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

to college, encourage submission of applications by sharing profiles of potential enrollees, make knownthe breadth of program availability, offer glimpses of what college life includes, and share the successand satisfaction of previous students. SFCC does not have a designated recruiting staff but has arecruiting team comprised of academic advisors from all sites and outreach program managers/staff(from the college Reach Out Program, Panther Youth Partners program, Migrant Farmworker program,and Take Stock in Children program). Members of these programs participate in events hosted by localhigh schools, towns, and community organizations in an effort to increase awareness of SFCC programsand services. This team also serves as host to the College for a Day program, eighth grade visits, campustours, and parent/civic organization presentations.Advising and counseling services are available to support students in the learning process throughAdmissions / OrientationSupport staff in the Office of the Registrar manage the SFCC admissions processes. The Welcome Center,located on the Highlands campus in the Student Services Complex, receives admissions applications forall programs. Because SFCC is an open admissions institution, acceptance is routine. Individualizedassessments are provided to each student to assist in determining the students' entry level placement.Orientation programs and success seminars are provided to address new student needs, heightenawareness of conduct and citizenship codes, and promote social responsibility. Orientation and seminarsare coordinated by enrollment services, advising and counseling, and career planning units. The DeSotoand Hardee campuses and the Lake Placid center student services advisors, campus/center directors, andoffice staff are responsible for coordinating orientation and seminars for their respective campus.New student orientation consists of an information session covering topics such as advising, theregistration process, drop/add rules, disability services, the Tutoring and Learning Center, student clubsand organizations, financial aid, and other resources available to students. Group orientation sessions areregularly scheduled during the summer leading up to the fall term start date. Both day and eveningsessions are available for convenience. Each student attending orientation is given a packet containinguseful information about the college and evaluates the orientation session. (Example 07-27 and 08-10-2010.) An evaluation of the new student orientation program is conducted by staff members during thefall to provide feedback for continuous improvement. Students who are unable to attend a scheduledgroup orientation session, such as online students, or students who would like to review the session,may participate in a computerized, online orientation session available through the college portal.Assessment and TestingSFCC is an open admissions institution. Assessment and testing services have the primaryresponsibility of administering placement tests and assessments which will help determine a student'slevel of preparedness for the coursework and program of study selected. Students making application toSFCC who do not have acceptable academic placement test scores for regular college-level courses arerequired to enroll in developmental courses. In addition to course placement determination, theassessment and testing unit coordinates and proctors course performance exams, certification exams,national/state competency exams, and personal assessments in both online and paper/pencil formats.Testing services are available to students at all college locations and include testing withaccommodations for students with disabilities. The schedule of tests by type, testing dates, locations,and times are presented in the Schedule of Classes bulletin which is available online through the collegeWeb site.Career Planning and PlacementThe staff of the Career Center assists students and graduates with career planning experiences.The Career Center services are available whenever the college is open. Students may explore careerprofiles, take interest inventories, use the center resources to research careers, discuss career planning,receive assistance in goal setting and establish opportunities for co-operative learning, job shadowing orinternships, and seek employment . Additionally, the Career Center staff coordinate annual career andjob fairs that facilitate interaction with employers and universities.South Florida Community College Page 38 / 202Advising and Counseling