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)
 

TTU at Fredericksburg participates in the institutional planning and evaluation processes including development of a strategic plan for Fredericksburg and TTU at Highland Lakes, which can be located at http://www.depts.ttu.edu/hillcountry/strategicplan04.htm and filing the 2003 Annual Assessment Report at http://www.irs.ttu.edu/SACS/AssessmentReports/33_3326_2003.pdf.

Assessment findings are utilized for improvement in planning processes, budgetary and human resource decision-making, educational and student support services, grant applications, and auxiliary and facility operations. Recent examples of assessment activities, findings, and use for improvement have been summarized and are available for review at  http://www.irs.ttu.edu/SACS/AssessmentReports/33_3326_2003.pdf.

Library access and user privileges are provided to faculty and students at TTU at Fredericksburg.  Further documentation of library services and support for off-campus and distance learners and faculty can be found at http://library.ttu.edu/distance/.  The Institutional Plan for Distance Education and Off-Campus Instruction (March 2004) includes further documentation of library support for off-campus and distance learners; an on-line copy of the Plan is available at  http://www.irim.ttu.edu/SACS/TTUInstitutionalPlanfinal.pdf.  Additional library resources can be found at http://www.depts.ttu.edu/hillcountry/libres.htm.  All area public and university libraries participate in TexShare and provide services to Texas Tech students and faculty who display a Texas Tech identification card (see www.texshare.edu). TTU submitted to SACS a library assessment report (2002) in 2003, which included a review of TTU at Fredericksburg library resources.

Texas Tech University at Fredericksburg is in compliance with this requirement.

Student support programs, services, and activities are provided to students at TTU at Fredericksburg. Documentation of these resources can be found in the Institutional Plan for Distance Education and Off-Campus Instruction (March 2004); an on-line copy of the Plan is available at http://www.irim.ttu.edu/SACS/TTUInstitutionalPlanfinal.pdf. 

A Coordinator of Student Services is assigned to off-campus teaching sites to coordinate these services. Judy Hickerson, Coordinator of Student Services for Off-Campus Sites, maintains an office at TTU at Fredericksburg and travels to the various sites to provide services to on-site staff, students, and faculty. Student support services are assessed and findings are used for improvement.

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 mission statement for TTU at Fredericksburg flows from the institutional mission statement; see  http://www.depts.ttu.edu/hillcountry/strategicplan04.htm for a copy.

The Provost has defined and published an organizational structure of official off-campus educational sites that is located at www.depts.ttu.edu/provost/provostorgchart.pdf.

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

TTU at Fredericksburg is lead by James Morris, Ph.D. who is qualified to lead in the following ways: experience as a non profit executive director; experience as director of a university based counseling center; experience as a university assistant professor; served as president of a major mental health professional association; experience as a non-profit board member; as well as additional areas of experience (vita available upon request).  Information can also be found at the TTU Human Development & Family Studies Department faculty web site link at http://www.hs.ttu.edu/hdfs/Faculty/morris.htm.

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

Personnel at TTU at Fredericksburg are evaluated on an annual basis according to TTU personnel policy (http://www.depts.ttu.edu/opmanual/OP70.12.html).  Personnel policies are located at the main campus Personnel Department, 153 Drane Hall. 

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.

TTU at Fredericksburg participates in the institution’s planning and evaluation processes, which can viewed at http://techdata.irs.ttu.edu/stratreport.  In addition, the Institutional Plan for Distance Education and Off-Campus Instruction (March 2004) provided an opportunity for institution-wide planning and assessment of off-campus educational sites; this plan is located on-line at http://www.irim.ttu.edu/SACS/TTUInstitutionalPlanfinal.pdf.  Identification of expected outcomes for educational programs offered at the site, assessment and use of findings for improvement is the responsibility of the respective academic program provided at the site (e.g. M.Ed. in Educational Leadership, B.G.S.); documentation of this information can be found in the respective academic unit report for the Certification of Compliance (http://www.irim.ttu.edu/sacs/CCC/Units/EdComplianceRequirements.htm and http://www.irim.ttu.edu/sacs/CCC/Units/ArtSciComplianceRequirements.htm).

Identification of expected outcomes for administrative and educational support services, assessment and use of findings for improvement is the responsibility of the site leadership. In order to accomplish this, the site director has led a process to: 1) develop a mission statement, 2) develop a strategic plan to fulfill the mission, 3) develop and implement an assessment plan, 4) document actions taken based on analysis of assessment findings. This information is available at http://www.depts.ttu.edu/hillcountry/strategicplan04.htm.

Longitudinal data is collected in the Annual Assessment Report but is limited due to the limited time of site operation, which began in June 2002. This information can be found at http://www.irs.ttu.edu/SACS/AssessmentReports/33_3326_2003.pdf. .

PROGRAMS

This is the responsibility of the academic unit offering a program at TTU at Fredericksburg. Information can be found in the academic units responses at: http://www.irim.ttu.edu/sacs/CCC/Units/ArtSciComplianceRequirements.htm http://www.irim.ttu.edu/sacs/CCC/Units/EdComplianceRequirements.htm

Outreach and Extended Studies has one staff member who provides continuing education, outreach, and service programs for the Texas hill country region. Programs include personal enrichment courses offered to community members and professional development courses for educators and other professional groups. Course listings can be found at www.dce.ttu.edu/profdev/HillCountry/.  The TTU Lifelong Learning Community, including enrichment programs for community members 55 years of age and older, has had success in its preliminary stages in the Fredericksburg area and will begin full programming and events in Fall 2004. These programs are consistent with the institutional mission, Outreach and Extended Studies mission (found at www.dce.ttu.edu/accreditation ), and the mission of TTU Fredericksburg. More information can be found at the TTU Fredericksburg web-site http://www.depts.ttu.edu/hillcountry/fredericksburg.htm  and in the OES 2003 Annual Assessment Report at http://www.irs.ttu.edu/SACS/AssessmentReports/40_0_2003.pdf.

Students attending TTU at Fredericksburg are admitted by TTU in the same manner as all other TTU students (see http://www.depts.ttu.edu/hillcountry/admissions.htm).  See the Institutional Plan for Distance Education and Off-Campus Instruction (March 2004) Section 1-6; this plan is located on-line at  http://www.irim.ttu.edu/SACS/TTUInstitutionalPlanfinal.pdf.

Students attending TTU at Fredericksburg are covered under TTU policies applicable to all students. See the Institutional Plan for Distance Education and Off-Campus Instruction (March 2004) Section 1-7; this plan is located on-line at  http://www.irim.ttu.edu/SACS/TTUInstitutionalPlanfinal.pdf.

TTU at Fredericksburg follows the academic policies that adhere to principles of good educational practices. These policies are distributed to students, faculty and other interested parties via the TTU Distance Education Portal, at www.de.ttu.edu.

See also the Institutional Plan for Distance Education and Off-Campus Instruction (March 2004) Section 1-1; this plan is located on-line at  http://www.irim.ttu.edu/SACS/TTUInstitutionalPlanfinal.pdf.

Additional information about faculty support can be found at http://www.depts.ttu.edu/hillcountry/faculty%20support.pdf and information about academic integrity can be found at http://www.depts.ttu.edu/hillcountry/academic%20integrity.htm.  

TTU at Fredericksburg is not a party to a formal consortial or contractual agreement. Academic partnerships have been developed with Austin Community College to assist in smooth transfer relationships between institutions.

Academic support services are provided to students attending TTU at Fredericksburg. These services are provided by faculty associated with the student’s academic program and on-site staff.

See the Institutional Plan for Distance Education and Off-Campus Instruction (March 2004) Section 4-1; this plan is located on-line at http://www.irim.ttu.edu/SACS/TTUInstitutionalPlanfinal.pdf.

Each academic program offered to students attending TTU at Fredericksburg has a faculty program coordinator. The coordinator is listed for each of the following academic programs:

M.Ed. in Education Leadership
           Dr. Joann Klinker, Assistant Professor, College of Education

Bachelor of General Studies
           Dr. Rob Stewart, Professor and Associate Dean, College of Arts and Sciences

The institution’s use of technology enhances student learning, is appropriate for meeting the
objectives of its programs, and ensures that students have access to and training in the use
of technology.

The use of technology at TTU at Fredericksburg is supported by TTU’s Institutional Technology division as part of its mission. Further documentation can be found in the IT Certification of Compliance  response at http://www.irim.ttu.edu/SACS/CCC/Units/ITComplianceRequirements.htm. As part of the institutional assessment process, technology support to off-campus educational sites is analyzed in the Institutional Plan for Distance Education and Off-Campus Instruction, Section 5-1; an on-line copy is available at http://www.irim.ttu.edu/SACS/TTUInstitutionalPlanfinal.pdf.  On-site IT personnel are also available to ensure quality delivery of instruction and respond to faculty, student, and staff needs.  

All faculty teaching at TTU at Fredericksburg are TTU full-time tenure-track faculty or part-time faculty who have been employed by the respective academic unit to teach a specified course. Graduate faculty are approved by the Graduate Council. Faculty files for TTU at Fredericksburg are retained in the Office of the Provost.  Faculty rosters from inception through Summer II 2004 are available at http://www.depts.ttu.edu/hillcountry/faculty.htm.  

Student and Course Evaluation forms are administered at TTU at Fredericksburg according to OP32.32 http://www.depts.ttu.edu/opmanual/OP32.32.html. Also see the Institutional Plan for Distance Education and Off-Campus Instruction (March 2004) Section 3-3; this plan is located on-line at  http://www.irim.ttu.edu/SACS/TTUInstitutionalPlanfinal.pdf.

TTU at Fredericksburg provides facilities, services and learning/information resources that are appropriate to support its teaching, research, and service mission (see http://www.depts.ttu.edu/hillcountry/fredericksburg.htm ).

See the Institutional Plan for Distance Education and Off-Campus Instruction (March 2004) Section 4-1, 4-2, 5-1, 5-2; this plan is located on-line at http://www.irim.ttu.edu/SACS/TTUInstitutionalPlanfinal.pdf.

TTU at Fredericksburg ensures that users have access to regular and timely instruction in the use of library and other learning/information resources by providing regular library orientation as well as by providing information available at http://www.depts.ttu.edu/hillcountry/libres.htm. Additionally, online library instruction is located at http://library.ttu.edu/ul/instruction/distance.php.

See also the Institutional Plan for Distance Education and Off-Campus Instruction (March 2004) Section 4-1 and 4-2; this plan is located on-line at http://www.irim.ttu.edu/SACS/TTUInstitutionalPlanfinal.pdf.  The State of Texas also sponsors a cooperative library program called TexShare through which students may access library materials (see www.texshare.edu ).

See the Institutional Plan for Distance Education and Off-Campus Instruction (March 2004) Section 4-1, 4-2, 5-1, 5-2; this plan is located on-line at http://www.irim.ttu.edu/SACS/TTUInstitutionalPlanfinal.pdf.

A coordinator for student affairs at off-campus educational sites was appointed by Student Affairs in September of 2003 and provides support to TTU at Fredericksburg students, faculty, and staff. See the Student Affairs response at http://www.irim.ttu.edu/sacs/CCC/Units/StudAffComplianceRequirements.htm. and  the TTU at Fredericksburg web-site for a list of resources http://www.depts.ttu.edu/hillcountry/student%20services.htm.

RESOURCES

TTU at Fredericksburg has developed an emergency plan to promote healthy, safe and secure environment at its site (see http://www.depts.ttu.edu/hillcountry/aboutus.htm). TTU Police (806-742-3931) and Student Affairs have developed reporting processes to ensure compliance with the Clery Act at off-campus educational sites (see http://www.studentaffairs.ttu.edu/CampusCrime/ and Emergency Procedures at http://www.depts.ttu.edu/hillcountry/aboutus.htm).  

TTU Operations is responsible for off-campus facilities; see their Certification of Compliance response at http://www.irim.ttu.edu/sacs/CCC/Units/OperComplianceRequirements.htm. Annual safety surveys are conducted at TTU at Fredericksburg by TTU Environmental Health and Safety.  

TTU at Fredericksburg staff and faculty work with TTU Operations to maintain facilities that are adequate to serve the needs of the site’s educational programs, support services, and mission-related services. See TTU Operations response at  http://www.irim.ttu.edu/sacs/CCC/Units/OperComplianceRequirements.htm.

Section 4:  FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS