Section II: Core Requirements

2.10. The institution provides student support programs, services, and activities consistent with its mission that promote student learning and enhance the development of its students. (Student Support Services)

JUDGMENT OF COMPLIANCE

Compliance.

NARRATIVE/JUSTIFICATION FOR JUDGMENT OF COMPLIANCE

Northeast Alabama Community College demonstrates compliance. The college is committed to the support of students in order to promote their success both academically and personally. Goal Eight of the Mission and Goals Statement is to provide “Student services which assist individuals to formulate and achieve career, educational and personal goals through counseling and academic advisement services and provide opportunities to participate in social and cultural activities.” At Northeast, the Student Services Program functions to promote student learning and personal development. This emphasis points to the necessity of melding student services with academic services to provide a seamless experience and continuity. These services begin with recruitment and follow through with admissions; registration; counseling in academic, personal, and career concerns; tutoring; participation in campus organizations; and participation in college-sponsored forums and other cultural presentations as well as in social events.

The Student Services Program includes the following:

Recruitment. All college personnel are recruiters. However, the college employs a Director of High School and College Relations and an assistant to recruit students from the 25 high schools in the college’s service area. The director and assistant visit all of the schools at least once per year, sometimes twice or more. Other activities include campus tours for prospective students, participation in College Day/Night events for school systems and individual high schools and high school Awards Day/Night events, industry visitation, community presentations, speaking engagements at civic clubs and other organizations, and college publicity. The Office of High School and College Relations strives to maintain positive ongoing relationships with area high schools and with businesses and civic organizations. The Office hosts an annual luncheon for guidance counselors, providing an opportunity for counselors to visit the campus and discuss college opportunities with both faculty and administrators. The Office coordinates various activities with area businesses. For example, in March 2003 the Director of High School and College Relations presented a workshop entitled Dress for Success to the Junior Board of Directors of North Jackson Bank. In May 2003 Northeast hosted the Farmers’ Telephone Cooperative Career Days, attended by more than 1,000 high school students in the college’s service area.

One of NACC’s Directive Goals for the 2003-2004 through 2005-2006 planning cycle is providing greater access to the college among racial/ethnic minorities and nontraditional age students. The college has established a minority institutional scholarship, awarding five to seven per year. In 2003 the college held a minority recruiting dinner in Jackson County and plans to continue this event while exploring the possibility of conducting a similar event in DeKalb County. The college annually sends faculty and staff to the Alabama College System Human Resource Management Association Diversity Conference in order to enhance awareness of diversity issues. In 2002, with the objective of improving contact with the population at large, Northeast presented an information booth at the DeKalb County Fair, continuing this recruitment project in 2003 and also initiating representation at the Jackson County Fair. This will be an annual project for the college.

Others specifically involved in recruiting are the Dean of Technology and Workforce Development, the Director of Admissions and Student Services, the Director of Financial Aid, the Dean of Extended Day, and the Director of Promotions and Marketing. During the past two years the college has increased its promotion efforts through television, radio, newspaper, and billboard advertising as well as through the college Web site.

Retention. The college utilizes numerous strategies in retention efforts. Basically, all components of the Student Services Program relate to retention:

Placement assessment, using the COMPASS computerized assessment instrument as required by State Board of Education Policy 902.01, is designed to direct entering students into the courses appropriate to their skill levels in written composition, reading, and mathematics.

GED testing is coordinated by the Admissions Coordinator. The GED test is administered approximately every two weeks throughout the year. An annual GED graduation ceremony is coordinated by the Northeast Alabama Adult Basic Education office.

Orientation for first-time students follows COMPASS testing. A typical orientation session is conducted by the Director of Admissions and Student Services and the Director of Financial Aid and includes welcoming talks by the president and deans, followed by the presentation of detailed information concerning financial aid, college majors and course selection using STARS, counseling services, the registration process, and assignment of advisors. A major objective of orientation is to make students feel welcome at Northeast and to provide each with relevant written policies, procedures, and regulations through the distribution of the college Catalog. The Director of Admissions and Student Services also uses the orientation session to encourage involvement and leadership in campus organizations. A new component of orientation, implemented Fall 2003, is “Unleash Your Inner Monster,” a one-hour presentation by a professional motivational speaker including topics such as goal setting, time management, study skills, career/major choice, and extracurricular activities.  The speaker uses audience participation to motivate the students. The orientation session concludes with a reception for the new students, providing both students and their families the opportunity to meet faculty, staff, administrators, current students, and other new students.  

Academic and transfer advising is performed by faculty, with student assignment based on their stated majors. Seven division chairs and 23 additional full-time faculty members serve as academic advisors. This procedure is designed to help create a mentoring relationship between advisor and advisee, as the student retains the same advisor throughout his or her time at Northeast except when a change of major requires a change of advisor in order to better serve the student. Advisors and students work together using the Statewide Transfer and Articulation Reporting System (STARS) guides to plan student schedules, thereby ensuring transfer of courses to any other public institution in the state. For transfer to nonpublic or out-of-state institutions, the advisor and student employ the catalogs of the intended transfer institution. The Director of Admissions and Student Services serves as the official college liaison to assist students who encounter problems with the transfer of credit.

Personal counseling. The college recognizes the value of personal counseling. The Northeast student population is from a rural region. Many students come from lower to middle income families, and many are first-generation college students. This sometimes leads to difficulties in upward mobility, with a lack of family support and understanding. Many students, both male and female, are single parents who work full time while attempting to improve their quality of life by attending college. And many students are traditional students from middle income families with excellent family support. Regardless of a student’s situation, difficulties do arise. Proper counseling can enhance student transition to postsecondary education and assist students in resolving personal problems. The college currently employs two counselors, both of whom perform student counseling in concert with other duties, one as Director of Admissions and Student Services, the other as an instructor of psychology. The QEP Development Committee has indicated an interest in hiring as coordinator of the developmental studies program a person qualified in student counseling. This step would greatly enhance the college’s ability to meet student counseling needs.

Financial aid services are an essential support to the educational process of Northeast. The college is in compliance with State Board of Education Policy 714.04 and with its program responsibilities under Title IV of the 1998 Higher Education Amendments. The Federal Pell Grant program, in conjunction with College Work-Study (CWS), forms the basis for most financial aid awards. Pell Grant funds are disbursed according to federal guidelines in a timely manner for student convenience and for facilitation of the registration process. The college also engages in the Alabama Student Assistance Program Grant and the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant Program (SEOG). In February 2003 the college created the position of Student Financial Resources Coordinator and implemented the Federal Family Education Loan (Stafford) Program in an effort to enhance financial assistance to the student body. The Coordinator holds an M.B.A. and has extensive experience in economics and finance. To date, the loan program has served 274 students for a total of $632,401 in loans. The Financial Aid Office also administers institutional as well as non-institutional scholarships from businesses, churches, civic organizations, and other private entities.

The Division of Technology and Workforce Development plays a vital role in student financial assistance, working with local agencies and industries to coordinate the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) scholarships and private scholarships related to job training. This office also administers the Alabama G.I. and Dependents Scholarship Program.

The Veterans Services Office coordinates financial assistance to eligible veterans and dependents as well as eligible Army National Guard members and Army Reservists.

Table 1 includes benefits for the past three years:

Table 1

Policies and procedures pertaining to financial aid are published in the college Catalog, available both in print and online, and on the college Web site.

Career counseling is accomplished on both a group and individual basis. PSY 106, Career Exploration, a one-credit-hour course offered each fall and spring semester, is open to all students. Additionally, the Adult Education and Skills Training Division provides career development services including Work Keys assessments and workplace skill development courses and assists students in the development of career credentials documents. Students may meet with a counselor in the Office of Admissions and Student Services to discuss career interests and to take interest inventories and surveys.

Tutoring services in written composition and math are coordinated by the respective division chairs. These services are free. The majority of tutors are students who have demonstrated academic excellence in the subject area for which they tutor; however, credentialed instructors are also employed when available. Tutoring schedules are posted each semester throughout campus. Although faculty may recommend the tutoring service to students, the students are free to seek assistance without a referral. A major strength of the mathematics program is the Learning Logic Math Lab, staffed and open to students over 65 hours per week. Here students are assisted by tutors as well as mathematics faculty. Students experiencing difficulties in study management are encouraged to enroll in PSY 107, Study Skills, offered each fall and spring semester.

Disabilities services. The college is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and all other applicable regulations. Instructions for requesting accommodation, along with the college ADA Grievance Procedure, are published in the Student Handbook section of the Catalog. Procedures for faculty responses to requests are published in the Faculty & Staff Handbook. Modifications may be made in the presentation of material or in the manner by which a student demonstrates mastery. Accommodations may be offered to a student, but not required. Recent classroom accommodations have included special seating arrangements, the provision of lap top computers for note taking, taped textbooks, audiotapes of written materials, extra time for testing, oral administration of exams, use of tape recorders and spell checkers during class, the provision of a sign language interpreter, and the provision of a personal attendant. The college also makes available a motorized wheelchair. The Lyceum is equipped with assistive listening devices as well as disability seating. Records of accommodations made for student disabilities are maintained in individual student files, the content of which is confidential. These files are available on site in the Office of Admissions and Student Services.

A mark of the dedication of Northeast to assisting students with disabilities is the Able Student Alliance, a support and service organization of students with disabilities and non-disabled students. These students work mutually in service projects for the community. In addition, the organization provides the disabled students a forum to discuss their challenges, to celebrate their successes, and to assist and encourage each other. The non-disabled members volunteer their services as study partners, tutors, readers, note takers, typists, etc. They also assist with campus mobility and even provide transportation to campus when needed.

Campus organizations and awards programs. NACC is a commuter college, with a student population, both day and evening, highly involved in the workforce, whether full or part-time. Regardless, the college is committed to offering exceptional opportunities for student involvement in campus organizations. While many evening students are unable to participate in campus organizations, it is important to note that two campus honor societies hold late afternoon/early evening events in order to accommodate both day and evening students. All students, both day and evening, are eligible for consideration of membership in honors organizations and for the awarding of special recognition.

The college adheres to the Policy Statement on Student Activities which acts as a guide for extracurricular programs. The policy states: The Division of Student Services is responsible for that part of the student’s educational experience which takes place outside the formal classroom program. The Director of Admissions and Student Services approves all College-related activities, including the formation of new organizations and clubs, campus events, and participation of students in departmental activities. The Director of Admissions and Student Services judges each request based upon the social and educational benefits provided to the students by the activity. Any student group seeking a student activity must have a faculty sponsor. Following approval, the Director of Admissions and Student Services works with each sponsor of student activity groups on developing specific supervisory guidelines for the activity. To assist the Director of Admissions and Student Services in supervising these activities is Mrs. Joan Reeves, the Coordinator of Student Activities. All formal student activities have a faculty sponsor. The College deems this important and necessary for both academic and legal reasons. Faculty sponsors are to encourage wholesome and creative student efforts. The College believes that it should fulfill academic, legal, ethical, and moral responsibilities, and uphold federal and state laws regarding student activities. Student activities personnel adhere to these principles as an integral part of their professional duties.

Table 2 summarizes Northeast’s activities, awards, and organizations, as well as the functions of each.

                                                            Table 2

The Student Government Association represents the official voice of Northeast students. While all students are officially members, the student body annually elects officers and six representatives, three from each class. The SGA officers and representatives promote student participation in campus life and provide both service and social activities for the campus as a whole. The annual Spring Fling is a much-anticipated campus-wide event incorporating both indoor and outdoor competitions, a talent show, and a dance into a week-long celebration for students and faculty. The SGA typically coordinates campus blood drives, the annual Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week, Teacher Appreciation Week, and various charity projects for the community.

Student rights and responsibilities. The Office of Student Services ensures student rights and establishes policy concerning student responsibilities. All guidelines are published in the Student Handbook section of the Catalog.

Yearbook. Backroads is published annually as a service to students, providing a permanent remembrance of campus life.

Leadership Academy. One of the most recent, and most innovative, new opportunities provided

by the Office of Student Services is the NACC Student Leadership Academy. The first academy was held during Fall Semester 2003 at Lake Guntersville State Park. Participation in the two-day event was by invitation, following faculty nominations. Twenty-four student leaders and prospective leaders attended the academy, led by the Director of Admissions and Student Services and the Student Activities Coordinator. Two faculty members assisted. Students participated in workshops concerning leadership traits, the ethics of leadership, establishing goals, maintaining healthy relationships, time management, communication, chain of command, and creativity. As a result of the success of this first venture, the Leadership Academy will become a permanent component of the Student Services Program, benefiting both the students who participate and the campus as a whole.

Student programs, services, and activities are detailed in the Student Handbook section of the Catalog, published both in print and online.

Routine evaluation of student services occurs through the annual student services survey (current students) and the graduated student survey. Results of both surveys are returned to the Office of Admissions and Student Services for use in continual development and improvement of services.

In October 2002 the Faces of the Future Survey, developed by American College Testing (ACT) and sanctioned by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), was administered

to 460 Northeast students. The results of the relevant portion of the survey are presented in Tables 3 and 4. The data are reported on a Likert-type, 5-point scale, with 5 indicating strong agreement and 1, strong disagreement.

                                                                           Table 3

                                                                      Table 4

As the table indicates, the Northeast data averages exceed the national data average in every category except “Developing self-confidence,” which is only slightly below the national average. The national averages are based on 43,771 student surveys from 135 community colleges.

Each spring semester the Student Services Division administers a survey asking students to indicate their level of satisfaction with admissions, orientation, counseling, financial aid, academic advising, student activities, and special needs. Pertinent data are shown in Table 5,  indicating that, of those students utilizing these services, the majority rate their level of satisfaction as either “excellent” or “good.”

Table 5

Northeast Alabama Community College is dedicated to its stated mission in student services. The QEP topic choice, establishing a program for the promotion of success of students engaged in developmental studies, will enhance an already strong student services program.

An explanation of academic support services may be found in Comprehensive Standard 3.4.9.

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