Section 2: CORE REQUIREMENTS

The institution has a governing board of at least five members that is the legal body with specific authority over the institution. The board is an active policy-making body for the institution and is ultimately responsible for ensuring that the financial resources of the institution are adequate to provide a sound educational program. The board is not controlled by a minority of board members or by organizations or interests separate from it. Neither the presiding officer of the board nor the majority of other voting members of the board have contractual, employment, or personal or familial financial interest in the institution.

A military institution authorized and operated by the federal government to award degrees has a public board in which neither the presiding officer nor a majority of the other members are civilian employees of the military or active/retired military. The board has broad and significant influence upon the institution’s programs and operations, plays an active role in policy-making, and ensures that the financial resources of the institution are used to provide a sound educational program. The board is not controlled by a minority of board members or by organizations or interests separate from the board except as specified by the authorizing legislation. Neither the presiding officer of the board nor the majority of other voting board members have contractual, employment, or personal or familial financial interest in the institution.  (Governing Board)
 

The college participates in the Texas Tech University strategic planning process. The College of Arts and Sciences Strategic Plan for 2003 is available at:
http://www.as.ttu.edu/Mission/Strategic_Plan/strategic_plan.html

The College of Arts and Sciences and its academic units make continuing improvement and accomplish their respective missions as demonstrated in the most recent strategic planning Assessment Report available at: http://www.irs.ttu.edu/SACS/AssessmentReports/2_0_2003.pdf

Links to the academic units’ home pages follow:

Aerospace Studies
www.depts.ttu.edu/afrotc/ 
  

Biological Sciences
www.biol.ttu.edu/biol2003/
   

Chemistry & Biochemistry
www.depts.ttu.edu/chemistry/
 

Classical & Modern Languages & Literatures
www.depts.ttu.edu/classic_modern/
 

Communication Studies
www.depts.ttu.edu/communicationstudies/
 

Economics & Geography
www.depts.ttu.edu/economicsandgeography/
 

English
www.english.ttu.edu/
 

Environmental Toxicology
www.tiehh.ttu.edu/
 

Geosciences
www.gesc.ttu.edu/
 

Health Exercise & Sport Sciences
www.hess.ttu.edu/
 

History
www.depts.ttu.edu/historydepartment/
 

Mass Communications
www.mcom.ttu.edu/
 

Mathematics & Statistics
www.math.ttu.edu/main_11.shtml
 

Military Science
http://armyrotc.ba.ttu.edu/
 

Philosophy
www.philosophy.ttu.edu/
 

Physics
www.phys.ttu.edu/
 

Political Science
www.depts.ttu.edu/politicalscience/
 

Psychology
www.psychology.ttu.edu/
 

Sociology, Anthropology, & Social Work
www.depts.ttu.edu/sociologyanthropologyandsocialwork/

The College of Arts and Sciences is in compliance with this requirement

Degree programs administered by the College of Arts and Sciences are described beginning on p. 125 of the 2004-2005 Texas Tech University Catalog (http://www.depts.ttu.edu/officialpublications/catalog/AcademicUnits.pdf). In summary, the College of Arts and Sciences administers:

The College of Arts and Sciences is in compliance with this requirement

All degree programs in the College of Arts and Sciences adhere to current academic and professional standards of their respective disciplines as presented by the faculty. Program changes and additions follow procedures of peer and administrative approval involving unit (faculty committees and chairpersons), college (the Arts and Sciences Committee for Academic Programs), Graduate School (when applicable), and university (Academic Council) level reviews (http://www.as.ttu.edu/Faculty/ASCAP/ascap.html) (see “Matters of Curriculum” at http://www.as.ttu.edu/Faculty/AS_Faculty_Info/body_as_faculty_info.html#p6 ). The undergraduate or graduate degree programs of some units are recognized as meeting standards of accrediting organizations in the disciplines. These organizations include the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (for the School of Mass Communications, 102 Mass Communications Bldg.), the American Chemical Society (for the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 104 Chemistry Bldg.), the American Psychological Association and the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (for programs in the Department of Psychology, 119 Psychology Bldg.), the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (for the Masters of Public Administration Program in the Department of Political Science, 113 Holden Hall), and the Council on Social Work Education (for the baccalaureate program in Social Work in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work, 158 Holden Hall). The most recent accreditation review reports are available in the respective department offices (as indicated above).

The College of Arts and Sciences is in compliance with this requirement

Through its General Degree Requirements the College of Arts and Sciences complies with the university-wide Core Curriculum requirement as outlined in the 2004-2005 Texas Tech University Catalog (beginning on page 126; http://www.depts.ttu.edu/officialpublications/catalog/AcademicUnits.pdf).  In several categories, requirements for the Bachelor of Arts degree and the Bachelor of General Studies degree exceed the minimums required by the Core Curriculum.

The College of Arts and Sciences is in compliance with this requirement

The College of Arts and Sciences controls all aspects of its degree programs except for those courses taught in other colleges which students may elect to complete in partial fulfillment of Core Curriculum or General Degree Requirements. 

The institution has a sound financial base and demonstrated financial stability, and adequate physical resources to support the mission of the institution and the scope of its programs and services.

The member institution provides the following financial statements: (a) an institutional audit (or Standard Review Report issued in accordance with Statements on Standards for Accounting and Review Services issued by the AICPA for those institutions audited as part of a systemwide or statewide audit) and written institutional management letter for the most recent fiscal year prepared by an independent certified public accountant and/or an appropriate governmental auditing agency employing the appropriate audit (or Standard Review Report) guide; (b) a statement of financial position of unrestricted net assets, exclusive of plant assets and plant-related debt, which represents the change in unrestricted net assets attributable to operations for the most recent year; and, (c) an annual budget that is preceded by sound planning, is subject to sound fiscal procedures, and is approved by the governing board.

Audit requirements for applicant institutions may be found in the Commission policy entitled "Accreditation Procedures for Applicant Institutions.  (Resources)

(Not applicable for the Compliance Certification submitted by institution).

Section 3:  COMPREHENSIVE STANDARDS

Institutional Mission, Governance, And Effectiveness

The institution has qualified administrative and academic officers with the experience,
competence, and capacity to lead the institution.

The institution defines and publishes policies regarding appointment and employment of
faculty and staff.

OP 32.02 Certification of Faculty Qualifications
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/opmanual/OP32.02.pdf

OP 32.07 Other Employment, Faculty Consulting, and Public Offices
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/opmanual/OP32.07.html

OP 32.16 Faculty Recruitment
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/opmanual/OP32.16.pdf

OP 32.17 Faculty Appointments and Titles
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/opmanual/OP32.17.pdf

OP 32.20 Annual Renewal of Certain Faculty Employment Contracts
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/opmanual/OP32.20.pdf

OP 32.27 Review of Vita of Prospective Faculty
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/opmanual/OP32.27.html

OP 32.34 Approval of Faculty in Non-Tenure Acquiring Ranks
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/opmanual/OP32.34.pdf

OP 64.03 Graduate Students Employed as Teaching Assistants and Graduate
          Part-Time Instructors
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/opmanual/OP64.03.pdf

OP 64.10 Graduate Faculty
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/opmanual/OP64.10.pdf

OP 70.11 Appointment of Staff Employees
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/opmanual/OP70.11.pdf

OP 70.27 Employment of Student Employees
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/opmanual/OP70.27.html

OP 70.36 Temporary Workers with (H1-B) Immigration Status
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/opmanual/OP70.36.pdf 

Pursuant to university OP 30.15, Academic Administrator Evaluation (http://www.depts.ttu.edu/opmanual/OP30.15.pdf) the Dean of the College is evaluated annually by the Provost, and department chairs are evaluated by their faculty approximately every three years (but for purposes of the College of Arts and Sciences these evaluations are done using a questionnaire different from the one given in the OP; copies are available in Holden Hall 202).  In those evaluations, the dean sends out the questionnaire via email, and it can be returned via email, or printed out and returned by campus mail, or hand delivered.  The Dean’s annual evaluations of department chairs and associate deans are quite varied, depending on the year, the circumstances of the department and college, etc.  For chairs, much of it is done through face-to-face meetings while the chair and dean are reviewing faculty annual reports and the chairperson’s assessment of faculty.  For associate deans, no written formal evaluations are done; their work is commented on intermittently.  The following statement about evaluation is included in the appointment letters of chairpersons and of associate deans (except the first sentence):  “The Department of XYZ faculty will be asked to review your performance as department chairperson at intervals of approximately three years.  However, just as deans serve at the pleasure of their provost, department chairs serve at the pleasure of their deans.  The actual length of service of any academic administrator at Texas Tech University depends more upon the decisions of the administrator and the individual to whom he or she reports than it does upon a predetermined plan of service.  All of us enjoy tenure in our academic appointments, not in our administrative appointments.”

The institution’s policies are clear concerning ownership of materials, compensation,
copyright issues, and the use of revenue derived from the creation and production of all
intellectual property. This applies to students, faculty and staff.

The College of Arts and Sciences is in compliance with this standard.

       The college determines institutional effectiveness by means consistent with the mission of Texas Tech University, stated on p. 2 of the 2004-2005 University Catalog (http://www.depts.ttu.edu/officialpublications/catalog/GenInfo.pdf ) and with its own mission statement (http://www.as.ttu.edu/Mission/mission.html) and those of its constituent units (a complete printed set of the academic units’ mission statements is on file in Holden Hall 202a and can be viewed at the units’ websites listed above in item 5 of Core Requirements).  The recently completed university strategic planning and assessment process provides assessment reports by each of the 19 academic units (available in their respective main offices and in the college office, Holden Hall 202a) and by the college (available at  http://www.irs.ttu.edu/SACS/AssessmentReports/2_0_2003.pdf  and in Holden Hall 202a).  Those units that have academic programs accredited by their disciplines’ professional associations possess further documentation of those programs’ ongoing planning and outcomes assessment (recent accreditation reports are available in the main offices of the following departments: Chemistry & Biochemistry, 104 Chemistry Bldg.; Department of Health, Exercise, and Sport Sciences, 101 Sport Studies Center; School of Mass Communications, 102 Mass. Comm. Bldg.; Department of Physics, 101 Science Bldg.; Department of Political Science, 113 Holden Hall; Department of Psychology, 119 Psychology Bldg.; Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work, 158 Holden Hall).

Educational Programs

     Program expected outcomes are identified through several sources including the college and department strategic plans (see item 5, Core Requirements). Assessment of achievement of expected outcomes is done through formative and summative grading practices in courses, capstone projects (e.g., internships, theses, and dissertations), tracking placement of graduates, teacher certification exams where applicable, and student achievement awards.  Site visits and subsequent visit reports from accrediting bodies (where applicable; see immediately above) also serve as assessments of expected outcomes. Evidence of improvement can be noted through longitudinal grade comparisons, results of all review processes as well as student teacher observation and final evaluations forms from cooperating and supervising teachers (where applicable). Evidence of improvement may also be found in department responses to accreditation visitors’ reports, copies of which are located in the departmental offices in which accreditation is necessary.  New and revised curricula and courses brought through the college committee on academic programs also evidence improvements in educational programs (records of approved new and revised curricula and courses are on file in Holden Hall 202a).

Administrative Services

     The college strategic plan and assessment report (http://www.irs.ttu.edu/SACS/AssessmentReports/2_0_2003.pdf) states some expected outcomes and accomplishments pertaining to administrative support services.  Expected outcomes are elsewhere identified in position responsibilities and task assignments as outlined in position descriptions and other personnel documents on file in the College of Arts and Sciences Deans Office, Holden Hall 102.  Expected outcomes for administrative and other support personnel within academic departments are outlined in documents on file in the respective department offices.  To evaluate outcomes, the Dean meets annually with the Provost (2003 A&S Deans Evaluation Report on file in Holden Hall 202a); each chairperson meets at least annually with the Dean to discuss faculty annual reports, unit strategic plans and assessments, and chairperson performance; and chairpersons evaluate or oversee evaluation of staff in their units.  Relevant reports are available in Holden Hall 202.  Evidence of improvement is gleaned from comparisons of performance or productivity across evaluation sessions for each individual.  Particular issues and incompatibilities within two departments resulted in the Dean reassigning the respective chairpersons to the other department, with marked improvements occurring across several factors in both departments (documentation on file in Holden Hall 202).

Educational Support Services