Jointly Identifying and Meeting the State's Postsecondary Needs
Articulating Postsecondary Courses and Academic Programs
Annual Report of the
Arizona Board of Regents and the
State Board of Directors for Community Colleges of Arizona
Submitted to the Arizona Joint Legislative Budget Committee
December 1999
This Report was approved by the Arizona Board of Regents at its meeting on November 19, 1999, and by the State Board of Directors for Community Colleges of Arizona at its meeting on November 19, 1999.
Table of Contents
Part I: Jointly Identifying and Meeting the State's Postsecondary Needs
Part II: Articulating Postsecondary Courses and Academic Programs
Chart of Arizona State-Wide Higher Education Relationships
Background of
Statewide Groups Mentioned in This Report
---Joint Conference Committee (JCC)
---Joint Review Committee (JRC)
---Transfer Articulation Task Force (TATF)
---Higher Education Study Committee (HESC)
A Process for Handling Referrals to the Joint Review Committee (JRC)
Notice of JRC Activation to Community Colleges and Universities
Notice of JRC Activation to Higher Education Study Committee
Flowchart of Existing Informal Process and Additional Formal Process for Identifying and Meeting Arizona's Postsecondary Needs (As amended by the Joint Conference Committee October 21, 1999)
In recent years, the Arizona Legislature has directed the state's public community colleges and universities to cooperate in articulating course transfers and academic programs, and to collaborate in identifying and meeting the postsecondary education needs of Arizona citizens. In response to legislative direction, the Arizona Board of Regents and the State Board of Directors for Community Colleges of Arizona have established statewide committees to discuss issues and propose and implement solutions. A primary mechanism for achieving cooperation and collaboration has been the oversight of the Joint Conference Committee (JCC) consisting of members of both Boards. To keep the Legislature informed, the two Boards have submitted regular progress reports:
The progress report that follows consolidates two previously separate reports into a single annual report which addresses both postsecondary needs and articulation. It is the first in a series of two annual reports submitted to the Legislature in response to a budgetary footnote included in the community college and university budgets for FY 2000 and FY 2001. That footnote is shown below.
Joint Legislative Budget Committee New Footnotes |
During 1999, the Arizona public community colleges and universities have acted jointly to meet the postsecondary needs of Arizona citizens. This report reflects progress in three areas:
Community College/University Partnerships
The challenge of delivering postsecondary education opportunities to Arizona's citizens
requires a mutual commitment on the part of the state's postsecondary institutions to work
collaboratively to meet demonstrated needs for higher education, particularly on the part
of place-bound and time-constrained citizens. Meeting such needs efficiently and
effectively without displacing students' families or existing employment, and without
unnecessary duplication of programs, requires a high level of cooperation and
collaboration among Arizona's public universities and public community college districts.
Current collaboration between public community colleges and public universities takes a variety of creative forms all of which address three common goals: to improve the transfer of credits, to enhance student access, and to make the best use of resources. Improved transfer occurs when community colleges and universities agree that students can transfer courses for credit and apply those credits toward completing a bachelor's degree. Student access is enhanced when traditional and technology-delivered instruction are made available to previously under served populations, including place-bound and time-constrained students. Resources are most efficiently used through cooperative instructional partnerships.
Partnerships are formed when community colleges and universities cooperate to allow students to complete a combination of community college and university courses, often through technology-delivered instruction, and earn a bachelor's degree without traveling to a distant campus. All three public universities are engaged in such partnerships, and students from all public community colleges benefit from partnership agreements. Examples of successful partnerships are:
Increasing Access to Baccalaureate Programs Through New University Degrees
Nearly half of the degrees awarded by Arizona community colleges are Associate of Applied
Science (AAS) degrees. In the past, when AAS graduates have transferred to university
baccalaureate programs, several AAS credits (in particular, "occupational"
courses) have not been transferable. To improve access to baccalaureate education,
Arizona's public universities have initiated new Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS)
degrees. Arizona State University-East Campus was the first to offer the BAS, starting in
the fall of 1998. The BAS degree is currently offered by ASU-East, ASU-West, and Northern
Arizona University. University of Arizona-South Campus recently received authorization to
plan a BAS curriculum.
Broadly defined, Arizona's BAS degrees are designed to articulate with community college Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degrees. AAS degrees tend to have a limited number of liberal studies credits. The BAS augments the limited AAS liberal studies with university-level liberal studies courses. All versions of the BAS in Arizona require completion of an AAS for admission and then require completion of 60 credits of university work. The BAS has a strong general education component, a BAS core (emphasizing such topics as management, communication, quantitative reasoning, and technological literacy), and a BAS specialization.
The BAS is a flexible degree which allows students to enhance or complement their technical specialization while developing leadership and personal skills which support career progression. Each university has the flexibility to develop BAS degrees which articulate with community college associate degrees and meet university baccalaureate graduation requirements. Approximately 196 students are currently enrolled in university BAS programs. Arizona's public community colleges have requested more collaboration regarding the development of BAS programs and increased cooperation in anticipating and resolving possible articulation issues. They have also suggested that it may be more appropriate for community colleges to offer such baccalaureates.
Increasing Access to Baccalaureate Programs Through New Partnerships
Arizona's public community colleges have increased access to baccalaureate programs by forming partnerships with Arizona's public and private universities, and with out-of-state universities. Three community college districts report partnerships with out-of-state universities: Maricopa, Pima, and Yavapai. Out-of-state partners include Governor's State University (Illinois), Old Dominion University (Virginia), California State University at Long Beach, North Dakota University, and Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology (Canada). Baccalaureate programs offered include Liberal Arts, Vocational Education, and International Education.
These partnerships meet the needs of community college students who are time and place-bound by offering instruction using the Internet and other distance learning approaches. Some out-of-state partners offer instruction, when needed, to an individual student. Some allow students to transfer up to 80 hours of community college coursework into the baccalaureate program and some allow credit for a student's occupational experience. Some out-of-state universities have invested resources in the local community college campus such as furniture, computers, and other equipment. The community colleges do not feel that these partnerships duplicate instructional options currently offered by the Arizona public universities. Approximately 153 students are enrolled in baccalaureate partnership programs between Arizona community colleges and out-of-state universities. Arizona's public universities have asked for an opportunity to form additional partnerships with the community colleges to offer such programs.
Implementing the New Joint Review Committee
In 1997 and 1998, the Higher Education Study Committee (HESC) met at the direction of the Legislature to study Arizona's postsecondary needs, and to develop a system for identifying and meeting demonstrated needs statewide. The HESC reported their recommendations to the Legislature In December 1998.
A primary recommendation of the 1998 HESC report was that Arizona's public community colleges and universities continue and expand their existing informal collaborative efforts to identify and meet the state's postsecondary education needs through instructional partnerships and other cooperative programs. As an adjunct to the existing informal process, the HESC established a new formal process which sets timelines for identifying and meeting demonstrated needs. Included in the new formal process is the Joint Review Committee (JRC), a group of community college and university representatives charged to resolve issues which might arise in identifying and meeting demonstrated statewide needs for post-secondary education. HESC hoped that the JRC would represent a new statewide forum for needs analysis with the potential to positively influence the future evolution of Arizona's system of higher education. The informal and formal processes recommended by HESC are depicted on a flowchart.
The Joint Review Committee met for the first time on February 24, 1999. At that meeting the JRC adopted a schedule which required the committee to convene no less than every 60 days should issues be presented for committee review; or in less time, should pressing business come before the group. The JRC reports the following activities for 1999:
During its March 1999 meeting, the JRC considered some emerging issues:
In March 1999, JRC wrote to the Joint Conference Committee (JCC) of the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) and the State Board of Directors for Community Colleges of Arizona (SBDCCA) asking for clarification of these issues and the JCC requested further study requesting that a survey be completed of community college partnerships with out-of-state universities and that the universities prepare a statement of their concerns. In August 1999, the SBDCCA proposed a protocol requiring Arizona public community colleges to notify Arizona public universities of impending partnerships and allow the universities an opportunity to respond. The community college presidents and community college association of district governing boards questioned the need for a protocol.
In October 1999, the JCC reviewed the survey of community colleges and a university position paper. The JCC then adopted a joint resolution which includes elements from the proposed SBDCCA protocol as well as elements from the positions taken by the Arizona Community College Presidents' Association, the Arizona Association of District Governing Boards, and the universities. The JCC also amended the JRC process to allow the Arizona public universities to request a review before the JRC. The JCC further reinforced that the JRC process does not apply to existing partnerships or the renewal of existing partnerships. However, as such partnerships are renewed, the community colleges are encouraged to consult informally with the universities, and the universities are encouraged to informally contact the community colleges, to determine if an in-state partnership is feasible. Finally, the JCC reinforced that the JRC process does not apply to partnerships involving regionally accredited private universities which operate from an Arizona facility. The JCC Resolution is shown on the following page and a flowchart depicting amendments to the JRC process.
The result of the JCC's action is an enhanced process for identifying and meeting Arizona's postsecondary needs. The existing informal process which has already led to several successful partnerships will continue to operate and, should the informal process fail to resolve issues, both the community colleges and the universities will have access to the formal JRC review process. The resolution of this issue is a strong indication of the strength of the collaborative process and the desire on the part of the public community colleges and universities to work together to meet the postsecondary needs of Arizona citizens.
RESOLUTION
Joint Conference Committee of the Arizona Board of Regents and the
State Board of Directors for Community Colleges of Arizona
[Adopted by the JCC October 21, 1999; Affirmed by ABOR and SBDCCA* November 19,1999]
WHEREAS, the Arizona Board of Regents and the State Board of Directors for Community Colleges of Arizona have made a mutual commitment to meet the challenge of addressing the State's needs for postsecondary education; and
WHEREAS, the Boards' mutual commitment includes an agreement to increase collaboration through the maintenance and expansion of existing community college/university partnerships and other agreements; and
WHEREAS, the JCC acknowledges that the community colleges, the community college district governing boards, and the three universities are close to the communities and regions they serve and, therefore, in a position to assess the needs of local constituents; and
WHEREAS, collaboration between the community college districts and the universities ensures the best use of resources and avoids conflicts and misunderstandings;
THEREFORE, be it resolved that the Joint Conference Committee of the Arizona Board of Regents and the State Board of Directors for Community Colleges of Arizona strongly affirm the following principles:
1. That the State of Arizona is well served by partnerships in which Arizona public community colleges and Arizona public universities work collaboratively to meet the postsecondary education needs of Arizona citizens.
2. That voluntary partnerships between public community colleges and public universities strengthen the Arizona public postsecondary system through the prudent use of resources and by avoiding unnecessary program duplication.
3. That the Arizona public community colleges and universities should actively collaborate, willingly combine resources and share expertise, and, above all, look to each other to meet the State's postsecondary needs through collaborative curriculum and functional instructional partnerships.
* 4. That if, after consulting with the Arizona public universities, an Arizona community college finds the universities unwilling or unable to form a partnership, the community college should be encouraged to partner with any entity able and willing to form partnerships to meet Arizona's postsecondary needs.
5. That the informal process of notice and opportunity to respond should be thoroughly discussed and resolved by the community college and university presidents.
6. That both the universities and the community colleges should have an opportunity to request a formal review when disputes arise in meeting postsecondary needs.
7. That neither community college partnerships with out-of-state universities existing as of November 19, 1999, nor the renewal of such partnerships, are in question or subject to review.
8. That community college partnerships with regionally accredited private universities which operate from an Arizona facility are not in question nor are they subject to review.
[The foregoing principles are reflected in the Joint Review Committee process as
modified by the Joint Conference Committee and described
in the narrative and in a flowchart.]
____________________________________
* In affirming this resolution, the SBDCCA
asked that, at a future meeting, the JCC consider an amendment to principle 4 such that
either a university or a community college, upon finding the other unwilling or unable to
form a partnership, is encouraged to partner with any entity able and willing to form
partnerships to meet Arizona's postsecondary needs.
Part II: ARTICULATING POSTSECONDARY COURSES AND ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
Considerable progress has been made in 1999 in implementing the New Transfer Model, designed in 1996 by the statewide Transfer Articulation Task Force. The new model has benefited from the active involvement of community college and university staff, faculty, and administrators, and from the fiscal support of the Legislature.
Leadership in implementing the new model is provided by the Arizona Board of Regents and the State Board of Directors for Community Colleges of Arizona through the Joint Conference Committee (JCC) of the two Boards. Implementation oversight is provided by the Academic Program Articulation Steering Committee (community college and university academic officers), with strong support from the statewide Articulation Facilitator and several joint community college-university committees and task forces: Course Equivalency Guide Steering Committee, Academic Advising Articulation Task Force, General Education Articulation Task Force, and 38 discipline-specific faculty articulation task forces each representing an Arizona postsecondary academic subject area (i.e., Art, Business, Math, etc.).
Progress in Implementing the New Transfer Model
In its October 1996 report to the legislature, the Transfer Articulation Task Force (TATF)
proposed a New Transfer Model that includes new transfer degrees, new general education
requirements, new common requirements for equivalent majors, new limits on the amount of
work that can be transferred from a community college into a baccalaureate program, and
the concept of transfer blocks, all resulting in new pathways for transfer students.
Consistent with the timeline included in the December 1998 progress report, implementation
of the New Transfer Model was completed by January 1, 1999.
The Academic Program Articulation Steering Committee (APASC) has provided guidance to the public universities and community colleges to aid them in developing policies and procedures to support the administration of the New Transfer Model. In implementing the new model, Arizona's ten public community college districts have approved the necessary curriculum changes to:
Working collaboratively, the community colleges and universities have agreed on procedures to transfer blocks of courses and assess whether students demonstrate language proficiency when such proficiency is required. Also, in compliance with the Arizona Board of Regents policy, the universities have implemented procedures to unconditionally admit students who complete the new AGEC, or an Associate Degree, and the universities have agreed that completion of the AGEC satisfies general education/liberal studies requirements for the universities.
Finally, the community colleges have implemented procedures to certify the completion of the AGEC , or an Associate Degree, and to note such completion on the student's official academic transcript. The universities have agreed to honor such certifications. At present, certification procedures require a considerable manual effort for each of the community colleges. However, noting completions on the transcript ensures the student will transfer without loss of credit or time toward degree.
Review of the New Transfer Model
During the 1999-2000 academic year there will be an on-going review of decisions and
agreements reached by the discipline-specific faculty articulation task forces (ATFs)
regarding the pathways students should follow to prepare for and complete degrees, and the
common courses students in certain academic areas should take to prepare for transfer.
This review is intended to ensure that the student who follows a prescribed pathway can
transfer without loss of credit or time to degree. Pathways under review include:
To date, the General Requirements and Special Requirements Pathways have been reviewed and compared with the requirements for completion of a baccalaureate degree at the public universities. The Exceptional Requirements Pathways are under review and completion of that review is anticipated by December 1999. The findings of the review will yield important information, but equally important is the collaborative approach to review. Representatives from the universities and community colleges are taking part in the review process.
Initial findings of the review are promising. More than 90% of the degrees reviewed are consistent with the designated pathway. Recommendations to the Articulation Task Forces and the universities will be to identify additional common courses for lower-division preparation and/or to review general education /liberal studies requirements. Recommendations will be discussed throughout the 1999-2000 academic year and changes implemented for 2000-2001.
Progress in Implementing Support Systems
A. Management System. Consistent with the 1996 Transfer Articulation Task
Force (TATF) recommendations, the following components of a statewide approach to
management and oversight have been developed to support the New Transfer Model.
1. Organizational Structure: The Academic Program Articulation Steering Committee (APASC) assigned a subcommittee to review the current organizational structure and make recommendations for changes that would improve the oversight for, and accountability of, the various components of the New Transfer Model. Initial recommendations include aligning the Course Equivalency Steering Committee, which oversees the current CEG paper publication, with the Course Applicability System, which is the new computerized CEG; supporting statewide efforts with a Quality Assurance team approach; assigning a liaison relationship between APASC members and the various committees and task forces; and defining oversight for the Course Applicability System, the Transfer Student Data Warehouse and the Course Equivalency Steering Committee. Some of these changes are reflected in the chart on "Arizona State-Wide Higher Education Relationships."
2. Staffing. Three positions are jointly funded by the Legislature, the community colleges, and the universities under the Arizona Transfer Articulation Support Systems decision package (see "C" below): the Articulation Facilitator, the CAS Technical Analyst, and the Data Warehouse Technical Analyst. The Articulation Facilitator will follow a Quality Assurance approach to coordinate the team and will provide a quarterly report of on-going activities to APASC.
3. Responsibilities. The roles and responsibilities of the articulation task forces (ATFs) and committees have been reviewed and clarified. On-going monitoring of responsibilities will be coordinated through the Articulation Facilitator and reported to APASC.
4. Upper/Lower-Division Course Criteria Implementation Plan: In response to the recommendations of the Transfer Articulation Task Force, APASC developed criteria for determining upper and lower-division courses. A plan for implementation was developed during the 1998-99 academic year and distributed to the Chief Academic Officers of each community college and university.
5. Program Articulation. The ATFs continue to review the decisions regarding pathways, common courses and other degree requirements on an annual basis. APASC has encouraged the ATFs to expand their discussions to include curriculum planning and increasing common lower-division preparation for the pathways.
6. Faculty Selection and Training for ATFs. Membership of ATFs will be coordinated and revised annually. The individual institutions provided training for faculty. In addition, a statewide training presentation has been developed and is now included as a regular part of ATF meeting agendas.
7. Accountability. Efforts to provide accountability measures are on-going. In addition to the data anticipated for evaluation purposes from the Transfer Student Data Warehouse (see C.2 below), APASC also has an evaluation process for ensuring community college and university participation in the discipline-specific faculty ATFs and committees.
B. New Advising System. Progress continues toward the implementation of the Transfer Articulation Task Force (TATF) recommendations for student academic advising. Each institution has developed information for dissemination to students. Each community college and university has identified a transfer student ombudsperson to work with students, faculty, and staff in fielding and resolving transfer student problems. Many community colleges and universities have added advising information to the institutional web site, some have developed brochures to describe the components of the New Transfer Model, and all have developed "check sheets" of degree requirements for student use.
C. New Computer-Based Information Systems. Continued funding has enabled the further development of computer-based systems and transfer articulation personnel under the umbrella name of Arizona Transfer Articulation Support Systems (ATASS)(¹).
1. Course Applicability System (CAS). Implementation is in progress. CAS is designed to computerize key aspects of information needed by transfer students and advisors in making academic decisions. CAS will help users determine the applicability of a community college course in meeting university degree requirements. A phased approach has been employed for the development of CAS. Phase one, a demonstration phase which tested the system with two community colleges and two universities participating, has been completed. Phase two, a limited implementation phase, is currently underway. All Arizona public universities and community colleges are participating in phase two. At present, a limited, but growing, number of programs are available for students to review in creating an academic plan. A significant development of phase two will be the on-line Course Equivalency Guide, which may eventually replace the lengthy CEG paper publication which must be printed and distributed annually. Completion is anticipated in Spring 2000.
2. Transfer Student Data Warehouse . Implementation is in progress. The Transfer Student Data Warehouse has adopted a new name for operational use. It is known as the Arizona State System for Information on Student Transfer (ASSIST). The Arizona Board of Regents, State Board of Directors for Community Colleges of Arizona, and the Community College District Governing Boards are scheduled to review and approve a joint resolution to have the universities and community colleges provide student and financial information to form the ASSIST database. Approval of the resolution maintains compliance with the Federal Family Education Right to Privacy Act (FERPA). An ASSIST Steering Committee of community college and university representatives has worked to create a security plan that will allow for the secure sharing of data to be used to measure the success of the New Transfer Model while ensuring compliance with FERPA. Data for the 1998-99 Academic year will be entered into the ASSIST database by December, 1999.
¹ ATASS, which is jointly funded by the Arizona Legislature and the public community colleges and public universities, includes the following elements: the Course Applicability System (CAS), the Transfer Student Data Warehouse, the Articulation Facilitator, the CAS Technical Analyst, and the Data Warehouse Transfer Analyst.
Arizona Board of Regents, State Board of Directors for Community
Colleges
of Arizona and the Community College District Governing Boards
Whereas, the Arizona State Legislature funded the Arizona Transfer Articulation Support System (ATASS) as a joint initiative by the state, the community colleges and the universities to facilitate better course transfer articulation and to develop a shared statewide student and financial information database for enhanced reporting and accountability, the Arizona Board of Regents, the State Board of Directors for Community Colleges of Arizona and the county community college district governing boards jointly resolve that the universities and community colleges will periodically contribute student and financial information to the Arizona State System for Information on Student Transfer (ASSIST). In doing so, the parties affirm their obligation to protect the privacy rights of persons whose records are contained in ASSIST. Furthermore, the parties agree that ASSIST will incorporate adequate protections and safeguards to satisfy state and federal law and the polices of the governing Boards adopting the resolution. ASSIST will be used solely for research, and activities consistent with research, such as assessment, policy formation, and aggregate reporting. The principal group responsible for ASSIST is the Academic Program Articulation Steering Committee (APASC) and its designated project leader, Arizona State University. Institutional researchers authorized to access ASSIST will be required to execute an affidavit of nondisclosure. Failure to adhere to the obligations of the affidavit will result in a loss of access and referral of the incident to the institution for adjudication.
_________________________
_____________________________
Arizona Board of Regents
State Board of Directors for Community Colleges of Arizona
__________________________
Community College District Governing Board
(Adopted by the Academic Program Articulation Steering Committee October 14, 1999 and recommended for approval by the ABOR, SBDCCA, and the district governing boards. Approved by ABOR, November 19, 1999. Approved by SBDCCA, November 19,1999. Each Arizona public community college district governing board will consider the resolution for approval during 1999-2000.)
| Topic |
| Chart of Arizona State-Wide Higher Education Relationships |
| Background of
Statewide Groups Mentioned in This Report ---Joint Conference Committee (JCC) ---Joint Review Committee (JRC) ---Transfer Articulation Task Force (TATF) ---Higher Education Study Committee (HESC) |
| A Process for Handling Referrals to the Joint Review Committee (JRC) |
| Notice of JRC Activation to Community Colleges and Universities |
| Notice of JRC Activation to Higher Education Study Committee |
| Flowchart of Existing Informal Process and Additional Formal Process for Identifying and Meeting Arizona's Postsecondary Needs (As amended by the Joint Conference Committee October 21, 1999) |
Arizona State-Wide Higher Education Relationships
Arizona Board of Regents |
State Board of Directors for Community Colleges of Arizona |
|
|
Joint Conference Committee (JCC) Statewide Transfer Articulation Task Force (TATF) Higher Education Study Committee (HESC) Joint Review Committee of the Higher Education Study Committee (JRC) |
Note: Members of the JCC also serve on the Arizona Education Conference Committee (AECC) |
|
Academic Program Articulation Steering Committee (APASC) (Community College and University Chief Academic Officers or designees) |
|
| Arizona Transfer Articulation Support System (ATASS) -Articulation
Facilitator |
Course Equivalency Guide (CEG) Steering Committee
-Community College CEG Coordinators |
| Articulation Task Forces (ATFs) --Discipline-Specific ATFs: Administration of Justice Studies, Agriculture, Allied Health, Anthropology, Art, Biology, Business, Chemistry, Communication, Computer, Dance, Early Childhood Education, Economics, Education, Engineering, English, Exercise Science-Health and Physical Education-Recreation-and Wellness, Family and Consumer Sciences, Geography, Geology, History, Hospitality, Humanities, Interior Design, Journalism and Media Arts, Languages, Mathematics, Music, Nursing, Philosophy, Physics-Physical Science-and Astronomy, Political Science, Psychology, Religious Studies, Social Work, Sociology, Technology, Theatre Arts. --Academic Advising ATF and Transfer Students Ombudspersons (TSOs) --General Education ATF |
|
The Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) is the governing board for the state public universities and the State Board of Directors for Community Colleges of Arizona (SBDCCA) is the coordinating board for the state public community colleges. The Joint Conference Committee (JCC) consists of members from the ABOR and SBDCCA. The JCC oversees the work of the Academic Program Articulation Steering Committee (APASC), the Course Equivalency Guide Steering Committee, the statewide Articulation Task Forces, and the Articulation Facilitator and other ATASS personnel. The JCC guides implementation of the recommendations of two legislatively-mandated ad hoc groups: the statewide Transfer Articulation Task Force (TATF) and the Higher Education Study Committee (HESC). The JCC also oversees the work of the HESC's Joint Review Committee which resolves issues related to identifying and meeting needs for statewide post-secondary education.
The Arizona Education Conference Committee (AECC) is composed of members from the ABOR, SBDCCA, Charter School Board, State Board of Education, and Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education. AECC meets periodically to discuss statewide issues involving all level of public and private education.
The Academic Program Articulation Steering Committee (APASC) consists of community college and university chief academic officers. APASC oversees the work of ATASS, the CEG Steering Committee, and the Articulation Task Forces.
The Arizona Transfer Articulation Support System (ATASS) consists of the Articulation Facilitator, the Course Applicability System (CAS), the Transfer Student Data Warehouse, and Technical Analysts for CAS and the Data Warehouse. ATASS is jointly funded by the Arizona Legislature, the public community colleges, and the public universities.
The Course Equivalency Guide (CEG) Steering Committee consists of community college and university curriculum specialists who work with the CEG editor to produce a statewide publication listing how classes transfer from one school to another. The CEG steering committee also coordinates the scheduling of Articulation Task Forces.
There are thirty-eight Discipline-Specific Articulation Task Forces (ATFs) consisting of community college and university faculty. Each community college or university which offers courses in a given area is eligible for ATF membership. ATFs discuss and recommend how community college courses transfer to the universities. The Academic Advising ATF focuses on advising issues effecting community colleges and universities; its membership includes faculty and academic advisors. The Advising ATF provides support for Transfer Student Ombudspersons who help students with transfer transitions at each community college and university. The General Education ATF is responsible for designing and monitoring the Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC): a block of courses which transfer from the community colleges to the universities to satisfy liberal studies requirements. The GEATF membership includes faculty and academic administrators.
THE JOINT CONFERENCE COMMITTEE (JCC)
| State Community College Board | Arizona Board of Regents |
| T.O. Beach | Hank Amos (represented by Kay McKay) |
| Patrick K. Carlin, Co-Chair | Judy Gignac, Co-Chair |
| Lourdes Moreno-Jeong | Don Ulrich |
| Karen Rizk | Christine Thompson |
THE JOINT REVIEW COMMITTEE (JRC)
The JRC is described in detail in this report. The list below identifies the 1999 members of the Joint Review Committee of the Higher Education Study Committee (JRC):
| Public Community Colleges | Public Universities | Private Postsecondary |
| Arthur DeCabooter President Scottsdale Community College |
Charles Bantz Vice Provost Arizona State University |
Deborah Robin Director Keller Graduate School of Management |
| John Klein President Central Arizona College |
Mike Gottfredson Vice President The University of Arizona |
Fred Zook Provost Ottawa University |
| Karen Nicodemus President Cochise College |
Clara Lovett President Northern Arizona University |
|
| Don Puyear Executive Director State Board of Directors for Community Colleges of Arizona |
Tom Wickenden Associate Executive Director for Academic and Student Affairs Arizona Board of Regents |
THE TRANSFER ARTICULATION TASK FORCE (TATF)
The list below identifies the 1999 members of the Transfer Articulation Task Force (TATF):
| Board Representatives and TAFT Co-Chairs Thava Freedman, State Board for Community Colleges Judy Gignac, Arizona Board of Regents |
Presidential Representatives Jim Klein, Central Arizona College Clara Lovett, Northern Arizona University |
| Academic Administration Representatives Chuck Bantz, Arizona State University Mary Briden, Maricopa Community College District Bruce Stanfield, Eastern Arizona College Paul Sypherd, The University of Arizona |
Faculty Representatives Steven D. Martinson, The University of Arizona Robin Steinberg, Pima Community College Linda Vaughan, Arizona State University Don Yeager, Yavapai College |
| Student Services Representatives Terree Duncan, Coconino Community College Patrick F. Martin, Northern Arizona University |
THE HIGHER EDUCATION STUDY COMMITTEE (HESC)
The list below identifies members of the 1998 Higher Education Study Committee (HESC):
| Public Community Colleges | Public Universities | Private Postsecondary |
| T.O. Beach, Chair, State Board of Directors for Community Colleges of Arizona |
Judy Gignac, President, Arizona Board of Regents |
Laura Palmer-Noone Provost, University of Phoenix |
| Doreen Dailey, President, Yavapai College |
Michael Gottfredson Vice President for Undergraduate Education The University of Arizona |
Fred Zook Provost Ottawa University |
| Linda Thor, President, Rio Salado College |
Clara Lovett, President Northern Arizona University |
|
| Pat Hill, Executive Director, Arizona Community College Association | Milton Glick, Senior Vice President and Provost, Arizona State University | Workforce Development |
| Linda Rosenthal, Chair, Arizona Association of District Governing Boards | Frank Besnette, Executive Director, Arizona Board of Regents | C. Diane Bishop, Director, Office of Workforce Development Policy, Arizona Department of Commerce |
| Don Puyear, Executive Director, State Board of Directors for Community Colleges of Arizona |
A process for handling referrals to the Joint Review Committee (JRC)
(Note: Due to changes adopted by the Joint Conference Committee on October 21, 1999, and approved by the Arizona Board of Regents and the State Board of Directors for Community Colleges of Arizona on November 19, 1999, the JRC will be required to amend the description above and the process which follows. The JRC will meet for this purpose in January 2000. The changes are reflected in a flowchart.)
Background
1. Upon failure of existing informal processes to resolve a need for postsecondary education, notification of the need and request to respond is published by a community college to ABOR, SBDCCA, and Arizona public and private universities, at which time a "90-day clock" starts.
2. If, at the close of the 90-day period, the need remains unresolved in the view of the community college, the community college may, with the support of its District Governing Board, provide documentation of a demonstrated need and request a review by the JRC, at which time a "60-day clock" starts.
Given the above two-step formal process, the JRC met in February 1999 to consider the practical aspects of their activities and approved the detailed descriptions below.
Step 1: Notification of Need and Request to Respond
| Who shall publish the notification described in 1 above? | It is recommended that only an Arizona community college president can publish such a notice. |
| Who shall be sent the notification? | It is recommended that the following shall be sent notification: a. The executive director of the Arizona Board of Regents b. The executive director of the State Board of Directors for Community Colleges of Arizona c. The presidents of Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, and The University of Arizona. d. The executive director of the Arizona Commission of Postsecondary Education for further distribution to the presidents or other chief executive officers of all Arizona private universities. |
| What shall be the effective date at which the 90-day clock for university response begins? | It is recommended that notice shall be sent by U.S. Postal Office certified mail, return receipt requested, and that the clock shall start effective the latest date on which the president or designee of ASU, NAU, or UA signs to certify receipt, or five working days after the return receipt certifies that the mail was dispatched, whichever is the sooner. The public universities must respond within 90 days; private universities may respond at their option. |
| What shall be the content of the notification? | It is recommended that the notification should, at minimum: a. Describe the community college's efforts to seek informal resolution of the need through contacts with Arizona's public universities. b. Provide sufficient detail to allow the universities to respond and supply a contact from which universities can obtain additional information as needed. c. Demonstrate need using guidelines outlined in the 1998 HESC report. d. Provide any other information which describes or demonstrates the need. |
| Who shall respond for the universities and to whom shall they respond? | It is recommended that the presidents of the Arizona public universities and the president or other chief executive officer of Arizona private universities respond to the appropriate community college president with copies to the executive directors of ABOR and SBDCCA who will copy the president of ABOR and the chair of SBDCCA who also serve as cooperating chairs of the Joint Conference Committee of the two Boards (JCC). |
| What shall be the content of the university response? | It is recommended that the university response should, at minimum: a. Describe the university's efforts to provide resolution of the need through the existing informal process of contacts with Arizona's public community colleges. b. If the university elects to pursue development of a new program or modify or provide access to an existing program, indicate how and on what timeline this process will proceed. c. If the university elects NOT to pursue the above, provide a statement of rationale and list of alternatives, as appropriate. |
Step 2: Request for JRC Review
| Who shall request a JRC review described in 2 above? | It is recommended that only an Arizona community college president, with the support of his/her district governing board, can make such a referral. |
| Who shall be sent the request for JRC review? | It is recommended that the following shall be sent the request for
review: a. The co-chairs of the JRC b. The executive director of the Arizona Board of Regents c. The executive director of the State Board of Directors for Community Colleges of Arizona |
| What shall be the effective date at which the 60-day clock for JRC review begins? | It is recommended that the request for review shall be sent by U.S. Postal Office certified mail, return receipt requested and that the clock shall start effective the latest date on which the JRC co-chairs sign to certify receipt, or five working days after the return receipt certifies that the mail was dispatched, whichever is the sooner. |
| Who shall respond with the JRC's decision or recommendation and to whom shall they respond? | It is recommended that the co-chairs of the JRC shall communicate the JRC's decision/recommendation to the appropriate community college president with copies to the president of ABOR and the chair of SBDCCA in their capacities as cooperating chairs of the Joint Conference Committee of the two Boards (JCC). The JCC shall review the JRC recommendation and forward it to the two Boards. |
| What shall be the content of the JRC response? | It is recommended that the JRC response should include, at minimum: a. The history of efforts to informally and formally resolve the need. b. A determination regarding whether the need is or is not demonstrated. c. If the JRC finds that need is demonstrated, a recommendation regarding how the need can be met and a implementation plan and timeline. d. If the JRC finds that need is NOT demonstrated, a statement of rationale and a list of alternatives, as appropriate. |
Other procedures:
| ARIZONA BOARD OF REGENTS |
|
STATE BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR |
| 2020 NORTH CENTRAL, SUITE 230 | COMMUNITY COLLEGES OF ARIZONA | |
| PHOENIX, ARIZONA 85004-4593 | 3225 NORTH CENTRAL, SUITE 1220 | |
| (602) 229-2500 | PHOENIX, ARIZONA 85012-2411 | |
| (602) 255-4037 |
March 4, 1999
Presidents, Arizona Public Community Colleges and Universities
Presidents or Other Chief Executive Officers, Arizona Private Universities
As co-chairs of Arizona's newly formed Joint Review Committee (JRC), we are writing to you to announce that the JRC is now operational.
Consistent with the recommendations of the legislatively-mandated 1998 Higher Education Study Committee (HESC), the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) and the State Board of Directors for Community Colleges of Arizona (SBDCCA) have established the JRC. The role of the JRC is to receive and review information from Arizona's community colleges regarding unmet needs for post-secondary education.
In identifying and meeting post-secondary education needs which extend beyond the associate degree, community colleges are encouraged to utilize the existing informal process which calls for collaboration with the Arizona public university which serves the geographic area in which the community college is located. The HESC has added to the current informal process, a additional formal process whereby a community college president may pursue the resolution of post-secondary needs which appear to be unmet. The additional formal process allows a community college president to issue a statewide notice of an observed unmet need which was not resolved by informal collaboration and to request, as needed, that the JRC review the need and recommend how the need is to be met.
As the JRC begins its work, it is continuing the activities of the 1998 HESC and fulfilling the mutual commitments of ABOR and SBDCCA to maintain and improve a collaborative process to assure that the post-secondary needs of students statewide are met without unnecessary duplication of programs. Consistent with legislative direction provided by university and community college budgetary footnotes, the JRC will focus its efforts on potential students who reside in rural areas or who cannot meet the regular class schedule due to their employment or family matters.
The commitments of the two Boards, along with plans to implement and evaluate the success of those commitments, are outlined in the enclosed copy of the 1998 HESC report. This report was approved by the 1998 HESC (whose members are listed in the report), by the Joint Conference Committee of the two Boards, and by both ABOR and SBDCCA. The report was presented to the Arizona Legislature in December 1998. Additional annual progress reports are due to the Legislature in December 1999 and again in December 2000.
On February 24, 1999, the JRC held an organizational conference call to discuss procedures and establish a schedule of activities. One of the first official acts of our committee is the distribution of this notice to the CEOs of all Arizona public community colleges and all Arizona public and private universities. By way of information, we are also providing the following:
We look forward to working with you to meet the needs of Arizona's citizens for post-secondary education. If you desire further assistance or have questions, please do not hesitate to contact one of us, or you may also contact members of the ABOR and SBDCCA staff who are supporting our efforts: Don-Paul Benjamin for ABOR (602) 229-2503 and Gordon Hall for SBDCCA (602) 255-5582.
Sincerely,
| Don Puyear | Tom Wickenden |
| Joint Review Committee Co-Chair | Joint Review Committee Co-Chair |
| Executive Director | Associate Executive Director |
| State Board of Directors for Community Colleges of Arizona |
Arizona Board of Regents |
cc: Members of the 1998 Higher Education Study Committee
Senate and House Chairs of the Joint Legislative Budget
Committee
| ARIZONA BOARD OF REGENTS |
|
STATE BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR |
| 2020 NORTH CENTRAL, SUITE 230 | COMMUNITY COLLEGES OF ARIZONA | |
| PHOENIX, ARIZONA 85004-4593 | 3225 NORTH CENTRAL, SUITE 1220 | |
| (602) 229-2500 | PHOENIX, ARIZONA 85012-2411 | |
| (602) 255-4037 |
Date: March 8, 1999
To: Members of the 1998 Higher Education Study Committee
From: Frank Besnette, Executive
Director
Arizona Board of Regents
Don Puyear, Executive Director
State Board of Directors for Community Colleges of Arizona
As you may know, the Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC) has proposed adding a new footnote to the community college and university budgets for FY 2000 and 2001. We have attached a copy of the proposed footnote for your reference.
Although this new footnote prescribes that the Higher Education Study Committee (HESC) continue the collaborative process, it does not appear to require the committee itself to continue meeting. The Joint Conference Committee (JCC) of the Arizona Board of Regents and the State Board of Directors for Community Colleges of Arizona in their meeting on February 3 took note of the fact that the Joint Review Committee is continuing the work of the 1998 HESC. Therefore the JCC concluded that, pending the successful operation of the Joint Review Committee, the HESC may not need to meet.
Beginning this month the Joint Review Committee (list of members attached) will meet every two months and will draft annual reports describing activities. The annual reports will be reviewed by the JCC, and ultimately reviewed and approved by both Boards. Each of you will be provided with copies. Should the JRC encounter implementation difficulties, the executive directors will contact the HESC co-chairs and recommend that the HESC be re-convened.
In closing, we sincerely thank each of you for your valuable service on this important committee.
Enclosures
cc: Gordon Hall, SBDCCA
Tom Wickenden, ABOR
Tony Seese-Bieda, ABOR
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