SACS Compliance Certification Report (PDF) - South Florida State ...

Statewide Course Numbering SystemStudent Services | SFCC College Catalog 2010-20113.7.1Faculty: Faculty competenceThe institution employs competent faculty members qualified to accomplish the mission and goals of theinstitution. When determining acceptable qualifications of its faculty, an institution gives primaryconsideration to the highest earned degree in the discipline. The institution also considers competence,effectiveness, and capacity, including, as appropriate, undergraduate and graduate degrees, related workexperiences in the field, professional licensure and certifications, honors and awards, continuousdocumented excellence in teaching, or other demonstrated competencies and achievements thatcontribute to effective teaching and student learning outcomes. For all cases, the institution isresponsible for justifying and documenting the qualifications of its faculty. (See Commission guidelines“Faculty Credentials.”)JudgmentCompliant Non-Compliant Not ApplicableNarrativeSouth Florida Community College (SFCC) employs competent faculty members to accomplish its missionand goals and to ensure the quality and integrity of its academic programs.To support SFCC's mission, the College seeks faculty who are competent, dedicated to providing alearning-centered environment, and committed to assisting the people in its service district. Additionally,the College is committed to encouraging and supporting faculty to continuously develop theirprofessional skills and abilities.SFCC maintains comprehensive standards for evaluating the credentials of its faculty to ensure that theymeet the competency guidelines established by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools(District Board of Trustees (DBOT) Policy 5.06). These standards are contained in a Collegedocument titled Professional Standards for Faculty and Academic Administrators (hereafter,Professional Standards). The primary consideration when selecting faculty is the highest earned degree inthe discipline. Successful educational endeavors and in-field employment, professional licensure andcertifications, and other demonstrated competencies and achievements are also considered.When an instructional applicant’s credentials do not readily lend themselves to the tenets prescribed inthe Professional Standards document, instructional supervisors follow the procedures for determiningcompetency outlined in SFCC Administrative Procedure 5060.Position vacancy announcements for faculty are developed in accordance with SFCC’s ProfessionalStandards (English Faculty announcement; Nursing Faculty announcement). Applicant credentialsare initially screened by Human Resources Department staff to ensure that the minimum qualificationsare met prior to forwarding the applications to the screening committee for further review andconsideration. Faculty screening committees typically include the instructional supervisor, academicdean, and faculty members within the discipline or department. When interviews have been concluded,hiring recommendations for full-time faculty are submitted to the Vice President for Educational andStudent Services (VPESS) for review and approval. Following the offer of employment, Human ResourcesDepartment staff engage with the new faculty member to ensure that documentation of educational andexperiential qualficiations, including official transcripts, is obtained and placed in the faculty member'spersonnel file. When complete, a summary of the faculty member's credentials is developed forplacement South Florida Community in the file. College (English Faculty Credentials summary; Nursing Faculty Credentials Page 130 / 202summary.)