WNCC 2010 Self-Study Report - Western Nebraska Community ...

The Associate Degree in Nursing program (which is new to WNCC) was approved by the Nebraska
State Board of Nursing before it was implemented, and the institution is currently in candidacy
status for accreditation by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission as well. Upon
successful completion of the program, students are eligible to sit for Registered Nursing boards,
leading to the issuance of a professional nursing license. As with the PN program, success rates
for graduates sitting for Board exams are tracked.
The Powerline Construction, Safety, and Maintenance Program curriculum is based on the
Merchant Job Training and Safety Program, a nationally-recognized curriculum. WNCC’s
Automotive Technology and Auto Body Technology offerings have been certified for the last 20
consecutive years by the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation. WNCC’s
Cosmetology Program curriculum is based upon the State of Nebraska Cosmetology standards
from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. In order to obtain their
cosmetology license, students must take the State Board Written Practical Exam.
Information Technology emphasis area instructors have participated in Program 99 and Future
Force Nebraska programs. These two initiatives help community colleges across Nebraska align
information technology curriculum. IT faculty members also participate in Working Connections, a
faculty-development conference sponsored by the Midwest Center for Information Technology.
Quarterly meetings are held to help promote articulation, faculty development, student recruitment,
and to develop new ideas for teaching and curriculum.
Transfer and Articulation Agreements
In order to be sure that the curriculum at the College is current and meets the standards within a
discipline area, WNCC follows the Nebraska Transfer Initiative for transfer-level coursework, which
guarantees transfer of courses within the state of Nebraska to any college or university. WNCC
has a more complete agreement with Chadron State College because of the number of
concurrently enrolled students. In addition, WNCC has separate, program-specific transfer
agreements with various institutions, such as Clarkson College, Midlands Lutheran, the University
of Wyoming, Kaplan University, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the University of Nebraska-
Omaha, the University Nebraska-Kearney, Cabela’s University, and is developing them with the
South Dakota School of Mines, the College of Saint Mary in Omaha, and National American
University.
Besides adhering to formal articulation agreements, the guidelines for best practices set by the
Higher Learning Commission, as well as those of the Nebraska Community College Association,
are closely followed. In Nebraska, a set of rules prescribe instructor credentials, syllabi
construction, and textbook usage. WNCC credits transfer readily to other colleges or universities,
even those courses which are used as electives in particular programs. The Faculty and Staff
Handbook makes clear that although instructors have latitude in determining how competencies
are met, they must follow the course content described in the master syllabus because other
institutions rely upon the integrity of those courses when making decisions about allowing students
to transfer credit.
The College also has working agreements with a variety of organizations such as the regional
hospitals, public health care facilities, nursing homes, businesses, and the county jail to provide
Western Nebraska Community College Page 145