City College of San Francisco - California Competes

STANDARD II.B
III. Strengths & Areas for Improvement
1. The Student Development Division of the
College has worked diligently over the past
four years to increase the quality of the
services provided. Major improvements have
occurred in the organization, development,
delivery, and assessment of student support
services prompted primarily by the multileveled
evaluation systems initiated by the
institution since the last Self Study. The
improvements have been supported and
augmented by the development of new
technological applications which have further
increased access, responsiveness, and impact.
These improvements have been recognized
throughout the College community as evident
through the most recent Employee Survey
(2004). To ensure the continued quality of
the services provided throughout the District,
improvement should continue, allowing
advancements in technology to augment
the delivery of student support services
while maintaining a strong commitment
to the personal delivery of services by
College personnel.
Since the last accreditation, the College has
made a concerted effort to improve the accessibility
of appropriate services across the District.
Most departments and programs provide access
to students throughout the District, and some
have established offices and maintain special
hours at each campus. To continue the effort
to ensure equitable access, the College must
expand innovative methods to increase
service delivery through special hours, classes,
workshops, and/or smaller offices or units at
all campuses as well as enhance the availability
of online services to provide interactivity.
However, funding and facilities limitations
continue to impact the full implementation
of programs and services including the delivery
of counseling services and the implementation
of recommendations emanating from the A&R
re-engineering initiative. As funding improves
statewide and facilities development continues
college wide, the College should work to
address the funding and facility needs of
the Student Development Division.
2. Access to information plays a crucial role in
student success and the Student Development
Division has accepted its responsibility to
ensure information access and improve
information accuracy for its students throughout
the District as well as the general public.
To enhance the availability of information,
the College should continue to improve
its Catalog by including an academic
freedom statement and providing contact
information and site locations for all
campuses and educational departments.
In addition, the College should publicize the
modest cost of the printed Catalog as well
as the availability of the Web version of the
Catalog that contains information that has
been updated since the last printed edition
of the Catalog. Additionally, the College
might consider providing a planner to all
students annually, reflecting current updates
and changes and expanding the number
of languages in which critical information
is provided.
3. Counseling services have improved
significantly over the past few years. The
reorganization has provided opportunities
for expanded leadership, increased access,
and intensified service delivery. To continue
the development of counseling services
the Division should sustain efforts to
promote communication among counseling
programs and departments, to increase
visibility and accessibility with improved
facilities, to improve technological
applications, and to provide overall
leadership through the appointment of
a Dean of Student Support Services.
146 CITY COLLEGE OF SAN FRANCISCO