The institution provides services supporting its mission with qualified personnel to ensure the quality and effectiveness of its student affairs programs. (Qualified Student Affairs Personnel)

    X    Compliance         Partial Compliance         Non-Compliance

Narrative:

Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College (OCtech) provides services to students in support of the OCtech mission to have a positive social and economic impact on the lives of its students. Professional personnel employed to deliver services to students meet or exceed job qualifications stated in the position descriptions and requirements for each position. Requirements are designed to hire qualified personnel who ensure the quality and effectiveness of the College’s student affairs programs. The Student Services Division employs twenty-four staff members who hold appropriate educational degrees required for their positions or who possess an appropriate combination of education and work experience. The Student Services staff members have approximately 297 years of combined work experience in serving students.

Due to the broad scope and range of services provided, student services staff members are widely cross trained to provide a variety of services to students. Admissions staff members are trained to provide basic financial aid services. Financial Aid staff members are trained to provide basic admissions and registration services. Student Records staff members are thoroughly trained to provide admissions and registration services. All staff members provide advising services. All admissions staff members are trained to conduct course placement and career planning assessment. The level of access and training is determined by the level of responsibility for each individual staff member. Functional areas of the Student Services Division include: 1) student recruitment, 2) admissions, 3) career planning, 4) academic advising, 5) academic counseling, 6) student records, 7) student registration, 8) personal counseling, 9) student support services grant (STEP), 10) academic tutoring, 11) job placement, 12) financial aid, 13) Veteran’s Affairs, 14) Students with Disability Services, 15) course placement/assessment services, 16) distance education testing, 17) student discipline, 18) student information system reporting, 19) student activities, 20) orientation, and 21) access and equity. These functions were outlined previously in the Compliance Review Narrative for Core Requirement 2.10. Staff positions, academic credentials, and years of work experience are detailed in the Student Services Staff Credentials Roster. Each staff member has a detailed job description and planning stage. This document is reviewed on an annual basis to evaluate employee performance and to determine if specific objectives for the year were accomplished. The employee planning stage and performance evaluations are maintained in the Office of Human Resources. Job duties are evaluated and revised as needed during the annual evaluation period.

Staff members are encouraged and provided adequate resources to engage in professional development activities as detailed on the Student Services Staff Credentials Roster. In addition, the admissions and counseling staff participate in on-campus professional development activities every other month. Student Services staff meetings are scheduled on an as-needed basis during peak service demand times and on a scheduled basis during non peak enrollment periods. These meetings provide opportunities to discuss and share information between functional departments, as well as provide the venue to conduct training sessions on new or revised operating procedures. The Division maintains professional memberships in the following organizations: American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, National Council on Student Development, Carolinas Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, and many others as listed on the Roster. Staff members actively participate in State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education (SBTCE) Functional Peer Groups that meet once per semester to share information and keep abreast of new initiatives on the local, state and federal levels that impact their respective functional departments. These peer groups include: Chief Student Services Officers, Career Planning, Job Placement, Student Records, Admissions, Students with Disabilities, Student Activities, Counseling, and Financial Aid. At various intervals, staff members have served and continue to serve in officer positions in these groups.

The Student Services Division monitors the number of students served by tabulation of student sign-in sheets at a central location where students enter the Division’s work area. A new staff member was hired in April, 2003, to serve as an information specialist. This specialist serves the needs of students who visit the area or call. During the past year the Division logged 21,231 student contacts from January 1, 2004, through August 31, 2004, as illustrated on the Student Services Counselor/Financial Aid Utilization Report. These numbers illustrate a continual increase in demand and need for student services since 2002. This increased utilization is due, in part, to a move to a newly constructed Student and Community Life Building in late April, 2003. The move to the new building enabled the consolidation of all of the Division’s functional departments and staff into one building rather than the previous three buildings. This central location of offices enables staff members to serve students in a more efficient manner. The close proximity encourages interaction among departments and eliminates the need to send students to a variety of offices all over campus.

