Periodic review rePortPresented by:

Burlington county college601 Pemberton Browns Mills Road

Pemberton, New Jersey 08068(609) 894-9311

To:the Middle StateS coMMiSSion on HigHer education

June 1, 2014

Interim President: David I. Spang, Ph.D., M.B.A.

Most Recent Decennial Site Visit: Commission action that preceded this report: November 2008 Letter of Reaffirmation of Accreditation

STEERING COMMITTEE & SUBCOMMITTEE C0-CHAIRS…………......………….…...1

SECTION 1: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY………………………………………………….....3

SECTION 2: PROGRESS ON INSTITUTIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS….………..…10

SECTION 3: MAJOR CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES…………………………36

SECTION 4: ENROLLMENT TRENDS AND PROJECTIONS………………………..…41

SECTION 5: ASSESSING INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS AND STUDENT LEARNING………………………………………………...54

SECTION 6: LINKING INSTITUTIONAL PLANNING AND BUDGETING PROCESSES……………………………………………64

LIST OF APPENDICES 1. Progress on suggestions from MSCHE 2008 site visit2. Strategic and Management Plans

a. BCC 2010-2015 Strategic Planb. Strategic Academic Plan and Guiding Principlesc. Strategic Financial Plan and Guiding Principles

3. Evidence linking assessment, planning and budgeting

-Certain appendices have been omitted from the print version for space. They are available online at www.bcc.edu.

Table of Contents

d. Enrollment Management Plan

MEMBERS OF THE PERIODIC REVIEW REPORT STEERING COMMITTEE

Dr. David Spang, Provost, Chief Academic Officer, Interim President Max Slusher, Executive Director of Institutional Research, Accreditation Liaison Officer Kathryn Strang, Outcomes Assessments Coordinator

Co-Chairs of the Eighteen Subcommittees:

Standard 1: Mission and Goals Elizabeth Price Radiography Program Director Joyce Rittenhouse Assistant Professor - Nursing Gregory Volpe Acting Executive Asst. to President and Dir. of Communications Standard 2: Planning, Resource Allocation and Institutional Renewal Dennis Haggerty Vice President of Administration Jaclyn Angermeier Chief Financial Officer Elizabeth Kerr Business Lecturer Standard 3: Institutional Resources Ronald Brand Senior Vice President of Financial and Administrative Services Patricia Cohill Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts Dr. Nicole Scott Director of Grants Administration Standard 4: Leadership and Governance Rebecca Corbin Vice President of Institutional Advancement and

Executive Director of Foundation Dr. Alan Hart Associate Professor of Criminal Justice Standard 5: Administration Matthew Farr Chief Operating Officer Laura Ritt Assistant Professor of Biology Standard 6: Integrity Dr. Beverly Richardson Interim Vice President of Special Projects Donna Vandergrift Associate Professor of Psychology Standard 7: Institutional Assessment Max Slusher Executive Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Research Diane Schellack Reading Instructor Standard 8: Student Admissions and Retention Dr. Terrence Hardee Vice President of Student Success Diane Veneziale Mathematics Instructor Standard 9: Student Support Services Catherine Briggs Associate Dean of Student Activities and Campus Programs Brina Sedar Assistant Professor of Human Services Standard 10: Faculty Dr. Anand Ramaswami Dean of Science, Math & Technology Jayne Yantz Art Instructor Standard 11: Educational Offerings Mark Meara Chief Information Officer and Executive Director of Facilities Dr. Jonathan Alexander Associate Professor of English Literature and Holocaust Studies

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Standard 12: General Education Anne Edwards Associate Dean of Science, Math and Technology Marc Zamkotowicz Assistant Professor of Geospatial Technology & Physical Science Standard 13: Related Educational Activities Jacqueline DeLong Director of Campus Logistics William Whitfield Assistant Professor of Mathematics Standard 14: Assessment of Student Learning Dr. Nichole Bennett-Bealer Dean of Liberal Arts Kathryn Strang Outcomes Assessment Coordinator Terrence Sherlock Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Physical Science

Compliance – Distance or Correspondence Education Martin Hoffman Associate Dean of Distance Education and Integrated Learning

Resources Crystal Bourne Mathematics Lecturer Compliance – Transfer of Credit Dr. Robert Ariosto Director of Transfer Center Dr. Colleen Spiehs Professor of Nursing Compliance – Title IV Cohort Default Rate Michael Cioce Executive Director of Enrollment Management Sharon Rogers Associate Dean of Educational Services

Associate Dean of Admissions and Registration Compliance – Credit Hour Nyambura Phillips Bernadette Wright Associate Dean of Liberal Arts

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SECTION 1

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Brief Overview of the College

Burlington County College is one of 19 community colleges in the state of New Jersey, and the only institution of higher education in Burlington County. The College opened on Sept. 2, 1969 in temporary facilities at Lenape High School in Medford, with 728 full-time and 323 part-time students. In 1971, the College moved into the Physical Education Center and the Parker Center on its main campus in Pemberton and, in 2006, opened its second campus in Mt. Laurel. In addition to these two full campuses, the College now also offers classes in the Willingboro Center, Mt. Holly Center, Culinary Arts Center, and at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, Burlington City Intermediate School, Burlington Institute of Technology (in both Medford and Westampton) and Cherokee High School.

To accommodate the continuous demands of residents and the workforce, the College has consistently expanded its program offerings. Presently, the College offers 74 associate degree programs (A.A., A.S., A.A.S., and A.F.A.) and 27 certificate programs in two divisions: Liberal Arts, and Science, Mathematics and Technology. Online education has also expanded, and the College now offers eight degrees fully attainable online. New programs are added to the College curriculum each year to expand the choice of majors. A state-of-the-art, cutting edge culinary program recently opened for both associate degrees and professional development certificates.

The College is governed by an external Board of Trustees and, at present, is staffed by 14 executive personnel, 66 administrative personnel, 39 special projects personnel, 61 full-time faculty, 3 instructional assistants, 133 supportive staff, 5 confidential personnel, 23 public safety officers, 562 adjunct faculty, 227 part-time employees, and 66 student employees. In 2013-14, the College’s operating budget was nearly $44 million.

College Mission, Goals, and Strategic Initiatives (2010-15)

The mission of Burlington County College, a comprehensive community college, is to provide all individuals access to affordable and quality education, and it is guided by six overall goals as follows:

1. To provide an educational experience that encourages the individual to think critically andto examine and clarify ethical, personal, and political values.

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2. To prepare individuals for transfer to four-year colleges, for employment in business andindustry, and for new career skills.

3. To enable individuals to strengthen their academic skills through adaptive learning,counseling, and academic support.

4. To enrich the quality of life by sponsoring cultural, recreational, and personal interestactivities through an extensive program of community and continuing education.

5. To engage in partnerships with the private and public sectors and to implement programsthat address their identified employment needs.

6. To provide state-of-the-art technologies in the education and training of all individualsthrough an appropriate mix of delivery systems.

Following its most recent Middle States evaluation site visit in November 2008, the College developed a strategic plan for the period 2010-2015. Within that plan, the College focused on a number of initiatives, including the following.

1. Increase access to educational services in Burlington County.

2. Expand sustainable partnerships with senior institutions, non-profit organizations, privatebusinesses, and K-12 school districts.

3. Increase revenue stream by leveraging the resources of the College.

4. Develop new credit, non-credit, and professional development programs.

5. Enhance instructional delivery methods through emerging technologies and professionaldevelopment of faculty and staff.

6. Maintain and enhance the quality of the campus infrastructure, i.e., classrooms, labs, etc.,in compliance with federal, state, and county code requirements.

Periodic Progress Review Process

During the Spring 2013 semester, BCC increased its efforts to demonstrate continued compliance with Middle States accreditation standards through the launching of its Periodic Review Report (PRR) efforts. These efforts included the creation of 18 subcommittees focused on the 14 standards, as well as the four compliance areas of Student Identity Verification in Distance and Correspondence Education, Transfer of Credit Policies and Articulation Agreements, Title IV Program Responsibilities, and Assignment of Credit Hours. Each subcommittee was comprised of two or three co-chairs and five to ten members, involving over 160 people college-wide. The subcommittees had a twofold mission: to examine the research questions that the College used to probe its operations and demonstrate compliance with the

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2008 Self-Study, and to provide updates regarding the implementation of College-initiated recommendations identified in the 2008 Self-Study Report.

The subcommittees met periodically and communicated on a continuous basis to provide the requested information and updates. The work of these subcommittees is directly reflected in the information provided in Section 2 of this Periodic Review Report.

In addition to individual subcommittee meetings, all subcommittee co-chairs met collectively, along with members of the steering committee several times. The collective meetings were convened to conduct a SWOT analysis, i.e. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (August 2013), and to review an advanced draft of the entire PRR document (April 2014).

Staff and faculty college-wide were further involved and informed of the PRR process through presentations and workshop discussions during “Welcome Back Day” activities at the beginning of each semester, starting with the Fall 2012 semester. During the beginning of semester activities in the Spring 2014 semester, faculty participated in workshops regarding assessment, advising, and transfer. These three areas had been identified as high priority concerns through various student feedback mechanisms and assessments and demonstrate BCC’s commitment to creating and maintaining a culture of assessment, feedback, and continuous improvement. Information from these workshops is also reflected in the PRR.

Additionally in late April 2014, after an advanced draft of the PRR had been produced, a community forum was held in which various constituents were invited to BCC’s Mt. Laurel campus to discuss the identified strengths and opportunities the College is expected to experience in the near future. Members of local industry, government, secondary and higher education partners, and the military were represented. Feedback was solicited from each represented area to ensure that BCC is properly aware of and meeting the needs of each constituent group, within the framework of the identified challenges and opportunities described in the PRR. This feedback is reflected within the PRR and will be crucial in developing the next iteration of the College’s strategic plan as well as to ensure continued compliance with relevant Middle States standards.

Periodic updates and presentations were also given to the College’s Board of Trustees, to inform and update them about the status and progression of the PRR.

On May 20, 2014 BCC’s Board of Trustees adopted a resolution ratifying the College’s PRR for submission to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The College looks forward to continuing to meet its mission and goals, namely of providing all individuals access to affordable and quality education.

Significant Accomplishments in the Preceding Five Years

Significant accomplishments within the preceding five years, since BCC’s submission of its last Self-Study, include those outlined in Section 2, Progress on Institutional Recommendations, and Appendix 1, Suggestions Offered by the MSCHE Site Visit Evaluation Team (2008).

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Additional accomplishments include improvements to the College’s institutional and educational outcomes assessment and implementation efforts. These improvements involved the creation of more formalized and consistent course, program, and institutional assessment activities and analysis. The College’s program review framework has also evolved with formalized and specific guidelines applying to the review of programs college-wide.

In recognition of the need to strengthen the existing and enabled linkages among resources, budgeting, and planning, the College has formalized a Strategic Financial Plan and Guiding Principles document, along with a Strategic Academic Programs Plan and Guiding Principles document, both ratified by the Board of Trustees.

BCC has continued to be an institution, which has successfully strived to fully meet its mission and goals for the benefit of its students. Many other accomplishments are highlighted throughout the PRR.

New Academic Programs

Within the last five years, several new academic degree and certificate programs have been introduced, including the following:

Culinary and Hospitality: AS.CUL and AAS.CUL (Culinary Arts), AS.HOS (Hospitality and Tourism Management), AAS.PAS (Pastry Arts), AAS.CRM (Casino and Resort Management);

Alternative Energy and Sustainability: AS.SES (Sustainable Energy Studies), AS.SPM (Sustainability-Policy and Management), AAS.NRG (Energy Management), AAS.ALT (Alternative Energy Technologies), CRT.BEM (Building Energy Management), CRT.ALT (Alternative Energy Technologies); and

Health Information Technology SPC.EHR (Electronic Health Records).

In addition, new programs currently under development include AS degrees in Exercise Science and Public Health, an AAS degree and certificate program in Cancer Registry Management, and a certificate program in Computed Tomography.

Enrollment Trends

Headcount enrollments at the College have fluctuated over the past five years, most recently showing declines in the number of both full-time and part-time students in the previous two years (2012-2014). The number of student credit hours generated has experienced a similar fluctuation among both full-time and part-time students, again showing declines in the previous two years. Declines in both total student headcount enrollment and total credit hours generated have also been observed between Fall and Spring terms. In AY2011-12, the difference in total student headcount between Fall and Spring was -3.7%, and the difference in total credit hours generated between Fall and Spring was -7.1%. In AY2012-13, the differences were -7.25% and

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-9.1% respectively. Among the most significant factors that have contributed to these fluctuations and declines have been (a) a slowdown in the local and regional economy resulting in higher rates of unemployment, (b) a shrinking pool of graduating seniors in Burlington County and surrounding high schools, and (c) increasing competition from public and private four-year institutions, including for-profit institutions and distance learning programs.

Facility Improvements

The College has recently completed several capital construction projects that include the building of a new Mt. Holly Culinary Arts facility, the build-out of leased space for its new Willingboro Center, and the leasing of additional space to increase classroom capacity on the Mt. Laurel campus. Combined, these projects have added almost 74,000 square feet of new teaching and learning facilities necessary in order to keep pace with the needs of the academic and community programming.

In addition to these new facilities, the College has undertaken significant efforts to refurbish its existing campus infrastructure. These initiatives include renovations necessary to ensure compliance with new ADA requirements, as well as several energy conservation and sustainability projects that resulted in lowering the College’s Physical Plant annual operating expenses for energy. The College’s strategic investments in its facilities will ensure the long-term suitability of facilities for educational and community programming.

Technology Improvements

The College is excited about its recent $2.4 million grant awards that will fund two vital projects necessary to build its technology infrastructure for the future. These projects, Next Generation Enterprise Network and Next Generation Educational Technology, will result in a leading edge digital network and smart classrooms that will be utilized by both students and faculty in all aspects of teaching and learning at BCC. In order to maximize its return on investment of these resources, the College has deployed a resource management and scheduling system. Additional investments to improve technology have included a student-centric mobile app, annual expansion of its network bandwidth and Wi-Fi, and a new student planning and scheduling module integrated within its Student Information System (SIS).

Educational delivery has also been enhanced through various upgrades and infusions of technology in areas such as the American Sign Language laboratory, the chemistry/biotechnology instrumentation room and engineering technology laboratories.

Fiscal and Budgetary Trends

In the face of difficult economic times and in light of the fact that the College demonstrated considerable foresight in planning for austerity by building up a substantial reserve fund, the County steadily reduced its allocation to the College from approximately $12 million in FY08 to $500,000 in FY12 and FY13. Over the same time period, state allocations also declined

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somewhat, from $7.9 million in FY08 to $6.9 million in FY13. In response to these reductions, the College increased its tuition and fees, while remaining among the New Jersey community colleges with the lowest tuition and fee rates. Concurrently, the College relied on its reserves to sustain itself during this challenging period of time, and it did so without adversely affecting its ability to deliver quality academic programming and maintaining institutional effectiveness and student learning outcomes.

Highlights of the Periodic Review Report Burlington County College has made impressive progress over the past five years. Despite fluctuating enrollments and declining revenues from federal, state, and county sources, the College has continued to meet all of its obligations – financial and academic – and has continued to pursue its mission and achieve its goals and objectives. In fact, during the period of FY08 to FY13, the College increased its expenditures for instruction by 25.3%, for student services by 30.2%, for academic support by 25.8%, and for plant operations by 10.1%. As the College prepares to embark on the preparation of a new 5-year strategic plan, it is poised to move forward with a more vibrant academic and campus life.

The following paragraphs describe and discuss the progress that has been achieved in making positive changes over the past five years, analyze significant challenges and opportunities we are likely to encounter in ensuing five years and plot a course for growing our enrollments and fortifying our future financial well-being. In addition, we further describe the progress that we have made in improving and enhancing our policies and procedures for determining our institutional effectiveness and assessing student learning outcomes and linking our integrated systems of assessment, planning, budgeting, resource allocation, and analysis and re-planning.

Section 1: The first section is this executive summary.

Section 2: Following the Middle State visiting team’s site visit to the campus in November 2008, in its written response to the College’s 2008 Self-Study document, the MSCHE commended the institution 22 times (such commendations being offered on 12 of the 14 standards) and made 14 suggestions for action. No recommendations for improvement were made by the visiting team. However, the team did offer 14 collegial suggestions and, in its own 2008 Self-Study Report, the College made 61 recommendations for action. In this section of the Periodic Review Report (PRR), the progress that has been achieved in implementing these recommendations is described and discussed in relation to each of the 14 Middle States standards as well as the area of Transfer Trends and Issues. Additionally, the College acknowledges that compliance with the four required areas is addressed in a separate report. Finally, the progress we have made in implementing the collegial suggestions offered by the site visit team is also addressed in Appendix 1.

Section 3: The significant challenges and opportunities that the College is likely to encounter are identified in this section, including those relating to institutional leadership; academic growth and vitality and accountability; achieving strategic goals; expanding enrollments; maintaining access and affordability; increasing persistence and retention; strengthening academic partnerships and student transferability; expanding linkages with business, industry, and the military; sustaining and improving the assessment of institutional effectiveness and student

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learning outcomes; improving internal and external communication systems; capacity building for increased institutional productivity and efficiency; addressing the full-time/part-time faculty balance; sustaining progress in improving college readiness of incoming students; and tracking College graduates and alumni.

Section 4: Enrollment and financial trends – both past and future – are discussed, including the assumptions upon which projections are made. In the coming years, the College expects a modest (1%-2%) increase in enrollment to be matched by sustained increases in revenues, especially those from county government. The College continues to work hard on improving student retention and persistence, with increased attention to be paid to strengthening our academic partnerships with senior four-year institutions and improving student transferability.

Section 5: In the last five years, the College has made substantial progress in developing a comprehensive and systemic process for the evaluation of institutional effectiveness and the assessment and analysis of student learning outcomes data. Moreover, substantial progress has also been achieved in embedding the principles of assessment and the effective use of assessment data within the College’s cultural fabric.

Section 6: Another significant achievement of which the College is justifiably proud is the growing capacity for linking the assessment, planning, budgeting, resource allocation, and analysis and re-planning systems within the College’s culture. Every division and unit within the College’s infrastructure is required (as well as dedicated) to construct annual plans that emanate from the previous year’s analysis of assessment data. The plans are then subject to a thorough vetting process, which includes budget justification and linkages to the overall College 5-Year Strategic Plan (2010-15) (as well as other plans, e.g., academic, enrollment, financial, facilities, information technology, etc.). Finally, the plans are carefully analyzed to ensure that they include valid and reliable assessment processes that are linked to the overall five-year Strategic Plan (2010-15) and institutional effectiveness goals. Once again, the processes and procedures regarding these linkages are discussed both in this section and in Section 2.

