbooks, and on TV

3.9 3.6 3.7 3.6 3.7 3.7

Developing an interest in political and economic events 3.6 3.7 3.3 3.7 3.6 3.5Seeing the importance of history for understanding the present as well as the past

3.6 3.7 4.1 4.1 3.9 3.7

Learning more about other parts of the world and other people (Asia, Africa, So. America, etc.)

3.5 3.6 3.6 3.8 3.7 3.3

Understanding other people and the ability to get along with different kinds of people

4.1 4.0 4.2 4.1 4.1 4.1

Developing good health habits and physical fitness 4.0 3.6 3.8 3.8 3.7 3.8Gaining self-confidence and self-esteem 4.2 4.1 4.3 4.2 4.1 4.2

*5=very much; 4=quite a bit; 3=some; 2=very little; 1=none.

In comparing student self-reports from 1996 through 2000, the A.A. Program seems to

have improved somewhat in giving students information about career opportunities, developing

an understanding and enjoyment of the fine and/or performing arts, developing an awareness of

different philosophies and cultures, understanding the importance the history, and learning more

about different parts of the world. On the other hand, students on average feel less prepared in

the areas of understanding mathematical concepts and interpreting numerical data.

The results from the May 2001 Graduating Senior Survey that reflect the current General Education

objectives show that A.A. graduates rated their gain or progress concerning an understanding and enjoyment of

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art and of literature and learning more about diverse cultures and people much higher than CCC graduates in

general. This result suggests that these A.A. graduates received a firm foundation in both the humanities and

social sciences.

Gain or progress has been made in:

A.A. Students All CCC2001

N = 652001

N = 167Acquiring knowledge and skills applicable to a specific job or type of work 3.6* 4.2Gaining information about career opportunities 3.3 3.7Developing clearer career goals. 3.7 3.9Becoming aware of different philosophies, cultures and ways of life 4.1 3.9Becoming clearer about my own values and ethical standards. 3.9 3.9Understanding myself – my abilities and interests. 4.0 4.1Developing the ability to learn on my own, pursue ideas. 4.2 4.2Developing an interest in political and economic events. 3.4 3.3Understanding other people and the ability to get along with different kinds of people

4.0 4.0

Gaining self-confidence and self-esteem. 3.8 4.0Mathematical reasoning skills. 3.3 3.4Ability to analyze numerical data. 3.3 3.5Understanding how to apply natural scientific methods to answer questions. 3.5 3.5Knowledge of major concepts and issues in at least one Social Sciences area (Anthropology, Economics, Geography, Government, History, Psychology, or Sociology).

4.2 4.0

Understanding how to apply social scientific methods to answer questions. 3.8 3.6Knowledge of American history. 3.8 3.1Understanding how various institutions in American society have affected different groups.

3.7 3.3

Understanding America’s evolving relationship with the rest of the world. 3.6 3.3Knowledge of the history and culture of Western civilization. 3.5 2.9Understanding how development of Western civilization relates to other regions of the world.

3.3 2.9

Knowledge of either the history of the world or the history and culture of one non-Western civilization.

3.3 2.8

Understanding the methods and conventions of at least one of the Humanities (Art, English, Foreign Language, Music, or Philosophy)

4.0 3.5

Understanding at least one principle form of artistic expression and the creative process inherent therein (Art, Music, Theatre, Writing)

4.0 3.3

Basic proficiency in understanding and using a foreign language. 2.7 2.2Knowledge of the culture(s) associated with the foreign language studied. 2.6 2.2Ability to write at the college level. 4.3 4.1Ability to select a topic, develop an argument, and organize supporting materials. 4.3 4.1Ability to speak publicly. 3.9 3.8Ability to identify, analyze and evaluate ideas. 4.2 4.1Ability to present a well-reasoned argument. 4.2 4.0Perform basic operations of a personal computer. 4.0 4.1Understand how to research a topic. 4.2 4.2Ability to locate, evaluate and synthesize information from a variety of sources. 4.0 4.1*5 = very much; 4 = quite a bit; 3= some; 2= very little; 1= none