The College conducted a campus-wide quality survey of college services in Spring, 2004. A sample of approximately 600 day and evening students completed the survey. Findings from the survey indicate that overall, the Division is effectively meeting the needs of OCtech students. Specific survey results are detailed in each functional area’s comments included in this narrative.

STUDENT RECRUITMENT

Recruitment duties are shared among several admissions staff members, with the primary responsibility assigned to the staff member responsible for high school and community recruiting activities. Between the years of 2002-2004, hundreds of course placement assessments were conducted at area high schools as part of the College’s efforts to make application and enrollment at OCtech accessible to all high school students. High school testing program enrollment analysis reports indicate that 1735 high school graduates have been tested since 2001. This report also indicates the percentage of students who actually matriculated to OCtech. Enrollment in the high schools has continually increased over the past three years. Of students who participated in OCtech placement testing in area high schools, results show that: 35% of high school students enrolled in 2001, 22% in 2002, 29% in 2003, and 41% in 2004. In addition, the recruiter participated in eighteen school and community programs in 2003-04, solidifying OCtech’s presence in and service to its communities. Surveys are conducted to assess service to high schools on a periodic basis. The College’s Office of Planning and Development contracted in June, 2000, with an outside marketing firm (Market Search Corporation) for a survey to determine the recruiting effectiveness of a variety of OCtech services to high school students in the service area. The results indicated that most high school juniors and seniors are familiar with the College and course offerings. The study also indicated that students have positive impressions of the College. Of those students surveyed, 47% indicated that they would likely consider attending a technical college within the next year or two. On the Faculty and Staff Survey of College Services, 2004, 76% of faculty and staff indicated satisfaction with recruiting services.

ADMISSIONS

The Admissions Office has processed 5,083 applications since 2001. The Student Records Office shares administrative support among two employees who are primarily responsible for data entry and written communication management. The Vice President for Student Services also serves as the College’s Admissions Director. Since Fall, 1999, enrollment has steadily increased at the College, with an overall increase of 40% by Fall, 2004. The Admissions Office utilizes an efficient communications management system that enables staff to process applications for admissions and respond to students in writing in as little as twenty-four hours. Students who meet admissions criteria are accepted to the College and mailed an acceptance letter the very next day. Additional follow up activities include letters from individual academic departments, the College President, financial aid information, orientation information, and registration information. The recent Faculty and Staff Survey of College Services, 2004, revealed a 95% satisfaction rate of admissions processing services. On the Student Survey of College Services, 2004, students gave admissions staff a 90% satisfactory rating on assistance provided in making an informed enrollment decision.

CAREER PLANNING

Career planning services are conducted by all eight members of the admissions and counseling staff. The College primarily uses the Kuder Career Planning System to conduct career services with students. The web-based portability of this system has been very effective and convenient for students and staff use. The counseling staff also utilizes the Career Assessment Inventory when technology is not available administer the Kuder Career Planning System. Fifteen computers are available for use in the Assessment Center and another eighty-eight computers are available for use in the Tourville Lab located in the same building. High school students, current students, and adults have participated in the testing since the College initiated the Kuder program in 2002. Testing is conducted by OCtech staff both on campus and in area high schools. Since inception, 1,478 testing units have been administered to OCtech students, adults in the community, and middle/high school students. The most recent survey results from faculty and staff reveal an 89% satisfaction rate of career planning services. The students rated career planning services with an similar 89% satisfaction rating.

ACADEMIC ADVISING

Academic Advising services were centralized and placed under the coordination of a student services staff member in November, 2000. The Advising Services Coordinator conducted five faculty advisor training sessions for thirty-six participants during the past year. The Advising Center utilizes volunteer staff and faculty to provide advising services to students during exam week and schedule change week each term. These are times when individual faculty members are not unavailable to advise students on an individual basis. The Advising Center served 7,265 student contacts from the Fall, 2003 through the Fall, 2004 terms. Advising Center volunteers provide advising and course registration services to students who are completing an initial registration or who are making course or schedule changes. The most recent survey results from faculty and staff reveal a 95% satisfaction rate on academic advising services. The Advising Center also conducts an ongoing survey of services to students who use the Center. Suggestions for improvements are requested on an ongoing basis. Some changes implemented over the past year based on student suggestions include new procedures for signing in for first-time students and an increased emphasis on assisting and encouraging student use of Web Advisor (online registration). Web Advisor gives students online access to registration services twenty-four hours per day, seven days per week.