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SECTION 2

PROGRESS ON INSTITUTIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE 2008 SELF-STUDY

Overview of Progress Since 2008 Following its evaluation team’s visit to Burlington County College (BCC) in November 2008, the MSCHE commended the institution 22 times in its written report (such commendations being offered on 12 of the 14 standards). No recommendations for improvement were made by the visiting team. However, the team did offer 14 collegial suggestions and, in its own 2008 Self-Study Report, the College made 61 recommendations for action. In this section of the Periodic Review Report (PRR), the progress that has been achieved in implementing these recommendations is described and discussed. Additionally, the progress we have made in implementing the collegial suggestions offered by the site visit team is addressed in Appendix 1.

Standard 1: Mission and Goals The 2008 Self-Study Steering Committee offered three recommendations for this standard.

Recommendation 1.1- Revisit the Mission and Goals Statement to assess needs for revision and/or updating.

Progress Subsequent to the Self-Study in 2008, the College’s mission, goals and institutional objectives were revisited, and the Standard 1 Subcommittee suggested minor adjustments that acknowledged the College’s evolving role in providing education and services to the region. These suggestions were subsequently approved by the College Administration and noted in the succeeding five-year Strategic Plan (2010-15), which includes benchmarks and means of measurement.

Recommendation 1.2 - Develop a plan to expand events geared to senior citizens and young children.

Progress The Standard 1 Subcommittee further completed a review of all of the activities and events that the College offers to senior citizens and young children and found that many of them have been expanded since the 2008 Self-Study. Among those that are offered for seniors include RSVP (Retired and Senior Volunteer Program) activities, LIFE (Learning Is For Everyone) activities, and SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) activities. Moreover, the activities and events for children, which have been led by the Student Activities division, include safe trick-or-treating, Movies Under the Stars, Give Kids a Smile Day and science summer camps. Serving these populations remains a priority of the College within its established mission and goals as it continues to consider the creation of a comprehensive, unified business plan outlining events and activities for these age groups.

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Recommendation 1.3 - Add new programs and certificates in areas of projected high demand.

Progress The Standard 1 Subcommittee identified several new certificate and degree programs that have been added in the high demand areas of culinary/hospitality, alternative energy and sustainability, and health information management since the 2008 Self-Study. The programs include:

Culinary and Hospitality AS.CUL and AAS.CUL (Culinary Arts), AS.HOS (Hospitality and Tourism Management), AAS.PAS (Pastry Arts), AAS.CRM (Casino and Resort Management);

Alternative Energy and Sustainability AS.SES (Sustainable Energy Studies), AS.SPM (Sustainability-Policy and Management), AAS.NRG (Energy Management), AAS.ALT (Alternative Energy Technologies), CRT.BEM (Building Energy Management), CRT.ALT (Alternative Energy Technologies); and

Health Information Technology SPC.EHR (Electronic Health Records).

Additional new programs currently under development include AS degrees in Exercise Science and Public Health, an AAS degree and certificate program in Cancer Registry Management, and a certificate program in Computed Tomography.

Standard 2: Planning, Resource Allocation, and Institutional Renewal The 2008 Self-Study Steering Committee offered two recommendations for this standard.

Recommendation 2.1 - Continue to refine the recommendation of evidence and decisions that are part of the annual planning, budgetary, and outcomes process, and Recommendation 2.2 - Review the College’s annual planning processes for relevancy and initiate modifications to the processes, as needed.

Progress Since the completion of the 2008 Self-Study Report, the College has continuously modified and improved its planning, budgeting, and resource allocation approaches to more closely link resource allocation, strategic initiatives, and continuous improvement assessments to the budgeting process. Organizational and structural changes were implemented to provide streamlined support through the divisions of Finance, Administration and Institutional Advancement. Moreover, a recent round of program reviews of 11degree programs resulted in several recommendations made by the program review consultants. These recommendations were cross-walked to academic and college-wide strategic initiatives and were further prioritized. These prioritized recommendations then became inputs to the following fiscal year’s budget proposals and hence closed the loop on the initial institutional renewal (i.e., continuous

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improvement), resource allocation, and planning and budgeting cycle.

In order to more closely link finances with academic strategic priorities, the College has finalized Strategic Financial Plan and Guiding Principles and Strategic Academic Programs Plan and Guiding Principles documents. These plans align well with the College’s overall strategic plan and give further clarity and direction regarding the linkages between strategic planning and resource allocation.

The processes for the budgetary allocation system have been further refined to show a continuing focus on student learning outcomes assessment and the institutional effectiveness documentation. The College has continued to refine and modify the budgetary processes to include these aspects of financial concerns and also to justify spending in specific areas. Transfers of budgetary funds are a solid example of how this process has been improved. The assessment process is used to identify areas of need, which in turn become candidates for continued or increased spending.

Funds are allocated, therefore, by a process that continually places assessment at the core of the decision-making process. The changes made to these processes are imperative, as they demonstrate a direct correlation between the students and the movement of economic resources. All spending must be justified by showing the connection between the monetary need and the students who will benefit from these allocations. Clearly, these actions illustrate the College’s commitment to budgetary relevancy. The processes for sustained institutional assessment and the interrelationship of assessment, planning, budgeting, and resource allocation are explored in greater detail in Sections 5 and 6 of this PRR.

Standard 3: Institutional Resources The 2008 Self-Study Steering Committee offered seven recommendations for this standard.

Recommendation 3.1 - Analyze results of ongoing outcomes assessment of resource allocation for continuous improvement.

Progress In the spring 2013, a specially constituted Standard 3 Subcommittee reviewed the actions taken by the College to address this recommendation and found that the College has undertaken or improved several actions related to the connection between ongoing outcomes assessment and institutional resource allocation. Among these actions has been the modified and improved budgeting and resource allocation approach (described above in Standard 2) to more closely link resource allocation, strategic initiatives, and continuous improvement assessments to the budgeting process.

In addition, all of the following reports and survey data are prepared regularly: the Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Annual Report, the Institutional Effectiveness (IEP) Report, various national surveys including Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory (SSI) Report, Survey of Entering Student Engagement (SENSE) Report, Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) Report and the National Community College Benchmark Report. Data from these sources are continually examined and mined for information that supports the

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College’s mission and goals, strategic initiatives, budgetary planning and justification, and resource allocation. Continuous improvements and adjustments are made to initiative prioritization and resource allocations as appropriate. This process is also discussed in greater detail in Section 6 of this PRR, Linking Institutional Planning and Budgeting Processes.

Recommendation 3.2 - Enhance communication between the Office of Information Technology (OIT) and the physical plant units to address technology design concerns in all construction and renovation projects.

Progress The Standard 3 Subcommittee further found that inter-departmental communication between the Physical Plant and OIT units has been significantly enhanced by instituting a formal process for the inclusion of OIT in all programming, pre-design, and schematic phases of projects associated with physical plant renovations and construction. This has been facilitated by combining the positions of Chief Information Officer (CIO) and the executive director of Facility Operations.

Recommendation 3.3 - Evaluate technologies and technology applications that have the potential to increase staff productivity, reduce expenses and provide students with the latest technology tools.

Progress Consistent with the applicable action steps identified in the five-year Strategic Plan (2010-15), the Standard 3 Subommittee acknowledged that the College performs organized, ongoing assessments of all of its processes and programs. Appropriately qualified staff members regularly identify and evaluate emerging technologies and technological applications and implement cost-effective, reliable solutions that have the potential to enhance learning opportunities for students, increase productivity of staff and promote institutional advancement. Specifically, the College employs a web-based space scheduling system (R25) to promote efficient and effective use of human and physical resources, including providing additional economic benefits through facility rentals to the community and partnership institutions. Moreover, since the 2008 Self-Study, the College has implemented 25 new initiatives, examples of which include:

● Developed OIT’s Information Technology Master Plan (2011-15);● Implemented new Ellucian Colleague modules: e-Advising, Retention Alert, and Gradebook;● Implemented video conference-based remote e-advising sessions and voice-over-IP-based

telephone call centers for the offices of Financial Aid, Registration, and the Business Office;● Expanded the use of the document management and imaging system – ImageNow.

Recommendation 3.4 - Keep faculty and staff informed about future trends in technology as they relate to the institutional mission and goals.

Progress Technology evaluations and other research regarding technology advances and trends conducted by OIT are regularly shared with the College community through various means, such as including OIT administrators and staff in academic division meetings. Nevertheless, given the constantly changing technological environment, the College fully recognizes and acknowledges

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that this is a continually evolving process that is ongoing. Accordingly, the College continues to explore strategies for ensuring that information is shared among all constituencies at the institution.

Recommendation 3.5 - To maintain consistency of action and ensure that policies and procedures are translated into written procedures.

Progress During the Self-Study review process in 2008, each department crafted Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) that, when completed and fully vetted, were physically located in the College’s resource room and uploaded in an electronic format to the College’s intranet. Since then, these SOPs have been widely available to the College community. However, some questions remain about how effectively they are being used. Therefore, this is another issue that is very much a work in progress. The Standard 3 Subcommittee has found the College Administration has recently initiated a comprehensive review of all institutional policies, including those related to SOPs. Committees of the Board of Trustees will aid in vetting the creation of new policies as well as in policy revisions. As the work of this review continues, the questions about the effectiveness of SOPs will be further addressed.

Recommendation 3.6 - Develop a human resources protocol that includes the implementation of new recruitment workflow, increased use of external search consultants, and consistent use of online sourcing.

Progress The College’s Office of Human Resources continually upgrades its staff recruitment and retention protocols. To underscore the value placed on its employees, the College established the position of Vice President of Administration to bring expertise and best practices to its human resource operations. Currently, all positions to be filled, both full-time and part-time, are posted on the College’s employment web site using the “Neo Gov” application that many of our Human Resources Affinity Group partners throughout New Jersey’s county colleges have also implemented. The Office will also continue the shift from standard print advertising of hard-to-fill vacancies to more advanced technology-based online advertising and outreach through venues such as: HigherEdjobs.com, Insidehighered.com, Sciencefacultyjobs.com, as well as The Chronicle for Higher Education - both print and online, Outlook (Hispanic, African-American, Asian, etc.) - both print and online, and ADVANCE for Nurses - both print and online.

Moreover, through monthly attendance and ongoing interaction with our Affinity Group partners, the College will also gain and share an expanded knowledge base for implementation of best practices in employee recruitment and retention. Recruitment consultants, i.e., search firms and/or independent contractor search consultants, with demonstrated specialty field expertise, including those underrepresented demographic groups, will be utilized when indicated for both hard-to-fill and critical need positions.

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Recommendation 3.7 - Develop uniform methodologies for the evaluation of human and financial resource allocation with which to support the collection and analysis of outcomes data.

Progress As has been discussed within the context of Standard 2 above, the College has launched many additional methodologies linking the processes for outcomes assessment (including academic program review), budgeting, and resource allocation. (See also Section 6 of this PRR.) Moreover, the College has further formalized and more deeply embedded outcomes assessment within the fabric and culture of the institution by creating a full-time position – Outcomes Assessment Coordinator.

Standard 4: Leadership and Governance The 2008 Self-Study Steering Committee offered one recommendation for this standard.

Recommendation 4.1 - Provide staff development for the various senates to aid in differentiating between College and Union issues so that they can more fully benefit from opportunities available through the governance process.

Progress The College’s governance system, which includes the following senates: (a) governance, (b) faculty, (c) all-college (support staff), (d) administrative and (e) students, encourages consistent and communal responsibility and information sharing throughout the College.

The College has made great strides recently to clarify misconceptions and encourage the all-college senate to fully participate in the process without violating collective bargaining issues.

Acknowledging that open communication is vital to a successful governance process, the College uses tools, such as open office hours with the president, Pizza with the President, and Annual Reports and biweekly newsletters, to keep all segments of the community aware and engaged.

Standard 5: Administration The 2008 Self-Study Steering Committee offered four recommendations for this standard.

Recommendation 5.1 - Establish consistency in the human resource protocols, including hiring processes and the completion of an employee handbook.

Progress Since the 2008 Self-Study, the hiring process for different types of employees, including full-time, part-time, and student employees, has become completely digitized through the use of an online portal. Postings are regularly updated on the College website, and the applicant database is now much more readily searchable by electronic means. Consistency of information has been improved in terms of job descriptions, reporting levels, and starting salaries. The evolution of these processes continues, and the development of a standardized employee handbook is nearing completion.

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Recommendation 5.2 - Develop consistent procedures regarding promotion and succession planning.

Progress Much work has been done in the College over the past several years to improve its operational structure in terms of reporting lines, career paths, and succession planning. The current divisional structure of the College allows for all of these issues to be considered and helps to develop employee talent while at the same time ensuring a robust operational structure.

Recommendation 5.3 - Improve processes for communication of all personnel actions to the College community.

Progress The Standard 5 Subcommittee has acknowledged that transparent communication of College initiatives and personnel actions to the College community is important to maintain a high level of employee involvement and morale. As such, several means of communicating relevant information to appropriate audiences have been created or improved since the 2008 Self-Study and include post-board meeting minutes, emails, social media platforms, the College website and intranet and forums with the President. Efforts are also made to communicate relevant messages and information, both verbally and in writing, in a timely manner. The Interim President also launched and achieved inclusion of the support staff in the governance process, thus bringing back into the college governing process the largest group of full-time employees.

Recommendation 5.4 - Strive for continual business improvement and effectively leverage information technology to redefine and/or support business processes.

Progress Since the 2008 Self-Study, the College has carefully examined its academic, support and auxiliary operations in an effort to identify areas of potential improvement in terms of operational efficiencies and return on investment. Where possible, technology tools have been acquired and leveraged, such as with online student advising and registration, call center operations and an automated phone operator. Additionally, where certain auxiliary operations could no longer be sustained, the College has moved to transition to a new mode of operation in order to minimize inefficiencies and losses. These auxiliary operation examinations and reviews are integral to the College’s continuous improvement processes.

Standard 6: Integrity The 2008 Self-Study Steering Committee offered three recommendations for this standard.

Recommendation 6.1 - Utilize optional venues to announce all new College policies.

Progress As discussed in Standard 5 above, transparent communication of College initiatives is important for a variety of reasons. New and modified Board of Trustees’ policies are viewable on the intranet, and additional policies are posted as they are updated and modified. Other critical

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information regarding health benefits or employee payroll has been consistently communicated directly from the Office of Human Resources via email to the College community.

Recommendation 6.2 - Improve the documentation process regarding student and employee concerns, complaints, and resolutions.

Progress Student concerns and complaints may be brought forward through a variety of means, depending on whether the inquiry is of an academic, personal or financial nature. Academic issues are noted within the academic divisions, and a new student issues database has been implemented during the 2014 Spring semester. This database will greatly improve the documentation and resolution of student academic issues. Student issues of a personal or financial nature are noted within the appropriate College area. Strict requirements regarding the storing and communication of personally identifiable information are maintained at all levels throughout the College. Employee concerns and complaints are documented by the appropriate supervisor, as well as by the Office of Human Resources when appropriate. The College remains vigilant to ways in which these processes and procedures can be improved.

Recommendation 6.3 - Provide all faculty and staff with annual mandatory education on affirmative action, sexual harassment, and special populations.

Progress The Office of Human Resources facilitates the annual mandatory professional development and training sessions on affirmative action, sexual harassment and several other required compliance topics by means of electronic viewing and certification. Additionally, in recent years, various onsite forums have been held at various College locations and venues, such as the Adjunct Faculty Institutes, to communicate additional information regarding such compliance topics.

Standard 7: Institutional Assessment The 2008 Self-Study Steering Committee offered three recommendations for this standard.

The Standard 7 Subcommittee met no fewer than six times during 2012-13 and reported that these recommendations have been implemented.

Recommendation 7.1 - Embed institutional effectiveness and/or student outcome assessment responsibilities in the job descriptions of all employees.

Progress Since the 2008 Self-Study, an institutional effectiveness bullet has been added to every full-time position description at the College, which notes that all employees are formally responsible for institutional effectiveness and outcomes. The bullet reads as follows:

“Accepts responsibility for the timely preparation of student outcomes assessment efforts of the faculty in planning, collecting data, and reporting as they relate to course outcomes, program outcomes, general education outcomes, and developmental program outcomes. Actively participates in setting annual division

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goals and objectives, completing OIR [Office of Institutional Research] reporting forms, collecting data, analyzing data, and preparing a report using guidelines established by OIR.”

Thus, all full-time College employees are formally tasked with academic and institutional outcomes assessments as a formal part of their employment duties and responsibilities.

This inclusiveness of effectiveness and outcomes assessment is demonstrated through the 18 subcommittees that have been formed, involving over 140 people, with representatives college-wide, to specifically address the topics represented in this PRR. Additionally, specific goals have been set per functional area of the College, linking directly to strategic initiatives of the College, and are currently being worked on by individuals and teams, as appropriate (see Section 5 of this report).

Recommendation 7.2 - Develop uniform methodologies for the compilation of outcomes and assessment data for the evaluation of unit managers’ institutional effectiveness planning and reporting.

Progress Although the College has a planning function that works hand-in-hand with the budget function, the subcommittee recommended and continues to research models of college-wide review of planning and resource allocation for constructing annual plans and budgets, and for closing out and reflecting on annual plans and budgets. The subcommittee further recommended that a college-wide budget and planning committee could provide sound advice to the College president on planning and budgeting and engender community participation in the planning and budgeting process, which is the intended spirit of both Standard 2 and Standard 7. Presently, the linkages among strategic initiatives, resource allocation, and assessment are being strengthened. As discussed in Standard 2 above, a Strategic Financial Plan and Guiding Principles document and a Strategic Academic Programs Plan and Guiding Principles document have been developed and will link seamlessly with the College’s five-year Strategic Plan (2010-15).

As the College and its assessment programs now operate, strategic planning, annual budgeting, and student learning outcomes and institutional effectiveness assessments are done in parallel, with the planner working hand-in-hand with the Budget Office. The next major step is to fully formalize institutional planning and assessment into the budget process, so that documentation of institutional effectiveness includes more than just planning documents and learning outcomes and institutional assessment reports. Ultimately, institutional effectiveness will continue to be measured using financial, human resource, and capital resource expenditures as the documented investments and using these expenditures to ascertain if the outcomes that have been achieved actually merit the investment or continued investment of these resources. Resources will be allocated throughout the College predicated on the documented outcomes achieved from College operations.

Recommendation 7.3 - Benchmark results of institutional effectiveness initiatives against other institutions to improve outcomes and the quality of programs and services for students, faculty, staff, and the community.

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Progress The College has continued to aggressively pursue several benchmark outcomes models to inform institutional effectiveness and outcomes efforts. Initiatives that have been incorporated into the Office of Institutional Research (OIR) include the Oklahoma Retention Study, the National Community College Benchmarking Project, and the Kansas Academic Productivity Study. In addition, since the 2008 Self-Study, the College has added the Survey of Entering Student Engagement (SENSE) to its list of ongoing nationally benchmarked surveys, which already includes the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) and the Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory (SSI). Finally, IPEDS Peer Analysis is also used for ad hoc outcomes and benchmarking projects. The College, therefore, is well served by nationally benchmarked outcomes studies and surveys, thereby allowing all areas of the College to make meaningful comparisons with community college peers throughout the nation.

Standard 8: Student Admissions and Retention The College has consistently developed enrollment management plans over the past decade. The most current long-range Enrollment Management Plan (2013-2018) is comprehensive. It addresses key assumptions, lays out and analyzes strategic enrollment goals and strategies, provides attainable enrollment targets, lays out and discusses marketing and recruiting programs and strategies (as well as evaluates present marketing effectiveness), and plots reasonable resource and spending projections. (See also Section 4, Enrollment and Finance Trends and Projections.)

The 2008 Self-Study Steering Committee offered five recommendations for this standard:

Recommendation 8.1 - Develop financial aid protocols that will permit a more timely response to applications for financial aid.

Progress Several financial aid protocols have been created and improved since the 2008 Self-Study. The improvements include the creation of the current financial aid webpage accessible through the main College webpage. This webpage outlines important dates and other information for the current aid year and provides further information, such as how to apply for financial aid, the necessary forms, information on scholarships, as well as video tutorials. This information is conveniently provided in one location for current and potential students. The creation of the vanity URL (www.bcc.edu/financialaid) has allowed for an easily accessible page to be included on all mailings, notifications, and business cards.

The College continuously strives to provide students with timely financial aid awards and disbursements. Students are informed regarding FAFSA deadlines, and priority consideration is given to students who submit their materials in a timely manner. Students with aid pending are permitted to use a deferred payment plan to maintain their enrollment until aid can be disbursed.

This recommendation is one that continues to be improved upon with each processing award year. The number of financial aid applications received by the College has increased from 8,233 filed in 2009-10 to 11,090 in 2012-13. To expedite the award process, the Financial Aid Office

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imported FAFSA data earlier in 2010 than in the previous three aid years and surpassed that mark in 2012 by loading initial FAFSA data over two months earlier than in 2010. ImageNow (a document-management and imaging system) was also successfully installed within the Financial Aid Office beginning in the 2012-13 academic year. Loading of FAFSA data has continued to improve each year as well. For students seeking aid for 2011-12, the initial load occurred on March 29, 2011, but for both 2012-13 and 2013-14, loading occurred one month earlier, on March 1. The key standard has been that the sooner that financial aid data can be loaded, the sooner students and families can be notified of their overall eligibility. Currently, the Financial Aid Office operates on a 5 to 9 business-day turnaround cycle from October to March of each year (down from an 8-week turnaround cycle in 2009-10) and a 2 to 3 week turnaround cycle in peak times during the summer (July-September).

Since the installation of the Automated Call Distributor in 2010, overall telephone performance has become a source of strength within the Financial Aid Office. Since its installation, the Office has received over 60,000 phone calls (roughly 20,000 per year) with an answer percentage close to 90%. Between December 2013 and May 2014, nearly 6,700 telephone calls have been placed to the main Financial Office number, and 91% have been successfully answered (6% hang-ups and the remaining 3% going to voice mail). This compares very favorably with the Summer 2010, when the Office averaged 125 voice mails per day.

Recommendation 8.2 - Develop a program of testing high school students in 10th and 11th grades to determine if remediation is necessary and work with high schools to deliver that remediation prior to high school graduation.

Progress Much work has been done at the College, and in the state of New Jersey, through the New Jersey Council of County Colleges (NJCCC), to consider early means of assessment for high school students. Early assessment of students regarding remedial or developmental needs can facilitate the rate at which students can achieve proficiency through various refresher or bridge programs. As the high school proficiency standards change, an opportunity has been created to align high school curricula with the College’s entry level requirements. Having students fully prepared for 100-level college courses allows maximum efficiency in terms of the use of financial aid and allows students to keep pace with a two-year graduation timeframe.

Specific activities to assess potential BCC students while they are still in high school include the testing of students through the College’s Spring Ahead program. Additional activities regarding early testing include the recently-created bridge programs in which BCC developmental math courses will be offered on high school campuses to students who have shown a need for developmental education in mathematics.

Recommendation 8.3 - Review survey feedback regarding areas that the College could have influenced to change students’ decisions not to return to BCC and develop programs to enable students to attend.

Progress As indicated above, the College utilizes several survey instruments to obtain student feedback in

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a variety of areas. These survey instruments include the Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory (SSI), Survey of Entering Student Engagement (SENSE), Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE), and the SUMMA student evaluation of instruction surveys. Data from these sources are continually examined and mined for information that supports the College’s mission and goals, including those specifically set around recruitment and retention. Additionally, the College has recently created a Pendency Report, which tracks student cohorts and representative metrics regarding the pendency of each identified segment to register from Fall to Spring, and subsequent Spring to Fall semesters. The information derived from the Pendency Report is used to inform enrollment management strategies to help tailor messages to specific student populations. (See also Section 4, Enrollment and Finance Trends and Projections.)

Recommendation 8.4 - Review and monitor the areas identified in the Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory (SSI) in which the College has experienced declines and develop and implement recommendations for improvement.

Progress An analysis of 2011 and 2013 findings from the Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory (SSI) showed that the number of students responding to the survey during this period increased by 79.6%, from 1,130 in 2011 to 2,030 in 2013.

While the College has consistently demonstrated strong performance in many areas of student satisfaction in the SSI, there are currently some items where students have indicated a lower than average satisfaction. These items are largely focused on student advising, both inside and outside of the classroom. The questions posed to students within the survey that indicate a concern regarding advising include: “My academic advisor helps set goals to work toward;” “My academic advisor is concerned about my success as an individual;” “My academic advisor is knowledgeable about my program requirements;” and “My academic advisor is knowledgeable about the transfer requirements of other schools.”

In an effort to use this input from students, administrators have probed further about advising at the College and have developed new questions to include in the SUMMA student evaluation of instruction surveys. Beginning with the Fall 2011 semester, revised surveys were distributed in all classes, whether taught by full-time or part-time faculty. The new questions developed regarding advising included: “I was aware of the academic advising opportunities available to me throughout the present term;” and “The College’s website provides useful information regarding academic opportunities and services.”

With this additional information, the entire student body perceptions and experiences regarding advising have been recorded, and several modifications and improvements have been made and continue to be developed regarding the College’s advising system. One improvement is the implementation of a new Student Planning Module connected to the College’s database management system. Within this module, students’ declared majors and courses completed are noted, and those not yet attempted are clearly listed. Students can then choose courses and have them directly represented in a calendar view to help them build their semester schedule. Feedback regarding this technology has been positive.

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Additional efforts to improve advising and provide more services to students have taken many forms. One such activity was the recently-initiated (Fall 2013) mentoring effort throughout the College. As part of this pilot effort, students identified as high risk for retention are identified and paired with a College employee who can provide mentoring, advising and counseling. Additional efforts to improve advising have included conversations with the full-time faculty to incorporate their required advising hours in one of the College’s advising centers, especially during peak times. Through the course of these discussions, advising needs have been broken down into the categories of graduation advising, career advising and transfer advising. While these improvements have been effective, the College recognizes that the last two types of advising will perhaps need more training and resources.

Recommendation 8.5 - Develop a systemic solution to the granting of pre- and co-requisite waivers by those personnel presently not authorized to do so.

Progress In response to this recommendation, information in the College’s database system, Ellucian Colleague, is regularly updated to ensure alignment of program and course requirements as indicated in the College Catalog. Efforts are undertaken to maintain compliance with prerequisite structures, and requests for waivers are considered within the Liberal Arts, or Science, Mathematics and Technology divisions and require administrative approval. These adjustments have effectively strengthened the requirement that waivers may only be granted by those authorized to do so.

Standard 9: Student Support Services The 2008 Self-Study Steering Committee offered two recommendations for this standard.

Recommendation 9.1 - Initiate a needs assessment within Student Services to identify areas for additional cross-training or additional new staff to accommodate a growing student body.

Progress Based on a previous needs assessment (Fall 2010), training modules were created to provide a better integrated approach to Student Service delivery units, specifically Academic Advising, Financial Aid, and Registration. These training modules were created to strengthen the knowledge and competence of various personnel who often act as a central delivery point for information and service at the College. In total, there were nine training sessions that included three department-specific sessions that covered a department overview, department procedures, and in-depth examples of various issues encountered by the specific department. Department managers identified participants who would attend the training sessions as the College worked toward building a stronger Student Service customer service delivery unit. During the Fall 2012, an updated version of the training series was conducted that included the addition of Military Education and Veteran Services. Feedback from the first iteration was taken into consideration to improve the modules. The next iteration of the training is to include the Business Office and the Athletic Department, in addition to the key four offices already participating.

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In January 2014, the College conducted a pilot test of a centralized student check-in desk system. The purpose of the check-in desk is to provide a central location at the Pemberton and Mt. Laurel campuses to be used in combination with the self-service kiosks and computer terminals that allow students to access Web Advisor (the online portal). Managers were provided a centralized report of student visits, reason for visits, repeat visitors, and other types of quantifiable data. In anticipation of the pilot test, all front line staff from Advising, Registration, Financial Aid, and Military Education and Veteran Services were trained on the check-in system, and cross training was conducted during the Fall 2013 for individuals who would staff the main entry desk. Updates are currently being made to the check-in system with an additional pilot slated to be conducted during the Summer 2014. Additional cross training will also be conducted for staff leading up to the next launch currently slated for July 2014.

Recommendation 9.2 - Streamline the hold process that creates barriers to the online registration process by identifying and eliminating barriers in the Ellucian Colleague operating system.

Progress In the past, several student status issues had been identified that warranted the placement of “hold” codes (i.e., flags) on students’ records. Such flags included those placed by Academic Affairs, Student Services or the Business Office for reasons that ranged from academic dismissal to student indebtedness. While approximately 30 of these preventative flags have been removed, nine have remained in place because they are believed to be necessary in order to maintain student compliance with key requirements for registration, such as prerequisite attainment, bill payment, and financial aid compliance. This notwithstanding, the College continues to explore ways of streamlining the process to make it less cumbersome for students.

Standard 10: Faculty The 2008 Self-Study Steering Committee offered four recommendations for this standard.

Recommendation 10.1 - Provide guidance to faculty in posting syllabi and course materials on Blackboard.

Progress Beginning in 2013-14, the College implemented a plan to standardize all course outlines as the first step in the creation of standardized syllabi. With this standardization, faculty will have a uniform base from which to gather information to insert in discipline-specific syllabi. Faculty have been permitted, although not required, to create an online presence, which includes the posting of syllabi and other course materials on Blackboard. The College has acquired the capacity to create an online course shell for every section offered. Training materials are also readily available regarding the use and implementation of the Blackboard course platform to enhance and supplement instruction.

Additionally, the Office of Distance Education has created extensive professional development offerings. Between March 2011 and March 2014, nearly 100 hours of professional development were offered to faculty seeking to enhance their classroom courses through the use of Blackboard. These professional development opportunities were held on both the Pemberton and Mt. Laurel campuses and included instructions on how to upload syllabi and course-related

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documents, in addition to other related topics. In 2013, the Office of Distance Education also began to offer live, real-time “lunch and learn” sessions using Adobe Connect in order to reach faculty who had difficulty attending on-campus sessions, most of which were geared toward teaching faculty how to upload syllabi and other course documents.

Recommendation 10.2 - Increase access for adjunct faculty to allow their participation in College professional development activities – possibly mentorship arrangements, newsletters, etc.

Progress In the last few years, adjunct faculty have increasingly been integrated into the operation of the College at all levels and in ways that impact their own professional development. A new Adjunct Orientation was implemented several years ago for all newly hired adjuncts, prior to the beginning of classes. Its success and evaluation feedback have led to inviting all adjunct faculty to attend, regardless of when they were hired. Their participation serves as a welcome to new adjuncts and an opportunity to share their “getting started” success models. Other examples include adjunct faculty participation in the Welcome Back divisional receptions the week before classes begin, offering general welcoming sessions and updates by senior leaders and program coordinator break-out sessions. Discipline-specific conversations are conducted through Coffee Hour Sessions with full-time faculty coordinators in order to share ideas and instructional strategies. Adjunct faculty also participate in assessment efforts in which their measurement of student learning in their classrooms is fully integrated into the college-wide analysis. Training regarding assessment methods and goal setting is also provided. Additionally, the Adjunct Faculty Institutes, held in two full-day weekend sessions each semester, provide adjunct faculty with information regarding College policies, instructional tools and strategies, as well as classroom management techniques. Feedback surveys indicate the adjunct faculty benefit professionally from this opportunity.

The Center for Learning and Instruction workshop series, originally offered only to full-time faculty, now welcomes adjunct faculty and provides professional development and opportunities for interaction. New professional development round table discussions are now offered each semester, which address various topics (e.g., Blackboard, ADA compliance issues). Open forums are also held to address other adjunct faculty concerns. A newly developed Adjunct Observation Training process has enhanced the classroom teaching observation process, leading to most observations now being conducted by full-time faculty (compared to the prior model of using outside observers). This has provided expanded opportunities for program-specific adjunct and full-time faculty interaction and membership opportunities. To offer adjunct faculty constant access to professional development resources, an adjunct faculty resources intranet site was launched in 2013 that provides access to handouts and resources from all Adjunct Institutes, Orientations and Welcome Back receptions and a series of new adjunct professional development videos.

In addition, professional development opportunities that are routinely offered to adjunct faculty include: (a) onsite Quality Matters Training, (b) online training required to teach online courses, (c) Blackboard training and (d) training in the use of library resources and materials.Small stipends are also offered to adjunct faculty attending library updates, and “senior adjunct” eligibility is provided to adjunct faculty who successfully complete the Adjunct Institute. The

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New Jersey Council of County Colleges has recognized the College’s adjunct faculty professional development initiatives at its annual state conference.

Recommendation 10.3 - Expand classroom observations for adjunct faculty.

Progress Since the 2008 Self-Study, new procedures have been implemented that require all newly appointed adjunct faculty to be observed during their first year of teaching in the classroom. Returning adjunct faculty are observed on a rotating schedule. Adjunct faculty observations occur using a standardized rubric, and a post-observation conference is conducted to provide the adjunct faculty member with feedback. In 2013, observations were also extended to online classes, during which full-time faculty “visit” online courses for the purpose of observation and quality assessment. In all instances where improvement is needed, an improvement plan is initiated to provide the adjunct faculty member with a means of demonstrating a higher level of performance according to pre-determined benchmarks and timeframes.

Recommendation 10.4 - Expand opportunities for adjunct and full-time faculty interaction.

Progress Adjunct faculty are encouraged, and given the opportunity, to interact with full-time faculty through a variety of means. As described above, one such means is through the discipline-specific Coffee Hour Sessions held periodically throughout the academic year and, as described above, the New Adjunct Orientation. Additional means include their participation at the Adjunct Faculty Institutes, in which several presenters are full-time faculty and the Center for Learning and Instruction workshop series. Another means of interaction is through communication with full-time faculty coordinators, who are charged with disseminating standard course delivery and assessment information to adjunct faculty. Feedback has been positive regarding the availability of full-time faculty to interact with, and answer questions from, adjunct faculty. Also, as described above, the newly developed Adjunct Observation Training process has enhanced the observation process and has expanded opportunities for adjunct and full-time faculty interaction and mentoring opportunities. Finally, in the spirit of fostering professional development, the College has initiated a Visiting Faculty Administrator (VFA) position. The VFA position provides for reassigned time for two faculty members, one from each academic division, to work within the College administration to better understand the issues that administrators face. This position has proven to provide valuable professional development experience for these faculty members, as well as a tremendous resource for the College.

Standard 11: Educational Offerings The 2008 Self-Study Steering Committee offered four recommendations for this standard.

Recommendation 11.1 - Promote an aggressive culture of program review, course review, and outcomes assessment.

Progress The College has initiated program review, and de facto course review, by a variety of means, and

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has developed a process by which program review outcomes and suggestions are prioritized and subsequently implemented with appropriate linkages to budgeting and strategy considerations. (See Standard 7 above as well as Sections 5 and 6 of this PRR for more information.) Some of the programs reviewed are accredited by outside bodies and must meet the accreditor’s requirements in terms of program review timelines and characteristics. These programs include nursing, radiography, diagnostic medical sonography, dental hygiene, paralegal and electronics engineering technology. Other programs have been scheduled in a program review calendar and reviewed accordingly, as illustrated in a chart in Section 5 of this report. The College reviewed 11 programs during each of the academic years 2012-13 and 2013-14. Ten additional programs are scheduled for review during 2014-15. Standardized program review requirements have been created along with a process for ensuring consistent and meaningful outcomes from each review.

Outcomes assessment is ingrained in the College’s culture and has continued consistently since prior to the Self-Study of 2008. As discussed above, courses taught by both full-time and part-time (adjunct) faculty are regularly assessed using a rubric in order to ensure high quality instruction throughout the College. Benchmarks are set for each assessment, and a continuous improvement process is utilized to allow assessment results to inform course development and improvement, when necessary. A reflective summary is standard practice to facilitate careful review and consideration of assessment outcomes, even if the predetermined benchmarks have been met.

Recommendation 11.2 - Coordinate the Program Review Guidelines to be consistent with the culture of assessment and the Program Outcomes Assessment process.

Progress The College has created a part-time Academic Program Reviewer position to manage the standardized program review requirements to ensure uniform, consistent, and meaningful outcomes from each review. The standardized program review process includes the creation of a program review binder, an external consultant’s report, and the evaluation of the external consultant’s report. Specific criteria and expectations for each stage of the program review are also outlined in detail in the document entitled: Academic Program Review, Guidelines, and Procedures, and they are further discussed in Section 5 of this PRR. The academic program review process is conducted under the supervision of the assessment coordinator.

Recommendation 11.3 - Assess unique program lab hours to determine whether the available open lab hours are sufficient to meet students’ learning needs.

Progress Open lab hours are provided in most discipline-specific labs where students often need to work on projects, either individually or in groups. When dedicated classrooms are unavailable due to scheduling or safety concerns, some software is provided in one of the College’s two mega-labs. This arrangement allows most students to have additional access to specific software, and the College does not believe that this adversely affects student learning.

Recommendation 11.4 - Initiate short-term offerings, such as certificates of achievement and academic certificates in emerging fields of study, to meet the immediate workforce needs of the

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county and region and to serve as a springboard to degree programs in those fields.

Progress Through periodic meetings, focus groups, and surveys with business and industry representatives, the College continuously monitors the workforce needs of the region and has created, or is currently developing, several certificate programs with a high degree of workforce relevance. These include certificates already created in Building Energy Management and Alternative Energy Technologies. Additionally, the College is currently developing an AAS degree and certificate program in Cancer Registry Management and a certificate program in Computed Tomography.

Standard 12: General Education The 2008 Self-Study Steering Committee offered nine recommendations for this standard.

Recommendation 12.1 - Continue using the ETS MAPP as a measure of general education skills.

Progress All general education skills and competencies for New Jersey community colleges are outlined by the Academic Affairs Affinity Group General Education Committee (AAAGGEC) of the New Jersey Council of County Colleges (NJCCC). Strict guidelines are provided for general education courses to meet defined criteria in the areas of communication, mathematics, science, technology, social science, humanities, history, and diversity. The College’s general education courses meet all stated requirements and provide students with reliable transfer opportunities to four-year schools.

The ETS MAPP (Measure of Academic Proficiency and Progress) test, now called the ETS Proficiency Profile, is administered at the College biannually. This instrument provides results regarding student performance in the areas of critical thinking, reading, writing, and mathematics. This test has been designed specifically to measure general education outcomes and is used as a supplement and validation tool for the College’s own in-house general education outcomes assessment efforts.

Recommendation 12.2 - Continue to use results of the ETS national test to improve curriculum.

Progress Results from the ETS Proficiency Profile, which is administered to a random sample of students, as well as the College’s own in-house general education outcomes assessment efforts, are used to update and improve curriculum as necessary. The College’s general education curriculum is improved through a cycle of continuous improvement, with a variety of established inputs, including multiple choice questions and essays embedded in course examinations and oral presentations of student projects.

Recommendation 12.3 - Continue to monitor student writing skills through general education outcomes assessment processes.

Progress

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Student writing skills are monitored and evaluated by a variety of means. A writing component has been standardized in several courses (e.g., ENG-101, ENG-102, College Composition I & II), in which every student must conduct a research writing project. The College is currently (2013-14) piloting a new assessment approach for this assignment, and results of this assessment effort will be used to judge student writing performance. Curriculum or instructional delivery will be updated as necessary.

Recommendation 12.4 - Incorporate information literacy competencies into more courses across the curriculum.

Progress Information and technology literacy have become a standard component of the College’s general education curriculum (as well as other curricular offerings). Faculty members are encouraged to infuse technology into a variety of courses. In order to measure information literacy as a general education outcome, the College requires every ENG-101 section to visit the library. Students attend a lecture while there, and then engage in a 2-part assessment. First, students take an online quiz regarding elements of the information resources to which they have just been exposed, e.g., online journals and database usage. Next, students write a thesis statement in class incorporating the technological resource information they have experienced during their library visit.

Recommendation 12.5 - Develop a short video or online program that explains the purpose of general education courses and requires students to view this video/program as part of the student advising process, given the current increase in enrollment and the decline in advising staff.

Progress After careful consideration, the College decided to forgo the development of an informational video focusing solely on general education courses. It was decided that a more integrated approach (e.g., the in-house general education assessment process) would be more beneficial, in which general education skills and competencies are outlined as critical to academic degree completion. Many of the College’s workforce development efforts, for example, stress the importance of critical thinking and reasoning skills, all of which are developed in students via the attainment of general education competencies.

Recommendation 12.6 - Review all new courses to determine if any of the general education core courses should be taken as prerequisite courses.

Progress Prerequisites are closely monitored throughout the College, and prerequisite updates are made periodically through the Instructional Affairs Council. All new program and course proposals are carefully scrutinized to ensure that they conform to general education requirements and guidelines and that they identify prerequisites, as appropriate. Great care is taken to ensure that database and catalog requirements are consistent and that students are well prepared for advanced courses by having completed the necessary foundational course work.

Recommendation 12.7 - Identify and evaluate other forms of technology, including emerging technologies, which may be appropriate for classroom and online use.

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Progress Several innovative and emerging technologies have been incorporated into instructional delivery, both in-class and online. These include the use of clickers, real-time cell phone polling software (e.g., Poll Anywhere and Socrative) and the ability to create a Blackboard shell for every scheduled section. Additionally, the College has incorporated the use of a new student advising module as well as a mobile application for smart phones to allow students to interact flexibly with the College through means with which they are most comfortable.

Recommendation 12.8 - Continue to be active in GECC, which conducts a statewide review of general education courses at all NJ county colleges. Changes to BCC’s general education culture may be warranted in the future based on the results of this review.

Progress The College is closely aligned with the Academic Affairs Affinity Group General Education Committee (AAAGGEC) of the New Jersey Council of County Colleges (NJCCC). Strict guidelines are provided for general education courses to meet defined criteria in the areas of communication, mathematics, science, technology, social science, humanities, history and diversity. The College’s general education courses meet all stated requirements and provide students with reliable transfer opportunities to four-year schools. As a result of its interaction with the AAAGGEC and its own periodic review and general education assessment process, if the College determines that changes in general education are necessary or desirable, appropriate steps will be taken within the governance process to address that issue.

Recommendation 12.9 - Use technology to monitor student performance results through the Test Center, embedded questions in exams, departmental exams, and external testing.

Progress The College’s aggressive culture of outcomes assessment incorporates the use of various techniques and resources (many of which are technology-based), including the use of test center facilities, sound assessment strategies (including exam-embedded assessment questions), standardization and benchmarking to both internal and external assessment instruments. Not content with merely collecting data, however, the College uses the data to continuously update courses and curricula and to continuously improve, based on the results of the outcomes assessments.

Standard 13: Related Educational Activities The 2008 Self-Study Steering Committee offered seven recommendations for this standard.

Recommendation 13.1 - Explore flexible modes of educational delivery, such as online courses, emerging technologies, and partnering with out-of-county facilities in areas that do not have these programs but have similar needs.

Progress Over the past several years, the College has embraced flexible modes of delivery, including distance education, and has invested in the technological infrastructure needed to support such

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endeavors. The College currently offers eight degree and two certificate programs completely online, including the AA.LA (Liberal Arts), AS.LSC (Liberal Arts and Sciences), AS.ACC (Accounting), AS.BA (Business Administration), AS.BMT (Business Management and Technology), AS.CRJ (Criminal Justice), AA.PSY (Psychology), and AA.EDU (Education). Additional online programs include certificate programs in Liberal Arts and Sciences and Family Help. The College is currently pursuing online degree completion programs with four-year school partners to enable students to complete their associate’s degree online and seamlessly transfer to an online baccalaureate degree completion program. Finally, in December 2013, the College completed a Green Pathways agreement with Middlesex County Vo-Tech (MCVTS) for a dual enrollment program in Principles of Sustainability, a required course in several BCC associate degree programs.

Emerging technologies, such as iTunes U, Blackboard Mobile, Adobe Connect, and YouTube mobile applications, as well as new library media holdings and access to online library holdings via mobile applications provided by EBSCO and other vendors have also been implemented. The BCC Mobile App allows students quick access to a variety of College and educational information including schedules, grades, personal notifications, campus maps, directories, etc. An informational page allowing students to sign up for the application is available through the College’s website.

While the College’s distance education programs are available to out-of-county students (and a small number of such students do enroll in these programs), most distance education students are county residents who wish to take advantage of this flexible mode of delivery. Nevertheless, the College remains committed to its mission of providing access to its programs and services to all individuals, regardless of residency.

Recommendation 13.2 - Continue developing distance education courses and degree offerings to provide more options to students.

Progress As described above, the College has developed eight completely online degree programs, as well as two online certificate programs. Moreover, several existing programs will soon have sufficient course offerings online, allowing students to complete those degrees completely online as well. The development and marketing of baccalaureate degree completion opportunities will enhance the pathway for students to meet their higher education goals via this flexible mode of delivery.

Recommendation 13.3 - Communicate all advanced standing procedures on the College website.

Progress The College’s Advanced Standing policy is currently under review and will be updated accordingly. Additionally, a policy regarding the College Acceleration Program (CAP) is under development and will provide guidance to graduating high school students regarding the application of such credits to their chosen institution of higher education. Once updated, both policies will be available online for easy access. These policies are expected to become effective with the advent of the Fall 2014 semester.

Recommendation 13.4 - Capitalize on the success of the two incubators by maintaining a high

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occupancy levels and increase the number of virtual clients.

Progress The College’s high technology incubator and biotechnology incubator are both running at or near full capacity. Additionally, the number of virtual tenants has steadily increased and remains high. Several of the incubator tenants have engaged in mergers with more established and financially secure enterprises or have successfully graduated from the incubator system. The College also maintains an established process for recruiting new virtual tenants in these incubators.

Recommendation 13.5 - Develop a business plan for the Center for Public Health Preparedness (CPHP) in order to provide first responder training at site-specific locations as a source of additional College revenue.

Progress The College’s auxiliary operations, including the CPHP, have been evaluated in terms of sustainability and alignment with the mission of the College. Based on these criteria and due to economic necessities, the CPHP ceased operating at the College in early 2013.

Recommendation 13.6 - Increase the volume of customized training currently offered by the College and investigate the viability of site-specific training beyond the county.

Progress The College’s level of activity in customized training has steadily increased in recent years and encompasses a wide array of training opportunities for various clients in the region, including those that are delivered on-site at business worksites. While the focus has been to develop these opportunities within Burlington County, several opportunities have been created at out-of-county locations, including manufacturing plants and hospitals.

Recommendation 13.7 - Initiate an ACES placement validity study in order to evaluate our existing placement policies and better inform future placement decisions.

Progress In academic year 2009-10, the College conducted the College Board ACES (Admitted Class Evaluation Service) validity study for remedial math, English, and reading placement, and the results suggested that some lower level remedial classes may not be effective in preparing students for college-level work. During academic year 2010-11, all of the New Jersey community colleges participated in a statewide ACES study to guide the sector in identifying common Accuplacer cut-off scores to delineate college readiness and remedial requirements. Subsequently, common cut-off scores for identifying college-ready and remedial students in math, English, and reading were adopted across the sector. At the present time, ACES is no longer used to determine the effectiveness of the College's Accuplacer placement. Instead, the College is implementing a holistic remedial placement program, using available measures, including student SAT scores, Accuplacer test scores, decision zones vs. strictly defined cutoff scores, and a multiple measures approach to inform placement decisions.

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Standard 14: Assessment of Student Learning The 2008 Self-Study Steering Committee offered three recommendations for this standard.

Recommendation 14.1 - Build on the current successful process of planning, collecting, assessing, reflecting, disseminating, and improving the process of student outcomes assessment.

Progress The Standard 14 Subcommittee reviewed 10 years of assessment data and found that, during this time, Burlington County College has maintained a clear and systematic process for planning, collecting, assessing student learning outcomes, and monitoring the results. The College continually conducts student learning outcomes assessments for each academic program, including its general education programs as well as numerous courses that are offered. Each year, the College documents its assessment results in a Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Annual Report. In 2008, curriculum maps were developed and implemented, which are still in use today. These maps allow faculty to state their outcomes and see the relationship between learning outcomes and how they are addressed in their courses. Moreover, the College continues to use a 2-year cycle to assess student learning outcomes. An established systematic process is used within that 2-year cycle. An outcome(s) is chosen to be assessed, and two varied assessment protocols are developed, along with criteria that are restated as quantifiable and measurable outcomes. The College has also been implementing, since 2011, a standardized criterion statement similar to “A minimum of 70% of the students will correctly answer at least 7 out of 10 specifically-designed multiple-choice questions embedded in the final exam.” The assessments are conducted, and the data are reviewed using quantitative or qualitative analyses and are compared to the criteria for success. As of 2010, if the criteria for success are not met, a continuous improvement plan is developed with the dean, the assessment coordinator, and faculty. The improvement plans are then implemented during the next academic year, when they are reassessed - thus closing the loop. The results are monitored using a newly created report, Assessment Tracking Report, which allows faculty and administrators to see if all program learning outcomes can be assessed within five to 10 years.

Additionally, students’ participation and engagement in student life programs and activities (e.g., new student orientation, career services, tutoring, veterans affairs, student activities, service learning, student clubs, student government, counseling services, athletics, and student leadership) are assessed through surveys, focus/reflection groups, diagnostic tests, workshop pre- and post-tests, and the demonstration of skills attained. From 2009 through the present, an annual Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Annual Report is created and distributed at the “Welcome Back Day” activities to all academic administrators and full-time faculty, and additional copies are placed in the Middle States Resource Room. In the Summer 2013, an assessment Intranet web site was developed, and electronic copies of all resources needed for student learning outcomes assessment are posted. This helps in the continuation of an aggressive and transparent culture of assessment at Burlington County College.

The Standard 14 Subcommittee further noted that, given the high quality nature of its assessment processes, the College should begin exploring additional assessment projects and a deeper analysis of assessment results. Beginning in the current academic year (2013-14), the inclusion of a reflective prompt on all student outcomes assessment projects was required that provides for

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an increased awareness of the application of assessment project results and improved design of assessment instruments.

Recommendation 14.2 - Design a more robust process to gather program-specific data from graduates and their employers.

Progress Immediately after the conclusion of the 2008 Self-Study, the Office of Institutional Research (OIR) and the Office of Information Technology (OIT) created an online survey instrument, the Pending Graduate Survey, which integrates seamlessly with the College's online student application for graduation. Thus, the College has gathered impending graduate information since mid-2010, and it receives survey responses from 98% of the students making application for graduation. The automated graduation survey provides impending graduate post-secondary education or employment plans, and, where applicable, the name and location of reported employers, starting salary, and the students' evaluation of their academic preparation for employment and career. Additionally, the College is currently exploring the purchase of the LinkedIn® database to identify members who report having attended or graduated from Burlington County College. Integrating the LinkedIn® database with the College’s Student Information System database could provide rich employment and employer outcomes of self-reported attendees and graduates. This information gathering approach will provide post-education outcomes information segmented by entry level, mid-level, and senior level employment status. Employment outcomes will be viewed in light of academic success, major, and time-to-graduation. This approach is cost-effective, requiring fewer financial resources than the student-employee College Call Center that has been used to gather employment outcomes in the past.

Recommendation 14.3 - Standardize grading matrices and testing methods for all multi-section courses.

Progress Standardized exams and grading matrices may have been the best or a new option in 2008, and the College did pursue the use of departmental standardized rubrics as grading matrices. However, standardized tests and methods were never pursued due to updated assessment “best practices.” Currently, the focus has shifted away from standardized assessment tools to standardized syllabi. The first step in this process was to ensure that all information on the current course outlines web site and the College’s Course Catalog was accurate. During 2012-13, the general education committee updated the new general education learning outcomes for all courses and posted the updates on the course outlines web site. This was a necessary step towards standardizing course syllabi. Subsequently, in 2013-14, under a Perkins Grant, the College began the process of standardizing syllabi templates. The further recommended reliance on the program coordinators and full-time faculty to lead the development of specific standardized syllabi.

In addition to the above recommendation relating to the MSCHE standards, the 2008 Self-Study Steering Committee also offered four recommendations regarding transfer trends and issues.

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Transfer Trends and Issues

At the time of the 2008 Self-Study, the MSCHE had not yet specified any required compliance areas. Nevertheless, the College offered some recommendations for one area, Transfer Trends and Issues, which would eventually become one of the four areas required by MSCHE. Our progress report for this area follows immediately. Moreover, the College acknowledges the importance of the four compliance areas: Student Identity Verification for Distance and Correspondence Education, Transfer of Credit Policies and Articulation Agreements, Title IV Program Responsibilities, and Assignment of Credit Hours. We have addressed these areas in a separate Verification of Compliance Areas document that accompanies this report.

Recommendation T-1 - Persist in seeking performance information from senior postsecondary institutions and the New Jersey Commission of Higher Education.

Progress Since the 2008 Self-Study, the College has reached out to Rowan University, Drexel University, and Rutgers University to request student outcomes information with varying degrees of detail and success. Approval to obtain student performance information at these institutions must be circulated through each institution’s leadership hierarchy. The senior institutions' research offices must allocate time and resources to produce the requested reports, and the College is limited in its ability to reciprocate the courtesy of providing information in return, as the senior institutions already have the matriculated students' BCC transcripts on file.

The New Jersey Commission of Higher Education now uses the Heldrich Center at Rutgers University to provide student performance information across participating postsecondary institutions throughout New Jersey. The Heldrich Center charges institutions to produce the requested reports, often making requested information prohibitively expensive.

To meet the need for student outcomes data after they exit BCC, the College also uses the National Student Clearinghouse to gather information on students’ subsequent enrollment at senior postsecondary institutions. BCC modified its membership in the National Student Clearinghouse and provides additional data fields on its existing students. In return, the College receives student record information on subsequent enrollment, major attempted, attendance status, graduation status, and types of degrees received. Though information on individual courses and grades are blocked, the present arrangement provides many of the student performance outcomes that were lacking at the time of the 2008 Self-Study.

Recommendation T-2 - Continue to seek baccalaureate degree completion opportunities for students through innovative partnerships with senior institutions.

Progress The College has pioneered several unique relationships with senior postsecondary partners including those with programs on the College’s Mt. Laurel and Pemberton campuses (Drexel, Rutgers, Wilmington, and Fairleigh Dickinson universities). In the spirit of providing students with flexible opportunities, additional onsite and transfer partnerships are currently under development.

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Recommendation T-3 - Ensure that all general education core courses are congruent with the guidelines of the Lampitt Bill I (S2535) to provide a seamless transfer process for students.

Progress As described earlier, uniform guidelines for community college general education courses are promulgated through the AAAGGEC of the New Jersey Council of County Colleges (NJCCC). The College’s general education courses meet all stated requirements and provide students with reliable transfer opportunities through carefully constructed articulation agreements with four-year schools.

Recommendation T-4 - Monitor levels of student satisfaction with the transfer process through continued use of the Point of Service Survey and the compilation of trend data.

Progress The College has made the decision to forgo the Point of Service surveys in favor of more valid and reliable instruments that are nationally benchmarked, including the Noel Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory (SSI), the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE), and the Survey of Entering Student Engagement (SENSE). Through these and other instruments, the effectiveness of the College’s transfer center and the intention and satisfaction with transfer are closely monitored.

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SECTION 3

IDENTIFICATION OF MAJOR CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

The major challenges and opportunities anticipated by the College over the next 3-5 years are identified and summarized below.

1. Maintain Vitality of Institutional Leadership (Standard 4: Leadership andGovernance and Standard 5: Administration)

Maintaining institutional leadership and vitality presents both a challenge and an opportunity insofar as presidential stewardship is currently undergoing a change. The College’s incumbent president, David Hespe, resigned late in the spring term 2014, to accept an appointment in Governor Chris Christie’s cabinet as commissioner of education. President Hespe served 18 months following his appointment to replace Dr. Robert Messina, who retired after more than 25 years of service to the College. Dr. David Spang, who was previously serving as provost, was appointed by the Board of Trustees to serve as interim president. Dr. Spang will serve through the end of the 2014 calendar year, or until a permanent appointment is made by the Board.

It is anticipated that the College’s governance structure, which includes an active and responsible governing body, will provide significant direction and policy guidance in assuring that institutional integrity and mission fulfillment is maintained as the College develops its executive leadership plan.

2. Uphold High Academic Standards and Demonstrate Accountability (Standard11: Educational Offerings)

Maintaining the highest standards of academic quality and effectively implementing the requirements and accreditation standards of the MSCHE will present significant opportunities for continuous renewal and improvement, while it will remain an ongoing challenge. Over the next 3-5 years, the College will commit to expanding significant effort to provide the necessary professional development for faculty (especially adjunct faculty) to implement organized and sustained assessment processes of institutional effectiveness and student learning by measuring student outcomes at the academic program and course levels.

3. Carry out Mission-Centered Planning Activities to Advance the StrategicGoals of the College. (Standard 1: Mission and Goals and Standard 2: Planning, Resource Allocation, and Institutional Renewal)

Integrating mission-sensitive strategic goals in institutional planning efforts will present both a challenge and an opportunity in the next 3-5 years. The challenge of linking our academic, fiscal,

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enrollment, facilities, and maintenance planning with the overall College strategic goals gives us the opportunity to match our priorities with our resources. Moreover, we will continue to improve our processes by measuring the results achieved.

4. Ensure Instructional Capacity to Enable Annual Enrollment Growth (Standard8: Student Admissions and Retention and Standard 13: Related Educational Activities)

Student recruitment and retention efforts will be sharply challenged to effectively support the institution’s goal of achieving an annualized enrollment growth rate that keeps pace with the overall population growth rate of Burlington County, which is expected to grow at the rate of 1-2% per year over the next 3-5 years.

Matching student demand, especially in emergent areas of actual or potential job growth and technology, with course capacity and effective means and modes of instructional delivery, including distance education, will provide both opportunities and challenges. A strong need exists to offer career and job-building programs to support emerging job/career opportunities necessary in a technologically-advanced society. In response, the College will be challenged to develop new academic and support service programs and delivery mechanisms that are flexible and responsive to the needs of learners and employment market demands.

5. Promote Student Success by Strengthening Student Persistence andAchieving Increased Graduation Rates (Standard 8: Student Admissions and Retention, Standard 9: Student Support Services, and Standard 13: Related Educational Activities)

In order to meet the opportunity and challenge of enrollment growth, it will be necessary to develop and maintain a number of college-wide initiatives to promote both student retention and student success. Specifically, College efforts will focus on strengthening student persistence and graduation rates, especially in the area of advancing and supporting the success of under- prepared students.

6. Maintain Commitment to Access and Affordability (Standard 3: InstitutionalResources and Standard 8: Student Admissions and Retention)

Maintaining a commitment to access and affordability by managing the course and instructional delivery system (including support systems) in a high quality and cost-effective manner will remain a challenge. Specifically, without sacrificing quality, the College accepts the challenge to: (a) contain growth rates in expenditures and hold costs below (and/or consistent with low growth) the inflation rate, and (b) contain annual tuition rate increases at or below 4%.

7. Promote and Manage Academic Growth and Vitality (Standard 11: EducationalOfferings and Standard 13: Related Educational Activities)

On an ongoing and continuous basis, the challenge will be to remain cognizant of nascent opportunities to create new academic programs in response to community interest and need and to take advantage of the opportunity to develop appropriately those areas that are most promising. Further, the College will be challenged to continue to promote enrollment growth of

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existing programs while exercising sound judgment in the discontinuance of programs that no longer evidence vitality. At the same time, the College will remain vigilant to the challenge posed by both in-state and out-of-state institutions, including distance education programs, with which the College competes for student enrollments. Finally, it is anticipated that promoting the use of effective teaching and learning strategies, including those supported by advanced voice, video, and data technologies, will enhance opportunities for faculty growth and vitality initiatives over the next several years.

8. Strengthen Transferability and Maximize Academic Partnerships (Standard 13:Related Educational Activities)

The opportunity and challenge confronting the College will be to optimize the utility and effectiveness of existing (and newly created) academic partnerships with four-year institutions. Over the next 3-5 years, the College expects to strengthen its capacity to provide students with cost-effective, high quality and seamless transfer opportunities to pursue their post- associate’s degree educational aspirations.

9. Expand Linkages with Business and Industry and Joint Military Base (Standard13: Related Educational Activities)

The challenge of expanding linkages with business and industry in order to facilitate the development and timely delivery of relevant training/learning activities, which address the workforce development needs of the business and industry community of Burlington County, will remain of high importance.

The college will pursue opportunities to increase educational opportunities for active military personnel and their spouses and dependents at Joint Military Base as the College works to develop managed learning systems that can be tailored to the individualized needs of the military student, including e-advising.

10. Sustain Advances Made in Evaluating Institutional Effectiveness andStudent Learning and Enhance the Institutional Culture of Assessment (Standard 7: Institutional Assessment and Standard 14: Assessment of Student Learning)

In the last five years, the College has made significant advancements in developing and maintaining a shared culture of assessment that is strongly rooted in the empirical measurement of institutional effectiveness and student learning outcomes. The College will continue to refine its assessment procedures and tools, provide the necessary professional development to faculty and staff to implement them, and further embed the principle of assessment and continuous improvement within the cultural fabric of the institution. The College will also continue to promote and model both the analysis and use of assessment data in planning and resource allocation, as well as sustain and strengthen the linkages that have already been forged in the assessment, planning, budgeting, resource allocation and re-assessment sequence to further embed that process into the institutional culture.

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11. Enhance External and Internal Communication Systems (Standard 2: Planning,Resource Allocation and Institutional Renewal, Standard 4: Leadership, and Governance, and Standard 6: Integrity)

The positive advancements in the institutional culture of assessment (including the use of assessment data) have been matched by increased spirits of collegiality and collaboration among the faculty and staff, which help the College move forward in its efforts at institutional renewal and continuous improvement. We face a challenge, however, to enhance both the external communication (e.g., using the College website to promote the institutional mission, goals, and objectives to external audiences) and internal communication systems (e.g., disseminating information about College policies and procedures and governance issues to staff and students). Much has been achieved regarding our communication systems in the last few years (including live streaming of Post Board meetings), but this remains very much a work in progress.

12. More Fully Develop Institutional Capacity for Productivity and Efficiency(Standard 10: Faculty)

In pursuit of the goal for institutional renewal and continuous improvement, over the next 3-5 years, the College must improve and enhance its capacity for productivity and efficiency by fully developing its in-house professional development systems and approaches. In addition to responding to rapidly increasing federal and state regulatory compliance mandates, such training will also help to enhance staff capacity to identify and respond to students’ needs in a timely manner.

13. Address the Current Full-time/Part-time Faculty Balance (Standard 10:Faculty)

A longstanding challenge has been achieving a balance in the ratio of full-time and part-time (adjunct) faculty. The continued utilization of high numbers of adjunct faculty places a strain on the time and resources necessary to appropriately train them to ensure consistency and quality of instruction, including the continuing effort to build a culture of reflection on teaching among adjunct faculty. The recent commitment by the College’s Board of Trustees for the addition of two new full-time faculty lines per year has helped to address the issue of reliance on adjunct faculty. This too remains very much a work in progress.

14. Continue to Rely on Student Enrollment and Tuition Revenue as aSignificant Factor in the College’s Fiscal Operations. (Standard 3: Institutional Resources)

Given the vagaries of an uncertain economic climate and future as well as its impact on federal, state, and local funding, for the foreseeable future the College will continue to rely on student enrollment and tuition revenue as a significant factor in its planning of fiscal operations.

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15. Sustain the Progress that has been Achieved in Addressing the CollegeReadiness of New Incoming Students (Standard 8: Student Admissions and Retention)

Two-year and four-year colleges and universities throughout the nation face a continuing challenge of providing for under-prepared students who spend considerable time and money on developmental education coursework as a prerequisite to enrolling in credit-bearing courses and programs. Burlington County College, like its counterpart institutions of higher education, has made significant progress in addressing this challenge. With a variety of initiatives (e.g., bridge programs, early assessment, first-year experience programs, etc.), the College continues to work to transition under-prepared students into credit-bearing courses and programs. Nevertheless, the college readiness issue remains a formidable challenge for most colleges and universities in the U.S.

16. Continue to Explore Strategies for Tracking Graduates and Alumni (Standard9: Student Support Services)

Tracking recent graduates and older alumni of the College has been a longstanding challenge. Nevertheless, the College has made significant progress in learning about the educational and employment paths of its former students. The College currently uses a Pending Graduation Survey to collect information from soon-to-be-graduates about their immediate plans for continuing education or career path pursuits. Moreover, the College subscribes to the National Student Clearinghouse and is currently exploring purchasing the LinkedIn® database to facilitate communication with graduates and alumni. In the next 3-5 years, the College will continue to explore other strategies and methods of keeping abreast of its graduates.

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SECTION 4

ENROLLMENT AND FINANCE TRENDS AND PROJECTIONS

Introduction Burlington County College’s Strategic Financial Plan and Guiding Principles asserts the principles of accountability, measurability and financial integrity that apply to the management of the College’s financial resources to fulfill its mission of providing affordably priced, high quality educational programs and services to the residents of Burlington County. The institution’s Enrollment Management Plan (2013-2018) expresses the College’s enrollment goals for the next five academic years and details strategies and programs that are intended to provide guidance and support to achieve these targets. Both plans, which share a common set of core assumptions, inform this chapter of the Periodic Review Report, Enrollment and Finance Trends and Projections. 1

Enrollment History: Fall and Spring, 2009-2013 Fall Term Enrollment Mix. The College’s Fall enrollment has fluctuated somewhat over the past five years, increasing from 9,693 students in the Fall 2009 to 10,278 in the Fall 2011, only to decline again to 9,570 in the Fall 2013. The number of credit hours generated by Fall semester students understandably followed essentially a similar pattern over the same five-year period, increasing from 98,287 in the Fall 2009 to 103,322 in the Fall 2011, only to decline to 95,418 in Fall 2013. The percentage of full-time students (headcounts), however, declined steadily over this period of time, from 56% in the Fall 2009 to 51% in the Fall 2013. It is noteworthy, however, that the full-time/part-time ratio of Fall students (headcounts) has stabilized at 51%/49% over the past two years. These data are clearly illustrated in the tables and figures that follow immediately.

10th Day Enrollment by Student Status 5-Year Headcount Trend Fall 2009 - Fall 2013 Enrollment

Status 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 1-year change

2-year change

Full-time 5,445 (56%)

5,575 (55%)

5,483 (53%)

5,129 (51%)

4,910 (51%)

-4.3 % -10.5 %

Part-time 4,248 (44%)

4,516 (45%)

4,795 (47%)

4,942 (49%)

4,660 (49%)

-5.7 % -2.8 %

Total 9,693 10,091 10,278 10,071 9,570 -5.0 % -6.9 %

1 These assumptions are more fully discussed in the documents included in the Appendix to this report and are incorporated by reference in this document.

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10th Day Credit Hours by Student Status 5-Year Credit Hour Trend Fall 2009 - Fall 2013 Enrollment

Status 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 1-Year Change

2-Year Change

Full-time 72,028 73,644 72,757 68,076 65,249 - 4.2% - 10.3 % Part-time 26,259 28,308 30,565 31,834 30,169 - 5.2% -1.3 % Total 98,287 101,952 103,322 99,910 95,418 - 4.5% -7.6 %

Spring Term Enrollment Mix. The College’s Spring enrollment has followed the same pattern as has been observed for the Fall enrollments. Spring enrollments have fluctuated over the past five years, increasing from 8,575 students in the Spring 2009 to 9,894 in the Spring 2011, only to decrease again to 9,344 in the Spring 2013. The number of credit hours generated by Spring semester students understandably followed essentially a similar pattern over the same 5-year period, increasing from 83,044 in the Spring 2009 to 97,826 in the Spring 2011, only to decrease again to 90,842 in Spring 2013. The percentage of full-time students (headcounts), however, generally declined over this period of time, from 49% in the Spring 2009 to 47% in the Spring 2013. These data are clearly illustrated in the tables and figures that follow immediately.

10th Day Enrollment Headcount

10th Day Enrollment Headcount by Student Attendance Status Spring 2008-Spring 2013

Enrollment Status 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 1-Year

% Change 2-Year

% Change

Full-time 4,241 (49%)

4,851 (53%)

4,969 (50%)

4,708 (48%)

4,406 (47%) -6.4% -11.3%

Part-time 4,334 (51%)

4,365 (47%)

4,925 (50%)

5,194 (52%)

4,938 (53% -4.9% 0.3%

Total 8,575 9,216 9,894 9,902 9,344 -5.6% -5.6%

10th Day Enrollment Credit Hours

10th Day Enrollment Credit Hours by Student Attendance Status Spring 2008-Spring 2013

Enrollment Status 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 1-Year

% Change 2-Year

% Change Full-time 57,138 64,998 66,713 63,089 59,399 -5.8% -11.0% Part-time 25,906 26,945 31,113 32,924 31,443 -4.5% 1.1% Total 83,044 91,943 97,826 96,013 90,842 -5.4% -7.1%

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Difference between Fall and Spring Enrollments. Headcount enrollments and credit hours generated have generally been higher in the Fall than in the succeeding Spring semesters. In the Spring 2010, there were approximately 5% fewer students enrolled (-477) than in the Fall 2009, and in the Spring 2011, there were 2% fewer students enrolled (-197) than in the Fall 2010. By the Spring 2012, however, there were 3.7% fewer students enrolled (-376) than in the Fall 2011, and in the Spring 2013, there were 7.2% fewer students enrolled (-727) than in the Fall 2012.

Similarly, the total credit hours generated by full-time and part-time students generally decreased between Fall and Spring of each academic year. In 2009-10, the total number of credit hours generated by full- and part-time students declined from 98,287 to 91,943; in 2010-11, the credit hours declined from 101,952 to 97,826; in 2011-12, credit hours declined from 103,322 to 96,013; and in 2012-13, credit hours declined from 99,910 to 90,842.

Analysis and Discussion of Enrollment Data (2009-2013) In the following sub-section of this PRR, we introduce a number of key assumptions that have guided our enrollment projections and targets for the next five academic years. These assumptions are predicated on the conclusions that we have reached as a result of a careful analysis of the enrollment data and trends that are discussed above. Among these conclusions are the following:

• Headcount enrollments at the College have fluctuated over the past five years, mostrecently showing declines in the number of both full-time and part-time students inprevious two years.

• The number of student credit hours generated has experienced a similar fluctuationamong both full-time and part-time students, again showing declines in the previous twoyears.

• Declines in both total student headcount enrollment and total credit hours generated havealso been observed between Fall and Spring terms. In AY 2011-12, the difference in totalstudent headcount between Fall and Spring was -3.7%, and the difference in total credithours generated between Fall and Spring was -7.1%. In AY 2012-13, the differenceswere -7.25% and -9.1%, respectively.

• Among the most significant factors in the past five years that have contributed to thesefluctuations and declines have been (a) a slowdown in the local and regional economyresulting in higher rates of unemployment, (b) a shrinking pool of graduating seniors and(c) competition from four-year institutions, including for-profit institutions and distancelearning programs.

In the paragraphs that follow, we describe some key assumptions about future enrollments, and we make specific projections and targets for future enrollments for the next 5-year period (2013-14 through 2017-18).

Enrollment Projections: Academic Years 2013-14 through 2017-18

The following key assumptions have guided the development of the following enrollment projections for the period 2014-2018.

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1. Mission. The fundamental mission of Burlington County College, which is to offer anaffordably priced comprehensive community college with high quality credit and non-credit programs and courses for residents of Burlington County, will continue to guide the College for the current decade.

2. Population to be Served. The population to be recruited and served by the College willcontinue to mirror the racial, ethnic, and interest diversity that is characteristic of Burlington County. Accordingly, the College’s population is expected to be primarily Caucasian (60%), Black (20%), Asian (4%), bi/multi-racial (3%), other (13%).

3. Relevance of Economic Conditions. Community college enrollments are influenced, notinsignificantly, by the vitality of the local and regional economy. Accordingly, enrollments will typically decline in a robust economy with high employment rates and will typically increase when the economy weakens and experiences high unemployment rates. Accordingly, over the next 3-5 years, as the economy “picks up speed,” it is projected that student enrollment demand (absent pro-active recruitment/retention measures) will soften, especially within the 21-30 year-old age bracket.

4. Workforce Development Needs. The nature of both work and the workplace will continue toevidence the requirement for a highly trained, technologically proficient workforce. Therefore, the College will continue to concentrate on strengthening its leadership role and capacity to address and meet the economic and workforce training/educational needs of the county and region.

5. Geographical Access. The College will continue to offer programs and courses in severallocations with adequately sized and equipped facilities that provide convenient geographical access for students throughout the county. Full Time Equivalent credit hours will continue to be spread out through Mt. Laurel (50%), Pemberton (24%), Willingboro (6%), Mt. Holly (2%), Joint Military Base (1%) and other locations (1%). Nearly 16% will be taken online.

6. Technological Infrastructure and Capacity. Over the next 3-5 years, the College willsignificantly upgrade its technological infrastructure and strengthen materially its instructional delivery capacity. This improved technology will help the College to enhance both classroom-based and distance education instruction and potentially increase retention of existing students and attract new students.

7. Modes of Communication. The “explosion” in social networking platforms, coupled withtechnological advances in the modes of communication widely available to the general population, especially wireless and hand-held devices, will materially influence how the College communicates with students and the public. This too will potentially help increase both retention and marketing efforts.

8. Fall Term Enrollment Mix. Full-time student enrollment is more sensitive to unemploymentrate fluctuations than part-time enrollment. Therefore, the College’s Fall term enrollment ratio of full-time to part-time students is projected to change incrementally from 51%-49% to 50%-50%

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over the next 3-5 academic years.

9. Fall Term Average Credit Load. Given that the average credit hour load for Fall semester full-time students has remained stable at approximately 13 credits and the average credit hour load for Fall semester part-time students has remained fairly stable at approximately six credits between 2008-2013, the average Fall term credit load maintained by full-time and part-time students is projected to remain stable at approximately 13 credit hours for full-time students and approximately 6 credit hours for part-time students over the next three to five academic years.

10. Spring Term Enrollment Mix. The College’s Spring term enrollment ratio of full-time topart-time students is projected to remain stable at approximately 47% for full-time students and 53% for part-time students over the next 3-5 academic years.

11. Spring Term Average Credit Load. Given that the average credit hour load for Springsemester full-time students has remained steady at approximately 13credits and the average credit hour load for Spring semester part-time students has remained fairly stable at six credits between 2008-2013, the average Spring term credit load maintained by full-time and part-time students is projected to remain stable at approximately 13 credit hours for full-time students and approximately 6 credit hours for part-time students over the next 3-5 academic years.

12. Tuition Reliance. For the foreseeable future, tuition income will continue to remain a centralrevenue source of funding for the College’s educational expenses.

13. Tuition Pricing. As a matter of conviction, policy, and competitive advantage, tuition and feerate increases above current year (FY14) rates will, absent unforeseeable circumstances, remain constrained and limited (i.e., not to exceed 4%) over the next 3-5 academic years.

14. Competition for Enrollment. Competition from public and private four-year institutions,including for-profit institutions and distance learning programs, will remain an escalating threat to the College’s enrollment sustainability and growth over this and the coming decade, especially in the area of tuition discounting and online, web-based instructional programs and courses.

15. High School – College Going Rate (CGR). Over the next 3-5 academic years, the College’sshare of the “college-going” high school senior (graduates) will remain in a range of 20%-25%, as competition from four-year institutions is expected to remain strong.

16. First-Time Students: Traditional vs. Non-Traditional Students.2 Anticipating that proactiveenrollment management strategies can achieve greater penetration among Burlington County high school seniors over the next three to five academic years, the percentage of first-time traditional students is expected to increase on average 2%-3% per year.

17. College-Level Preparedness of First-Time Full-Time (FTFT) Students. The College projectsthat the need to provide approximately 60% (7 out of 10) FTFT students with remedial courses

2 High school students who enroll in college immediately following (June) graduation are considered traditional students, while non-traditional students are those who enroll more than one year after their high school graduation.

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and related support services (e.g., tutoring) will continue for the foreseeable future.

18. Financial Aid Outlook. The College anticipates that the composition of student aid recipients,FAFSA filers, and the overall demand and dependence on financial aid will remain strong and evidence continuous expansion.

19. Recruitment and Retention. The College anticipates that, with proactive effort, recruitmentand student “success” (i.e., retention and graduation rates) will remain stable.

The projections and targets for the period AY2012-13 through AY2017-18 are set forth below on a term-by-term basis, excluding summer session. These projections (increases of 1%-2% per year) are intended to serve as a guide for enrollment managers and will be used as a basis for fiscal and academic planning. They are predicated upon the College’s continuing strategic goals and objectives, an analysis and understanding of recent historical enrollment trends and future recruiting and marketing plans (including increasing the applicant pool, applicant yield and student persistence) that are discussed in greater detail in the Enrollment Management Plan (2013-2018).

Fall Projected Enrollment

Fall Headcount (HDCT) Projected Enrollment. The College’s Fall term 10th day headcount is projected to stabilize in the range of 9,500-9,750 students through AY 2014-15 and then increase incrementally 1%-2% through the next 3-5 years.

Academic Year Fall AY 12-13 AY 13-14 AY 14-15 AY 15-16 AY16-17 AY 17-18

Actual 10,071 9,570

Projected Increase 0% 9,570 9,570 9,570 9,570

Projected increase 1% 9,666 9,762 9,860 9,959

Projected increase 2% 9,761 9,957 10,156 10,359

Fall Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Projected Enrollment. The College’s Fall term FTE is projected to stabilize in the range of 6,350-6,500 students through AY 2014-15 and then increase incrementally 1%-2% through the next 3-5 years.

Academic Year Fall AY 12-13 AY 13-14 AY 14-15 AY 15-16 AY16-17 AY 17-18

Actual 6,660 6,361

Projected Increase 0% 6,361 6,361 6,361 6,361

Projected increase 1% 6,425 6,489 6,554 6,619

Projected increase 2% 6,488 6,618 6,750 6,885

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Spring Projected Enrollment

Spring Headcount (HDCT) Projected Enrollment. The College’s Spring term 10th day headcount is projected to stabilize in the range of 8,800-9,000 students through AY 2014-15 and then increase incrementally 1%-2% through the next 3-5 years.

Academic Year Spring AY 12-13 AY 13-14 AY 14-15 AY 15-16 AY16-17 AY 17-18

Actual 9,344 8,804

Projected Increase 0% 8,804 8,804 8,804 8,804

Projected increase 1% 8,892 8,980 9,070 9,161

Projected increase 2% 8,980 9,159 9,342 9,529

Spring Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Projected Enrollment. The College’s Spring term FTE is projected to stabilize in the range of 5,850 to 6,000 students through AY 2014-15 and then increase incrementally 1%-2% through the next 3-5 years.

Academic Year Spring AY 12-13 AY 13-14 AY 14-15 AY 15-16 AY16-17 AY 17-18

Actual 6,056 5,852

Projected increase 0% 5,852 5,852 5,852 5,852

Projected increase 1% 5,910 5,969 6,029 6,089

Projected increase 2% 5,969 6,088 6,210 6,334

Projected Total Annual Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Enrollment. The table immediately following shows the projected, total annual FTE enrollment forecast for the College through AY 2017-18. Total annual enrollment is reported in the annual audit and forms the basis for calculating tuition and fee income. Annual enrollment data includes summer school, which historically has added 12% to the total annual credits awarded by the College.

Year AY 12-13 AY 13-14 AY 14-15 AY 15-16 AY16-17 AY 17-18

Actual FTE 7,928 Projected increase 0% 7,928 7,928 7,928 7,928 7,928 Projected increase 1% 8,008 8,088 8,169 8,250 8,333 Projected increase 2% 8,087 8,248 8,413 8,582 8,753

Revenue and Sources of Income Fiscal planning efforts undertaken by the College in FY08 and FY09 focused on anticipating a decline in fiscal support by accumulating a sufficient fund balance to enable the College to “weather” a projected period of fiscal austerity expected to occur within the FY10 - FY13 time frame. Three main factors heavily influenced the College’s planning in the period: (1) a projected, significant reduction in county support that was likely to occur as a result of local economic conditions; (2) a spike in enrollment related to elevated unemployment rates; and (3) a

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peak in high school graduates in FY11 and FY12 and a subsequent decline in this population thereafter through the remainder of the decade. The following table provides a summary of the College’s operating revenue and indicates the importance of tuition and fees as revenue offsets to county funding reduction(s).

Revenue and Sources of Income Summary of Operating Revenue Audited Financial Statements ($000)

Revenue in $000s FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY 12 FY 13

County 12,040 12,040 7,040 4,740 500 500 State 7,997 7,383 6,983 6,930 7,147 6,957

Tuition 13,395 15,184 18,852 21,265 21,607 20,987 Fees 4,456 4,933 6,616 8,237 8,339 8.180

Other income 2,064 2,084 2,942 3,338 3,897 2,860 Non-credit 442 417 449 208 243 220

Total 40,394 42,041 42,882 44,718 41,733 39,704

As noted earlier, the College anticipated a period of fiscal austerity and took steps to ensure that its mission delivery was not negatively impacted by building a surplus and managing spending prudently. Accordingly, during the period FY08 - FY11, operating revenues purposely exceeded operating expenses. From FY12 - FY14, the College relied on its fund balance reserves to augment expenses. Notwithstanding this period of fiscal austerity/prudence, the College continued to match its priorities with resources, as evidenced in the table below, which shows that the largest increase in spending was in the instructional category of expense, which increased approximately 25.3% from FY08 to FY13. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that the College ranked first among New Jersey county colleges from FY10 through FY12 in lowest cost per FTE student while still providing quality instruction and support.

Summary of Educational and General Expense Audited Financial Expense ($000) E & G Expenditures FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12 FY13

Instruction 12,542 12,832 13,447 14,628 15,455 15,713 Institutional Support 9,568 10,642 9,449 9,728 9,901 8,783

Student Services 3,478 4,557 4,069 4,474 4,529 4,712 Ext/Public Service 1,865 1,671 1,718 1,489 1,538 1,154 Academic Support 2,276 2,513 2,515 2,894 2,865 3,141 Plant Operations 6,500 7,126 6,944 6,916 7,563 7,156

Total 36,229 39,341 38,142 40,129 41,851 40,659

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Operating Expenses

Fund Balances The College’s unrestricted fund balances as of the fiscal year shown are presented below.

Category ($000) FY093 FY104 FY11 FY12 FY13 Undesignated 4,131 4,776 12,446 5,508 2,966 Designated 3,000 - - - - • Carry Forward - 939 4,160 6,576 4,977 • Capital Projects - 2,325 - 1,200 1,074 • Willingboro Renovations - - - 366 - • Contingencies - - - 200 - • Debt Service - - - 2,508 2,508 • Deferred Maintenance & CCR - - - - 1,137 • Institutional Renewal - - - - 220

TOTAL 7,131 8,040 16,606 16,358 12,882

Fund Balance Discussion

Burlington County College has strived for annual revenues to exceed operating costs in order to: (1) reserve funds for strategic purposes; (2) address related institutional priorities; and (3) hedge against any unanticipated downturn in subsequent years’ revenue. In FY13, for example, $4.98 million or roughly 40% of the unrestricted fund balance was designated as carry forward and allocated in the FY14 budget as an offset to projected revenue shortfalls resulting from a projected reduction of county government financial support. Other designated reserve funds have been allocated in FY14 to address institutional renewal measures identified through outcomes assessment and strategic plan initiatives. Moreover, $1.1 million (9%) was designated in the FY13 fund balance to undertake a reduction in a substantial deferred maintenance backlog, which had built up as a result of underfunding this budget line in previous years.5

Analysis and Discussion of Financial Data In the following section of this PRR, we introduce a number of guiding principles and key operating assumptions that have guided our revenue and expenditure projections for the next five fiscal years. These assumptions are predicated on the conclusions that we have reached as a result of a careful analysis of the financial data and trends that have been presented above. Among these conclusions are the following:

1. In the face of difficult economic times and in light of the fact that the College demonstrated

3 FY09 audited statements also reserved $4.7 million in a restricted, quasi-endowment fund. In subsequent years, this restricted quasi-endowment (balances) was discontinued and allocated to the unrestricted fund balance. 4 FY10 audited statements also reserved $4.3 million in a restricted, quasi-endowment fund for capital projects. In subsequent years, this restricted quasi-endowment (balances) was discontinued and allocated to the unrestricted fund balance. 5 Please refer to Section 6, Linking Institutional Planning and Budgeting Processes, for an additional discussion of matching institutional priorities with institutional resources.

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considerable foresight in planning for austerity by building up a substantial reserve fund, the County steadily reduced its allocation to the College from approximately $12 million in FY08 to $500,000 in FY12, FY13 and FY14. Since then, however, the County has committed to an allocation of $1million in FY15, $2 million in FY16, and $4 million in FY17.

2. Over the same period of time, state allocations were also reduced somewhat, declining from$7.9 million in FY08 to $6.9 million in FY13.

3. In response to these reductions in county and state revenues, the College increased its tuitionand fees rates. Concurrently, the College relied on its reserves to sustain itself during this challenging period of time.

4. The fiscal challenges (as well as those resultant from enrollment declines) described abovenotwithstanding, the College continued to meet all of its obligations – financial and academic – and continued to pursue its mission and achieve its goals and objectives. In fact, during the period of FY08 and FY13, the College increased its expenditures for instruction by 25.3%, for student services by 30.2%, for academic support by 25.8% and for plant operations by 10.1%.

In the paragraphs that follow, we describe some guiding principles and key operating assumptions about our financial future, and we make specific projections for future revenues and expenditures for the 5-year period FY13 – FY17.

Five-Year Budget Projections The College’s budget projections are built upon: (1) guidance provided by its Strategic Financial Plan and Guiding Principles, (2) a set of key operating assumptions that are applicable to both enrollment and fiscal planning and (3) a number of finance-specific assumptions, such as increased faculty staffing levels, etc. (See also Section 2, Progress on Institutional Recommendations from the 2008 Self-Study, Standard 2, Planning, Resource Allocation, and Institutional Renewal)

Strategic Financial Guiding Principles

The Strategic Financial Plan and Guiding Principles expresses 15 guiding principles (grouped in three categories), which are intended to advance sound financial conditions and obtain for the College a sustainable, long-term financial capacity to effectively match institutional resources and priorities. These guiding principles are:

Affordability 1. The College’s tuition and fee structure will remain in the lowest 20% of all communitycolleges in the state.

2. Degree and certificate programs that carry exceptional delivery costs will be examined todetermine the appropriateness of differential tuition and fee schedules.

3. Overall growth in the budget for both FY15 and FY16 will be developed in line withexpectations for a relatively flat enrollment for FY15 and then an increase of 1%-2% per year

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thereafter over the next 3-5 years. Growth rates in expenditures will not exceed growth rates in revenues and will be consistent with growth rates in inflation, including fixed costs such as collective bargaining agreements and health benefits.

4. Student tuition and fees as a percentage of overall college revenues should decreasethroughout the period.

5. The College will continue to strive to achieve appropriate allocations of funding of theoperational costs for the College among students, government, and miscellaneous auxiliary resources.

Efficiency 6. The College will deliver high quality credit and non-credit programs in a cost-effectivemanner.

7. The College will match institutional spending with institutional priorities, based on verifiableevidence of the assessment of institutional effectiveness and student learning assessment and outcomes and will create an Institutional Renewal Fund to assist in strategic budgeting.

8. The College will strengthen instructional capacity by increasing the level of spending ininstruction and academic support and moving toward the average expenditures in these areas for all community colleges in the state. The College will seek to reduce and/or contain basic operating, infrastructure, and institutional support costs and move toward the average expenditures in these areas for all community colleges in the state.

9. The College will conduct a facilities needs assessment to determine excess capacity and takesteps to reduce square footage or to maximize space utilization with projected needs.

Financial Stewardship 10. The College will ensure institutional sustainability and mission vitality by carrying out an on-going assessment of operating performance including instructional delivery.

11. The College will address its long-term capital renewal needs and preserve the functionalityand financial value of its physical assets by establishing designated reserve funds in its unrestricted current fund including a minor capital reserve; a deferred maintenance and facilities renewal reserve; and a facilities improvement reserve sufficient to meet future needs.

12. The College will establish and maintain an unrestricted contingency fund of at least 3% of itsoperating budget to address unanticipated revenue shortfalls.

13. The College will seek to strengthen its financial base by working to maximize self-generatedrevenue. The College will require a reasonable and responsible business plan for each auxiliary operation to ensure that an adequate return on investment is produced.

14. The College will conduct ongoing program reviews of all academic and non-credit programsto ensure continued viability.

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15. The College will create an institutional renewal fund to link institutional strategic priorities(as established through institutional effectiveness data) with available funds.

Operating and Other Assumptions

In addition to these guiding principles, development of the four-year financial projection was guided by a number of operating and other assumptions. These assumptions are noted below.

1. FY14 revenue targets, including enrollment-based tuition and fee income, will be achieved.

2. FY15-FY17 enrollment targets will assume flat enrollments in FY15 and 1%-2% enrollmentgrowth in FY16 and FY17.

3. Tuition rates will increase at a rate of no more than 4% in FY15, 4% in FY16, and 4% inFY17; fee rates will remain stable through this period.

4. State funding support will remain relatively flat throughout the period.

5. County funding support will remain at the FY13 level appropriation in FY14 and thereafterincrease in subsequent fiscal years to: $1 million in FY15; $2 million in FY16; and $4 million in FY17.

6. Debt service payments of $2,508,091 will be reimbursed to the County in FY14 and thencontinue at $2,269,000 through FY17.

7. Other/miscellaneous income, which includes rentals, investment, and other sources, willincrease 1.5% annually from FY14-FY17.

8. The College will apply unrestricted current fund balances (surplus) accumulated in prior yearsto offset/augment operating budget requirements in subsequent fiscal year(s), provided that the College maintains an unrestricted current fund balance equal to at least 3% of its operating budget in the fiscal year.

9. Designated unrestricted fund balance reserves in FY13: minor capital ($1,074,273); deferredmaintenance and capital renewal and replacement (CRR) ($1,137,037); and facilities improvement ($0). The facilities improvement fund will increase by $220,000 annually.

10. Annual Operating Expenses will increase for instructional areas (Instruction and AcademicSupport) at a rate of 1.75% annually and for non-instructional areas at a rate of 1.5% annually throughout the period (based on FY14 projections).

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Financial Plan Summary ($000) Revenue ($000) FY13 FY14 FY15 FY16 FY17

County 500 500 1,000 2,000 4,000 State 6,957 6,950 6,953 6,957 6,960 Tuition 21,204 20,769 21,599 22,912 24,305 Fees 8,180 8,058 8,058 8,219 8,384 Other income 2,863 2,535 2,573 2,612 2,651 Revenue 39,704 38,812 40,183 42,700 46,300

Expenses ($000) FY13 FY14 FY15 FY16 FY17 Instruction 15,713 16,217 16,500 16,788 17,081 Institutional Support 8,783 8,959 9,093 9,229 9,367 Student Services 4,713 4,907 4,980 5,054 5,129 Ext/Public Service 1,154 802 814 826 838 Academic Support 3,141 3,204 3,252 3,308 3,365 Plant Operations 7,156 7,347 7,475 7,587 7,700 Sub-Total Expenses 40,660 41,436 42,114 42,792 43,480 County Debt Service Obligation 2,508 2,508 2,269 2,269 2,269 Auxiliary Fund Operations (177) (200) (300) (400) (500) Plant Fund Operations 409 100 100 100 100 Total Expenses 43,400 43,844 44,183 44,761 45,349 Appropriated Fund Balance 3,696 5,031 4,000 2,061 (951) Total Unrestricted Fund Balance 12,662 7,631 3,631 1,570 2,521

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SECTION 5

ORGANIZED AND SUSTAINED PROCESSES TO ASSESS INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS AND STUDENT

LEARNING

Assessing Institutional Effectiveness (See also Section 2, Progress on Institutional Recommendations from the 2008 Self-Study, Standard 7, Institutional Assessment)

Institutional effectiveness is a best practice that focuses on continuous process of assessing and making improvements by all of the institution’s divisional units. The College’s Institutional Effectiveness Plans (IEPs) are based on a clearly defined mission, vision statements and goals, which are supported by the College’s institutional mapping strategies for the future. Periodic assessment of these strategies and each division’s/unit’s objectives/outcomes are conducted on an annual basis using quantitative and qualitative data. The results are collected and analyzed and are used for improvement immediately following the end of the fiscal year. Improvement initiatives can be implemented at any point throughout the cycle. Assessment may be characterized as the third element of a four-step planning-assessment cycle:

1. Defining clearly articulated institutional and unit-level goals;2. Implementing strategies to achieve those goals;3. Assessing achievement of those goals; and4. Using the results of those assessments to improve programs and services, and inform planning

and resource allocation decisions.

The overall effectiveness of the College rests upon the contribution that each of its programs and services makes toward achieving its goals as a whole. Standard 7 (Institutional Assessment), therefore, builds upon all other accreditation standards, each of which includes periodic assessment of effectiveness as one of its fundamental elements. This standard ties together those assessments into an integrated whole to answer the question, “As an institutional community, how well are we collectively doing what we say we are doing?” and, in particular, “How do we support student learning, a fundamental aspect of institutional effectiveness?”

At the very core of the assessment of institutional effectiveness are the College’s mission and goals, as follows.

Institutional Mission Statement Burlington County College, a comprehensive community college, provides all individuals access to affordable and quality education.

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Institutional Goals 1. To provide an educational experience that encourages the individual to think critically and to

examine and clarify ethical, personal, and political values. 2. To prepare individuals for transfer to four-year colleges, for employment in business and industry,

and for new career skills. 3. To enable individuals to strengthen their academic skills through adaptive learning, counseling,

and academic support. 4. To enrich the quality of life by sponsoring cultural, recreational, and personal interest activities

through an extensive program of community and continuing education. 5. To engage in partnerships with the private and public sectors and to implement programs that

address their identified employment needs. 6. To provide state-of-the-art technologies in the education and training of all individuals through an

appropriate mix of delivery systems.

Process for Assessing Institutional Effectiveness Throughout the ongoing academic and fiscal year, the annual goals that have been assigned and promulgated by the president and senior staff and initiated by the divisions/units are reported on using the Dashboard Tracking of Institutional Effectiveness Goals report. On a quarterly basis, each division/unit reports continuing progress on the achievement of each assigned goal and action step. Progress is reported in increments of goal set, initial progress (33%), substantial progress (66%), and completed. Though this reporting mechanism is inexact and qualitative, it provides visibility and feedback on College-wide goal attainment during the year to all College stakeholders.

Near the end of the academic and fiscal year, planning and budgetary outcomes are collected and analyzed by each division/unit head and budget office. Every goal has an IEP, and every IEP states the intended outcomes, reports the actual outcomes, and contains a reflection by the division/unit head to address, and explain any difference between the intended and actual outcomes. Ultimately, the outcomes should contain a recommendation for using what was learned during the planning and budget cycle for improvement.

When reporting outcomes, the deans/division heads/unit managers may use self-generated quantitative and qualitative data and information. The College’s Office of Institutional Research (OIR) and the Office of Institutional Assessment generate extensive college-wide outcomes that are applicable to academic and institutional offices and initiatives throughout the institution. These outcomes are ongoing, systematic and often benchmarked to provide external comparison.

The College offers the following external data sources for outcomes assessment: the Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory (SSI), the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE), the Survey of Entering Student Engagement (SENSE), SUMMAs – student evaluations of instructional performance (aggregated to avoid individual disclosure), academic program reviews, program assessments and course assessments. These established and ongoing assessment data sources provide robust information resources to inform outcome and assessment efforts. In many cases, each program can be parsed so that the visibility of performance may be generated at very detailed levels, thus providing viable outcomes for most populations, programs

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and ad hoc endeavors. All divisions/units are strongly encouraged to use these College-generated data sources in assessing their goals.

At the conclusion of the year, all divisions/units close out their IEPs with outcomes and reflections that were achieved, and they send the completed reports to the College’s assessment coordinator. The reports are collated and compiled into a year-end Institutional Effectiveness Report, which documents all IEP outcomes for the recently concluded year. Copies of the report are provided to the president, provost, vice presidents, senior staff and planning and budget officers. Copies are also made available to College stakeholders. The Institutional Effectiveness Report is an important reference for constructing and prioritizing goals in subsequent years. It “closes the loop” on the previous year’s planning, budgeting process and outcomes to provide feedback necessary to renew institutional planning and goal development that will drive future college-wide operations and performance.

Assessing Student Learning Outcomes (See also Section 2, Progress on Institutional Recommendations from the 2008 Self-Study, Standard 14, Assessment of Student Learning.

At BCC, all academic programs must complete student outcomes assessments on an annual basis. The College has been diligent in its efforts to collect assessment data and create new opportunities to assess curricular processes and products along with a strong emphasis on academic trends and issues. The final product of these processes is verifiable evidence of student achievement in knowledge, skills and critical thinking. The results of this assessment process are used to improve program quality, provide validation to internal and external audiences about program vitality and quality, and aid in achieving the College’s mission and goals. The learning outcomes assessment loop is illustrated below.

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Assessment Cycle Loop The following illustration depicts the steps in developing and implementing the College’s overall assessment plan. The process is intentionally circular in order to evoke the idea of continual improvement.

The College’s Operational Definition of Student Learning Outcomes Assessment The College operationally defines student learning outcomes assessment as an ongoing process aimed at understanding and improving student learning. By making its expectations for learning explicit, clearly articulating course and program outcomes and providing purposeful opportunities for students to achieve, the College creates opportunities to collect, analyze and interpret assessments of student learning. The results of those assessments are used to support the college mission, improve teaching and learning, plan for resource allocation, and provide validation to internal and external constituencies.

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Mission Statement for Assessment BCC is committed to student outcomes assessment. Results of assessment are used to support the college mission, improve teaching and learning, plan for resource allocation, and provide validation to internal and external constituencies.

Assessment Goals 1. Create a sustainable college climate for assessing student learning outcomes.2. Support and encourage flexible approaches to assessment.3. Provide training for the assessment process to all full-time and part-time faculty members.4. Use assessment results to support the college mission, improve teaching and learning, plan for

resource allocation, and provide validation to internal and external constituencies.

Assessment Objectives 1. BCC will provide the human, financial and physical resources needed to implement andsustain the student outcomes assessment process.

2. BCC will embed assessment of student learning outcomes into the curriculum developmentprocess.

3. BCC will provide ongoing professional development opportunities for faculty and academicadministrators in the area of student learning outcomes assessment.

4. BCC will establish a professional development institute that will emphasize student learningoutcomes assessment.

Assessment Process for Student Learning Outcomes BCC continually conducts outcomes assessments for each academic program, including the general education programs, as well as all courses offered by the College. In the aggregate, at the academic program level, approximately 50 disciplines are assessed each year. At the academic course level, approximately 70 courses are assessed each year concurrent with the implementation of previously submitted improvement plans. Additionally, students’ participation and engagement in student life programs and activities (e.g., new student orientation, career services, tutoring, veterans’ affairs, student activities, student clubs, student government, service learning, counseling services, athletics, and student leadership) are assessed through surveys, focus/reflection groups, diagnostic tests, workshop pre- and post-tests, and the demonstration of skills attained. The end product of both academic and non-academic assessments is verifiable evidence of student achievement in knowledge, skills, and critical thinking. The assessment results are used (a) to improve the quality of our programs, courses, internships, and student life programs and activities; (b) to provide validation to internal and external audiences; and (c) to aid in achieving the College’s mission and goals.

The initial step of the College’s assessment cycle is to identify the student learning outcomes that occur for each program and course. Student learning outcomes are well-formulated, and they

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describe what the faculty and staff intend to accomplish in offering their degree programs to students, or what specific skills, competencies, and knowledge they believe that students will have attained by completing a degree program or course or by participating in a program or activity. The College’s learning outcomes are concise descriptions of the impact of the program on student intellectual development and practical skills, and the measurable outcomes clearly state what students will know and be able to do or produce to determine and/or demonstrate their learning.

Program learning outcomes link to the College goals and the course learning outcomes link to the program learning outcomes. The current listing of program learning outcomes can be found in the BCC College Catalog, and specific course learning outcomes can be found on the Academics page of the College website. As a new program and/or course is developed, the learning outcomes are created and presented to the faculty’s Instructional Affairs Council (IAC) and are reviewed by the assessment coordinator. As a matter of routine, program and course learning outcomes are regularly reviewed and revised for currency and validity.

Once the learning outcomes are created, the faculty engage in curriculum mapping to determine where the program learning outcomes are embedded in current courses. Curriculum maps consist of a table with two axes, one listing program outcomes and the other listing required courses for the major. For each program learning outcome, the faculty have identified what specific courses address what specific program outcomes. A symbol of “I” is used to demonstrate a learning outcome that is introduced, and a symbol of “E” is used to demonstrate a learning outcome that is emphasized within each specific course. This curriculum mapping provides a view of how individual courses are related to program learning outcomes and show the curricular emphasis given to each outcome. Also, it helps to facilitate faculty discussion about the extent to which the program(s) currently addresses the list of learning outcomes.

As part of the College’s culture of assessment, each academic year the assessment coordinator determines which outcomes will be targeted for assessment. The Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Annual Report and the Assessment Tracking Report (ATR) enable the assessment coordinator to see the history of the learning outcomes assessed and the results. A standard criterion for assessment that has been established is that 70% of all participating students will achieve 70% or higher on the assessment, that is, at least 7 out of 10 specifically-designed multiple-choice questions embedded in the final exam for each course. BCC’s goal is to adequately assess all programs’ outcomes within five to 10 years. If the criterion for success has not been achieved, then that learning outcome must be reassessed in the next program level outcomes assessment cycle. The Student Outcomes Assessment Annual Report consists of a table with two axes, one listing program outcomes and the other tracking the assessment history, stating the year it was assessed, whether the criterion was achieved and the program courses used in the assessment. The header of the report lists the degree program and the required courses to earn the degree.

A full-time BCC professor is assigned to chair an assessment project (i.e., a specific course) for each academic year and, working collaboratively with the assessment coordinator, the assessment chair determines how to measure the intended learning outcomes for each assessment project. The chairperson creates the assessment device(s) and accompanying rubric(s), reviews

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them with the assessment coordinator, and meets with, trains, and collects completed assessments from all instructors who teach the course. The assessment chair also meets with and receives feedback from the instructors and constructs a reflective summary for the course. Then the chair compiles all of the assessment results, including the reflective summary, and transmits them to the assessment coordinator.

At the discretion of the assessment chair (and approved by the assessment coordinator), assessment devices may include qualitative, quantitative, and/or mixed direct and indirect measures. Rubrics are used to assess essay questions, projects, portfolios and presentations, and they are provided to the instructors who conduct and score the assessment. For each outcome assessed, the assessment chair develops two different assessment tools (i.e., test questions, project or portfolio, and/or essay). Next, an assessment plan is established using the Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Annual Report. At the end of each semester, the data results are submitted in the following format: “__ of __students or __% of participating students scored or were able to ….” As noted above, the assessment chairs prepare a reflective summary, which describes what outcomes were achieved (or not achieved) and what was learned by conducting the assessments for that academic year. If the criterion for success was not achieved, a meeting is scheduled with the appropriate dean, faculty, and the assessment coordinator to create an improvement plan that includes tangible and measureable improvement.

The last step in the assessment process is “closing the loop” or the “analysis of the evidence” from the data that are collected. This step in the assessment process facilitates reflection upon what was learned from the assessment. A team of faculty carefully reviews the success and usefulness of the assessments (as well as the assessment tools) and what the results demonstrate. Discussions are then developed regarding the validity of the assessment, the value of the current course materials (including texts) and the core course content. The assessments provide opportunities to assess the strengths and weaknesses within a course or program.

The Student Outcomes Assessment Annual Report is distributed every August as part of the “Welcome Back Day” activities. Part of the annual report has a program flow chart, which demonstrates the relationship among all of the following: the assessed learning outcome(s), the results, the improvement plan (if applicable), and, where applicable, results of re-assessments of programs for which improvement plans had previously been implemented. This annual report is useful in informing administrators, faculty, and others involved in the decision-making process of ways not only to improve curriculum and pedagogy, but also planning, budgeting, and accountability.

Assessment Process for Academic Programs: Program Review/Self-Study

In addition to its comprehensive student learning assessment process, the College has also established a Program Review Process as an objective self-study/review of academic programs and their relation to the College’s mission and goals. The review also serves as an historical document for the department and the College. The objectives of this process are to improve student learning outcomes, increase graduation rates, increase job placement rates, and improve transfer rates. The program review process also serves as a mechanism to ascertain the strengths and weaknesses of the College’s academic degree programs and selected certificate options. It

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does so through soliciting feedback from an external consultant who provides an objective opinion regarding the extent to which the program is achieving its goals and objectives as well as how to improve the program under review. In so doing, program reviews provide the foundation for the assessment of student learning and institutional planning through self-reflection and open communication.

The College reviews each academic program every five years. Those programs that have outside accreditation also undergo a modified program review, as appropriate. The first stage in program review/self-study process involves collecting data from the appropriate dean and faculty members who are responsible for the program under review through dissemination of a Program Review Questionnaire.

Meetings are also conducted with members of other College departments (e.g., Transfer Center, Academic Advising) in order to get general statements as to how their departments interact with the academic program under review and how they benefit the general student body population. For example, the Transfer Center provides information regarding the transfer process and all of the transfer articulation agreements that the College has with its four-year institutional partners. The Advising Center provides information on student recruiting, how advising serves students, etc. This information is used to prepare reports about the different College departments that serve students.

In addition, assessment and statistical data are then collected from the Office of Institutional Research (OIR) (e.g., enrollments, graduation rates) and the assessment coordinator (e.g., outcomes data). OIR also collects data regarding occupational research, focus groups relating to needs of the business industry and the guidelines of workforce initiatives.

Using all of the above information and data, a narrative report about the program is prepared, which includes the following sections:

• Introduction: A summary of the program under review.• Enrollment: Overview of recruitment, enrollment, and retention efforts within the program.• Instruction: Overview of academic program requirements.• Resources: Overview of all campus resources available to students.• Student Learning Outcomes Assessment: Overview of the program’s academic outcomes.• Future plans: Results of the program review effort (e.g. external consultant’s report) and the

matrices developed from the program review.• Additional materials: The CVs of the program’s instructors and the consultant, as well as the

consultant’s guidelines.

A highly qualified external consultant is identified and selected by the assessment coordinator, whose task it is to visit the program, meet with faculty and students, and evaluate the program and provide valuable opinions about the program’s efficacy and potential ideas for the program’s continuing success. The consultant submits a written evaluation of the program and includes one or more specific recommendations for improvement. The consultant may recommend:

• Approval,

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• Approval upon minor modification,• Non-approval unless major modifications are implemented, or• Non-approval for stated reasons.

The Academic Program Review Committee, comprised of the provost, the executive director of the Office of Institutional Research (OIR), and the assessment coordinator, reviews the written evaluation, analyzes the report, and lists the consultant’s recommendations and prioritizes them. Then, another meeting is conducted with the appropriate division dean and program coordinator to discuss the consultant’s report and the recommendations gleaned from it. At this meeting, the recommendations are again prioritized.

The Academic Program Review Committee then links both sets of recommendations to the College’s strategic plan, conducts budgetary analyses of the different recommendations, and concludes which recommendations will be implemented. A matrix is created, which lists the recommendations that will be implemented, and the columns following the recommendations list the following information: person responsible for implementing recommendation(s), the cost(s) associated with recommendation(s), and the anticipated completion date(s) and a follow-up date(s) for each recommendation. This matrix, therefore, becomes a planning tool for future budgetary and resource allocations, as well as a monitoring tool for assessing the progress and implementation of the program’s recommendations.

A timeline for assessing institutional programs and courses (including courses that are re-assessed for purposes of program improvement) is shown on the following page.

Analysis of Institutional Effectiveness and Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Data

At the conclusion of each year, the assessment coordinator aggregates and compiles all of the institutional effectiveness and student learning outcomes assessment data and reports into two annual reports, which are then shared widely within the College community. These reports include the Institutional Effectiveness Report and the Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Annual Report. In order to see these analyses and data, readers are directed to the most current reports. Additional exemplars of how the data were compiled, analyzed, and interpreted are presented in Appendix 3.

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Timeline of Institutional Assessment Activity

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SECTION 6

LINKING INSTITUTIONAL PLANNING AND BUDGETING PROCESSES

At Burlington County College, the systems and processes for assessing student outcomes and institutional effectiveness, program planning and budgeting and resource allocation consist of strongly linked criteria in each of the stated areas to ensure that time and resources are spent effectively and judiciously to further the mission and goals of the institution. As with any sound measurement process, the College relies on several input channels to indicate emerging or changing requirements that need attention.

The system and processes for the implementation of student outcomes and institutional effectiveness assessment, as well as the process for periodic academic program review, have been described and discussed above in Section 5, Organized and Sustained Processes to Assess Institutional Effectiveness and Student Learning (See also Section 2, Progress on Institutional Recommendations from the 2008 Self-Study, Standard 2, Planning, Resource Allocation, and Institutional Renewal). The system and processes (that emanate from institutional assessment) for program planning and budgeting and resource allocation are discussed further in the following paragraphs.

Process for Linking Institutional Effectiveness and Student Learning Outcomes with the College’s Annual Planning and Budgeting Processes.

The first step in the process occurs in direct alignment with the College’s overall strategic plan, which defines broad goals and sets benchmarks according to the established mission and goals of the College. The stated purpose of the strategic plan is to “provide a common framework and an inclusive methodology for linking the decision-making, institutional research, policy-making, and resource allocation processes with the College’s funding priorities, budgeting, performance evaluation, and outcomes assessment procedures.” The plan also provides action steps and measurements by which the College’s overall performance is measured.

The College president, in collaboration with senior staff, constructs annual and short-term goals and action steps that support the Strategic Plan’s (2010-15) initiatives. Management plans and the annual planning and budgeting are based not only upon a linkage to the Strategic Plan, but other of the college inputs, such as college-wide assessments of student learning outcomes, academic program reviews, surveys (i.e., SSI, CCSSE, SENSE, SUMMA), community focus-groups and the previous year’s institutional effectiveness reports. The president then assigns goals to each budget unit/division in order to achieve benchmarks. Other factors that are considered in the annual planning and budgeting process include the Strategic Financial Plan and Guiding Principles, Strategic Academic Programs Plan and Guiding Principles, Enrollment Management Plan, Technology Master Plan, Facilities Master Plan and the Institutional Marketing Plan.

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Graphical Representation of the Linkages Between Assessment, Planning, and Budgeting

These annual and short-term goals and action steps, promulgated by the president and senior staff, are prioritized and assigned via established reporting lines to the College’s vice presidents and executive directors who, in turn, confer with their respective deans/division heads/unit managers to construct Institutional Effectiveness Plans (IEPs) to address each goal and action step assigned. These IEPs include detailed objectives, budgets and expected outcomes and assessment methods. Individually-named vice presidents and deans/division heads/unit managers supervise specific action steps within these IEPs and are held accountable for their implementation and completion.

The IEPs become the basis for budgetary requests to justify the resources. For goals not assigned by the president and senior staff, the deans, division heads and unit managers must construct supporting operational plans and budgets that tie their local goals to the 5-Year Strategic Plan (2010-2015) and justify required financial resources. Once a framework for an operational plan is established, further prioritization of each intended activity takes place via an examination of the alignment with established functional area strategic plans (and guiding financial principles). For example, intended operational activities are linked to the Strategic Academic Programs Plan and Guiding Principles, the Strategic Financial Plan and Guiding Principles, Information

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Technology Strategic Plan, Facilities Master Plan, Enrollment Management Plan and Integrated Marketing Plan. All of these management plans naturally support the College’s overall strategic plan. Deans/division heads/unit managers must secure the approval of their respective vice president on all IEPs and budget requests.

In January of each year, upon receipt of their budget packages, which contain preliminary indications of allocations, all deans/division heads/unit managers meet with the College’s chief financial officer (CFO) and the outcomes assessment coordinator. At that meeting, the deans/division heads/unit managers present their initial budget needs and justifications for the coming academic and fiscal years. The CFO, the College’s budget director and assessment coordinator ensure that all plans and budget requests are complete. They write their meeting notes and request, as appropriate, follow-up for additional information, additions, and deletions.

Predicated and guided in large part by information on current operations (generated from fall and spring enrollment data and end-of-term revenue and federal/state/county appropriations and allocations), and after a review of the budget requests from the deans/division heads/unit managers, the president, vice presidents and the CFO construct the final overall College budget, which then becomes subject to the Burlington County College Board of School Estimates for approval. Once the aggregate College budget is approved, minor changes are generally made to internal allocations based on updated and emergent requirements, and resources are allocated among all the divisions/units. The new IEPs and budgets take effect on July 1 of each year and conclude on June 30 of the following year.

Annual assessments are then conducted to assess the anticipated outcomes and measurable benchmarks and to justify the institutional effects and finances of the institutional effectiveness plans and operational plans. Results of the annual assessments are often used as further inputs to inform the next cycle of strategic planning, budget development and resource allocation as the process continues. Additional sources of input to the identification and development of strategic initiatives include college-wide course and program assessments, recommendations stemming from the formal program review process, federal or state compliance requirements, workforce development, or advisory committee member input, as well as various student surveys and feedback mechanisms. These several input channels enable the College to systematically address relevant needs through the strong linkages of strategic planning, budgeting, and assessment.

Analysis of Institutional Effectiveness and Student Learning Outcomes Data and their Linkage to the Institutional Planning and Budgeting Processes

As has been described throughout this report, the College has taken careful steps to ensure that institutional effectiveness and student learning outcomes assessment data remain central to the institutional planning and budgeting processes. Readers are referred to the respective reports for evidence of the manner in which these outcomes data are used in the planning and budgeting processes. In addition, the following chart illustrates examples of linkages of the College’s assessments, outcomes, recommendations, planning, and implementation and budget commitments. Examples of certain documents are appended in the Evidence Section.

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Linkages of Assessments, Outcomes, Recommendations, Planning, and Implementation and Budget Commitments

Assessment/Input Outcome/Finding Recommendation Foundational Strategic Plan

Implementation/Budget Commitment

Outcomes Assessment-Political Science (See Assessment Report.)

Faculty, including adjunct faculty, recognized implications to meeting the criteria for success from the choice of textbook and test format

Choose a new textbook with a more effective order and structure, and change test format from multiple choice to essay

Strategic Academic Programs Plan and Guiding Principles

Facilitation of discussions between full-time and adjunct faculty through college sponsored coffee sessions, welcome back events, adjunct faculty institute trainings, and adjunct faculty coordinator positions.

Institutional Effectiveness Plan-Office of Logistical Analysis and Scheduling (see IEP).

Address the need for increased efficiency in the use of College space

Utilize Resource 25 to optimize the use of classroom space

Strategic Academic Programs Plan and Guiding Principles, Strategic Financial Plan and Guiding Principles

Resource 25, and companion platform Schedule 25, have been purchased and supported to measure and report space efficiencies.

Institutional Effectiveness Plan-Financial Aid (see IEP).

A decrease in processing time needed during peak Fall and Spring financial aid seasons

Increase utilization of technology tools such as ImageNow, Datatel, Informer Reports, and telephone statistics.

College Strategic Plan, Strategic Financial Plan and Guiding Principles

Call centers have been created and implemented; training regarding the utilization of technology tools has increased.

Program Review Computer Servicing and Networking (AAS.PCN)-Technology upgrades needed

Maintain computer classrooms and laboratories with the appropriate hardware and software

Strategic Academic Programs Plan and Guiding Principles

Lab upgrades including new hardware and software purchases have been completed. (See Board resolution.)

Self Study Recommendations (see Standard 10).

Increased adjunct faculty support needed

Convert (2) part-time adjunct faculty coordinator positions to full time

Strategic Academic Programs Plan and Guiding Principles

One part-time adjunct faculty coordinator position has been converted to full-time. A second conversion is expected June 2014. (See Board resolution.)

Fiscal Policy Analysis

Tuition equity with program costs needed

Establish differential tuition policy

Strategic Financial Plan and Guiding Principles

Differential tuition rates approved for high cost programs-beginning AY14-15 (see Board resolution.)

Life cycle replacement instructional technology analysis

Instructional technology upgrades needed

Improve/upgrade instructor workstations and classroom technology

Strategic Academic Programs Plan and Guiding Principles & OIT Strategic Plan

Over 280 workstations will be replaced prior to Fall 2014 semester (see Board resolution).

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1

APPENDIX 1

SUGGESTIONS OFFERED BY THE MSCHE SITE VISIT

EVALUATION TEAM (2008)

As part of its evaluation report following its site visit in November 2008, the Middle States

Visiting Team offered a series of collegial suggestions to Burlington County College.

Coincidentally, several of these suggestions had already been previously identified by the

College and had been included in its 2008 Self-Study. The actions taken as of academic year

2013-14 to implement these suggestions are described below:

Standard 1: Mission, Goals, and Objectives

Suggestion #1: In 2009, BCC will be developing a new strategic plan. That plan should directly

link its mapping strategies and objectives to the College’s mission and goals.

Actions to be Taken: As the current 5-Year Strategic Plan 2010-15 was being developed, care

was taken to link mapping strategies/action steps to the College’s mission and goals.

Moreover, in preparation for the planning and development for a new strategic plan for the

period 2016-20, the College will continue to ensure that its mapping strategies and objectives

remain closely linked to the institutional mission and goals.

Suggestion #2: In preparation for the new strategic plan, any review of the mission and goals

should consider the incorporation of a statement that focuses on institutional improvement.

Actions to be Taken: During the development of a new strategic plan for the period 2016-20,

if any revisions are made to its institutional mission and goals, the College shall strongly

consider the incorporation of specific statements that focus on continuous institutional

improvement.

Standard 2: Planning, Resource Allocation, and Institutional Renewal

Suggestion #3: The College should consider compiling, on a college-wide basis, the Institutional

Effectiveness Plan (IEP) results for purposes of reporting goal coordination and planning

outcomes.

Action Taken: At the conclusion of every year, all divisions/units close out their individual

IEPs with outcomes and reflections that were achieved, and they send the completed reports

to the College’s outcomes assessment coordinator. The reports are then collated and compiled

into a Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Annual Report, which documents all IEP

outcomes for the recently concluded year. Copies of the report are provided to the president,

provost, vice presidents, senior staff and planning and budget officers. Copies are also made

available to college stakeholders. The Outcomes and Assessment Report is an important

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reference for constructing and prioritizing goals in subsequent years. It “closes the loop” on

the previous year’s planning, budgeting process, and outcomes to provide feedback necessary

to renew institutional planning and goal development that will drive future college-wide

operations and, subsequently, performance. From 2009 through the present, the Student

Learning Outcomes Assessment Annual Report has been created and distributed at the

“Welcome Back Day” activities to all academic administrators and full-time faculty, and

additional copies are placed in the Middle States Resource Room. In the Summer 2013, an

assessment intranet site was developed, and electronic copies of the annual Outcomes and

Assessment Reports (past and present) are posted, along with all other assessment materials.

This helps in the continuation of an aggressive and transparent culture of assessments at

Burlington County College.

Standard 3: Institutional Resources

No suggestions were offered.

Standard 4: Leadership and Governance

No suggestions were offered.

Standard 5: Administration

No suggestions were offered.

Standard 6: Integrity

Suggestion #4: The team encourages the College to complete the development of the new hire

orientation program.

Action Taken: The Office of Human Resources meets with new hires within the first three

days of their start date. The Human Resources Benefits Specialist meets with new employees

to cover college policies benefits including, but not limited to, retirement, health and dental,

paid time off, employee assistance program. New employees also receive important

department contact information, information related to the College’s web-portal (Web

Advisor), Annual Public Safety Crime Report, collective bargaining agreement, as

appropriate. The office is also finalizing an employee handbook covering this material.

Additionally, the supervisor of the new employee receives guidelines regarding department-

related policies and procedures to cover during the employee’s first day and first week.

Newly-implemented monthly meetings (approximately 2 hours) are also held with new

employees to include executive staff, in concert with Human Resources staff, to provide a

more in-depth College history, policies and procedures, campus tour, FAQs, and the

opportunity for a questions and answer session.

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Suggestion #5: The College should provide right-to-know information to prospective students.

Action Taken: Following guidance received from the National Postsecondary Education

Cooperative, BCC created web page that includes all required disclosures, including

information about the privacy of student records, facilities for students with disabilities,

student diversity, textbook information, computer use policies, financial aid

regulations, public safety and security and student outcomes. The Student Outcomes section

of this webpage contains links to specific information about retention and graduation rates,

job placement rates for our graduates and information related to the Gainful Employment

certificate programs that are eligible for federal and state aid.

Standard 7: Institutional Assessment

Suggestion #6: BCC should create an annual summary of goals achieved based on unit plans.

Action Taken: Throughout the ongoing academic and fiscal year, the annual goals that have

been assigned and promulgated by the president and senior staff and initiated by the

divisions/units are reported on using the Dashboard Tracking of Institutional Effectiveness

Goals report. On a quarterly basis, each division/unit reports continuing progress on the

achievement of each assigned goal and action step. Progress is reported in increments of goal

set, initial progress (33%), substantial progress (66%), and completed. Though this reporting

mechanism is inexact and qualitative, it provides visibility and feedback on College-wide goal

attainment during the year to all College stakeholders. Near the end of the academic and fiscal

year, planning and budgetary outcomes are collected and analyzed by each division/unit head

and budget office. Every goal has an IEP, and every IEP states the intended outcomes, reports

the actual outcomes, and contains a reflection by the division/unit head to address, and

explain any difference between the intended and actual outcomes. Ultimately, the outcomes

should contain a recommendation for using what was learned during the planning and budget

cycle for improvement. (This topic was discussed further in Section 5)

Suggestion #7: The team suggests that the College close the assessment loop by sharing

accomplishments of unit objectives broadly.

Action Taken: See the action taken for Suggestion #3 above.

Standard 8: Student Admissions and Retention

No suggestions were offered.

Standard 9: Student Support Services

Suggestion #8: The plan to increase enrollment will have a direct impact on the social fabric of

student life. Student Services will need to evaluate and anticipate the effect enrollment will have

on BCC’s student services infrastructure.

Action Taken: See Section 2 of the Periodic Review Report (PRR), Standard #9 for

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information regarding this suggestion.

Suggestion #9: As the College aspires to move teams to NJCAA Division II (and I) status, a

closer assessment of resources [is] needed to support this increase in student athletes at the

College.

Action Taken: Several developments have occurred within the athletics programming since

the 2008 Self-Study. Developments related to the resources available to students include the

development of an Athletic Scholarship Committee, the BCC Scholarship Agreement Form,

and an eligibility packet that is posted on the BCC Athletics webpage. Resource

commitments have further been demonstrated by the replacement of the gymnasium floor,

the replacement of bleachers on both sides of the gymnasium, as well as a new scorer’s table

for the basketball program. Additionally, resource upgrades have been completed or are in

progress for the weight room and the outdoor fields. Finally, a uniform purchase/replacement

schedule has been created and is used as an input in budget development for the athletics

programs.

Suggestion #10: We highly suggest that the College close the assessment loop by documenting

and sharing accomplishments of units’ objectives broadly with campus constituencies.

Action Taken: See the action taken for Suggestion #3 above.

Suggestion #11: The Division of Student Services conducts solid programs and needs

assessments. It now needs to look at what students are learning through their participation in

programs, such as the new student orientation, career services, tutoring, veterans affairs, student

activities, student clubs, student government, student health services, counseling services,

athletics, student conduct and student leadership.

Action Taken: Students’ participation and engagement in student life programs and activities

are assessed through surveys, focus/reflection groups, diagnostic tests, workshop pre- and

post-tests and the demonstration of skills attained. The results of these assessments are

compiled with the other student outcomes assessment results that are administered throughout

the College.

Standard 10: Faculty

Suggestion #12: The subcommittee strongly suggests that the College Board of Trustees and

College leadership pay close attention to the potentially negative effect its reliance on adjunct

faculty has on student outcomes.

Action Taken: All College stakeholders, including the Board of Trustees, the administration,

as well as members of the various senates and bargaining units within the College, are acutely

aware of the ratio of full-time and part-time (adjunct) faculties. Certainly, there are financial

and flexibility advantages to the College in the employment of part-time faculty, and having

adjunct faculty teach highly specialized courses provides opportunities for students to learn

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the most current techniques. The College is very vigilant to ways in which to construct

budgets that allow for the hiring of full-time, as opposed to part-time, faculty. Moreover, in

2013-14, in recognition of this continuing challenge, the Board of Trustees has converted a part-time adjunct faculty coordinator to full-time, and has authorized the hiring of two new

full-time faculty lines annually.

Standard 11: Educational Offerings

No suggestions were offered.

Standard 12: General Education

Suggestion #13: The College should complete the development of the planned General

Education video and implement viewing it as a required aspect of the student advising and

orientation process.

Action Taken: After careful consideration, the College decided to forgo the development of

an informational video focusing solely on general education courses. It was decided that a

more integrated approach (e.g., the in-house general education assessment process) would be

more beneficial, in which general education skills and competencies are outlined as critical to

academic degree completion. Many of the College’s workforce development efforts, for

example, stress the importance of critical thinking and reasoning skills, all of which are

developed in students via the attainment of general education competencies.

Recommendation 12.5 is similar and explores this topic further.

Standard 13: Related Educational Activities

No suggestions were offered.

Standard 14: Assessment of Student Learning

Suggestion #14: To continue to involve adjunct faculty in the assessment process, both in the

identification of assessment tools and in training, it may be helpful to find ways to facilitate

communication and training electronically.

Action Taken: The College is mindful of the importance of maintaining easily accessible

lines of communication with all of its stakeholders, especially part-time (adjunct) faculty. In

the last few years, adjunct faculty members have increasingly been integrated into the

operation of the College at all levels and in ways that impact their own professional

development. For example, adjunct faculty participate in discipline-specific conversations

through coffee sessions with full-time faculty coordinators in order to share ideas and

instructional strategies. Adjunct faculty also participate in the planning and implementation

of assessment efforts in which their measurement of student learning in their classrooms is

fully integrated into the college-wide analysis. Training regarding goal setting, assessment

methods and the analysis of use of assessment results is also provided. Additionally, the

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Adjunct Faculty Institutes, which are held in two full-day sessions each semester, provide

adjunct faculty with information regarding College policies, instructional tools and strategies,

as well as classroom management techniques. Finally, the College has posted a substantial

amount of information and resources on an intranet site geared specifically for adjunct

faculty. Feedback surveys indicate the adjunct faculty benefit professionally from this

opportunity.

Visit us at bcc.eduAs an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action institution, Burlington County College affords equal vocational opportunities to qualified individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, handicap (as defined by Section 504), ancestry, place of birth, marital status or veteran status in the operation of its programs and activities (including admissions, access to programs and course offerings, physical education, intercollegiate and intramural athletics, counseling, employment, use of facilities, and college-sponsored extracurricular activities). This is in accordance with Title Vl of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and/or national origin), Title IX of the Education Amendment of 1972 (which prohibits sex discrimination), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and the Americans with Disabilities Act/ADA (which prohibit discrimination against otherwise qualified handicapped people), and other applicable laws and regulations. Copies of the Dispute Resolution for Students with Disabilities is available from Mr. Dennis M. Haggerty, Title IX and Section 504 Coordinator, located in Lewis M. Parker Center, room 401 on the Pemberton campus. You may reach him by calling (609) 894-9311, ext. 1399, or by emailing dhaggerty@bcc.edu.

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION INSTITUTION