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Concerning general education objectives, A.A. graduates perceived much more progress

in the following areas than the general graduate population:

Becoming aware of different philosophies, cultures and ways of life; Knowledge of American History; Understanding how various institutions in American society have affected different

groups; Understanding America’s evolving relationship with the rest of the world; Knowledge of the history and culture of Western Civilization; Understanding how the development of Western Civilization relates to other regions

of the world; Knowledge of either the history of the world of the history and culture of one non-

Western Civilization; Understanding the methods and conventions of at least one of the Humanities; Understanding at least one principle form of artistic expression and the creative

process; Basic proficiency in understanding and using a foreign language; and Knowledge of the culture(s) associated with the foreign language studied.

It should be noted that the rating of progress concerning foreign languages was very low

compared to other areas of general education. However, A.A. graduates felt more confident in

those abilities than did CCC graduates in general. In other areas of general education, the

differences in average scores were small (two-tenths or less).

A.A. students were markedly lower in their perceptions of gain or progress concerning

“acquiring knowledge and skills applicable to a specific job or type of work” and “acquiring the

ability to use computers.” The first result is not surprising, given that the A.A. Program is

designed as a transfer program. The second difference raises concerns about the ability of these

A.A. graduates to meet the technological demands of further study.

An Alumni Career Survey (Appendix I) is also conducted annually to follow-up on the

most recent graduating class. Typically, surveys are mailed in March, nearly one year after the

May graduation. Reminder postcards as well as follow-up telephone calls are used to improve

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the response rate. Over the past five surveys, covering the classes of 1996 to 2000, the response

rate varied from a low of 31 percent (Class of 1999) to a high of 50 percent (class of 1997).

The survey comprises three sections. Part One includes alumni impressions of their

education at CCC. Part Two includes transfer information. Part Three includes career and

employment information. The survey has undergone minor format changes over the years, but a

common core of questions is available for analysis. The response rate among A.A. graduates

varied from a low of 26 percent to a high of 42 percent. Even though these response rates are

respectable, a cautionary note is in order. Results from this survey are not representative of all

A.A. alumni, but do yield valuable information.

Responses for all CCC graduates and for program graduates regarding their perception of

their educational experience are shown on the following page:

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PerceptionsOf

Educational Experience

1996All

CCC

1996A.A.Prog.

1997All

CCC

1997A.A. Prog.

1998All

CCC

1998A.A. Prog.

1999All

CCC

1999A.A. Prog.

2000All

CCC

2000A.A. Prog.

Achieved Educational

Goals at CCC

98% 97% 99% 98% 93% 89% 94% 89% 98% 98%

Graduated W/in

Anticipated Time

83% 86% 83% 80% 85% 74% 88% 86% 93% 93%

Would Attend CCC

Again93% 94% 98% 96% 97% 97% 96% 86% 98% 95%

Very Satisfied with Educational Preparation

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 62% 61%

Satisfied withEducational Preparation

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 32% 37%

Not Satisfied with

Educational Preparation

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 6% 2%

Total Responses 111 36 150 50 117 35 93 28 115 41

Response Rate 37% 35% 50% 42% 38% 32% 31% 26% 38% 34%

The vast majority of these A.A. alumni, like all CCC alumni, feel that they had achieved

their educational goals at CCC. Fewer (although still a sound majority) felt that they graduated

within the time they had anticipated. Most graduates would attend CCC again. Although there

is some variability by year, the patterns in the survey results table suggest a highly satisfied A.A.

alumni group. Whether they represent all A.A. alumni cannot be determined.

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ACHIEVEMENT OF PROGRAM GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

CCC currently does not have access to data that enable the adequate assessment of

Program Goal One, that “seventy-five percent of Program graduates will enroll in a

baccalaureate program.” The best that the College can do at this point in time is to rely on

information from its sister institution, Plattsburgh State University College (PSU).

Approximately eighty percent of A.A. Program graduates continue their education by

transferring to PSU. Transfer reports were obtained for the May 1999, 2000, and 2001

graduating classes from PSU.

In the past CCC has been given semi-annual reports from PSU on the status of CCC

graduates. Reports from the Admissions Office provide disaggregated information on the major,

GPA at acceptance, and number of credits that were accepted for all CCC transfer students

accepted in the semester during which the report was generated. Separate reports from the

Academic Affairs Office provided disaggregated data on the status of former CCC students,

including information on their current major and GPA.

Data from the Admissions Office is available for the fall 1999, 2000, and 2001 semesters.

The report for the fall of 1999 was generated under PSU’s former data management system,

while the two more recent reports are a product of their new software system. Conversion to the

new system has been problematic and access to data has been difficult. The apparent trends

described below, then, may be the result of different reporting software rather than showing real

changes in numbers of transfer students. Unfortunately, these are the only reports available for

this self-study. Reports prior to the fall of 1999 could not be located.

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Data from the Academic Affairs Office regarding transfer student progress are

unavailable due to concerns over breeching student confidentiality since the reports contain

student names and Social Security numbers.

Most of the data for this section of the report, then, comes from only one source, making

it extremely difficult to draw meaningful conclusions about the success or failure of the Program

at meeting Goal One.

In order to approximate our success at meeting Goal One, it is necessary to take 80% of

the number of A.A. graduates in each year, then take 75% of that number and compare the

resulting number to the number of graduates who transferred to PSU. The results of this

comparison are shown below:

May 1999 Graduating

Class

May 2000 Graduating

Class

May 2001 Graduating

ClassTotal Number of A.A. Graduates 108 120 8280% of Total (the average proportion who transfer to PSU) 86 96 66

75% of the above number (as stated in Goal One) 65 72 50

Number of A.A. graduates who actually transferred* 58 31 25

*A substantial proportion of A.A. students transfer to PSU without graduating

It appears that Program Goal One is not met in any year, according to these numbers.

Since these numbers do not reflect an accurate tracking of all A.A. graduates, it is difficult to

draw conclusions from this analysis.

Further exploration into the PSU transfer data, however, may shed some light into the

above result and provide guidance to the Program faculty. More detailed results from the

admissions data received from PSU are displayed in the following table.

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A.A. Students Transferring in

Fall 1999

A.A. Students Transferring in

Fall 2000

A.A. Students Transferring in

Fall 2001Percentage of all CCC transfers who came from the A.A. Program

58.0% 65.3% 47.4%

Number of A.A. students who transferred

69 46 37

Percentage of transfers who graduated from the A.A. Program

84.1% 65.2% 67.6%

Percentage of transfers who transferred before graduating

15.9% 34.8% 32.4%

The A.A. Program accounts for a substantial proportion of all transfer students admitted

by PSU, although that number of transfers has dropped off in the most recent year for which we

have data.

A very obvious change reflected in the above data is the proportion of A.A. students who

transfer to PSU without graduating from the Program. Because of the change in data

management and reporting software, it is unclear whether this change is a substantive one. It

certainly deserves close scrutiny in the future. Perhaps Goal One should be changed to include

all A.A. students rather than be limited only to graduates of the Program.

Goal Two, “of those enrolled in baccalaureate programs, ninety percent will have

declared a major field of study in the humanities, social sciences or education,” was not met in

any year. The percentage of A.A. transfer students who selected various majors at PSU is shown

on the following page:

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Major at PSU Fall 1999 Transfers

Fall 2000 Transfers

Fall 2001 Transfers

Education1 43.5 50.0 40.5Humanities2 15.9 17.4 13.5Social Science3 14.5 10.9

16.2Not a Liberal Arts Major4 26.1 21.7 29.71 Includes Elementary Education, Secondary Education, and Special Education2 Includes Art, Communications, Mass Media, Journalism and English3 Includes Anthropology, Psychology, Political Science, Sociology, and History4 Includes Biology, Social Work, Criminal Justice, Food/Nutrition, Environmental Science, Hotel/Restaurant Management, Child/Family Services, Accounting, Communication Disorders and Science, Business, Computer Science, and Business Administration

The vast majority of A.A. transfer students select majors within a Liberal Arts discipline.

Education is, by far, the most popular transfer major. The figure has never approached ninety

percent however.

Goal Three, “the average G.P.A. of CCC graduates in their chosen degree program will

match or exceed the average G.P.A. of native students in that degree program at the transfer

institution,” cannot be assessed due to lack of available data.

For Goal Four, that “seventy-five percent of those enrolled in baccalaureate programs

will persist for at least one academic year in that degree program,” the SUNY system provides

the College with data. However, these data are only available in the aggregate. Persistence for

students of individual programs is not available, so evaluation of Goal Four is not possible. In

general, approximately three-quarters of CCC students who transfer to a SUNY senior institution

persist for at least one year. Since the graduating class of 1996, CCC ranks in the top five of 30

SUNY community colleges in one-year persistence rates. Seventy-eight percent of all CCC

graduates in the classes of 1996, 1997, and 1998 completed one year at PSU. Since

approximately eighty percent of CCC students transfer to Plattsburgh State, data received

annually from PSU provide more detail about transfer persistence and success.

86

Goal Five states that “seventy-five percent of Program graduates will report ‘very much’

or ‘quite a bit’ of progress on all of the General Education objectives adopted by the college.”

The May 2001 Graduating Senior Survey (Appendix H) provides data to assess the extent to

which the Program is successful at meeting this goal. Results are displayed below:

Gain or progress has been made in:

A.A. StudentsN=65

AllCCCN=167

Mathematics Mathematical reasoning skills. 45* 49* Ability to analyze numerical data. 43 48Natural Sciences Understanding how to apply natural scientific methods to answer questions. 52 52Social Sciences Knowledge of major concepts and issues in at least one Social Sciences area (Anthropology, Economics, Geography, Government, History, Psychology, or Sociology).

88 77

Understanding how to apply social scientific methods to answer questions. 65 56American History Knowledge of American history. 66 39 Understanding how various institutions in American society have affected different groups. 65 48 Understanding America’s evolving relationship with the rest of the world. 61 44Western Civilization Knowledge of the history and culture of Western civilization. 56 36 Understanding how development of Western civilization relates to other regions of the world.

50 33

Non-Western Civilization Knowledge of either the history of the world or the history and culture of one non-Western civilization.

53 34

Humanities Understanding the methods and conventions of at least one of the Humanities (Art, English, Foreign Language, Music, or Philosophy)

74 53

The Arts Understanding at least one principle form of artistic expression and the creative process inherent therein (Art, Music, Theatre, Writing)

73 47

Foreign Language Basic proficiency in understanding and using a foreign language. 37 22 Knowledge of the culture(s) associated with the foreign language studied. 33 23Basic Communication Ability to write at the college level. 88 80 Ability to select a topic, develop an argument, and organize supporting materials. 92 81 Ability to speak publicly. 74 68Critical Thinking Ability to identify, analyze and evaluate ideas. 86 79 Ability to present a well-reasoned argument. 80 77Information Management Perform basic operations of a personal computer. 73 78 Understand how to research a topic. 77 80 Ability to locate, evaluate and synthesize information from a variety of sources. 78 79

87

*Percentage of students who reported “very much” or “quite a bit” of progress in each area

Goal Five is met regarding knowledge of major concepts in the social sciences, college-

level writing, ability to organize a written argument, critical thinking, and understanding how to

research a topic. Although percentages come very close to meeting the goal for understanding

the methods and conventions of the humanities, understanding at least one form of artistic

expression, public speaking, personal computer use and the ability to locate, evaluate and

synthesize information from a variety of sources, the goal of seventy-five percent for over half of

the general education objectives was not met. The requirement of LIB 101 for all entering

freshmen beginning in the fall of 2001 should improve graduates’ information management

skills.

Although not explicitly stated as a goal, the A.A. Program is a transfer program and, as

such, is expected to provide transfer students with a minimum of seven of the ten knowledge

areas and both competency areas of the SUNY General Education Program. An audit of A.A.

degree recipients in May 2001 (N=94) revealed that 91.4% of graduates had completed at least

seven of the ten knowledge areas. The remaining 10.4% were all students who transferred into

CCC with credits from another institution. The knowledge areas that are most often missing for

those A.A. degree recipients are foreign language, western history, and non-western history.

FUTURE ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT OUTCOMES

Assessment of student learning outcomes has become a priority at CCC only very

recently. While institutional effectiveness has been assessed routinely, formal academic

assessment initiatives have not been institutionalized.

In the 2001-02 academic year, the Assessment Committee of the Faculty Council has

taken the responsibility for not only monitoring academic assessment activities, but for

88

evaluating them as well. The Program review process is becoming more standardized and

includes a follow-up mechanism for reporting on progress made toward the recommendations

from the self-study and External Team Report. The Academic Assessment Coordinator, working

with the Assessment Committee, is trying to streamline the process of writing the self-study by

providing guidelines, templates, and program-specific data. The Program goals and objectives

are to be measured and evaluated as part of the cyclical program review process.

Access to valid and reliable data has been a perennial problem at CCC. Efforts are

currently underway to obtain access to the SUNY Transfer Data System (TDS). The TDS tracks

all community college students who transfer to institutions both inside and outside of the SUNY

system and provides information on the number of credits accepted, major selected, persistence,

G.P.A., and time to graduation. Access to this kind of information will be invaluable to future

program reviews.

Lessons learned from the course-embedded model of student learning outcomes

assessment in general education courses will eventually be applied to all courses throughout the

College. Future program reviews, then, will contain data on the proportion of students who

“exceeded,” “met,” “approached,” or “failed to meet” course learning objectives in all courses in

any curriculum. In addition, they will include specific examples of the ways that assessment

results were used to improve teaching and learning within courses and within the program.

89

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Resources must be directed toward meeting and assessing General Education objectives.

a) The Social Sciences Division will need resources to offer more class sections of existing

American history courses, as well as more courses in both western civilization and non-

western history, cultures, and civilization.

b) More sections of Lib 101 need to be created to meet student demand for the Information

Management requirement. A proficiency test also needs to be put in place to allow

students to test out of that requirement. The feasibility of developing a separate research

paper course in conjunction with Lib 101 might also be explored.

c) Faculty should be compensated for assessing pre and post-tests, as well as both the

writing sample portion of the placement test and the final in-class timed writing tests for

English 114 and 115.

d) An exam period should be included in the regular semester schedule to allow for

flexibility in the design and implementation of student learning outcomes assessment

strategies and to address issues of exam security and reliability.

2. Both the Humanities and Social Sciences Divisions need more full-time faculty.

a) The Social Sciences Division needs to be able to provide more diversity in course

offerings, especially western civilization, non-western civilization, anthropology, and

geography.

b) The Social Sciences Division needs another full-time faculty position in sociology

because of the over-reliance on part-time faculty.

90

c) The Humanities Division needs more full-time faculty to meet the increased demand for

writing classes as a result of growing enrollments, for foreign language courses as a

result of General Education requirements, and for ESL/reading with the growth of the

ESL Program. Another full-time instructor in the arts is also necessary in order to

expand opportunities for students interested in more art courses and the possibility of a

certificate, major, or degree.

3. Because the Humanities Division will almost certainly continue to depend on the

largest number of adjunct instructors of any CCC division, the demands of hiring,

scheduling, mentoring, and evaluating them must be reviewed.

a) Designating responsibility for appropriate part-time faculty to Program Coordinators, for

additional compensation, should be considered.

b) Clear guidelines for responsibilities, such as mentoring new and part-time faculty and

ensuring that faculty adhere to course requirements, need to be established.

4. Program Goals and Objectives need to be reconsidered.

a) Current “target figures” are unrealistic in light of information discovered in the process

of conducting this Review indicating that A.A. students are a much more complex group

with less clearly defined goals than they were initially assumed to be.

b) A goal regarding our graduates’ fulfillment of SUNY General Education requirements

should be formally added.

91

5. Adequate resources must be provided to make more thorough and more systematic

assessment of student outcomes possible.

a) An office of Institutional Research needs to be established to provide more information

regarding students, both while they’re at CCC and after they leave, in order to track their

progress and to provide other data needed to more easily assess Program effectiveness.

b) The effectiveness of Basic Skills remediation and the Writing Program should be

assessed on an on-going basis. Pass rates for English 114 students and their subsequent

success in English 115, and pass rates for English 115 and subsequent success in English

116 should be tracked.

6. The transfer process must be maintained and enhanced.

a) The College should continue to develop relationships with transfer institutions and

increase the number of articulation agreements.

b) The need for special advisement for students planning to transfer into PSU’s education

program needs to be addressed.

c) The requirements for math and science and the impact on the number of students

transferring without a degree should be examined.

7. Support for three student populations that make a special contribution to the College

must be enhanced.

a) The ESL Program needs to be formally recognized and a coordinator appointed.

b) More opportunities that challenge and reward honors students need to be created.

92

c) More outside the classroom, active, and service learning opportunities for qualified

students need to be explored.

8. The needs of students who lack clear goals have to be recognized and addressed.

a) Special academic and career counseling for students who enter as “Undeclared” needs to

be provided. Making TCP 100, Topics in Career and Life Planning, a regular catalog

course recommended for those students should be considered.

b) Students who change majors more than twice need to be identified and offered career

counseling and other interventions.

c) Creating or identifying certificate programs that could give A.A. students without definite

transfer plans a practical, defined, achievable goal would improve retention. It could also

give students employment skills they could use while completing the degree, or in

conjunction with the degree.

9. Student Support Services must be enhanced in two ways.

a) The Academic Assistance Center needs increased funding and staffing. The enrollment of

students with disabilities is increasing each year, and the number of students using the

AAC continues to rise, but funding and staffing have not increased proportionately.

b) To maintain a successful program for international students and to fulfill the potential for

enrollments in that program, the College needs to make a commitment to providing the

support services required to provide a positive experience for those students.

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10. Faculty Support Services must be continued and improved.

a) Support staff to assist with technology applications, to be on call for “emergency”

classroom services, and to perform routine maintenance on equipment such as overhead

projectors and VCRs needs to be increased.

b) Clerical support staff should be provided with professional development opportunities to

give them contemporary as well as traditional clerical skills. With technology advancing

so rapidly, rather than expecting all faculty to keep pace, it would be more efficient and

reasonable to give faculty processing staff the means to keep their proficiencies current

and to allow them to provide up-to-date clerical support.

c) Provision needs to be made for make-up testing for students. Either the Academic

Assistance Center should be given the resources that would allow them to offer that

service, or quiet study/testing rooms within easy access of faculty offices should be

designated. Faculty need reasonable testing security for make-up testing, and students

need a distraction-free environment.

d) To ensure continued excellence in teaching, faculty need opportunities for collegial

discussion and collaboration as well as increased support for professional development.

e) Efforts to assess the extent to which students are achieving both general education and

course-specific learning objectives need to be supported, not only with professional

development opportunities, but with personnel and financial resources to assist with data

management and analysis.

94