COUNSELING SERVICES

Counseling Services are provided for personal and academic needs. The eight Student Services counselors and advisors serve the personal and academic needs of students who are having academic difficulties. Counselors work closely with faculty members and advisors to develop a plan of action for assisting students who are having academic difficulties. Students with personal issues are assisted by staff in a confidential manner and are referred to outside agencies as the need arises. Student Services counselors are also trained to counsel students who receive financial aid Title IV funds and who are not maintaining satisfactory academic progress as mandated by the United States Department of Education. The most recent survey results from faculty and staff reveal a satisfaction rate of 88% for academic counseling services.

STUDENT RECORDS AND REGISTRATION

Student Records and Registration staff members are dedicated to effectively serving the needs of prospective and current students, as well as faculty and staff. The College Registrar manages this area and supervises two administrative specialists who share records and admissions job duties. The Student Records department currently utilizes an optical imaging system to scan and store required information for student records. This information is scanned and indexed on a daily basis and is backed up to a separate portable drive each week. To ensure that information is accurate and up-to-date in the College’s administrative system, schedule changes, address changes, and transcript information is entered upon receipt from the student. Upon receipt by the College Registrar, college transcripts are evaluated and transfer credit information is entered into the system. Except during peak times, transfer equivalency reports indicating transfer credit information are mailed to students within three days of receipt. The College complies with the Commission on Colleges’ Policy: The Transfer or Transcripting of Academic Credit.

On the Student Survey of College Services, 94% of students indicated satisfaction with notification of registration dates, and 92% agreed that grades are delivered to them in a timely manner each term. From the faculty and staff perspective, 98% expressed satisfaction with student records services.

STUDENT TRANSITIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAM (STEP)

The Student Transitional Education Program (STEP) is federally funded to provide services to eligible students to enhance academic skills, increase graduation and retention rates, and assist transfer students in the transition from OCtech to a four-year college. The program employs a director, an administrative specialist, two counselors, and a variety of part-time positions for computer support and tutoring services. STEP students have access to academic tutoring, counseling services, career guidance, cultural enrichment, and financial educational assistance. Students who typically qualify for services include those identified as high-risk students. These students are usually first generation college students, and/or they originate from a low socio-economic background. The STEP program serves over 200 students per year. The combined resources of the STEP program and Perkins funding allow the College to provide tutoring services at no cost, not only to STEP participants, but also to the general student population.

ASSESSMENT SERVICES

Assessment Services contributes to the mission of OCtech as it fosters student success via a methodical and organized process of educational and career measurement. This area is managed by one staff member, who serves as the Director of Assessment. Evaluative instruments are used to assess the level of service provided that is consistent with the mission and beliefs of the College. The confidentiality of the assessment records is maintained within the guidelines of the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Technology is integrated in the assessment process with computerized testing resources. Paper and pencil versions are maintained, but they are used only at the request of the student and with approval of the staff. The effectiveness of assessment services is evaluated with a variety of instruments. Students complete a pre-assessment survey as an integrated component of COMPASS. Survey results from the Faculty and Staff Survey of College Services, 2004 reveal a 98% satisfaction rate for placement testing services. Students are given the opportunity to rate assessment services as they begin the assessment test. The most recent survey results from May through July, 2004 reflect that 92% of the students understood the purpose of the test at the time it was scheduled, and 98% indicated the proctor provided clear directions to begin the test. The overall impression of the testing process at OCtech was rated with a student satisfaction rate of 95%.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

This function provides services to students with qualifying disabilities. Students receive appropriate and reasonable accommodations as required by Section 504 of the 1973 Vocational Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disability Act, Section II. The STEP program director is the designated Coordinator for Disabilities Services. The Coordinator of Disabilities Services also provides legal updates and guidance to faculty in order to meet the needs of students who need special accommodations. A faculty handbook has been developed and is revised as needed to assist faculty members in ensuring that students are provided access to academic programs and services.

TUTORING SERVICES

Tutoring Services provides academic support to students in a variety of subject areas that include math, English, computers, biology, history, anatomy & physiology, history, psychology, nursing, and respiratory care. Tutors are selected through an established and effective procedure that engages faculty in the recruitment and selection of academic tutors. Faculty/staff survey results reveal that 84% of faculty members recommend tutoring services to students. In addition to on-site tutoring, the College provides students with access to SMARTHINKING, a web-based 24/7 tutoring service. On the Faculty and Staff Survey of College Services, 2004, 47% of responses indicated that faculty members encourage their students to seek online tutoring assistance. All tutoring services are offered free of charge to students. The College utilizes both STEP and Perkins Funds to provide students with free tutoring services.

DISTANCE EDUCATION TESTING

Distance Education testing services were provided to 1303 participants during the 2003-04 academic year as illustrated on the Internet testing report. Distance Education testing services are provided by STEP staff in the Tourville Lab. Testing is scheduled by appointment. Testing services were provided in the following subject areas: math, computer technology, business, marketing, history, sociology and psychology.

STUDENT INFORMATION REPORTING

Student Information Reporting is a new part-time staff position that was created in June, 2003, to support information needs of the Student Services Division. The Division utilizes the part- time services of a former systems programmer and current computer technology instructor. The focus of this position is to provide Student Services staff and faculty with data and reports extracted from the student administrative software system, Colleague. Newly developed reports assist the College in enhancing and evaluating efforts to meet the student needs.

STUDENT ACTIVITIES PROGRAM

The Student Activities program promotes the development of leadership and interpersonal skills of the student body through extracurricular activities and governance in accordance with the mission and beliefs of the College. It provides opportunities for students to serve on committees, participate in athletic events, communicate concerns, and establish community projects. The Director of Assessment serves as the Staff Advisory for the Student Advisory Board. The Student Advisory Board consists of ten active members, including a chairman, vice chairman, and secretary. A list of student activities is provided as documentation. The Student Services Division continues to explore methods to increase student involvement in personal, social, and community development activities. Student involvement is always a challenge for student in the two-year commuter college environment.

TOURVILLE LAB

The Tourville Lab was opened in late 2003 to serve the needs of OCtech students. The lab offers access to state-of-the-art technology with eighty-eight computers providing high speed internet service and instructional software. The Lab is staffed and operated with part-time staff from the STEP program. Students rated the Tourville Lab with an 89% satisfaction rating. The lab is open six days per week to serve students. From its opening in April, 2003, through August, 2004, over 44,764 student visits have been made to the lab.

NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION

New Student Orientation is coordinated by the College’s recruiter. Orientation sessions are conducted once per semester in the fall, spring, and summer terms. In Fall, 2004, 236 students attended orientation, one of the largest groups in attendance for any single session. Student evaluation results for the last two terms revealed an overall satisfaction rate of 98%. Survey results provide valuable feedback in order to increase the effectiveness of the program. Students who are not able to attend an orientation session are encouraged to meet with a member of the admissions staff prior to enrollment to become acquainted with the services available to students. Students also have the option on the College’s public web page to request a new student orientation package if they are unable to attend orientation. This practice has proven to be more effective for distance learning students than providing a multimedia presentation via the Internet since high speed access is still somewhat limited in the rural service area of the College. The most recent orientation evaluation results indicated that students prefer to participate in an on-campus session rather than use media available through distance education sources.

ACCESS AND EQUITY FUNDS

Access and Equity funds are utilized to minimize barriers for minority applicants to post-secondary education and, more specifically, to admission into competitive nursing and health sciences programs. The program is also designed to increase the retention rates of minority students in programs such as Nursing, Radiologic Technology, Respiratory Care Technology, Medical Laboratory Technology, and Medical Office Assisting. The College STEP Director serves as the College’s Access and Equity Coordinator. Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College receives annual funds from the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education (CHE) to develop and implement initiatives that promote access to educational opportunities at OCtech. For the past three years, these funds have been used to implement the Minorities in Health Programs as described in detail in Compliance Review Narrative for Core Requirement 2.10. This program has served an average of thirty-five applicants each year. The effectiveness of the program is evaluated based on the number of students who participate and subsequently are offered admission to one of the competitive programs. In 2002, 30% of program participants were offered admission to these programs and maintained a 77% retention rate in the first year. In 2003, 30% of program participants were offered admission to these programs and maintained an 88% retention rate in the first year.

JOB PLACEMENT SERVICES

Job Placement services are available to current and former students of OCtech. This office is staffed by the Director of Counseling, Career and Placement Services. Assistance provided to students include: resume development, job-seeking skills, interviewing skills, and job-referral services. Job-seeking skills workshops are offered to student each spring to serve graduating seniors. Assessment of services is conducted with a variety of measures which include surveys and student contact logs. Job Placement Services were utilized by 37.1% of the fifty-one graduates responding to the Post Graduation Employment Survey, 2002. The most recent graduating class that completed studies from August 2002-May 2003 returned fifty-six Post Graduation Employment Surveys. Job Placement Services were utilized by 47.9% of this group. This utilization rate is a 10% increase in service usage from the previous year.

Survey results from the Student Survey of College Services, 2004, report that 85% of students are aware that job placement services are available to them. However, only 25.2% responded that they had registered with Job Placement Services. To increase the number of students utilizing Job Placement Services, the Director of Counseling, Career and Placement Services has been working closely with faculty to encourage students to utilize services. Departmental faculty members also assist students with securing employment prior to graduation, thus eliminating the need to seek services from the Job Placement Office. Job Placement Services received an 89% satisfaction rate from on the Faculty and Staff Survey of College Services, 2004.

Some changes implemented over the past year to increase student utilization of services include: 1) The Post Graduation Employment Survey is now placed in the Graduation Packets rather than mailing the survey to students; 2) The Director of Counseling, Career and Placement Services is working with faculty to integrate the services of the Job Placement Office into classroom instruction; 3) Job Placement Services has developed a site on the OCtech web page that features Current Job Listings with the OCTC Job Placement Office. The site is updated weekly; and 4) Weekly job announcements are sent to faculty and are posted to the College’s public website. Employer names are no longer listed in order to require the student to visit the Job Placement Office for application and registration information.

FINANCIAL AID OFFICE

The Financial Aid Office administers a variety of Federal, State and Local student aid programs. Since 2001, financial aid disbursements to students at OCtech have increased by 123%. The Financial Aid Office employs five staff members, including the Director of Financial Aid. This office disburses millions of dollars in aid to students each year as illustrated in the Financial Aid Comparison Report. During 2003, the Financial Aid Office disbursed approximately $8 million dollars to students at OCtech. Federal programs include PELL, SEOG, Federal Work Study, Stafford Loans, and Veteran’s Benefits. State programs include Life Scholarship, South Carolina Needs-Based Grant, and Lottery Tuition Assistance. Local programs include institutional and private scholarships and company-sponsored tuition assistance. The College serves a predominately minority population (60%) from many surrounding rural areas. The College provides comprehensive financial aid services to include assistance with completion and submission of the FASFA via the web, advisement services that focus on informing students of the availability of all student financial aid resources, and packaging of financial aid for students who have a completed ISIR on file. In an effort to serve students more efficiently and effectively, the College implemented an auto-packaging financial aid procedure in the fall of 2004 that will permit staff to import the data from the Student Aid Report (ISIR) into the OCtech student database, award Pell to those eligible, and generate an award letter—all within twenty-four hours. Faculty and staff rated Financial Aid Services with a 94% satisfaction rate. For this same period, 80% of students surveyed indicated that financial aid information is available to them, and 87% stated that they received notification of their financial aid status in a timely manner.

Evidence of Support: